Laptop

WASHINGTON -- The office in charge of protecting American technical secrets about nuclear weapons from foreign spies is missing 20 desktop computers, at least 14 of which have been used for classified information, the Energy Department inspector general reported Friday. This is the 13th time in a little over four years that an audit has found that the department, whose national laboratories and factories design and build nuclear warheads, has lost computers. Aside from computers it cannot find, the department is also using computers not listed in its inventory, and one computer listed as destroyed was being used, the audit said.

Last week I talked about the principles of buying a laptop computer for your college student (or yourself). Today I'll cover the specific components of a portable PC. Like automobiles, computers have "stickers" that tell you what's inside. It will be posted on the retailer's shelf, on a technical specifications screen if you're shopping online, and usually on a real sticker attached to the computer itself. Here's what to look for: The screen The size and shape of the liquid crystal display (LCD)

"Can I touch it?"Not the usual reaction you get when carrying a laptop computer, but that is the response I got with the iBook, Apple Computer Inc.'s stylish new laptop.The iBook is Apple's final piece of a four-part strategy. As Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs has said repeatedly, the computer maker has radically pared its once-chaotic product line to four basic categories of machines.The G3/G4 desktop boxes and the Powerbook laptops are muscle machines intended for the publishing and graphics industry.

I got mail this week from a man who's shopping for a laptop computer and wants to know which one has the best pointing device.The answer is simple: none of them. They're all bad. In fact, the first guy who comes up with a really good replacement for the mouse will retire very young and very rich.There's a good reason for this. The mouse is very good at what it does. It works the way we do. We all know how to point at something and we all know how to push a button. That's exactly what a mouse does -- it translates natural movements into instructions that the computer can understand.

Mistaken tax figures reflect education fads, declining math skillsAs a lifelong resident of Baltimore, I found Tom Pelton's article about the city's shrinking population interesting ("Differing views on housing problem," Oct. 22).As a mathematics teacher in Baltimore for more than 20 years, I found Mr. Pelton's inability to compute percentages disconcerting.Based on the numbers the article supplied for property taxes on a $100,000 house, Mr. Pelton actually understated the disparity in tax bills between the city and other localities.

Patty Bach doesn't really care about her computer. Nothing personal, she says, but it's just another appliance in a Catonsville home already filled with kids and other appliances demanding attention.But some insurance agents think Bach, an administrative assistant in the English department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, should be giving her beige Gateway a little more personal pocketbook time. With every other computer ad promoting Y2K fears, offers of specialized "computer insurance" have popped up on the Net, in newspaper ads and in homeowner insurance policies.

If you've turned your nose up at "desktop replacement systems" (laptops that do double duty on the desktop), you haven't had a Gateway Solo 9300 ($2,999-$3,784) in your lap or on your desk. While most desktop replacement machines have less-than-adequate features, the Solo 9300 is a power user's PC.We tested the top-of-the-line Solo model. It has a 400MHz Pentium II processor, a 15-inch display, a 10GB hard drive, 128MB of RAM and a 2X DVDII drive.Nearly everything about this machine is exceptional.

Is it possible to connect two printers to a PC using Windows 95 or 98 and be able to select which a document goes to? I use a black ink laser printer, but would like to add a color printer.Most experts advise buying special, somewhat expensive automatic switching devices for those who want to run two printers on a single computer.These devices are commonplace in computer stores and have slick features such as the ability to sense which printer is being requested and then send the print job to that machine.

Last week, you told a reader that buying two cheap desktops would be better than buying a single laptop. I respectfully disagree. I have for years used a Compaq laptop with a docking station. With this setup you can use a full-size keyboard and monitor.While initially it may cost a few dollars more, I think he would be happy to be able to switch physical addresses and still have the same computer. All of his data will be there without having to make backup disks and sync up his info every time he moves locations.

I don't even own a computer, but I read your column anyway, and now I want some advice about what kind of laptop I should buy. I need a machine that I can use for half of the year at my place in Pennsylvania and the other half of the year at my other place in Florida.My needs are of an accounting nature as well as tracking any investments that I may have or institute. Also, I would like to be able to access the Internet. I really don't feel that I want to make an investment of purchasing two desktop computers when it sounds like a laptop would suffice.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -With his stethoscope decorated with three tiny koalas, Dennis Saver looks every bit the family doctor as he steps into the examining room of his small practice on Florida's Treasure Coast. When Saver begins to examine his patient, however, he does something that four out of five doctors in America do not do: He pulls out a computer. The little black Toshiba, its edges worn to the bare metal, now gets more use than the stethoscope and has become key to the care Saver gives his patients.

