The exact power management tools at your disposal depend on your operating system (and possibly your hardware). I’ll walk you through some of the ways to save more energy, but first, here’s how to access the power management features on the top operating systems:

Windows

1. Right-click on the desktop background and choose Properties
2. Go to the Screen Saver tab; click the Power button in the lower right-hand corner

Macintosh

1. Go to your Apple menu
2. Select System Preferences (OS X) or Control Panels (OS 9), then click on Energy Saver

Linux (Gnome desktop)

1. Go to your System menu
2. Choose the Preferences category and select Power Management

Again, the exact options available will depend on your operating system and hardware (desktop computers won’t have battery settings for example), but the general principle is the same. For the sake of argument, I’ll assume a laptop running Windows XP (a fairly common configuration).

If your operating system has the Power Schemes feature, you can choose between presets like “Always On” or “Max Battery.” Once you’ve selected a power scheme, you can fine-tune it. On a laptop, you can have separate settings for battery or AC power. This is especially handy for a business laptop–if you’re plugging it in to give a presentation, you don’t want the monitor turning off after 5 minutes!

Alarms are a great way to prevent data loss in case your battery runs down. For example, you can set the Alarm Action to stand by or hibernate when the battery is critical, so that you don’t lose the documents on which you’re working.

The Power Meter will help you check the status of your battery. It’s good to check your battery life periodically, as older batteries tend to wear out and may need to be replaced.

There are some cool features in the Advanced tab. If your computer is portable or in a public place, I definitely recommend the “Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby” option. This is also the place to set the default actions for certain actions (like pressing the power button or closing the laptop lid). I found out the hard way that it’s a good idea to set your laptop to “Stand by” when the lid is closed–otherwise if you put it in your backpack while it’s still running, it can get pretty hot!

Finally, let’s look at the Hibernate tab. Standby and Hibernate are two similar power-saving states, with an important difference. Standby keeps everything loaded into the computer’s RAM (memory), so that the computer can “wake up” in a few seconds. The drawback is that you will lose your work if the power goes out and/or the battery runs down. Hibernate is a “deeper sleep” that copies the contents of RAM to the hard drive. This means even if the power is interrupted, you won’t lose your work. The drawbacks are a longer time to wake up, and you must have free space on your hard drive equal to the size of your RAM.

A final tip is to switch off or power down any peripherals you’re not actively using: printer, network adapter, external hard drive, webcam, external speakers, etc. By only using what you need for the task at hand, you’ll keep your computer system lean and green. That’s it for this week; see you next time!

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

Linux is released under the General Public License (or “GPL”), which guarantees its users the right to use, modify, or redistribute it as they see fit. Contrast this with operating systems like Microsoft Windows or Mac OSX, which carry a hefty price tag as well as legal restrictions that prevent you from copying and sharing with your friends.

Because Linux may be freely modified and redistributed, it is available in hundreds of “distributions” (or “distros” for short) to meet the needs of a wide variety of users. Whether you’re a bank in need of a high-security database or a kid looking for some fun games, chances are there’s a Linux distro that’s right for you.

I want to take a look at Puppy Linux, a Linux distribution designed specifically for older home computers. Puppy includes a wide variety of lightweight software applications–such as a web browser, word processor, media player, etc.–that don’t require a lot of RAM or processor power. With its extensive online documentation, friendly community, and cute mascot, Puppy is an unintimidating and user-friendly introduction to Linux.

It’s no secret that software companies (like Microsoft) and hardware manufacturers (like Intel) work together to convince the public they need the latest, greatest technologies. The bare minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system are a 1ghz processor, 1gb ram, and 16gb of hard drive space. Clearly, owners of old computers have been left behind by Microsoft.

In contrast, here are the minimum requirements for Puppy Linux: a 166mhz processor, 128mb ram, and no hard drive is necessary (Puppy can run entirely from a CD or a USB thumb drive). With its low hardware requirements, Puppy will run well even on a 10-year old computer. It is the perfect choice for schools with shrinking IT budgets, non-profit organizations, or third-world countries where the latest computer hardware is out of reach. And of course, it is a great choice for all you Green Chi Cafe readers who want to breathe new life into an old desktop or laptop.

