« April 2005 | Main | June 2005 »
May 30, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Wait a few months
It is very tempting to run out and buy a new device or program the day it is released, but it is almost always better to wait.
As a rule new software or hardware always comes with some sort of issue as it's impossible to figure every combination that's out there. Waiting a few months will give the makers time to find the bugs they missed and correct them so when you make your purchase you will not have to jump through as many hoops, or at the very least you will know what the hoops are.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
There's Always a down side to everyting
Ann Althouse while dealing with another subject notices a downside to Podcasting
On the bright side this site has all you need to get started to use the resource wisely.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Posted by Peter at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2005
Another vote for digital photography
Another reason to purchase a digital camera over film: Less trouble with the law.
Hat tip Captain's Quarters
Posted by Peter at 05:19 PM | Comments (0)
May 28, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Adware and Spyware may end up crashing your system even if that was not the main intent
The usual intent of such software is to run silently in the background, gathering information without you noticing anything. However, machines that crash aren't just infested with only one piece of spyware/adware, but many. This can result in Visual C++ Runtime environment errors that end up crashing your system. The solution is to get spyware removal and spyware prevention software. This is included in our Technology Wellness Session as well as other steps to help secure your technology. Call LightFrog today for more details!
One spyware removal tool may not be enough to clean up all of the spyware on your system or prevent new spyware from coming up. It's recommended you have at least two tools for spyware removal and/or prevention. For a complete solution, please ask your Technical Advisor about how a Technology Wellness Session can protect you.
Always read the End User License Agreement (EULA) when you install software from an unknown source, especially if it's free software. While a EULA will never say the program being installed has malware, it may say that by installing this, you agree to have these adware and spyware files installed on your system.
If your home page on your browser has suddenly changed after being the same page for a long period of time, it's possible that your system may be infected with spyware/adware. If you change the home page, then close the browser down completely (closing all instances of the browser), re-open it and the page changes back to what it was before, it is very likely that your system is infected with spyware. Contact LightFrog today for a PC Checkup Session!
Posted by at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)
A Milestone in history
This entry is not going to excite many people but I am so excited about it that I'm posting early in the morning on my day off!
Today I was checking out the ITUNES store and checked out the spoken word section. What I saw made my jaw drop.
There is now a rather large selection of historical speeches from the last election, from the Debates, to Zell Miller's speech at the 2004 Republican Convention to Barak Obama's Keynote at the 2004 Demorcratic Convention and much more. All of these are free.
This means that any person with a internet connection who can access the ITUNES store has access to a true copy of history. This is something historians over the ages could only dream of. This creates a more informed public and better citizens.
I hope and trust Apple will keep adding to these selections. (Yes I know this stuff is available at other sources, but more people go to ITUNES STORE than CSPAN).
We return now to your regular tech stuff.
Posted by Peter at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip (ok yesterday's tech tip) Many Searches
Most people use a particular search engine out of habit. This can be a mistake. Most search engines will find most items, but there are differences. Link to different search engines, or better yet if you have multiple browsers (and you should set the default search on each one to a different engine. This will make it more likely that you will find what you want.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)
May 27, 2005
Here comes the future of gaming
I have been gaming for over 30 years, from Avalon Hill, to D&D to Eagle Games and Days of wonder. My PC gaming is pretty limited to Sid Meiers stuff, Colonization, Pirates, Civilization. I still meet with my same gaming group from high school and we play face to face.
Things however are changing. We have played the tabletop version of Civ (not to be confused with the Avalon Hill version one of the best games ever made) but now that we are all adults with all that entails we never can finish. My Pals Dave and Paul have been adding extra PC's to Dave's apartment.to set up a local lan to play Civ III together rather than joining and paying a club.
If you unlike me have a great love of gaming but few local people to play with you can consider setting up your own game server. Microsoft has these instructions on how to do it.
Hat tip F-Stop Blues, which has its own first rate article on the subject.
Posted by Peter at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
May 26, 2005
Think before you download
I have said more than once that no movie or song is worth going to jail over.
Today Newsblogs Entertainment page has this interesting article on the subject written from a legal standpoint.
UPDATE:
Wired News has this article about sith fans not taking my advice. Considering the quality of the movie it's really not worth it.
Posted by Peter at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
This is Spooky
The police use a a bloggers final entry to identify his murderer.
