More and more, our lives require interaction with computers. Our smartphones today have more processing power than the super computers of the past, household appliances now have computer boards, and newer cars have many computers monitoring their functions. Have you been to an updated dentist or doctor? You may check in on a computer screen instead of on a piece of paper. I actually wrote this article on an 11-inch tablet connected to a detachable keyboard.

Computers are also great for research - no longer do you have to spend hours in the library to find answers. Working on the car? Wondering how to plant a garden, build a tree fort, fix the washing machine? A quick search on a search engine such as Google and you can find someone online who will teach you how, through a text post or a video.
I repair Computers, but Washing Machines? - Our frontload washing machine was making strange noises and wasn’t draining. I don’t know much about appliances, so I did a search on Google. I found some detailed instructions and the exact part number for the part I needed. I ordered the part from Amazon and installed it myself. I saved hundreds of dollars in repair costs.

Many people use their computers or devices to go on Facebook. Facebook is a great tool to connect with people and groups that interest you, but sometimes, using Facebook can be frustrating. The folks at Facebook like to change things without much notice, like the News Feed. One would think that the News Feed would show the latest posts, but Facebook decided to change it to show the most popular posts. Ever go back through your feed looking for something you saw an hour ago? It may no longer be in your feed because it's lost its popularity. You can revert your News Feed to “latest posts” by clicking on the drop down arrow under News Feed at the top left of your page.

Facebook also changed the settings in your News Feed to automatically play videos. This can be distracting and it slows down your page. I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in playing every video that people post. You can disable this feature by clicking on settings from the drop down arrow at the upper right of your page, click on videos and then just toggle the "on" to "off."

Mark Rudiger founded Lake County Websites & Computer Repair in 2006. He has over 20 years of experience installing, trouble-shooting, and working with computers. His computer repair shop is located at 21152 Calistoga Road, accross the street from Mug Shots Coffee in Middletown. He and his team can be reached at 987-1923 or email [email protected].