Page 12      Diablo Blue      June, 2001

(Continued from page 11)

things like this from clip art, but it's no fun if you're an artist or have creative desires. Adobe Illustrator is definitely a program designed for the pros, but if you're a keen hobbyist, this program will last a lifetime.

These days every new toy has memory- digital cameras, mp3 players, GPS systems -- you name it. Most new computers don't have slots to read these memory cards and often you want to transfer info from one device to another simply and efficiently. The new Lexar USB Film Reader (www.digitalfilm.com) does just that. Installation couldn't be easier. Insert the CD-ROM, run setup and reboot. Plug the reader into your USB port and you have a new removable drive on your system. It couldn't be easier to set up.
The reader has 2 slots; one for Smart Media cards and the other is for a PC Card. It comes with a PC Card adapter for CompactFlash cards. A green light shows the unit is powered (through the USB cable) and a blinking red light shows the system is accessing the card. The only caveat is that you cannot remove a card when the red light is blinking. It couldn't be simpler to install and use.
I have an earlier parallel port version that needs a power source, is much slower and only reads one type of card. Talk about the Stone Age! I have been dragging the unit back and forth to work and it really is a pleasure to use. It requires Windows 98, Pentium or better, USB port, CD-ROM drive, 16MB of RAM, and 5 MB of available hard drive space. (It even runs on a Mac!) Check ads for local pricing.

It is laughable, I guess, but then I am one of the 80 year old mothers whose son believes I have the aptitude to assimilate computers, and therein is a divergence of opinion.
Your son unpacks 6 huge boxes of equipment for you, does his magic stuff in assembling it all, turns on the electricity and says, "Now you have a computer." Never once does he mention that the hours of utter frustration one suffers after he leaves the premises are bound to take their toll on one's patience and nerves.
So "poor computer-alert neighbors" have to fill in and tell us why the darn thing won't close when you are in Works, or writes strange messages in gray boxes that don't make sense, or the abandon one feels the first time you get sick of the whole thing and press all the buttons. That gets immediate response, also alerts from the ipo or ipso or whatever telling you your computer will be shut off if such and such happens again, most of it in algebraic language.
At that point you call your son in a panic thinking you are going to be hauled off in a paddy wagon for some obscure reason.
It is supposed to be very simple, says the articles I read, and it is if you have been to computer school and been using the machines for several years. But even after one year of practice, loads of books, studying computer books written by a Bill Gates neophyte, only E Mail has been comprehensible and Word writes nice letters, but it is still a bit of a mystery.
However, I can hunt out health issues and some info like that and even get directions for a road tour, but there I stop. I figure in 20 years I will have the whole thing solved but then my beloved computer will be out of date and I will have been buried for several years.
I thoroughly agree with Steve Bass's parents. Life was so much simpler with a good radio broadcast, an interesting book, and a letter written in pen and ink.