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Rick

Why I don’t like the bleeding edge

Cutting edge technology is great. I love to see the newest trends in technology.

Cutting edge is one thing, bleeding edge is a totally different story. Bleeding edge is a term used for techno test pilots, those who adopt a new technology before it is ever around long enough to be considered a new trend or standard.

For example, cutting edge people are just now adopting HD TVs, hybrid cars and websites like YouTube. Bleeding edge people are buying BluRay DVD players, computers with two dual core processors and buy their groceries on the Internet.

Some technology that I consider bleeding edge has been around for a long time.

Windows Vista…Day 14

Windows Vista Score

I've been using Windows Vista for a couple of weeks now and although I have found some redeeming qualities about the upgrade, I'm still not sold on it by a long shot. One confusing issue for me is the massive amount of computing power that will be required to run the software. And that's not just me and thousands of others saying that, Microsoft will tell you straight up how crappy your computer is with their "Windows Experience Index" score. The score breaks down how your processor, memory, graphics card, and hard drive all handle the massive Vista system by assigning each a score.

Know your Internet options

Picking out an Internet provider in the good ol' days of the Internet was easy. All you had to do was pick a company that wasn't owned by AOL and you'd be OK.

Today the choice is much tougher because you must choose between dial-up and broadband. And if you choose broadband, you must choose which type of broadband is best for you.

Here is a handy guide to help you decide.

Dial-up – Dial-up Internet the slowest way to connect to the Internet, but it is usually the least expensive if you are comparing actual costs of service. However, there are other disadvantages besides lack of speed.

Turning off system restore

There are two ways to turn off System Restore (probably more).

Way number 1:

1. Right Click on My Computer

2. Choose Properties from the menu

3. A window will come up

4. Choose the System Restore tab at the top

5. Check the box to turn off System Restore

6. Click Apply and OK

 

Way number 2:

1. Click on Start -> (All) Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore

2. Click on System Restore Settings link

3. Check the Turn off System Restore box

4. Click Apply and OK

West Side Story Rumble Video

Before you vote on the poll this week, you may want to watch this video so you can see the gritty mess that is a real "down and dirty West Side Story rumble."

 

Fast forward the video to the 2:01 mark for the best rumble footage.

Solution for computer that can’t change desktop wallpaper / background

This solution WILL fix your problem, but don’t run away afterwards and forget about us.

HelpMeRick.com contains hundreds of tips (and video tips) that YOU can use as a reference for yourself and
especially as a reference to send links to your friends/family so you don’t have to write out or explain the steps yourself!

I am a man, I have needs

This article is a repeat from the newsletter last week, but I thought I would post it all by itself for two reasons. First, I have had a lot of comments on it this week. Second, all these tech names will create more yahoo search terms and we will make a few cents from it. Here it goes…

I bought a new computer last week. The new system is dual core, 1 GB of RAM, 200 GB hard drive and DVD burner and card reader.

I remember the first two or three computers I purchased. I remember how exciting it was to

Splogs?

Spam. It's not just for email anymore.

I often get the question of why people send spam. Money is the simple answer. As spam fighting software slowly matures and gets better and email users slowly (how dense or desperate can some people be) stop buying stuff from spam, the purveyors of spam look elsewhere. One profitable place they have utilized lately is blog's comments. Many web sites (including ours) encourage readers to leave comments. Spammers figured out a way to program Internet bots to automatically find these types of sites and pummel them with 'comment spam'. They leave links to all kinds of sites from porn to real estate and sell everything from Viagra to cell phone batteries. Again, some crazy people actually click on these links and buy the products or services. Cha-ching!

Even newer than comment spam is a phenomenon known as splogs. These are sites that pose as real sites, but are nothing more than a site full of links to other sites or more splogs. The sole purpose of these types of sites is to generate revenue. You may have run across one of these sites and not even known it. After doing a search, you click a resulting link and end up on a page full of advertising and links to sites with the topic you searched for but no actual information on the topic…that's a splog.

We can all combat spam in any of its forms by never clicking the links and for sure never buying the products or services they sell. It will never disappear, but we can slow it down and make it less profitable for these mud-dwellers.

A very strange coincidence

Today I was setting up a network at a client's house when their phone rang.

(I have changed the names here)

My client read her caller ID and said "Johnny Smithsky? I don't know any Johnny Smithsky."

I replied "I know Johnny Smithsky, he's a client of mine." I said.

"This must be a different Johnny Smithsky," she replied, "The number is from California."

"Ya, Johnny Smithsky spends the winters in California. That's where he would be calling from," I explained.

"I still don't know him, why is he calling here?"

Always check the cables

I almost gave up on a computer projector of mine that I use to teach classes. Spending $700 or more for a replacement projector made my wallet hurt. Desperate, I made a call to InFocus tech support and the tech suggested I order a new VGA cable. I thought, "Sure, why didn't I think of that." I always suggest that my customers or callers to the show check the simple stuff first…cables, are connections tight, buttons pushed, etc.

One week later I received the new proprietary cable. I hooked everything up and lo and behold the projector worked great. A simple $60 solution saved me the financial agony of replacing the entire device.