Computer Support Blog

It will come as a surprise to no one that there has long been a strong connection between computers and comic books.  Since the early 1990s, artists have used  digitally-rendered, computer generated artwork to enhance their comic books.  A novelty at the time, computer artwork was used for backgrounds or conceptual points within a story.  Now, comic books and computers are intertwining in a different way through Cloud-based platforms and portable devices with extensive data storage.  Computers have become the display medium for comics through digital comic books.

Digital comic books are not new, though they have become more accessible to readers with recent advances in data storage capacity and Cloud-based storage.  Before data storage improvements, it was tough to get comic book readers to commit the hard drive space to the large files digital comic books occupied.   With Cloud technology and hard drives with greater data storage capacity, digital comics are coming into their own.

While Marvel Comics has had digital comics and a large computer support network for its users in place for years, DC Comics has been slower to adapt the technology.  With the reboot of DC Comics with their “New 52” strategy this year, DC Comics invested heavily in the digital comics market.  DC Comics sells digital comics on their “first look” nature.  New comics come out on Wednesdays and DC releases both the print and digital comic books on the same day.  Because most comic book shops do not open at 12:01 A.M. on Wednesday, digital comic readers may read the stories a few hours earlier than their friends.

As a business plan, digital comics are brilliant for both the manufacturer and the consumer.  For a limited investment in computer support personnel to transfer the printed images to a digital format, comic book publishers create a product with no materials cost.  Digital comic books replace the expense of publishing with vastly more affordable fees for data storage devices.

On the consumer end, digital comic books offer readers increased portability without risking their valuable collectible.  Collectors may keep the printed comic book in mint condition, but upload the digital comic book to enjoy the story.  Because of the Cloud-based distribution of digital comic books, readers need not have extensive data storage space to enjoy them.  Setting up the readers and apps may require some computer support to get the programs and subscriptions to run properly.

Despite the inherent benefits to the environment and the collectible value of comic books, digital comic books may not be doing a service to the medium.  The best graphic novels and comic books feature big artwork, sprawling panels that must breathe on the page.  That level of artistry is not represented well on a smartphone screen and the transitions between pages and panels may still be choppy on tablet computers.

Even so, the relationship between comic books and computers is now cemented and the future of comic books may well depend on the next technological leaps in portable electronics.

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

Facebook has many challenges to it, both technological and commercial.  While Facebook should better monitor the applications it allows to run on its platform, some of the issues with Facebook are internal and systemic.  One of the most significant problems with Facebook is that it has an annoying persistence.  Have you ever noticed how Facebook continues to recommend the same people to you?  Have you ever noticed that the Facebook recommendation for friends just keep coming back?  What is it that Facebook doesn’t get when you click the little “X” next to their recommendation to simply not friend the people they recommend?!

The Facebook system works on the principle that there are very few degrees of separation between people.  As a result, when you add someone as a friend on Facebook, the Facebook program suggests friends of your friend be added as your friend.  From pretty much the moment you friend anyone new, you will begin to see on your sidebar, people that Facebook recommends you add as a friend.  A great way to test this is to add someone you do not know well at all as a Facebook friend.  After you add an acquaintance watch how Facebook suggests all sorts of people you don’t know from your new “friend’s” friend list.

Who cares?  Why is this an issue?  Unlike friend requests that you can deny and they go away, Facebook insists you consider their recommendation.  If you have ever gone to the complete list of people Facebook recommends you “friend” and painstakingly gone through the list to clear the (often) hundreds of people Facebook wants you to friend, you will discover your time was completely wasted.  Go back there now and you will see!  You can go through your entire list, remove everyone that Facebook recommends and the next time you log in, their recommendations will be back.

Facebook: “No means no!”  When you inform Facebook by clicking on the “no” button – indicating you do not want to add their suggestion to your friend list – Facebook ought to listen.  The Facebook program not only wants to connect people, it is persistent in a troubling way.

Facebook needs to simply be programmed to respect our wishes and stop making the same mistake.  Whether you have one of your ex’s friends and do not want the whole barrage of their other associates or have left a real social situation where you only want to retain a relationship with one person from that group through Facebook, there are millions of situations where you might want one person as a friend, but not everyone with whom they are associated.

