Computer Support Blog

In the world of business and technology, there are some stories that truly are amazing.  In the case of Stan Shih, who founded Acer Computers, the story is one that deserves a wider audience; few Americans know his name, but his inventions have influenced almost everyone on Earth.

Stan Shih was more than a typical business executive or a computer expert.  Instead, Shih is one of the few executives who made an effective transition between the very different worlds of engineering/computer programing and multi-billion dollar business executive.  Shih’s significance to the world began in 1971.  At that time, the Taiwan-born developer created Taiwan’s first desktop calculator.  Successfully marketing his calculator, Shih did not rest on his first major industrial accomplishment.  Instead, the next year, Shih helped form Qualitron Industrial Group and spearheaded the creation of the pen watch.

What Stan Shih became known for, at least in Asia, was founding a little computer company called Multitech International Corp.  Multitech International Corp. grew and it soon evolved into a computer manufacturer known as Acer.  Shih led the company from a $25,000 startup to become one of the largest computer manufacturers on Earth.  When Shih left Acer in 2004, it was fifth in the personal computer vending market.

In his tenure as Founder and CEO of Acer, virtually every respectable publication in the business world named him one of the most influential people in the world.  In 2006, Time Magazine credited Shih with revolutionizing Taiwan’s industrial sector to create the infrastructure to make it a dominant PC-manufacturer.  Shih deserves those accolades; it was his leadership and skill that nurtured the developing market to make it one of the most important technology sectors in history.  Far from the toys and trinkets Taiwan produced before, Shih’s Acer made a viable, seemingly limitless, production industry for the country.

Since retiring from the day-to-day management of Acer, Stan Shih has shifted his focus to business pursuits.  Never forgetting how the IT industry made his career, Stan Shih founded iD SoftCapital, which is a financing company for emerging technology companies.  As the Group Chairman of iD SoftCapital, Stan Shih continues to shape the technology world by making business decisions that fund what he believes are the most profitable emerging technologies.

From the desktop calculator to the next generation of computer and electronics products, Stan Shih has left an indelible footprint on the world!

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 noticed a product that seemed mainstream and beneficial, but then disappeared from the marketplace?  Or have you ever noticed a problem solved in the design of a product, but then manufacturers do not incorporate the changes into the design of all of the products of that type?  Considering how computers have changed over the last twenty years, the astute observers might well be asking “Where are the laptop computers with ergonomic keyboards?!”

Back in 1977, computer developers created an ergonomically-correct keyboard to help alleviate the stress on muscles and tendons in the hands from repeated typing.  While that technology was not widely incorporated at the time, during the Clinton Administration, Congress passed laws that required employers to provide their computer operators with ergonomic keyboards.  The intent of the law was to lower the number of repetitive stress muscle injuries and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome worker’s compensation claims.  For a while, ergonomics was a common buzzword in American politics and society.

At that time, ergonomic keyboards were everywhere.  The design of an ergonomic keyboard includes a split-keyboard with an extended front section, which reduces stress on the fingers, wrists and tendons of the computer user.  After Congress struck down the reforms that required businesses to incorporate ergonomic keyboards, it seems that computer manufacturers decided to not include ergonomically correct keyboards into new laptop designs.

Why did computer manufacturers fail to incorporate ergonomics into the design of laptop computers?  The answer has everything to do with space, as the cramped keyboards of many laptop and notebook computers actually exacerbate the problematic muscle movements ergonomic keyboards prevent.  A proper ergonomic keyboard requires space.  Computer manufacturers market laptop and notebook computers using the portability and convenience as a key selling point.  A proper ergonomically-correct keyboard would necessitate a laptop computer that was several inches wider.  The average ergonomic keyboard is over nineteen inches wide, which is quite a bit wider than most laptop computers these days!