Via Baseball Crank & Chizumatic
This is very spooky, but clues to crimes from blog entries will become more common as more people become bloggers.
Posted by Peter at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)
Even the Experienced have issues
One of my Favorite Bloggers, is having issues with his new Sony Viao on his network.
This shows two things:
1. Even the experienced can have computer issues.
2. You should always call LightFrog first!
If you need us Captian Ed we are here 7 days a week till 11 p.m. EST.
Posted by Peter at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip: Upgradable security?
As the 802.11b standard goes the way of the windows 95 and DOS a lot of stores are dumping their equiptment at prices that are hard to resist, particularly if you've been putting off that wireless setup.
Before you buy check the website of the manufacturer to see if the device in question is compatable with WPA TKIP at the very least. If not then you will be setting up wireless for a lot more people than yourself.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)
Today in Wireless network history
From Michael L Snider's blog we find A short history of 802.11. Remember that this article is 3 years old. In computer terms that is almost as old as Moses. (Mainframes would be as old as Methuselah)
Posted by Peter at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)
Security day at Lightfrog continues:
Today's Wireless Security Theme continues today on our blog as we link to Heckstetter who points to this link on Security Pipeline concerning Wi-Fi security.
Posted by Peter at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)
Death of the password
George Ou is on a roll with this column on the "Death of Passwords"
Posted by Peter at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
You have been warned
Several bloggers have been discussing WEP security and even linking to hacks to break into it on a wireless network. As it is our business to stop this kind of stuff I won't name the bloggers or provide the links, but there was one thing said that should be commented on.
People are making the arguement that they won't be hacked because it is so easy to find totally unsecured networks. I thought the same till George Ou set me straight.
You have been warned twice!
UPDATE In his May 12 Column George Ou brings this up again! You have been warned thrice!
WEP cracking for dummies by ZDNet's George Ou -- For those who still don't think it's a major problem to run WEP encryption on a wireless LAN, this is your final warning. Humphrey Cheung of Tomsnetworking has released a tutorial that can essentially be summed up as "WEP cracking for dummies". Every time I've written articles on the vulnerability of WEP, I almost always [...]
<
Posted by Peter at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
May 25, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Move that drive
On occasion you will find yourself with a hard drive that will not boot or a system that is toast that has a hard drive that is good but not good enough to replace in an existing system. By simply adjusting the jumper settings (usually from Master to slave) you can insert this hard drive into an existing system allowing you to either extract the data or use it as a secondary HD or a paging drive.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)
Target: Tots
Glenn at Instapundit takes time out to be outraged over spyware on his daughter's computer.
One of his readers sent this report showing that even mainline sites are now loading up on spyware and using kids to get it on your system which stinks.
This is a strong argument for keeping the kids off the main machine.
Posted by Peter at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2005
Today's tech tip: Heavy on the RAM
When purchasing a new machine the best way to max out its life is to max out its RAM.
As applications become more complex they generally need more RAM to run, maxing out on the ram can make even a cheap PC useful well beyond its normal years and postpone a large expense.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 09:48 PM | Comments (0)
Podcasting NPR's Take
Jeff Jarvis was interviewed by NPR on Podcasting.
Audio Here
Posted by Peter at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)
Total recalls
Channel Register reports that Apple is recalling powerbook batteries.
Just the story I was dying to see after my ode to computer companies this morning.
Via Lifehacker
Posted by Peter at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)
A small addition to the browser list
Discovered My Little Corner today. It has some nice links to tech items. The most interesting one being this link to the Bitty Browser.
I've got a lot going on this week, so a review will have to wait, but with 4 browsers already on this system one more won't hurt.
UPDATE: I should have linked to lishux as it is replacing My little corner. I find a blog and it moves. Maybe it's my breath?
Posted by Peter at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)
Buyer beware
Inside Collecting links to this story about a woman caught ripping people off in online sales of laptops and cameras.
With the price of laptops dropping why would you bother with a used one?
Posted by Peter at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
Only $550 (or $398) more to go
Faceless Blog reports that Dell is offering their Inspiron 6000 for only $650. As opposed to WalMart's Balance 14.1 AMD laptop for $498.
Either way it is almost half the price I paid for my Inspiron 1150 that I picked up in October.
Looks like Hector won't have to wait 3 years to be right.
