The Plug to Your Face Everything in

Between and Beyond

A crash course in personal IT

management and why I’m so bad at keeping

this short

Wake up!•Stretch your arms over your head with your palms flat towards the sky – Hold for 5 seconds

•Straighten your wrists and relax your fingers - Hold•Make fists and bend your wrists down - Hold

•Straighten wrists and relax fingers – Hold

•Repeat 5 times

•Let your arms hang - Shake for 5 seconds

Feel better!•Carpal tunnel is caused by the compression of a nerve in the wrist.

•Causes tingling, weakness, numbness, pain and a pretty nasty cracking sound.

•Simple exercises can prevent it, and keep you from losing your mind grading exams for hours.

•Prevention is easy…surgery isn’t.

Perilous Plugs

• I hate those stupid adapters

• Proper plugs – Replacement cords– Replacement plugs– SPAR, OK, Megabuild

• Chewing the cord: Rats and Cats

An Unlikely Likelihood:

• The #1 killer of computers

• It can strike anything connected to power in your home, office or school– Power outlet– Network/Switch connections– Modem/Phone

• Surge protector plugs

Lightning

…Until you don’t

• Making the most of what you’ve got• Turn off wireless devices• External devices• Optimal power settings• Screen brightness• Standby/Hibernate

You’ve got the power!

• Laptop locks• Discrete bags• Just don't bring it with you • Out of plain view in your home• Do you really need it?

– Can a USB drive do it?

Personal Security

• Why your laptop will probably fail• The importance of airflow, making a

stand w/ bottle caps• Even better → Cookie cooling racks• Desk fans do help• Crazy USB fan things• Other techniques for keeping your cool

– Your laptop is not for your lap top– CPU Stepping– Room temp. Have an air conditioned lab?

None Like it HOT!

or Dusty

• Perhaps your biggest threat• But its a fact of life• How they spread

– USB Sticks– CDs– Prevention: Disable Autoplay w/ TweakUI

• AVG Antivirus vs the rest– Automatic updates no longer a reality– Updating with free.grisoft.com

• Microsoft Steady State

Viruses

• The importance of software disks and drivers

• Driver backup with Double Driver

• Backup and recovery big and small. Thumb drives, external hard drives, CDs and DVDs

Preventing DisasterIn the face of certain disaster

• The alternatives– Linux– Open Office

• Why the alternatives probably aren't worth your time– Your school probably has licenses – They just lost them

The Moral DilemmaSoftware Piracy YAR!

Buying Computer Stuff• Windhoek

– Double the price: Just about right– Maurua Mall –

• Incredible Connection (BEST)• HiFi, • Place next to Cattle Baron

– Vernhill – • One shop downstairs,• Mostly gaming stuff

•Locally–Only major towns–Small selection–Even more expensive than Windhoek

The InternetYour options …or lack thereof

•Internet Cafes/Libraries•Only in major towns. Rarely found in villages/locations.•Expensive. Going rate is $10 for 30 minutes.•Usually slow, most have only dialup

•Telecom 3G Wireless•Fast, 25Kb/sec+•Requires 1 year contract. Around $300/month. Comes with ~600 minutes•Telecom wireless network unavailable in villages or outlying areas of towns

•Telecom ADSL•Needs high quality phone lines close to town, thus unavailable in villages or outlying areas of towns•Around $450/month for 25Kb/sec and 1gig per month

The InternetThe ones you might just have available

•Dialup•iWay and mWeb •Around N$150 a month + Flexicall/phone changes (really add up)•Dialup, but usually much slower than US dialup due to old, poor quality lines

•MTC GPRS/EDGE/3G•Available across most of Namibia•Requires internet phone with a way to link to your computer (USB or Bluetooth)•$1/mb but can be maximized using browser tricks (Images off, AdBlock, Google GWT)•GPRS (5k/s) •EDGE (up to 50k/s)•3G (100k/s+)•Probably the most popular amongst volunteers since it requires no contract or down payment