Computer Support Blog

Unlike some of the clone sites of Pinterest that sprouted up when Pinterest’s meteoric rise to popularity began, most notably Shopalong, Pinterest has been stumbling through monetizing the site.  While the executives at Pinterest are not at all resistant to the idea of monetizing, like Facebook’s founders were when they were simply focused on creating something new and cool, Pinterest has been slower than some similar sites to figure out how to make money off its own popularity.  For the last month, though, Pinterest has taken steps to stop others from making money off the site, even as it figures out how to better generate revenue itself.  Some of the ways Pinterest is working, under the guise of stopping spam, to prevent other individuals and sites from utilizing Pinterest include: Read more »

In the business world, the tech sector especially, venture capital is essential for early growth.  Almost no company starts out instantly profitable and as a result, they need seed money.  Even social networks require initial startup funds for servers, domain names and money to pay their programmers. Without an immediate revenue stream, young entrepreneurs rely upon investors and venture capitalists who see the potential in their idea and believe in the abilities of those applying for funds to execute that vision.  Helping consumers get the most out of their money, reducing personal debt and financing promising new endeavors are the cornerstones of John Tran’s venture capital enterprises! Read more »

Summer seems to be doing good things for some troubled, but popular, Internet businesses.  Facebook, whose stock had been dropping pretty steadily since its IPO, not only leveled off, but has begun a rebound.  In the streaming media market, Netflix, whose stock has had an almost year-long decline, bottomed out on June 1 at $60.70/share.  Since then, however, Netflix investors have had a lot to cheer about and their investment has been bouncing back in the right direction. Read more »

There are very few boardrooms in the tech sector that can boast about gender diversity.  One of the notable exceptions to the disappointing trend that has women kept from managing or directing many of the top companies in the world is Google.  Google has three women who serve on its ten-person Board of Directors and with 30% female direction, Google represents one of the most gender-integrated Boards in the tech sector!  Ann Mather was one of the earliest members of the Google Board of Directors and far more than a diversity hire, Mather represents one of the most active presences in the business world today! Read more »

Despite its many successes in the software field, it is virtually impossible to deny that in many ways, Microsoft has been chasing Apple for years.  While Microsoft was still utilizing keyboard-based DOS, Apple had a mouse-based interface that captivated its users and made life easier for them.  That Microsoft Windows largely made PC’s more like Macintosh computers is a pretty old argument.  But as more and more details are leaked from Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8, it is hard not to see the parallels between the new operating system from Microsoft and Apple’s iOS. Read more »

The path of innovation in the tech sector is becoming a much broader one.  For most companies, gone are the days of scientists and engineers working in their laboratory doing pure research and development while corporate bean counters manage the finances of such projects in a distant office.  Many companies in the tech sector have begun to rely upon the engineers and scientists themselves to manage the funds for their projects and as a matter of corporate advancement, those companies tend to promote the best and brightest to leadership roles within their research and development department.  Of course, in many cases, that means that the scientist must return to school for additional education, focused more on business than engineering.  That is what happened with David Mosley. Read more »

Even though Facebook continues to grow and dominate the social network market, the Internet giant has had a pretty rough first half of the year.  The Facebook stock offering was fumbled and the value of the company remains below where it was when the IPO occurred.  Even before Facebook went public, one of the nagging concerns to both the corporate executives and potential investors was how Facebook was monetizing on mobile platforms.  No company, Facebook included, has yet produced a reliable, consistent, and strong revenue stream from advertisements launched on smartphones and tablet computers.  However, Facebook may be prepared to change that, which is making Facebook users wary. Read more »

Serious audiophiles know that the era of digital music has begun as a real mixed bag.  While digital music has made an immense library of music available in a way that virtually assures it will be accessible indefinitely, many times the basic audio files are not the highest possible quality.  When one does have a great system and appropriately dense music files, one frequently runs into the problem of having inadequate peripheral audio hardware.  Fortunately, companies like Klipsch exist to solve that problem.  One of the most impressive solutions to mediocre sound quality from digital music devices is the Lou Reed X10i Signature Edition Headphones. Read more »

There is no doubt about it; alternative energy is a hot industry right now.  Between the environmental, economic, and national security arguments, dependence upon fossil fuels is hardly a viable long-term strategy for any nation on Earth.  So, innovative companies have been formed to develop the energy sources that might replace oil.  One company, Solazyme, has found real success in manufacturing fuel oil from plant sugars.  As you may imagine, such a development has the potential for explosive growth and Solazyme has been experiencing incredible growth as a result of their new process.  That growth is exactly why the company needs Jane Marvin. Read more »

For the Holiday Season, 2011, one of the hottest gifts on the market was the Amazon Kindle Fire.  Amazon released the right product, at the right time, to compete against Apple’s iPad and the Barnes & Noble Nook line.  Moving out of the pure e-reader market, Amazon moved closer to a full tablet computer with the Kindle Fire e-reader.  Their gambit (and marketing) paid off: the Amazon Kindle was one of the most-bought, most-desired electronic devices of the fourth Quarter, 2011. Read more »