What proponents of ergonomics fail to account for most when lamenting the lack of ergonomic keyboards for laptop computers is the height requirement of an ergonomic keyboard.  Ergonomic keyboards are usually raised more than two inches at the top in order to help reduce muscle strain.  Laptop manufacturers quickly came to the conclusion that there was little point in making impressive, ultra-thin LCD monitors on laptops if they had to attach the monitor to a gangly base with the awkward keyboard.

Ergonomically-correct keyboards are still widely available and some laptop computers have keyboards with better ergonomic designs than others.  But the computer manufacturers are not looking to make laptop computers with true ergonomic keyboards, even though laptop computer sales have risen in recent years and many consumers are replacing their home computers with laptop computers.  For those making such an upgrade, keep your ergonomic keyboard, it is well worth using one of your laptop’s USB ports to keep your hands comfortable and healthy!

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

If you have had M&M’s lately, you might be contributing to a growing problem without even knowing about it.  M&M’s has a current promotion on many of its wrappers advertising the chance to win free movie tickets.  This is very exciting; in addition to getting some candy, you have the chance to get into a movie for free!  How cool is that?  Your response might be a little different after you pull back the curtain and look at what MARS/M&M’s is actually doing (and they are not the only ones!).

When you go on the Internet to enter the code found on your wrapper of M&M’s, the site requests your birthdate and state.  This is a very odd redundancy as the M&M’s website requires you to provide your birthdate just to access the site (it reconfigures for different age groups, which is admittedly pretty cool).  After you have added your date of birth and state or territory, you may enter your game code.  When you enter your game code, you are compelled to provide your e-mail address before the site will tell you what you have won.

And lo!  The vast majority of winners who win anything from M&M’s.com have to enter their address . . . so M&M’s may mail you your movie coupon.  This may seem like a very exciting process that has you eager to go to the movie, as well as eat more candy (you could win again!).

But what has really happened?  In the space of about one minute, you have provided the MARS/M&M’s Corporation with your name, address, e-mail address and birthdate.  You have given the company everything they need to put you on a mailing list!

Virtually every company with an online presence now gets their data directly from their customers in this fashion.  Why pay for a mailing list from a competitor when you can simply have your customers furnish their contact information under the guise of winning something?  The bottom of the receipts for Taco Bell and Wal-Mart promise the chance of money each month when you call and inform the company about the service you received.  Some users online have reported spikes in e-mails from companies like Wal-Mart following filling out those surveys!

It used to be that businesses kept customers in the dark about how their names ended up on mailing lists.  With the rise of Internet contests and surveys that require you to give your contact information, the process is being redressed poorly.  But kudos to the big companies!  They have realized they do not need data miners; they just need to offer the possibility of getting something more with your seventy-five cent candy!

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

Recently, we did a little profile on Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Computers.  Cook is hardly the only interesting professional in the computer industry. We would like to continue to present a look at some of the others who make the multibillion dollar computer industry work.  Today we take a look at Lisa Brummel, the Chief People Officer for Microsoft.

Lisa Brummel is a name that most people have probably never heard associated with Microsoft, but she has been an integral part of the Microsoft company since 1989.  As “Chief People Officer,” Brummel has the coolest title of any of the executives on Microsoft’s corporate directory.  She also has one of the few photos on the Microsoft corporate directory where the subject actually looks genuinely happy.  By all accounts, that is because Lisa Brummel has worked hard and now has a fun job with Microsoft that she actually loves.

Brummel took a risk in joining Microsoft back in 1989 before Microsoft truly dominated the software and OS marketplace.  She came aboard Microsoft after working for Prentice Hall publishing.  Brummel worked her way through various management positions to become the head of Microsoft’s Human Resources Division.  Before taking over as head of Human Resources, Brummel managed the Microsoft teams that marketed Microsoft’s Interactive Media Division, which helped to make it a success from its inception.  Brummel worked for a long time managing Microsoft’s Macintosh line.  So, if you use Windows for Mac, you have Lisa Brummel’s management skills to thank.

