Computer Support Blog

The process of driving has become more difficult with the proliferation of new technologies and the distractions those technologies represent.  With the rise of the cell phone, drivers suddenly had phone calls to distract them from driving safely.  While the utterly ineffectual laws requiring hands free devices sought to curb that problem, legislators had no idea how fast the smartphone would take over.  With the smartphone beginning to dominate the mobile phone market, drivers have even more to be distracted by.  Ford Motors, however, has come up with a solution, through their SYNC system!

The Synch AppLink is a new function of the Microsoft-powered Synch platform.  Synch is essentially the operating system for the computers aboard cars from Ford Motors.  Just as Windows may run your PC, Synch runs the onboard computer on Ford vehicles.  Synch monitors your Ford’s status and provides you – and your mechanic – with clear alerts when there is a malfunction within the car.  Synch also assists you in adjusting the frills in your car, like adjusting the radio station or volume.

Now, Microsoft has enhanced the Synch system with Synch AppLink.  Synch AppLink acts as a bridge between the Synch system and your smartphone.  Because Windows occupies such a small market share of the smartphone OS market, it was impractical to create a system for Ford that exclusively interfaced with only Windows-driven smartphones.  So, Microsoft created the Synch AppLink.

The Synch AppLink allows you to access compatible applications on your smartphone through the Synch system.  After docking your smartphone with your Ford, you may give Synch voice commands.  By activating the Synch AppLink, you will be able to give voice commands to activate compatible applications on your smartphone.  If, for example, you subscribe to the Internet radio station Pandora through your smartphone, you would be able to command the Synch AppLink to open the Pandora app.  Within seconds, you would be listening to Internet-based radio streaming from your smartphone to your Ford’s speakers all using the Synch AppLink!

The Synch AppLink is adding compatibility to new programs daily.  In addition to music apps like Pandora and Stitcher, the Synch AppLink has some compatibility with Twitter.  While hands free typing may not yet be available through Synch AppLink, you may now check your Twitterfeed through the Synch AppLink!  Even as you drive away from home, you may remain connected to your friends!

With the Synch AppLink, hands free usage of smartphones is becoming easier and that should make everyone on the road happier!

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

Have you ever tried to connect to a website and wondered if your computer is to blame or if the site you are trying to reach is down?  You might spend several minutes and switch between web browsers in the attempt to find out if the site you want to go to is actually where it is supposed to be on the World Wide Web.  As with virtually everything else, there is a solution to your problem found easily on the Internet.

There are a number of Internet sites that now offer the free service of checking to see if a website you are interested in is actually active.  That is a very cool service and arguably the best of the market are:

Down For Everyone Or Just Me.  Despite the cumbersome name, Down For Everyone Or Just Me remains one of the most simple to use websites on the entire Internet.  Arriving at the main page, users are prompted to enter the website URL they want to access.  They are then directed to an answer page with a very simple answer of “It’s just you” (when the website you are looking for is actually running fine) or “It’s not just you” if the website you are looking for is not operating.  There is space for advertisements at the bottom of each results page, but no one ever seems to buy space there.  From the results page, you may enter another URL or leave the site.  This website is a very simple, very cool tool with no frills and a distinctly helpful and uncluttered format that is refreshing to find on the Internet.

Downrightnow.  With its very easy to remember name, Downrightnow is a simple and direct resource for the major social networks.  With a very clear graphic interface, Downrightnow informs you instantly of any service disruptions to Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, YouTube and other popular websites.  The only disadvantage to Downrightnow is that it only lists the major sites, but it is an invaluable tool for checking those sites and learning about service disruptions to the major Internet players.

IsUp.  IsUp.me is an exceptionally easy name to remember when you are frustrated about Internet problems.  IsUp has as simple an interface as Down For Everybody Or Just Me and is as reliable.  The no-frills approach serves IsUp very well; many of the flashier websites that check the Internet for you came up with false positives or false negatives.  IsUp might have a simple interface, but it has great accuracy!

The above sites provide a valuable, free service of checking the Internet for the websites you want to find.  Using them can help you determine if there is a glitch somewhere out on the World Wide Web or if you actually need computer repairs for your computer.  Of course, if you cannot even connect to these sites, you probably need technical support!

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

The United States is full of fiercely independent people.  These independent Americans have a tendency to resist any form of change that involves the United States government.  When the U.S. Postal Service first adopted the ZIP code, these independent alarmists preached that the government was categorizing its citizens!  While members of this same subculture have resisted the Electronic Health Record, they are not the biggest obstacle to the adoption of the new technology.  Doctors have actually been slower to adapt to the practical development of the EHR than consumers or developers!

In case you have not heard of it, Electronic Health Records are a relatively new concept that would provide doctors with a universal framework for medical records through the United States government.  The Federal government has sought to create both an identification card and a standardized computer system that would make your medical records completely portable.  More than simply a database, the EHR would completely overhaul the field of health informatics.

