Home & Small Office Computer Guide

Here’s an interesting little problem that appears from time to time. You will notice that the screen has a decidely pink tinge to it

Now if you saw that on your monitor you might be excused for thinking that your monitor was about die and that you needed to buy a new monitor asap.

Fortunately this problem is usually not down to your monitor. In this instance it was caused by a fault inside the cable that runs from the monitor to the computer and it’s simple to test to see if it is the cable that’s at fault.

All you have to do is squeeze and roll the cable between your thumb and forefinger somewhere along it’s length. At the same time watch the monitor to see if it returns to it’s normal color display. If it does all you have to replace is the faulty cable.

If it doesn’t return to it’s normal color then make sure that the plugs at either end of the cable are firmly attached to the monitor and the computer. The other major cause of the pink screen monitor is a loose connection.

If neither of those remedies work then perhaps it is time to seek help from your friendly computer shop.

For some years after computers first became popular screensavers were a must have otherwise it was quite possible to ruin a monitor by burning an image into the screen. This happened if the monitor was left displaying something for too long.

Over the years though the need for screensavers disappeared as monitor technology improved and today many experts will tell that it’s impossible to burn an image into your screen.

Well don’t you believe them because right now there is a rather expensive 19 inch flat screen monitor sitting on Toni’s desk with a very large image burnt into it.

Screensavers still have an important function to play - but be careful when you’re downloading free screensavers - you often get a whole lot more nasty stuff hidden in the download.

This morning we tried to order a 19 inch flat screen monitor for our store-front office - which just happens to be in a computer store.

Two suppliers had none in stock and suggested that they had no hope of getting any to supply our order because flat screen monitors were being phased out in favour of wide screen monitors.

An interesting development if true.

3D computer monitors will soon be hitting the shelves in your local store.

By combining its unique multi-view 3-D display technology with advanced computer graphics and image analysis techniques, Philips Research has developed an innovative method of creating 3-dimensional images that brings a whole new level of excitement and realism to computer gaming, video entertainment and professional imaging applications.

Demonstrations of these new techniques, which combine real-time generation and rendering of 3-D video/graphics at the consumer side with Philips’ advanced 3-D display capabilities, will be shown publicly for the first time at this year’s CeBIT Exhibition in Hannover, Germany.

Although many graphics-oriented software providers such as computer games companies already model their virtual realities in three-dimensional space, the two-dimensional images displayed on standard PC monitors fail to give users a convincing impression of depth.

Scientists at Philips Research have now overcome this problem by using the graphics output of these applications to generate nine separate views of their virtual reality, each taken from a slightly different angle.

Tests have shown that emotional stimulus is increased in anyone who is watching something in 3D.

You can read the CNet report here

Have you ever wondered what actually makes the image you are looking at now appear on your computer screen?

How CRT and LCD monitors work really does make for some interesting reading.

Here I sit in front of a bank of 17″ flat screens while my partner works on a brace of 19″ flat screens and we’re both happy. Or at least we were until we saw this:

It’s the latest release from Sharp and it’s set to hit the shelves in Japan on March 24. And in case you’re wondering, it’s a 65 inch flat screen monitor.

In Sharp’s own words:

The large 65V-inch screen brings images to life with its pure size. It also faithfully reproduces computer-generated images such as CAD data with impressively high-resolution and high quality right down to the finest details. And because it’s LCD, the PN-655 gives expressively colored images even in bright rooms and allows everyone in a meeting, no matter where they are sitting, to see the information on-screen with equal clarity. The high-definition videoconference function displays facial expressions with detail, so smooth, clear communication is possible wherever in the world you are. A wide range of interfaces means a wide range of networking possibilities, making the PN-655 a new, all-purpose business solution.

The major features include:

1. A 65V-inch high-resolution, full high-definition LCD panel (resolution of 1,920 H x 1,080 V pixels) faithfully reproduces high-definition, high-quality digital images for CAD data and videoconferencing.

2. Employs a “dual fine engine,” which enables the display of both PC digital data and audio-visual images in full high-definition.

3. Uses “picture in picture” and “picture by picture” functions to display various image sources simultaneously.

4. Strengthened functions for commercial use, such as a fanless design, remote control functions, and capability of around the clock operations.

The price is yet to be announced but we want one

Sampotech have just released a 32″ Digital LCD TV. You can connect your DVD payer, digital camera, satellite or cable connection, gaming consoles and your PC to it and sit back for the experience of your life time.

They are available here in Australia from selected dealers. We saw a brochure at Fraser Coast Computers and for more information you can always check their website although the Australian dealers are not listed there.

I guess that if you’re desperate to buy one you could always contact Rick at Fraser Coast Comptuers.

I still can’t believe that something as simple as adding a dual-head graphic card to one of the computers in my office, plugging in a second monitor to that machine and moving everything from one side of the office to the other could take so much time!

These are the days of plug and play - surely the days of plug and pray have gone forever?

Alas it’s not the case. Oh the dual-head plugged in ok but when I switched the computer on it only saw one screen - a little bit of fiddling and I’ve got wallpaper on both monitors but no matter how hard I try I can’t move anything over to the second monitor … but wait … the light bulb is beginning to show some light.

Of course, I wanted the primary monitor in front of me and the only space for the secondary monitor was to the left of the primary one. So naturally, when I wanted to move something to the secondary screen I moved it to the left and nothing happened.

And just now a ray of light burst through the dark clouds of frustration and general grumpiness and I moved something to the right - away from the secondary screen … and of course it appeared.

Oh silly man that I am …

Of course, even the simple job of moving my desk from one side of the room to the other was not that simple. Cords, leads, surge protectors, phone line and all the other assorted junk takes time. But it’s done and now perhaps it’s time to sit back and blow my ears off with some Bond - played with a lot of bass.

Thank goodness Toni (my partner) doesn’t have it on her computer yet - with her six speakers and sub-woofer it’s likely to endanger the back wall of her office

If you’ve been wandering around places where computers are sold you may have noticed that in the last 12 months or so there has been a quiet revolution going on. The good old CRT monitor that have known and loved since last century has gone and in it’s place there are all those bright, shiny and big flat screen monitors.

That doesn’t mean that the bulky old monitors have gone from homes across the world, it just means that no one is selling them as part of a computer system any more. I’m sure that most of the people who are reading this are able to do so thanks to a CRT monitor.

However, let me suggest that if you are you really should be thinking of pensioning that old monitor off. You might think that it’s still working fine but I can tell you that image quality degrades as the monitor ages. You won’t notice it because you live with it every day but it is happening.

You also need to think about getting rid of that old monitor because they are a definite health hazard. They emit harmful radiation that, over time, can have a terrible effect on your health.

And you also need to think about ditching that old monitor simply because of its size. It takes up a huge amount of room on any desk and you won’t believe how much space suddenly becomes available when you pension off that old monitor.

Just in case you don’t believe me on the space issue here is a picture of my workspace. Don’t be put off by the three monitors - that’s a productivity thing that I’ll talk about some other time - but as you can see I have three flatscreen monitors and each of them is a 17″ model.

If I still had to rely on my old chunky CRT’s I would only be able to fit two monitors on there and I would lose a lot of the desk space that I currently have.

Finally the cost of flat screen monitors has come down in the last few months to the point where they really are affordable. Here in Australia you can pick up a new 17″ flat screen monitor for around $300 and when you do buy one you will wonder how you ever managed to live without it.