Ask Mr. Modem! – February 2008
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Stay Safe Using Public Computers
Q. When I travel, I use computers at Internet cafes, libraries, and similar
places to check email, pay bills, etc. As a security measure, I usually use a
USB flash drive for my data, thinking that this is the best and safest way to
use public-access computers. Am I doing the right thing and playing it safe?
A. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as a general proposition, there is
really nothing you can do to make a public computer truly secure. For example,
there are hardware- and software-based keystroke loggers that are invisible to
any user. Keystroke loggers, as the name implies, capture every keystroke
entered on a computer’s keyboard, including passwords, account numbers, credit
card numbers, names, addresses, and Social Security numbers.
To play it safe, when using a public computer of the type you describe, try to
avoid entering your passwords or login information, or change passwords before
your trip, then change them back when you return. When using a public computer,
avoid making purchases, conducting any financial transactions online, or
anything that will require the use of your credit card number or Social Security
number. Generally speaking, I avoid public-access computers if at all possible.
Q. I know you’ve covered this before, Mr. M., but I’ve forgotten how I can
determine how much space I have left on my computer’s hard drive. As I recall,
it’s shown in a diagram with pink and blue inside of it. Thanks very much.
A. You’re absolutely correct: Pink for free space, blue for used space. To
view this colorful pie chart, double-click your My Computer icon, then
right-click the drive you want to check (usually the C: drive) and select
Properties. That will display the drive’s properties, including free and used
space.
Hard drive space is frequently confused with memory or RAM. If you want to
determine how much memory your system has, go to your Control Panel > System.
Under the Computer section on the General tab, you’ll find information about
your system’s processor and the amount of installed RAM.
Q. I have approximately 50 CDs of old music that I want to put on an iPod
that I plan to purchase. What I’d like to know is how many gigabytes do I need
to hold all that music? Thanks for your help, Mr. M.
A. Apple considers a song to be four minutes in length, so with that in mind,
here are the various storage capacities of the iPod: 1GB (gigabyte) will allow
you to save approximately 240 songs; 2 GB, 500 songs; 4 GB, 1000 songs; 8GB,
2000 songs, 30 GB, 7500 songs, 60 GB, 15,000 songs, and 160GB, 40,000 songs.
Breaking out my trusty slide rule, if we apply the same iPod “4-minute”
standard, that would assume 4.16 SPM (songs per megabyte). Each CD is 650MB,
which would equate to 156.25 songs per CD—again, assuming a song is four-minutes
in length and assuming the CD is wall-to-wall music.
If you have 50 CDs, let’s round it off to 150 songs per CD, so that’s a total of
7500 songs, which is what the good folks at Apple estimate for the capacity of
their 30GB iPod Classic. I use an 8GB iPod Nano and find that it has more than
enough capacity for my musical interests. I’ve loaded every song I could
possibly think of, including recreating almost my entire collection of hundreds
of “oldie” 45s, and have thus far only used 3.8GB of its 8GB capacity.
Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month
Place Names
A fantastic resource for locating countries, cities, towns, villages, hamlets,
ham hocks, hills, rivers, lakes, islands and other geographic locations with
latitude, longitude and respective elevations. The “Advanced Search” permits
searches to focus on specific sandbars, benches, lava flows, and many other
criteria you’ll never use.
www.placenames.com
Rock Wisdom
Wisdom comes in many forms, from authors, poets, philosophers, even rock stars.
No, seriously. Check out this list of the top 100 rock quotes of all time, which
include pearls of wisdom from Dylan, Lennon, and Simon & Garfunkel. I don’t mean
to pick nits, but coming in at No. 97 is, “You shake my nerves and you rattle my
brain,” by renowned philosopher Jerry Lee Lewis. Rock wisdom? I don’t think so,
but maybe it’s just me.
www.rockwisdom.com/mainpage.htm
Typing Test
Here you can take free practice tests, then pay $6.95 to take a real test and
possibly receive a certification. Tests are three or five minutes in length.
Test results show gross, uncorrected words-per-minute, your accuracy, and
adjusted (corrected) words-per-minute. Certificates are “guaranteed” to be
accepted by any employer or your money begrudgingly refunded.
www.typingcertification.com
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