Forget the Timeline, forget the “dislike” button, all you really need is a Facebook that listens and provides a way to permanently stop suggesting a person once you have indicated you do not want the Facebook-suggested individual as a friend.

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

The iPhone 4S has been the subject of a lot of writing in the blogosphere lately, especially pertaining to the phone’s failing batteries.  Because of all the press the iPhone 4S receives about the defects, sometimes it is hard to overlook all that this smartphone can do.  While there are already rumors abounding that the iPhone 5 is in various stages of development or production, the iPhone 4S has a lot to recommend it.  In fact, there are so many improvements in the iPhone 4S over the iPhone 3 that it is easy to see why the iPhone 4S is one of the hottest gifts for the 2011 Christmas season.  Because so little has changed with the physical appearance of the iPhone 4S, it may not be evident to casual observers just how much has changed with this upgrade to the iPhone.

The back of the iPhone 4S features a camera and here Apple went for professional quality.  Rather than develop a separate Apple digital camera, the iPhone 4S includes an f/2.4 designed to make Apple competitive in the digital camera market.  The 8-megapixel resolution certainly is an improvement over most smartphone cameras!  In addition to the basic camera function, the Apple iPhone 4S includes a video recording ability.  The Apple iPhone 4S features video stabilization and produces 1080p HD movies.  Apple intends for the movie function, like the camera function, to appeal to professionals.  As a result, the iPhone 4S shoots movies at 30 frames per second and is loaded with tools to capture colors with vivid reality.

Inside the iPhone 4S are 2 A5 processors.  Because the iPhone 4S is designed for its computing – from running apps to playing Cloud-based movies seamlessly to accessing other online storage programs – the powerful processing speed of the two A5 chips is a big leap forward for iPhone users.  The two A5 chips service the Retina display screen.  Apple is touting the new Retina display for having a pixel density so tight that the naked eye cannot distinguish individual pixels.

Finally, the Apple iPhone 4S features Siri.  Siri is a digital personal assistant who talks to the user and responds to voice-activated commands.  In addition to talking on your iPhone 4S, you can now talk to your iPhone 4S.  It is almost surprising that with Siri, Apple’s advertising campaign was not “You are never alone with your iPhone 4S!”

Undoubtedly, the Apple iPhone 4S is a neat smartphone and it will remain one of the best smartphones on the market . . . at least until the iPhone 5 comes out.

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 the spread of Cloud-based media, the ability to transfer movies, television and other files to small, portable devices has only increased.  Smartphones are essentially tiny movie theaters now!  While tablet computers and smartphones make watching movements convenient and easy, nothing takes the place of seeing movies on the big screen, as the director intended.  Fortunately, with the proliferation of larger flat screen high-definition televisions, watching movies in big, bold displays is also easier.  The problem, for most users, is how to bridge the portable device – that has the Cloud access – and the HDTV.  For Apple products, Wolverine has the answer with the iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module.

The Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module is a remarkably simple device that allows users to transfer their Cloud-based library to any high-definition television, monitor or projector.  The Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module features a male port designed to interface with the docking port on the iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.  That 30-pin docking port on the Apple products is one of the unique ports that Apple created for their devices with touchscreens.  Wolverine’s iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module includes a male connector that slides easily into the female docking port on the Apple product.  Like Apple connectors that connect to the docking port, the Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module clicks to lock into the port to assure connectivity.

What the connector does, then, is translate the signal coming out of the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch or iPhone into an HDMI signal.  The 30-pin connector at one end of the Module is connected to a small converter box at the Module’s other end.  That box has a female HDMI port.  What the Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module does not have is the HDMI cable needed to connect the Module to a high-definition device.  In most cases, users of the Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module will not even need to purchase an HDMI cable to connect the Module to your HDMI device.  If you already have a Blu-Ray player, DVD player or gaming console connected to your HDTV through the HDMI port, you already have the HDMI cable.  By simply unplugging your HDMI-connected device at the player, you have access to the connector that is still connected to the HDTV.  Simply plug your Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module into the HDMI cable you unplugged from the existing player or gaming console and your Apple device may now stream directly to your high-definition television!

