|
Friday, October 15, 2004
HEATHER NEWMAN: A big flat screen TV dominates almost any room it's in
It's a statement of power and grace in any living room: A large flat-panel television, slim and sharp as a knife when viewed from the side, a glowing expanse of glass and silver and color from the front.
HEATHER NEWMAN: Flat panel TV sets come in two basic technologies
Commonly available flat panel televisions come in two types: plasma and LCD. Plasma TVs are the most common flat-panel monitors available and tend to be much less expensive, though no flat panel TV is cheap.
MIKE WENDLAND: From your tech columnist's e-mail
I read your column on phishing criminals who send e-mails that look like they came from a bank or credit card company. What I don't understand is that if $12 billion is being lost through this scam, how come this isn't a big deal for law enforcement?
Eric
MIKE WENDLAND: High-definition radio is quickly finding converts
The rapidly growing audience for satellite radio is spawning an effort by traditional AM and FM radio broadcasters to greatly improve their signal quality through HD, or high-definition radio technology.
Today's picks & clicks
POSITIVE PARENTING
Share techniques and tips on how to use positive discipline. 9 p.m., www.babycenter.com/chat/chat_week.html#5
Thursday, October 14, 2004
MIKE WENDLAND: Don't get taken hook, line and sinker
Phishing has become the Internet's most prevalent scam.
Today's picks and clicks
MONEY TALK
Chat with Loyd Stegent, an accountant and certified financial planner, about whether your financial plans are on the right track and where to put your money. 1 p.m., http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20041014001/tscript.htm
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Q & A: Defragging problem
QUESTION: I was defragmenting the hard drives in my computer, and I believe I may have interrupted the system when the D: drive was being defragged. I cannot get the computer to recognize the drive.
Today's picks & clicks
DURAN DURAN
Chat with '80s music sensation Duran Duran about its new CD. 6 p.m., http://chat.msn.com/msnlive_feature.msnw?id=MSNLiveHome
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Disney packs new Dream Desk PC with kid-friendly features
Disney isn't a corporation, I've learned as the father of a 4-year-old girl, it's a way of life. Children watch Disney movies on video, dress up as Disney characters for Halloween, ride Disney-themed bicycles and play Disney video games.
Today's picks and clicks
LODGING TIPS
Lucy Izon, travel writer for Budget Travel magazine, answers questions about how to find the right hotel room. Noon, http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3039950/
PUMP YOU UP
Monday, October 11, 2004
MIKE WENDLAND: Students' nanotech garb merges function, fashion
We've been hearing about nanotechnology for years now, and how tiny imbedded sensors and high-tech devices can help in medicine, manufacturing and the military.
In Mt. Pleasant, researchers at Central Michigan University are taking a different tack -- literally, sewing super-miniature nanotechnology gizmos into clothing.
TECH BUZZ: Radio -- Satellite's Stern stuff
Decades from now, will people point to the day Howard Stern left FM for satellite radio as the moment when a new medium changed from a curiosity into the big leagues?
Radio megastar Stern became the latest high-profile terrestrial-radio defectors last week when he said he would sign on with Sirius Satellite Radio beginning in early 2006.
Today's picks and clicks
STAY-AT-HOME MOMS
Chat with others who have made the choice to be a stay-at-home mom. Noon, www.babycenter.com/chat/chat_week.html#1
ALL OF LISA
Sunday, October 10, 2004
HEATHER NEWMAN: The fabulous and the familiar
This fall's bumper crop of video game sequels range wildly in quality and how much new material you get. Here are my top choices for those that are most improved and those that are more of the same.
HEATHER NEWMAN: VIDEO GAMES: The big-buzz sequels of fall
This fall's video games are strictly by the numbers: the numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Visit a video game store between now and the holidays, and you'll have a hard time finding a high-profile new release whose title doesn't end in one of those digits.
Friday, October 8, 2004
MIKE WENDLAND: From your tech columnist's e-mail
From a tech columnist's mailbag:
We had a gentleman contact us from Nigeria looking to purchase some of our product, but he will only do so if we purchase three cell phones and send them. Is this a scam? The gentleman is persistently e-mailing me trying to get this done.
Mark D., Stoney Creek, Ontario
MIKE WENDLAND: Michigan parks, rest stop latest in the wireless world
Truck drivers, whose big 18-wheelers bristle with all sorts of personal technology, are going to love this: The southbound I-75 rest area at Clarkston has gone wireless.