The best part about the link to DEALNEWS is the motto at the top: How to go Broke saving money.. It reminds me of the old joke: A kid comes home saying "Mom I saved .50 walking home instead of taking the bus.", "That's nice" ,she says, "but you could have saved $5 walking home instead of taking a Taxi."
You mean you want good jokes? This isn't Dave Barry's blog you know.
Posted by Peter at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)
You know I'm still amazed
I may make my living off of other people computer problems but just think for a moment.
Even the smallest of application that run on your system involve a ton of coding and quite a few files and libraries all working together.
Multiply this over all the different operating systems and the other programs that have to work together seemlessly and you know what; as a rule PC's are awesome.
Apple, or Microsoft, HP or Dell, E-Machines, or even smaller brands you've never heard of. They all do a pretty good job of taking care of our data so we can get things done. And most of the things we get done are things we wouldn't have dreamed of when I was a kid.
Sometimes it's a good idea to step back and just admire just how cool things really are.
Posted by Peter at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)
Mr. Gates vs the WSJ
This Wall Street Journal article takes a different view on the IPOD vs. Cell phone that Mr. Gates does:
There's no way Apple will hold still as cellphone makers take aim at it -- not after digital music allowed the company to muscle its way back into the home-computing mix. The iPod was followed in short order by the iPod Mini and the iPod Shuffle, and talk of other iProducts is a constant buzz around Cupertino. Who's to say an iCellphone isn't a possibility?
It will be fun to see who is right.
Hat tip Archipelago.
Posted by Peter at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: software first USB afterwards
When installing a USB device always remember to install the software first. If not your install will likely fail and bring a ton of grief.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2005
Today's Tech Tip SCANREGW (Windows ME)
Today's tech tip is windows ME specific: The System Restore feature that exists in XP and ME is an upgraded version of the dos SCANREG /RESTORE command first introduced in Windows 98 (for my money one of the finest operating systems ever released by Microsoft). The old 98 version saved only the last 4 good boots while the ME and XP versions allow you to set points, however there are time when you WANT those last 4 days and you haven't set a point. In Windows ME that isn't a problem:
From the RUN line you can enter SCANREGW /RESTORE and invoke a windows version of the old SCANREG command which still saves points from the last 4 good boots. So if you make a mistake you can still go back and save the day if you act QUICKLY!
This is one of the few good points about ME so take advantage of it.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2005
Tech Tip of the Day: Free Office Software
Microsoft Office file formats are the de facto standard for many office documents. There are many other more compatible file formats out there that can be used in most cases: rich text format for word processing and CSV format for spreadsheets, for example. Often however, somone may send you a document in Word or Excel format and expect you to be able to open it. The problem with this is that most computers do not come with Microsoft Office pre-installed these days. Those computers that do come with Office often only have a trial version which will work for 60 or 90 days before disabling itself if it is not paid for. The full version of Office is quite pricey. Many people are eligible to buy the Students and Teachers edition, but even that is not cheap. So, a free office suite that can open and edit MS Office documents is useful to many people.
If you are one of those people, you should take a look at OpenOffice.org, which is a free, open source office suite released to the public by Sun Microsystems. OpenOffice is the replacement for Suns StarOffice suite of applications. It includes a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a presentation program, and tools for creating various kinds of files like html documents and vector graphics files. Future versions of OpenOffice are scheduled to have a database program similar to MS Access. OpenOffice can open most Microsoft office documents, although not all of them are completely compatible with OpenOffice features. There are some additional features in OpenOffice that are not present in Microsoft Office without getting add-ins, such as the ability to export a file directly to PDF format.
To download Openoffice, go to the OpenOffice.org site listed above, and there should be a choice on the main page to download the latest stable version for Windows. You should be able to save that file to your computer (save it somewhere you can find it, like My Documents or the desktop) and open it, then run the setup.exe file inside it. That will take you through the install. It should be fine in most cases to just use the default settings for everything through the install. Near the end of the install, it will ask you if you want to make OpenOffice the default program for opening various kinds of Office files. If you don't have another office suite installed, you should let it do this. If you do have another office suite, such as Microsoft Office, installed, you can choose whether you want the files to open in OpenOffice or the other office suite.
Once you have OpenOffice installed, it can be opened through the programs menu in the start menu. Just choose whether you want to edit text documents, spreadsheets or presentations to open the appropriate tool.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by at 08:32 PM | Comments (0)
The Great Star Wars Debate
Saw the New Star Wars Episode III today. Andy saw it yesterday, Eric went to a midnight showing Kieran hasn't seen it yet and I don't know about the rest of the company. I can't speak for the others but I thought it was ok (my Amazon review is here).
