Different kinds of screensavers are popular with different kinds of people. Today, computer users belong to virtually every age-group. Not surprisingly, therefore, they have different interests which get reflected in the screensavers they choose. What’s popular with people also depends on the configuration of their computers, particularly the memory and the processing speed. The popularity of a screensaver could even depend on the effect it has on users and the people around them.
It is not unusual for a colleague in an office to walk past, make an off-hand but critical comment about a screensaver being used by someone else, and succeed in making that someone else use a different screensaver. Sometimes, the reverse happens. A colleague sees the screensaver on someone else’s computer and asks for the same one. This also happens amongst students. In fact, sometimes, someone who is considered ‘cool’ determines which screensaver everyone else will use by making his or her preference well known. It’s a bit like ring tones. If someone who is regarded as really trendy by all in the same peer-group opts for a particular ring-tone, everyone else has to have it. It’s advertising at its best.
A similar phenomenon is also common in a group that has a passion for technology. The most Popular Screensaver at any given point in time is the screensaver that has the maximum graphics, but uses the least amount of the computer’s resources. Thematically, it could have images of nature, adventure sports, animations, movie clips or simple scientific phenomena such as the ‘ripple effect’ on water, as long as it loads quickly, runs beautifully and doesn’t make the user’s computer slower. In fact, this is the group that inspires and drives screensaver programmers to strive for spectacular screensavers that are suitable for all kinds of computer configurations and all kinds of operating systems installed on a computer.
However, the screensavers popular amongst children are quite different from the ones that appeal to the ‘techno-savvy’ category of users. Children like animated screensavers. They like to watch their favorite cartoon characters, movie characters and characters from popular television shows. They prefer animations which have a simple story to tell, an anecdote or even a little incident from a fairytale. They tend to dislike screensavers that have a dramatic play of light and sound, or dark colors and spooky images. Teenagers tend to love what children tend to dislike. However, screensavers which are popular amongst nature lovers across all age-groups are scenes depicting natural beauty. Similarly, animal lovers like watching animals and their antics.
Once a user decides what’s going to be popular with him or her, choosing a screensaver is fairly simple.
Screensavers provides detailed information about screensavers, free screensavers, nature screensavers, animated screensavers and more. Screensavers is the sister site of Computer Projector Rentals.
Here’s your problem. You have a ton of music on your computer. Your computer speakers sound ok but music from your Itunes software would sound a lot better playing through your nice home stereo in the other room. If you run a cord all that way from your computer to your home stereo your house won’t be featured in Architectural Digest because it won’t look aesthetic. Solution? Connect an AirPort Express Base Station to your home stereo and play your Itunes music wirelessly. Sound difficult? It really isn’t. I connected one for a customer of mine some time ago. You will however need the right equipment and it goes as follows:
Your computer needs Windows XP or Windows 2000 , or Mac OS X 10.2.7 or later. ***This tutorial is written for Windows XP***
Go to http://hightechhomes.tv/airtunes.htm for a diagram of what it looks like when hooked up.
Your computer needs a wireless adapter. If it’s a desktop machine or a laptop I recommend a Linksys WUSB54G - Wireless-G USB Adapter 802.11G. If you are more tech savvy and don’t mind opening up your desktop computer’s case, definitely go with a Linksys Network adapter - Wireless-G PCI Card .
You’ll also need the AirPort Express Base Station .
Since Apple’s website does not tell you, I had to call to find out that the airport does not come with the cables you need to hook it up to your home stereo. To connect the Airport to your stereo, you’ll need either a mini stereo to RCA cable or if you’re stereo has the input, a toslink to mini digtal fiber optic cable.
Last you will need Itunes, which is a free download.
Once you have the necessary equipment you are ready to go.
1. Near your stereo receiver, connect the Airport to a power supply to give it power. Connect either the RCA cables or the fiber cable from the airport to the appropriate input on your stereo receiver.
2. At your computer, load the Airport Express CD that came with your Airport into the CD drive and install the software.
3. Once it is installed, go to Start > All Programs > Airport Express Assistant
4. You will be asked if you want to set up a new base station or make changes to an existing one. Choose to set up a new base station.
5. If the computer can connect to the base station, the software will tell you that it has found a new Airport Express named “Base Station xyz” . Click Next.
6. The next screen asks if you want to create a new network or connect to an existing one. If your computer does not already connect to the Internet through a wireless network, choose “create a new wireless network”. Note: If your computer connects to the Internet through an existing wireless network, follow the different steps for this scenario below labeled “If your computer connects to the Internet through an existing wireless connection that you already have”.
7. Name the new wireless network, you can call it something like “Apple Airport”. Choose a name for your base station. You can leave the default name or give it a new name like “Living Room Stereo”.
8. Finish by clicking the appropriate button (”‘finish” or “update”).
This should create the new wireless network. You now need to have Windows XP connect to this new wireless network connection that you created if it does not do so automatically (near the clock in lower right hand corner right click on your wireless network adapter icon, choose view available Wireless Networks, and join the new wireless network you created.)
9. After Windows XP connects to the new wireless network, open Itunes.
10. In itunes in the lower right hand area you should see a button showing how your music is being heard (it may say “computer” if you are listening with your computer speakers). Click this button and you should see the name of you base station. Choose it.
11. If everything has gone well and your computer is connecting to the airport, you should now be able to play your Itunes music through your stereo wirelessly.
There is a short video on connecting to your Airport using Airport Express setup located at http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/itunes/it4-3.html (video is for Mac OS X).
**Note** If your computer connects to the Internet through an existing wireless connection that you already have follow the above directions up to step 6, then continue here.
6. The next screen asks if you want to create a new network or connect to an existing one. Choose “Connect to my current wireless network.”
7. Be sure that “Extend the range of my AirPort wireless network” is not selected (unless you are using WDS.)
8. Click Next; AirPort Express Assistant will scan for your existing wireless network. Once it finds it, click Next again.
9. Choose the correct network (there may only be one) from the Wireless Network Name menu. If the wireless network is password protected, you will be prompted to enter the password. Enter the password and then click Next to continue (it may take a plain password or hexadecimal, or you may not have a password on your wireless network. At this point things could get a little tricky if you are a novice computer user. If you have a password on your wireless and are having trouble getting the password right, you may try reading this article from Apple http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106424.)
10. Enter the name of your Base Station. You can leave the default name or give it a new name like “Living Room Stereo”.
11. Click Finish. Airport restarts and tries to join your wireless network. Once AirPort Express has had a minute or so to restart, it should join the existing wireless network, as indicated by its status light.
12. Once connected open Itunes.
13. In itunes in the lower right hand area you should see a button showing how your music is being heard (it may say “computer” if you are listening with your computer speakers). Click this button and you should see the name of you base station. Choose it.
14. If everything has gone well and your computer is connecting to the airport, you should now be able to play your Itunes music through your stereo wirelessly.
Carlos Cabezas writes regularly about home technology at http://www.HighTechHomes.tv/blog. His business, High Tech Homes, helps work at home professionals, families and small businesses with their technology issues.