I'm Living It. That's what this new column is all about, living with technology. Buying the right stuff, coming up with cool uses for it, and sorting it out when it breaks. It's also about doing more with less (my main machine at home is a 1GHz PIII) and debunking the hype surrounding "this year's models." And it's about me getting involved on your behalf when Technology Inc. treats you like a red-headed stepchild. So let's get started.

Hammer that hard drive
People ask me all the time how to clear their hard drives of personal data when they sell or donate an old PC. "Deleted" files in Windows are anything but, and even special drive-erasing programs reportedly leave phantom data that really committed types can read. I used to use one of these big bulk tape erasers, but those are becoming a tad hard to find...and what else will you do with it? CNET Forums member Steve P. of Toronto knows the best method: Get out a ball-peen hammer and go absolutely ape on the hard drive. I'm serious. But take the drive out of the computer first unless your aim is uncanny.

This thing hangs off your ear like a polycarbonate gargoyle.

One thing I won't be wearing this season (or anytime prior to hell freezing over) is a Siemens HHB-500 Bluetooth headset. I've seen phones that are smaller than this thing. It hangs off your ear like a polycarbonate gargoyle, with styling that would make Lt. Uhura gasp. It's bad enough that we're still at a point in history where the public doesn't really know what a wireless headset is; by wearing this thing, you'd be considered not just a nutcase, but one with bad taste in earrings as well. I took my gripe to Cell Phone Diva Joni Blecher, who tossed a Motorola HS810 across her desk. As Bluetooth headsets go, it's pretty small. But why don't any companies make these things in flesh color? The hearing-aid industry figured that one out 50 years ago. Until our crowd does, get out a small paintbrush and color it yourself.

If I'd sent that letter as Brian Cooley of CNET, I'd have received a reply right quick.

Shhhhh, I'm undercover
A couple of months ago, I picked up a Dazzle Digital Video Creator 150 to digitize some old VHS tapes. The damned thing was so infuriatingly hard to install and get support for, I boxed it up and sent it to Chuck Vaughan, CEO of the company. (We haven't reviewed the Dazzle Digital Video Creator 150. We have, however, reviewed its cousin, Pinnacle's Studio MovieBox DV. Interestingly, our reviewers gave that product high marks, but users gave it a solid thumbs-down.) I dashed off a tart little note to go with it, suggesting that he rethink his lousy product and kindly toss it in the trash for me when he was done. I made no mention of the fact that I work for CNET. If I had sent that letter as Brian Cooley of CNET, I imagine I'd have received a reply right quick. But as Brian Cooley, an everyday tech-consuming schlub like you, I'm still waiting. I wonder if the company threw the thing away or just reboxed it to sell as a refurb?