However it has sparked a debate concerning the fact that I seem to be the only person in the world who liked Episode 1 and Jar Jar Binks!
I await the wrath of the readers.
Posted by Peter at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Remember Password? NO!
The easiest way to protect a computer is with a password and the easiest way for that protection to mean nothing is to let your system automatically remember it. That is just asking someone to access all of your vital data/settings/etc...
If you MUST have it written create a notepad file name it something that has nothing to do with passwords such as Fred, and read it from there.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)
Why no blogroll?
There are two things unique about the LightFrog Blog. I mention one of them constantly. To my knowledge this is the only blog of a business where techs, management, developers, and ownership all post at the same location (although some post more than others).
The 2nd is a bit different: There is no Blog Roll or list of links to other sites. Of the blogs I follow only National Review's internal group blog The corner and Andrew Sullivan's blog and James Lileks are without a blogroll. Usually you will see either a long list ala Jeff Jarvis or a small select group ala Josh Marshall. Here is the 50 cent explanation.
We at LightFrog are here to provide you with the best technical support that we can offer for a reasonable fee. Our blog is here to promote our business and to give interesting insights concerning technology either through tips, or reviews, or even the odd funny video.
On occasion we will post about blogs in general and I never miss a chance to do some Romano's Blogging.
But our focus is to be useful to our readers and to promote our business. When we link to other blogs it is usually because of a tech reference or blog reference that we find interesting. We are more of a business that is doing blogging rather than a bunch of bloggers who happen to be in business. If we as a business blogroll a location, that would be an implicit endorsement of that location with all that it implies.
I've been reading blogs long enough to be familiar with the linking de-linking debates that have come up from time to time. That's not what we're here for and we aren't going there. So for now the LightFrog blog will remain without an official blogroll, but I will take a moment to mention LaShawn Barber and Don Singleton who have linked to us in the past and to George Ou who educated me on some security issues via exchanged e-mails which were posted on our respective blogs.
Posted by Peter at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)
Quick FYI
Just a quick policy note. Editing of a post will takes place when we have additional information or if spelling mistakes are found (the it becomes a when in my case). Comments are deleted if found to be vulgar or from online casinos etc.
Posted by Peter at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2005
Happy Birthday to our BlogMaster
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."--Abraham Lincoln
Happy Birthday to Peter, our BlogMaster, from all your friends at the LightFrog family. You're a joy to work with and today is a celebration of everything "Peter".
Posted by Lorie at 03:42 PM | Comments (1)
Today's Tech Tip: cables, cables cables
You would think that after 20 years in this business I would know this. Today my second system had a blank screen. I assumed that it was my blank screensaver and started playing with the mouse. Nothing so I rebooted since I figured it was freezing.
There was no screen on the reboot so I checked the back, sure enough the cable was out. Same with the keyboard. Check the cables first it can save the day.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2005
E3 Coverage - Sony PS3
Wow, if half of the things are true about these new systems, 2006 is going to be a very big year for video game enthusiasts. Today's big link is for the Sony PS3, courtesy of GameSpot as it makes it's big debut at this year's E3 Expo.
UPDATE: Press Release from the E3 Insider, on a Spring 2006 release date.
Posted by at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2005
Today's tech tip: Read only
Many home networks consist of your computer and your family's computer(s) sharing an internet connection. This can allow nasty things that you might not let sneak in on your system backdoor their way in via a kids system.
Consider restricting shared file rights on your main machine making it read only (or even blocking all access) This will help keep mistakes from spreading to the primary home system.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 02:09 PM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2005
And I thought the Atari 2600 was cool...
Well, that was me before I turned 10, loving the Atari 2600 before the craze of Nintendo and other newer 8-bit systems. Then the Turbographix 16 came out, though it didn't last, much to my chagrin. Now the next generation of video game consoles is nearly ready to come out.
One is the Nintendo Revolution, though it's likely that it won't come out until mid 2006. Bummer, for it sounds like it's going to be one heck of a system.
With the release of the PSP, Sony shows signs of the PS3. We probably won't know more about it until sometime during E3, which begins tomorrow. Details are sketchy but it also appears that it seems poised for a 2006 release (via engadget.com).
