Is there just too much information on the information superhighway?

Posted by on Nov 1, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments I am asked this question all the time. It is true these days that the internet spans most of the world. With satellite and other such connections, there are very few places in the world with no access it at all theses days. This can be an extremely overwhelming thought. You may have felt like How will I EVER find any information, let alone one specific piece of information, among all the other...
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How is the internet structured and what is a HOP

Posted by on Oct 27, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments Here is a brief overview of the orginal structure of the internet The main connection – NAP i. All Internet networks have to meet somewhere in order to be able to exchange data. The place where that occurs is at something called a Network Access Point or NAP. 1. There were four original network access points in the United States these were located in: a. San...
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Domain, IP address, servers, DNS oh my!

Posted by on Sep 2, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments So I type in www.alveus.com how is it that my computer knows how to find it? Domain names are purchased from a company like www.dotmaniac.com or www.godaddy.com. These names are then registered with an international organization called Internic. Internic oversees a world full of computers that all talk to each other and knows who owns the domain name and where to go to find it. Every domain...
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If I hook up to the internet me, my appliance and even my electrical wiring may get a virus?

Posted by on Aug 6, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments Though it is true your computer can become infected with a virus (which with most cases is VERY preventable), this virus is not contagious to you or any other appliance in the house. If you have multiple computers it is possible for them to pass a virus to one another but even the wiring that connects them is not infected. Relax though, this is not as big of a deal as it may seem. Whether you...
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Surfing the internet superhighway, an information collectors dream

Posted by on Aug 5, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments  If you have a web browser you are ready to search and find information.  You can look at news both written and video feeds.  You can check the weather, the almanac, driving conditions, find out who plays Mr. so and so in the movie you just watched and the list goes on.  University of Phoenix has an online library that is 2nd only to the US Library of Congress and that is just one web site...
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Why do some web pages take longer then others to load

Posted by on Jul 23, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments There are two major causes for a specific web page coming up slower. If you are meaning why are ALL web sites coming up slow or why is my computer slow go here 1. Dilution – One thing that slows things down is something called bandwidth dilution. a. As an example let’s say an internet service provider purchases a T1 from the HOP above them. i. A T1 has the ability...
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How can I get better, more closely matched or clearer search results from Google?

Posted by on Jun 22, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments When you perform a search the more specific you can be the better. If you were to look up the word “computer” you would get 10′a of millions of results and who knows whether any of them would be what you are looking for. If you narrowed the search even a little say to the phrase “laptop computer” you will likely reduce the total results down to about 10% of the...
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How is Yahoo different from Google?

Posted by on May 24, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments While Google sents out programs called bots to search the web and save information about the sites it finds. Whereas Yahoo does things a little differently. Yahoo is technically a human interaction index rather then a search engine. If you want your web site on Yahoo you must submit your site for review. Then a person at Yahoo actually takes a look at the content and the web site to insure...
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Why are all web site coming up slow or why is my computer moving so slow

Posted by on Apr 11, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments As time goes by you will probably feel like your computer is getting slower and slower. The truth is that it probably is! one of the best things you can to do speed up your computer performance is to go to the of the browser and under TOOLS click on OPTIONS and in the general tab click the button that says delete history. Depending on how long ago (or if ) you have done this it may take a few...
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People will have full access to my house/information and there is nothing I can do about it

Posted by on Mar 12, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments Protecting your personal information is important. Most new computers these days have many features built right in to protect your information from being stolen. However, the internet probably handles your personal information and protects it better then perhaps anywhere else you would ever share your information. Think about it this way; how many times have you gone to a restaurant for the...
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Dealing with SPAM, is there any way I can filter the spam from my email?

Posted by on Feb 14, 2007 in Ask Steve | 0 comments I got a call from my mom the other day and she said to me, “I get so much spam I can not even find an email when I get it and they are so aweful I am afraid to even open my email for fear of what might be there next”. Do you ever feel like spam has taken over your email account? Have you found yourself writing letters again just to avoid your email? If you have you are not alone. ...
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What does .com, .net, .org and so on stand for?

Posted by on Jan 7, 2007 in Ask Steve | 1 comment When you look at the name of a web site you notice they end in something like .com. Have you ever wondered what these stand for? Though these days they are not as strictly adhered to there is still some basic though behind these extensions. .COM is typically designed for commercial use – though these days common might be a better word .NET was originally set up for network services like...
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