If you've been our customer for a long time or if you've read my blog posts, you know we're always talking about scams. These scams come in the form of phone calls, pop-ups and fake web pages. They also come in emails and text messages. Under normal circumstances, these scams are bad. Unfortunately, our current …
Category: Info
Stay At Home Task #2 – Part 3
In the last post, I used a video to demonstrate how to use the Bookmarks Bar. I mentioned in the video that, normally, you only put bookmarks in the bar for sites you use all the time. If you want to bookmark other sites – ones you would visit less frequently – you would store them …
Stay At Home Task #2 – Part 2
In my last post, I mentioned the Bookmarks Bar. There are a number of things you should know about the bar including: how to show or hide it, how to delete bookmarks (webpages) from it, how to rename bookmarks that are on the bar and how to get webpages onto the bar. You should know that …
Stay At Home Task #2
In my Question of the Week email this past Sunday, I listed a number of computing-related activities you could do while sheltered away in your home because of the COVID-19 virus. In the first post, I covered emails. In this post, we’ll switch gears and look at browser favorites a.k.a. bookmarks. When people read an actual book, …
Stay At Home Task #1
In my Question of the Week email this past Sunday, I listed a number of computing-related activities you could do while sheltered away in your home because of the COVID-19 virus. In the next few posts, I’m going to look at each one of the items and give you some “how to” information. Sometimes, my info will …
It’s Not About Price
You may or may not know this but we sell computers…and tablets…and monitors…and printers…and other computing-related devices. We are one member of a group which the industry calls “channel partners.” All major computer companies make models that only channel partners can buy. Likewise, they make models that only big box stores have. The two variations …
From The FBI
Yesterday, the FBI released a special scam warning regarding COVID-19, Coronavirus Disease. It points out many of the warnings I have already given you here on our blog. However, I think all our blog readers should read what the FBI has to say. I’m going to paste the exact bulletin here: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, …
Got Android?
No joke, smartphones are expensive. In earlier days, cellular providers made it pretty easy for users to upgrade after two years for next to nothing. Most of those deals have vanished. Thus, it only makes sense that smartphone users would try to hold on to their phones for longer periods of time. Whether you use …
R.I.P. Joe Torre
Suddenly yesterday (March 17, 2020), Joyce’s Dad was gone from us and in a better place. “Dad,” “Grandpa,” “Uncle Joey” was one of the finest men you’d ever want to meet. He loved the Lord, his beloved wife, Sadie, his daughter, Joyce, his grandsons and granddaughters, great-grandchildren, me and all his family. He will be …
Good Guys Score Another One
It seems like the good guys don’t win very often but once in a while, they do. Recently, Microsoft, in conjunction with partners from 35 different countries, interrupted one of the world’s largest botnets, called Necurs. The first question on your mind might be: what is a botnet? Simply put, it’s a network of computers …
Coronavirus News
In my last two posts, I discussed ways of knowing what to believe online. (If you haven’t read those posts, you should do that before finishing this one!) When it comes to the Coronavirus, there’s lots of false information online. This post is a warning so you don’t fall victim to a scam and so …
How Do You Know What To Believe?
This post picks up where the last post stopped! Rule #5 – Don’t rush to broadcast! If you want to be a trustworthy source of information on the Internet, this should be your priority rule. Often times, misinformation spreads over the Net because, in a flurry of emotions, people keep repeating something they haven’t verified. Perfect example: a …
Who Do You Trust?
From 1956 until 1963, there was a television show called “Who Do You Trust?” The original MC was Edgar Bergen but he was replaced by Johnny Carson. The show featured married pairs of contestants who were asked to answer questions, the husband deciding whether he or she would answer. A few weeks ago, at our …
Your Voice/The FBI
The political scene in America has changed so much during my lifetime. From Presidential candidates riding the rails, to visit cities to the Internet and Twitter and other Social Media sites. While the changes have allowed a candidate to reach more people, they have also given other countries the opportunity to attempt to interfere with …
Velociraptor Attack
Is my ear about to be eaten by a Velociraptor? I hope not! * Apologies to my Mac readers but this post is all about a Windows 10 feature - 3D Viewer. There's also a 3D Builder app you can download for free from the Microsoft Store. But, before you get into the Builder, I …
Explore The Store
If you own and use a smartphone or tablet, you're probably familiar with getting apps for your device. On Androids, you go to the Google Play Store. On Apple devices, you open the App Store. There are tens of thousands of apps in both of these stores and exploring them can sometimes be mind-boggling. Despite …
Why No Black Boxes?
