“Beam Me Up” BING

Bing is continuing to honor Star Trek (and promote the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, the latest in the Star Trek film franchise) by boldly going where no homepage has gone before.

By entering the famous Star Trek “beam me up” phrase, Bing transports users to an interactive image of the Starship Enterprise traveling through space.

From the images, users can click on a variety of links that takes them deeper into more classic Star Trek images, trivia and links to videos.

It’s geeky, which makes it cool!

User Support Editorial Report – March 2013

Latest Technology

Rubbery Battery:

In the future, stretchy batteries such as these could help power solar-energy generating clothes, tattoos that monitor your vital signs, robot skin that’s sensitive to touch and other futuristic, flexible devices. Read on…

                                  

Tips & Tricks

The Best Adventure Games on Android
Which Outlook Add-ins Do I Really Need?
Let Outlook Read Email to You in Windows 7
Should You Use More Than One Antivirus Program?
Before You Give Away Your Kindle Fire – Factory Data Reset

Computer Safety

Everyday JAVA and FLASH Updates:

You say to yourself, “I just updated JAVA and/or ADOBE FLASH yesterday when it popped up…didn’t I? They couldn’t possibly want me to update it again this week”?

Yes, yes they do want you to keep updating it. Those updates are a necessary process to keep your computing safe.

You can disable JAVA and get rid of that annoyance; however, one day you may actually need it for a specific website.

Adobe Flash Player is the most common software program for viewing animations and movies within a web browser. It is installed as an add-on or extension into the web browser and is one of the core Windows programs that you should keep updated.

Here is the links to update your computer’s JAVA and ADOBE FLASH  today.

Bonus Video of the Month

MYO – Armband Gesture Control:

The MYO armband lets you use the electrical activity in your muscles to wirelessly control your computer, phone, and other favorite digital technologies.

Using groundbreaking technology, MYO is able to measure electrical activity in your muscles instantly. The result is a seamless way to interact with computers, and a truly magical sense of control. Pre-order for $149.

User Support Editorial Report – January 2012

Windows 8 with IE 10 – Compatibility Mode

Windows 8 only runs Internet Explorer 10 and you will find that some sites don’t work. There are a few ways of fixing this – if you’re using the new full-screen App version and get any issues, the fix is basically to try opening the site in the desktop version. (Does not apply to Surface RT) Click or touch the spanner icon, then click on 
View on the desktop option to flick over to the regular Windows desktop and view the site in desktop IE. (Introducing IE  10 Video)

You may not see the compatibility icon in all sites: If you see the icon, click on it (the compatibility icon looks like a broken page) to set the browser to a mode which is more amenable to sites that haven’t yet adopted HTML5 or are not expecting to see IE10.

 If there isn’t a compatibility icon, press ALT to show the menu bar, offering the ability to add your current site to the list (via the Compatibility View or Compatibility View Settings options) Add your sites there. 

Once there, if you’re still seeing issues:

· If browsing a site is still incompatible, in the desktop IE10, press F12· Click on the “Browser Mode” menu, then Select the IE10 Compatibility View, and close the debug view by clicking the X in the corner. 

· If the IE10 view doesn’t work out, then try setting to a previous mode by repeating the F12 trick and choosing an older version of the browser from the menu.

This tip has been known to work on troublesome websites.

User Support Editorial Report – January 2013

Latest Technology

Injectable Sponges:

Bioengineers at Harvard have developed a gel-based sponge that can be molded to any shape, loaded with drugs or stem cells, compressed to a fraction of its size, and delivered via injection. Once inside the body, it pops back to its original shape and gradually releases its cargo, before safely degrading. Read on…

                                  

Tips & Tricks

What is Google Takeout?
Learn Common PC Hardware Terms
Clean Up Your Web Mail Address Book
Create Your Own Google Chrome Theme
Best Products of 2012: Home Technology
Use Snipping Tool to Capture Screen Shots

Computer Safety

How To Prevent Infections on Your Computer:

While there is no method that can 100% guarantee that your computer will be not be infected with malware, there are a number of steps that you can take to lessen the probability of this happening.

• Clean out TEMP files
• Check and stop unnecessary Startup items regularly
• Enable a firewall on your computer.
• Get the latest computer updates for ALL your installed software.
• Use up-to-date antivirus software. Run a manual scan monthly.
• Use caution when opening attachments and accepting file transfers.
• Use caution when clicking on links to webpages.
• Avoid downloading pirated software.
• Protect yourself against social engineering attacks.
• Limit user privileges on the computer.
• Use strong passwords.

For more information: Visit Guidance and Advice Read on…

Bonus Video of the Month

A Day Made of Glass 2:

Corning’s expanded vision for the future of glass technologies. This video continues the story of how highly engineered glass, with companion technologies, will help shape our world.

User Support Editorial Report – November 2012

Painted Skies Theme for Windows 7

The sky appears as nature’s canvas, painted with moments of power and serenity.  17 beautiful pictures of the sky, captured by photographer Brook Burling. A free Windows theme!

Tech Resolutions and More

We don’t want malware, trojans, scareware, crapware or spamware. We just want safer, more reliable and secure computing for 2013, right?!

So, what are we going to do differently?  Time to get a game plan and make your tech resolutions today.

Tech Resolutions

1. Check your backup procedure: Backup solutions are not a “set it and forget it” process. You definitely need to verify the process is still working and that the destinations drive is functioning. And if you don’t have a backup procedure in place, do it now, please. (SyncBack FREE V6, can be used to automate backups to an external drive and Mozy is great for online backups)

2. Maintenance your computers: Just like your car needs an oil change and new tires, your computer needs maintenance too. Hire an IT Pro to come in every 3-6 months and clean out temp files, patch it, updated it, stop unwanted startup programs, check the antivirus and backup process. We all depend way too much on our computers to not be proactive and make sure they are in working order.

