|
 You can do IT is a regular feature
of laterlife.com aimed at trying to help
laterlife visitors make the most of Information
Technology on or off the web.
Jackie Sherman who runs the
You can do IT Question & Answer
section is an IT trainer and author. Jackie has spent
her career in education and specialises in teaching
IT to adults. Her courses for adults include such
topics as MS Office, the Internet, e-mail and basic
web page authoring.
  Jackie
has also written the four books shown
here - you can find more details about these by
clicking on the cover images above. Jackie has
also been running a course specifically for over
50s.
 Via laterlife.com Jackie aims to
particularly help those new to IT and the web to build
up knowledge and confidence, so no question is too
basic. At the same time she will cover Q&As for the
more experienced user.
So if you would like to ask a question
of Jackie, why not email her jackie@laterlife.com
or if you have discovered something
which may be of interest to others in making the most
of the web, then she would love to hear about that too
jackie@laterlife.com
Bits
and Bytes
Q:
I get a bit
confused with the size of things. Can you explain the difference
between KB and MB, and tell me what I should be looking for when
I buy new hardware.
A: It is very confusing, especially as so many zeros are
concerned, so here is a simple table to show you the approximate size of
different parts of a computer system. (Note that very often
actual sizes are to a power of 2 because of the binary system
employed in computer systems e.g. 1 kilobyte is actually 1024
bytes not 1000 but I have used common approximations in the
table).
| Size (approx) |
Item |
Comments/Examples |
| 1 bit |
The smallest unit |
Stands for binary
digit |
| 1 byte = 8 bits |
The size of a single character |
The main unit of measure |
| 1kilobyte (1KB) = 1,000 bytes |
A measure of half a page of text |
Usual measure of document
size (Last month's column produced a Word document of
27.5KB) |
| 1 megabyte (1MB) = one million bytes |
Some large documents and image files
can be several megabytes |
A floppy disk can hold 1.44MB
data and a CD-ROM can hold 650MB |
| 512MB |
Common size of main memory (RAM) |
|
| 1 gigabyte (1GB) = one thousand million
bytes |
Hard disk storage space |
Currently, you can buy PCs
with an 80GB hard disk |
| 4.7GB |
Typical DVD |
|
Going Digital
Q:
I want to buy a digital camera. What should I look
for?
A: Here are a few tips on buying a camera, but remember
that it must suit your own needs and pocket:
-
The
quality of pictures very much depends on their resolution.
This is the number of pixels (small "dots") that make up the
picture and is measured in millions (megapixels). More
expensive cameras can capture more pixels, but that is only
important if you want to print out extra-large pictures. For
normal use, 4, 5 or 6-megapixel cameras should all be fine.
You should be able to buy one for £40 - £80.
-
Look
for a well-known make if you want a good lens. Most of the
film, lens and camera companies you may have heard of (such
as Fuji, Kodak, Leica, Minolta, Canon, Nikon, Olympus etc.)
produce digital cameras of high quality.
-
If
you are a bit wobbly, look for an image stabilisation
feature that minimises camera shake.
-
Batteries don't last long, so does the camera have, or
allow, the use of normal AA/rechargeables? Specialist
batteries can be hard to find.
-
One
brilliant feature not in old-fashioned cameras is the LCD
(liquid crystal display) screen at the back. Not only does
it act as a viewfinder, but in 'playback' mode you can
scroll through your pictures as soon as they are taken. If
some images are no good, delete them and take the shot
again. Check the size of the screen – 2.5" is a good size.
-
Digital cameras store pictures on a slot-out memory card.
There are a number of types to choose from, so ask in the
shop if yours is standard in case you want to buy extra
cards.
-
If
you don't have a computer, don't worry. You may see the term
"PictBridge enabled" which means that the camera can be
fitted to a compatible printer and you can print your photos
direct. You can also buy photo printers that take the memory
card. Otherwise, take your card into a shop and use the
self-help photo kiosk to print photos, cards, CDs or
calendars.
There
are lots of websites that review cameras and there are bargains
available all the time. One site worth visiting is
www.cameras.co.uk
which has a Camera Selector page where you can put in your
preferred features and view a list of relevant cameras to buy.
For more
help, look out for my new book "Your Digital Camera Made Easy"
published by Age Concern in the Spring.
View previous editions of
YoucandoIT
for more useful Questions and Answers
For a wealth of books on the web and IT generally,
visit Amazon
and under the books section select Computers and
Internet.
Don't forget to visit the general
laterlife features section called laterlife
interest
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