Lastly, Microsoft plans to also unveil their newest foray into the video game console realm, XBox 360. This little lovely will also be unveiled during E3 this week. While not confirmed, it seems that XBox 360 may be slated for a November 2005 release. If this is the case, it will be Microsoft making the first step for the next generation console market. However with the rocky launch of the original XBox, only time will tell.
Parents, your wallets are in danger, now more than ever these holidays if the XBox release date is made.
Posted by at 08:14 PM | Comments (0)
Today's tech tip: Draft quality default
Anybody who has been in the Computer industry for a decade or more knows that these days companies like HP make their money not on Printers but on INK.
Printer prices have dropped like a rock while the use of home printers for digital photos means that people use ink like my pal Frank uses Mountain Dew.
An easy way to save money is to set your printing defaults to DRAFT QUALITY. This way most minor printing jobs will use less ink. You can always specify regular quality on final copies of important documents.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 07:30 PM | Comments (0)
The joy of upgrades
Tom Yager reports that his Mac OS X tiger upgrade was less plesant than desired.
Via Dan Gilmor
Posted by Peter at 01:46 PM | Comments (0)
Reason 4,658,511 why the net is cool
Twenty years ago or so The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was first broadcast on radio by the BBC in England.
You likely know that it has become a franchise including 5 books, (of varying quality) 1 TV series (of excellent quality) and a major motion picture (of dubious quality).
It turns out the BBC decided to adapt the 3rd book for Radio last year (with most of the cast from decades ago) and is currently broadcasting the adaptation of the 4th book on Tuesdays.
Thanks to the miracle of the internet you can listen to it here, instead of waiting years as we used to do in the old days before broadband.
Posted by Peter at 01:17 PM | Comments (0)
Comment spam
There is nothing less joyful than checking comments and seeing spam from online casinos to delete.
Posted by Peter at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 14, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Cheap emergency backup
If you want to make a quick and easy backup of any data file such as a word or excel file you can do this by e-mailing it to yourself.
If you e-mail it to a web based e-mail then it will be saved to an off site server. If you e-mail it using outlook or outlook express it will show up in the sent items so you will have yet another copy backed up on your system.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2005
Below 90% and dropping
An AP report states that according to an independant tracking service called Web Side Story Internet Explorer's market share has dropped below 90% for the first time.
Mozilla seems to be gaining; security issues not withstanding.
Posted by Peter at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)
The Ultimate Baseball Blog
Tommy Lasorda has started a blog.
I saw him in Leominster 13 years ago when he was promoting his sauce. I don't remember what happened to the Jar but I still have the picture of him holding my son.
Should be interesting reading.
UPDATE 5/16/05
My favorite third baseman Brooks Robinson has started one too!
Posted by Peter at 08:13 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip: Unplug that router and modem at night
This might seem like an odd idea but it will do two things for you:
1. Your system can't be hacked when your not connected2. This is usually the first step to resolve a network issue anyway so it may help you dodge the issue before it comes up
Just remember if you do this to reconnect them in the morning.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)
Another one bites the dust
Beta news reports that a major spam ring is being sued by the AG of Massachusetts.
Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys.
Posted by Peter at 07:45 PM | Comments (0)
Security issues aren't just for IE anymore
This article reports that Mozilla Firefox has released a new series of critical updates to address security issues in their firefox browser.
This doesn't mean that FIREFOX should be shunned any more than earlier issues means IE should be shunned, but it does mean that not using Internet Explorer is no guarantee of security.
Of course if you were a LightFrog subscription customer you would have our Patch software and not worry about missing updates anyway.
Posted by Peter at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)
May 12, 2005
Todays Tech Tip: MS Word
Today's Microsot Word tip is about printing a specific area of a document. If you frequently print selected text in Word 2002 or Word 2003, you can eliminate having to bring up the Print menu for each copy you print. The following link will guide you in doing just that.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
Of course he would say this Part 2
Yesterday it was Apple today it is Bill Gates saying that the IPOD's Success won't last.
He has a good point about phones, but really, what else would he say?
UPDATE: This has caused LaShawn Barber to contemplate her next move.
UPDATE #2: Dan Gillmor provides exhibit A in Gates' favor. (via Glenn)
Posted by Peter at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2005
The wave of the future
The time is coming when stories like this will be like the stories my grandmother told about riding in a car for the first time.
