Weird Science at PCW Labs: Can a $250 UV Light Sanitize PC Gear?

View this newsletter online | Newsletter Services | More Newsletters » Follow @geektech on Twitter August 13, 2011 PCWorld.com Talk Nerdy to Me

In the 1985 movie "Weird Science," Anthony Michael Hall and the largely forgotten Ilan Mitchell-Smith create a female from scratch. Here at PCWorld, editor Patrick Miller has been up to some weird science of his own--but instead of creating artificial life forms, he's been testing the effects of an ultraviolet sanitizer on bacteria and mold. I'll admit, that doesn't sound as exciting as using a computer to make Kelly LeBrock, but it's a close second place. See the before-and-after petri dishes of microscopic crud we swabbed around the office, and find out if blasting your gadgets with a UV ray will really keep the germs at bay. --Senior Editor Tim Moynihan Top Story Can a UV Light Kill the Stuff Growing on Your Keyboard? We took cultures of the bacteria and mold growing on our office equipment (yuck!), and then tried treating them with the $250 VirWall ViraShield UV Sanitizer. Top Tweets From @PCWPluggedIn NASA finds evidence of flowing water on Mars Remnants of ancient garden hose detected in high-res Orbiter photo. Updated software lets you track the family car Because nothing keeps a family close like spying on each other. Study: Facebook can make teens sick As can school, chores, curfews, and enforced "family time." Follow us every day on Twitter: @PCWPluggedIn Spotlight on Geek Tech Jordan to Build $1.5 Billion 'Star Trek' Theme Park King Abdullah of Jordan, who was once an extra on 'Star Trek: Voyager,' has just committed $1.5 billion to building a Star Trek theme park in the gulf state. Browse this week's Geek Tech. Download of the Week HBO Game of Thrones This free Windows 7 theme puts iconic "Game of Thrones" images on your desktop, including the Iron Throne. Fun & Games 21 Great Free PC Games We collect the best and brightest games at a price you can't refuse. Yesterday's Car Tech Today From the flying car to the in-dash record player, we look at yesterday's predictions of today's high-tech cars, and see just how right--or wrong--they were. Places for Fun Stuff on PCWorld.com Fun and Games Downloads Shop for Video Games and Hardware PC World videos How to Build a Home Entertainment Network Learn to use your computer network as a next-generation entertainment hub. Get started. Advertisement Free Trial of Trend Micro Internet Security Pro Download Free 30-Day trial of full version, includes all security features of the regular product. 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UN55D8000 55" 3D LED TV Price: $2195.00 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Google TV NSX-46GT1 46" LED TV Price: $998.00 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Browse more Best Prices on Plasma & LCD TVs, Camcorders, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, Best Prices on Projectors, Digital Video Recorders, MP3 Players Top News on PCWorld.com Leaked Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS Photos: Droid Green Turns Blue? One of the leaked photos also purportedly shows a new launcher and a revamped notification bar for the new Google phone OS. Share: Google+ Games Launch Brings Angry Birds, Dragon Age, More Big Brother's Google's little social network that could has just gotten a boatload of games ready to carpet bomb your productivity. Share: Top Reviews on PCWorld.com 8 Great Laptops Under $800 It seems like most of us these days can share Groucho Marx's sentiment: I started out with nothing and I have most of it left. These great laptops won't strain your bank account. Share: Acer Iconia Tab A100 Reinvents 7-Inch Tablets Crammed with ports, this stylishly designed tablet is the first to ship with Android 3.2. We get a chance to play with it. Share: 10 Great Android Apps for Music Lovers Use some of these Android apps to turn your phone into an awesome portable jukebox. Share: Visual Thesaurus: Useful for Everyone, Essential for Word Nerds Central to this Visual Thesaurus Web-based software is a graphical synonym finder thats fun, useful and educational. Share: Downloads: Editor's Collection 10 Favorite Free FontsEverything written--be it a novel, a report, or a witticism--reads better in the right font. Here are the classic serif, sans serif, and script fonts, along with brush scripts, blackletter, and quirkier fare. Walt Disney's autograph? Creepy horror fonts? Tattoo templates? They're all here. Chopin Script   16013 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under Fonts Claude Pelletier's elegant script provides adds a romantic spin to font collections. 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