Question: Karen asks, "Do you recommend that people get a real mouse for a laptop?"
Answer: Great question, Karen. Laptops used to not come with any pointing device at all built-in. If you wanted one, you could buy a mouse, or Microsoft made a little trackball you operated with your thumb. Toshiba popularized the pointing stick, a little joystick between the G and H keys. Finally, the touchpad came out and it won the war of the pointers, as I like to say. With that said, the answer is really up to you. I personally have always loved the touchpad interface that laptops come with now. I think I'd like a touch-enabled screen, as well. But I find that many people are more comfortable working with a real mouse, whether it's an inexpensive wired one or a wireless model that costs a bit more. "Different strokes for different folks," as they say. Be aware of this if you do choose to buy a mouse for your laptop: you won't be able to work effectively with your computer sitting on your lap. You'll need a place to operate that mouse wherever you are. That may not be a big deal for your situation. Maybe you aren't looking at working on a plane or bus or something of that nature. I also suggest trying out several mice in a store where you can actually hold the mouse in your hand. You already know what a regular mouse feels like, but many of the mice that are sold as laptop companions are tiny and may take a little getting used to. So, do I recommend buying a mouse? Yes, if you want one or if you just don’t like using the touchpad.
Cool Site: Evidence for God from Science: Our cool site this week is GodAndScience.org. It's a site run by Richard Deem who used to volunteer for Reasons To Believe that seems to be geared toward helping the atheist see the truth of scripture and that God exists. There are articles on Design vs. Evolution, Abortion, Common atheist myths, Criticisms of Christianity and much more. Some of the articles get pretty heavy into molecular biology, like one on the problem with the origin of homochirality. These were way outside the envelope of what I know, but fortunately the article had plenty of terms with "pop up" definitions available. A "pop up" definition is one you can access by pointing at a marked word. The definition pops up over the word on the page. But the site's not all pointy-headed science. You'll find movie reviews, a discussion forum, a humor section, and more. It looks like a great resource.
Cool Gadget: WD TV Live Plus: This week, we've got a multimedia gadget from a company not normally associated with multimedia. That company is Western Digital, and this week's gadget is the WD TV Live Plus media player. It supports HD content in full 1080p. If you have Windows 7, this unit supports using the "play to" feature to send your media to the TV. It also supports Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, Pandora and others. You can play content stored on a USB drive or a network drive. While streaming a DVD to the TV, you can control the menus on the DVD with the included remote control. The biggest drawback to the unit is that it doesn't have wireless networking capability, but that's understandable. Wired is faster anyway. It runs about $150.
It's All "Geek" To Me: Tethering: This week, we've got a word that you really may have heard and not known what it meant: Tethering. To "tether" means using your cell phone as a modem for your laptop or PDA. This gives you Internet access anywhere you can get a data-capable cell signal. Tethering got its name because it used to require a cable. Now, with Bluetooth technology, it can be done cordlessly, you just need tethering software. Just be sure to check your cellular service plan first. Some don't allow it, others charge an additional fee. Even if tethering is allowed on your phone and included in your bill, you often find limits on the amount of data you can transfer per month.
