Idea of the Day - A new idea each day. Some Don't Suck!

Our Latest Posts About: Computers

Why's My Computer So SLOW?

Sunday, August 20, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why do computers "get slower" over time?

People come to me all the time with their technical questions, and the most popular question of all time is "Why is my computer so SLOW!?". It doesn't sound all that complicated. You own a computer. The computer USED to be fast, so why not ask what went wrong, and how you can make it fast again? Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that.

First, let me explain one simple fact. The speed of your computer chips doesn't change over time. It can still do the same number of transactions per second that it did the day you bought it. Chances are, the real problem is that computer software and web sites get bigger and more complicated every day, and your older computer is simply not powerful enough to run the latest software.

For examp... [More]

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Hacking in the 21st Century

Tuesday, August 8, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Here's what you need to know to protect yourself from today's hackers.

When most people think of "Hacking", they envision a genius programmer hammering away at the keyboard in a attempt to break into your computer. The truth is, most hackers aren't like that at all. In fact, many hackers today aren't even computer savvy. They're just good at tricking people into giving away their passwords and other personal information.

That's because today's hackers know that it's much easier to trick somebody into GIVING them their password than it is to try to hack it. All it takes is a few cut and paste skills to put together realistic looking emails and web sites that fool people into thinking they're the real thing. Then it becomes a numbers game. If they send a realistic looking... [More]

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Local Attached, External Cloud Backup Invention

Monday, July 10, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I love cloud backup, but it's slow and takes up too many resources.

There are countless advantages to using a cloud backup service, however, speed isn't one of them. Cloud backups are notoriously slow, in some cases taking weeks or even months to make the initial backup. Conversely, local backups take only a matter of minutes. Here's an idea for an invention that gives you the advantages of both.

My idea is a to combine the two into a single, external drive. When the drive is connected, you can use it like any other hard drive, as either primary storage, or as a backup. In either case, the drive would be blazing fast.

Unlike a traditional external drive, this drive would also have a WiFi or Ethernet LAN port, so it can be connected to the Internet and handle your cloud... [More]

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How to PREVENT Viruses

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Most computer viruses don't come from surfing the web.

I've seen a lot of viruses over the years, and almost all of them share one thing in common, they came from an email, not from surfing the web. This may sound surprising to some people who think they're safe because they "don't go to risky sites". The simple truth is, if you want to prevent viruses, you need to know how to spot them, and that's in your InBox.

Email is, by far, the most common way to get a virus, simply because it's the easiest way for somebody to let their guard down. That's because more often than not, the virus comes from a fake email that looks like its from somebody you know.

For example, if a total stranger sent you an email that said "Here's something I thought you would like..." followed by a... [More]

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File Names Aren't Enough

Saturday, April 1, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I wish Macs and Windows had a way to attach notes to files, instead of relying on the filename alone.

Naming files is a bit of an art. You create a file on Monday and give it a name. By Tuesday, you've changed it a few times, and potentially created a second or even third version with slightly different names.

A week later, you look for the file, but you can't figure out which one you want, because your filenames simply aren't enough to distinguish them. What I'de love to see is an additional note area that's linked to each file, something like a Sticky Note that you can use to give each file a detailed description.

A Desktop Computer That Can Survive A Blackout

Sunday, March 15, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Isn't it strange that desktop computers lose information in a blackout?

For as long as desktop computers have been around, one thing has never changed, if you lose power, even for a split second, you usually lose whatever you were working on.

Unlike laptop computers, which have a battery that lasts for hours, a desktop computer has no internal battery whatsoever, not even enough to handle the loss of power for even a fraction of a second.

My solution to this problem is to integrate two additional components directly on the motherboard, a small battery and a bit of flash memory. The battery would be very small, because it doesn't need to power anything but the motherboard itself. That's it. Both parts are small and inexpensive Here's how it would work.

If the motherboa... [More]

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* Note: The ideas on "Idea of the Day" were posted without any formal research into existing inventions.

In some cases, patents may already exist for these ideas, in other cases, there may not be any existing patents and you are free to develop and explore the viability of developing and patenting the ideas.

The authors make no claim that any of the ideas are safe, practical, or suitable for any particular purpose. You are responsible for the results of trying, developing, patenting or using any of the ideas on this site.

For some people, our ideas are just an interesting read, but our goal is to encourage you to take action. If you see an idea that you like, do something with it... Take action.

- Joe

Idea Of The Day. A new Idea Each Day. Some Don't Suck.