Downsizing my tech

I repurposed my EeePC Netbook for my nephew with a copy of Qimo Linux for kids and it works great. Not only does my nephew now have a computer that is secure & virtually trouble-free, but it also comes packed with great learning resources & games. It also allowed me to reduce my computers by one. I now carry my Toshiba 13″ laptop that dual boots Ubuntu & Windows 7. The change required me to get a new laptop...

2 laptop suggestions for college students

Millions of high schoolers will be graduating soon and will be leaving for their respective campuses (campii?) at the end of the summer. These students will more than likely go to college with a computer…probably a laptop. I would like to suggest two possible laptops ideas for these students. Both of my ideas involve good systems that will allow college kids to word process, chat, email, listen to music, watch...

Netbooks – What are they really designed to ...

Today, I demo’d the original EeePC from Asus and the new Dell Mini 9. These Netbooks and all the others on the market from nearly a dozen companies have the following characteristics in common: 9″ or less screen size (there are some 10″ screens, but I start to put those in the category of ultra portable notebooks instead of netbooks) All cost less than $400 and some less than $300 Weigh less than 3.5...

Netbooks are NOT made for Windows XP or Vista

One year ago, ASUS started a fire storm of new computers that now go by the name of netbooks with the release of their EeePC.  I wrote about this subject just a few months ago, but with the holidays approaching and netbooks are high on gift giver’s radar screens so I want to explore netbooks a little more in depth. Netbooks make attractive gift giving ideas for a few reasons: They are inexpensive; usually cost...

Lazy computer users

Over the past few days, the tech news sites and blogs have carried a story centered on a quote from a NetBook (tiny laptop) manufacturer stating that the company receives 4X the returns of Linux based systems versus Windows systems. The more often I saw this headline and read the articles, the more irritated I became. Computers are still in their infancy compared to much of the technology we use today. Americans have had...

New Dell Mini laptops

Dell has joined Everex, Acer, HP, Sony, and the ground breaking Asus Eee PC in the arena of the netbook. Netbooks are small laptops with a screen of 9″ or smaller and a weight of less than 2.5 pounds. They all run on either a form of Linux or Windows XP. The Dell Inspiron Mini (click the picture above to buy or read more about them) is Dell’s entry into this increasingly crowded and popular market. Remember that...

Asus started a whole new trend

I just returned from visiting my brother and his new baby and traveled, again, with only my phone and my Asus Eee PC. As usual, the little laptop did not disappoint. I was able to keep up with email, work with my spreadsheets and word processing documents and do other web research as well. All from a little marvel that cost less than $400 and weighs less than 2 pounds. Asus was the first to release a successful mini-laptop...

WiFi is truly becoming ubiquitous

I’ve mentioned before that I think that laptops make a lot of sense for computer users who travel. With a great deal of our communication and information gathering tied up in the computer world, not having this tool when traveling is a definite minus. My family and I just returned from a short trip where having our laptop with us saved us a lot of time and aggravation. While traveling, we used the computer and a wi-fi...

Help! My laptop has been stolen – No they di...

Before I get a bunch of comments about the news story on the bad guys who were caught, it doesn’t appear to be the same bad guys at the moment. My stuff was not in the initial find and the dates don’t match up. Maybe the bad guys know each other, but until the police contact me with a find, I am assuming that my laptops are still out there. Yes, both my laptops were stolen out of my car last night. One was an...

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....

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...

Ubuntu – Day 6

I didn’t use the computer much today, but I need to write a quick blog while I’m working on my Compaq as I sit here and watch my DVR’d “Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” episodes from last week. So, that brings me to tonights word: battery life. I wrote a quick note a few months ago about the battery life of this laptop with Ubuntu. I can’t confirm it, but I think Ubuntu uses...

I want to be a computer teacher on a cruise ship

I love my job as a computer guy. Especially tutoring and teaching average people (seniors, parents, non-geeks) how too use computers. Everyday I meet interesting people, see new challenges and play with new toys. Today I was thinking about what could possibly make my job more fun and I had a great idea. I would love to be a computer guy on a cruise ship. Not to maintain the ship's computers but to teach tourists and help...