Lisa Brummel is distinguished from many of the other Microsoft executives by her casual speaking style and just how in touch she is with consumers.  As the former head of the Home and Retail Division of Microsoft, Brummel had to manage a billion-dollar division of Microsoft.  Part of the way she successfully managed the Home and Retail Division of Microsoft was through her ability to explain the complex workings of Microsoft in simple terms.  Brummel has a knack for making complicated ideas simple. When she speaks, Brummel communicates in a very casual way free from much of the jargon that makes speeches from other Microsoft executives intimidating to those not in the business.  In addition to having a mind that is adept at keeping all sorts of facts and figures straight, Brummel is known for having a great sense of humor.

That sense of humor is an asset to Brummel as she helps staff Microsoft as the Chief People Officer.  Since 2005, as Microsoft’s business models have changed and the company has grown in new directions, Brummel has been responsible for finding the right people for the new jobs.  Certainly part of the success Microsoft has had in recent years is because Lisa Brummel has put the right people in the right place within Microsoft.  If you’re looking to work for Microsoft, she is the woman to know!

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

There are few computer accessories that show little or no change from when the personal computer became a household item, but arguably the device that has changed the least is the keyboard.  The keyboard is essentially the same layout as a classic typewriter with an extra number pad on it.  While the ergonomic keyboards broke up the solid keyboards and wireless keyboards made your keyboard more portable, those improvements left the basic keyboard remarkably intact.  The leap forward for keyboards that we have been waiting for finally comes with the Cellulon Virtual Laser Keyboard “Magic Cube.”

As the name implies, the Magic Cube projects a keyboard using lasers to create a keyboard anywhere you might want one.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is only physical in that it requires a surface to be projected onto; the only physical component to this cool device is the Magic Cube.  The Magic Cube is a laser projector and it is a comparatively small device at that.  At 1.5” wide by 2.95” tall by 1.14” deep, the Magic Box is very easy to transport.  The Magic Cube connects to a PC, laptop computer or any smartphone with a USB port.  Connecting your Magic Cube to a USB port allows you to swap the Virtual Laser Keyboard between any of your computers, tablets or smartphones with which you type.

The Virtual Laser Keyboard is a red laser projection that comes from the Magic Cube to any flat surface nearby.  While the Magic Cubes come in several stylish colors, to date they only project red virtual keyboards.  The projection is a standard QWERTY-style keyboard, so in that way Cellulon maintains the familiarity of the classic keyboard.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard operates easily, with the projected “keys” typing letter on your computer when you break the beam associated with a specific letter.  As a result, you do not need to vigorously press against the surface upon which the Virtual Laser Keyboard is projected.  This makes the Virtual Laser Keyboard ideal for those who have injured hands or overly sensitive fingers.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is also ideal for travelers who might not have a lot of space before them upon which to project the keyboard.  They may use a smaller surface area for the virtual keyboard, simply by projecting the keyboard with a more narrow focus!

While the standard price of $170 for the Virtual Laser Keyboard may seem steep for personal use, it is a steal for industrial and scientific settings where space is at a premium or industrial elements require you to replace a keyboard frequently.  Because there are no physical keys for the Virtual Laser Keyboard, there are no keys to gum up!

The Virtual Laser Keyboard from the Magic Cube is the next leap forward for both the convenience of a full-sized keyboard and the flexibility of a portable device.

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

While scientists work to engineer a completely artificial hamburger, computers are actually improving the agriculture industry in more appealing and practical ways.  Computer usage and ownership has been increasing in the United States steadily since 2001when the USDA began first seriously tracking computers on farms.  But just how do farms and computers relate?

In 2011, the USDA reported that 65% of U.S. farms have access to a computer, with 63% owning or leasing their own computer.  That statistic is significant in that it indicates that the agriculture industry is the most vital industry in the nation with the lowest computer penetration.  While large-scale farms have adopted the computer to aid in the business of agriculture, many family farms and farms run by an older generation of farmer have actively refused computer integration.