A new Wi-Fi Internet system is now up and running, allowing truckers and anyone else to access the Internet from a laptop or a handheld to check e-mail or surf the Web.
New light technology promises longer life and lower costs
It's a problem that confronts every homeowner: There's always at least one lightbulb around the house that needs to be replaced -- often in places that require a ladder.
For years, lightbulb makers have worked to solve this vexing problem, but the bulbs have been expensive and often lacked the desired durability.
Today's picks and clicks
ELECTION 2004
Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and Republican National Committee senior campaign adviser Peggy Noonan answer your questions about the presidential election, the candidates and the issues. Noon, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/
Thursday, October 7, 2004
On the Web
www.orchids.com
Where is an orchid's eye? Find out at this gardening site, which includes orchid care tips, e-cards and the question of the week.
www.usjudo.org
Take a look at the world of judo at this organization site, which offers events, news, photos, shopping and related links.
Senior singles looking for love online
Sensuous, intellectual woman, 5'3," adventurous, pretty and open, seeks a life partner who is sexy, highly intelligent and cheerful.
That's the profile Mary Bellis Waller, now 64, posted on two Internet dating sites during her search for a companion.
Today's picks and clicks
DIABETES
Chat with Karmeen Kulkarni of the American Diabetes Association about nutritional therapy's role in managing diabetes. Noon,
http://my.webmd.com/member_services/boards_events/event
_calendar/default.htm
ON THE ROAD
Wednesday, October 6, 2004
PeopleSoft poised for Oracle takeover
WILMINGTON, Del. -- PeopleSoft Inc.'s board is prepared to drop its ferocious resistance to Oracle Corp.'s hostile takeover bid and negotiate a price above the current $7.7-billion offer if there's high certainty a deal can be done quickly, a company director said in court Tuesday.
Portable speakers turn iPod into stereo
Do you need a separate stereo to play recorded music around the house? If you've moved your collection to a digital music device like Apple's iPod, you may find that a portable speaker system will be all you need.
Q&A;: Seeing red in Excel
QUESTION: I somehow managed to change Microsoft Excel so that whenever I open it, all of the text is red. I know that one can create templates for Excel with specialized default settings, but I don't know why my regular display includes the color red for all text.
Today's picks and clicks
DATING
Talk with authors Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo about their new book, "He's Just Not That into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys." 2 p.m., www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/liveonline (registration required)
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
JUST TOO COOL: Handhelds — PDA can store data
Handheld computer maker PalmOne Inc. unveiled a personal digital assistant Monday that doubles as a portable data storage drive.
MIKE WENDLAND: Stunning iMac G5 is a marvel on the inside, too
I'm a little late with this review of the new G5 iMac from Apple.
It's been out nearly a month now, and I've dragged my feet in writing this. That's because the evaluation unit I've been testing has to be returned when the review is printed.
Sigh. This new iMac is so elegant, so efficient and so enjoyable to use that I've wanted to hold on to it for as long as possible.
One flight; one giant step for inspiration
A trip into space Monday by a privately owned rocket ship means more than a $10-million prize for its backers.
SpaceShipOne's momentous second journey could inspire a generation of explorers, thinkers -- even dreamers.
Today's picks and clicks
SOMETHING NEW
Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood talks about his new band and its debut album, "Something Big." 7 p.m., http://chat.msn.com/msnlive_feature.msnw?id=MSNLiveHome MILITARY MYSTERIES
Monday, October 4, 2004
Ford museum taps AOL for online leap
More than a year after changing its name to include a brash reference to itself as "America's Greatest History Attraction," the Henry Ford is taking unprecedented steps to make good on its boast.
MIKE WENDLAND: Web site shows old skills moving mountain of rock
In 35 years as a carpenter, Wally Wallington had solved just about every construction problem that ever came his way. But when he retired in 1999, the Lapeer County father of nine and grandfather of 27 had one more building mystery that he was determined to solve.
TECH BUZZ: Stamp images — Kids, pets, but no adults
You can still get your baby or your dog on a sheet of postage stamps and immortalize them in letters to your friends. But plastering your own mug on the 37-cent stamps may be off-limits.
Today's picks and clicks
MEET THE WINNERS
Spouses Chip and Kim talk about winning the race around the world in "Amazing Race 5." 4 p.m., www.bet.com
DEALING WITH PARKINSON'S
|
