Years ago my grandmother used to scold me for sitting too close to the television. Her concern was radiation emissions from the set. Her rationale was based on having to sit a certain distance from their first TV in the 1950’s. By the time I started watching TV in the 70’s manufacturers fixed the problem and any concern of radiation poisoning was a thing of the past.
With technology comes fear. Some of those fears are based on empirical evidence and those products are usually taken off the market. Other times fears are unsupported and are purely speculative. It seems like these concerns are the ones that always make the headlines.
Some of you may remember an old wives tale about cell phones giving people brain cancer. Back in the mid 90’s when cell phone use was on the rise there were all sorts of reports about increased cancers due to cell phones which proved to be wrong.
Last week I read an article proposing the blue hue emitted from TV’s, computer monitors, cell phones and tablets caused our brains to become stimulated. In the article the author suggested not using such devices prior to sleeping because of the effects of this certain hue. Since reading about this I’ve found plenty of theories but no studies.
It used to be that laptops didn’t come with built-in cameras. About six years ago companies started putting them on as standard equipment. I heard a rumor that Microsoft paid manufacturers to install cameras so it could spy on PC users. Imagine one guy in a room with millions of monitors, not likely.
A few years ago I went with a friend to help her buy a new television. When the salesman suggested cables she immediately took the bait about their brand being better. The belief that one HDMI cable is better than another is totally false. Cables today aren’t transferring analog signals; and more importantly, HDMI cables are built to industry standards.
My mother is a big one for buying brand name inkjet cartridges so she doesn’t void her warranty. After repeatedly explaining it is illegal for her printer manufacturer to void the warranty because of that, I read her the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act which basically states that manufacturers cannot void a warranty for using aftermarket parts.
While I’m picking on my mother about warranties I might as well pick on her some more about extended warranties. She buys them all. In reality, extended warranties are a waste of money. Most manufacturer flaws are uncovered during the manufacturer’s warranty and extended warranties tend to be prorated. She would be better off saving the money she spends and using it for something new.
Several months ago I went on an impromptu overnighter to Chicago. My travel partner removed her flash cards from her cameras and phones prior to putting them on the X-ray conveyor. Her fear, she told me, was her pictures would be erased. In fact, X-ray technology does not damage magnetic media in any way. I’ve left my tablet in my carryon many times with no issues.
Proving these things wrong can be difficult, especially if the concerns hit the news. I’ve made up my mind that any authority figure or industry specialist can pass misleading information as true. My weirdness started at a very early age from sitting too close to the television and continues today from staring at blue lights on my computer screen and placing my cell phone close to my head.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him at (978) 919-8059 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)