Power protection is an important primary issue year around, but is especially critical when the late summer storms start to rear their ugly heads.

Whether you live in an area that is prone to electrical storms or not, you should not take power protection lightly.

Do you know the differences between a power strip and a surge protector? Do you know when it is prudent to have a battery backup? Would your business network benefit from a true Uninterruptable Power Supply?

Listen in as the Data Doctors fill you in on all the latest in the world of power protection and how best to protect all of your sensitive electronic gear!
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How do I print from websites without all of the junk and advertising that wastes so much ink?

- Clarence

With the cost of ink being one of the most expensive consumables for most computer users, limiting what prints when you print something from the Internet is a good way to save a lot of ink.

One of the easiest ways to limit what prints is to look for an option on the page to create a "printer friendly" version of the page. This option is very common on news and reference sites, but still often includes ads in the printer friendly version.

Whether there is an option for a printer friendly page or not, the next step is to select what you want to print (click and drag your mouse over the desired text) and tell your printer to only print what was selected. The "Selection" or "Selected" option will only appear in the Print dialog window (File, Print) if you highlight the text before clicking on the Print option.

Although this method will allow you to avoid printing ad banners and unneeded footer information, it isn't going to completely evade unwanted content in your print jobs.

In many cases, you might still get stuck with graphical images that are dispersed within the content, which is done on purpose by many commercial sites.

If you want to totally control what prints, copy the selected text (Ctrl-C) and paste it into a Word document using the "Paste Special" option. This will allow you to select the unformatted text option for Pasting, which will only insert the text from your desired web page into the document (albeit in an unformatted manner).

If the information is important for the future, you can also save it to a file on your computer for easy access to the information at a later date. This is also a great way to reduce what could have been 3 or 4 pages worth of printing into a page or two (you can control the size of the text in this scenario as well).

Another option is to install the Lexmark Toolbar (search "toolbar" at www.lexmark.com) which will work with any printer. One of the options in the Lexmark Toolbar is to print in black or text-only, which will help you save ink (and could be a much easier option for younger computer users).

One of the latest entries into the software solution arena is a free download called GreenPrint (www.printgreener.com). Once you install the free program, it automatically analyzes each page of every document sent to the printer and looks for characteristics that are an indication of a wasted page (like the last page with just a URL, banner ad, logo, or legal jargon) to keep it from printing out.

GreenPrint also includes a handy and easy to use one-click PDF writer (which is great for anyone that wants to create a library of archival documents that can be viewed by any machine or any operating system) and a better than average print preview option that provides total control of what will print.

Anything that GreenPrint deems to be waste will appear as a red page that you simply double click to change to a page that will print (or vice versa).

Any or all of these options will save you money, time, ink, paper and aggravation, so pick the one(s) that work best for you and start saving some trees (and ink)!
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The popularity of digital media such as MP3, YouTube and digital photography combined with the popularity of wireless home networks has set the stage for a pretty cool convergence.

Wouldn't it be great if you could access your music, videos and photos from any television, computer or handheld device in your house?

Well, guess what...YOU CAN! The number of companies that have created products that will allow you to extend all of your digital media beyond your desktop is overwhelming.

Listen in as we review all of the various ways that you can make this happen in your home and hear from listeners that have "been there, done that"!
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One of my nerdy friends told me that I should install a program called Threat Fire because it can do things that my anti-virus program can't do. Is this true and should I install it?

- Samantha

When it comes to protecting your computer from viruses and other malware (malicious software), there are two approaches to guarding your computer in the anti-virus arena; signature-based and behavior-based.

The most common programs use "signature-based" scanners that look for known signatures of malicious code in any file that is being scanned. Most of the name brand anti-virus programs on the market (Norton, McAfee, CA, AVG, Panda, Webroot, etc.) are signature-based scanners.

Signature-based antivirus programs are very good at detecting malware because they are looking for the known signs at the code level for known malicious software. The hole in the signature-based scheme is that new threats can't be detected until the infectious code has been discovered and added to the "signature" file of the anti-virus program (which is why it is so critical that you keep your anti-virus program up-to-date.)

This is also why anti-virus software can't always protect you from infections, especially when opening file attachments or manually downloading "free" software, because new threats have to infect systems before they become known.

Once the new threat has been identified, the 'race is on' to update the detection signature file and get it out to all the users before they come in contact with the new infection.

In the past, new vulnerabilities would be discovered and we would start to see exploits appear a couple of months later. This gave the anti-virus companies ample time to create updated signature files and get them out to their users.

Today, it is very common to see "zero-day" exploits, which means as soon as a new vulnerability in any operating system or software program is discovered some bonehead on the Internet has written malicious code to take advantage of the hole the same day that the exploit was discovered.

In general, you shouldn't run two signature-based anti-virus programs on the same system because they will detect each other as potential threats and can cause various other system maladies (more is not better, in this case.)

The latest type of anti-virus protection is based on behavior-based scanners that look for specific types of behavior that are common with malicious software programs. This behavior-based approach has a better chance of catching unknown threats that a signature-based scanner would not be able to detect until it was updated with the signature information.

