Computer Support Blog

In January, activists from all across the political spectrum came together to inform Congress that they did not want the Stop Online Piracy Act to pass.  Through actions like a coordinated blackout on January 18 to businesses lobbying heavily in favor of the bill, the defeat of SOPA stands as a great example of how representative democracy can truly work.  Despite the defeat of the bill, there have been lasting reverberations from Congresses attempt to legislate the Internet.  One of the changes that will become more evident when Congress reconvenes is an active presence of concerned citizens and companies.  The presence is the Internet Defense League. Read more »

With the debate continuing in the political arena over the future of healthcare in the United States, it might not surprise you to learn that private entrepreneurs are already looking to pick up the slack from where government programs might leave off.  In fact, many new businesses are utilizing the Internet to spread information and form communities online where users work together toward common health and fitness goals.  One such online community that is currently growing is EveryMove.  As a member of the Board of Directors of EveryMove, Anna Haghgooie is responsible for keeping the venture capital flowing to the start-up! Read more »

If Myspace taught us anything, it was that if you give a teenage girl a cellphone with a camera, she will invariably hold it at arm’s length at a sixty five degree angle above her head, take a picture and post it as her profile photo.  That demographic of youth, with their oft-photographed cleavage, has since migrated to Facebook.  Before they can migrate further, many serious photographers are using the infancy of Google+ to jump ship from Facebook and establish a serious presence on Google+ that promotes art and adulthood. Read more »

Sometimes, people get so caught up in the Internet as business tool, shopping destination or communications channel that they forget some of the other uses for the World Wide Web.  The Internet is a fun place!  In addition to having websites that connect you to your favorite forms of entertainment – movies, television shows and musical artists – the Internet has a wealth of original content, most notably humorous content.  One of the best sites to kick back, surf, and find something that will stimulate your sense of humor is CollegeHumor.com. Read more »

The Internet has been vital to launching many businesses.  As a sales channel, the World Wide Web connects even small businesses with a potentially vast customer base.  The smartest, most modern businesses today utilize the Internet to sell their products and keep their customers informed and engaged.  Ju-ju-be.com makes incredibly good use of the Internet as it is one of the most dynamic, fun websites for new parents.  The success of Ju-ju-be.com comes in no small part Kristin Hunziker. Read more »

In this day in age, it is hard not to look at pop psychology with anything but disdain.  Unlike legitimate psychotherapy – which treats the human mind like a complex organ and human motivations as a complex series of events, triggers, consequences, and conditioned reactions – pop psychology creates simple, generic answers for virtually every situation or conditioned.  Pop psychology and the mentality that all mental disorders can be mitigated with medication, has largely been reinforced by the speed and access to information that the Internet represents.  Fortunately, People Mapping is not pop psychology. Read more »

Sometimes, the coolest places on the Internet are not the flashiest or the best known places.  When it comes to online shopping, most people look to eBay or Amazon or they log into specialized shops where they have specific products they are anticipating buying.  But the big online retailers are not the ideal place to buy art.  Art – fine art and homemade – has never had much traction on eBay.  There are some wonderful, specialized, websites and social networks for artwork online, like Art.net and Elftown.  But the place to buy and sell artwork on the Internet is Etsy. Read more »

If “people who need people are the luckiest people,” what does it make people who need to find out all they can about people?  Perhaps a better question would be, what does it make people who make the tools for people to find out about other people?  Perhaps that question could be best answered by Saad Zniber, co-founder of Yatedo. Read more »

There are few entrepreneurs, even in the tech sector, who have the ability to create a hit product with every one of their major releases.  Mike Harrington, creator of Half-Life and Picnik, is one such innovator.  Interestingly enough, Harrington’s partner in co-founding Picnik, Darrin Massena, also has had an uncommon number of successful ventures, especially for his young age. Read more »

In the last few years, there has been a wireless revolution; virtually every computer peripheral or electronic device has wireless access.  With so many wireless devices operating in a home or office setting, it is easy to lose track of the range on each device.  Moreover, if you and other family members are accessing the Internet through a home wireless network, you may experience lag.  Nothing restores the functionality and speed of a wireless network like a good wireless router.  One of the most versatile wireless routers on the market is the AirStation HighPower N600 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router! Read more »