Unlike most software, you won’t find Puppy at the store, all boxed and shrink wrapped with a thick instruction manual. It’s distributed as a free download from the Puppy Linux website with a ton of online documentation. If you think about it, this method of software distribution is a great way to lower your carbon footprint! Once you’ve downloaded Puppy, you can burn it to a blank CD to create a “Live CD.” Reboot your computer with this CD in the drive, answer a few questions about your hardware, and you should be looking at a nice shiny Puppy desktop. (If not, drop by the forums for help.)

Puppy is very flexible. You can run it as a Live CD with no change to your system, leaving your computer’s existing operating system untouched. You can install it to a USB thumb drive and carry it everywhere in your pocket. You can install it on your computer’s hard drive like a “normal” operating system. You can even use it to rescue important files and documents from a crashed or virus-infected Windows system!

A complete “Puppy how-to” is well beyond the scope of this article, but fortunately, Puppy is extremely well documented online. To get a quick taste of how Puppy works, take a look at their video tutorial page. If you think it looks cool, you can read the online instruction manual or visit the user forums for more information.

Is Puppy Linux the perfect solution for all users? Of course not. Many popular applications, like Photoshop or iTunes, are not available for Linux (though of course there are Linux alternatives for editing photos or playing music). Some lifelong Windows users might find the terminology different and the transition difficult. And if you have a more powerful computer, you might be happier with a modern, full-featured Linux distribution like Ubuntu. But as I mentioned above, you can try Puppy with no change to your computer, so there is no risk. Give it a try today!

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

Screensavers were originally invented as a work-around to a technological limitation of the day. Old CRT monitors and televisions had a serious flaw: If you displayed the same image onscreen for too long, that image would become “burned in,” creating a permanent “ghost” of that image. You may have experience this effect on older ATM machines, where the “please insert your card” message is permanently etched into the screen. The idea behind a screensaver is, if you leave the computer idle for a set period of time, to display an ever-changing image of some kind to prevent damage to the screen.

Now that flat-screen LCD monitors are the norm for laptops and most desktop computers, screensavers are obsolete. LCD monitors don’t care whether they’re displaying a steady image or a moving picture; it causes no damage either way. Furthermore, the monitor consumes the same amount of electricity to display a screensaver as not. There is no benefit.

Even if you have a CRT monitor, check whether it has an Energy Star (or other “green”) certification. Any relatively recent monitor with this designation can be powered off (or “put to sleep”) by the computer, which protects the monitor (and saves electricity) more than any screensaver can achieve.

Another consideration is that, if you download screensavers from untrusted Internet sources, you are opening yourself up to a virus or spyware infection. Sites like “download free Miley Cyrus screensaver!!!” are a common vector for malware. Be careful!

Rather than use a traditional screensaver, I recommend you familiarize yourself with your operating system’s “power management” features. In Windows XP, for example, you can right click on your desktop background and choose Properties. Click on the Screen Saver tab, then click the Power button to open the Power Options Properties window. (You can also access these options through Settings->Control Panel if you prefer.) In a future article, I will explore these different options in more detail. For now, the one we’re concerned with is called “Turn off monitor.”

How many minutes to choose? This is largely a matter of personal preference. If you watch a lot of Youtube videos, for example, you want to make sure the duration is long enough that the monitor doesn’t switch off mid-video. On a laptop computer, you can set different power management options depending on whether you’re plugged in or running off the battery. I personally use 15 minutes on battery power and 30 minutes on AC.

Obviously, I can’t give “one size fits all” advice for everyone. Maybe your business requires you to use a specific screensaver, or maybe you use your screensaver as a digital picture frame to brighten up your office with photos of your family. That’s okay with me. But as a general rule, the best way to “save” your screen is to turn it off!

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, let me give you an idea of just how important privacy is in the year 2010. The FTC estimates that 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. A scam artist who gets ahold of your birthdate, address, social, account numbers, etc. can cause you many years of legal and financial difficulty. Even if no actual fraud or theft occurs, privacy invasion is just plain creepy–think of a stranger looking at your vacation photos or reading emails from your sweetheart!