The down side to behavior-based programs is that you're more likely to get "false-positives" on legitimate programs that you do want to have running on your system.

ThreatFire (www.threatfire.com) is a free behavior-based anti-virus program from the folks at PC Tools that can be added as an additional layer to systems that are already running a signature-based anti-virus program.

I would not recommend running it on its own and I would not recommend adding it to a computer that is already infected or is on a dial-up connection or that's experiencing performance issues. ThreatFire's value comes from proactive protection against future threats, not current infections.

Generally speaking, if you have a signature-based anti-virus and you are very careful about what files you open and what websites you visit (heaven help all of you with teenagers in your house!) you will be just fine.

If you decide to add ThreatFire for additional protection, make sure your computer is completely clear of any malware before adding it (or any security software for that matter) or you could stand the chance of causing system lockups or reduced system performance as a result of the existing condition of your computer.
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Each year, the fine folks over at PC Magazine review thousands of new web sites and compile their annual web site lists.

This year's choices include entries from the following categories:

Apps and Services, Fun and Games, Health and Science, Info, Search and Reference, Lifestyle, Money and Real Estate, Music, News, Photo, Shopping, Social Networking, Technology and Traval and Maps.

Some of the more interesting choices include a site that allows you to monitor all of your online accounts on one page, a search engine that provides results like Apple's Cover Flow interface on the iPod Touch and various new ways to get a date online.

Listen in as we review our favorites and invite you to do the same as we review the best of the unknown web!
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When I go to the office supply store to buy printer paper, the selection is ridiculous and confusing. Is there really a difference in all those different types of paper or is it just a bunch of hooey?

- Veronica

Believe it or not, the array of different types of paper actually do have a purpose, but only if you are printing with that purpose. The two primary considerations are the kind of printer you have and the kind of print job you want to perform.

If you are purchasing paper for general use (mostly text output) and aren't concerned about the sharpest, brightest colors in your images or how long the colors will keep from fading, buy the cheapest stuff you can find.

The main consideration for general use printing is the weight rating of the paper, which has to do with how heavy each sheet it (20 lb being the most common - the higher the number, the heavier the paper).

Be careful not to put heavy card stock paper (60 to 100 lb) into low cost ink-jet printers as this can cause damage in some cases. The maximum recommended paper weight is generally listed in the owner's manual or on the printer company's website with directions on how to adjust the printer for the heavier paper.

If you care about the print quality, then you need to care about the paper quality. Matching the paper type to your printer type (ink-jet vs laser) is a good first start. Ink-jet paper will generally be labeled as such while laser paper may be called "laser paper" or copy paper (often with a reference to toner-based devices).

Since ink-jet printers are the most commonly used and have the most variations, they will be the most complicated to shop for.

Paper that is listed as "ink-jet stock" will generally provide crisper print jobs because the paper is smoother and less absorbent. When an ink-jet printer prints to paper that is rough or fibrous, the ink will "run" down the fibers which is what causes fuzzy output, especially with photo printing.

You will likely observe that the widest variety of paper tends to be that which is labeled as "photo paper".

When it comes to photo printing, you will want to be the most careful in making your selection based on what your overall goals will be.

If you want to print the sharpest, brightest pictures that will last the longest, look in your printer's owner's manual for the specific paper made by the manufacturer that is recommended for your specific printer.

You will always see that the printer companies claim that you'll get the best results if you stick to the papers and inks that they make and in general they're right. There actually is some science involved in formulating the paper to match the printer and ink, so using photo paper that was designed for another brand of printer can provide mixed results.

The level of photo paper (usually denoted by the price) will generally have a direct impact on the color quality, sharpness and how long it will last before it starts to fade because of the special coatings that keep the ink from spreading and fading.

Some ink-jet printers use a special type of ink, which can often react different with the wrong type of paper, which is another reason to review the recommended products in your printer's owner's manual.

In review, if you plan to print photos that you care about, make sure you buy paper that is designed as "photo paper". This type of paper is significantly more expensive, so buying the various qualities in small quantities at first is the best way to find the best paper for your needs

If you can't tell the difference when you print it your test images, the only difference in the cost will generally be how long the photos last before fading.

If you are trying to achieve the highest quality photo output, make sure to check in your printer's Properties to see if the various paper types are listed by name. If you don't tell the printer that you are using the special paper, it may not print at its maximum level.
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The Wisdom of Crowds was discussed by author James Surowiecki when he postulated that the collection of information in groups resulted in decisions that were often better than could have been made by any single member of the group. (Think "ask the audience" option on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?)

This is also demonstrated every day in the corporate structure of most companies, but the Internet allow us all to leverage the Wisdom of Crowds with a couple of mouse clicks.

Whether you need to make a purchasing decision, find a quiet hotel with clean rooms or have a major business problem to solve, you can gather the Wisdom of Crowds if you know where to look!

Listen in as we discuss all the great ways you can use the Internet to research virtually any question or problem that life places at your feet!

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