Posts Tagged: guide

Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
12
Jul 07

Sadly, dial-up Internet is still alive and well

The majority of people I have seen this week have been dial-up Internet users. In every case the appointment lasted longer and cost more money than if they would have been on broadband. In other words, the appointment could have taken only a few minutes. Instead the appointment took so long that it cost as much as three month’s worth of broadband service.

I carry most of the tools for fixing computers on my flash drive but two of the computers were Windows 98 and several of the computers needed updates or other downloads that can only be acquired online.

Being on broadband doesn’t just mean that YouTube videos load faster. It means your computer keeps itself updated better, drivers are easy to acquire, and dial-up glitches don’t occur. Not to mention the fact that you can get calls while you are on the Internet and news, recipes, genealogy, TV guides, maps, and entertainment are available faster than with any other media.

The most common comment you will hear from a broadband user is, “I will never go back to dial-up.” Dial-up is a handy tool, broadband turns your computer into a necessary and useful appliance.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 1 Comment
30
May 07

Make multiple computers work for you

The last few weeks I have seen many clients who own multiple computers and are learning to use a computer network to take advantage of printers, Internet connections and file sharing. If you own more than one computer and a high speed Internet connection, you need to consider connecting the computers together via a network. Doing so will allow you to own just one printer that all the computers can print to, take advantage of high speed Internet by having all the computers be online at the same time, and move files back and forth via the network.

Home networking isn't too difficult to setup and the benefits far outweigh the little bit of work and cost required to get it started. For a primer on networking your computers, visit our Networking Setup Guide .

Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
17
May 07

The Incredible Wikipedia

Wikipedia

What is a Wikipedia ? In the words of the Wikipedia web site, ?imagine a world in which every person has free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing [at Wikipedia].? Sound amazing? It is incredible. Wikipedia, in everyday terms, is an online encyclopedia that is free to access, unlike paid services from Britannica.com and Encarta.com.

Wikipedia plays on a term from the Hawaiian language, wiki wiki, which means super fast or quick. The Internet adopted the term ?wiki? to mean a web site where anyone can edit or contribute to its content. So putting the terms together you get an online encyclopedia that is free to access and open for anyone and everyone to contribute to and edit. Wikipedia can be found at www.wikipedia.org .

In 2001, Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger embarked on this project with enormous goals and even more enormous possibilities. It was decided that this project would be an open project. In the online world, ?open? refers to a project where no one person or entity truly ?owns? or runs the project; it belongs to the masses, the people. Sanger and Wales determined that allowing anyone and everyone willing to work on the project access to do so would be the fastest and most complete means of building this dream.

Today, a mere four years since the project started, Wikipedia boasts more than 1.7 million English articles and almost 3 million combined articles covering nearly 200 languages. It is a non-profit organization relying solely on donations from the public and a mostly volunteer staff. Because absolutely anyone can contribute to or edit existing articles on the Wikipedia web site, vandalism will sometimes occur. Again, the community rises to the occasion, spots the problem and rectifies it ?internally?. When left to its own devices, projects like these succeed because nay Sayers or not, good outnumbers evil.

When you visit wikipedia.org, and I recommend you do as soon as you finish this article, click the language of your choice, and then look for the ?Search? box on the left side of the page. Type in a search term keeping in mind, this is an encyclopedia so search for facts, people, nature, etc. You will get an immediate return of possible answers. Click on the one that matches what you are looking for and you will be rewarded with a thorough article on the subject complete with references to other Wikipedia articles and links to other sites on the Internet related to the topic. Don?t expect a lot of gloss and glamour when you reach Wikipedia, the site responds quickly because it is primarily text based.

As discussed earlier, if you are an expert in a particular area or see a discrepancy when you read articles at Wikipedia, by all means click the ?Edit? button at the top of the article. When you click the Edit button, you will be asked to create an account with Wikipedia (free), so that they can keep track of who is contributing and registering gives you easier access to add new articles or edit existing article?s in the future.

I loosely equate this tremendous project with eBay. eBay designed their service to simply be a skeleton of a commerce system and the people provided the commerce. Now eBay is a commercial venture and makes money (one of the few websites that do make money), but the model is unique and works well. When left to its own accord, people will govern themselves and largely be successful IF a basic structure and guidelines are provided. Wikipedia does this and does it well.

In the past ten years, no other entity, arguably, provided more change and worldwide impact than the Internet. The promise of a global information base available to anyone willing to seek it out and use it is here. Seeing sites like Wikipedia excite me about the promise and the future of the Internet. Take some time to look at the site and see what good ol? human ingenuity and community can accomplish.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — 3 Comments
14
Mar 07

Will old media kill itself off?

Viacom is suing YouTube (Google) for $1 billion for copyright violations. People (not YouTube) have posted clips (not entire shows unless the shows were under 10  minutes) on YouTube without Viacom's permission.

