Office Space for Rent in Tracy, CA
Broadband Expansion
CNN reports today that President Obama announced the support for the expansion of broadband into areas that are lacking this connectivity now.
Here is the CNN video:
Awesome! Let there be high speed access….everywhere. Then maybe telecommuting will flourish (oh, maybe not…the OFB’s have to retire first…arrgghhh)….
Virus Hunter, Part 2
A long time ago, when I was YeOldeTechy (I am no longer old, so I dropped that silly name) I had a few gigs cleaning up trojans, viruses, and other nasties. I actually was getting pretty good at it….
The past few weeks, I have had a string of computers that were either:
A: Slower than snot, or
B: Under the effects of a nasty.
Virus Hunter (ah….my new name!) on duty! All the aforementioned computers are now running slick as Jay’s Shelby Mustang….yeah he has one…
Here are some new, updated tips:
PREVENTION
1. Make sure you have your Windows Firewall turned ON. DO NOT turn it off….clear?
2. If you need a FREE anti-virus program, who better to get it from but Microsoft. Microsoft Security Essentials works well (maybe very good going on great as I get more experience). No more excuses….use anti-virus!
3. NEVER click on a pop-up that tells you your computer has a virus and to click here to fix it. Guess what you just did? You allowed a virus to enter your computer! NEVER NEVER click on something that just pops up while you are surfing. NEVER…hmmmm, did I already say that?
4. Make sure you do the Windows UPDATES regularly. This is important because many of the updates close holes that can be exploited by the bored idiot hackers (many of whom are very smart people).
5. Use a STRONG ($tR0NG!) password on your admin account. If you get a nasty…change the password immediately (assuming you can). Also go off-line…take out your network cable and turn off wireless. Stay off until the nasty is gone.
6. Go to this Trend Micro web site and run HouseCall….this is the program that found today’s trojan and virus. AWESOME! And it is free to run.
SLOW COMPUTER?
This is easy….grab a free 15 day trial of TuneUp Utilities 2010 and use all the features to speed up your computer. At the end of the trial period….you can buy a TuneUP Utilities CD at Best Buy that works on three computers (or you can buy it online). Money more than well spent!
CONCLUSION
Your computer can run like a young kid again….take the proper precautions and use the TuneUp application to keep it healthy and happy.
If you don’t want to do it yourself….you can bring your computer to AltamontCowork and I’ll work on it for $50….hey, the Virus Hunter is baaaccckkk. :-)
Speaking of baaccckk….make sure you regularly backup / synchronize your important stuff. You can do it any number of ways now, online or (my preferred) locally (I have a terabyte hard drive). Better safe than sorry.
Cisco Cius
A friend works at WebEx (now Cisco) and put a link for this video up on Facebook today.
Now that videoconferencing is real (thanks Steve Jobs) does this make it even more real? Does it also make Personal Telepresence real! Duh…who do you think thunk of that? (see link for the answer).
I guess we will learn more as time goes by…I’m trying to get one to play with…how cool would that be?
Update: I finally took the time to look a the entire Cisco demo…it is uncanny how similar it is to our PT concept of almost 20 years ago….even to the point of using Education as the vehicle…
Barnes & Noble Nook for Fathers Day
If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that my stand on e-book readers has softened from “firmly…staunchly…against”, to “I understand that the stories (and authors) are not going away”, to….
Well gee…..I now have the Nook !!
Was I enthusiastically looking forward to firing it up and using it (like a kid at Christmas)….errr, no. Was I glad to get it for Fathers Day? You bet.
I’m not going to review it here (or on my TracyReaderDad Book Review Blog) but I will say I have had fun this morning playing with it a bit.
What I found out last night
I turned it on and was connected to Barnes & Noble web site. I logged on to our account and the Nook was magically registered. WAIT…how did that happen? My wireless requires a password….oh yeah, the Nook has free 3G. Wow, cool. Lacking a WiFi “hotspot”, the 3G kicks in (which I suspect could come in handy at the beach). I then connected the Nook to my home wireless with the required password…it worked great, the first time.
I also found out that I had to enter my credit card number to buy a free book. Buy a free book, how funny.
Looking a the functions, I was impressed. I could load my MP3 country music to the Nook (a spot for headphones and a tiny speaker that actually sounds ok), there is a beta version of web browser, there are two games, and places where I can see my documents or buy stuff.
What I found out today
Again the Nook connected via 3G until I connected it to AltamontCowork’s WiFi (again requiring a very strong password).
I found that I like looking at the book covers on the bottom color portion. I can swipe the covers over (like you can do on an iPod, etc) and then click on the book that interests me to read an overview. When in the overview, you can order it, put it on your wish list, or grab a free sample. Cool.
I paid 50 cents for todays copy of the San Jose Mercury News (newspaper). Although I am still getting used to the navigation, it was interesting. I read several articles.
AltamontCowork member Phil shared a book with me…”B” is for Burglar” by Sue Grafton. I had the option to accept it or not. Since I have already read it, I did not accept. Sweeet.
I plugged the Nook into my trusty Toshiba laptop’s USB port and instantly saw the external hard drive of the Nook. I dragged over some pictures (photos) and a PDF file. Interestingly, the PDF file was a drawing but only the words came thru…a bug?!! But the photos (although in black and white) showed up fine.
Hey….Harry Potter is not in e-book form! Wassup with that? I want to read “Deathly Hallows” over again before the movie comes out…now I have to lug 22 pounds of book around with me….arrrghhh…
Conclusion
I have a ton of real books to read. However, I will tote the Nook with me to work and on Friday nights to Barnes and Noble to see how it works….I am looking forward to reading my first e-book on it, but, it may be a few books from now before I get that chance.
The price was reduced today (June 21) to $199 for the 3G and WiFi version, and $149 for a WiFi only version. Since we just bought the Nook on Saturday, you can bet Lori will be at the store renegotiating the purchase!
Commute Time Research
Just wondering how long it takes for your commute….this is part of a detailed research study that will be published in the Journal of TelBitConsulting….errrrr, right here. :-)
TracyReaderDad Book Reviews
- September 2010 Thrillers
- “The Quiet One” by Mike Pihlman
- Frozen Nook
- Ebooks vs Books for the Environment
- “The Associate” by John Grisham
- Top Earning Authors
- “Cool New Flavor” by Mike Pihlman
- NPR’s Fiction Bestsellers August 12 2010
- “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Second Read
- So many books, so little time
