Computer Support Blog

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 »

Not long ago, we presented a list of common computer components that wear out as part of the natural use of one’s computer.  While power supplies, monitors, charging ports, and CPU fans are frequent causes of headaches for computer owners, they are not the only computer parts that are likely to fail over time as you use your computer.  Other computer components that frequently fail include: 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 »

Today, we have a disturbing experiment for you to try, assuming you are not using any form of advertisement blocking software and cookies are enabled in your web browser (they usually are if you have your computer set to automatically enter your login information when you visit your most frequented websites).  Open a search engine and initiate a search for something you have never looked for before and shares no commonality with any website you already frequent.  For example, search for “computer glasses” or, even more specifically, “Superfocus.”  Once the search results come up, visit every page on the first page of search results.  Tomorrow when you go online, if not sooner, consciously look at the advertisements on the websites you usually frequent.  The odds are better than even that whatever topic you searched in depth yesterday will appear heavily saturated on the sites you visit today.  In fact, because of Web Targeting, the odds are significantly biased toward advertisements you see being related to that random search topic. Read more »

When one thinks of cool products and cool places to visit on the Internet, the U.S. Government is hardly a name near the top of the list.  When many people think of the federal government, they think of the IRS (often negatively) or political in-fighting.  The Federal government actually runs several vital, completely apolitical, organizations.  One of them is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  And, believe it or not, NOAA has one of the coolest websites on the Internet! Read more »

Every good idea has its time and what is groundbreaking at one point in time soon becomes the standard.  Just as having a tape deck in an automobile was once considered audacious, yet is now tragically out-of-date, with the announcement and demonstration of the new Apple iOS 6 operating system, it is possible GPS systems are about to go the way of the audio cassette. Read more »

For most computer users, the webcam is something of a luxury.  Webcams are an often-convenient device that is hardly considered essential for most computer users.  Even so, many laptop computers now feature webcams for telecommunications purposes.  Businesses even use webcams for video conferences in order to save money; instead of transporting a Board of Directors from around the world to a central location, you can now patch in a video feed.  For high-quality results, the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 is a great webcam. Read more »

For months, there have been rumors in the tech sector of a new competitor to Google Maps.  That competitor is none other than Apple and at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the new Apple mapping service made its debut.  Here are some important aspects of it:

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As streaming videos from the Internet becomes an increasingly legitimate entertainment channel, major companies in the entertainment industry are working to find their niche there.  Some of the most powerful production companies are rapidly expanding their Online division in order to use the Internet as an effective medium.  FremantleMedia is one such company that is devoting considerable resources to producing material for the Internet, including programming tailored to the mobile computing market.  All of their efforts, however, would be for naught if it were not for Mary Jones. Read more »

StumbleUpon recently made some changes.  Guided by focus groups, StumbleUpon’s CEO authorized alterations to StumbleUpon with the stated purpose of making the site easier to use.  While not entirely eliminating the fun, random nature of StumbleUpon’s interface – which took you to websites that conformed to your stated interests – CEO Garrett Camp made a number of changes to the popular site.  In addition to putting graphic representations of interests on the front page and adding a search engine to the site, StumbleUpon now features Channels. Read more »