I know that is the case because there is a internet cafe in the same building as Romano's. When the old coffee shop reopens next month between them I'll be able to surf with my breakfast.
Posted by Peter at 09:54 PM | Comments (0)
Handy guide for laymen
In this post Lorie talked about Geek Speak. For those of you who would like a lexicon of some terms here is a handy link.
Posted by Peter at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)
Today's tech tip: Look what we have here (final edition)
Ok you've checked the temp files, you've checked the history and you've noticed that both the history and temp files have been cleared. You still haven't found anything but are sure your teenager is surfing where he shouldn't be. It's time to bring out the secret weapon!
There was a time not long ago when data recovery was something for the very rich or the government. Now there are a plethera of programs that can recover damaged or deleted files. Most are available at reasonable prices.
Of course if you don't want to spend a penny there is PC Inspector which will show your directory tree with deleted files as if they were never removed. It goes without saying that his has many non "catch the kid" uses.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)
What else would they say?
Apple says that the release of the Yahoo Music Service will not affect their sales.
A thought: They are likely right, but even if they were wrong wouldn't they say the same thing?
Posted by Peter at 09:27 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2005
Today's tech tip: Look what we have here (pt 3)
In part 1 we showed you how to check temp files on your computer for interesting things your teenager might pulling up from the net. In part 2 we should you how to check history (which is useful for many other things as well). Here in part 3 we address the question. What if your teenager has thought of both of those things?
Well there is a quick clue. It is not unusual for temp files to be cleared on a regular basis (I clear mine daily) particularly if the system is used for a lot of surfing, it is however VERY unusual to have the history list cleared.
Unlike temp files the history list doesn't take up a lot of space, particularly if you have the history set to a small amount of days say 5 or 6 rather than 30.
If you suddenly find both the temp files AND the history list cleared when they normally are not odds are something funny is going on. That still isn't proof. What happens when you see this and want proof? Well that is for tomorrow.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
Lightfrog pulls in the viewers
The Drudge Report states that Good Morning America beat the Today Show for two days straight starting with May 6th.
This of course has everything to do with LightFrog appearing in the first hour that day.
Posted by Peter at 05:16 PM | Comments (0)
UPDATE! Coming in under the Radar from Apple.
iTunes 4.8 has officially been released by Apple and is available now for download at the Apple Website here.
Also it appears that the iTunes Store under 4.8 is now showing music videos, with more information here via Apple.
More news to come on iTunes 4.8.
Posted by at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
May 09, 2005
We don't need no sources
Well this doesn't inspire confidence in WIRED
Posted by Peter at 07:53 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip: Look what we have here (pt 2)
In Part 1 we suggested checking out temp files to find out if your teenage son or daughter is surfing where they shouldn't be. Today in part 2 we look at the history file (one of the most ignored but useful items in the browser).
In whatever browser you have there will be a history button shaped like a clock (Mozilla), Sundial (IE) or whatever. That button will show you the links to sites that browser has been. It is most useful to find a site you might not have bookmarked but it is even more useful in finding where your children have been.
Pt. 3 tomorrow.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2005
Another good article about blogging
Virginia Postel links to her great article (membership required) about blogs and the reaction of the media to them at Forbes' website. Worth reading even though we don't make her blog list.
Hat tip Instapundit.
This link will be added to the "What is a blog anyway posting" as an update.
Posted by Peter at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip (NO PREVIEW PANES!)
We are going to put off part 2 of the "What do we have here" series to address something related to the new Sober p. virus. Many e-mail programs such as Outlook have preview features such as the preview pane to allow you to see part of the text of an e-mail before you decide to open the whole thing. Unfortunately this does in fact open the message internally which is all a good virus needs to get onto your system, do its damage, multiply and attack the people on your address list.
Consider shutting off your preview pane. So it takes you a few minutes more to check your e-mail, it is better than taking several days to recover from a serious virus issue.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)
Even More Sober - Ing
The Sober.P virus continues to make news. None of it good.
Posted by Peter at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Look What we have here (pt 1)
If you have a teenage son (I have one and a second who soon will be that age) you will note that they have; shall we say interesting surfing habits. If you want to find out what is getting loaded on your computer you can check while doing your weekly Disk Cleanup. When the files to delete list is produced you will notice a View Files button. By clicking on this button you can see the temp files on the computer and discover just where your teenager has been going to.
