Just what do you want from your computer?

It is far too easy to focus on the downside and negatives of computers, so easy to forget the positives. The wonders of Skype, which allows video and words to span the globe. I know a family with children at both home and university, they have a big kitchen with a computer always tuned into Skype, the entire family can share meals, share moments. Always on, always together.

So many people are tracing their ancestors, online records, all sorts of sites wanting to help. A few clicks and your granddad and his previously unknown wife become part of the family. Not all of us can be sword bearers or collectors of dung, but an interesting path none the less.

There are more search engines than Google, but all of them collect data about just where you might roam. Oops, again I look at the dark side, a side paid for by the likes of Tesco, Sainsburys and Double Click. Of course it is totally legal, of course all they want to do is make your life so much easier, while they take your money.

Social networking allows you to talk to people from all over the planet, some can become real friends, but some too are wolves prowling on the vulnerable. If you see a weird and wonderful Oike knocking on your door, logic says do not let them in. The same is true online. A little bit of logic goes a long way.

Films, music, knowledge (some almost correct), films, friends, memories. A customer this week bought a copy of his Mother in Law swimming in an Olympics heat, thanks to the Pathe News archive. Easy to buy and download, we managed to make it play and send to the star of the clip.

Computers are fun, they open the world to us, they can break down barriers, share memories and realities. All it takes is a bit of imagination, a bit of forethought, but do not forget to put out the bins, it will save a lot of arguments later.

Todays mantra, I love my computer, my computer is my friend. If all else fails, pass the mallet.

An interesting time in the world of IT. A final date for support of XP from Microsoft, a plethora of companies pretending to be out there to help you protect your computer, A series win by the England Cricket team, a series loss by News International. Oh yes and please remember that your life out there in the Ethernet is not that private, let us just hope that the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks do not realise that what goes around comes around. Yin and Yang. In the end there will be balance. Now back to the cave.