help!

Verizon doesn't know what OS X is

This is not what you want to hear when you call tech support and tell them your operating system is OS X.

"What's that?" or "OSN?"

But that's what happened when I called Verizon to troubleshoot connection trouble on my EVDO card. I had to say it was a Mac before they understood. Well, sort of understood.

I was having difficulty where I would make a connection and within 30 seconds the connection would be terminated.

The first person I talked to asked me to launch Verizon's VZ Access Manager software. I explained … Read more

Last-minute Mother's Day gifts

Mother's Day is Sunday, people. And while my own dear Mother should be receiving something in the mail tomorrow, I'm not always this on top of things. So, with sympathy for those of you who are still looking for something a little gadget-y to give your mum this holiday, here's a shortlist of suggestions.

iPod Shuffle: This one's a no-brainer: it's inexpensive, and it comes in a lot of fun colors. It's flash-based and workout-friendly. Most importantly, it's widely available at retail stores. For bonus points, preload it with a playlist that you … Read more

Featured Freeware: CrossLoop

CrossLoop provides a quick, easy, and completely free way to give a colleague, a friend, or a relative access to your computer. Start the program, and your PC gets assigned a new 12-digit access code each time. Give that number to another user to virtually share your desktop. Once connected, that user will have full access to your machine.

The odd nature of sharing a desktop cursor and the inability to add multiple users makes CrossLoop not quite right for proper business presentations. However, the complete system access and 128-bit encrypted connection combine to create a great solution for low-budget, … Read more

The dark side of the Internet

Guess what Google search gets more results than the 20.7 million for "pornography?"

"Self help" yields 31.8 million results. Porn has company at the bottom of the e-business food chain.

There are a number of things about the self help industry that bother me.… Read more

Insider Secrets: Run Windows on a Mac

Watch the video on CNET TV, then come back here for the written recap.

We've shown you how to run Windows on a Mac using BootCamp under Tiger. But Boot Camp is included in OS X Leopard. And it's a little smoother.

First gather the things you need. One Mac with OS X Leopard installed. One copy of your OS X Leopard disk. And a copy of Windows XP or Vista, which you have legally purchased.

If you're not on a laptop, make sure you have a USB keyboard. And then: Back up your data!!

Good--now you'… Read more

Holiday Help Desk live on Friday, November 23

Join CNET TV on Friday, November 23 for the Holiday Help Desk our live, 10-hour call-in show. Whether you need advice on software, games, electronics, gadgets, computers, or anything else technological under the sun, experts will be answering your holiday tech shopping questions live from 8 a.m. PST to 6 p.m. PST.

Call 1-888-900-CNET with your questions on Friday or e-mail them in advance to holidayhelp@cnet.com. If your call is answered on the air, you'll be entered into a drawing to win one of eight Nintendo Wii Holiday Mega Bundles valued at $600. Included in … Read more

PeopleJam: Help us help you

PeopleJam is a place for people looking to give and receive advice on health, relationships, spirituality and finances to connect with each other.

The site launched Monday and is in open beta right now. The founders have culled more than 150 "experts"--meaning writers, motivational speakers, counselors, finance experts and more--to blog on these lifestyle topics. There are also "lifecoaches" who also contribute content, both videos and text-based.

The idea is that PeopleJam will be the destination for people who have specific questions to create a profile, find answers to questions and add their own posts … Read more

CNET Live - Episode 9 - Show Notes

Our best show yet. No disrespect to previous guests and callers but this show just rocked! Thanks again to the rag Dolls for coming on and schooling me!

Watch the show

Things we Crave

Anti-spying undergarments

Speed Racer's 'Mach 5' comes to life.

Insider Secrets

Keith writes, "Everybody stresses the importance of backing up important data, but nobody addresses the unfortunate lack of technology available to do so. How do I backup my data without spending a fortune?" - We've got some of the answers to Keith's conundrum on today's Insider Secret.

Back up your hard drive … Read more

Improve your life while you work

At this very moment, I'm utilizing breakthrough psychological software to make me feel happier and less stressed. Or at least that's supposedly what I'm doing, according to developer Ded Pyhto, the publisher of the self-improvement tool Subliminal Flash.

The concept is simple. You select as many of the 33 areas of self-improvement, such as Happiness, Self-Esteem, Improved Memory, or Better Skin, as you want the program to include, and the software will present you with subliminal affirmations that improve those areas of your life. Sounds crazy? From the company's press release: "According to Ded Pyhto'… Read more