Computer Support Blog

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 »

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 »

The Internet has a way of getting people to give out their personal information to corporations, which can be problematic for consumers.  In addition to providing manufacturers with an incredible amount of personal information for their own purposes, you may get bombarded with spam as a result of trying to win an online contest or filling out a survey on the Internet.  But, for the cunning, thrifty consumer, the Internet can be a portal to a happy birthday by providing freebies and incentives. Read more »

Sometimes, it is unclear what a business did before a certain point in its corporate history, even by researching the company.  Sometimes, a company exists for a time before it hires an individual who turns out to have a great impact on the company; that is the type of hire that puts a company on the map! Joyce Fleck had exactly that level of impact on the Navarre Corporation. Read more »

One of the most interesting aspects of the World Wide Web has to be that it has forced companies to truly work on an international level, as opposed to simply within one country.  The fascinating corollary to that is that many companies have a vastly different presence on the Internet, depending on where in the world one is accessing them.  So, even as Yahoo! has made a decline in the United States, it remains a powerhouse company in the Pacific Rim countries, despite a few setbacks with failed attempts to acquire existing companies there.  Part of the reason for Yahoo!’s continued relevance in Asia is Rose Tsou. Read more »

There is nothing new about popular companies or brands merchandising their name well outside the product that initially made the company famous, even in the technology sector.  One need look no further than Apple’s early 1980s line of windbreakers and Swiss Army Knives to know that the tech sector, like the media and celebrities, has long tried to make money off baubles unrelated to their technological advances.  As one of the most popular video games on the market for the last few years, one of the biggest licenses to stem from the technology sector is Angry Birds. Read more »

Virtual reality and augmented reality have been concepts in the public mind for years. Innovators and researchers have spent a great deal of time imagining and designing immersive technologies, but so far, most of them are still a long way off from commercial sale. The Zeiss Cinemizer OLED, however, is closer than most. Read more »