The farms that use computers largely use them for their Internet capabilities.  95% of farms that have a computer have Internet access.  The World Wide Web is being used to connect farmers across the country.  Oddly, it is the resistance of traditional farmers that may be hurting their own business.  The Internet provides local farmers with a new avenue to reach specialized local markets.  However, the USDA found that farms making sales between ten and one hundred thousand dollars only use their computers for farm business 41% of the time!  This is in stark contrast to the farms with sales above $250,000.  Those farms used the computer for farm business 72% of the time.  The willingness to use advancing computer technologies allows larger and specialized farms to continue to grow.

The most common use for computers on farms involves data storage.  Farmers use computers to keep track of workers and inventory.  While many of the smaller farms, the ones that resist the computer, still use traditional bookkeeping methods, most computer-connected farms use computers for keeping track of workers and payroll.  As well, computers help tech-savvy farmers keep a closer eye on inventory and supply chain issues.  By computerizing their feed and fertilizer inventories, farmers using computers provide more precise estimates to economic forecasters.  The estimates developed by economists from data supplied by farmers has been more accurately able to predict price spikes in the price of a gallon of milk, which is one of several key indicators in calculating the poverty line!

Farmers are also using their computers to get more accurate meteorological and climatological data.  Getting data on the weather is vital for farmers, especially crop farmers.  Livestock farmers are also helping to provide environmental scientists with data that is helping to predict and regulate more accurately the environmental impact of agricultural production, like the beef industry.  The flow of information both ways has helped to create sophisticated models that have prevented further outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease.

The agriculture industry may be the last big holdout in accepting the role of the computer, but those farmers that have adapted to the times are discovering the benefits of the computer outweigh the discomfort of change.

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

Recently, we pitched the idea of sharing your smartphone with someone less fortunate in order to give them a holiday connection with a distant loved one.  With the holiday season behind us and the new year looming with all of its potential, we wanted to share an idea for lasting change.  A recent study found that over 100,000,000 homes in the United States are not connected to the Internet.  While politicians debate remedies and devise programs to change that, we have our own proposal.  Volunteer to help the underprivileged learn to use computers.

Why do people who live in poverty need computer access?  The Internet has enhanced the quality of life for billions of people the world over by providing reliable interpersonal connections, job opportunities and educational materials.  The poor and underprivileged have as great a need for the benefits of the Internet as any of us do.

Many communities have public Internet access, usually through your local library.  If your local library provides computers and Internet access, volunteering your time to help the less fortunate becomes very easy!  Librarians may be a great asset in finding individuals you might be able to help.

Showing another person how to use social networking tools over the Internet may give them a foothold to start their climb out of poverty.  Many poor people have friends and/or family outside their current location.  By taking the time to help a person establish an e-mail account and accounts with major social networking sites like Facebook and Google+, you may help an impoverished person become more visible to those who might be looking for them.  With an online presence, you may help another person find someone who may be able to help them.

The Internet is a wealth of educational materials as well.  Those who have basic educational deficiencies like illiteracy or the inability to do basic math are highly unlikely to approach a computer on their own.  You may make a profound difference in another person’s life by getting them online and hooking them up with Internet programs that help them develop their reading, writing and mathematics skills.  You do not need to be a teacher; online there are many teachers and programs looking to help others; they just need students!

Perhaps the greatest benefit of donating your time to helping the less fortunate get on the Internet is that you may help someone get back to work.  Many employers, especially for minimum wage or undesirable jobs require applicants to apply online.  Homeless and transient individuals seldom follow up when they are turned away from a prospective employer when that employer wants all applications to be digital.  By patiently guiding a less fortunate person through the online application process, you may well be able to help that person get a job.

By patiently guiding a less fortunate person through the process of becoming computer literate, you may provide them with a valuable skill that could change their life for the better!

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

With advances in technology like the camera and video camera on the Apple iPhone 4S, it seems like smartphone manufacturers continue to forget about the basic purpose of the phone.  The telephone and mobile phone were devices used for person-to-person communication before they were data storage tools, music players or cameras.  Touch, an app for smartphones manufactured by the small Canadian company Enflick, seems to recall the origins of the smartphone and makes texting cool again, by providing more chat options and blending some of the most successful elements of social networking.

