When I get up in the middle of the night for a swig of Mountain Dew, there is no need to turn on the lights. In almost every room there are a dozen or so lights glowing from the front panels of various gadgets.

If I walk through the den, I see red standby lights on the big-screen TV, yellow and green lights from the cable box, red from the audio system, green from the burglar alarm panel and a series of flashing yellow lights from a compact stereo system.

When I walk by my home office, there is the glow from modem lights, routers, a wireless access point, the uninterruptible power supply and two scanners.

Sometimes my house looks like a love shack for lightning bugs.

You know by now that I love technology. So on many nights the lights are beautiful to me.

But lately, they've also been tiny warning lights telling me that things are getting out of hand. Years ago I believed technology would become our servant. I thought we'd have more time for fun because gadgets and gizmos would become tiny robots taking care of many mundane chores at work and at home.

But instead of my gadgets taking care of me, I spend many hours a week taking care of them. On one day last week there were service technicians at my place to take care of a DSL line damaged in the last ice storm; another technician was working on the cable service. Meantime, I was busy trying to keep anti-virus programs updated, installing a new wireless adapter in a laptop and trying to run speaker wire from the home entertainment center in a way that did not destroy hardwood floors or my marriage.

Here's what worries me. I'm pretty good at working with technology. Yet I'm often still mystified and flummoxed by it. So I shiver when I think of really smart people --- you may be one of them --- who don't have the inclination to make even a halfhearted attempt at taming technology.

I've got bad news. Like it or not, you need to spend time becoming a semi-geek. It isn't fair, I agree. Your computers, HDTVs, burglar alarms and computer networks should be as reliable as a $25 toaster. You shouldn't need a manual or a degree in electrical engineering to use them. In a perfect world, all you should need to know is the location of the on/off button.

You already know this is not a perfect world. So you need to set aside time each week to learn enough about your gizmos to make smart decisions. And you sure need enough computer savvy to learn how to protect your personal information stored on the machine.

I'm immodest enough to think that reading this column is a start. But it's not enough. Let me help you create a study program that will, technically speaking, make your literate.

> Bone up: First, go to a good bookstore and get a beginner's book on computing. There are plenty of them, and each assumes a different starting level of technical competence. Browse through the books and find one that makes sense to you.

> Hit the bookmarks: Next, find some computer-related Web sites and bookmark them. Take some time to get familiar with the sites you select and devote a few minutes every week to browsing the sites. Find articles that interest you and read them. That's an easy way to learn some of the lingo. I'll get you started with a couple of Web pages that I enjoy.

One is www.pcworld.com --- I like the reviews of new gadgets as well as the long articles that explain various types of technology.

Another is www.cnet.com, where you'll find more of the same.

At both places, the writing is clear and generally something that even a beginner can follow.

Start with those two and then follow links from the articles you read.

> Manual control: Finally, find all the manuals for your software, your computer, accessories and every other complex gadget you own.

Read each manual from cover to cover. It won't be a bit of fun since most manuals are either written for people who already understand the technology discussed, or they're so simplified that they are useless. But try anyway.

You're already busy, and I know this is an imposition. But without at least a basic understanding of the gadgets you own, you're at the risk of being owned by your gadgets.

tecbud@ajc.com