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June 30, 2005
Good News Bad News
The Good News:
Things have been very busy here.
The Bad News:
This will limit my blogging a bit as I try to keep up with customers
Of course Wayne, Andy, Rhonda, Brian, Lorie, Melissa, Mike, Singu, Kieran, Eric, Troy, and the rest of the Crowd are just as busy as me, hopefully they can squeeze in a post or two as time permits.
Posted by Peter at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
The Wife is right it is all our fault.
SAPinfo reports that a study by Internet security company SurfControl showed that men are more likely to bring spyware into the home:
Steve Purdham, SurfControl chief executive, said men are more than twice as likely to use USB ports and to run CD-ROM and DVD media daily and in many of these cases their use is unrestricted by the employer. “They are three times more likely to download free software everyday in the office and this could well be exposing their employers to malicious threats unless measures are taken to better manage user abuse more effectively,” he said.
You just can't take us anywhere!
Hat tip The Spyware Center
Posted by Peter at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)
June 29, 2005
Worth reading for a change
Usually I just close the AOL pages that popup in IM but this one has some useful hints on identity theft.
When in doubt check with a pro and then ACT, it doesn't take long for the bills to catch up.
Posted by Peter at 10:47 AM | Comments (1)
June 27, 2005
Jeff Jarvis' Dell Hell continues
Jeff Jarvis' Dell Hell, which we noted here has progressed to the point where he is going to the apple store.
The nightmare every tech support person has is a person with many people listening declaring our
mistakes.
If Dell has any brains they will ship a replacement machine and make nice.
On a personal level as a lightfrog tech I am embrassed if I fail to solve a problem a but I would be ashamed to fail to deliver customer service.
Posted by Peter at 08:57 PM | Comments (2)
Lawyers + Downloads = the party's over
On several occasion's we've brought up file sharing and music downloads.
I believe no movie is or song is worth a possible lawsuit, ( I even broke down and paid for a few songs )
Now the Supreme Court has UNANIMOUSLY ruled that the file services can be sued for illegal downloads.
File-sharing services shouldn't get a free pass on bad behavior, justices said."We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by the clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties," Justice David H. Souter wrote for the court.
Any company worth it's salt is going to be making deals REAL quick.
Via Drudge
When the text of the ruling is available online I'll link to it.
This is the second decision in 5 days that will prove unpopular with a large segment of the public.
I personally think that if you combine this with this we could be seeing a whole new internet dynamic soon.
Reactions around the blogosphere in extended entry.
Eugene Volokh was surprised it was unanimous
SCOTUS blog has a handy visual reference for the rulings today, (isn't really needed for this one) and a great list of links to post on this subject in media and in blogs.
Looks like those who use P2P programs to download copyrighted music and movies are going to have to pay for their CDs and DVDs like everybody else.
She also notes that the experts were wrong on this one.
The decision is terribly out of sync with the future.
A big day for the future of the internet.
Her more detailed opinion is here.
Good Morning Silicon Valley's take requires a paragraph
But in the broader analysis, it's little more than a psychological boost. The Supreme Court ruling will really do little to influence the behavior of the hundreds of millions of individuals who already use file sharing networks. Entertainment industry attorneys could pound StreamCast and Grokster into a fine white dust tomorrow -- and they no doubt will, given the language of Souter's opinion -- but that will do little to curb the behavior of those who use their software.
Webby's World is worried:
This move will make many companies to scared to produce P2P networking software, with good right, and will make distribution of Linux and other open-source software nearly impossible.
As an IT professional who runs web sites, I see major headaches for my profession.
Pinky and The Brain's post title says it all:
To share or not to share, that is (no longer) the question
Jorge Babadopulos Jr has his own set of reactions:
The Other Matt's sensible post requires a paragraph
They have not ruled against Grokster explicitly. They have only opened to door for Grokster to be sued, if and only if, it can be proved that Grokster intended to promote the use of it's products for illegal activities. The burden of proof is still on the plaintiff to demonstrate that this was Grokster's intent.
Just A Simple Online Nerd: The Supreme Court Sold out:
Loudernet asks and answers the why's of stealing music.
