Digital Bits Technology Column

Sometimes you need to take a step back to fully appreciate a picture. In this case, you may need to take several steps forward. This is a common requirement for photo mosaics. Not too long ago, my daughter had her first birthday party. My wife and I put together a DVD slideshow of baby pictures […]

Computer-integrated furniture is just around the corner

Sit down on a couch, and swing the monitor towards you. Open the couch arm, insert a CD, and listen to music as you browse the Web. Use this “couch-computer” to watch a DVD: A hidden projector plays video on a recessed, ceiling-mounted projection screen. Need another computer? Sit down next to a stylish end […]

Antenna booster stickers fail to impress

(Also see Andy’s full booster sticker analysis, photos, and detailed expert interview.) I don’t get mad easily. Being a computer-gadgety guy, dealing with temperamental hardware and glitchy software, I’m naturally patient. I can count slowly to one hundred with the best Shaolin Kung-Fu master. But I can still get cranked the wrong way, as when advanced […]

Burned CD not working in car CD player

Keith asks: How come when I burn music from the internet onto a CD, sometimes the CD won’t play in my car’s CD player? Am I doing something wrong? Others I know have had this same problem. This is always a frustrating problem. A CD that’s burned on one machine will play fine in another, […]

Losing track of time: Fixing computer time and clock problems

Question: Why does my computer keep gaining minutes every day? If I set it back to the right time in the morning, by afternoon it’s gained 5 minutes. Answer: Older cars lose oil. One of my past cars, a lovely 1999 Saturn SC2, started to consume oil after it turned 60,000 miles. However, there wasn’t […]

Entering BIOS settings

All personal computers have BIOS, a Basic Input / Output System that allows you to control some simple but important functions. At certain times (those involving troubleshooting, major system changes or boredom), you’ll need to enter the BIOS (sometimes called “entering CMOS”). When you change BIOS settings, you push a special key when your computer starts […]

Free PDF creation tools

So you want to create PDF documents easily, simply and cheaply, and you don’t want to purchase Adobe Acrobat (the definitive but expensive PDF-creation software). There are many free or cheap quality solutions for PDF creation. CutePDF CutePDF is essentially a printer driver that you install on your computer. No adware or spyware. No pop-ups […]

Viewing and Editing DVDs on a PC

John asks: “I want to convert a very special VHS to DVD on a DVD recorder. My question is, can I then take the DVD and edit it on my PC? Just wondering if a DVD created on one of these devices can be processed or even viewed on a PC.” So to break this […]

Origami, typewriters and beer: New tricks for old tech

Thomas Edison hunches over his workbench, muttering to himself, furiously scribbling formula in a tattered notebook. He wishes he could find a way to better organize his information, some way to sort through his constant overload of ideas. Akira Yoshizawa, origami grandmaster, gingerly smoothes the final crease into place. He contemplates the intricately-folded paper dragon, […]

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How to create photo mosaics with free photo mosaic software: A picture is worth a thousand pictures