It's All Geek To Me

Digital cameras have revolutionized photography — in less than a decade they almost completely wiped film cameras off the map. But that doesn't mean they're idiot proof. New York Times tech columnist David Pogue demonstrates how to buy a camera, avoid common photo-taking pitfalls, fix up the lousy shots on the computer, and finally present the results to your adoring public via slide show, e-mail, DVD or Web site.

Cell phones have gotten less expensive, smaller and more powerful over time, but people still have a love-hate relationship with these little gadgets. David Pogue, New York Times tech columnist, offers couples therapy for you and your phone. He shows which features are worth shopping for, how to avoid being scammed when signing up for service, and how to save minutes and money using voicemail, directory assistance, picture sending and more.

You know that your iPod plays music. But did you know it's also a stopwatch, alarm clock, Web-page reader, audio book, recipe reader, TiVo recorder, karaoke machine, podcast player, radio, big-screen TV and YouTube viewer? You will, once New York Times tech columnist David Pogue gets finished.

Laptops: they're the fastest-growing offering on the computer market, the road warrior's trusty companion. David Pogue, New York Times tech columnist, takes this show on the road, literally, and offers advice on getting online, protecting your laptop from theft and destruction, using public wireless hot spots without being eavesdropped, and presenting PowerPoint pitches while connected to a projector.

At this very moment all of your audio, video and photographic memories are disintegrating — slowly but surely. VHS tapes have only a 15-year shelf life before the image begins to degrade; cassette tapes, same problem; and plenty of computer storage formats are no longer playable because nobody makes the programs or disk drives anymore. In this show, New York Times tech columnist David Pogue shows you how to rescue all of these decaying or disappearing formats: home movies on film, vinyl records, VHS tapes, audio tapes, data on floppy disks, slides, prints and more.

Camcorder sales may be down, but amateur video is way, way up, thanks to the cameraphone, YouTube and other developments. David Pogue, New York Times tech columnist, takes you on a fast, funny ride through the entire process of becoming a home-movie mogul: choosing a camcorder (tape vs. DVD vs. memory card), learning to use it, editing out the boring parts, and finally posting the result on the Web for a potential audience of 1 billion people.