Infothought is using a visual aid, of course his reaction could be to this instead.
Naked law sees a change in precident
Litigati thinks it could have been worse:
Things definitely could have gone worse. The Court could have actually ruled in favor of Grokster, applied Sony, and then Congress would have enacted some horrific legislation like the Induce Act. All things considered, I'll take this outcome.
Posted by Peter at 11:09 AM | Comments (1)
June 26, 2005
And the chips keep falling down...
Now the IRS is having security issues.
If the IRS can't keep hackers out then all bets are off.
Hat tip Tax Prof Blog
Posted by Peter at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)
Netgear routers and XBOX Live
Hey all, passing out this little bit of info for anyone thinking of using there XBox Live and a router. In this time where more of us are having multible systems in our homes, a router is becoming as common as toaster was. Well with it comes problems. One I have found for friend was Xbox live wouldn't stay on line after time would be disconnected or wouldn't sink up. After some research it seems Microsoft sends packets for the xbox in a way that some Netgear routers would actually disconnect the xbox.
To fix this you need to enable port forwarding on these ports and of course Upgrade.
# Upgrade to the latest router firmware.
# Open ports 88 and 3074.
Steps are here
You can also find firmware and updates from Netgear its self.
Good luck to all and enjoy. As side note it seems this problem only has been happening with Netgear, Linksys doesn't seem to have this issue. This maybe security protection added by Netgear.
Posted by Eric at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2005
Spyware from the big boys
This headline says it all Major Advertisers Caught in Spyware Net.
It is not a surprise but it is very foolish. In a society filled with choices there is almost always somewhere else to go to wit:
But the last straw came a year ago when the pop-ups began plugging such household names as J.C. Penney Co. and Capital One Financial Corp., companies McMann expected to know better.Didn't they realize that trying to reach people through spyware and its ad-delivering subset, called adware, would only alienate them?
When I'm going after spyware on a PC I don't bother to check if it is JC PENNEY or Bubba's Buritto Barn, I kill it all.
I've often said that unlike virus' people make their living off of spyware so its hard to stop but if there is a big enough company to sue the laywers will come out of hiding. How many computer users are there? How many copies of anti-spyware programs have been sold or downloaded in the last 5 years? How many computer users are there? Can you say CLASS ACTION?
via everyone's favorite law professor.
UPDATE Baseball Crank notes that the lawyers have some legal issues of their own.
Posted by Peter at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: No Multiple versions please
An easy way to get your system into a tizzy (does anybody say tizzy anymore?)is to install multiple version of the same piece of software at the same time.
This can cause massive confusion to your system registry that can lead to unpleasant reinstalls of operating systems and large fees to people like us to help you do it.
I have nothing against large fees particularly when our company gets them but wouldn't you rather just avoid the issue and run with one version on one system? Personally I have office 97, 2000 & 2003 at home, but on 3 different platforms.
If you must have old and/or obsolete software on a system, make it your B system.
If you don't want to wait for the next tip you can sign up for a free LightFrog Membership and get them all at once.
Posted by Peter at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
Shameless subscription plug
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With the LightFrog Worry Free PC plan we set up automatic backups to our secure server. 10 gigs of backup for you and the best part is it comes WITH the subscription.
Even if you DO backups regularly this is an excellent alternative to cover yourself in case a disk burns poorly. One quick setup and you're set.
And that's only ONE PART of the Worry Free PC plan, follow the link above and see how LightFrog gives you more for your money.
We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.
Posted by Peter at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2005
AMD + HP makes things interesting
Swap Blog tells us that HP is putting AMD turion 64 chips in their new laptops. This might counter Apple's move to Intel a bit.
UPDATE:
Hi-Tech Tools mentions that this will apply to business models.
Posted by Peter at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)
More business for LightFrog
Jeff Jarvis waxes on the support he had from Dell, it's not a pretty story.
Let me say on the record that I own an Inspiron 1150 that I picked up last October or November I haven't had a problem with it to this point. Of course all my support is through LightFrog.
Posted by Peter at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2005
A sure sign we have reached the 21st century
Instead of a chicken in every pot, a pol promises if elected, wi-fi in every house.