Before I share how you can protect your privacy, let me share a few ways how you can’t. Here are a few computer privacy myths:

• Nobody can access my data unless they know my password. This one is so wrong it’s not even funny! Anyone with physical access to your computer can easily read all your data (unless of course your data is fully encrypted). They can bypass your password by using a Live CD, moving your drive to another computer, or any number of other methods.
• I can easily delete all my “sensitive” data by browsing through my hard drive and deleting any documents that look important. What about hidden files? Temporary files? Web browser history and cache? Backups and system restore points? The average computer user will not know every place to look.
• Deleting files means they’re gone and nobody else can read them. Nope, they just go to the Recycle Bin! Even if you empty the Recycle Bin, the files are still present on the hard drive and can be easily read with common disk utilities. When you delete a file, it is not actually physically erased from the hard drive; unless it is overwritten (by a new file or other methods) the file can still be undeleted (even if you’ve emptied the Recycle Bin).
• Formatting my hard drive and reinstalling Windows will wipe all my data and provide a “blank slate.” Wrong again! You’d think this is the case, but it’s not so. Reformatting might destroy some, or even most, of your personal data, but certainly not all of it.

Paranoid yet? You should be! Here’s a true story: I bought a second hand computer through Craigslist. The seller made no effort whatsoever to delete any of her personal data. Being an honest person, I deleted her data before I could put it to evil use. But wait–it gets weirder! While looking around the hard disk for files I could delete, I found a bunch of digital photos. Scanning through them, I recognized people and places I knew! It turns out she had bought the computer from a college classmate of mine, and he also made no effort to protect his privacy. These photos, emails, term papers, financial spreadsheets, etc. were like a trail of breadcrumbs for an identity thief. Even if you believe “Oh, I’m broke and boring; who would want to steal my identity?” think about other people’s personal data that might be stored on your computer (such as your loved ones’ names, birthdays, phone numbers, and addresses).

Now that you’re paying attention, here are three Green Computer recommended solutions for eCycling your computer without compromising your privacy:

• Destroy your hard drive! Okay, it’s not the most environmental-friendly suggestion, but it will guarantee your data can never be recovered (and it sure is fun). Remove the hard drive from the computer and smash, crush, burn, or catapult it into oblivion.
• Keep your old hard drive for extra storage. An extra hard drive is always handy for backups or storing your music collection. Some computers will accommodate a second internal hard drive; if not, you can purchase an inexpensive case or “caddy” for the drive that connects through a USB port. (If you are donating the computer to a school or nonprofit, it might be a nice gesture to install a fresh, new hard drive so they can actually use the computer; inexpensive drives can be had for under $50.)
• Wipe all data from the hard drive using a utility specifically for that purpose. As I mentioned above, the standard delete/format utilities provided with Windows do not reliably delete all data. The only safe solution is a utility that writes random (or “zero”) data to each and every bit and byte on your hard drive. This will overwrite the original contents and protect your privacy. One such utility is DBAN (and guess what, it’s free!). This is the only method I recommend if you are including the hard drive when you donate/recycle the computer.

I hope this article hasn’t scared you off eCycling or donating that old computer. It really is the responsible (and generous) thing to do. Hopefully, using the tips above, you can do so while feeling confident about your privacy.

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

As low-priced electronics continue to flood the market, the problem will only become worse. The solution is two-part: reducing the amount of waste, while ensuring those computers that do become waste are properly recycled.

Obsolescence in the computer hardware industry is largely driven by powerful allies in the software industry. For the average user’s everyday tasks (email, word processing, shopping, banking), computers have been powerful enough for many years. But, in order for the hardware industry to remain profitable, they need to give consumers a reason to upgrade their hardware every few years. The solution is provided by the software giants: new versions of popular applications and operating systems are released every few years, invariably with higher hardware requirements than their predecessors. To run the latest versions of Windows, Office, Photoshop, and other popular software, you need a newer computer with enough RAM, disk space, processor power, etc. If you don’t keep up, you’ll eventually lose the ability to exchange documents and information with your friends and colleagues who are using the latest formats. This is the number one reason why so many perfectly good computers end up in the trash each year.

