Q: How do you repair scratched CDs? Is there a kit I can purchase or a place I can have them repaired?

- Frances Nash, Fayetteville, Ga.

A: Yes, almost any computer store and most record stores sell commercial kits designed to get rid of scratches. None of these kits works perfectly, but often they can cure minor skips.

However, the long-term prognosis for a scratched CD is not good. Most of the fixes seem to be temporary. A lot depends on how severely the CD is scratched - and partially on dumb luck. If you do repair a CD so it can play again, it's a good idea to make a duplicate copy (for those who have a CD burner), since the repair may not hold.

The skip on a CD may not be from the scratches you see. Sometimes we notice harmless scratches but ignore dust and fingerprints. It's important to keep the CD clean. Washing a CD with a mild soap and water solution (soap, not detergent) can often cure the problem. So before you buy a repair kit, try washing the CD and then drying it with a clean, lint-free cloth. Dry it by moving from the center to an edge.

If the skipping continues after you've cleaned the CD, you may want to try a commercial kit. Frankly, on the few times I've tried to fix a scratch, I've used an extremely light coat of hard car wax (like Turtle Wax). I clean the CD first, as I've described above, then use the lightest possible coat of wax. Most of the commercial kits use a mild abrasive to remove scratches and to polish the CD so it does a good job reflecting the laser light used to read'' the CD.

For those who want a commercial kit but can't find one in a local store, you can simply search the Web using www.google.com or another search engine and the words repair scratch CD.'' I am reluctant to endorse any single repair kit, since I have no way of comparing the merits of each one.

Q: How important is it to buy a brand-name computer? I see computers advertised by local companies that sell for prices way below what I'd have to pay for a PC with a brand I know about.

- Lacey St. John, Atlanta

A: I've purchased two machines from local companies that sell machines that fall into the no brand name'' category, and I have been pleased with them. The truth is that most of these no-name machines use the same kind of components you'd find in a more expensive brand-name PC.

However, just as is true with any other business, the quality of the product and service will vary. Generally, I think that someone who knows a bit about computers is safer when buying one of these inexpensive machines. It really helps to be able to evaluate the components used and to ask intelligent questions about the machine and its company. For those who aren't technically inclined, the safest bet is to stick with a brand-name PC.

One other factor to consider is customer support. If you're considering a purchase from a small company, you need to make sure it can offer good technical help.

This is another gray area, since support can be great and personal from a small company, but some small outfits don't have enough staff or time to offer good technical support. So get references from the company. Also find out how long that company has been in business. The world's best warranty and customer service don't matter if the company folds. So it's safer to deal with a company that's been around for a while, since newer ones are more likely to go out of business.

Advice from a reader

We recently answered a question about floppy disks and explained that they are often frail. Many readers back up precious information using floppy disks. We advised them that, if that's their backup media of choice, to make two or even three copies using separate floppy disks.

That's still a good idea.

Ed Scofield wrote to add some good advice.

1. Avoid off-brand or unbranded floppies. Some of those can only be read as few as a dozen times.

2. Either make at least two copies of the floppy on quality media, or else update information to alternate floppies on alternate days. (Multifloppy backups should also be run on alternate sets on alternate days.)

--------------------------- Voice-OVER Actors Teach Their Art on Web Greg Hernandez c.2002 Los Angeles Daily News

After 10 years of juggling sporadic acting work and survival jobs such as serving food and bartending, Craig Strong finally found his voice.

The New York City native had recurring roles in soap operas and guest spots on some prime-time series, but he wasn't able to support himself entirely through acting until he landed his first voice-over gig for a national Coors beer commercial. He continued to work steadily in the voice-over field.

Strong is now president and chief executive of Voicestarz, an online company that brings together some of the biggest names in the voice-over business on a Web site, launched a year ago, and a new CD-ROM, debuting this week, to mentor and educate performers who aspire to break into the field.

It's open to anyone who loves to act and anyone who loves animation,'' Strong said. There's an opportunity to really learn what to do with your gift in your own home and where to go from there. A lot of people have a gift but don't know where to go. It's a great first step.''

