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Computer Tips
with George Collins
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
I heard there is a new keyboard out that is made entirely out of light. Is this true?
Strangely, yes, it's true. You attach a device to your Windows computer or laptop and certain PDAs or Smart Phones.
It has a built-in laser that projects an image of a keyboard onto any flat surface. You simply type on the surface like you would with any normal keyboard.
They claim it's completely reliable. Go to www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com to have a look for yourself.
As to how it works, I would guess the laser simply projects the keyboard image onto the surface. The infrared sensors track finger movements which the software driver interprets into which keys you have been using - much like how an optical mouse works moving over a flat surface - but much more complicated.
The "infrared sensor" they talk about is probably an infrared camera that can only see the wavelength of light the laser keyboard uses, so it can ignore other sources of light in the room that may cause false readings.
The light that would be reflecting off our fingernails is much stronger than the light reflecting off our skin and our fingernails, coincidentally, will be directly over any key we are trying to type.
I have Kazaa on my computer that I want to get rid of. I have tried, but was unsuccessful. Is there any other way I can do this?
First of all I will tell you Kazaa is actually a bunch of programs all packaged together into one installer. I realize you may have already done some of these steps, so please bear with me.
Please turn off Kazaa if it's running on your computer. There should be a little Kaaza icon on your task bar next to the clock.
Right-click on it and select Exit. If it gives any type of warning message just ignore it and close it down anyway. If for some reason Kaaza will not shut down, restart your computer and turn if off right away.
If it still won't turn off, restart your computer again in "Safe Mode."
When Windows is about to start, just hit the "F8" key about once a second until you get to startup menu. Pick "Safe Mode." Kaaza will not be started now for sure.
Use "F8" when the Windows screen first appears and not just before you get to the desktop. You need to go to the control panel next. I'm not sure what version of Windows you are using, so hopefully this will work. Click the "Start" button and pick "Settings" and then "Control Panel."
Once you are in the "Control Panel," double-click "Add/Remove Programs." You should have a list of installed programs in the box. Scroll down to "Kaaza" and click the "Change/Remove" button.
This should uninstall Kaaza from your computer. It is possible that a virus might have been downloaded and is running in the Kaaza folder. This could also stop you from removing Kazaa. You will need to get a computer technician to remove the virus for you, or you will need to update your virus scanner and run it in "safe mode."
After you remove Kaaza, you will still have its spyware components installed on your computer. These will need to be removed as well. Go to www.lavasoft.de and download "Lavasoft Adaware SE Personal." Install and update it. Now do a scan and remove any spyware it finds. This should remove any spyware programs off your computer.
If you are looking for a good file sharing program, Bearshare is good. Goto www.bearshare.com and get the free version. You will need to run Lavasoft SE Personal after installing it, but it still works afterwards.
- George Collins is the Systems Technician for Northern News Services
