We’ve gone global

With our new online column archive, I get mail from around the world.

It has been too long since I have dedicated an entire column to discussing the feedback I receive from my readers. It is always a pleasure to hear from you, and I do my best to answer every letter I receive.

If you have written to me and not received a response, it can only mean that my spam filters have sent your missive out into the ether. If that is the case, try resending the letter. Check it for spam triggers like “Rolex” and “Vuitton,” and maybe it will make it to my virtual desk.

For those of you who have not had a chance to check out The Current’s website complex, an online archive of columns and features from the various Catamaran Media publications can be found at www.shorenewstoday.com/columns. This new feature has had two significant influences on my mailbag and its contents.

Expanding our audience

First, it has exposed my humble scribbling to a far broader domestic audience. I have already received e-mail from new readers in California and Nevada here in the United States, along with summer readers who live in places like Upper Darby, Trenton and Springfield. Second, my columns are now regularly read around the world, earning me e-mail from Austria, Canada and Japan, among other countries.

I will address the international readership first, since that contingent has weighed in on a relatively new topic both near and dear to my heart, Microsoft Windows Vista. I heard from Kobayashi Toshiharu of Tokyo, Japan, just a few days after my first close look at Windows Vista hit the website.

Like many users, Kobayashi and his wife had been considering a new computer for a while. As is frequently the case, the old unit hung on valiantly, but finally gave up the ghost, sending them to the vast array of consumer electronics vendors that dot the Tokyo landscape.

I can only imagine the fun they had shopping for a new laptop in Tokyo. That first blast of signage that greets you when you leave the station in Akihabara, the Electric City, is truly memorable. But before I digress into a travelogue, let me return to the issue at hand, the Kobayashis and their new computer needs.

As things turn out, they decided to select a laptop running under Microsoft Windows Vista, and they seem to be very happy with their choice. I have not had a chance to chat with them since their initial positive report, but the indications were that the experience has been totally pleasant and that they are enjoying the enhanced productivity, spectacular graphics, and energy savings that come with this new operating system. Thanks to our Japanese friends for sharing their new computing experience with us.

Finding fellow animal lovers

Regular readers may remember a recent column in which I mentioned having become the honorary adoptive parent of Ballsy, the gritty little pooch who survived Hurricane Katrina and is currently living the good life at the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. You can visit Ballsy and his pals, and maybe even sponsor your own new best friend, at www.bestfriends.org.

After the column ran, I received one of the best e-mail messages ever from Nancy Waddell of Ocean City, N.J. Waddell enjoyed my story and kindly took the time to share one of her own. It was immediately obvious that I was dealing with an animal lover. The letter was “signed” by its human writer along with Sugar and Smudges, and included a tribute to departed friends Kel, Dash, Tess and Suzi.

Waddell told me about her experiences as a volunteer at Best Friends, an effort she has undertaken with two friends over the past seven years. Since organizations like Best Friends rely on the kindness of strangers to help them stay in operation, volunteerism is an important part of their continuing charitable project.

Waddell disclosed that her duties at Best Friends included traditional pet lover duties like walking dogs, filling food dishes and water bowls, and the manual processing of various canine byproducts. No strangers to caring for animals, Waddell and her two friends, now known as “The Jersey Girls” in Kanab, have been making a big difference in the quality of life for a few good dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, burros, and every other critter that needs a kind friend and a snack. It is not exactly a high-tech topic, but this particular e-mail did as much to make me smile as any message about properly executed upgrades, spyware removal or successful adventures of the Sims.

Still troubleshooting

Much of my e-mail consists of contacts from users who are having a little trouble with their portal into the Information Age. Beagle, a recent writer, was having trouble installing the drivers for a new Ethernet card into Windows ME. TMR wanted to know about backing up his personal DVD collection. I’ve even had a couple dozen questions about Webkinz, a new toy with an Internet presence that children find fascinating.

Mac users are quick to take me to task when my opinion of their platform of choice is less than flattering. Linux users occasionally mention their favorite OS, mentioning that it’s free and wondering if I have a line on any device drivers that they may be able to use.

Stop the spyware, speed up computing

I get a lot of letters from people who wonder why their favorite computer suddenly seems so slow. In fact, I answer this one a couple of times a week, and up to this point I have not been proven wrong. Assuming they are running their computer under a Windows operating system and have been using the Internet regularly, I offer the same diagnosis and treatment.

Nothing will slow down a computer more than spyware infestation. If you spend enough time online, sooner or later your computer is likely to serve as a host for one or more programs that work for someone else. It can be spyware, malware, bloatware or spamware, but it all boils down to the same thing, a program that you did not install that is using up your processing resources.

There are several good solutions to this problem, and most of them are free. I prefer Ad-Aware from Lavasoft, at www.lavasoftusa.com, and Spybot Search and Destroy from www.spybot.info. They are both free and can go a long way toward keeping a system running at its best.

This fix assumes that some type of anti-virus program is in place and that the computer has been recently scanned. If that is not the case, take the time to update your virus definitions and run a full-system scan before continuing.

Download and install both programs. I usually run Ad-Aware first, followed by Spybot Search and Destroy. The latter seems to probe more deeply and usually digs out a few programs that the former either missed or neglected to report.

After scanning for viruses and running both spyware programs, most users will notice a distinct improvement in performance. Those who have been fully hijacked may also enjoy faster Internet connectivity, since they will again have access to all of their bandwidth. For one brief, shining moment, the good guys have won again, until the next wave of spyware demons hit the ’net.

Many, thanks to all the readers who have taken the time to write. I am always thrilled and flattered to hear from you, and I will do my best to respond to all reader mail. If you would like to send me your 2 cents, you can reach me at granese@juno.com.