Denise ''DeeNice'' Rhodes stood in front of about 20 people in a social hall at the Fort Lincoln Senior Center last week and told them that television as they knew it would change in February, and if they didn't make the necessary changes, they could end up with a plain blue screen.

She explained that the inside of television sets will no longer be equipped with a tube, but a com­puter. As a result, the analog signal is no longer needed; everything will switch to a digital signal

"We learn so much, and we get so much content from what we see on television," said Rhodes, who went on to tell her audience about the importance of the digi­tal converter box, explaining that if they did not already subscribe to a paid cable or a satellite provider, their television signal would be in­terrupted as of February 2009.

The switch to digital will man­date that all full-power broadcast television stations in the coun­try will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves on Feb. 17, and begin broadcasting only in digi­tal. Through such broadcasting, stations will be able to offer im­proved picture and sound quality, according to the Federal Com­munications Commission [FCC] Web site. Known as the Digital Dynamo, Rhodes has made it her mission to serve society’s under­served residents with technology assistance and is busy educating people about the switch and help­ing them through the process.

For more than 20 year; she has done what she calls "evangelizing" by helping others understand and adapt to new types of technology. Her passion for this kind of work began when she received a key­board that she could connect with a television set from her sister as a Christmas present

She began tinkering with it and learning about it, and discov­ered an excitement at sharing her knowledge with others. She also said she felt "empowered," and wanted others to feel the same. While Rhodes has never received formal technology training, she has formerly worked in sales for computer companies.

''I love helping people get en­gaged in technology. When seniors get online and start using the chat room, they have someone to talk to," Rhodes said.

In 1997, she created the Urban Progressive Foundation, a non­profit project of Congressional District Programming Inc. The seniors in Fort Lincoln said they appreciated the time Rhodes spent with them. For several months now, they have seen commercials about the switch from analog to digital, but were unsure of what steps they needed to take to be ready for the switch.

Mildred Burgess had quite a few unanswered questions about the switch, such as if she needed to get the box.

"1 learned how 1 could be duped into getting something 1 don't need," Burgess said, referring to the unnecessary products Rhodes told the seniors they might be per­suaded to purchase.

Ron Taylor wants to get digital converter boxes for two television sets in his apartment he wasn't sure how to hook the thing up:' he said.

When doing the presentations, Rhodes makes three visits, The first is to educate the seniors about the boxes and show them how they can sign up to receive coupons that would significantly reduce the price of the boxes. On the second visit, Rhodes collects the coupons and orders the boxes.

The final trip is installation.

free of charge. Technicians hook up the boxes

During her visit to Fort Lincoln, Rhodes explained that even those with paid television could view a blank screen if their service is in­terrupted.

Rhodes conducts workshops each week and has made contact with 700 people regarding the switch to digital converter boxes in the past four months.

"Technology can really cause people to be intimidated. I am' trying to get people to take baby steps," Rhodes said.

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For more information contact

 DeeNice Rhodes at 202-642-INFO (4636).