Hat tip Glenn, who else?
Posted by Peter at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2005
Prescott CPU's - A Hot Topic, Literally.
While not everyone is a technical geek, or build their own computers, I admit that I am one of them. Please be aware that the following paragraph is filled with technical jargon, most of which to the non-technically savvy portion of our audience are more than free to skip. But this is regarding the new Prescott CPU's, and how hot a topic this is.
Around the beginning of this year I plunked down a fair bit of change to change around a few things on my computer, including a new motherboard (Abit AA8 Duramax), a new 3.0GHz Intel Pentium Prescott CPU, 1GB of DDR2 533MHz RAM, and a new GEForce 6600 NVidia Video card. Oh, and a new SATA Hard Drive of 120GB.
This pretty much translates to nearly doubling the power of my previous computer, if not a bit more. However, one thing about these new CPU's. They're like the old AMD CPU's, meaning, they throw off a large amount of heat.
To the world of the geek, or at least to this geek, an acceptable amount of heat for this CPU should be under 45C (103F) when idle, and under 55C (121F) when under a load. Those of you who read our blog that have differing opinions of the temperatures, please lend a comment, I'm happy to learn more.
However, my computer is in need of cooling, and with the summer months here, even in the relatively cooler location of my machine, this becomes a real concern.
The new CPU's are faster than before, but the heat they throw off is intense. I didn't have the cooling countermeasures installed correctly at first and got the warnings as the temperature climbed up to over 80C (176F) as I yanked power from it. Kill temperature (the temperature at which the CPU dies) is, if I'm not mistaken, around 90C (194F).
There are two methods of cooling that should be considered, the traditional heat sink and air cooling, or liquid cooling. This is in addition to other ancillary methods, such as additional fans for the computer case and rounded cables instead of the traditional ribbon cables (taking up less space and improving air flow).
In air cooling, a heat sink (made of aluminum or copper) is attached to the CPU and a fan is then attached to the heat sink, which either draws cooler air in or blows hotter air out. This has been a traditional method for awhile, however with CPU's giving off more heat, another method has come up, liquid cooling.
In liquid cooling, a heat sink is attached to the CPU as before, but in addition, pumps are attached to the outer casing and liquid moves around these pumps by another unit which can be attached somewhere in the case of the computer, or outside of the computer, depending on how elaborate the solution is. There are smaller kits and larger ones, each with varying levels of complexity.
With processors dissipating this much heat, liquid cooling may end up becoming a more widespread solution than merely one used by custom computer modders nowadays. I think this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
This is one possible solution I'm thinking about for my own machine, and since it's a particular type it may need two items, as this is a bit more of an elaborate solution
Cooler Master Aquagate ALC-U01 linked via Tiger Direct
Cooler Master Aqua Trident Water Block linked via Tiger Direct.
Cutting edge technology requires cutting edge solutions. Call LightFrog today for more information!
Posted by at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2005
Wrong on China right of cell phones
Bill Gates and co might be Wrong on China, but it looks like his prediction concerning the IPOD and the cellphone might be right on.
On Wednesday, Napster and Swedish phone giant Ericsson announced a deal to develop the first digital music service for cell phones. The service will launch sometime in the next year.
This is likely to be the first of many such deals, in fact Apple is already on the move:
Motorola and Apple Computer are also working together to bring an iTunes-like service to mobile phones. A Motorola spokeswoman would not comment on when the digital music service will debut.Wireless carriers are also eager for a piece of the music pie. They "don't want to be relegated to the position of just providing pipes," Gartenberg said. "They want to be able to provide the value-added services. They carriers want to sell the music, not just have Napster sell it to you."
By working with companies like Napster, carriers won't have to worry about licensing issues since the music service clears the rights, according to Napster's Duea. Carriers will receive a cut of song sales, though he would not say how much.
The question is will the IPOD be replaced by cellphones or become one?
Posted by Peter at 08:29 PM | Comments (0)
Microsoft, and China continued
The Wall Street Journal weighs in on the relationship between Microsoft and China that we commented on here and here.