Rather than throwing out that old computer, consider putting it to use. There are lots of fun projects you can do with a low-powered spare computer. The internet abounds with great suggestions. Old computers make great file servers, music jukeboxes, spares for the kids, digital recipe books for the kitchen, and so on. For example, I have a really old laptop (that I got for free) in my guest bedroom. My guests appreciate being able to check their email without interrupting my work on my computer. Rather than waste money buying the latest software for a free computer, I’ve loaded it up with free, open-source software: the Linux operating system, Firefox web browser, OpenOffice.org office suite, GIMP photo editor, etc. Experimenting with old computers is a great opportunity to expand your technical skills inexpensively.

Sooner or later, though, you’re going to be stuck with an old computer, monitor, printer, etc. that you simply don’t need. What’s the most responsible solution? The answer likely depends on where you live and just how old and useless the hardware is. Functional hardware can be sold or donated, while broken or useless hardware will need to be recycled.

If your business or school has a large quantity of computers, donating them to a charitable organization can be very satisfying. Many organizations list their computer needs right on their website, so pick your favorite charity and see if you can help them. Be aware, however, that there’s usually a minimum hardware specification for donations. It’s not that these organizations are ungrateful or haven’t heard the expression “beggars can’t be choosers;” it’s just a simple reality that computers that are underpowered for Windows, Word, etc. are basically more trouble than they’re worth, from an organizational perspective.

For the average home user with one or two old computers to dispose of, the easiest solution is often the classifieds (for example Craigslist or Freecycle). I recently offered up an ancient Mac for free, and it was snatched up almost instantly. It found a good home with a computer science grad student, who was building a collection of various hardware to practice her tech support skills. The ad was free to place, and I never had to leave the house. Even non-functional hardware is sometimes in demand for spare parts or hobbyist projects. The best part of giving a computer away is that its inevitable disposal becomes someone else’s problem!

Hopefully, using the tips above, you will prevent (or at least delay) more hardware from entering the waste stream. But, sooner or later, you’ll be stuck with a useless piece of hardware that you can’t even give away. Depending on where you live, there is almost certainly a recycling program of some type. The EPA maintains a directory of recycling programs by state. I am a big fan of local action, so I recommend calling your town dump or transfer station to find out their rules and regulations. In some cases, you might have to pay a small fee ($10 or so) to cover proper disposal, but it is money well-spent; the more these programs are utilized, the more widespread and efficient they will naturally become. Businesses also sometimes offer recyling services; for example Best Buy recently started an enormous program (generating some good PR in the process). Or, check with your hardware’s original manufacturer to see if they will take it back–it’s worth a try.

What happens to recycled electronics? Assuming the program is reputable, the hardware is stripped down to its components, which are then recycled into new products or properly disposed of. Much of this dangerous work takes place overseas; in other words, America’s toxic waste is shipped to less-regulated countries, raising many concerns for the environment and the health of the workers. For this reason, I really recommend a recycling program endorsed by the EPA (or similar organization), giving some measure of oversight. The best solution of all, of course, is to reuse or donate that old computer so that it doesn’t enter the waste stream in the first place!

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

Here’s a “before” photo of my old setup. It’s a Gateway 507GR computer that I bought about 5 years ago. Its Pentium 4 processor is notoriously power-hungry, using up to 100 watts for the CPU alone! It also generates a lot of heat, which requires powerful and noisy cooling fans to keep the system from overheating. While the Gateway system meets my modest computing needs, I couldn’t help but wonder if a “greener” solution was possible on my limited budget.

My old Gateway computer

The answer came in the form of a “barebones” system from Foxconn. These barebones systems start at under $100! I decided to spend a few extra dollars on a more powerful version with a dual-core processor, the Foxconn R10-S4.

What is a barebones system? Designed for do-it-yourself users, a barebones system is simply a computer case and motherboard, the “bare bones” you need to build a computer system. You can either purchase the other “ingredients” separately, or recycle parts you already have.