What you do then, well that's your call. Pt. 2 tomorrow
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)
May 06, 2005
Before You Rush to Buy that New Computer
I know that some people are eager to either get into the world of computers or get into the latest craze, or upgrade an old system. Before you do so, take some time to answer the following questions. This will aid you to allay grief from not getting the right system for your needs.
1) Who will be the primary user of the computer?
A relatively simple question. Who will use it most of the time? You, your kids, siblings, parents, etc?
2) What will the computer be primarily used for?
This is a very important question to answer. If it's solely going to be a business machine, you won't need the biggest, baddest, most powerful computer in the market. However, if you plan to play the newest high-end games, or are planning to use artist's tools or graphics heavy applications, then you'll want to plan for a more powerful system.
3) Are you planning to have this computer connect to the internet? If so, what type of connection?
Most of the time, this is likely to be yes nowadays. Standalone machines may not need a security solution, but any machine that connects to the internet will need a three-layered solution (Firewall, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus).
4) Consider who else will be using the system and what they'll be using it for.
Discuss this with everyone, and make sure they know what you plan to use it for, though do try to leave some leeway for their desires, or if money allows, get another computer. A cheap man's solution is to let them have your computer. If you plan to let them use your computer, make sure that they don't install anything that could wreck your machine (such as filesharing utilities like Kazaa, e-Donkey, etc).
Remember, a computer is a major purchase and like other major purchases, it should never be rushed. When you answer these questions, make sure you discuss it with one of your technically savvy friends and they can give fairly good advice. Or, you could call us and we can advise at what you should aim for.
Posted by at 09:57 PM | Comments (0)
The REAL language barrier...geek speak
Every new computer device that hits the market is targeted at making your life easier, simpler, more efficient, and of course, it's marketed as easy to use.
We all know that's not the case and was brilliantly depicted in the the recent "Fight Against Computer Rage" segment on Good Morning America today.
To combat the frustration of needing help, many folks are faced with getting further frustrated when they call for support and can't understand all the geek speak from the other end. For those of you that agree with me, this article is a must read.
That's why the team here at LightFrog will never speak in Geek Speak, we'll explain what you want to know, or just do it for you if you'd rather sit back and watch. After all, your technology is confusing enough....getting support shouldn't be.
Posted by Lorie at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip: Spare account
Windows XP has the ability to have multiple user accounts. Even if you are the only user it is worth while to have a 2nd account available on the system. If your profile gets corrupted that extra account can be the difference between accessing the data and the windows recovery console. or a repair install.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
Stars of the Day
It was very cool to see our owners Singu and Michael along with Wayne, one of our techs on Good Morning America today.
If you are visiting us for the first time (and even if you aren't) LightFrog will be more than happy to support your PC, Digital Camera, IPOD, PDA, Printer, etc, etc, etc. We don't care what brand you have or combinations thereof.
When you are ready for support we have several different pricing plans to meet your needs.
Even if you don't need support today you can sign up and have access to our free tech tips and reports available for members only
And of course there is our blog here updated daily. Our techs, developers, management and ownership all post here, and you can comment on what you read.
Of course now that Wayne is a big TV star he might be posting less.
This article at the Washington Post has more on Computer Rage
Posted by Peter at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)
May 05, 2005
Today's tech tip: Passworded screen saver
Although this might be considered annoying a quick way to keep somebody out of a machine if you are leaving it for a few minutes is to set a passworded screen saver. This will force a person wanting to quickly use the machine to reboot to bypass it. This can be very effective with a work computer that you are constantly using. A password set to kick in after 2 minutes or so can be the difference between somebody checking out your system or not.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)
Lightfrog on TV!
LightFrog will be be featured in a story tomorrow on Good Morning America in the 7-8 AM hour concerning Computer Rage.
Back in the days when I still had hair we used to call that losing your temper.
Posted by Peter at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
May 04, 2005
A Sober-ing thought
The new version of the Sober worm is back and as nasty as ever.
Posted by Peter at 08:15 PM | Comments (0)
Today's tech tip (ok yesterday's that we missed) Disk Cleanup
One of the easiest ways to fix a problem on a system is to run Disk Cleanup. This utility clears temp files built up on the system. Your computer handles temp files the way the body handles drinking. If they are not cleared out the system will slow down, stagger then finally crash. In the slow down or stagger phase other programs/installs may fail to run properly.
