Phoenix police arrested several people over the weekend accused of stealing purses, IDs and various other valuables from cars left at Phoenix trailheads.

After the high-profile shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010, Scott Rollefstad felt he had to do something to help keep other agents safe.

Q: My son’s laptop was stolen from his college dorm during a party and he had the Find My Mac system setup on it, so he was able to track it to an apartment complex nearby. The problem is that the police said that they need more information to go on as they can’t just start knocking on all the apartment doors. What else can we do? — B

Our family bought a sofa a couple of years ago. It was a frustrating experience. I won’t go into it other than to say when my wife and I finally agreed on one, I thought a burden had been lifted. Then the salesman forces another decision: “So which protection plan do you want?”

When I was a kid…heck, when all of us were kids, our mothers had a stack of aphorisms for any occasion. When I was 10 years old, I was convinced that all new moms were given a handbook of Snappy Sayings for All Occasions as they were packing their bag in the maternity ward, because all the moms said all the same things.

“Hi, Mike? I am so glad I got a hold of you. My computer is running so slowly that I turn it on, make coffee, take the dog for a walk, and bake a few dozen cookies then maybe; just maybe the website will be fully loaded. This computer is running terrible! Can you help?”

Q: I would like to print from my Gmail account on my iPhone or iPad to my printer, but it doesn’t come up in Apple’s print option on either (device). Any suggestions? — Daryl

This weekend marks Josh Mendoza’s first time to have a film screening at the Phoenix Film Festival, but there’s a hunch that this is just the start for the Ahwatukee Foothills native.

Q. What type of business services or products do you provide?

The pilot had just given the all-clear for electronic devices, which left me free to rummage under the seat in front of me for my laptop. I was taking a moment to consider the barbarism that allows airline passengers to push their seats back into my head when the kindly older woman next to me inquired if I was on a business trip. I think the PowerPoint deck and the calculator I pulled out of my briefcase tipped her off.

I am trying to find a way to legally copy DVDs we own to an external hard drive for storage connected to my laptop. When we take long road trips it would be nice to not have to haul all our movies along. — Bill

Setting bold new standards for digital searches, a federal appeals court ruled Friday that Border Patrol agents need "reasonable suspicion'' a crime has occurred before delving into the hidden files on someone's computer.

Now that the holidays have passed along with your desire to keep the multitude of resolutions you made New Year’s Day, you may be wondering what you can do to fill the void left by Old Saint Nick and the football season. How about upgrading your computers? If your only remaining New Year’s resolution is to upgrade, there may be some things you need to consider before running out to Sam’s Club and getting one off the shelf.

“I just poured Gatorade all over my plants.”

In Netflix’s bid for a flagship original drama of its own — a “Sopranos” to its HBO — the subscription streaming service is presenting a high-class adaptation of a British political thriller offered up all at once, with its first season immediately ready for TV-viewing gluttony.

Q: Does it affect your iPhone’s battery life when you charge it every night? I have found a lot of conflicting answers on the web. — Madeline

Getting a family organized requires more than a few well-chosen New Year’s resolutions. Increasingly, homeowners are carving out a physical space — anything from a single kitchen cabinet to an entire spare room — that can function as a family information center and workstation.

It was shocking almost — this simple moment that changed me one day. They happen like that, don’t they? Epiphanies. They arrive at the strangest times.

Toys come with a lot of warnings: Not suitable for children under 3 years; Small parts may present choking hazards; Use under adult supervision. Labels on electronic toys list the voltage while others confirm non-toxic materials. If a toy proves to be harmful, it is quickly recalled as toy manufacturers make safety a priority.

Nearly every week someone asks me what they should do with their old electronic equipment and for many years I would tell them to smash it up, run it over with their truck or car, melt it down, or any of a dozen or so demises I have employed over the years but the bottom line was always, “then throw it in the garbage.” As an environmentally concerned citizen, I am officially appalled at my actions. I, of all people, should have known better, even in the early days, but I did not.

Q: With all of the “special deals” being offered during the holiday shopping season, is it safe to buy electronics that have been refurbished? — Melody

A recent Arizona law requires all school districts and charter schools to implement a new teacher evaluation system by the 2013-14 school year. For the first time, teachers in the Kyrene School District will be evaluated, in part, based on how well their students score on tests.

Q: With all of the “special deals” being offered during the holiday shopping season, is it safe to buy electronics that have been refurbished? — Melody

Singing across the country and around the world is hard enough, which is why boys of the Phoenix Boys Choir are asked to leave all distractions at home, including their families.

The best thing about most of the world becoming completely dependent on electronics is that some very good products can be had relatively cheap.