Computer Support Blog

People talk about the sweeping changes the Internet has made to global culture very often.  Most people cite the way the Internet has changed media sales, retail, and the consumption of news.  However, one less obvious, but very real, cultural shift that the Internet has contributed to is the growth of the DIY (“do-it-yourself”) movement in society.  The Internet’s ability to spread information virally has led to the creation of thousands of how-to videos, detailed blogs and tutorials about home improvement projects. The web has even seen the rise a subculture centered on “life hacks”, which are micro-sized DIY concepts people design to make life more convenient.  DiggersList is another cool product on the Internet that feeds into this growing cultural emphasis on DIY projects.  DiggersList is an online classifieds page for home improvement enthusiasts who would rather recycle and reuse old materials than buy expensive new pieces of furniture. Anyone can use the DiggersList site once he or she creates an account and those who have trouble making an account can seek online tech support assistance to determine the problem.   Read more »

Song royalties have become a more complicated issue in recent years due to the way technology has affected the music industry.  Online radio companies like Pandora and Slacker Radio service millions, and on-demand streaming services like Rhapsody and Spotify have gained a significant hold in the market. These realities mean there are suddenly far more virtual venues than ever before where musicians and songwriters should earn royalties for their work.  Technology has also changed the global market for music, as it’s far easier for songs to gain exposure on several continents now.  Before the Internet, only larger stars backed by major labels would see radio play internationally.  Now, a video uploaded to YouTube can go viral and an independent artist can have worldwide exposure.  Without knowing how to collect international royalties however, it’s much more difficult for those independent artists to receive pay for their work.  However, a cool product in technology called Songtrust is providing artists a platform on the web to help them collect the royalties they should be earning from every possible source. Read more »

Any parent that has ever volunteered to be a leader of any extra-curricular activity for their kids knows that trying to organize children from dozens of families is a harrowing venture.  Cool person in technology Yuval Spector wants to use the Internet to make this task far more manageable and less intimidating.  Mass emails with broken threads, missed phone calls and numerous other problems usually complicate things when trying to plan activities for large groups of children.  However, Spector’s company UpToUs provides parents with numerous organizational tools that can help group leaders keep things organized when working out details with so many other parents.  Spector wants to reduce the potential for chaos when parents are trying to coordinate activities by giving them a central organizational system. Read more »

People have used technology and the web to change how humans interact with many different forms of media.  EBooks are changing how people read prose, video streaming services have changed how people watch television, and blogging has changed how people consume news.  Now, a cool person in technology wants to change the way musicians read sheet music as well.  Gregory Dell’Era founded his startup Weezic to give musicians access to interactive sheet music that actually helps people practice rather than simply giving them a metaphorical road map.  Read more »

Many professionals have useful skills that they could pass on to others, but they don’t have the time or credentials for an official teaching position.  Cool person in technology Michael Karanjanaprakorn wants these skilled professionals to have an outlet where they can spread their knowledge.  That’s why he founded Skillshare, an online platform where professionals can apply to teach short video classes in subjects ranging anywhere from archery to sound mixing.  Karanjanaprakorn’s site doesn’t cater to one particular niche or industry, but to a wide variety of disciplines.  With experts teaching their disciplines on SkillShare, Karanjanaprakorn looks to build a more skilled global workforce.  This cool person’s website has video classes that can help people land new jobs or do better in their current roles, regardless of whether those people are laptop repair professionals, marketers, or even entrepreneurs themselves. Skillshare’s main goal is to spread knowledge by allowing experts to share what they know online easily. Read more »

Searching for and applying to colleges is one of the most stressful experiences in a teenager’s life.  Finding the school that gives a student the best chance for his or her success is a difficult and intimidating process.  Despite this fact, many students find themselves applying to schools on their own, without outside help or resources.  Cool product CollegeSolved exists to give these students the resources they need to find good schools that are right for them.  The site aims to empower students to gain acceptance to their school of choice.  CollegeSolved provides students with a complete database of universities to search through while on the site.  Users can filter search results based on their personal SAT scores or high school GPA.  They can also filter results by a school’s tuition price and location.  Each university profile contains complete statistics relating to the school as well as recommendations for similar colleges.  Students who have trouble with the search function on the CollegeSolved website should seek online computer support. Read more »

Not every business has the means to make an official website for online appointment booking.  Many small businesses focused around a specific community, such as small doctor’s offices, dentists, recreation centers, martial arts dojos, and hair salons, don’t find it economical to invest in a website when they have all the clientele they can handle come to them locally.  Still, with the growing emphasis on Internet-connected mobile devices and people more dependent on their technology than ever before, a web presence is becoming necessary even for these smaller establishments.  Enter Latiss, a cool product that gives community businesses a place on the web and the ability for customers to book online appointments.  Rather than create an expensive website when a company doesn’t have the extra cash or time, businesses using Latiss can still give customers the convenience of booking appointments and checking information online with little extra investment or risk.  Even business owners that truly have no experience with computers can use Latiss with only a little help from a PC tech support service.  Read more »

When someone buys or rents a home, one of the most personal and gratifying aspects of the process is designing the interior of the house or apartment.  Everyone imagines things in their own personal style and wants to make their home their own.  Of course, interior design is not always practical or easy, which is why professionals exist to help people when deciding how their home should look.  However, hiring an interior designer for personal purposes is prohibitively expensive for most people.  Read more »

Before the Internet, people’s only real option for finding a respectable quality babysitter or nanny was most often simple word-of-mouth.  Times have certainly changed, as babysitters and nannies often advertise their services on sites like Craigslist.  However, the results from these general posting sites come out mixed at best.  Families are just as likely to get an awful sitter as a great one.  However, cool product UrbanSitter may be able to change the situation for families that seek babysitting help on the Internet.  Read more »

In many editorials, news articles, and other media, writers cast the Internet as a well of knowledge for people in the modern age.  However, many people’s experiences with the web have been anything but informative or educational.  The Internet is currently a place primarily full of media consumption sites such as Netflix and Hulu, social networks focused on self-promotion and communication such as Facebook and Twitter, and ecommerce sites where people can buy whatever their heart desires and have it conveniently shipped to them.  There are cool people in technology still making companies and websites to make the Internet a destination for knowledge and education.  One of these cool people is Justin Kitch, the founder and CEO of Curious.com. Read more »