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Christmas Present Tips for Guys

Christmas Shopping Tips for Guys

giftgreen1Most of us guys are useless at Christmas shopping. Here's a few tips I've picked up over the years.

Ladies, you might want to share this with the men in your family to avoid getting an undesirable and badly wrapped present this Christmas.

  1. Buying your Christmas presents at a petrol station or dairy on Christmas morning really isn't the done thing - apparently not everyone wants a funnel, box of biscuits or a car care kit. Don't do it.
  2. Get started early, no not on Christmas Eve, yesterday was already too late.
  3. First thing in the morning is the best time to Christmas shop, and I mean first thing, teenagers are still in bed.
  4. It's not the thought that counts, it's how MUCH thought that counts.
  5. Cash is a GREAT present for teenagers - and me.
  6. If you must give gift vouchers make sure they are from a shop the recipient actually shops in and try and avoid those with an expiry date.
  7. Wrapping and cards are important, you and I know it's just paper but for some reason they are important.
  8. Before you start browsing in a shop check that it does gift wrapping and accept the service - wait if necessary. If the shop doesn't do gift wrapping move on to the next. Unless you are an expert present wrapper - Yeah Right!
  9. Even if every present you buy is gift wrapped, buy plenty of wrapping paper and sellotape. You are going to need it because dairy's and petrol stations don't gift wrap and being a bloke you'll probably ignore number 1.

Guys ignore the above at your peril and have a wonderful Christmas.

Posted in Computing Tips.

Get A Mouse That Can See

Optical Mice are Much Better

Old computer mice have a ball in the bottom that rolls around in an enclosure when you move it over the mouse mat. If you still have one of those please do yourself a favour and buy a new optical mouse. Three Blind Mice" is an old nursery rhyme not an effective computing device.

These fire light at the surface they are sitting on and read whats refected back to tell the computer where to move the cursor, hence the name "optical" they can see where they are moving.

Make sure you try before you buy, if you have small hand try a "notebook" mouse if you have larger hands you might like something a bit bigger than standard.

You can get a new good quality optical mouse for as little as $20 and a wireless one for as little as $50. Like most things you get what you pay for - Microsoft make very good mice as do Logitech. I suggest you compare the price of what you are considering to a similar model from either of those brands, if its significantly cheaper it might not

If you are buying a wireless mouse be aware that some models eat batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although some new ones are supposed to last six months I had some old ones that needed new batteries every week or so.

I don't know about Apple PCs but otherwise pretty much any new mouse will work on any modern PC. If your old mouse has a round plug on the end (PS2) that's a very old mouse. Check to see that you have a spare USB port for your new mouse or you'll need to get a USB to PS2 adapter.

While you're at it consider a mouse and keyboard combination, good cheap ones from about $50.

Computer Tips

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