As a result, many YouTube visitors were turned onto Viacom regular programing as well as many other programs like, The Office, 24, Desperate Housewives, The Family Guy, Ali G, and Lost.

While some of these people would have started watching these programs without the help of the Internet, most people use the Internet to get caught up on episodes that aired before they started watching.

How does one begin watching 24, Desperate Housewives or Lost without going back to past shows.

Viacom must be mad at people for watching their programming? I am aware that many of these shows do not belong to Viacom, but I think it demonstrates how little old media (TV, Newspapers and Magazines) understand the power of new media (Blogs, Internet, TiVo, and Video sites).

If broadcasters begin suing websites for rebroadcasting their shows then people will have to accidentally discover new programs by setting their TiVos or DVR for the wrong time or the wrong night – something that is pretty much impossible because TiVo is smarter than the average VCR.

Of course people could just make it a point to stay home and watch TV on the actual night and time that a show airs… Ya, right.

I predict (yes, another Adam Cochran prediction) that within 2 years there will be a major hit show that is not found on TV or Cable. It will be Internet only. This will be followed by Internet only newscasts.

Within 5 years individuals will be the new networks. We will use Google as our TV guide.

Is it any wonder why the many in broadcasting and the government want control over video, audio and other high-powered uses for the Web? This is not a conspiracy theory – it is an ongoing debate in both houses of congress. Just as there are lobbies for control of natural resources, military and money, there are also major lobbies and debates going on over who should control the information and the Internet.

Don't panic. But be aware. Search our site and Google for the term Net Neutrality and you will discover how many groups want power over the way the world gets its information.

 

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 3 Comments
15
Feb 07

Dummie’s Books and Idiot’s Books

DummiesI don't hate many things (except lima beans), but I despise the Dummie's and Idiot's line of books. Why? At least three reasons:

1.  Philosophically, I believe that buying any of these books plants a seed in your head that you are not intelligent enough to figure out a subject (you can now get this abomination of a series on everything from marriage to cooking, and computers to stamp collecting). I believe that NO human being is incapable of learning and learning does NOT start with admitting that you are dumb. Dumb (in the sense of these books) is defined as "not having the capability to process data". By that very definition, it is a waste of money to buy the books in the first place. The entire premise is counter productive to learning.

2.   Take a look at some of these books, and you will notice that there is way too much prose. The books try to make the subject humorous and light and often are written in a story fashion that is counter to how adult learners learn. 

3.   Because they are written more as stories than learning text books, folks who purchase these books often either shelve them because they aren't conducive to learning or they feel that they can't understand them. If I had a nickel for every time I hear someone exclaim, "I bought the Dummie's book and it was so hard to read that I felt even dumber and more frustrated", I would be in Forbe's Top 100 richest Amercians. 

My blood pressure rises just thinking about the subject.

Many other good books are available for learning any subject. In the computer arena, I strongly encourage you to learn to navigate the help provided in every program (some are better than others), but they can answer many of your questions. Or, I like to recommend the "Visual Learning Series or Guides" of books. This series provides many well document screen shots of the program you want to learn about and makes finding what you are looking for easier.  One other series I recommend is the "Step-by-Step" series from Microsoft Press.

You will get so much further with these books and online help than messing with Dummie's and Idiot's books.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
2
Jan 07

A sure fire way to learn your computer this year!

When I am doing private tutoring on a computer I typically write step-by-step notes while the learner sits in the driver's seat. I think that people learn more by doing than by hearing.

However, my method is really only about 60 percent as effective as it could be. The best way to learn is by learning. In other words, having someone sit next to you and walk you through the steps will stick in your memory as well as if you teach yourself.

So, if learning your computer is one of your New Year's resolutions, here are a few tips that will help you teach yourself.

1. Teaching yourself doesn't mean doing it all on your own. You may want a tutor, relative or neighbor to show you how to do it a couple times before you start experimenting.

2. Stop being afraid of your computer. You can cause a few mix-ups from time to time, but consider ever little mistake to be a learning experience. As long as your aren't trying to use your laptop in the bathtub you probably won't cause any permanent damage.

3. Keep a journal. Buy a large, thick notebook and keep it next to your computer.

4. Whenever you learn something, write it down in the journal.

5. Whenever you write something down in your journal be specific and follow the points below:

Write a specific heading such as, "How to attach photos to email" or "How to look at my pictures in a slide show.  Avoid headings that are too vague such as, "Email stuff" or "Printing."

Don't leave out anything. If you click on your mouse button, write, "Left click on File…" or "Move mouse so that arrow is over My Computer icon on the desktop (main screen you see when the computer starts up)."

Never think to yourself, "I will remember that." You won't.

Read through your journal whenever you have a problem, even if you think that the answer isn't in there. Eventually you will discover that many types of problems have similar solutions. You will see troubleshooting patterns that will guide you through all sorts of problems.

