Does the new monitor make my butt look big?

I remember being thrilled when I went from a boxy, heavy monitor with whatever size screen was then standard to a 17" flat screen. Woohoo! Remember the song "Movin' On Up"? That was how I felt.

Then Bill got a 20" screen. Wow. I tried not to be jealous but whenever something was wrong with my computer (which was becoming increasingly common) and I used his, everyone's blog looked so much better. I could actually see the fun backgrounds instead of just a hint of color and print.

My new screen is 23". Whoa Nellie! That isn't the largest commonly available. They had a 25" but I was worried about it fitting without taking over my desk space. Why are screens measured diagonally? Anyone know?

So here I am with a new computer, new screen, new Windows (7, I was still using XP), new Office (2010 upgraded from 2007) and a new printer/copier/fax/scanner about to be installed. The old printer was too old to play nice with the new computer and the scanner had died a while ago. I can't believe how little the new combo cost in relation to past purchases. Oh yeah, it is wireless too so I can print from my iPad now too!

All of this is exciting (until the credit card bill arrives) but it is also annoying that computers and their related accessories become out of date and incompatible so quickly. We take care of our stuff but looks and routine updates don't matter. Just like people I guess. It is what is inside that counts.

Anyway, I am debating whether to use IE or Firefox as my browser. I had long ago switched to Firefox and liked it but was using an older version that isn't available now. There doesn't seem to be that much difference between the two, at least not for my uses. Our computer guy said that IE has the advantage of your saved favorites being available on any device you use. Hmmmm, that alone could sway me. I found an add-on that performs spell check, something that had led me to Firefox years ago.

Which browser do you use and why?

I am very fortunate to be able to go out and replace these electronics that have come to mean so much to me. Bill and I are very lucky to have met our computer tech who is an all-round nice guy, very knowledgeable and practical with recommendations for us. He understands how we use our devices, shows us ways to improve and point blank tells us when some bells and whistles aren't worth their cost for us. For instance, we don't need a second graphics card because we aren't gamers who need to watch creatures blow up civilization in full color. Does anyone need that?

If I can offer one piece of unsolicited advice today, please do yourselves a favor and backup data regularly. I had just backed up our Quicken files on Friday which saved me a lot of back entry today. I keep a list of sites that I commonly use, everything from banks and stores to  message boards and my blogger info, along with user name(s) and passwords. One message board recently changed sites and I bookmarked it through Firefox but did update my cheat sheet. I was able to get the website from another device, but not everything on my desk top is on my iPad. If something is important to you, back it up and write down the info you need to get there before your motherboard decides to retire.

Ooooh, time to install the printer! I'll be around to visit everyone later!