In my case, I reused the hard drive, CD drive, monitor, keyboard, and mouse from my old Gateway system. The only additional part I needed to buy was RAM (memory). The total price for the dual-core R10-S4, 2 gb of RAM, and shipping was under $175.

Assembly is easy if you’re handy with a screwdriver and good at following directions. Foxconn includes a color assembly guide with photos of each step. In less than an hour, my green computer was assembled and ready to go. Here’s an “after” photo of my new setup.

My new Foxconn R10-S4

I simply moved the hard drive over from my old computer. This drive has two operating systems installed: Windows XP and Ubuntu (Linux) 9.04. Ubuntu was able to detect the new hardware without a hitch. All of my applications and documents were exactly as I remembered from the old computer. Windows had some minor issues at first (such as the wrong display resolution), but fortunately Foxconn provides a CD with all the necessary drivers.

So how does it perform? Next week, I will share some detailed benchmarks and observations, but the short version is, very well thank you! The processor is an Intel Atom CPU. This is the same chip used in “netbook” computers like the Asus eee PC or Dell Mini. This chip is low-wattage (under 10 watts) but also low-powered. I would not recommend an Atom-based PC for gamers, multimedia professionals, or power users. However, for everyday use like checking email, watching Youtube, or typing a letter, it is more than adequate. If a barebones kit is too DIY for your tastes, you might consider a “full” Atom-based system (such as the Asus eee-Box or Acer Aspire Revo) for your next desktop purchase.

In conclusion, my new “green computer” is green twice: Once when I built it (by purchasing a barebones kit, I recycled my existing hard drive, monitor, keyboard, and mouse) and again every time I use it (power consumption is much lower). Eco-win!

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

Since the phenomenon is quite new, the psychiatric community is still debating how to classify the problem. Some prefer alternate terms, such as “disorder,” “compulsion,” or “overuse.” I’m no doctor, though, so I’ll just use the common term “addiction” for purposes of this article.

When does internet use go beyond “normal” and become a problem? Again, I am not a doctor, but I would say the problem begins when the Internet interferes with your health, job, relationships, or everyday responsibilities. For example, I know people who have lost their jobs because of excessive (or inappropriate!) Internet use at the office. I personally have been (occasionally?) guilty of neglecting my chores because I was chatting with a friend or shopping around for the best price on a computer (more about that next week).

What makes internet addiction a “green” issue? First and foremost, here at The Green Computer, we want your time in front of the screen to be a non-toxic experience–if you’re crawling into bed at 4am, drained from a marathon online poker game, that’s not my definition of green! Second and most obviously, excessive time online is a waste of electricity. Turn off the computer and go outside!!!

So, let’s assume you don’t have a life, career, or marriage-threatening addiction (if you do: please please please get some professional help!), but you would like to become more conscientious and responsible about your Internet usage. The single best tool I know of for this purpose is a Firefox plugin called PageAddict. It will monitor your usage, site-by-site, and create a detailed report. For example, since I logged in today, I’ve spent 20 minutes working on this article, 5 minutes researching it, 3 minutes on email, and 6 minutes wasting time reading about last night’s baseball game! PageAddict allows you to sort websites by category or even to limit your usage to a certain number of minutes/hours per day. You might find yourself saying, “I knew I spent a lot of time on Facebook, but I never imagined it was 17 hours a week!”

That’s it for this edition of The Green Computer. Please surf responsibly, and remember, there’s a real world out there, too! Get out of the house, spend time with your friends and family, and remember to smell the roses.

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

One activity I engage in dozens (if not hundreds) of times a day is opening a new web browser window. Most people have their web browser set to open a particular page as their “home” page, such as a search engine, news site, weather forecast, company website, etc. Every time you open a new browser window to your home page, your computer sends a request over the internet, a server sends the site contents back to you, and your computer expends a small amount of energy to display that content on your screen. The “busier” your home page is (for example, MSN, the default Internet Explorer home page, is loaded with ads, images, and videos), the more energy you waste every time you go there.

