Multi-Monitors --- Why use them?

One of the greatest things about current, modern video cards is their ability to support 2 or more monitors! I personally find that 2 monitors greatly improves my ability to work and preform daily tasks. But how do I know if I can support 2 monitors? Check the back of your computer, and see if you have a video card installed(usually where the dial-up modem/sound card is plugged in at). You may see 2 video ports, 2 VGA or 1DVI and 1VGA. If you have multiple ports, you can use multiple monitors. If you use a flat panel monitor, make sure you plug it into the DVI port, for better picture quality.
Once you have 2 monitors plugged in, load up your computer, and see if it will "talk" with the other monitor. You may see a background, you may see a cloned image, it just depends on what card you use. Next, go into your display properties, and set the mode you want to use, whether it be:

• Clone Mode - Identical images on both screens
• Horizontal Span Mode - The desktop is stretched between both monitors horizontally
• Vertical Span Mode - Desktop is stretched on both monitors vertically
• Dual-View Mode - Ability to run multiple programs on both monitors

I enjoy multiple monitors for many reasons: Watching videos while working. Filling in spreadsheets while reading data from text document. Checking email while surfing. Monitoring graphs, programs, and system tools while working. Posting "sticky" notes on my desktop as reminders of things to do(I use a program called HottNotes. Yes, there are 2 "T"'s in the name.)
I believe the rate of any worker could be boosted with the aid of multiple monitors, and I think they would be a help in the workplace.

What should I look for when shopping for a wireless mouse?

That is a good question. I personally made a small mistake of buying the cheapest wireless mouse I could find at my local Walmart. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy using the mouse, how it feels, and how easy it was to set up. What I dislike, however, is it's power usage. Of course, like many people, I grew accustomed to the scrolling and movement of an optical mouse, and I still, to this day, don't like mouseballs. So, because the mouse is optical, it literally eats batteries alive! I get about 3-4 days usage or about 20 hours of usage, and then the batteries go dead. Thus, I made the small investment of a 4-pack of rechargable batteries, so I could use 2 while charging 2. That saves a lot of money, and I think I get more life out of rechargables than that of fresh alkalines. So, I have a few suggestions to make before going cordless:

• Best to have a recharging cradle, but mostly found in Keyboard/Mouse combos
• Should have long life
• Best to have 10+ ft. range reciever
• Optical means better movement, but less battery life
• Mouseball means worse movement, but better battery life

Keep these small suggestions in mind when purchasing a wireless mouse, and I can guarantee you will save a lot of trouble.

What is Google AdSense?

If you are not already familiar with Google Adsense, what it is is an advertising service offered by the popular company, Google. If you scroll down, I currently have AdSense links on the right and bottom of the page. What are these ads and where did they come from? Well, Google provides a pay-per-click advertising service known as Google AdWords. A person can setup an ad with AdWords, and will pay a site to advertise that ad. So, in other words, they are paying you through Google to advertise for them. Every AdSense ad that is found on a page is someone's Google AdWords ad. Following Me? Reread this paragraph if it is confusing.

Getting back to AdSense now. AdSense, as stated, will pay you to post the ads on your website. With a blog, such as this one, there is a widget that allows you to automatically post adsense ads, but for a website, you will need to copy and paste HTML code into the website. Google will provide you with the code you need for the website. Now that we have a brief overview of AdSense, one may ask, "Why should I join and use AdSense?"

A simple answer to that is, "TO GET PAID!" I have currently earned about $12 with AdSense, and that's not bad, considering this is a fairly new blog. Remember, once the code is on your site, anyone who clicks an ad earns you money. Rates of payment vary per ad, so there is no guarantee of how much you will earn for 1 click.

To sum it up: AdSense is a great way to earn money for the professional webmaster, or even the new-to-internet enterprenuer. It could even help pay your monthly hosting fee. I am satisfied with AdSense, and I know you will be also.
Zach S.

Flash Drive or MP3 Player? Which should I get?

If you know much about flash drives, you probably know that they are basically like little hard drives, only smaller in size and in space. I remember just a few years ago when 64mb flash drives were over $30, and now, for that price, you could get one or more at over 8 times that size for that price!

MP3 players have also been a large hit in the electronics market. I am not just talking about the iPod or the Zune. I am also talking about generic ones, like the ones on the site www.tigerdirect.com, which I mentioned of in the previous post. These usually range from about 512mb to 4gb.

One may ask, "Which is the better deal?" And that is a good question. It basically all comes down to what you need. If you are a business person, and need to take files to many locations, especially large files, I would recommend a flash drive, as you would be able to get more space for less money. On the other hand, maybe you simply need to transfer a few files, and maybe want to listen to some music or radio shows. Then, in that case, you might be happier with am MP3 player. Now remember, MP3 players are merely flash drives that have audio playback capability. Here is a simple reference to look at when in the market:

MP3 Player

• Plays music and audio files
• Transports data like a flash drive
• Sometimes a little bigger
• Less space for more money

Flash Drive

• More space for less money
• No audio playback capability
• Usually more water-resistant
• Faster and Easier

Basically, it all depends on what you want. One recommendation I would make is not to buy an MP3 player, used for music and audio only, over 12gb. The average music file is around several megabytes, so you could fit about 250 files on an MP3 player that holds 1gb. My question is, "How many times do you want to go all the way to the end of the list just to listen to one song?" and "How many songs/shows do you really need?" More space is not really necessary, but if you use the drive for data and audio, go for the larger sizes. Enjoy your new MP3 player!
Zach S

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Site Review: www.TigerDirect.com

Alright, we have had a product review, so now it is time for a site review. Today's site is http://www.tigerdirect.com. What is TigerDirect?

TigerDirect is a computer-electronics sales site and business. They have, in my opinion, some of the best products on the internet. I believe they even have some of the best prices, too! I personally enjoy their specials, such as 512mb DDR1 RAM for $10, or 1gb DDR2 for $10. Some of my favorite deals they have had are:

• 2gb USB Flash Drive - $10
• 1gb MP3 Player - $10
• 3.2ghz CPU and Motherboard - $79.95
• Case(with window), Mouse, and Keyboard - $15

These are just a few of the many deals that they have! The shipping rates are so fast, I got a product in 2 days! From past knowledge, I learned that they ship out of the Amazon.com shipping centers. They also once sent me an order, but one item was on backorder. I received the product within 2 days of the first package! Talk about some serious shipping speed.
They have also had great Bare-Bone packages, some with all basic needed parts and a case, go for as little as $99. I have been extremely satisfied with this company, and will continue to order from them for years to come!
Zach S.