The Computer Next Door

How I Learned to Stop Worrying (About TV Schedules) and Love My DVR

Personally, I can take or leave a lot of television programming.  Before we got a digital video recorder, I would frequently miss showings of, say, "Monk"  and although I'm a fan of "Monk," it simply wouldn't bother me too much if I missed an episode here or there.

The reasons are twofold.  First, like a lot of people, I found it cumbersome (at best) to schedule recording times on a video cassette recorder, and I simply didn't do it.  Unless some momentous event was coming up on television, I was either around when the program was "on," or I wasn't.

Secondly, networks always seemed to be changing their time slots for certain programs.  I began to lose track of when this program or that program was scheduled to air.  WIth the exception of news programming, television viewing became a hit or miss venture (at least for me).

Then, when our satellite provider (who happens to be DirecTV) offered us a free digital video recorder (DVR), we started setting up favorites and scheduled times to record this program or that program.

Basically, digital video recording is like a hard drive that sits next to your television set, and performs recording tasks based on your preferences.  With a few simple steps, you can get a DVR to "remember" what you like, so you don't have to continually remember on your own to record that episode (or an entire "season's pass" of Monk, or whatever you want.

Two big things I love about digital video recording:

1) You can watch what you want - when you want it. It takes the work and frustration out of recording TV programs.  Once you finish the relatively easy setup, you go about your business (pretty much).

2) You can pause live television.  This is huge.  Just press pause, go take your break (even a nap), come back, press Play, and away you go.

Even if you don't have it free as part of a programming package, I recommend investing in some form of DVR.  It will change the way you use your television.

Yes, Virginia, There IS Such a Thing as E-mail Etiquette

Clearly, not everybody subscribes to e-mail etiquette.  This might actually be because many people don't realize there is such a thing, or perhaps they would prefer it didn't exist.

Like any form of etiquette – it’s a good idea to consider e-mail etiquette in order to prevent misunderstandings and avoid offending people you communicate with via e-mail.  It also goes a long way to helping make business communications more effective.

So, here are a 6 rules of "Netiquette" as it is sometimes known:

1) DON’T VENT

It's a bad idea to send angry or violent or verbally abusive communications by e-mail – ever. E-mail is a very "cold" medium - there are no visual or audio cues to help interpret the message.  It's therefore an inappropriate medium for negative communications. Some people also have a tendency to “hide behind e-mail” when they don’t have the wherewithal to confront a person directly.

If you have a beef with someone, find another way to resolve it – personally. If you feel you need to send something confrontational, sleep on it.  The stronger your communication, the longer you should think about it. And if you get something in your e-mail box that is confrontational, stop the process and pick up the phone.

2) DON’T SHOUT

Don't use capitals in an e-mail message.  It comes across as harsh and is very hard to read.

3) KEEP IT FOCUSED

Get to the point, for God's sake. Some people have a habit of rambling on and on in their e-mail communications and wasting everybody's time. It can be sheer drudgery and a waste of time to slog through these e-mails.

4) ASK BEFORE SENDING ATTACHMENTS

Don't send  that 5 MB attached file without checking to make sure your recipient can handle it on their end (they may have a slower Internet connection, or their business network may  reject attachments over a certain size.).

5) READ IT OVER BEFORE YOU SEND

Check the entire message before you send - including who it's addressed to.  Everyone is in a hurry to get things out the door but with e-mail you can make an irretrievable mistake if you accidentally "cc"  someone who should not be on the recipient list (this happens a lot when people click "Reply all" instead of just "Reply.") Oops!  E-mail is permanent, remember (corporations have fallen on the audit trail they leave behind).

And yes, do correct those typos.  E-mails are notorious for having more typos per square inch than any other form of written communication.

6) NEVER FORWARD SENSITIVE E-MAILS

Always ask if it's OK to forward a sensitive e-mail communication. The sender might not want it distributed to certain parties.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Some businesses have e-mail policies about what you can and can't do with e-mail while you're at work. (Something to keep in mind is that your employer has access to your e-mail communications.  If that doesn't make you careful about what you send, I don't know what will.

If you're not sure, ask your employer about their email policies.

Likewise, many colleges and universities post their versions of e-mail etiquette on their websites.

 

Better E-mail with Google

Recently I started using Gmail, Google's new, Web-based e-mail service, which is currently in pre-release.  I have to say, so far, so good.

Gmail is available for free for individuals and small businesses, and can be used in conjunction with other e-mail software. I for example, am using it in conjunction with Mail on my Macintosh.

You need to get a Google account in order to use Gmail, either for a business or for yourself. It works with all major browsers, and has several key features, including a top-notch SPAM protection technology that Google developed.

I signed up to use it so I could get my e-mail when I travel. I don't like to read mail on a small screen (such as my cellphone), but when I travel with my laptop, I like being able to access my e-mail

Google is also promoting other other special features, like the ability to get your mail on your mobile phone, the ability to easily search any of your messages by keyword, and the ability to chat from within the Gmail application.

Like most Google products, Gmail has a plain vanilla, simple interface.  A few things seem slightly counterintuitive. But it's  is easy to get started and to use it.  And for me, the power is in two aspects:

1) Simplified Web-based access to my e-mail

2) A powerful, comprehensive SPAM filter.

I wrote recently about how a SPAM filter (Spamfire) had helped me tone down the amount of Junk mail I received.  Well, Gmail is another order of magnitude beyond what I was getting with Spamfire.  It's like Google has declared war on SPAM.  And those of us who use it, can now benefit.

Life is a whole heck of a lot quieter now with Gmail working for me in the background. There's really no  need for me to go to Gmail to check what it's doing - Gmail simply cranks away in the background, "Frying the SPAM" as they refer to it, and, acting as our mail server.  I continue to use my e-mail program, only with a lot fewer SPAM messages.

To find out more about Gmail and how you can get it, go to:

Gmail from Google