Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Technophobe Trauma?

Computers came along late in my career, and while I have learned the basics, I tend to consider myself sort of a dinosaur where the digital age is concerned. We recently acquired a title I am considering purchasing for myself and really this would make a great gift for anyone just starting to join the computer age.

“Is This Thing On?” by Abby Stokes has a great subtitle: A Computer Handbook for Late Bloomers, Technophobes, and the Kicking & Screaming. (That last part would be me.) This great book explains the whys & hows of computers and how to more effectively use the computer you have. There are chapters on what to look for when purchasing a computer and well as chapters on usage. The two sections I enjoyed most were “Welcome to the Neighborhood” and “Exploration and Discovery.” “Neighborhood” covered email and security precautions, digital photography, creating a filing system and as they termed it, conversation. Conversation involves instant messages, blogs, chat rooms, and online dating. When I mentioned to my husband we had started blogging he said, “What is that and should I be worried?” I had him read that section and now he gets it.

“Exploration & Discovery” examines how to get the best from your internet searches. We have all keyed in a search for a specific something and been confronted with thousands or millions of hits, some of which do not pertain to what we need. The Exploration chapter shows you how to use delimiters to refine your searches. The Discovery section also covers online shopping, auctions, airline travel, prescriptions, online banking, and entertainment such as movie sites, Youtube, and gaming.

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