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Rick

Small details make a big difference

Today I saw two clients who described their situation the same. They each had broadband Internet and could get online with one computer that was wired to the network but not with a wireless.

When I got to each of these locations they were each connected to the wireless network but weren't getting any Internet. The first client was connected to the wrong network, an ad hoc connection to an HP device somewhere.

The second client was much more complicated. Like the first they were able to connect to the wireless network (even the correct wireless network) but not the Internet. It turns out that was just the beginning. They also had a printer that would print just fine from anywhere except from a remote Quickbooks terminal (too geek to explain). They were also trying to setup an new network based time clock.

Microsoft Sideshow to compete with iPhone

This week the tech world was given a nice surprise as Microsoft and many partners announced the SideShow device. The SideShow is a PDA-like device designed to be used with a Vista PC.

While details are still vague and only prototypes have been shown, the SideShow looks like it may prevent many windows users from switching to iPhone.

The SideShow is designed to link up to a computer via Bluetooth and it can be used for chat, email, playing solitaire, media player and perhaps even web browsing and document creation.

Windows Vista’s Open and Save Dialog Box – Video Tip

Vista Dialog Box

Windows Vista has brought us many changes…some good, many not so good. One change that takes some getting used to is the new open/save dialog box. It takes a little getting used to, but with some practice and tips in my video tip below, you will be in harmony with Gates' new monster. In the video, I include how to create shortcuts to your most used folders, explain the new Vista file hierarchy, and demonstrate how to effectively utilize the new dialog boxes you encounter when opening and saving files.

What did you do with your time?

What did you do with your time before you got a computer?

I know that I watched more TV and read more magazines and books. I have to admit that I also think that I spent more time outside than I do now (except summers where it is hard to stay inside except on the hottest days). My information gathering has changed. What I used to rely on newspaper and TV for, I get first on the computer. Or if I read something or hear something interesting, I research it further on the Internet.

What I really am aiming this question at is businesses. As much as a computer can help a business do more work faster and potentially better, I see an awful lot of employees and business owners waste a lot of time trying to learn a computer skill or solve a problem. Seeking answers isn't the problem, but knowing how and where to seek the answers is important to avoid wasting time.

Do you remember your password for…?

If you do any online shopping and/or banking, user name and passwords have infiltrated your life. Many of my customers can easily knock one-half hour or more off their bill if they kept track of their passwords. I get many blank stares when I'm troubleshooting a machine and need to log into an Internet service or web site and I ask the customer for their password. Often times I receive the classic, "I don't have a password."

Everyone has a password for email, their bank, any other online service you might sign up for be it banking or a community forum.

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 them with their computer problems. Most cruises feature entertainers, exercise classes, theaters and all kinds of ways to stay busy.

Cruise ships also offer wireless Internet access. Tourists bring their laptops, digital cameras and other gadgets along with them. I can't help but think that some of these travelers would love to take a break from the buffet and take a computer or digital photography class.

When to use CDs , DVDs or flash drives

With so many options for backing up today, people often get confused on which method is right for them.

Typically there are three methods for backing up:

1. CD or DVD

2. Flash drive

3. External hard drive

The method you choose should depend on the type of backup you are doing.

CDs hold 700MB (about 300 pictures) while DVDs hold 4,700MB. But the amount of data that they hold is not as important as what you use the disks for. CDs and DVDs are best for archiving data that will likely never change such as pictures, old word processing documents, important tax or financial records, etc. Once you write information to a CD or DVD consider that disk finished and do not try to add more to it.

Macintosh inching more and more

I really thought the computer world was simple. Ultra-geeks used Linux, cool cats with a little attitude used Macintosh and the rest of us used Windows. None of the three major platforms worried to much about the other and software remained pretty much platform specific. Then two years ago Apple released software for the Macintosh that allows Windows to be installed on their systems, an upstart Linux version called Ubuntu started to make a splash and Microsoft recently released their biggest dog yet…Windows Vista.

Today, I read a story that Windows users can now use the Apple Macintosh web browser called Safari. Dismiss the fact that hackers have already pummeled Apple's first offering at PC software and instead take a look at the tech forest. The tech forest is changing at a more rapid and significant pace than it has in nearly ten years. Microsoft and Windows are losing ground, manufacturers are now offering PC's with alternative operating systems, Apple is making a dent in Window's sales and now offering Windows software, buying packaged software is unnecessary in many instances, and computer users no longer crave or need the fastest or the latest and greatest.