They rightly point out that Google and Yahoo don't have clean hands either.
UPDATE A Blogger in China puts it better than any of us.
via WIRED and INSTAPUNDIT.
Posted by Peter at 02:41 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2005
Today's tech tip: Adware vs. Virus vs hacking
The question comes up very often: "What is the difference between spyware, adware and virus'? Here is the 30 sec answer:
Spyware is software used to monitor your activity on the net. (stoped by anti-spyware software)
Adware is software that sends ads to your system to sell you stuff. (also stopped by anti-spyware)
Virus' are program that attack your system for no good reason. (stopped by anti-virus software)
Hackers are people using programs attempting to intrude on your system to plant any or all of the above (stopped by firewalls).
Because people make their living off of spyware and Adware they are more relentless.
Think of it this way:
Anti-spyware is the "No Soliciting" sign to keep out salesmen.
Anti-virus is the lock to keeps out the burgler.
Firewalls are the shades to keep out the nosey neighbors.
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 09:59 PM | Comments (5)
June 18, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: No you CAN'T check your E-mail
How many times have you found your system running slow after letting a friend use it for a few minutes? More times than not you will find new and wonderful spyware on your system after this is done.
Do NOT let other people use your machine for stuff, particularly if it is a business machine, it is asking for trouble! (P.S. I know I've mentioned this before but I keep getting customer in this situation so it is worth repeating).
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 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2005
Today's tech tip: Autosave
At one time or another everyone has had a system crash on them while working. This is the nature of the Windows beast to some degree and the lost of work is a pain in the neck.
One way to minimize this issue if you are working in a word processor/datebase program is to enable autosave. Most programs will have an auto save feature that will save work every so many minutes. In addition to keeping the work safe it might also shrink the scratch file size making the program run faster. (This will vary based on the application)
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 08:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2005
Healthy Spreadsheets = Healthy Mind?
This entry on the blog From the Director suggests that spreadsheets have more application than just the office. Money quote:
a large-scale study, found that students who used computers in constructivist ways to learn mathematics (e.g. using simulations and spreadsheets) scored significantly higher on math achievement assessments than student whose exposure was to computer-based drill and practice programs.
You always learn more by doing.
Posted by Peter at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)
Database for the Mac
Since we are talking spreadsheets today. It's worth mentioning that Devon Technologies has released a public beta of its Devonthink-pro for the Mac.
Hat tip IT-Enquirer
Posted by Peter at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
Today's Tech Tip: Scratch & backup sheets
Microsoft Excel is one of many powerful spreadsheet programs (or "solutions" as people like to say) that can make life easier, however when using a multitude of formulas it can also very quickly become a quagmire of formulas when you are trying to do something and a quick edit if done incorrectly can make life deadly.
A simple solution is the use of a scratch sheet. Simply copy the sheet you want to edit to the scratch sheet and edit it there first. You can double check your changes before they are added to the main document. In addition you can create a backup sheet by copying the original to it before the edit as well, either way it will help protect your data from the one item that is responsible for the most grief: Human Error
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 02:51 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Emergency cut and paste
After reading Rhonda's first blog entry, it hit me that although it is an excellent solution {I'll be testing it on this keyboard later today}, it won't help if you are in the middle of something RIGHT NOW. Murphy's law demands that a key will fail at a time when you will:
1. Have no spare keyboard around.2. Have an item or e-mail that must be done NOW.
3. Can't run to the store.
If that is the case don't panic, there is an emergency backup plan that although not practical for wholesale failures will work if a single import key such as the spacebar fails:
If your mouse is working you can do a copy [Edit, Copy] and paste a single character into the clipboard. You can then use the PASTE command (or Ctrl-v if those keys work) to insert it into the places needed. This is frankly a pain but will work if you just have no other card to play.
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 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
You want me to do what to my keyboard?
While training with Peter on monday night we were discussing various things we've come across while working in the technology field. While in this conversation, Peter was having an issue with his keyboard not functioning properly, so I suggested he put it in the dishwasher, he looked at me funny and I don't think he believed me at first. He said put that on the blog, so I told him as soon as I had a chance I would post it on the blog on how to do it.
