Computer Support Blog

With so much of the Earth’s surface area exposed to sunlight at any given moment, solar power seems like it would be a no-brainer as a renewable energy source.  Especially in already-developed areas of the world – cities, along highways, etc. – there are plenty of surfaces that could conceivably be covered in solar panels to generate electricity for industrial or residential use.  Actually, the problems of the solar energy industry are far more complicated than that.  As a result, every major renewable energy company employs a corporate officer who is responsible for developing a strategy for improving the distribution of products, educating the public, and guiding the product development within the company.  For Slunce Solar Technology, that executive is Debbie Varga. Read more »

Different corporate philosophies lead companies in different directions when it comes to growth.  In the tech sector, research and development has often been an important component of growth.  Even with cutting-edge tech companies, though, rather than invest in R&D, sometimes a bigger company will simply buy a successfully-developed product from the smaller company that innovated it.  Some of the companies that are cash-heavy, but development-light, have taken to buying up entire companies.  That is the tactic Groupon has been using and for the past four months, it has been rather aggressively buying up smaller businesses. Read more »

One of the nice things about having so many forms of audio and visual media in a standard-style format is that eventually, someone comes along and creates a single device that reads many different media.  Compact discs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs are all essentially the same size and shape, but run on very different hardware. Purely digital media files only need the proper CODECs to render them, regardless of whether they are audio or visual files.  The future of the home entertainment system is starting to look far less bulky.  Instead of having several independent devices, you might be able to convert everything to a single media player, like the TVIX HD M-7000. Read more »

The search for reliable, renewable, alternative energy sources is a pursuit of companies and individuals all around the world.  While the United States has been slow to adopt alternative energy sources that would wean the country from a dependency on fossil fuels, many other nations – especially the European countries – have been developing, utilizing, and marketing alternative energy products for businesses and consumers for years.  One of the leading companies presenting solar power options to the world is SMA Solar Technologies AG.  Recently, SMA Solar Technologies AG hired Emanuele Arpini. Read more »

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 so much to do in the real world and on the Internet, it can be hard to find enough time to watch television these days!  For those who are paying for a satellite service or cable – especially premium cable channels – this can mean the loss of money, as you are paying for a service you are not enjoying.  Fortunately, with improved mobile computing devices and less expensive laptop computers, you now have additional options for getting the most out of your television service.  All you need to take advantage of all your television and portable device have to offer is the Slingbox SOLO! Read more »

People are the lifeblood of every business.  You can have a great idea and a business model, but without a dedicated staff that is working to achieve the goals and vision you lay out, your business venture or company will not amount to anything more than a dream.  That is why, as a company grows, the head of Human Resources becomes increasingly important.  Whoever is in charge of Human Resources for your company needs to be able to make judgments both about applicants and the corporate culture of your business.  That level of discrimination and judgment is part of what makes Diane M. Kaufman so good at her job. Read more »

With so many great ideas in the tech sector, wooing venture capitalists for your start-up can be a full-time job.  Every idea that is pitched to a venture capitalist is competing for the resources and attention of investors; it can be hard to set your website, app, or web-based service apart in order to get funded.  Funding means the difference between having an idea and having a business.  So, when the venture capital specialists at August Capital put money into a company, it is an endorsement of the quality of the idea being presented.  With August Capital leading the three million dollar investment in DITTO, DITTO must be doing something right! Read more »

It is hard not to love food.  In addition to being fuel for our bodies, food can be delicious, artistic, and promote a sense of community.  Whether you are on a diet or enjoy cooking for family and friends, so long as you are cooking food, there is no more essential tool than a good cookbook.  In recent years, the tech sector has contributed to reducing kitchen clutter by developing online cookbooks and cooking software.  One of the more useful pieces of software for cooking is MasterCook 11. 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 »