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To: JMD who wrote (13457)	8/7/1998 1:51:00 PM
From: Jeff Vayda	Respond to of 152472

Gee it must be Friday afternoon. I can hardly wait until football season so when we do drift off topic, it will be just a little shallower! Jeff Vayda

To: JMD who wrote (13457)	8/7/1998 1:57:00 PM
From: Drew Williams	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 152472

*OT* Surfer, I absolutely agree with you as to the relative merits of a good Uninteruptible Power Supply (UPS) vs virus programs. Most people have no idea what dangers lurk in their home and office electrical systems for their computers and other electronic equipment. I spent six years managing a Radio Shack Computer Center (not that this is such a big recommendation!) and never (really) saw a virus. Still haven't! But we did see fried power supplies etc. on a regular basis, mostly during thunderstorms and the hottest parts of the summer. Surge protectors will not protect you against nearby lightning strikes or significant power surges generated by your power company. Even the manufacturers will admit to this. Surge protectors are designed to protect your equipment against the normal, everday level of spikes generated INSIDE YOUR HOUSE by your refrigerator, air conditioner, etc. Any electric motor generates a small spike every time it starts up. These have a cumulative effect and normal surge protectors are a good protection against this. I suggest putting good quality surge protection on every electronic device, including your TV, stereo, etc. Also, plan on replacing them every few years as they wear out -- most of them will not tell you when this has happened, either. Your computer, on the other hand, while it may or may not be as expensive as your stereo, is far more important because of the information you store there and your ability to use it to generate work. It therefore should be given better protection by a good quality UPS. Most UPS systems also include surge protection. Some also include power stabilization, which means that when the power company cuts the voltage, it will effect your air conditioner but not your computer. Finally, remember your modem. I was involved in a company a few years ago that manufactured a device which gave early warning about lightning. While investigating whether this technology could be useful for computers, we surveyed the IBM forum on Compuserve. Approximately 85% of the respondents stated that when their computers were fried by an outside surge, THE SURGE CAME IN THROUGH THE MODEM and not the power line. So, assuming you are not using one of these newfangled cable modems or xDSL or WLL or some other acronym, your new UPS should have a place for you to plug in the phone line, too. If you do not have a UPS, put a surge protector on the phone line. Last time I looked, they were about $15 at Radio Shack. Sorry for the lengthy off-topic. But hey, it is almost the weekend.