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So, you have a computer, but what can you do with it besides check your e-mail? You’ve heard how great computers are supposed to be but haven’t figured out how it is going to change your life. You probably discovered the word processor and put your white-out away, but now what?
The single biggest thing my computer does for me is gathering information. The internet is a window on the world. With the use of a search engine, you can find information on virtually anything. For more information on using a search engine follow this link: here . A few minutes spent at the computer will get you more information than hours spent at the library.
Many people don’t know that the computer can be customized. Most computers have 3 to 5 PCI expansion slots and an AGP graphics slot that let you add cards to give your computer added capabilities. There are many possibilities. The ones that I have taken advantage of include the following:
Sound card - enhanced sound. You can give your computer a woofer, surround sound, or even Dolby Digital.
Wireless networking - Allows wireless connection to a wireless router or modem.
TV tuner - Allows you to connect either an antenna or cable to your computer and watch TV on your monitor. Most also provide an FM signal and allow you to save video to your hard drive to view later.
AGP graphics card - Speeds up your graphics. A must for 3D gaming.
There are also cards that let you add things to your computer that your system may be lacking such as USB, Firewire, modem, or networking. With the addition of the right cards you can customize the computer to suit your needs.
Most computers have a built in CD/DVD player such as Windows Media Player. Your computer may already have a CD burner that lets you copy CDs or DVDs. If it doesn’t, you can add one. If you have a digital camera, you no doubt use the computer to store and edit your photos. It will also organize and transfer your MP3 tracks. If you have a broadband connection, you can also use it to talk over the internet to anywhere in the world for free. More info on that at www.skype.com .
The addition of a scanner lets you merge the old world of paper with the new electronic age. Any document that you need to save can be scanned into your computer. Your computer does a fantastic job of filing the document for later retrieval, just make sure you have a backup copy of anything important because hard drives can and do fail occasionally. You can file your income tax returns, W-2 forms, old family photos, and anything else you can think of. You can even document such things as coin and stamp collections by scanning.
My computer is also my connection to my financial world. I can check my bank balance, transfer funds, view canceled checks, check the balances on almost all of my credit cards as well as pay most of my bills online through secure web sites. Secure web sites can be identified by an icon of a padlock in the lower right of the screen and a web address that starts with https. My computer is an endless shopping catalogue. I can find and buy practically anything and usually get it delivered free with no sales tax.
So, you may call it a computer, but for me it is ‘my window on the world information gatherer, banking-shopping machine, TV, FM stereo, CD/DVD player with 5.1 surround sound that copies CDs/ DVDs, that makes free long distance phone calls, word processor, document copier, photo editor and archiver, gaming machine that also checks my e-mail." The question is not, “what am I going to do with it’, but rather, ’what would I do without it.
Charlie Grim
3/21/2005
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