It will be some time before I am able to contribute any help on computer matters, but I can make one equipment recommendation.
I am a music lover and a bit of an audiophile. I have a wonderful sounding system that is much more expensive than any home computer I know about, but the cost only scratches the surface in the kilobuck audio world. So, protecting the equipment from surges is very important, as is filtering out the noise on the AC line. The same is true for computers, as you all know. I decided that my old Adcom power conditioner wasn't very good at filtering noise because my system always sounded best on Sundays. This is the day when the hospital across the street contributes the least amount of AC pollution. I also wanted a unit that would dependably protect against any strength transient surge on the AC line, even one caused by lightning. To make a long story short, I learned what a Metal Oxide Varistor is. Then I started calling all of the audio manufacturers to ask how they were protecting against surges. Some of these units cost many hundreds of dollars. I got a whole lot of mumbo jumbo, which happens in the audio market, but they all used MOV surge protection. Some units, like my Adcom, used only one little MOV. Then I discovered Brick Wall. I bought one of their units. My system never sounded better all week long. During a thunderstorm, I relax instead of rushing to unplug. I have not met one experienced computer user who knows what an MOV is or who has heard of Brick Wall. Check out brickwall.com if you are curious. I protect my modem with a unit by Citel, but the very best one may be the Optilator. Adcom has now licensed Brick Wall's technology for their new line. David Dudine The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will be January 22. For more information, see <http://www.aye.net/~lcs>. A calendar of activities is at <http://www.calsnet.net/macusers>.
