I just spotted this story in my Wired RSS feed. Google will release their own operating system later this year. Personally, I saw this as inevitable more than a year ago, when I first tried Google Docs. Not that Google Docs was the magic ingredient that started online applications, it was just the point where I realized that what was taking place was going to be significant. Apparently, the new operating system is a flavor of Linux, touted to be quick and agile like Google's browser, Chrome - which I have used quite a bit lately. Oh yeah, the OS...

Win32Vitro Virus is out and about - protect your computer. It's time to get concerned again, according to my favorite guru - Mike DeMichele - at Save My Butt. This time, it's a pretty big concern if you make a habit of trolling the web and downloading out of the ordinary video files from sites that are off the beaten path. Mike says this bug gets into your computer and your external or thumb drives. From there, it can infect every executable (.exe) program you have. That means all your software - whether the software came with your computer or you installed it...

Conficker, the worm, is in its third iteration this year and has been around in other guises since who-knows-when. Yes, it's of concern and really does inhabit a couple of million computers around the world. Is Conficker the end of computing as we know it? Nope. Here's what I know. If you maintain your computer properly, run auto update for Windows (if you have a MAC, you needn't keep worrying, but do keep reading, just for fun.) and have a good antivirus program, you're probably good. If you follow my advice and do the FREE self tune up every week, you're...

Gizmodo announced the most useful tool shaped like a pair of boobs. No Oscar for them, but the article is certainly worth a grin. I won't tell you what the bosom-shaped utensil is, but do go take a look. I nearly spit my coffee into my keyboard - which has happened to me more than once. Green MP3 player - low carbon footprint - this one is fun. Believe it or not, a wind-up MP3 player that uses no electricity. I haven't tried it, but I used to have a wind-up radio. It's the thought... The How to Geek says try this one...

I called HP tech support. My PC had a problem. HPs online chat was useless. Phone support told me pack up my computer, send it to them and they'd wipe the harddrive, then fix the problem.  I'll tell you what I learned. Problem - HP laptops, have a bar on the keyboard that permit control of media devices like sound and video. Mine stopped working. The offshore tech support person's command of English was so rudimentary that she did not understand. She told me to download Microsoft Quick Launch. The HP program is Quick Touch. The second tech support person did...

Need to cure a virus? Would you rather prevent getting one? Want to avoid spyware or learn what spyware is? What about making your PC typr computer run faster and better without spending a fortune? I have exactly the site for you - it's called SaveMyButt and it can really save your butt. The site, including a robust forum for questions and ideas, is run by an enthusiastic and energetic PC guru entrepreneur out of Chicago, Mike DiMichele (pronounced Mike De Michael). He has been featured for years on a radio program called "Website Wednesday Night" on WGN radio, which can be...

        We're all big fans of Vista, aren't we? Yesterday, when I was fanny-deep in work, I suddenly discovered that I had no recycle bin on my Vista desktop. What the...? After some websearch, I found that this is a pretty common problem with Vista. One day you'll have your recycle bin snug and cozy on the Vista desktop. The next moment, it simply vanishes. So what do you do? It's an easy fix - read this, then file it so when your's goes, you'll know what to do. (This also works if you happen to right-click the recyle, attempt to...

Holiday shopping - the Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday rushes are over. A frightening thing this year - more than one human being was actually killed in the firestorm of lunatic shoppers. All the more reason to consider online shopping. Fear of identity theft might keep some people hesitant, but fear of bodily injury makes me think online holiday shopping is the way to go. Here, then, some secrets from me to you: BizRate is a cool resource for product reviews, trends, price comparisons and gift ideas. Go check out Pricegrabber.com - I...

   Almost 100,000 baby boomers embrace 21st Century technologies.     Baby boomers have access to more technologies to make like easier than has any other generation has had. Seniors, close to 100 million of us, are attacking technology head on - Demystifying Digital, so to speak. I stumbled over a neat article from Science Daily - one line in particular caught my eye and made me chuckle over what it's like to be a Digital Grandparent. An interviewee, talking about plug and play marketing ploys, said, "On the box it says it's as easy as 1-2-3 but when you fold out the list of...

Expert tests on Vista OS, like those from InfoWorld last spring, clearly showed that Microsoft Vista is 40% slower than was XP. Now there's a reason to spend money on an upgrade, right? Well, add to that, as we pretty much all know now, that Vista is buggy as all get out and snarly to use, and you have the picture of how business has been for this pretty lame system from Microsoft. Ok, now they're going to release the latest Microsoft operating system. You'll see it called Win7, Windows 7, and Windows 7 M3. I haven't seen the OS yet, so...