The Electronic Health Record would be accessible through the Internet or a more protected government/medical intranet (this is part of the technology that is still under development and the subject of much debate).  In order to gain access to your records, you would need to provide your identification card.  Swiping your identification card in the EHR terminal, your doctor would have complete access to your entire medical history.  The EHR is not a system like stuffy old medical records; it is more like a Cloud-based multimedia presentation!  Every doctor you have ever had will make notes in your EHR and they may include photographs, diagrams and even video footage of their procedures!

. . . At least, that is the theory of how the EHR will work.  Despite mandates and government incentives, many doctors have not purchased an Electronic Health Record system.  There is a sizable portion of physicians who have purchased their EHR hardware, but have not used it yet!  In addition to bearing the expense of the EHR system, many doctors have been resistant to take the time to learn the new computer system that the Electronic Health Record creates.  Moreover, doctors with vastly different proficiencies in using the system contribute to each patient’s record.  If a particularly loquacious doctor provides an extensive narrative that is read by a doctor who just needs bullet points, your treatment may be delayed.  Similarly, if a doctor does not provide all necessary information in a useful fashion, your next doctor may misdiagnose any subsequent ailment.

The theory behind the Electronic Health Record is that you will have an entirely portable medical history.  If your job transfers you to a different part of the country or you get hurt on vacation, your EHR record will give doctors in any medical facility every medical fact about you.  But because the system requires doctors to learn how to both contribute to and gather data from the Electronic Health Record, it is clear that the practical implementation of the EHR is still many years away.

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

One of the coolest products in the world is not one that will be available directly to consumers, but it will benefit everyone who travels by plane.  The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast is that cool product and it is making air travel much safer than it ever has been.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the woeful state of air traffic technology became public knowledge.  For the first time, most people in the United States learned that most of the computer systems that monitored and regulated air traffic control were from the 1950s!  The last vacuum tube computers were mass produced in 1962, yet the airline industry continued to use those outdated computers.  In 2003, the United States Congress established the Joint Planning and Development Office to revamp the outdated technologies the air traffic industry has been using.  The JPDO proposed NextGen and the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system is an integral part of that initiative.

The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system is an innovative tool that works much like GPS.  The ADS-B system keeps track of each and every plane outfitted with the system.  One impressive leap forward that the ADS-B system makes is that the display for the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast includes images of both planes in the air and on the ground.  Because the ADS-B system monitors planes still in the terminal, it will help prevent runway conflicts.  The other important leap forward that ADS-B includes is an interface that is universal.  Unlike previous, radar-based systems that showed air traffic controllers only the airspace around their terminal, with plane positions relative to them, the ADS-B provides universal displays.  This means that your departure airport, your destination airport and every airport in between has access to the exact same images and the same training to know how to properly interpret it! The ADS-B comes in two parts, the ADS-B In and the ADS-B Out.

The ADS-B In is a receiver.  The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system is a satellite-based network that monitors weather information, geographical locations on the ground and ADS-B Out transmitters.  In many ways, the ADS-B system is an airborne computer network, specifically designed for aviation.  The ADS-B In system is what pilots use to access the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system.  Using ADS-B In, the pilot receives weather information, telemetry on other planes and guidance information.

The ADS-B Out is the transmitter.  The ADS-B Out is like a combination of GPS and the plane’s black box.  The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out system transmits all data about the plane and flight from the equipped plane to the ADS-B satellite network.

Australia is, to date, the only nation that has fully upgraded entirely to ADS-B technology.  The United States is overhauling its aviation industry and by 2020, the intent is that the United States will be entirely on the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system.  Finally, the aviation industry is getting out of the 1950s and into the 21rst Century!

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

The Internet has the capacity to be many things from an entertainment source to an off-site data storage facility to a powerful tool for education.  The Internet remains one of the most powerful resources for communication and understanding from people of all ways of life, all around the world.  But the Protect IP Act threatens that freedom, and it does so under the guise of improving Internet security to intellectual property owners.

Right now, the United States Senate is considering S. 968, the Protect IP (Intellectual Property) Act.  The Protect IP Act bolsters Internet security by creating new punishments for Internet providers who have any pirated material pass through their servers.  This means that the United States government would begin policing the Internet and making online data storage sites of material it believes are pirated inaccessible before prosecuting those accused of pirating.

The Protect IP Act empowers the United States Federal Government to punish service providers who may not know about the contents of their data storage units.  In fact, the more popular a site is, the less likely the service provider is to know about all of what is on the servers.  Given the vague language of the bill, the U.S. Government potentially becomes the biggest threat to Internet security by assuming a Big Brother type role.