Making sense out of tragedy is never easy and often impossible. So it is with the helicopter crash that killed Gianna and Kobe Bryant and the seven others shown in the photo above. We've heard all kinds of reporting surrounding what happened: perhaps it was the weather, perhaps this or that. However, what struck me …
I Remember, Do You?
If you're my age or older, you remember the days of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you're too young to have seen him when he was alive, the good news is that the Internet provides you with every opportunity to learn about that time in US history. (As a side note: when I was …
Leap Into Office Training!
A number of people have been asking me about an Office seminar or class. I haven't run one of those for a while so I think this is a good time to do so. On Saturday, February 29, 2020, (Remember, it's Leap Year!) I'm going to conduct a class on Microsoft Office. We'll cover Word, …
Holiday Hours
Here are our holiday hours for the remainder of this week and for next: Thursday, December 26th - CLOSEDFriday, December 27th - 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Saturday, December 28th - by appointment onlySunday, December 29th - ClosedMonday, December 30th - 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.Tuesday, December 31st - 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.Wednesday, January 1, 2020 - ClosedThursday, January 2nd …
Size Matters
This is my third post about monitors. I'm writing this one to review some questions people often ask us when it comes to their screen. Question: How is the size of the screen measured? Answer: Just like in the early days of computers and just like televisions, screen size is measured diagonally from corner to …
Digital Types?
If you read my post, Analog vs Digital, you know I mentioned three different digital connectors. They all have one thing in common: they allow the transfer of a digital signal from a computer to a monitor. So, let's just look at the differences. A DVI (Digital Video Interface) connection simply communicates a digital signal …
Analog vs Digital
In the earliest days of computers, the monitors which showed the images with which we all became fascinated were analog signals. Today, virtually all monitors are digital in nature. But, what is the difference between the two? Many desktop computers have both outputs so which is better to use? The technical definitions of analog and …
When You Care Enough…
Whether we're ready for them or not, the holidays are upon us! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and then the parade of major holidays follows. There's Advent, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years. Plus, you might be like our family where numerous birthdays are celebrated during this same time frame. (Not everyone can be born in August …
Fake Replies
Earlier this week, I posted about one of our customers whose email was hacked and all kinds of problems ensued. (Hacking Email) I found out that one of the people who received the fake email replied to it with the word "No." This person knew the email was a fake and, I guess, wanted to …
The 5 Ws
In my last post, I talked about using Microsoft Publisher to create posters and flyers. (It can create more than these two items but they were the focus of my writing.) I see a ton of flyers and posters for different events and I have a discerning eye when it comes to the layout, spelling …
Exploring Our Blog
Since we're now way over 300 posts and counting, I thought it would be a good idea to show you how to find posts covering particular subjects. Please watch the video below! https://youtu.be/TkGoHHO_aT4
IT Translations
One of the issues we come across all the time is that computer users are often confused by the lingo we throw around in the IT world. Not just acronyms but words and word phrases. With this in mind, I thought I'd create a few posts explaining some of the language we use. Today's post …
The Life Of Riley
A great majority of the readers of this blog are pet lovers. If you happen to attend our live seminars or follow me on Social Media, you probably recognize our Cairn Terrier, Gus, in the picture above. He is just five years old and he is a character. He's funny, very smart, protective, just a …
Mind-boggling Stats
Most of us use the Internet every day yet we often lose sight of what others are doing on the Net. Here are some stats which you might find surprising: Chinese tech giant Huawei says it's the target of about a million cyber-attacks a day.As of January 2019, there are almost 4.4 billion active internet …