Computer Tricks: Make Laptop Battery Last Longer and Make Monitor Easier on Eyes

What did we do before computers? Hard to remember, but we certainly can't do without them now and the constant computer usage does come with a price, both monetary and physical. Dead laptop batteries and chronic dry eyes and headaches are some of the technological backlash that we have to contend with, fortunately there are a few easy tricks that makes the contention disappear.

How To Make Laptop Battery Last Longer

Make your laptop battery last hours longer by doing these three things: Dim the computer's display light, turn off computer programs that you are not using and put your laptop on 'standby' mode when you are not going to use it for awhile. These tricks will squeeze several more hours of usage out of the battery between recharges.

To dim display light for Windows 7 or Windows Vista, click the battery meter icon located at the bottom of the computer screen, then choose 'Power Saver'. if you have a Mac, open 'System Preferences', then click on the 'Energy Saver' icon and choose 'Better Battery Life'.

How To Make Computer Monitor Easier On Eyes

If dry eyes and a headache is your reward at the end of a computer work day, blame your computer font, then change it. Your monitor is probably using the default display settings, which can cause eye strain and muscle strain, which leads to chronically dry eyes and a perpetual headache if you make your living online and work on the computer daily (as I do).

Make the computer monitor easier on the eyes and muscles by changing the font to 12-point Verdana. Verdana font was specially designed by Microsoft engineers to be the easiest font on the eyes. In Verdana font, there is an extra space between characters and special care was taken to ensure 1, l and I are distinctly different and not easily confused.

No more involuntary eye squinting or leaning forward to distinguish these easily confused characters. Dimming the computer's display light (as mentioned above to make a laptop battery last longer) also lessens eye strain.

To change your computer's font to Verdana, click on the Windows icon at the bottom of your computer screen, then click 'Control Panel'. Follow through with a click on 'Appearance and Personalization', then click 'Fonts', scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Verdana'.