I will try to merge this blog with the comic, so none of the posts are lost. But please copy any articles or links that you would like to keep, just in case.

Thank you for reading Witchy Tech! If you have any techie questions, go ahead and send them anyway! Look for answers or blog posts in the blog attached to the comic.

~Samantha

Energy expenditure during active video game play is comparable to moderate-intensity walking. Thus, for children who spend considerable time playing electronic screen games for entertainment, physically active games seem to be a safe, fun, and valuable means of promoting energy expenditure.

“Comparable to moderate intensity walking” sounds like it would be good for adults, too! This is marvelous for me as it is WAY too hot here in Texas to get out and move around. For those of you in the chilly climes of the north, such an indoor activity might be welcome in the middle of winter.

I really love it when things that are fun are good for you. Later, taters! Going to play some Wii games now!

For more details on the study: American Academy of Pediatrics.

Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get busy on goals for the new year.

In reviewing WitchyTech, I found that the article most popular by far is Lost Your Digital Camera Cord? If you got a new digital camera this holiday season, be sure to write down the model number of your cord in case you need to get a new one!

Here in the US, there will be no more analog TV broadcasts available after February.  You probably don’t need to adjust anything to get the new digital signals if you have a modern TV and antennae. Check out THIS ARTICLE on WitchyTech for the basics.

And those of you interested in the cell phone saga.. like why I love the latest of everything but am slow to upgrade to a real cell phone.. will be glad to know that the family got all new cell phones this weekend and have joined the ranks of those who must be in constant contact.  I doubt these new phones will survive going through the wash, though. (Yes, Mr. Wonderful was STILL using that phone up until this weekend!)

Rather than tell you to watch this space for more articles, I invite you to subscribe to the site’s RSS feed or sign up for my email list! That way, the new articles come to you.

Happy 2009, everyone!

Check out how this clever person used a motion detector, a blender, and a strobe light to teach those cats that counter plants are NOT for *nom*!  The Blender Defender!

(also posted on Densaville.com)

Turns out that just because a cord fits into the little slot does NOT mean that the cord is appropriate for the device. I had picked a cord that was for another device and it allowed too much power to go through! *sizzle*

If I had labeled my cords using a label and a Sharpie pen, (or one of these handy cord tags) I would have been sure to have the right one and not risked losing all my pictures.

So this is my tip of the day! Label all your cords! I already do that for the incredible amount of cables coming out from the back of my computer so I know what cord goes to what, but I haven’t done this for my portable devices. I found out the hard way about not having the correct cord for the correct device. If the external drive cord had a label on it, I wouldn’t have chosen the first cord out of the drawer that fit in the back of my drive.

Do you already label your cords? How do you do that? How do you store your detachable power cords? Share your cord labeling and storage tips with us!

(BTW: I am about to cry over the possibility of losing my pictures. I am hopeful that the folks at my husband’s office can recover the pictures for me. If not, I will have to pay a data recovery service to have a go. Keep your fingers crossed!)

To use Google, go to google.com and type in what you are looking for and click the “Google Search” button. A listing of websites which contain the information you’re looking for will show. Just click on the website in the list that is most likely to answer your query.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I would like to direct you to Google Guide, a website devoted to teaching people how to use Google. If you are a total beginner, click the “Novices Click Here” button. The basic what’s and how-to’s are explained in a nice tutorial.

An example search: I would like to know what an “RSS feed” is. I go to Google.com and type in “RSS feed” and click the “Google Search” button. This page lists my search results. As you can see, there are several sites to choose from which explain RSS!

Google is not the only search engine out there, it’s not even the first search engine on the internet! But it is definitely the biggest. In fact, the verb “google” has come to mean “look up something on the internet” no matter which search engine you use!

FYI, some other search engines are: Yahoo Search, MSN search, Ask…If you want to see more, look up “search engine” in a search engine!

Witchy Says:  Since different search engines seek and sort results in different ways, you can sometimes find information on one that you can’t find on another. There are engines (programs) that search the same terms in several search engines at once! If you are having trouble finding something, try Dogpile.com… it will give you results from Google, Yahoo, MSN and ASK at once!

SimpleHelp.net is a good place to check out when you want to know how to do something specific. They also have lots of Macintosh information for those of you Apple lovers out there!

HelpwithPCs.com offers tutorials and study notes to help you get the most out of your PC. And it’s for people like us!

Sometimes it’s hard to have a chat about the weather with our online friends from other countries…their temps are Celsius and our temperatures are gaged in Fahrenheit. There are online converters all over the web that translate Celsius to Fahrenheit and back. I have this one bookmarked: Fahrenheit to Celsius converter by National Weather Service in Buffalo, NY.

If you get your TV signal through an antenna (“rabbit ears” or roof top), you are getting an analog signal and will have to do some checking to see if you need make some adjustments to see television. Here’s what to do:

1. Find out if your TV has a digital tuner. Lots of TVs made in the last several years can accommodate both analog and digital signals. If your TV was manufactured or imported after March 1, 2007, it was required by law to have a digital tuner. If you bought your TV after May 25, 2007, it is required by law to have a digital tuner or state clearly that it doesn’t have one. Look around the back of your TV or in your manual (if you still have it!) to see if it says Digital Tuner, DTV Tuner, HDTV Tuner or Digital Receiver. If not, check out the manufacturer’s website. (Putting the manufacturer’s name and your TV’s model number into a search engine like google.com for sites with details on your TV.) If it does have a tuner, you do NOT need a converter box. Your TV can interpret digital signals. If not, you will need to purchase a converter box. (These should cost about $40 to $70 each, according to DTV.gov’s FAQ section. But you can get a coupon to pay for or help defray the cost of 2 boxes for your house if you qualify! Check out THIS SITE for more information, or call 1-888-388-2009.)
2. Check your antenna. While there are are some “HD Ready” antennas already out there, a decent VHF/UHF antenna can already pick up digital signals. Some stations are already broadcasting in digital on another VHF or UHF band. Call up a local station and ask if they are broadcasting their signal in digital, and if so, what channel. Turn your TV to that channel and see if you can see their digital broadcast. If your antenna cannot pick up a digital signal, you will need to replace it.

Witchy’s Bottom Line: Generally speaking, if you have cable or satellite or fiber-optic TV service, you’re safe. If you get your TV through an antenna, you need to make sure that your TV can interpret a digital signal and that your antenna can pick up a digital signal. If not, you will need a converter box and/or a new antenna.

If you want more information about the whys and wherefores of DTV, please check out DTV.gov or speak to the customer service representative of your TV service provider or your local TV station.

Did you find this article helpful? Do you have questions? Please let me know in the comments!

A little while later, Mr. Wonderful decided to go pick up the kids from school for me.  He went to get his keys and came back saying, “Have you seen my cellphone?”

You guessed it!  Mr. Wonderful didn’t empty out the pockets of his jeans and his cellphone had now been washed and dried!  *blub blub blub*
Mr. Wonderful took the back off the cellphone and took out the battery and let it dry out overnight.  This morning, he put the phone back together and tested it out.  Wouldn’t you know? It worked! At least, he can call home and I can call him, which is the main thing.

It’s not anywhere near “good as new”… he can’t “lock” the keys to keep from accidentally dialing out, for example… I was completely surprised that it worked at all.  You hear so much about the delicacy of the microchips and connections.

In case you are interested, Mr. Wonderful’s cellphone is a two-year old Nokia.