So here is the proof.
Please note, this will only work on PS2 keyboards, do not and I stress DO NOT try this on a USB or Wireless Keyboard or you'll be buying a new one.
Also make sure you let it dry out completely before you use it.
Get the cooties off your keyboard
May 10, 2005
We became anxious after reading a recent news report about the germs, crumbs, hair and other disgusting things lurking among the keys on our computer keyboard, so we queried a usually reliable tech source for advice.
She recommended a good scrubbing: Put the keyboard on the top shelf of your dishwasher, don't use dishwashing detergent, set the unit to the rinse cycle (don't use the dry cycle), and turn it on. She said to allow several days for the keyboard to dry out in the air, because if we don't, the water will fry the keyboard's circuitry when we reconnected it. We were dubious. But the Red Streak Money section's Overwriters Laboratory Test Kitchen put four keyboards through the wringer. The result in each case was a keyboard as clean, hairless and ungross as the day it came from the factory.
Our recommendation: Do try this at home. But follow the directions religiously.
Posted by at 09:04 AM | Comments (1)
June 14, 2005
Where have I heard this before?
Microsoft's Robert Scoble answers the justified brickbats that his company has taken over this.
Rebecca Mackinnon answers back here but what seems to be missing is context which I shall provide:
The money quote of Scoble is this:
I've been to China (as an employee of Winnov about seven years ago). I met with Government officials there. I met with students. I met with professors. They explained their anti-free-speech stance to me and I understand it. I don't agree with it, and I will be happy to explain to anyone the benefits of giving your citizens the right to speak freely, but it's not my place to make their laws. It certainly is not my right to force their hand with business power.
This sounded very familar to me and brought to mind something I once read, money quote:
Carlyle, who had received the first money for his “French Revolution” from Boston, when “not a penny had been realized in England,” and who was profoundly thankful for all that this implied, as well as for the needed money, had now no fellow-feeling with the North. “No war ever raging in my time,” he said, “was to me more profoundly foolish looking. Neutral I am to a degree: I for one.” Again he spoke of it as “a smoky chimney which had taken fire,” and when asked to publish something in regard to the conflict, he wrote his Ilias Americana in nuce. “Peter of the North (to Paul of the South): Paul, you unaccountable scoundrel, I find you hire your servants for life, not by the month or year as I do. You are going straight to hell, you— Paul: Good Words, Peter. The risk is my own. I am willing to take the risk, Hire you your servants by the month or the day and get straight to heaven; leave me to my own method.
With 150 years of hindsight such opinions concerning slavery are odious to us. I suspect it will not take 150 years for the same to happen to Scoble's quote.
Posted by Peter at 01:45 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2005
And now Groo does what Groo does best
Is there ANYTHING that Microsoft writes itself anymore?
That being said I think their ok [Giant's} anti-spyware is awesome.
Hat tip Navjot's tech blog via Techrepublic.
UPDATE: Navjot's blog is old blog is closed and the links above are kaput. his new blog is here. It's worth a look.
By the way this is Groo.
Posted by Peter at 07:52 PM | Comments (2)
Today's Tech Tip Alt-F4
Anybody who has been using windows since 3.1 likely knows that you can use Alt-F4 to close the active window. This is almost never done since you can easily use the "X" box to do so however there is one occasion when it is your best choice:
If you have a popup open up, particularly one of those phony "you have spyware on your system" ones you might accidently hit the phony close icon and launch your way into ads galore. Instead click on the program box on the taskbar to highlight the select (if not already highlighted) and then use the ALT-F4 to get the item closed. It will be an extra step but it will help you avoid the spyware we all hate so dearly.
With RANSOMWARE becoming more common don't take a chance
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.
Hat tip to Web designer ramblings for the ransomware post
Posted by Peter at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2005
Yet another use for webcams
Personal web cams on the battlefield? Technology keeps marching on.
The hard drive on this headgear cam is larger than the drive on my B machine.
