With our latest purchase of a mega sized duffel bag on wheels for Jim's travels, I have come to the realization that Jim has more bags than the average human being should have a right to own.

I guess that's because he's got more electronics and gear than the average human being. That, and he needs to have a compact, lightweight, and portable means of getting all of his gear from one place to another.

And when you put 2 gadget-friendly people in the same household... watch out! We have fun (and practical) bags coming out of our ears... and we use them all on a daily basis, too.

I have a desktop computer. And I have a laptop computer. These days, I find myself choosing to compute from my laptop computer, more than my desktop computer. Mostly because it's so easily accessible -- whichever room I happen to be in, I just open it up, and I'm online!

I primarily use the laptop in the kitchen as a recipe book -- I store all of my favorite in a program called MasterCook. And in the bedroom -- where I spend most of my day for some reason lately.

But now I'm starting to wonder if I'm favoring the laptop (subconsciously) over the desktop because it's a way for me to work from the comfort of my own bed.

I think I might be onto something here... Either a whole new aspect of laziness. Or a whole new form of work-at-home computing!

You'll usually find Ron fly fishing somewhere fun. But today, he's talking computers.

You see, both Ron, and his mother, recently purchased their very first laptops. And with new computers come new 'problems' -- as well as fun new things to try.

So sit back and enjoy as Ron shares with us his $.02 about the nuances of laptop computers. And you don't want to miss the one-of-a-kind notebook computer stand that Ron made for his laptop. But wait, there's more!... Yep, his mother made her own computer stand, too. They're both really clever!

Check this out...

My favorite computer guru, Steve Bass, recently mentioned a new (possibly better) way to go wireless in your home or office.

I passed the info onto Jim and he's diggin' it. We're probably going to try this.

Here's the scoop...

I've provided a lot of random computer tips on this site, but I've never really detailed the most important things to look for in a new computer before.

A friend of mine is in the market for a new computer. I thought I'd share with everyone here the same information I gave her.

Perhaps it will be beneficial to others who are considering buying a new PC...

Jim and I have been wondering about this for awhile now.

Actually, we have wondered how these 3 things would effect the life of our laptop batteries:

1. We will often work from our laptops for hours at a time (many, many hours!), with the cord plugged into the wall the whole time.

2. Sometimes, Jim will leave his laptop "on" and plugged in -- even when he's not using it -- for days.

3. Sometimes, I will leave my laptop in "hibernate" (lid closed) and plugged in -- for hours (sometimes days) at a time.

We wanted to know if we were weakening our laptop batteries by doing these things, so we went to the experts...

In a recent survey of computer users, people are happier with their Dell computers than other brands, such as Hewlitt-Packard, Compaq, Gateway, and Sony.

Specifically, owners like the quality of Dell computers more than the others did, and only 12% of Dell desktop owners reported having a system with a failed core component (CPU, graphics board, hard drive, motherboard, power supply, or RAM), compared with a mean of 15% in this product category.

I've always wondered whether you should leave your printer "on" 24/7, or keep it "off" the majority of the time and only turn it on during the times that you actually need it.

Looks like I've finally found the answer!...

If you think you might be experiencing signs of Carpal Tunnel (or RSI: Repetitive Strain Injury), read Part One of this 2-part article to help you assess the problem first.

Following are a variety of things that you can do to alleviate the pain associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by making your work space more ergonomic. Use these tips to make adjustments in your current work space or to help you when making purchasing decisions on a new items for your home or work office.

Personal and professional treatments and recommendations are also listed.

If you spend a good deal of time at the computer (and you're anything like me), then you probably think that carpal tunnel is just something you've got to live with. I know I did...

Until recently, when I woke up in the middle of the night begging my husband (at 3AM!) to help me decide whether ice packs or heat packs would be best for easing the incredible pain I was having in the middle of my right wrist/palm area. It just wouldn't go away and kept alternating between a sharp pain and a throbbing ache.

I made it through the night, then after much research, I found a number of things that I could do to make my work station (at home and at work) more ergonomic, relieving the symptoms of carpal tunnel and RSI.

Here's a Warning: I found it printed somewhere that it's not uncommon for people to have to leave computer-dependent careers as a result, or even to be disabled and unable to perform tasks such as driving or dressing themselves. This can become a serious issue if you don't take steps to lessen the discomfort EARLY!

Have you recently upgraded to a newer model computer? Wondering what to do with your "old" computer?

When we bought a super-powered new Dell Dimension 8400 computer, the question was what to do with our old HP Pavilion...

It still worked fine, and still had quite a bit of space to store programs and run basic tasks, it was just too slow and bogged down for his day-to-day work.

Extensive research revealed the following great ideas for anyone who's wondering what to do with an "older" computer. After all, if it's 3 years old (or older), then you'll barely get more than $50.00 if you choose to sell it at a yard sale or on eBay. So selling it is not an exciting option. There are some other interesting options, however.

Try these on for size...

Few things depreciate faster than computers. Did you know that computers double in speed and halve in price every 18 months?

Jim's 4-year-old HP computer has been operating on its last legs (and quickly declining on a daily basis) for months now.

Finally, we realized that his trusty old HP could no longer handle all of the memory-intensive programs that he uses on a daily basis. It wasn't operating up to par in terms of speed anymore either, taking way too long to: a) load certain programs and b) process certain tasks.