These are the computer lessons I’ve learned and continue to apply:
1. Keep a computer journal – every time you have a problem, write it and the solution down. When the same problem comes up again (which it often does), you know what to do. With a memory like mine, this has saved me a lot of time and money.
2. If something doesn’t work, check the obvious first. For example, my printer stopped working, so I checked the program, re-installed the software, re-booted the computer, but nothing worked. Then I realized that the printer cable had come just a little bit loose. Not enough to notice, but enough to stop the power.
3. My hard drive got slower and slower, then totally died. I didn’t realize that hard drives were capable of that and it reminded me again of the importance of saving my data to a back-up drive or the cloud (although I still don’t totally trust cloud storage). I’ve since heard it’s not a matter of if your hard drive fails, but when.
4. When I was still working I received an official looking email claiming to come from administration. It was a zipped file, so I downloaded it. Later I found out it was a virus. Lesson- just because the name on an email looks official doesn’t mean it is, so be careful about opening files or giving out personal information, especially charge card details.
5. I was painting the kitchen and wasn’t sure if the previous paint was latex or oil based. So I went onto the Internet, asked Jeeves (www.askjeeves.com) and found out how. Answer: apply a cloth dampened in denatured alcohol and latex will bubble or wipe off.
6. Now that AI is so prevalent, don’t take it for granted that an image, a text, or even a voice is always genuine. It’s good to search multiple sources if your health, finances, or safety are in question. And remember, if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not.