A regular run of disk cleanup (say weekly) will make sure your system sleeps it off and is ready for the next days work.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip. Walk away
When you are having a computer issue it can become an obsession. You can find yourself staring at your system screen for hours and getting nowhere. When you find yourself at a stone wall my first suggestion is of course to call LightFrog, but if you are not at that point simply walk away. Have a sandwich, watch a ballgame, go for a walk, get away from the problem for at least 15-30 min. When you go back you will find that you will have a fresh set of eyes. I remember in my old programming days how we would stare at a screen looking for syntax errors and not finding them. It would always be the guy looking over our shoulder with that new set of eyes who would spot that missing semicolon.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)
Off Topic Big Sister Blogging
Yesterday I stopped by my sister's house to wish her a happy 57th birthday. While there I mentioned a fall I took last week down a flight of stairs (one broke under me) and a shoulder injury I sustained because of it. When I mentioned that it is painful to raise the arm she bluntly said (she never suggests she tells, particularly to brothers 15 years younger) to do deep breathing while doing it. Gracemary is a loud pip but she is a smart loud pip so I tried it. My arm has been able to move in ways it hasn't in a week and the movement of the muscles makes subsequent movement easier. This may save me surgery and/or therapy in the future.
So this is my thank you post to that loud pushy sister of mine who never went to college but still knows her stuff. May I never be too old or too smug to take her advice and be grateful for it.
Posted by Peter at 07:27 AM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2005
Rio Karma Review - via CNET
While I'm good at reviewing certain items, I have to admit when there are people who are more experienced than I am in certain areas. CNet gave the Rio Karma a 7.3, which is a higher rating than people may suspect it is since CNET changed their system around (1-abysmal, 5-average, 9-spectacular). Read the article for even more features on this very nice unit.
Oh, as a follow up of sorts for finding accessories to the Apple IPod, here is a link to Boxwave, a company making the accessories for the Rio Karma.
My own personal review of the Karma is very positive in most aspects, design, ease of updating firmware, performance of the device. The software that comes with it is functional, but not the greatest organizer I've ever seen. I'd give the nod to ITunes on this, though there is the Rio Taxi that DOES allow your Rio to be used as a portable hard drive and still play music. My personal rating is a solid 8.3 (10-design, 10-performance, 5-software).
Another note of interest, if you purchase any music from the apple store via ITunes, you will not be able to get the file you purchased onto the Rio. The Rio does not take the m4p format whih it comes in.
I'm only sad that the cradle for my own Rio Karma is missing. Maybe it's somewhere in one of the baskets of stuff in my room.
Posted by at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
May 02, 2005
Today's tech tip: Text to speech in XP
Hello all, adding a tip for those who like to try new features that Windows XP offer. You can learn how to install this feature from this site Text-to-Speech. You can learn how to configure and use this intresting feature. Warning it usually takes alot of work to get it to type for you. Good luck.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Eric at 08:03 PM | Comments (0)
Accept no substitutes
A quick note to the uninformed. This site is not affiliated with Lightfrog, although the point is well taken.
This site isn't ours either but I can vouch for the message personally.
Via instapundit
Posted by Peter at 07:15 PM | Comments (0)
All about blogs
The Mudville Gazette has a long and informative post about blogs and blogging in general.
Via Instapundit
Note: I will include a permanent link to this article in our What is a blog anyway? link to the left.
Posted by Peter at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
May 01, 2005
Today's tech tip: Networking applications
Eventually everybody runs into issues concerning hard drive space on a system. You want to have the most possible memory available for both applications and data files but as you install more items the system becomes more and more crowded. If you have a home network there is an elegant solutions that avoids the sometimes iffy use of multiple partitions on a single system.
Use a machine in the network as a file server while you use your fastest machine for programs. By storing data files on a side machine in the network you increase the memory available for paging and the install and running of applications on the fast machine. With this type of setup you could put several old HD's into one side machine from retiring computer. The side machine can hold an old OS and you can have it run a regular defrag to keep the files optomized while not having to run them as regularly on the newer machine. You might even consider keeping an older version of some program (say word 2000) on the server so if you "A" computer goes down you can always go back to the "B" machine and have the data ready and waiting.
If you don't want to wait till tomorrow for the next daily tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 02:04 PM | Comments (0)