Computer Support Blog

The computer keyboard is a tough device to customize.  Computer keyboards are a standard device with a standard layout.  Keyboards have remained virtually unchanged in form and function from the typewriter to the earliest computers to now.  With smartphones, tablet computers, notebook computers and virtually every display interface made in a way that offers options for customizing, the keyboard remains one of the least personal, least customizable computer devices.  MapKeyboard changes that!

MapKeyboard is a program from InchWest that is available for free (though if you find it useful, you may donate funds to them) online.  MapKeyboard is not a virtual keyboard in the physical sense, but it does essentially create a virtual keyboard within your computer.  With MapKeyboard, you may reassign the values of each keyboard keystroke.  Have you always wished that the “a” key was where the “h” key is?  With MapKeyboard installed, you can program your computer so hitting the “h” key reads as “a” to your computer!  MapKeyboard allows you to reassign all 101 keys on a standard keyboard or even eliminate keys from functioning.  If you constantly, accidentally hit the “Print Screen” key, you may use MapKeyboard to disable the key!

MapKeyboard has a surprising number of practical applications.  If you are an editor who finds yourself editing works where one or two words – like “a” or “the” – need to continually be inserted into document, you can program MapKeyboard to make any four lined-up keys spell those words!  Through such customized programming applications you may increase your productivity.

As a security measure, MapKeyboard may be absolutely invaluable.  If you are one of the many people who loathes having to change your passwords because you cannot keep track of them, MapKeyboard may allow you enhanced security.  Instead of changing your password, you can change your keyboard.  Then, even if someone knew your password, when they attempted to type it using traditional keystrokes, they would essentially be inputting gibberish.

MapKeyboard works on Windows 7, 2008 and Vista and prior versions of the program which you may find online with ease worked with Mac computers as well.  For those who want everything their own way, MapKeyboard allows you to customize your keyboard.  It is about time.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

In 2011, Lenovo had a lot to be happy about.  Rescuecom named the computer manufacturer Lenovo one of the most reliable computers on the market in the First Quarter 2011 Reliability Report.  As the creator of one of the most reliable PCs on the market, Lenovo is looking to broaden its horizons.  Lenovo has chosen to branch out into the gaming console market and 2012 may well see the first Lenovo gaming console.

Lenovo announced the iSec and is planning to release the console in May of 2012.  The iSec, which is an acronym for “Sports Entertainment Center,” will be released first in China.  Chinese citizens are not allowed to purchase or own most of the popular gaming consoles they manufacture in their own country.  As a result, Lenovo’s iSec will not be competing with the Wii, Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 for the hearts and minds of China’s consumers!  Not having to compete against the big consoles that dominate the U.S. gaming market gives Lenovo hope for a successful product launch.

Lenovo also has a potential advantage in China with its interface.  Lenovo is continuing to pioneer motion capture technology with its iSec.  Your body will act as the controller for the iSec; there will not be any external controller to play the games the programmers are developing for Lenovo’s new platform.  Lenovo is showing real forethought in its market with the controller-less approach to launch its gaming system; the Asian markets have shown a strong predilection toward physical video games.  Dance video games, which are sweeping through the popular youth culture of the United States now, were hugely popular in Asian countries before the U.S. “discovered” them.

Eedoo Technology, a Beijing-based partner with Lenovo on the iSec, is not limiting its software developing to sports-related projects.  Already, eedoo has showcased a fantasy adventure program for the iSec, which broadens its appeal in the gaming community.  As well, the iSec features an interface with the user’s home stereo system.  This transforms the iSec from a gaming console into a full entertainment system.  The first major application that makes the iSec into a full entertainment system allows the gaming console to be used as a karaoke machine.

Whether Lenovo is successful with the iSec or not, the company seems to have done its homework in designing a gaming system that enters a rather flooded market with some new ideas.  If the iSec is successful in China, Lenovo could release the gaming consoles in the United States in time for a late-2012 release.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Geeks, as a general rule, tend to be a highly-educated, highly literate subculture in the United States.  Part of the reason geeks end up so smart is that they are raised smart.  Geek families tend to teach acceptance, manners and commitment to the things that interest them.  In other words, not even having children can keep geek parents from watching their Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica or other smart science fiction television shows or movies.  George Lucas seemed to understand that, and the eagerness geek parents have for sharing their beloved programs with their children, when he designed programs like Yoda’s Challenge for the Lucas Learning branch of Lucasfilm.

