Brian Gongol
Ross shares Smart-Kit.com as his source of useless information for this week, including whether you should change your pick if you're ever on "Let's Make a Deal." Which seems like a pretty unlikely proposition.
Here's how to get Firefox, and a direct link to the latest version of Firefox (in case you don't need those step-by-step instructions). The old (pre-2.0) versions of Firefox left all of your tabs open at the top of your browser, which meant that if you had more than seven or eight pages open, you'd only get to see an icon and maybe a few letters describing what was in the tab. Version 2.0 changes that, and automatically collapses open tabs (beyond the first few) into a single tab at the right-hand side of the tab bar.
If you want to open Word files without paying for Microsoft Office, try OpenOffice, which is an open-source program (meaning: free to you) that includes a word processor, a spreadsheet program, and a database utility -- as well as a PowerPoint-style program, too.
This week's Security Update includes links to the latest Microsoft Update, the new version of AVG Anti-Virus, and the newest updates to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Can you clean your keyboard by putting it through the dishwasher? Some people think so, but we wouldn't necessarily recommend it -- especially if it's a nice keyboard. If your keyboard is really dirty, unplug it, flip it over and bang some of the dust and debris out, then hit it with some compressed air, then (if it's still too dirty for your liking), try cleaning it with some rubbing alcohol.