But the Protect IP Act version of Big Brother comes armed.  Sites that welcome photo sharing or other online data storage are particularly vulnerable.  Hypothetically, the Protect IP Act could allow the U.S. Government to shut down Facebook because a photo a user posted infringed upon the copyright.  Given that copyright laws, data storage agreements and Internet security protocols are not uniform throughout the world, the Protect IP Act could easily force the U.S. government into a police action in a place where it has no jurisdiction.  Perhaps the Senate has forgotten that the first two “w’s” in “www” stands for “World-wide.”

For sure, Internet security is important and due vigilance must be maintained in defending intellectual property rights.  Unfortunately, the Protect IP Act is a dramatic overkill, analogous to chopping a person in half to remove a tick on their arm.  The bill commits the U.S. to wield such a large machete to the world and with such flimsy language in the bill and the lack of a reasonable way to enforce it overseas or where the data storage hardware is inaccessible or dangerous to reach, it is hard to see the passage of the bill as anything but disastrous.

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

It will come as a surprise to no one that there has long been a strong connection between computers and comic books.  Since the early 1990s, artists have used  digitally-rendered, computer generated artwork to enhance their comic books.  A novelty at the time, computer artwork was used for backgrounds or conceptual points within a story.  Now, comic books and computers are intertwining in a different way through Cloud-based platforms and portable devices with extensive data storage.  Computers have become the display medium for comics through digital comic books.

Digital comic books are not new, though they have become more accessible to readers with recent advances in data storage capacity and Cloud-based storage.  Before data storage improvements, it was tough to get comic book readers to commit the hard drive space to the large files digital comic books occupied.   With Cloud technology and hard drives with greater data storage capacity, digital comics are coming into their own.

While Marvel Comics has had digital comics and a large computer support network for its users in place for years, DC Comics has been slower to adapt the technology.  With the reboot of DC Comics with their “New 52” strategy this year, DC Comics invested heavily in the digital comics market.  DC Comics sells digital comics on their “first look” nature.  New comics come out on Wednesdays and DC releases both the print and digital comic books on the same day.  Because most comic book shops do not open at 12:01 A.M. on Wednesday, digital comic readers may read the stories a few hours earlier than their friends.

As a business plan, digital comics are brilliant for both the manufacturer and the consumer.  For a limited investment in computer support personnel to transfer the printed images to a digital format, comic book publishers create a product with no materials cost.  Digital comic books replace the expense of publishing with vastly more affordable fees for data storage devices.

On the consumer end, digital comic books offer readers increased portability without risking their valuable collectible.  Collectors may keep the printed comic book in mint condition, but upload the digital comic book to enjoy the story.  Because of the Cloud-based distribution of digital comic books, readers need not have extensive data storage space to enjoy them.  Setting up the readers and apps may require some computer support to get the programs and subscriptions to run properly.

Despite the inherent benefits to the environment and the collectible value of comic books, digital comic books may not be doing a service to the medium.  The best graphic novels and comic books feature big artwork, sprawling panels that must breathe on the page.  That level of artistry is not represented well on a smartphone screen and the transitions between pages and panels may still be choppy on tablet computers.

Even so, the relationship between comic books and computers is now cemented and the future of comic books may well depend on the next technological leaps in portable electronics.

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

Facebook has many challenges to it, both technological and commercial.  While Facebook should better monitor the applications it allows to run on its platform, some of the issues with Facebook are internal and systemic.  One of the most significant problems with Facebook is that it has an annoying persistence.  Have you ever noticed how Facebook continues to recommend the same people to you?  Have you ever noticed that the Facebook recommendation for friends just keep coming back?  What is it that Facebook doesn’t get when you click the little “X” next to their recommendation to simply not friend the people they recommend?!

The Facebook system works on the principle that there are very few degrees of separation between people.  As a result, when you add someone as a friend on Facebook, the Facebook program suggests friends of your friend be added as your friend.  From pretty much the moment you friend anyone new, you will begin to see on your sidebar, people that Facebook recommends you add as a friend.  A great way to test this is to add someone you do not know well at all as a Facebook friend.  After you add an acquaintance watch how Facebook suggests all sorts of people you don’t know from your new “friend’s” friend list.

Who cares?  Why is this an issue?  Unlike friend requests that you can deny and they go away, Facebook insists you consider their recommendation.  If you have ever gone to the complete list of people Facebook recommends you “friend” and painstakingly gone through the list to clear the (often) hundreds of people Facebook wants you to friend, you will discover your time was completely wasted.  Go back there now and you will see!  You can go through your entire list, remove everyone that Facebook recommends and the next time you log in, their recommendations will be back.

Facebook: “No means no!”  When you inform Facebook by clicking on the “no” button – indicating you do not want to add their suggestion to your friend list – Facebook ought to listen.  The Facebook program not only wants to connect people, it is persistent in a troubling way.

