Sometimes you feel like a Mac, Sometimes you don’t

Differences of opinions have always occurred throughout time.  Be it the North or the South, Republican or Democrat, gas or diesel, paper or plastic, smooth or crunchy, plain or peanut – people have always taken sides and had their followers.

These days, when it comes to computers, we hear the pros and cons about PC and Mac.  Traditionally, corporate America has been PC users and educators and graphics people have chosen Mac.  Can the two co-exist or do you have to make a choice?

Some of the arguments for Mac are:

• Macs give you the ability to run OS X and Windows both (legally).
• Macs are less prone to computer viruses, although they can get viruses.
• Apple uses quality parts to manufacture Macs.
• Macs are trendsetting, designed well, and visually appealing.
•  Macs give you out of the box access to the iTunes Store, if you are an iPod or iPhone user.
• Out of the box, Macs are not loaded with trials and additional software.
• Apple has top of the line phone support.

Some of the arguments for PC are:

• You can build a PC from the ground up, picking each individual component. PCs give you maximum customizability.
• PCs are generally cheaper in price. You can get the same processor, amount of RAM, and hard drive capacity for much cheaper with a PC.
• PCs have better software compatibility. You can find practically any software for PC. Macs are more limited in selection.
• PCs generally have better backwards compatibility. You can run Windows 7 on a 5 year old PC. You cannot run Snow Leopard on a Power Mac G5.
• More people use PCs. Thus, PCs have a larger support community behind them.
• The majority of businesses use PCs.
• PCs are better for gaming.
• PCs have more compatible accessories than Macs.
• PCs are more upgradable.

So, which one is better? It's all personal preference. Whether or not you agree, that is the best answer. Both of them have some great advantages. You’ve seen the commercial, “I’m a Mac…I’m a PC” – that’s the way of the world, although I suppose the well adjusted person has both PC and Mac!  Regardless of your choice, it is like everything else…it's all an opinion, a preference, a choice.

By the way, in case you are wondering…I prefer creamy peanut butter, but M&M’s with nuts!  Go figure!

It's Social Media; do you know where your children are?

Baby boomers will remember the Public Service Announcement that came on every evening.  “It’s eleven o’clock; do you know where your children are?”

Of course, that was during the 60’s and 70’s, and most kids were already tucked in their beds, dreaming of Big Wheels and Barbies.  Life seemed simple enough.

Fast forward to 2011; Today, life is moving so rapidly, kids are seemingly more mature and have access to every technology that Flash Gordon only dreamed of.

The biggest “player” in the social media market is the phenomenon called “Facebook”.  It is a likable communication application that makes getting in touch and finding old friends a possibility.  Facebook has been credited with bringing long lost relatives to happy reunions.

I am not opposed to being social (although, many that know me would probably disagree), but my warning to parents is to offer advice to your children like they did on “Hill Street Blues” – “Let’s be careful out there!”

If your child has a Facebook account – you need one, too.  You also need to be included as their “friend”.  It is one way to keep involved in their activities.  If they refuse to make you a “friend” – then refuse their access to Facebook.  After all, what do they have to hide?

Here are the issues I have with people (not just kids) sharing too much information via social media (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc).

1)   Cyberbullying - involves deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others.

2)   Announcing your family vacation – attention areas burglars…we’ll be gone and the house will be vacant.

3)   Announcing that you are meeting your friends at the mall, restaurant, movies, etc. and wondering why the guy that has been stalking you shows up.

4)   Lesson from Tiger/Brett, etc. – when you text, email or share pictures via the Internet, it is there for all to see – even years later when you want to run for public office, be on American Idol or any other career that doesn’t need more publicity than it already gets.

5)   Finding a job or going to college – Since posting to social media is “public domain”, colleges and employers often peruse the Internet to determine what kind of student/employee they can expect. 

And just a little advice…if you already have a job, don’t call in sick and then post on your Facebook how drunk you got last night!

Cars Vs. Computers

I noticed that the little sticker on my car windshield that indicates that it’s just about time for an oil change.  It’s funny how we pay so much attention to our car and its maintenance, but we don’t do the same for our computers.

These days, almost everyone owns a computer.   It is a must-have, like a car.  With our cars, we seem to remember to change the oil; we notice strange noises, indicator lights and take care of that infamous 60,000 mile tune up.  Our computers are not so lucky even though we may use them more often than our cars - especially if you telecommute!

With our computers, we travel all over the internet.  Computers are responsible for our email, family calendars, schedules, pictures, music and those bizarre you-tube videos.  We rarely consider that there are thousands of temporary file fragments being strewn all over our precious hard drives every time we go surfing.  We forget to apply software updates and our virus scan software is often out of date.  But when our computers come to a crawl or don’t work at all – we freak out!  We keep a lot of stuff in that little box but don’t think about doing a bit of maintenance once in a while.  We never worry until it’s too late!

Regular maintenance for your computer will keep it going strong.  A little TLC – starting with some “housekeeping” on a monthly basis will help.  Delete files you don’t need any more.  Configure Windows Updates to install automatically.  Make a backup copy of all of your important files and store them on a DVD in a safe place.

Schedule regular maintenance for your computer using post-it notes, email reminders or put in on the Outlook calendar!  So, the next time you notice that little sticker on your windshield or change the oil on your car, think about your computer.  Maybe a computer checkup now and then will keep you traveling safe on the “information super highway”.