The Star Wars Yoda’s Challenge program has been winning awards since 1999 when Lucas Learning introduced it and the program remains popular with parents and children to this day.  Yoda’s Challenge is educational software intended for children ages six and up and for students in grades one through four.  One of the first key selling points of Yoda’s Challenge is its ability to grow with your child.  Yoda’s Challenge features four different skill levels that parents may change.  This allows you to use the same basic program to adapt to your child’s individual learning curve.

Yoda’s Challenge comes on CD-ROM and is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh computers.  Macintosh computers running OS 7.6 or higher should have no trouble installing Yoda’s Challenge.  For Windows users, patches may be required from Microsoft as Lucas Learning wrote Yoda’s Challenge for use on Windows 95/98 systems!

Do not let the age of the software give you pause!  Yoda’s Challenge is as useful and cool today as it was when Lucas Learning released it over a decade ago!  Yoda’s Challenge helps children learn how to read both words and basic sheet music.  Beyond the concrete skills, Yoda’s Challenge encourages logical development through challenges that require deductive reasoning in order for students to progress to the next level.  Children learn spatial relations and how to manipulate objects through tangram puzzles.

Lucas Learning keeps children stimulated by disguising their education as fun.  Activities like piloting a ship through a cave help children learn directions and the properties of motion, without explicitly directing the student.  The entire interface for Yoda’s Challenge is Star Wars based, so children who have seen the movies with their parents – or watch The Clone Wars animated series – will recognize characters and scenarios from the movies.  Because the setting if familiar to children, they are more likely to absorb the lessons than through unique or new environment.

George Lucas’s commitment to education is impossible to deny with cool programs like Yoda’s Challenge from Lucas Learning which uses a galaxy far, far away to teach your child right in your own home!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

There are few computer accessories that show little or no change from when the personal computer became a household item, but arguably the device that has changed the least is the keyboard.  The keyboard is essentially the same layout as a classic typewriter with an extra number pad on it.  While the ergonomic keyboards broke up the solid keyboards and wireless keyboards made your keyboard more portable, those improvements left the basic keyboard remarkably intact.  The leap forward for keyboards that we have been waiting for finally comes with the Cellulon Virtual Laser Keyboard “Magic Cube.”

As the name implies, the Magic Cube projects a keyboard using lasers to create a keyboard anywhere you might want one.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is only physical in that it requires a surface to be projected onto; the only physical component to this cool device is the Magic Cube.  The Magic Cube is a laser projector and it is a comparatively small device at that.  At 1.5” wide by 2.95” tall by 1.14” deep, the Magic Box is very easy to transport.  The Magic Cube connects to a PC, laptop computer or any smartphone with a USB port.  Connecting your Magic Cube to a USB port allows you to swap the Virtual Laser Keyboard between any of your computers, tablets or smartphones with which you type.

The Virtual Laser Keyboard is a red laser projection that comes from the Magic Cube to any flat surface nearby.  While the Magic Cubes come in several stylish colors, to date they only project red virtual keyboards.  The projection is a standard QWERTY-style keyboard, so in that way Cellulon maintains the familiarity of the classic keyboard.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard operates easily, with the projected “keys” typing letter on your computer when you break the beam associated with a specific letter.  As a result, you do not need to vigorously press against the surface upon which the Virtual Laser Keyboard is projected.  This makes the Virtual Laser Keyboard ideal for those who have injured hands or overly sensitive fingers.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is also ideal for travelers who might not have a lot of space before them upon which to project the keyboard.  They may use a smaller surface area for the virtual keyboard, simply by projecting the keyboard with a more narrow focus!

While the standard price of $170 for the Virtual Laser Keyboard may seem steep for personal use, it is a steal for industrial and scientific settings where space is at a premium or industrial elements require you to replace a keyboard frequently.  Because there are no physical keys for the Virtual Laser Keyboard, there are no keys to gum up!

The Virtual Laser Keyboard from the Magic Cube is the next leap forward for both the convenience of a full-sized keyboard and the flexibility of a portable device.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

While scientists work to engineer a completely artificial hamburger, computers are actually improving the agriculture industry in more appealing and practical ways.  Computer usage and ownership has been increasing in the United States steadily since 2001when the USDA began first seriously tracking computers on farms.  But just how do farms and computers relate?

