Honey, who ARE all these people in our living room?

Remember when your stereo and your television were considered two separate items? Well, if you walk into an electronics store these days you'll find things are very different: a home theater system lets you watch video tapes (or laserdiscs, DVDs, broadcast movies and concerts) with audio and video that simulates the movie theater experience. And there are no disturbances from strangers' conversations or commercial interruption. A reminder: if all you want to do is listen to music or watch a small TV in the kitchen while cooking, reconsider buying this equipment. If you're ready to turn an ordinary room into a terrific home theater, take a deep breath and read on!

This process is similar to setting up a traditional stereo system (except with more pieces). Just as with a stereo system, you'll plug a "tape player" into a receiver, which will then play the sound through the speakers. The big differences with a home theater system are these: the "tape player" in this case is a hi-fi VCR, laserdisc or DVD player, and the receiver is sending the sound to at least five speakers, not just two.

It's all about you

As you've probably seen in your travels on the World Wide Web, a website can be used for many purposes. Some sites are for shopping, some are run by government groups, and others are just personal webpages that tell a little bit about someone. Whatever your long-term goals for building one, creating a simple, personal website is a great way to get your feet wet. So, before you start building that site about the history of the kiwi fruit, use this 2torial to master the basics.

Before you began...

This 2torial covers building a personal, single-page website with Microsoft's FrontPage 98 on a Windows-compatible computer. Many other excellent and reasonably priced site-building tools are also available. FrontPage 98 is discussed here primarily because it's well-priced and offers a lot of capabilities you may need in the future when you build a fancier website. Its interface also closely resembles that of other popular and widely used Microsoft Office products, and many of the key commands are the same.

If buying a web development application seems like too much of a commitment, many Internet service providers (ISPs) provide easy-to-use (and sometimes free) web building programs that let you create a basic site. However, if you're planning to do some fancy stuff in the future, purchasing a good, moderately priced web building application and a book on how to use it is a better idea. That way, as your site designs become elaborate, you'll already be familiar with the application's interface, which is definitely half the battle.

Get clued in before you get online

If you already have a computer and a modem, the next step you need to take toward getting online is finding an Internet service provider (ISP). The ISP, from whom you purchase access to the Internet, is the gatekeeper of the online world. An ISP allows you to dial into the Internet from home using your computer's modem, giving you access to vast worldwide resources of information and the ability to send and receive email. Getting online isn't difficult, but it does require a little snooping around. Then again, compared to the bullets you sweat buying a computer, choosing an ISP is a piece of cake.

Before you began...

Speakers to Your Computer

Speaker now or forever hold your peace

That tiny, almost invisible speaker inside your computer is fine for simple beeping sounds, but not much else. If you'd like to enjoy music, more explosive games, and genuinely sophisticated DVDs, a set of external speakers will properly enhance your computer's sound.

External speakers are inexpensive and reasonably easy to connect. All it takes is a little uncomfortable maneuvering around the back of your computer, and the scattering of a few dust bunnies.

Before you began...

Most external speakers share similar features and connect to your computer in the same way. The common design includes two small speakers that are placed in front of you, and sometimes a third, larger one that sits a little apart. One, if not both, of the small speakers will have a power cord, a power button, and a volume control. If only one speaker has these features, the other speakers are connected to it by a thin wire. Another design has one cord shaped like a ''Y'' that connects the speakers.

All computer speaker systems connect to the sound card on the back panel of your computer. Built-in sound cards became the standard several years ago, but if your computer doesn't have one, you'll need to have a card and its software installed--or install them yourself.

Once you're sure you have the sound card, just turn off your computer and monitor--it's time to connect the speakers.

It's a small web after all

If the best things in life are free, the Internet might be the biggest source of bliss yet. Videos, music, software, the list goes on. The only question is: How do you get these items off that World Wide Web and onto your little computer? The answer: It's all about downloading. How do you download? It's easier than you think.

Downloading is all about taking a file from someone else's computer and putting it on your own. A file can be anything from a pretty picture to the entire text of the Declaration of Independence. Larger files, like video or music clips, can take longer to download than smaller, text-only ones. After a while, you'll recognize which will take two minutes and which will take two hours.

NOT your name spelled backwards...

Remember the fantasy stories of wizards and genies with magic words that unlock treasure troves? That's looking more and more like reality these days, as increasing amounts of important information are accessed with a single passsword. Business networks, Automatic Teller Machines, home security systems and Internet accounts are just a few of the aspects of your identity that can be easily assumed by anyone who knows the right keys to push. And if you haven't chosen a password wisely, you may find yourself usurped by someone who's either persistent or mildly lucky, or both.