Posted by Peter at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
A disgrace
Anybody who reads this blog knows that I am a defender of Microsoft. I believe that they provide a useful product at a reasonable price and it is due to this that many people can afford to have a functioning PC in their house. However reading this Financial Times story, as quoted by Roger Simon and Glenn Reynolds and others, all I can say is the company should be ashamed of itself.
Posted by Peter at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Have you accidently deleted a photograph?
If you ever accidentally delete a photograph on your digital camera memory card, you may be able to get it back. Though there are no guarantees you can recover a lost photo, there are companies that make software specifically designed to recover lost data. Here is a couple of their links.
Digital Picture Recovery
PhotoRescue
Also, consider a LightFrog Music or Photo Starter Kit Session for your Camera or IPod, or even our Worry Free PC Service, our best value! Call LightFrog today for details!
Posted by at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
Great little PDF tip
Bob's Blog has a great little tip on retaining bookmarks in word or excel files converted to PDF's.
Posted by Peter at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)
Not just a music player
This book is an item no person who wants to use his IPOD for more than just a music player should be without.
Posted by Peter at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Shortcuts for copy and paste
Cutting and pasting text, as well as copying and pasting text is fairly simple. It can be done between different files, and even between different office programs. This also works with web addresses (ie. http://www.lightfrog.com). The steps are as follows:
1. Highlight the area you want to copy or cut. To highlight, put your cursor at the beginning of the text you want cut or copy, then hold your left mouse button and drag the highlighted area until what you want is highlighted. This might take a little practice depending on how senstitive your mouse may be.
2. If you intend to copy the text hit CTRL+C (hold down the control button then press C). If you intend to cut the text, hit CTRL+X.
3. In the word or text file, browser address bar, or portion of a web page that accepts text input, click on the area where you want to paste it so the blinking text cursor appears (usually appearing like a blinking "|").
4. Hit CTRL+V. Your cut or copied text will now appear.
Join up with LightFrog today, and inquire about our Worry Free PC Service!
Posted by at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)
A $500 mini Game platform?
Gaming and Tech News reports via EnGadget that the next IPOD PHOTO upgrade will include Tetris on it.
I think that the IPOD is basically going to evolve into the everything platform where it becomes part PDA, part music player and part gaming platform. That is in addition to the portable hard drive that it's always been (but rarely used as).
This is going to mean a lot of Lasex sales as the users of the pods get older.
Posted by Peter at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
And you think YOU have tech issues
Instapundit links to this story in INFORMATION WEEK on the FBI's IT problems in relation to the war on terror and the hoops it is jumping through to get their systems up money quote:
The importance of the FBI's revitalized approach to IT management can't be underestimated, one former FBI agent says. The past missions of the bureau and the U.S. intelligence community didn't prepare it for a war on terrorism that requires tracking individuals and small groups and making connections among them. "The amount of data and our ability to deal with it has never been tested like this," he says. Nevertheless, the FBI knows now that it's in the information business. As such, the former agent says, "If you don't make IT the core of your business processes, you're not going to succeed."
It really puts things in perspective compared to an IPOD that won't sync.
Posted by Peter at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2005
Here comes the future
Glenn Reynolds is reading FAB: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop--From Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication by Neil Gershenfeld and comments on said revolution in his TECH CENTRAL STATION column today.
Considering the changes in what people ask for in terms of support I'd say the future is going to be fast and fantastic.
Posted by Peter at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
June 06, 2005
Today's Tip How much memory do you have
Today we had a question from a customer concerning how to find out what you have for memory. Today's tech tip is the answer to that question:
There are two type of memory your system has.
One type is RAM memory, that is the memory used to run programs on your PC,
the other is Storage, that is the size of your hard drive for storing data
on the system, think of it as the difference between the top of your desk
(RAM) and the desk drawers (Hard drive space)
You can check your ram by pulling up general system information. This can
be done 3 ways.
1. Right click on MY COMPUTER and choose PROPERTIES
2. Go to CONTROL PANEL and choose SYSTEM
3. Hold down the WINDOWS KEY and tap the PAUSE/BREAK key.
This will bring you to the SYSTEM PROPERTIES screen
Under either COMPUTER or MANUFACTURERED BY it will list an amount of RAM.