In 2011, the USDA reported that 65% of U.S. farms have access to a computer, with 63% owning or leasing their own computer.  That statistic is significant in that it indicates that the agriculture industry is the most vital industry in the nation with the lowest computer penetration.  While large-scale farms have adopted the computer to aid in the business of agriculture, many family farms and farms run by an older generation of farmer have actively refused computer integration.

The farms that use computers largely use them for their Internet capabilities.  95% of farms that have a computer have Internet access.  The World Wide Web is being used to connect farmers across the country.  Oddly, it is the resistance of traditional farmers that may be hurting their own business.  The Internet provides local farmers with a new avenue to reach specialized local markets.  However, the USDA found that farms making sales between ten and one hundred thousand dollars only use their computers for farm business 41% of the time!  This is in stark contrast to the farms with sales above $250,000.  Those farms used the computer for farm business 72% of the time.  The willingness to use advancing computer technologies allows larger and specialized farms to continue to grow.

The most common use for computers on farms involves data storage.  Farmers use computers to keep track of workers and inventory.  While many of the smaller farms, the ones that resist the computer, still use traditional bookkeeping methods, most computer-connected farms use computers for keeping track of workers and payroll.  As well, computers help tech-savvy farmers keep a closer eye on inventory and supply chain issues.  By computerizing their feed and fertilizer inventories, farmers using computers provide more precise estimates to economic forecasters.  The estimates developed by economists from data supplied by farmers has been more accurately able to predict price spikes in the price of a gallon of milk, which is one of several key indicators in calculating the poverty line!

Farmers are also using their computers to get more accurate meteorological and climatological data.  Getting data on the weather is vital for farmers, especially crop farmers.  Livestock farmers are also helping to provide environmental scientists with data that is helping to predict and regulate more accurately the environmental impact of agricultural production, like the beef industry.  The flow of information both ways has helped to create sophisticated models that have prevented further outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease.

The agriculture industry may be the last big holdout in accepting the role of the computer, but those farmers that have adapted to the times are discovering the benefits of the computer outweigh the discomfort of change.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

In revamping the aviation industry to revolutionize air travel, many new products and technologies are being developed.  One of the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest priorities is to replace outdated systems that have been in place since the 1950s.  To that end, the FAA has developed products like the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and it is working on revolutionizing the communications systems between air traffic controllers and support workers at airplane terminals.  Another product integral to the NextGen program for changing the airline industry is the System Wide Information Management system.

The System Wide Information Management system is a new software system for the airline industry.  Created as a new, uniform operating system, SWIM is responsible for correlating data in the new vision of the aviation industry.  SWIM has essentially created a National Airspace System intranet and it is one of the NextGen programs that is already up and running.

The aviation industry employs a ridiculous number of computer systems to gather and correlate data.  In addition to plane movements, weather patterns and atmospheric conditions, the FAA receives data from the military, the government and small civilian airports.  Many of those organizations have their own intranets and when they provide data to the FAA, it is not in a form that is easily usable by the FAA.  For the past fifty years, there have been many jobs in the military and civilian sectors manually re-entering data from those disparate sources for the FAA.  Remedying the problems that come from trying to mediate between all of the systems aviation computers is why the FAA developed SWIM.

SWIM eliminates the need for manually re-entering data into an FAA-based program.  The innovative System Wide Information Management software collects data from the National Airspace System affiliates and correlates it into a standardized database.  SWIM provides a new, uniform interface, which will make jobs in the aviation industry much more portable.  With SWIM fully realized, a technician working for the Air Force would not need to retrain on a new system when they re-entered the civilian work force!

The System Wide Information Management system stands to make the aviation industry much safer by providing all of the information collected by members of the National Airspace System and presenting the data to all members in a universal interface.  SWIM will make flying easier and safer and software that can do that is undeniably cool!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

With advances in technology like the camera and video camera on the Apple iPhone 4S, it seems like smartphone manufacturers continue to forget about the basic purpose of the phone.  The telephone and mobile phone were devices used for person-to-person communication before they were data storage tools, music players or cameras.  Touch, an app for smartphones manufactured by the small Canadian company Enflick, seems to recall the origins of the smartphone and makes texting cool again, by providing more chat options and blending some of the most successful elements of social networking.