Two years ago, Strong married Tara Charendoff, one of the most successful actresses in the field of animation voice-over. Among her many roles are Bubbles on the Powerpuff Girls'' series and upcoming feature film, the voice of Baby Dil Pickles on the Rugrats'' series and feature films, and the voice of Timmy on the series The Fairly Odd Parents.''

When I married Tara, I read her fan mail, and they all asked, How do you get into this? So I made a little Web site with a Q&A about a year ago, and we started getting all these hits on it, thousands of hits,'' Strong said.

With such powerful interest, Strong decided to develop a full-blown Web site, www.voicestarz.com. The site gives aspiring performers the opportunity to learn about the field and interact with other members through a monthly newsletter, an online chat board, scheduled chats with featured stars, a guide to classes and information on who's who in the voice-over industry.

There are so many places you can pretty much make a living using your voice, and sometimes when you go after one, it just opens up a door to something else,'' said Strong, who currently voices commercials for Saturn dealerships. There are many different areas to use your voice today from animation, commercials, promos and industrial projects.'' Strong also developed a new double CD-ROM featuring multimedia classes taught by his wife and other high-profile voice performers, as well as directors and casting directors. Talent and casting agents also appear. So does a representative from the Screen Actors Guild. In addition to three hours of video, there are numerous downloads. After you are finished with the CD-ROM and feel you have a grasp of what is going on, you are able to download a bunch of scripts at the end, choose a character and put their voices on there,'' Strong said. You then send it in on a tape, and one of the featured stars will critique it and tell you what they liked and didn't like.''

Strong said Voicestarz can be of particular benefit to aspiring voice actors who live outside of Southern California.

Someone in Colorado is not going to come in here for six weeks just to take a class,'' he said. For people outside of L.A., it's beneficial because they don't have access to the teachers who are in Los Angeles, and they are the best in the business.''

The price for a one-year membership is $179, about one-third of the cost of a regular class. It will cost $79 per year for a membership renewal that will include an updated CD-ROM each year, Strong said. Wes Stevens, head of the voice-over department at Talent Group Inc. in Beverly Hills, is among several agents who are participating in Voicestarz. He said the program could help to identify potential actors.

We are trying to find the people who should be doing this kind of work,'' Stevens said. I can only find work for someone who has the raw talent. It's a tough nut to crack in terms of how to break in. This is one more step to let people get a little bit closer and, hopefully, find a way into the market if they are someone who really, truly should be doing this kind of work.''

Actress Grey DeLisle, whose parts include voicing Emily Elizabeth on Clifford the Red Dog,'' Daphne on The New Scooby Doo'' and Betty Rubble on the new version of The Flintstones,'' is also on the Voicestarz roster.

People ask me how they can get involved in voice-over, what they should do and what classes they can take,'' she said. I don't have to answer the questions over and over again. It's been great to be able to say just go to the Web site.''

Daran Norris, a voice actor who plays the characters of Cosmo and dad on Nickelodeon's The Fairly Odd Parents,'' agreed to participate simply because of his love for the industry.

It's the most fun I have ever had working in the business, especially in animation voice-over,'' Norris said. It's awesome work if you can get it.''

Other voice-over actors on the CD-ROM include E.G. Daily, who is Tommy Pickles in Rugrats''; Billy West, the voices of both title characters in The Ren and Stimpy Show''; and Tom Kenny, who plays the title character in SpongeBob SquarePants.''

While Tara Strong has had an enviable career so far, she cautions that the odds of success in the field remain quite slim.

We're not guaranteeing work. It's very realistic,'' she said. If it's something you really believe in your heart you want to do, you have to go for it. There's definitely room for people with the natural ability and the drive.''

----------------------- Technology Problems May Be Robot-INSPIRED Jennifer Hill c.2002 Cox News Service

Sometimes I think technology is all a part of a nefarious plot to bring the world into submission by battery companies, or possibly a giant, maniacal robot who delights in seeing mere humans humbled by non-working gizmos they've come to depend on.

