Computer Support Blog

Earlier this year, earnings reports from 2011 revealed that Apple had become the world’s most profitable company.  Exceeding the profits from Exxon-Mobile, Apple Computers reached the zenith of both the tech sector and the business world.  Ever since, every major player in the tech industry has worked to chip away at the exceptional market dominance Apple possesses in almost every niche in which it competes.  While some manufacturers hope to sue Apple out of the number one spot, others are simply offering Apple more competition.  Part of Microsoft’s strategy is to more directly compete with Apple products in markets it had ceded.  With that, Microsoft is re-entering the tablet computer market! Read more »

Water is a resource many people take for granted.  After all, it is the exception to the rule when you turn the faucet on and nothing comes out.  Some of the neatest gadgets on the market – for scientific, municipal, and personal, use – pertain to monitoring various aspects of water.  From high tech gadgets like the YSI ProODO Dissolved Oxygen Sensor to the low-tech water filters many people use, water has inspired many useful products.  One of the neatest water-related products is the PR-32 Pressure Recorder. Read more »

Outside protecting business interests, there are remarkably few executives in the tech sector who make bold or frequent political statements.  In fact, the marketing gurus in the tech sector work very hard to make technology apolitical; the market should be everyone.  So, it is a rare thing when one’s personal politics overtly guide their corporate policy within the tech sector.  The fact that his loud dedication to free access to information clearly guides Wikipedia makes Jimmy Wales an exception to the status quo in the tech sector! Read more »

Social networking is, truly, one of the benefits of the Internet that were not entirely conceived when the World Wide Web was first being conceived as a communications tool.  The reality, however, is that human beings are social animals and Internet social networking allows people to connect in ways they never were able to before.  The result is that the Internet is now home to massive social networks like Facebook, Myspace, and Google+, and obscure, theme-based social networks like the artist community Elftown.  What is fascinating to see is how sites that begin as one type of website, like a sale’s site, can quickly turn into a social networking hub.  That is what happened with Ju-Ju-Be.com. Read more »

In the tech sector, the ability to get goods to market is exceptionally important.  Equally important is having a reliable supply chain that provides raw materials and manufactured components to your manufacturing and assembling plants.  For that, the tech sector relies upon the shipping industry.  But the best industrial shipping organizations in the world are surprisingly high-tech businesses of their own.  One of the world leaders, Panalpina, is a major support for companies throughout the tech sector.  Leading Panalpina through its own IT revolution is Monika Ribar. Read more »

In the tech sector, big is often considered better, at least when it comes to the size of the company.  Gadgets and computing devices may continue to get smaller and lighter, but success is often measured by one’s position in a large, well-known, technology company.  Despite that overwhelming pressure to conform, some people still strike out on their own and find success with their own small operation in the tech sector.  One person who has managed to build and sustain his own company for the past twelve years is Nicolas Vesin! Read more »

It is hard not to look at the advancement of recent technology and wonder just what the science fiction model coming out of the current generation will be.  From Star Trek to now, science fiction media has posited a future where technological leaps free humanity from the shackles of capitalism, consumerism, and want.  Indeed, one of the iconic moments of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was when James T. Kirk had to admit that he did not have any money – and that was set during the “greed is good” 1980s!  With so much of today’s technology geared toward simply getting consumers to spend more money, buy more products, consume more, it is a dismal time to consider not only the future of science fiction, but the actual future. Read more »

The tech sector, with its IPOs, patent disputes, and extensive research and development operations, can be a real legal minefield.  Most major companies in the tech sector find themselves, at one point or another, needing expert legal advice.  The companies that frequently avail themselves of their full legal options for managing conflicts, or who find themselves on the defensive from legal challenges raised by competitors, often retain an executive-level lawyer, the General Counsel.  For LSI, the top lawyer for the company is Jean F. Rankin. Read more »

As technology has improved and advanced, advertisers have worked very hard to find new ways to exploit it.  Especially with new forms of communication technology, advertisers try to integrate product placement and utilize the new mediums to reach tech users.  For those who lived through the meteoric rise of the Internet, the days of slow modems also meant a time when you could go online and not be bombarded by advertisements all over your screen.  The video game market has been one that is much tougher for advertisers to crack into.  Advertisers want to reach the demographic, as video game players spend several hours at a time focused on gameplay, when they are not interacting with any other medium upon which they could encounter advertisements.  Xbox Live is now trying to get users to “play through” advertisements from big businesses. Read more »

Have you ever wondered just what it might take to make the leap from being an amateur photographer to being a professional?  With cameras on smartphones and other mobile devices, it seems almost everyone thinks they have what it takes to be a great photographer.  But, in addition to training – your eyes, muscles, and with your camera settings – what you really need is your own equipment.  One of the most important pieces of equipment for a professional photographer is the printer.  A serious, professional-level printer for photographers is the Epson SureColor S30670 Production Edition Printer. Read more »