3. Check your anti-virus software program: Make sure it is up to date, that it is scanning weekly. Microsoft Security Essentials is my recommended product. It is available to small businesses on up to 10 PCs for FREE!

4. Change passwords: When was the last time you changed your bank logon ID? Yea…that’s what I thought. Let’s get that changed today. And for Pete’s sake, let’s use a better password.

5. Replace those power strips with “one” Power Surge protector. Power strips are great for plugging in lamps, speakers, pencil sharpeners, but not your modems, routers, backup drives, computers, etc. (APC  or Belkin Pivot Plug)

6. Clean it: Clear off old icons, files, folders and crap from your computer desktop. Put those files and folders in your Documents folder where they belong. I regard my computer desktop as an “inbox”, not a junk drawer.

Dual Monitors (Windows 7 Bullet Asylum theme)

Also, wipe down your mouse and keyboard. Bust out the dust inside your computer with a can of air. (Or have the IT Pro do it)

7. Organize and keep your computer software all in one place and easily accessible.

8. Inventory your computer hardware for insurance purposes.

9. Establish one location, one notebook, one folder, whatever it may be, for all your User ID’s, login passwords, email passwords, router settings and anything to do with computing.

10. Now go have a Happy New Year!

These simple steps will definitely provide you a better tech year. Best of luck with your other resolutions too.

HP Expert Day

HP “Experts” will be on some of their most popular small/medium business printer, mobile, and desktop/workstation boards ready to answer your questions on Wednesday, January 9th from 10:00 am to Thursday, January 10th 10:00 am EST (Wednesday, January 9th from 3:00 pm to Thursday, January 10th 3:00 pm UTC).

Go to the Forum(s) (see links below) and post your questions. More than 50 HP “Experts” will be on the Forums and will do their best to answer your questions. They may need to get some more information from you so please check the box “email me when someone replies.” (You do need to register to post or reply in HP’s forums)

The following links will have “experts” on-hand during this event:

Printing and Digital Imaging

Desktops and Workstations

Mobile Products

Oh and this is FREE!

Expert Day – January 9th/10th

What is Google Takeout?

I like to backup regularly and these days we find a lot of our “stuff” in the cloud. From iCloud, Google Apps, Skydrive, Dropbox, etc.

I have used Google Takeout before, but thought I would share:

Google Takeout is a tool that lets you quickly and easily download data that you created in (or imported into) a number of Google products. It provides the data in a variety of open, portable formats so that you can easily import the data into other internet services.

Google Takeout is a Data Liberation platform that makes escaping from Google products as easy as possible. Takeout lets you take your data out of multiple Google products in one fell swoop. Moreover, you’ll find that all your data is in portable and open formats‚ so it’s easy to import to other services quickly.

Google Takeout supports the following services at this time:

It is pretty straight forward and allows you to either download it all or select a service to download:

After you are done selecting it all or just one service, just click on CREATE ARCHIVE and it will pack it up for download. If you have a lot of files up there, you can ask the takeout services to email you when it is done.

Ok, now click on Download and save. You now have that cloud backed up. Be sure to backup what’s on your computer too!

Just Another Reason: We Don’t Do McAfee

Tech mega mogul John McAfee, wanted by Belizean police in connection to the murder of a U.S. expatriate, revealed where he has been hiding for the past six days: at his compound, in Belize. And police tell FoxNews.com they’re on the way over.

It’s a fresh twist on the increasingly bizarre tale of McAfee, the former security software mogul who founded the company of the same name. McAfee has spent six days out of sight yet hiding in plain sight, chatting on the phone with Joshua Davis, a reporter from Wired magazine. Late Friday night, McAfee told CNBC where he had been hiding the whole time.

via FoxNews

Why I Don’t Use McAfee - McAfee Uninstall Tool - Uninstall McAfee Security Scan Plus

User Support Editorial Report – November 2012

Latest Technology

Graphene, The Wonder Material:

Graphene is a “wonder material” 100 times stronger than steel and is so thin that a single ounce of it could cover 28 football fields. Once scientists figure out how to make large batches of graphene economically, it could ”radically advance technologies ranging from transistors to touch screens to solar cells to bionic implants.”. Read on…

                                  

Tips & Tricks

Share a Google Calendar
Scan a QR Code on your PC
Disappear from the Internet Forever
Find the GAMES Folder in Windows 7
Make Your Smartphone Ringtones Useful
See Your Passwords Hidden Under the Asterisks
Replace Outlook’s Boring Emoticons with Fancy New Ones

Computer Safety

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a kind of malware (malicious software) that criminals install on your computer without your consent. Ransomware gives criminals the ability to lock your computer from a remote location.

You may get a pop-up window with a warning that says that your computer is locked and claims that you will not be able to access it unless you pay. (Symantec video)

The attack usually occurs through a Web exploit or a so-called drive-by download, where the user is redirected to a Website that attempts to install malware on their system. Most often, the attack happens without any indications to the user that their computer has been compromised.

Keep your PC updated with the latest system and security software. Be sure to update JAVA, FLASH, Acrobat PDF Reader (or use Foxit Reader)

Read on…

Bonus Video of the Month

LEGO – Great Ball Contraption:

A 100-foot long machine made from Legos that moves 500 hundred little balls around through various mechanisms. It’s one of those things that once you see it start, you stick with it just to see what the balls are going to do next. (It’s a geek thing)

User Support Editorial Report – September 2012