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Price no longer an obstacle
to buying a digicam

In our continuing effort to respond to reader mail, I'm going to answer more of the most popular questions that end up in my email box. Feel free to ask more questions:

Question: Should I purchase a digital camera for my children?

Answer: In the "old days" (maybe five years ago!) digital photography was a hobby for geeks with money to spend. Cameras were expensive and the software was complex. Nowadays prices have dropped so low that it's no longer an indulgence for even a kid to own a digital camera and, user friendly software is readily available. Considering that with a digital camera your child can take nearly an unlimited amount of photos and then choose the ones he or she wants to print, it makes greater economic sense than even the least expensive conventional cameras where developing rolls of film or those Polaroid costs lots of money. Another cool thing about digital photos is that they can also easily be sent via email and shared with friends. Nowadays you can get a decent (two or three megapixal) camera for under $100 so it's not a huge investment.

Q: Is my Wi-Fi connection really secure?

A: There are two Wi-Fi security issues to consider. One is keeping your access point open for your use and keeping unauthorized users out. The second is to keep the data between your PC/laptop and your access point safe.

Your home wireless access point will offer you the possibility of both encrypting your data and restricting computers that can connect to it by simply checking off a "security" option on the software. This isn't perfect security but unless someone has a really good reason to hack your network--they probably won't make the effort.

Public hot spots that offer wireless Internet access are a bit more problematic because chances are the security functions are turned off to make it easier for users to log on.

If you're on the road a lot and use public Internet venues such as cafes, you should consider using VPN (Virtual Private Network) software to connect to your office.

Q: How do I eliminate pop-up ads from my computer?

A: They are easy to get rid of and the solution won't cost you money. You can get some great pop-up blockers for free from Microsoft, AOL, Google and Yahoo. I happen to use the EZ Armor pop up blocker and it works great. You can also get a blocker from Firefox, an open source Web browser I've written about in earlier columns.

Q: At what age should I let my child use a computer?

A: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under 2 years of age shouldn't be spending too much time in front of any kind of screen-- computer, television or video-game player. Why? To ensure proper brain and emotional development, kids should be learning from the three-dimensional realm, not the two-dimensional world found on computer screens.

After age 2, it is recommended that children use a computer no more than one and a half to two hours a day. Even then, parents should accompany kids and help them interpret what they're seeing.

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