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CNET to the Rescue: iOS safety tips, and more

My guest today is CNET editor Seth Rosenblatt, who's going to help us keep our shiny new iPad 2s safe from harm. Also, I test the new Synology DS411slim home server, we opine on using a DVR as an archival store for videos, and more.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, call us with your questions to get on the next show: 877-438-6688 or e-mail rescue@cnet.com. No question is too basic, so if you've got a tech problem that's been getting under your skin, please call us and we'll try our best to help you out.

Episode 36: Seth on iOS security

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iOS quick tip: Paragraph text selection

Selecting text, particularly entire paragraphs in Notes and other text-heavy apps can be tricky, if not somewhat difficult.

If you need to select an entire paragraph, the first intuition most iPhone and iPad users have is to double-tap a word and drag the text selection handles to cover the entire paragraph.

Though this is an effective method of getting all your text selected, there's an easier way.

Next time you have to select a paragraph to copy and paste somewhere else, try using two fingers and swiping across the paragraph you wish to copy. The text will be selected … Read more

CNET to the Rescue: Rich Brown on PCs vs. laptops

Today we're joined by CNET Senior Editor Rich Brown, who schools us in his area of expertise: desktop computers. Sure, there are more laptops sold than desktops, but the old workhorse form factor isn't going away, and Rich explains why. Rich and I also critique the latest in keyboards. Also, your questions answered, as always.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, CALL US with your questions to get on the next show: 877-438-6688 or e-mail rescue@cnet.com. No question is too basic, so if you've got a tech problem that's been getting under your skin, please call us and we'll try our best to help you out.

Episode 35: Rich Brown on PCs

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The 404 759: Where we guard you while you sleep (podcast)

Every once in a while, we need a friendly reminder about the importance of getting a good night's rest--after all, the average human spends about a third of his or her life asleep, and a chronic lack of rest can lead to memory loss, depression, higher risk of heart disease and stroke, and more! The Sleep Doctor Michael Breus is back with more tips on how to maintain a healthy sleep cycle and to address the growing concerns about sleep!

We're lucky to have Dr. Breus in the hot seat today to answer your questions about sleep. His schedule is filled with appearances on Martha Stewart Morning Living, a bi-weekly column on Huffington Post, a new Twitter account, and a line of temperature-regulated mattresses at Sleepy's Mattress Store!

On today's hour-long episode, we're spending a little extra time with the good doctor to answer your concerns about the importance of a healthy night's rest. We start with an experiment in Europe with cars that drive themselves, allowing commuters to catch up on sleep en route to work.

We're all still questioning our own abilities to fall asleep and trust that the car will get us to our destination in one piece, but the article brings up an interesting point about the dangers of sleep driving, since over 60 percent of Americans have admitted to driving drowsy. Next time you're feeling tired, pull over and take a nap-a-latte!… Read more

How to take better photos with an external flash

An external flash is a great tool, a valuable asset in a dSLR or advanced compact owner's camera bag, and the more you can control the light that comes out of it and that hits your subject, the better your photos will look. A flash can really enhance your photos and lend to your creativity. While straight-on, automatic flash will yield a perfectly acceptable image, external flashes have the ability to yield beautifully lit, professional-looking photographs with a little tweaking. Here are five things you can do to get the most out of your external camera flash.

1) BOUNCE IT: For most indoor shots the addition of some bounced light from your external flash will enhance your photos. Angle it toward the ceiling, giving you a large light-colored surface to reflect down off of, creating a giant pseudo soft-box. Rotate it to the left or right to bounce it off a wall; angle it and rotate it into a corner. Try some different things, and see the results of the soft, diffuse light it creates.

2) REFLECT IT: Sometimes due to high ceilings or being outdoors bouncing the flash is not an option, but you can reflect it to reduce the harshness of direct flash. Some flashes have a white card built in that extends out from the top of the flash head, so that when the flash head is pivoted up there is a surface for it to bounce off of toward the subject. Although these cards are small, they are very convenient. There are a host of products on the accessory market that attach to your flash that provide a surface to bounce off of. An old trick is to use an index card and a rubber band, pivot the flash head upward at an angle, rubber-band the index card to the top of the flash head so that it extends out above the flash tube, and you have a great bounce card.… Read more

CNET to the Rescue: Special Mac edition

Topher Kessler writes our great MacFixIt blog, and today he's with us to help answer vexing and confusing Mac tech questions.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, CALL US with your questions to get on the next show: 877-438-6688 or e-mail rescue@cnet.com. No question is too basic, so if you've got a tech problem that's been getting under your skin, please call us and we'll try our best to help you out.

Episode 34: Special Mac edition

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CNET to the Rescue: Is it better to tether?

CNET's Brian Cooley joins us today to talk (complain, actually) about a form of tethering: connecting your Wi-Fi devices to the Internet over a mobile cellular-to-Wi-Fi gateway, like a smartphone or a dedicated device. Also, your questions answered, from video routing issues to the inevitable upcoming drought of new IP addresses.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, CALL US with your questions to get on the next show: 877-438-6688 or e-mail rescue@cnet.com. No question is too basic, so if you've got a tech problem that's been getting under your skin, please call us and we'll try our best to help you out.

Episode 33: Is it better to tether?

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CNET to the Rescue: Darren answers networking questions

Today, it's a networking extravaganza. Our guest rescuer is Darren Kitchen, of Hak5, and the inventor of the WiFi Pineapple. We saved up networking questions for weeks for this show.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, CALL US with your questions to get on the next show: 877-438-6688 or email rescue@cnet.com. No question is too basic, so if you've got a tech problem that's been getting under your skin, please call us and we'll try our best to help you out.

Episode 32: Networking extravaganza

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CNET to the Rescue: Streaming media around your house

There are several ways to get your music and video files out of the prison of your computer of portable media player and into the wide-open expanse of your living room or elsewhere in your house. Today on Rescue, special guest Donald Bell discusses several solutions, including Apple's own AirPlay and the popular Sonos line of media streamer products.

Also on this episode: How to manage an archive of music you've made and recorded yourself, how to stream your music into a car, the best way to stream video into your living room, and more.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, e-mail rescue@cnet.com or call us to get on the next show: 877-438-6688. No question is too basic.

Episode 31: Streaming media around your house

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CNET to the Rescue: Computing in a crowd

Every year, CES breaks Las Vegas' Wi-Fi. So we bring mobile hotspots. And they break. CNET reporters try to cover live events, but we run out of AC power. And we can't find a places to sit and do our reporting. If you've ever attended a big conference or convention and tried to work at it, you may sympathize. So this week, we reveal how we (try to) get around these constraints, and how the lessons we learn can help you compute at your crowded events. Plus: Your questions answered, of course.

If you have a tech question for CNET to the Rescue, e-mail rescue@cnet.com or call us to get on the next show: 877-438-6688. No question is too basic.

Episode 30: Computing in a crowd

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