Techplanations

You might have been wondering if anything interesting has been going on in the tech-o-sphere. One word: iPad.

I'm an Apple fanboy. I love my Mac and the thought of returning to the computing Purgatory of Windows would be a fate worse than death. That said, I was lukewarm on Apple's iPad when it was announced. If you haven't seen or read anything about the iPad, picture a giant iPhone or iPod Touch. That picture in mind is all we had to go on until April 3rd (iPad Day in the U.S.) The iPad has been heralded as the savior to publishing (which is good for those of us writing books) and the next revolution in computing.

And I didn't buy it. At least not entirely.

This is one of those times when the clichéd Tale of Two Cities quotes comes to mind. I'll save you the pain and skip it. Yeah, we get it, newspapers as we know them are in trouble. Just like the advent of the telegraph changed how news was gathered, transmitted and reported, the Internet has done the same for papers.

Who wants to buy a newspaper to read news that is often stale before the ink is dry? Certainly not for the classifieds, Craigslist took care of that nicely. Weekly fliers? I get them in my email, thanks.

Great reporting, thoughtful commentary, in-depth journalism? Yeah just let me read the online version on the site, thanks. Pay for that access? Umm, yeah not so much.

Today one of Canada's largest media players put all but the National Post up for sale and filed for creditor protection at the same time.

Ouch.

I hope all of you had a wonderful, technology filled holiday. Myself I have a much larger and stronger wireless network at home and several new movies to watch (digital copies, of course), but let's talk about you. Did you get a spiffy new computer? Nice new MacBook, netbook, iMac, Windows laptop or desktop? Not an uncommon gift for Christmas, or a post-Christmas Boxing Day gift, these days.

Computers, Macs or PCs, laptops or desktops, are all much more affordable than they used to be, not to mention easier to use and much more powerful than they once were. Of course when you get this new machine (ah the new computer smell), and the first thrill of setting it up wears off, you probably wondering, "Now what?" What should I do, download, install, delete (yes, there is lots you can delete, especially on PCs) to get the most out of your new machine.

Lucky for you (and me in fact) there are lots of great "I got a new Mac/PC, what do I do now!?!" out this year. Don't worry, all of the lists are simple and easy to understand. Here are a few of the really good ones I found in the last week or so: