Articles written by Wink Junior

What is Helium

About me - Wink Junior

I'm a single, 41 year old computer geek trying to finish restoring (and keep clean) my 1920 Portland bungalow while pursuing way too many hobbies: omnivorous cooking and eating; motorcycle riding; music, movies, and almost all forms of art; traveling; DJ'ing

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Computers & Technology > Internet Software & Utilities Determining the best email service: Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo: 1 of 21
What's the best online email service? They're all wonderful in that they let you access your email from a Web browser, which means just about any computer anywhere. So what it comes down to for me, having had a Hotmail account, and still using Yahoo!, Gmail and even Netscape/AOL accounts, was how well each site worked, how fa... More..
Computers & Technology > Virus Protection & Maintenance Ways to remove spyware from your computer: 1 of 15
The first and most important step in keeping spyware (also known as "malware") off your computer(s) is the same as it is for viruses and trojan horses: prevention. Spyware is more or less a "trojan horse": program(s) that install on your computer without your knowledge to do something you most likely do not want them to do an... More..
Computers & Technology > Internet Trends Myspace and dating: 2 of 11
If you had asked me two years ago about MySpace and Online Dating, I would have enjoyed telling you a story about a woman from San Diego who contacted me, in Portland, befriended me, and managed to convince me she was pretty cool, intelligent, fun and good-looking. Suffice to say when she came to visit, and insisted on gettin... More..
Computers & Technology > Computer Maintenance What you should know about installing a second hard drive: 2 of 10
Installing a second hard drive is not difficult, if you're the kind of person who's comfortable at least adding more oil, brake fluid, windshield wiper fluid, etc. to your car. The key things are making sure first and foremost that things are unplugged, you are grounded and not carrying a static charge, and that you're not a ... More..
Computers & Technology > Graphic Software Guide to buying digital video editing platforms: 1 of 3
To really answer the question of "Buying a Digital Editing Platform", one has to look at hardware as well as software, since a lot of the time it's a matter of getting video off the old video tape, the video camera (analog or digital), a digital camera, or even film! So the first thing to do is to talk about at least three le... More..
Computers & Technology > Radio & Audio Devices How to copy vinyl records onto CDs: 1 of 3
Vinyl records may still be the preferred music format for some, esp. DJ's or certain audiophiles, but there's many people who got rid of their turntable because they just couldn't be bothered to play records once they'd grown used to the length and convenience of CD players, esp. ones that hold multiple CDs, or their turntabl... More..
Computers & Technology > Radio & Audio Devices Explaining the diameter of a CD: 2 of 4
The actual diameter size of the compact disc (CD) is actually completely arbitrary, but has an interesting history to it. The size of the disc and the hole in the center, as well as the length of playing time (originally 74 minutes, now commonly 80 minutes or as many as 82 minutes) was determined as part of the design of the ... More..
Computers & Technology > Internet (Other) IP defined: 1 of 2
Instead of trying to show off my technical background, instead I'm going to write this article to target different audiences: technophobes/beginners/Luddites (mind you, I consider myself a Luddite!) vs. computer professional/geeks/nerds (I'm geek/nerd too. Fortunately, the concept of the Internet Protocol (called "IP" from he... More..
Computers & Technology > Phone Accessories Wi-Fi versus bluetooth explained: 1 of 2
I have found in talking with people that only the really tech geeks understand the difference between "Wi-Fi" versus "Bluetooth" wireless technology, so I wanted to write an article to explain the two, which aside from being wireless, are very different things. I will explain both, hopefully in layperson's terms but then also... More..
Computers & Technology > VCRs, DVD Players & Recorders How to copy VHS home videos to DVDs: 4 of 7
Since I first wrote this article, I have spent the last year or so, until recently, converting my VHS movies (home and purchased) to DVD format so I could watch them with my DVD player. After wasting a lot of time, I've found the best of three methods, at least if you have a dozen or more VHS tapes to convert.Originally I wro... More..