Touch, which went by the name Pingchat until recently, is an application for Apple iPhones (or any other iOS-driven device), Android powered smartphones and Blackberry products.  The Touch app is designed to make texting more flexible and to provide options for group communications over your smartphone.

The texting options Touch provides are a bit more sophisticated than standard text programs.  In addition to not having the strict character limits of traditional texting, the Chat function through Touch provides vastly faster back-and-forth messages between you and the person with whom you are chatting.  The interface has more in common with a chat program like Instant Messenger than it does a texting program, including being able to see when the person or people you are chatting with are typing.

The group aspect of Touch is another distinctive aspect of the app.  Touch allows you to chat or share photos with other individuals or select groups of your friends.  You may have a multi-person chat session with other Touch-enabled friends.  During such multi-person chats, you may share photos and videos through Touch with all of your friends.  As a result, Touch becomes a great way to get feedback from all of your friends at once.

As well, Touch allows you to send private messages to individuals or groups outside the Touch conversation.  While obscure social networks like Elftown have had systems where you could see when someone had read your message, a lot of the newer networks and apps leave you in the dark about what happens to your messages after you send them.  Touch goes back to letting you see just how your friends react to your messages, including having status updates noting your friend drafting a response to a message you sent!

By combining some of the best old ideas with some of the newest innovations in social networking, Touch reinvents texting and file sharing for smartphone users.  Touch makes intimate group texting cool and it is a welcome app for smartphone users . . . at least until we all have videophones!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Sometimes, the coolest products are gadgets that are exceptionally specialized.  Advances in obscure fields like water reclamation, climatology and the study of aquatic environments often come because the technology associated with the field advances.  A very cool product that is advancing the study and measurement of dissolved oxygen in water is the YSI ProODO Handheld Optical Dissolved Oxygen Instrument.

The YSI ProODO is a handheld sensor array that comes with all of the sensing probes and hardware needed to do in-the-field dissolved water tests.  The YSI ProODO is a handheld device with a LCD display that can be backlit if you are doing dissolved oxygen tests at night.  The YSI ProODO looks somewhat like a tricorder from Star Trek: The Next Generation with its sleek design.  One of the smartest benefits of the ProODO is that the handheld device is both waterproof and buoyant.  To those outside the industry, it seems like common sense that you would want your equipment for testing water in the field to be waterproof, but that is not the case for all dissolved oxygen instruments!  YSI seems to understand that accidents can happen in the water and making the ProODO buoyant helps researchers protect their investment.

The YSI ProODO is available in several kits, most of which are determined by the length of the cable you want for the probe.  The ProODO has sensor cables ranging from one meter – ideal for laboratory work where you are close to your samples – to one hundred meters, ideal for testing deeper environments where it is impractical to visit or where disrupting the environment would prejudice the readings.

The ProODO is all about not disrupting the environment and ensuring accurate readings.  The accuracy of dissolved oxygen sensing equipment is often called into question because each testing area in an environment is considered unique.  Scientists in the dissolved oxygen field do not want unique; they want representative samples.  To that end, the ProODO’s sensor features a self-stirring mechanism that mixes water only at the point you want to read in order to provide a uniform representative sample.  Equally important is the fact that the sensor on the YSI ProODO maintains its calibration from deployment to reading.  The stable calibration is especially important when you are experimenting at depths that would require the 100 meter cable!

With a test memory of 5000 sets, the YSI ProODO eliminates the need for additional data storage.  Even so, the YSI ProODO comes with YSI’s Data Manager Software which allows users to upload their data from the ProODO to a computer.  In addition to providing powerful analytical tools, the use of the Data Manager frees up memory on the ProODO.  The ability to reformat the memory makes the YSI ProODO an essential long-term tool.

Field-tested for durability, innovative to provide representative samples and easy-to-use for clear data retrieval, the YSI ProODO delivers the cutting edge for the dissolved oxygen industry.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Recently, we explored the growing phenomenon of digital comic books.  One of the coolest products for digital comic books is the Comixology Guided View digital comic reader.  Available for free through Comixology.com, the Guided View digital comic book reader is an easy-to-use application that comic book readers use to buy and read digital comic books on any or all computer devices they own.

