What we teach actually works!!

Today I saw a client I have not seen in a long time. They are a great family with four teenagers at home. One year I had to reformat their computer three times because of their knack for picking up spyware. While I enjoyed the money, I did not enjoy doing all those reformats. Reformatting a computer is my least favorite project. Gradually I would break them of their habits and have them using Firefox, AVG and a variety of...

Week #3 with my Eee PC

My daughter is out driving around with a driving instructor, and I took the opportunity to visit a local coffee shop and use my Eee PC. Asus announced their intention to release a small computing device that is too small to call a laptop, but too large to call a handheld device earlier this year. They started selling them in October. After watching the hoopla for about a month, I decided that the unit is too compelling...

Zonbu Computers – $99 desktop and $279 lapto...

Today, I stumbled on a web site selling inexpensive Linux computers that I think we will see as a trend over the next few years. Zonbu sells only two computers; one laptop and one mini-desktop. They can be purchased with or without a comprehensive monthly service agreement that actually might be a good deal because of the extensive support they offer. The system’s run a customized version of Linux and advertised as...

Some guys stop and ask for directions

I constantly get asked if I mind being asked stupid questions. My answer is always the same, “No. The only stupid questions are the ones that aren’t asked.” I believe and live that statement every single day. When it comes to computers, I love researching and hunting down solutions to problems or questions I’m trying to solve. However, I also know when to say when and ask for help. Tonight is one of...

No great holiday computer sales

I was pretty disappointed with the lack of good computer sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Prices for computer have been pretty low since mid-summer, but I was hoping to see some 2GB RAM laptops under $450 and desktops with 2GB of RAM for less than that. Maybe we will see some lower prices before Christmas Eve. Adam didn’t post any outstanding deals on digital cameras either, so I’m assuming that the...

Sleepy Tryptophan effect is a Thanksgiving myth!

Most people will not read this post in time to help this Thanksgiving, but hopefully it will come in handy for next Thanksgiving and future poultry dinners to come. The tryptophan effect is a myth. That’s right. Every Thanksgiving after the big meal I hear family members complain that the tryptophan is kicking in as they feel a sudden sleepiness. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is in turkey and does cause sleepiness....

ASUS Eee Laptop PC released today

Remember how excited I was yesterday when I talked about the $199 PC from WalMart? Well, I’m equally excited today with the official release of the ASUS Eee Laptop starting at $299! This little gem promises to unleash a whole new genre of what I want to call Internet Appliances 2.0. I’m hoping to get my hands on a review unit soon, but in the mean time, read this thoroughly written article from Dave Altavia at...

Brand New Computer for $199

I am getting really excited!! Ubuntu Linux, Splashtop motherboards, fast Internet connections, and Web 2.0 are all starting to bring us to the next generation of Microsoft-free, cheap computing. At least 80% of the computer users I help in their homes or offices do not really need or utilize the power of a full blown Windows (or Mac) computer. You’ve heard this soap box from me before; computer users who only use word...

New computer recommendations

At least once a year, I write a short article about my current computer recommendations. The holiday season is upon us, and I haven’t written an article like this in awhile, so here goes. In the past six months, I ask more questions than I give when approached with this question. Scenario 1 If I find that the person has a 2-4 year old computer with Windows XP, and just thinks the computer is slow, I go with this...

Reconsidering extended warranties

I think that electronics aren’t as well made as they used to be. Correction: I know that electronics aren’t as well made as they used to be. Not only are products more fragile and flimsy but repair costs are rising. Both of these facts have caused me to reconsider my opinion of extended warranties. Not all extended warranties are a good deal, but I used to feel that they were almost always a waste of money....

Demand compensation from Microsoft

If I was independently wealthy, I would give discounts to customers with Windows Vista. Alas, I am not independently wealthy and my business supports my family, so I charge for time I spend in a client’s office or home. One customer , today, could have saved 30-40% off their bill had they bought one of the few remaining laptops with Windows XP. This brand new Toshiba laptop with only 1 GB of RAM (half of the minimum...

Social Engineering

A client and I had a discussion today about online safety when shopping or banking. She expressed some concern about the VA security breach last year where 1000′s of our vets had their identities at risk. And a few years ago we heard about the massive loss of customer information at a huge marketing company. None of these events were due to “computer hacking” in the way most of us think of hacking. An...

Mission Accomplished

As I wrote about on Friday, this was a busy work weekend for me. I think three of the computers I worked on offer an interesting comparison in operating systems. One laptop was a brand new HP with 2 GB of RAM and Windows Vista, but the owner wanted me to install Windows XP and take off Windows Vista. He uses it primarily for traveling and downloading his digital photos while traveling and just didn’t like the lack...

Need for technology proportionate to family proxim...

Two of the past four weekends I have left every piece of technology behind (except for my camera) and taken my family into the mountains. My cell phone, my laptop, my XBox, my projector, and even the portable DVD players stayed behind. The drive to where we were camping was less than three hours and we kept the kids busy the old fashioned way. We stopped at overlooks, rest stops, gas stations and told stories. The kids got...

Ubuntu – Day 14 – Final Report

  I can’t believe it has been two weeks already that I’ve used Ubuntu Linux exclusively. If I had to sum up the experience in one word, that word would be “satisfying.” And my regular readers/listeners know that I can’t sum anything up in one word, so I will use this format to provide a complete synopsis of my Ubuntu thoughts. Minimum Requirements Ubuntu and its derivatives can run...