Archive for August, 2009

Affordable Computers Go Well With Free Software

Aug 14

Posted by pshapiro in Uncategorized | No Comments

If you buy an affordable computer from PCRetro.com, you might think that your next step is to go buy some software for the computer. Not so fast! There is excellent free software for many different purposes that you can  use on your computer. Today I’d like to tell you about some fun logic puzzles, SYA Sokoban, that I helped design. These puzzles can be used by children as young as kindergarten, yet the more difficult versions of the puzzles are well-suited for adults. The Sokoban puzzles were originally invented in Japan in the early 1980’s.  “Sokoban” means “warehouse keeper.” Your job as the warehouse keeper is to push heavy boxes around the screen to move them to the storage area.  Since the boxes are so heavy you can only push one box at a time. In case you accidentally push a box into a corner, you can undo your move.

You can download SYA Sokoban from here. This software is available for Linux, Macintosh and Windows. I’ve created a screencast, a narrated explanation about playing the puzzles, that you can view right on the same web site. To play the “Simple Sokoban” puzzles I designed, press the letter “c” after you start SYA Sokoban. Then use the down arrow on your keyboard to scroll down to Simple Sokoban – Phil Shapiro.

After you have progressed thru the 60 puzzles I designed, you will have some excellent strategies for solving the more difficult Sokoban puzzles. I designed my puzzles to help youth and adults develop confidence in solving Sokoban puzzles. It’s sometime fun to solve these puzzles together with friends and families. Don’t you love it when you reach that “Aha! I got it!” moment?

Children who develop an appetite for solving these kinds of multi-step puzzles will have a much easier time with high school algebra, geometry and calculus. Students might even find that the math they learn at school is easier than the puzzles they solve at home for fun.

And in case you might be interested, here is an article I wrote about the educational value of the Sokoban logic puzzles. I wrote this article almost 20 years ago.  If you develop a real fondness for solving Sokoban puzzles, you’ll be happy to hear that there are many places on the web where you can play these puzzles for free. Just search for: “Sokoban Java” to find versions of Sokoban to play on the web. Some of these can be quite difficult, though. I’m proud to say that the free SYA Sokoban puzzles are the best Sokoban puzzles I know of.

And I need to give credit where credit is due.  David Joffe is the programmer who created the SYA Sokoban puzzles. He deserves a lot of credit. I had a much lesser role in designing the Simple Sokoban puzzles.

Phil Shapiro

(Phil can be reached at pshapiro@his.com He works at the Takoma Park Maryland Library during the day and teaches a graduate class in educational technology at American University in the evenings.)

What is a Netbook? Can it be useful for your business?

Aug 13

Posted by tbarbee in Computers | No Comments

Even though we might use a desktop or a laptop for our business, we have another computer as an alternate that might be useful for our business; which is the Netbook. The Netbook itself is a small, lightweight, reasonable priced (cost under $500 most of the time) that has the operating system of either Windows XP or Linux. With all that said, how can a Netbook be used as part of your business? What are some of the disadvantages to using a Netbook?

A Netbook can be useful for your business for the sole purpose for web browsing, checking email, and do a little word processing (Netbooks can hold some applications) while on the go or traveling. They are portable, easy to carry in a backpack or a bag as I have experienced. 

Netbooks also has its disadvantages. The disadvantage of owning and using a Netbook is the Netbook has a small keyboard which makes it difficult to type at times, difficulty in installing programs such as games that require lots of space, and of course the small screen making it difficult to see a few view of your applications or sometimes the Internet.

 The Netbook may not be for every business but it can have its practical use for your business. How so? There are questions that you can consider when purchasing a Netbook. These questions are:

  • Does your business require you to store a large amount of data onto your computer?
  • Does your business run software applications such as games, databases (SQL Server or Oracle) that might require a large amount of space?
  • Will this be the primary use for your business staff? Will using the Internet and checking their email be enough for your business staff to use?
  • Will the small screen be efficient enough for you to use or do you need a larger screen to view, like that of a laptop?
  • Will owning a Netbook for as part of your business help your bottom line in the long run?

These are some questions that one can consider when assessing the needs of your business before purchasing a Netbook. You might also want to consider giving a few of the Netbooks a test run to see which Netbook will be useful for your business. This might be identifying areas of how much space you need for your Netbook or software applications to use on the Netbook.

In the next article, I will talk about if the decision has been made to purchase a Netbook for your business, which Netbooks can be useful for your business?

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Maximizing the Use of Your Computer

Aug 3

Posted by admin in Computers, Linux, Recycling, Software | 1 Comment

Human beings survive best with two lungs, two kidneys and two computers (minimum.) You can get buy with one lung, one kidney or one computer — but it can be uncomfortable if that single lung, kidney or computer fails.

That’s why I was so happy to see the $50 Compaq desktop computer being sold by PCRetro. This computer is very functional and affordable enough that a person (or family) could buy one of these and leave it in a closet as a spare. Then again, you might want to spend the same amount of money on an Apple Keyboard, because having a spare fancy keyboard can be useful, you know.

This is what I would do with that lovely Compaq desktop. I would install Ubuntu Linux on it so that I could have the best of both worlds — Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux on the same computer. This can be quite easily done using some free software called WuBi. You will need a high speed Internet connection to do this (DSL, cable modem, or Verizon FIOS.) On my newer Dell desktop computer I was able to install Ubuntu Linux in about an hour using WuBi. On this earlier, slower computer it would probably take about 1.5 hours.

After Ubuntu Linux is installed, you will then have a choice of using Windows XP or Ubuntu every time you boot your computer. The great advantage of this is that if Windows slows down too much — or if you get a virus on Windows, Ubuntu is still fully functional. And Linux almost never gets viruses.

You can get free help with Ubuntu from the local Ubuntu group here in the Washington DC-area. Join their low-volume
email list and send your friendly worded Ubuntu questions to the Ubuntu experts on this list. Many people on this list love answering Ubuntu questions and quite a number of people on this list are computer professionals or are majoring in computer science in college.

Keep in mind, too, that this local email list is completely separate from PCRetro.com. This email list is a free community resource that might provide you the help you need.

Next week I’ll be blogging about some free logic puzzles that run on Ubuntu Linux. These can provide hours of enjoyment for people from 5 to 105. These same logic puzzles also run on Windows and Macintosh computer, so everyone in town can enjoy them.

Phil Shapiro (The author works as the public geek at the Takoma Park Maryland Library and is an adjunct professor of education at American University. He has bought many computers for himself and friends at PCRetro and almost always has had a very positive experience. In his free time, he volunteers delivering donated computers to needy families in Takoma Park. His volunteer work was written up in this Washington Post article from several years ago. You can reach him at
pshapiro@his.com)

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