I get a lot of questions about what to do with used electronics and gadgets. Selling them is certainly an option but finding a buyer isn't always easy. Many people turn to Ebay but becoming a seller on Ebay can be daunting. Then there's recycling which can be a real pain and even expensive at some transfer stations. And you can never be sure where these toxic gadgets actually end up.
That's why I want to tell you about Gazelle. Gazelle is a web based business that will make you an offer for your used equipment. You fill out a very short form in which you name your gadget, model number, etc. and check a couple of boxes related to the condition of your device. Gazelle makes you an instant offer. If you accept it they will send you a box and you ship it to them. If it's in the condition you said it was, you'll get a check for the full amount.
Secondly, if they don't want to buy it, they will send you a box anyway so you can recycle it for free. Gazelle policies for recycling are greener than green.
Finally, if you have an organization, you can set up a fund raising campaign and Gazelle will send the money to your organization or charity. What could be better than that.
Gazelle is looking for cell phones, digital cameras, desktop and laptop computers, monitors and much more. Visit their site to get the whole story. You'll be glad you did. |
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Recently some friends on my Facebook page expressed concerns about the security of their wireless networks. In my work I deal with this problem all the time. So I thought I’d share my approach to this problem.
I am going to make a disclaimer right here. What follows is not an exhaustive lecture on the subject by any means. I’m just painting some broad strokes for home users who may want to try securing their own networks. Real nerds and IT people need read no further.
OK, so you’ve got more than one computer in the house or the office, and you have a broadband Internet connection (DSL, Cable, Satellite, etc.). And you want to share the connection among all your computers. So you figure out how to setup a wirelessnetwork and you get it all working. But is it secure?
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If you own a computer, or any other electronic devices for that matter, sooner or later you’re going to need technical support. And when you do, you’ll most likely be frustrated and in a foul mood because something isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. Most likely, you’ll pick up a phone and when the conversation is over, there’s at least a 50/50 chance you’ll still be in a bad mood.
Odds are there will be someone on the other end of the phone who’s wishing she had other career options. All you have to do is Google “funny tech support stories” and you’ll read about people who use their CD-ROM trays for cup holders and pour vegetable oil into their floppy drives trying to extricate a stubborn disk.
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I get a lot of calls from people asking advice on purchasing a new computer system. These days, computer systems are essentially becoming commodities. Remember when we started throwing away VCR’s when they no longer functioned properly? It was just cheaper to buy a new one. We’re rapidly reaching that equilibrium in today’s market.
But before I tell you what I usually tell my clients who call, let’s see if we can narrow the scope of this article a bit. First, I’m not going to give detailed product comparisons between different brands. There are many sources for that kind of information like PC Magazine and Consumer Reports.
Secondly, I’m only going to recommend two platforms: Windows and Mac OS. I don’t have enough experience with Linux to talk about it, but Linux is making some serious headway as a virtually free and consumer friendly operating system.
Finally, as far as PC’s are concerned, I’m only recommending Dell. However, there are other manufacturers out there that you may want to consider like Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, etc. Most of the major brands have the same components made by the same manufacturers inside the box. I have more experience with Dell and I’ve never regretted recommending them. However, if you’ve had a bad experience and you never want to talk to those guys again, then get in touch with me.
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If you’re a Windows user of any stripe, you’ve probably gotten a spyware infection at one time or another. The sudden and unexpected appearance of popup windows on your screen advertising things you’d never thought of buying, or warning that your computer is under attack and that you need to download this program now, etc., are usually early warning signs. Or perhaps your antivirus program warns that you have w32.trojan.badstuff and then tells you it can do nothing about it. Or maybe you start having problems with your Internet connection or your system slows way down.
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