It's coincidence, I'm sure, and not techno-paranoia, that I usually entertain such thoughts when I've been thwarted by a piece of technology with a dead battery. My most recent such experience was on an out-of-town class trip with my younger son.

I began the trip on a high note. After a whirlwind week studded with after-school activities that had turned packing for the trip into a marathon the morning of, we'd arrived just in time to board the bus.

I settled into my seat chatting and chaperoning as we rolled along toward the coast of Georgia to learn about the maritime environment. I was feeling clever, having remembered to charge my cellphone's battery fully and bring the phone with me. (OK, I admit I left it home at first and had to go back to get it.)

Having a cellphone, and thus the ability to make a call anywhere (provided there's a working tower nearby), is empowering when you're on the road.

If you suddenly remember you forgot to turn off the coffee pot, there's no problem. You can call your understanding neighbors next door, who will chuckle and then go unplug the pot for you.

Or if your son panics that he has forgotten to turn off the heat lamp on his snake's terrarium and is frantic he's going to find a baked snake upon his return, once again a call to your understanding, now guffawing, neighbors will take care of it.

Once they're able to stop crying from laughter, they will gamely venture into the menagerie known as my son's room and cut off the potential herp cooker.

Yes, a working cellphone on the road gives you the illusion that no matter the catastrophe, you can take action. The operative word in that sentence, of course, is working.

About two-thirds of the way into the bus trip, I called to check on my older son, who was staying with friends, and hung up knowing all was well. Here is where the first turn in the wicked plot occurred. I turned my phone off. I know I did, and I put it in my purse.

I'm fairly certain - though I would be reluctant to swear under oath - that I locked the keys. After all, as I knew from previous experience, cellphones possess the ability to dial all by themselves. Not too long ago, a good friend, whose number was in my cellphone address book, called my cellphone because she wanted to know who was calling her house in the middle of the night. It seems my cellphone had been calling her, and when she answered, no one was there.

This also helped explain a mysterious run-up in my monthly minutes. I immediately took the phone in for exchange, explaining its rogue behavior to my service provider. The young lady behind the counter - politely and barely smirking - showed me how to lock the hairtrigger keys.

Despite all my preparations and precautions in phone handling, when I attempted to call my office the first day of the trip, that dreaded message feared by all users away from their chargers appeared in the window: battery low.''

In less than a minute, my phone was as dead as the whelks we had found on the beach earlier that day. At first I punched the numbers with fury, unable to believe it was really dead.

Then I got that queasy feeling you get when you realize you don't have all the necessary ingredients to complete the main dish and the guests will arrive in 30 minutes.

The missing ingredient in this case was the battery charger. In my self-congratulatory mood, resulting from remembering to charge the battery fully before leaving, I had reasoned since I would only be gone three days and would only use the phone in emergencies, I did not need to pack the charger. At this moment, I imagine that the giant, evil robot clanked back his head and eeped with malevolence, Got her.''

The good news is that six other chaperones and the teacher had cellphones. The bad news is that only three had brought their chargers, and none of them had the same type of cellphone I did. So I borrowed a phone to make my call to work and sadly put away my empowering technology, laid low by a battery.

I took no solace in watching fellow chaperones scuttling around the beachside facility where we staying as they searched, often in vain, for a sweet spot on a cell tower's signal.

I convinced myself that being out of cellular touch for two more days would not result in family tragedy. My son in Atlanta wouldn't suddenly recall that it wasn't the snake that could possibly bake, but the ornate horned frog. I hadn't left the iron on, because I hadn't used it. All would be fine. But I felt technologically adrift.

Then, shortly before dawn on the morning of our departure while turning over in the lower bunk, I spied a familiar black shape plugged into the wall and trailing a long, thin wire across the railing to a bed abutting mine. At the end of the line was a phone that was emitting a familiar, gentle beep.

I reached out gingerly and picked up the phone. It was just like mine. It belonged to one of my fellow chaperones who had arrived after my cellphone's demise. Her battery was full, so I plugged mine in - reasoning she wouldn't begrudge me an hour or so of power - and slept the rejuvenating sleep of woman who knows she'll awaken to a cellphone with power, ready to get on the road.