Facebook needs to simply be programmed to respect our wishes and stop making the same mistake.  Whether you have one of your ex’s friends and do not want the whole barrage of their other associates or have left a real social situation where you only want to retain a relationship with one person from that group through Facebook, there are millions of situations where you might want one person as a friend, but not everyone with whom they are associated.

Forget the Timeline, forget the “dislike” button, all you really need is a Facebook that listens and provides a way to permanently stop suggesting a person once you have indicated you do not want the Facebook-suggested individual as a friend.

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

Free speech and free access to information is absolutely vital in a capitalist democracy.  Any government that allows individuals, organizations and businesses to contribute financially to the political process owes its citizens a transparent process for auditing those contributions.  In the United States, there is no easier system for tracking money in politics than OpenSecrets.

OpenSecrets.org is a website run by the nonpartisan Center For Responsive Politics.  On OpenSecrets, you may investigate the fundraising of every political candidate registered with the Federal Election Commission.  Because the Center For Responsive Politics is not affiliated with the FEC or any political party, it provides unbiased tools that track the flow of money in politics.  Understanding how money flows to a candidate may provide voters with a realistic view of how that candidate will actually act when elected.  Because politicians are beholden to their donors, it is very easy to spot a hypocritical candidate.  OpenSecrets makes that very easy to do.  Because the website features a whole section on influence and lobbying, voters have easy tools to investigate the candidates on their ballot, whether the media does or not.  OpenSecrets shows which Political Action Committees donate money to each candidate, giving voters a more precise picture of the political landscape.

OpenSecrets.org features a very easy to use interface and a powerful search engine.  Users may find quarterly representations of a candidate’s financial standing through prominent tabs.  Clicking on the Politicians & Elections tab easily transports you to a guide for any Federally-recognized election for the current election cycle.  Clicking on a candidate or politician’s name, OpenSecrets.org provides you with the current financial status of their campaign!  The interface is so easy to use; you can be at a political rally and check the candidate’s finances on your smartphone!

Arguably the best tool that OpenSecrets.org provides is a powerful donor lookup tool.  OpenSecrets has archived all the FEC’s donor filing documents and provides you with complete, free, access to them!  By clicking on the Donor Lookup tab, you can find out if any private citizen has donated to any political campaign dating back to 1990 when the disclosure laws went into effect.  The Donor Lookup tool on OpenSecrets.org can give you a better idea of who you are voting for, what issues are important to your friends and just who puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to politics!  Moreover, the results come in fast; the typical search on OpenSecrets takes less than a second to execute.

OpenSecrets is a powerful political tool, especially in a time when the Courts frequently fail to protect access to information that should be public.  OpenSecrets is an online storage depot of information that belongs to the public and we are lucky to have such a sophisticated system watching the flow of money in politics.

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

It might seem obvious, but computers perform essential functions aboard the International Space Station and it is no surprise that computer support and computer repair are essential functions of the astronauts and cosmonauts who travel to the station.

The computer system aboard the International Space Station is a blend of technologies from several different countries, mostly the United States and Russia.  Since a computer worm infected the International Space Station in 2008, data on the operating system for the International Space Station has been classified.  Most computer support experts believe that, like the space shuttle, the operating system for the International Space Station is unique, custom written for the space station.

What is not a mystery is that the computers aboard the International Space Station have required quite a bit of computer support from personnel on Earth and computer repair from the astronauts and cosmonauts visiting and living on the station.  The International Space Station was assembled from at least sixteen modules from at least six countries over the course of a decade.  As a result, the International Space Station received computer support with every mission to connect the conflicting systems.  Networking the computers has been one of the top priorities each time a mission brought a new computer system to the space station.

With the computer network growing with each mission, astronauts and cosmonauts have brought laptop computers with them on the latest missions to provide computer support.  The astronauts and cosmonauts use the laptops to upgrade the outdated aspects of the station’s network.  Each new mission to the space station involves computer repair and adjustment.  Because the laptops are more modern, they often provide computer support to the newer modules and experiments brought up to the station.

For example, experiments like taking images of the oceans require computer support from the upgraded systems.  On August 12, 2011, the Naval Research Laboratory utilized an experimental payload designed to take images of oceanic topography to create a truer map of the Earth below the oceans.  The computer support system was integral to acquiring and processing the images from the advanced sensor array.  The sensor from the experiment could map the bottom of the ocean.  Because of the power of the sensor, computers are aiding in the exploration of the planet.  In a way, computers are protecting human life from environmental conditions where manned exploration is too hazardous.

While details on the exact programming of the computers aboard the International Space Station remains closely guarded, one thing is clear: like terrestrial computers, the computers aboard the International Space Station require frequent computer repairs and computer support from trained professionals.

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