This is usually the last value shown.
--------------------------
To determine Hard drive space, go to MY COMPUTER. You will see a series of icons. At the top menu choose VIEW and DETAILS and the amount of space in each drive will be shown. If you have only one hard drive your storage memory will be listed under C. If you have multiple hard drives you can sum the totals from the various drives.
Now I know there are other types of memory including memory built into some cards but that is a story for another 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 09:14 PM | Comments (0)
Apple Playing on Microsoft's Turf?
With their powerful entry into the mainstream of computer use by way of the IPOD it appears Apple is going to try to hit microsoft where it hurts by switching to the INTEL chip.
If Apple can make their system at a low enough cost it could permanently change the PC world.
Posted by Peter at 05:35 PM | Comments (0)
Excuses Excuses
Very busy day today will try to get some good bloging in when we can
Posted by Peter at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2005
Today's tech tip: Return it
One of the things that LightFrog is best at is fixing a problem that a person assumes is a hardware issue but turns out to be simply a settings issue on either the device or other programs on a system. Every now and again, however a system keeps coming back for repair or tweaking. In some cases hundreds of dollars have been spent on a device that never seems to work (read IPOD).
You might let the first or maybe even the 2nd time go but if you have a device under warranty that keeps failing don't hesitate to get it replaced.
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Posted by Peter at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 04, 2005
My search for “The Perfect Laptop” Part 1
A couple of days ago I decided to purchase a new laptop so I allowed myself a budget of $1,000.00 +/- a few bucks and out the door I went. I figured I would shop around the local computer stores to see what my options were and pick one up. That was not as easy as I thought. The first store I went to had quite a few laptops on display but one machine really caught my attention. I must have stood there and played around with it for at least a half hour looking at the specifications, opening and closing applications, just plain seeing what it could do. After that, I ended up with 4 computers I was interested in.
Now that I knew what range of laptops I could fit into my budget I went home and thought of the purpose of why I needed a new laptop, what applications I would be using and which laptop would handle them the best. I really didn’t feel like rushing out and buying something I would be sorry for later. Andy actually posted about this very issue about a month ago. You can see it here.
Posted by brian at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Today's tech tip: Double check the updates
It often happens we may figure some things are all right because we just can't believe they would be set up otherwise. That is a huge mistake. I have discovered over and over that you can't assume that updates are being done and run etc on a new system you are just checking out.
Every now and again go into your anti-virus and anti-spyware program and attempt to do a manual update. Some virus' will keep the updates from happening and may have already done so without your knowledge. Making this check once a month might save you a panic attack or at least a help session with us.
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 03:21 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Camera as emergency/password backup
In a previous post I suggested keeping a password on a stray notepad file with a name such as Fred to keep them hidden. You can do this a safer way by using the memory card of your digital camera.
When you enter MY COMPUTER the card of your camera is just another external drive. You can easily keep a small memory card aside with a series of master passwords. Even if the card is lost there is nothing to link the card to your particular PC making it highly unlikey that they can trace their way to your password. A camera card can also be used as an emergency portable drive to move data from one system to another.
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 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
June 01, 2005
Today's Tech Tip: Freeware
Very often people will go out and buy expensive software or items for school projects or specific jobs that they will never use again. If you don't mind a few minutes of surfing consider checking sites such as DOWNLOAD.COM you might be able to find a bit of freeware available to do the thing you want.
Of course if it is a business issue you likely want to spend the bucks but for any small issue a quick search will save you a trip and a few dollars.
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 04:18 PM | Comments (2)
Is he describing Lightfrog?
Net Dimentions has this interesting
post on a speech given by author Paul Graham at the at the Harvard Computer Society. This quote caught my attention:
If you build the simple, inexpensive option, you'll not only find it easier to sell at first, but you'll also be in the best position to conquer the rest of the market.
I'd say this is a great description of Lightfrog, particularly if applied to small business support, of course I'm a bit biased.
Posted by Peter at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
Adding formulas to Word
The Tablet PC Education blog has this link to this useful article on adding formulas to Microsoft word documents from the In Loco Parents blog.
Posted by Peter at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)