The simplest solution is to simply choose a blank page as your home page. If you use Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu and choose Internet Options. On the General tab under Home Page, click the Use Blank button. Then, click OK to save your changes. For Firefox users, go to Tools->Options. Under Startup, there is a drop-down menu titled “When Firefox starts;” choose the “Show a blank page” option and click OK to save your changes.

Some users, however, feel they can’t live without their home page. Even so, there are environmentally friendly options to consider. Blackle is a black version of Google, based on the idea that displaying a black website uses less energy than a white website.

Another approach is to choose a charitable or green living website as your homepage. If you frequent a “click to give” type of website (such as Free Rice or The Hunger Site), consider making it your home page so that you remember to visit every day. Or, make Green Chi Cafe your home page, so you’re always informed of the latest green living news and tips!

Whichever option you choose, the idea is the same: Make a simple task just a little bit greener, and the difference will add up over time.

What you will need:

* A dusty computer that can be easily opened. Most laptops aren’t designed to be user-serviced, unfortunately, but desktops can typically be opened by loosening a few screws or latches.
* A screwdriver or other necessary tool to open the computer case.
* A can of compressed air (available at any computer, electronics, or office supply store).
* A vacuum to clean up afterwards. (Might as well clean your desk, too, while you’re at it.)
* Common sense.

The common sense part: Poking around inside your computer can be dangerous! It goes without saying you must turn off the computer before proceeding, but even when the power is off, you can get a deadly shock if you touch the wrong parts. The highest voltage is contained inside the power supply, which looks like a rectangular box with a fan inside located near the AC power connector. Never open up the power supply or poke anything inside of it. Please consult the owner’s manual for additional safety tips and detailed instructions on how to open the case without breaking anything.

So now your computer is laying wide open, and you are marvelling at the impressive dust bunnies. Before you go poking around, though, you need to discharge any static electricity stored in your body. (The little zap you get from touching a metal doorknob can really fry the insides of your computer.) You can discharge yourself by touching the metal case of the computer with one hand, or buying one of those dorky elctrostatic wristbands if you want. Static is also the reason you shouldn’t vacuum the inside of your computer (unless you have an anti-static vacuum designed for electronics).

Now, you can carefully blow the dust from anyplace it’s gathered. You want to use quick blasts of compressed air; a concentrated stream is not necessary. The fans and air vents are the obvious places. Carefully clean any heat sinks, which look like metal grilles or fins and are very important for dissapating heat from your CPU.

Once your computer is clean inside, you can simply close it back up and turn it on. A clean computer is a green computer!

Next time, we will go green by making a tiny change to an everyday routine. See you then!

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.

What is green computing? Most of our tips and tricks will fall into one of the following categories:

1. Purchasing new hardware that is energy efficient to operate and/or manufactured responsibly.
2. Extending the useful lifespan of your existing hardware.
3. Recycling and responsibly disposing of equipment that has reached its end of life.
4. Reducing your computer’s power consumption.
5. Making your time at the keyboard efficient, productive, and low-stress.

The last point is, I believe, the most overlooked aspect of green computing. If you buy a state-of-the-art Energy Star computer, but your time in front of it is a living hell, is that really “green”? Virus infections, crashes, lost data, and buggy software all cause stress, which I believe is a much overlooked toxin in our daily lives. Arguably, spending the morning pulling out your hair trying to recover your lost files is just as bad for your health as eating fast food or smoking a pack of cigarettes.

My journey into the world of computers began as a small child. They have always been one of my greatest interests. But as interesting as computers are on their own, it is the human/computer relationship that truly fascinates me. What makes a computer a useful tool for one person but a source of frustration for another?

My notion of green computing matured about five years ago, when I received an ancient, underpowered laptop as a free gift. Since I was on a tight budget at the time, I had to make do. Through research and trial and error, I learned strategies for extending the lifespan of old computers. I still use that computer today (though it is not my only computer any more).

So that’s my introduction… stay tuned for our next column, where I’ll share a low-tech but effective trick for making your computer run more efficiently.

Matthew Edward Liston is a writer, editor, musician, and green computing consultant located in the rural hill towns of New York. You may contact him through the comment field below or at www.matthewliston.com.