Touch, which went by the name Pingchat until recently, is an application for Apple iPhones (or any other iOS-driven device), Android powered smartphones and Blackberry products.  The Touch app is designed to make texting more flexible and to provide options for group communications over your smartphone.

The texting options Touch provides are a bit more sophisticated than standard text programs.  In addition to not having the strict character limits of traditional texting, the Chat function through Touch provides vastly faster back-and-forth messages between you and the person with whom you are chatting.  The interface has more in common with a chat program like Instant Messenger than it does a texting program, including being able to see when the person or people you are chatting with are typing.

The group aspect of Touch is another distinctive aspect of the app.  Touch allows you to chat or share photos with other individuals or select groups of your friends.  You may have a multi-person chat session with other Touch-enabled friends.  During such multi-person chats, you may share photos and videos through Touch with all of your friends.  As a result, Touch becomes a great way to get feedback from all of your friends at once.

As well, Touch allows you to send private messages to individuals or groups outside the Touch conversation.  While obscure social networks like Elftown have had systems where you could see when someone had read your message, a lot of the newer networks and apps leave you in the dark about what happens to your messages after you send them.  Touch goes back to letting you see just how your friends react to your messages, including having status updates noting your friend drafting a response to a message you sent!

By combining some of the best old ideas with some of the newest innovations in social networking, Touch reinvents texting and file sharing for smartphone users.  Touch makes intimate group texting cool and it is a welcome app for smartphone users . . . at least until we all have videophones!

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 is hard to argue that any computer or electronics company has tried to tie itself to cutting edge popular music more than Apple.  Apple Computers reinvented itself on the strength of their portable music device, the iPod, and has been at the forefront of the legal digital download market with iTunes.  While Apple has leased many classic tunes for its advertising, appearing in an Apple commercial can truly jumpstart the career of an emerging musical artist.

When the first Apple iPod commercials began playing in 2001, each of the four different commercials used a different song.  While Smash Mouth’s “All-Star” remained an overplayed hit when the commercial was released and Seal’s “Crazy” showed no change in sales by being featured, newer acts fared better.  Sister Hazel, who had been written off as a one-hit wonder, managed to turn their floundering album Fortress into a gold record by letting Apple use the single “Beautiful Thing” in their first commercial!  Even the Dave Brubeck Quartet successfully promoted using those first iPod commercials.  Inclusion of the classic jazz song “Take Five” bolstered the sale of three Dave Brubeck Quartet albums in 2001!

They cannot all be winners, of course.  The Apple iPod 5G commercials featured a U2 song, “Original Of The Species” that failed to break into the Top 40.  U2 had little to complain about in its relationship with Apple, though; in 2004 the band teased its album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb on iPod commercials using the single “Vertigo.”  The commercials using “Vertigo” used dancing silhouettes that pushed the album’s sales up to nine million units sold, in a year rap and hip-hop music dominated the music industry.

Arguably, no one has benefitted more from an association with Apple advertising (outside Apple itself!) than the artist Feist.  Feist released her album The Reminder in April, 2007 to little fanfare and very little radio support.  Feist’s song “1 2 3 4” from The Remainder was featured in the 2007 iPod Nano 3G commercials promoting the different color shells of the Nano.  Following the launch of the commercial, sales of The Remainder skyrocketed to sell over one million copies!  “1 2 3 4” has sold 1.2 million digital downloads, most of them through iTunes!

Apple ties its products to trendy music in a way that has a proven record of revitalizing careers as well as pushing struggling artists to the forefront of the public’s attention.  Perhaps that is why Grouplove is so happy to have their song “Tongue Tied” featured on the new iPod Touch 4G commercials.  The iPod Touch 4G will undoubtedly be one of the bestselling Apple products this Christmas season; it remains to be seen how Grouplove fares!

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