PC Recycling

In case you missed it in the newspaper, the big annual Dell recycling event is being held this Saturday from 10:00AM to 4:00PM, at Dell's Nashville campus on Donelson Pike and Murfreesboro Road .

You can haul your old computer and computer-related equipment down there -- including laptops, monitors, printers, keyboards, mice and gaming or portable music devices of any make or model -- where they'll either be refurbished or recycled. Drop-off is free and the first 1200 donors will get a sapling. That's right, a sapling.

We've said it many times, but computers and monitors contain some really ugly stuff that you do not want to see in your local landfill -- arsenic, lead and PVC to name just a few. For that reason, recycling your old machine is the right thing to do.

So take it to Dell this weekend. Even if you don't get a sapling, you'll get a warm fuzzy feeling. Which is even better.

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...And Another Thing

The same article mentioned something well worth repeating. Regardless of how you dispose of an old PC, you should be very sure that all personal information has been removed from the hard disk. Maybe that old machine will end its life in a commercial shredder or maybe it'll wind up in the trash where some dumpster-diver can find it and retrieve the hard drive contents -- including account numbers, passwords... everything. Don't kid yourself. There are people in this world who spend their days sifting through other people's garbage to find just such treasures.

And, in case it needs to be said, deleting your files and emptying the "Recycle Bin" on your computer's desktop is not enough. Not even close. We've all seen news stories and TV shows where the bad guys are undone by data recovery experts. In real life it takes a little knowledge and some specialized tools but it's not that difficult. You should be sure that the information has been removed in such a way that it can't be recovered by a 15-year-old with too much time on his hands.

And yes, we can do that. In fact, we can erase your hard disk in such a way that almost no one, except possibly the FBI, can bring your data back.

If you're about to let go of an old PC, give us a call first.

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Response to Dave Barry

Our recent mailing containing Dave Barry's hilarious take on colonoscopies resulted in phone calls from two of our clients. Both in their mid-to-late 50's, they said it convinced them that they had put it off long enough and they were going to call immediately to schedule a screening. That could be two lives saved.

Talk about a warm fuzzy feeling.

If you'd like a reprint of that piece to pass on to someone you know who needs a gentle push -- or a swift kick in the butt -- just let us know.

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The Magic in the Music

If you love music -- and especially if you love FREE music -- you have got to try Pandora Radio. Working with the Music Genome Project, a small group of musician-analysts have been listening to a huge variety of music for more than eight years. In that time, they have cataloged nearly 400 attributes of each and every song. Now that may not sound very exciting, but it's great news for you. Here's why:

Go to the site and set up a FREE account. Start a new "radio station" by typing in the name of a favorite song or artist and let the magic begin. Pandora will start playing music it believes you'll like, based on what you entered (and on the above-mentioned 400 attributes). If you're like most folks who have tried it, you'll find their choices to be nothing short of amazing. Great music from artists you know and from some you don't. Like a song? Click the thumbs-up icon and it'll play more like it. Don't like a particular tune? Click the thumbs-down icon. The song stops immediately and it, as well as others like it, are removed from your play list.

Want more? Set up as many stations as you like -- all based on different music. Click on "QuickMix", pick two or more of your stations from the ensuing list and Pandora goes into shuffle mode, mixing music from the stations you selected.

And did we mention that it's all FREE?

Give it a try and you'll believe in magic too.

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