6. Whenever you get frustrated walk away. Stop picking at it or it will get infected. Just give your frustration time to heal. You will be surprised how much enlightenment can come in a few hours after giving it a break to watch The Simpsons or Wrestlemania.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
21
Dec 06

How to send an email attachment

We have a few program specific tips on our website about how to send email attachments. Each step is broken down step-by-step.

 I am writing this more as a general guide for emailing attachments. I have seen a few mistakes lately that have caused problems for first-time attachment senders. Here are a few tips to help you avoid problems.

1. If you are emailing photos and you use Outlook, Outlook Express or gmail, download and install Picasa – selecting, resizing and sending photos is a one step process.

2. Don't ever scan a document as "text" when scanning. Sometimes this will open the scanner software's OCR feature which converts it to a text document rather than an image. This sounds good, but it will cost you a lot more time and it probably will just frustrate you.

Even if it does scan the text as an image, it will be a very poor scan, similar to what you get from a fax machine print out. Scan the document as a color or grayscale image and you will be fine.

3. Scan at 72-96dpi. Every scanner lets you make this change before you scan. You will have to look for it. If it's a digital photo from a digital camera, either use Picasa and one of the email programs mentioned above or download, install and use the Microsoft picture resizer to resize the photo down to something you can use.

4. Avoid attachments completely. This is possible if all you send are digital photos. Setup an online photo album with Picasa Web Album, Shutterfly, or flickr.

Expect this to be a topic of a digital photography user group in the very near future. 

Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
5
Dec 06

Proper care and feeding of batteries

I bought a new digital camera the day after Thanksgiving. Following Adam's First Law: Gadgets Yield More Gadgets, I have ordered a new vertical shooting grip and several batteries.

When the batteries arrived, I followed Adams 379th Law: Always Read the Instructions. I am thinking seriously about moving the 379th law up to at least 134 because I discovered some interesting information about rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries.

1. Li-Ion batteries run down faster when they are cold. If you are shooting in the cold, you should keep spare batteries in your pocket, close to your warm body.

2. You should not store Li-Ion batteries charged. This will degrade the life of the battery.

3. You should not store the batteries in any device. Strangely, this will over discharge the batteries.

4. You should not leave batteries on the charger for extended amounts of time. It is recommended to leave them on the charger for about an hour after full charge, then remove them from the charger.

Most laptops and digital cameras use Li-Ion batteries. There is no such thing as a memory-free battery. All batteries go bad over time, but hopefully following these guidelines will prolong the battery's life.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — 2 Comments
21
Nov 06

How to buy a computer book

When teaching my basic computer classes, I often get the question, "What is a good computer book?"

This is also followed or preceded by the complaint that the individual's computer did not come with a manual.

As strange as it may seem, there is a very good reason why the average computer doesn't come will a full instruction book. The reason is that there is too much to know about a computer to fit in a single manual.

Most computers come with a small user guide that shows how to turn it on and what numbers to call for tech support. Strangely this little guide is often a file on the computer, so you must turn the computer on in order to read it.

Another reason why your computer doesn't come with a manual is because most questions people have about their computer have nothing to do with the computer itself, the questions are all related to the programs on the computer.

For example, "How do I spell check my email?" or "How do I make a greeting card," are in no way related to the computer in general. Those questions are all about a particular piece of software.

Here are a few tips on buying a good computer book:

1. Make a list of every question you can think of (regarding your computer).

2. Break the questions into groups. Some of the questions will be about email, some will be about writing letters, digital photography, etc.

3. Go to the book store and look up the answers to your questions in books related to your subjects. For example, your questions about how to write letters and create documents will be in a book about Microsoft Word, Works, or Corel WordPerfect. Email questions will be in a book about Outlook Express, AOL or Thunderbird.

4. If you can find answers to your questions and the answers seem fairly easy to understand, you have found your book.

Every person learns differently. Some people learn by looking at pictures and illustrations, others like lists and a few folks like reading large paragraphs. Pick a style that fits your way of learning.

No matter what program you need help with, anyone with a new computer should probably buy a book on Microsoft Windows. Since all of the programs on your computer are controlled my Microsoft Windows, a book on the topic will have all kinds of tips and tricks that will help you make it through the learning stages. 

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 2 Comments
21
Nov 06

You don’t HAVE to log into AOL or MSN

Many AOL and MSN users have converted to either cable or DSL high speed connections over the last few years. This tip is for all you AOL and MSN broadband users.

IE7 LogoWhen I work with a high speed AOL or MSN user, habit guides their mice to the AOL or MSN icon. With a high speed connection, you do NOT need to log in to the service's browser if you just want to look up something on the web. Instead, decrease the time and steps it takes to get to the web by more than half by simply double-clicking on the Internet Explorer icon (pictured) from your desktop or Start menu. This will transport you instantly to the web. You only have to sign in to the AOL or MSN software if you want to check your email. Heck even that is optional, but that's a tip for another day.

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