Computer Support Blog

Every good idea has its time.  Sometimes, the window for that idea can be very small and a business that fails to enact the good idea in a timely fashion, it can find itself in a world of trouble.  Similarly, when a business uses a good idea well, it often has to remain ahead of its competitors.  Blockbuster Video knows what it is like to wait too long to get on board a good idea; Netflix, with its innovative business strategy and product delivery method virtually buried the video rental chain.  Much of the success Netflix has had is the result of Neil Hunt.

Neil Hunt is an accomplished software engineer who rose to become one of the most vibrant executives in the technology and entertainment industries.  As the Chief Product Officer of Netflix since 2002, Hunt helped Netflix rise to become the industry leader in DVD rental services.  As a shrewd businessman, Hunt helped to build the platform for Netflix that has made it one of the most flexible and successful media delivery services ever.

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Sometimes, a good idea is as simple as making a product easier to buy or rent.  What is the value of an idea that simplifies the buying experience?  In the case of Redbox, making DVDs and video games easier to rent made the company billions of dollars.  Much of the success of Redbox is the result of the hard work of Mitch Lowe.

Redbox was a novelty pilot program outside McDonald’s restaurants when Mitch Lowe joined the company in 2003.  Lowe was one of the co-founders of Netflix and he saw in Redbox a real threat to the company for whom he was working.  Adopting the philosophy of “if you can’t beat them, join them,” Mitch Lowe decided he wanted to see the Redbox model succeed.  He left Netflix and joined Redbox as a consultant.  Lowe quickly rose to Vice President of Purchasing and Operations of Redbox before the Board promoted him to Chief Operating Officer.  In 2009, Mitch Lowe was promoted again, this time to President of the company!

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You may already be familiar with the poplar flash-based holiday entertainment website, “Elf Yourself,” but if you have not looked at it in a few years (when it was oh-so-popular) or if you have forgotten what it is, take a few minutes to try it out again–you’ll find that it really doesn’t get old. Besides, the site has many new features that make it a great deal more entertaining.

Using a simple interface, the website allows you to plug in a photo of yourself, or even several ones to include friends or people you know, and then mounts the facial pictures onto dancing Christmas elves. The result, as you can imagine, is a fairly hilarious clip of you dancing in absurd and wild Christmas settings surrounded by snowmen and other holiday critters.

The process is very simple and well worth the short amount of time it takes to get things ready. First, the site asks you to upload a picture of yourself. To do so, you can choose a saved picture from your computer, or you can link to your Facebook account and choose one from your profile. If you have a webcam and would prefer to take a picture on the spot, you can do that too. Of course, doing so requires the dreaded Facebook permission option, but once you’ve had your fun, you can simply remove the application from your Facebook account to eliminate (or at least reduce) threats to your Internet security. Uploaded pictures have to be in either JPEG or PNG format and are limited to 3MB in size (which might be a problem for photos shot with high-resolution cameras that produce much larger file sizes).

The interface also allows you to zoom in and accurately outline or rotate your face within the picture you upload. You are also required to outline the area between your jaw line and upper lip to allow for the singing animation effect that accompanies the dancing in the final clip.

Once you add all the pictures you want, you can select what kind of dancing you want your elfed-self to perform. Choose from disco, 80’s, country, singing, hip hop, surf, and classical. The site allows you to link the short clip of yourself dancing in elf costume to your Facebook account or email it to friends. The online video has an expiration date, so once it’s over, the site prompts you to download it, naturally, for a small fee.

Overall, elfyourself is an easy way to laugh hard and get a last minute dose of the holiday spirit. If you like your video so much that you want a permanent souvenir, you can buy a DVD of your elf dancing to all the available options, custom mugs, mouse pads, and other items. To create other funny animated clips starring yourself, check out Jib Jab’s website.

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 the absence of true cable competition, and with little regulation to prevent cable companies from ridiculously overpricing customers, people are starting to get fed up with how much they have to dish out for television. While some staunch free-market believers might still be waiting for a little laissez-faire to kick in, others are ready to stop supporting giant cable greed and are looking for other ways to get their weekly dosage of “Glee,” “Law and Order,” or “Frasier.”

Though many cable companies offer a cheap introductory rate, users quickly start seeing price hikes, which is why many people are looking into online streaming options like Netflix and Hulu in order phase out cable completely. In fact, switching to alternative services isn’t a bad idea given the right settings.

For starters, the bill for a monthly subscription with either Netflix or Hulu remains, thankfully so, in the single digits, with both plans starting at 7.99. Better yet, Hulu offers a limited free service! For an added cost, Netflix subscribers can get DVDs by mail. Netflix’s long-term plan, though, is to phase out the mail service completely, but that’s not necessarily bad, since it will create more streaming options.

In terms of offerings, Netflix has thousands of documentaries, dramas, critically acclaimed works, foreign films, and popular movies as part of its offerings, with hundreds added daily. So if you’re a film buff, you’re definitely going to get more out of Netflix than you ever would with a regular cable connection. For television fans, Hulu’s the way to go. Hulu also offers thousands of movies, but these are nothing too fancy. The real gem is the more than 16,000 episodes from more than 400 current and classic TV shows.

If you plan on watching a lot of Hulu or Netflix, make sure you understand the extent to which these services drain your network service. According to Netflix, one hour of streaming will use up close to 1 GB of bandwidth and works best on a connection speed of  500kbps (0.5MB). Both services can be used via gaming devices like the Wii, Xbox, or PS3.

Lastly, both services allow you to place your subscription on hold for a while in case you’re travelling or busy for a while.

The biggest limitation of abandoning cable is decentralization. Instead of getting most, or all, of your entertainment from one spot, you’re going to have to switch between Hulu, Netflix, and online news services to compensate. You’ll also find that Netflix has limited and problematic parental control; Hulu’s is even worse.

If you’re willing to deal with multiple entertainment outlets, then you might survive ditching cable. Unfortunately, you need both Hulu and Netflix for a more complete entertainment experience. At the end of the day, if you do watch a lot of television and like the surprise of variety that comes with it, you might have to stick with cable. You won’t be able to find a resource that brings together as many cooking shows, for example, online. As for Google TV, that’s a different story with a different blog.

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