Guided View is a reader, much like the well-known Adobe readers, but to date Guided View is exclusively for digital comic books.  Guided View has two distinct advantages other digital comic book readers do not have.  The first is that because Digital View is through Comixology and not an individual publisher, readers may easily and inexpensively purchase digital comic books from various publishers with a consistent platform.  It is a huge advantage for readers who have favorite characters from DC Comics, Marvel and the independents to not have to switch platforms or create multiple accounts just to read the comic books they love.

The other serious advantage of Guided View is that the Comixology-created platform is fully transferable.  When you create an account with Comixology.com, that account is accessible from all of your computers, smartphones or other mobile devices.  That universal account access provides you with the ability to read your digital comic books with whatever device you have on you at the time.  If your laptop computer runs out of battery power, that is not a problem!  Simply continue reading your digital comic book on your tablet computer or smartphone.  That access is a convenience that allows readers to be assured they will only pay for their digital comic book once, but have the ability to read it in perpetuity.

Guided View has two reading modes: full page and guided.  The full page reading option provides the most true comic book experience, as readers are able to see the full two-pages of panels and may easily follow the movement and depth of the panels the way the artist originally intended readers to experience it.  The full page option is ideal for larger devices, like reading the digital comic books on your widescreen television through your Internet-connected game console.

The second reading mode is the guided view option from the Guided View reader.  The guided view option transforms every digital comic book into a panel by panel movie.  Readers see a panel; they click “Forward” and Guided View slides to the next panel or does a wipe into the next panel.  The guided view is ideal for smaller devices, like reading digital comics on a smartphone.  Serious readers are likely to miss the way the artwork connects, but the simple sense of motion the guided view provides will engage children.

Guided View requires no computer support to install or operate.  Comixology is doing a real service to the environment and independent comic books by advancing digital comic books.  At the forefront with their Guided View, Comixology is undeniably cool.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

What do wild conspiracy theories and overheating laptop computers have in common?  Dean Haglund worked on both!  Dean Haglund is an actor and artist who portrayed Langley on The X-Files and its unfortunately too-short-lived spin-off The Lone Gunmen.  As Langley on the two shows, Haglund delighted geeks of all ages with the idea that bizarre theories could be reasonably pitched to otherwise professional people and that you can grow up, but you do not have to cut your hair.

Haglund is less commonly known for inventing the Chill Pak.  Almost a decade ago, Dean Haglund invented the Chill Pak and it remains a cool product (pun intended) to this day.  Like many laptop computer users, Dean Haglund spent a great deal of time on his laptop computer.  As a result, he would notice that his laptop computer’s fan would run excessively and that his computer would become physically hot to touch.  After correctly observing that the warmer his laptop computer became, the slower it ran, Haglund set to work solving the problem.

The Chill Pak was Haglund’s solution to laptop computer overheating and it is a surprisingly elegant one.  The Chill Pak is a patented mat for under your computer.  The Chill Pak comes as a mat filled with gel and when you first receive it, you need to place it in your freezer.  After about twelve hours of freezing, the Chill Pak works like an ice pack for your laptop computer.  Placed underneath your laptop computer, the Chill Pak significantly cools down your laptop computer’s internal components.  The result is that your laptop computer’s fan will not engage, so your laptop runs quieter as well as faster.  The Chill Pak operates for four hours at normal room temperature before the gel fully liquefies and needs to be refrozen.

But what about moisture in the air condensing on the Chill Pak as it heat up?  Dean Haglund thought of that!  The Chill Pak is made of a special fabric designed to absorb and wick away moisture.  As a result, the Chill Pak cools down your computer without getting it wet and necessitating laptop computer repairs!

There are a lot of solutions on the market now for cooling down your laptop computer, which was not true when Haglund invented the Chill Pak.  External laptop fans are noisy and use up a USB port on your laptop computer.  Similar crystal/gel mats do not keep laptop computers as cool for nearly as long as the Chill Pak.

Dean Haglund brought one of the first, most effective, laptop computer cooling devices to market with the Chill Pak.  The fact that it is still a relevant, functional product almost a decade since it was first released makes the Chill Pak very cool.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com