I was complaining about moving files and pictures and stuff from my old computer to my new laptop - the electronic equivalent of your parents moving out of the family home and into a condo - when one of my friends offered this commiseration. "Yeah. It's like having two men and not being able to remember which one you did what with." That's me, I thought. The microprocessor version of HBO's Big Love. I have this fresh, young, streamlined laptop that can go like mad and restart in seconds.

Name: : Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Protector What it is: : A laptop carrying case made by Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Travelon that allows air travelers to get their computers through security without taking the machines out of their carrying cases. How it works: : The case can be adjusted to fit your computer snugly. Once you have a good fit, wedge it in - add nothing else or security officers will make you take it out - and slip the computer in another carrying case, like a briefcase or a backpack.

Police reports in baltimore city and county: Eastern Baltimore Shooting A man, 21, was shot in the neck by one of four teenage males in the 900 block of McAleer Court about 6 p.m. yesterday and was taken by a city Fire Department ambulance to Johns Hopkins Hospital. His condition was not available. Four young males riding on three dirt bikes were seen leaving the scene and were being sought. Anyone with information is asked to call district detectives at 410-396-2433. Northern Baltimore Armed robbery A deliveryman for Pizza Boli's was returning to his car parked in the 3500 block of Poole St. in Hampden after delivering food to the occupants of a house about 10 p.m. Saturday when he was stopped by a man wearing a ski mask and holding a revolver.

Police reports in baltimore city and county: Southern Baltimore Assault A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man charged with assaulting his girlfriend in her home in the 2600 block of Wedgeworth Lane on Sunday morning. The woman told police that the man choked her, then kicked her in the side and stomach. She said that before the man fled the house, he told her he was going to kill himself. Police searched the neighborhood but found no evidence that the man made good on his threat.

Police reports in baltimore city and county: Southeastern Baltimore Shooting Police were seeking three teenage boys in the shooting about 6 p.m. yesterday of a male in the 200 block of S. Broadway during what might have been a robbery. The victim was treated at a hospital for a bullet wound to an arm. A gun that may have been used in the shooting was recovered near the scene. Theft A beverage company delivery truck was parked in the 600 block of N. Montford Ave. on Tuesday when someone stole a case of 40-ounce bottles of beer.

BALTIMORE CITY AND COUNTY POLICE REPORTS: Northern Baltimore Shooting A teenager remains hospitalized after he was shot three times about 2 p.m. Sunday, moments after he left a store in the Alameda Shopping Center, where he purchased state lottery tickets for his father. While walking in the 1100 block of Walters Ave., the victim heard footsteps behind him and was ordered to stop by two men, one armed with a handgun. The victim was struck by the gunman before he fired at least three shots, one of which grazed the victim's face; two others struck him in the back.

Police reports in Baltimore city and county: Central Baltimore Theft from vehicle A laptop computer, a cell phone and a wireless air-card were stolen Tuesday from a 2007 Ford truck parked in the 100 block of E. Biddle St. by someone who entered the vehicle after breaking a passenger window. Eastern Baltimore Burglary/arrests Two men were arrested early Tuesday by police responding to a report of a burglary in progress at a club in the 2200 block of E. Chase St. After officers arrived about 5:20 a.m., they observed one man running from the building and captured him. Found hiding under boxes in the building was the second man. Arrested and charged with burglary were Antonio Robertson, 39, and Richard Davis, 48, both of East Baltimore.

Aaron Shepard bought his Acer Ferrari 4005 WLMi laptop for $2,250 about three years ago to take to Columbia University. Too bad the 21-year-old law student from Catonsville soon discovered the purchase was a "fatal error" on his part. Within six months, the top-of-the-line laptop simply stopped working, the recovery program was MIA, and "fatal error" messages kept popping up on the screen. Shepard had no choice but to ship it back to Acer's headquarters in California for repair. Little did he know that he was dealing with a soul-sucking electronic hydra that would defy all fixes and test his patience and wallet.

Police reports in Baltimore city and county: Northwestern Baltimore Shooting A man was in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center on Thursday night after he was shot in the face and a leg by an unknown assailant in the 2700 block of N. Longwood St. near Piedmont Avenue in the Hanlon-Longwood neighborhood. Police responding to a 911 call about 9 p.m. found the man lying in the street. The man's name was withheld pending notification of family members. Western Baltimore Shooting Police responding to a report of a man shot in the 1000 block of Vine St. in the Poppleton community about 6:40 p.m. Wednesday found the victim, 29, bleeding from gunshot wounds to the lower right side of his back.