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Christians and computers
Most of us have a love/hate relationship with computers. Let's see if we can be of help to one another in the battle between us and them.
LIFE without computers is now almost unimaginable; and some things just cannot happen without them. But there are many of us who find the technology reluctant to co-operate in the task.
Like washing machines and telephones, computers are great when they are working, but when they won't .........!!!!
This is an area of the web site where users can post any queries they have; or pass on any information which might be of interest to others.
In this way we can all help and learn from each other.
Questions and Answers
Please feel free to leave your questions or pearls of wisdom, by clicking on the 'Add Your Comment' button below.
FREE BIBLE SOFTWARE
Bible Explorer 4
 For Bible study with quick and easy access through a plain and straightforward user interface, try Bible Explorer (Version 4 at time of writing 12/09 and available for both PC and MAC).
Bible Explorer comes from the same stable as Wordsearch. The cheapest version of the latter (£30/$50)is a very reasonably priced upgrade to Explorer 4; and offers enhanced facilities for power users albeit at significantly higher prices.
It is worth noting however that all Bible software now makes a significant charge for the NIV Bible which is not included in Explorer or the budget version of Wordsearch.
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Instaverse
Many e-mails and web pages now include Bible references. Instaverse provides an automatic 'verse pop-up' whenever a cursor is moved over the reference. It can be loaded at start-up and sits in the background ready to come into play. Again this tool is allied to Wordsearch so that any upgrades (e.g. additional Bible versions) to either Explorer 4 or Wordsearch should be picked up by Instaverse.
Instaverse pop-up screen
If you have any favourite (especially free or affordable) Bible programmes that you use, please use the comments section below to let other know.
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Christians Together, 15/12/2009 |
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| | Fred Maclennan (Guest) | 18/12/2009, 09:27 | | Peter is both right and wrong. Built in obsolesence is no doubt at work; but in fact it doesn't need to be. It's not 'reliability' that sustains the market it's fashion and technological advance which leads consumers into repeat purchases.
In terms of reliability cars which used to require servicing and expensive part replacements every few thousand miles often now run for over 100,000 miles needing not much more than the tyres, oil and exhaust pipes changed. The major components go on and on (except of course on a cold dark night on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere).
With relation to electronic devices they follow the 'bathtub' effect (picture the cross-section of a bath - steep at one end, sloped at the other). In terms of a graph the 'bathtub' line represents a high failure rate in the very early life of a product (as manufacturing or component flaws quickly reveal themselves) followed by a substantial (lengthy) period of reliable performance and low failure (the bottom of the bath) and then eventually a gradual increase in failure rate towards the end of the product's life (the slope at the end of the bath) when components get 'tired'.
If a product fails in the course of what should otherwise be its 'reliable' stage, then the question is whether to repair it or chuck it away. And that question is affected by the 'repairing skills' (or not) of the product's owner.
| | | Rosemary Cameron | 18/12/2009, 22:14 | | Talking about fans, it is not a bad idea to check your computer fans every now and again to make sure they are not getting clogged with dust, especially if you live in a house with pets and your tower unit sits on the floor - a penny of preventative maintenance being worth £££s of repairs. My unit sits on a piece of old formica worktop rather than directly on the carpet under my desk to allow air to circulate underneath it.
| | | Andrea Mac | 18/12/2009, 22:46 | | Hi Rosemary,
I know what you mean about overheating. I now have my laptop always placed on a special sloping support which raises it nearer eye level as well as preventing 'corned beef thigh' from the constant heat. I'm also always nagging my children not to place their laptops on the carpet as I gather static can attract dust or fibres.
| | | Peter Carr | 19/12/2009, 09:44 | | Just thought I would throw in my tuppence worth re PC's...I recently discovered that people (like me) with hardwood floors will attract more dirt and dust into the fans of their towers due to more dirt and dust around compared to carpets which apparently 'soak up' the same.
| | | Rosemary Cameron | 20/12/2009, 21:35 | | That's interesting Peter because a lot of people with pets go for laminate floors!
| | | The Editor | 11/01/2010, 15:48 | | "That's interesting Peter because a lot of people with pets go for laminate floors!"
I think that's because laminate floors don't absorb hairs etc from the pets. And consequently what the carpets don't trap ends up in the cooling fans of PCs.
The important message is 'Check your cooling vanes' every now and again for build up of dust. It is easily removed but can cause a lot of probems to the (expensive and vital) main processor if it builds up. Additionally high-performance graphics cards may also have a cooling fan.
As a third point there may be a separately-mounted fan within the main case of the PC and it may be advantageous (if it is sucking in from a dusty environment) to (physically) reverse the fan so that it 'blows' i.e. draws air from the other side of the case if the latter (side of the case) is more dust-free. And of course raising the position of the tower will also reduce dust build-up.
| | | The Editor | 03/02/2010, 14:27 | | Steve Taylor (who uses a MAC) gives the following piece of helpful information (for MAC users) which will allow them to run Windows Video files on their machines.
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Flip4Mac WMV is a collection of QuickTime™ components that allow you to play, import and export Windows Media® files. Flip4Mac WMV can be used with most of your favourite QuickTime applications including QuickTime Player, iMovie 6 (iMovie '08 is not supported at this time) and Final Cut Pro.
After installing Flip4Mac WMV you can play Windows Media files in QuickTime Player and view Windows Media content on the Internet using Safari and other web browsers.
Flip4Mac WMV includes an Internet plug-in that plays Windows Media streams within Safari and other web browsers. When installed the Flip4Mac WMV plug-in replaces the plug-in provided by Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X.
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| | | Andrea (Guest) | 03/02/2010, 14:45 | | Thanks Ed,
I was previously directed to Flip4Mac by a Mac forum when I had trouble viewing Windows Media Files and it is a good alternative.
| | | The Editor | 17/02/2010, 09:41 | | This is a note for users running XP on a PC. (Users of other operating systems - Vista/Windows 7 - can ignore; and MAC users will just continue to smile).
There are reports of a recent update from Microsoft (which depending on the set up on your machine might be downloaded automatically) is cause a problem with some users experiencing a 'Blue Screen of Death' (BSOD) and an unbootable machine. (You will certainly be aware of these things if they happen to you.)
So....
If your computer is running fine, just ignore this note; but if you have a problem have a look at:
http://tinyurl.com/yarcvxk
| | | Rosemary Cameron | 17/02/2010, 21:23 | | I've now got my new (to me) graphics card installed in my PC. It was really easy to do and I can now watch the iplayer in streaming mode, which was the reason for the upgrade - the BBC changed the file formats last August with the effect that those of us with low-spec older machines could no longer watch it. If anyone is having similar problems with the iplayer I'll be happy to help. (Symptoms were sound but no video or extremely choppy video.)
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