It is that easy.  The Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module allows you to combine the convenience of streaming, Cloud-based technology with the awesome power of a full-size high-definition television or digital projector.  Finally, convenience and awe made possible by one small connector!

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

William Shatner tells a great story about trading cards.  He talks about how when he was a kid, he would put baseball cards in the spokes of the tires of his bike and cycle around, enjoying the “click click click” sound the card would make.  When Shatner first encountered a modern trading card with holographic technology, it surprised him.  One has to wonder how Shatner would react to seeing the new generation of trading cards, presented from Interactive DTC.  Interactive DTC has changed the trading card industry by creating Digital Trading Cards.

Digital Trading Cards are CD-ROM discs that are rectangular instead of the traditional circular disc.  Interactive DTC wanted to create a more permanent medium than the cardboard trading cards of yesteryear and with the Digital Trading Cards, they succeeded!  While the trading card industry had previously been preoccupied solely with condition and rarity, Digital Trading Cards drive trading card enthusiasts to prioritize content.

Interactive DTC obtained the license to many significant franchises that had been very popular with traditional trading card collectors.  As a result, there are Digital Trading Cards for The Lord Of The Rings, Stargate SG-1, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, as well as sports figures like Chad Muska, Brian Deegan, and Bruce Irons.

Using the Digital Trading Cards is very easy.  Each card-shaped CD-ROM features a silkscreened image emblematic of the disc’s content.  So, for example, a Digital Trading Card from Interactive DTC’s The Two Towers set might feature Frodo Baggins or King Theoden.  Placing the Digital Trading Card into your CD-ROM drive activates the card.  Each card contains a wealth of content that does not require any additional computer support; each disc features the Interactive DTC browser program.  The Digital Trading Card is a true multimedia experience.  In addition to having images, each card features movies, interviews and other data.  The NASCAR Digital Trading Card set featured music, interviews conducted by Interactive DTC, photo galleries of each featured driver, video footage, racing tips, games, statistics (just like old baseball cards!) and 3D model programs of each racer’s car and shop!  The Digital Trading Cards truly bridge the divide between card collectors and video game players by providing content both will appreciate.

You must connect to the Internet to get the full benefits of the Digital Trading Card. Interactive DTC provides Internet support for collectors through a platform on their website that allows registered collectors to trade cards with one another.  Interactive DTC wanted to continue the fun, social aspect, of collecting, so each physical disc contains multiple Digital Trading Cards.  Through the online platform, collectors may swap their duplicates!

The old adage in investing in the collectibles market is “collect what you love.”  For decades, trading card enthusiasts have been subject to a shifting market that prioritizes card rarity at the expense of card content.  With Interactive DTC’s Digital Trading Cards, fans of big media and sports franchises get to return to collecting what they love instead of chasing an almost unobtainable, expensive rare card.

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

Social networks come and go, especially with changing Internet security concerns stemming from identity theft, but one of the social networks that never truly came of age and is having a slower collapse than others is Elftown.  Elftown – www.elftown.com – is an online artistic community and it was one of the earliest social networks online.  Founded in 2002, it predates both Myspace and Facebook.

Despite Internet security concerns, the site is not dead yet!  Many artists are still discovering Elftown as a viable off-site option for data.  In the last year the reference photography page on Elftown has become a resource for digital artists with tens of thousands of images that users have made available.  Despite concerns over Internet security, Elftowners use the site for data backup of their artistic works.  As a relatively unknown site, Elftown does not have as many Internet security issues, making it an ideal place for artists to store digital copies of their artwork.  This makes it an ideal site for data backup for artists who are storing their works on older systems.  Using Elftown for data backup and data recovery is certainly what Elftowners do with reference pictures.  A simple Google search of “reference pictures” puts Elftown as the second result out of 283 million results!

Elftown is most analogous to deviantART, though Elftown follows a less commercial model.  Elftown has never effectively monetized the site and relies upon donations of funds and equipment to keep the Elftown servers running.  Elftown’s distinction is that it focuses on the creation of art, while protecting artists through reasonable Internet security, screening methods and protected data backup options.

What Elftown has that the other social networks lack is a strong sense of community involvement.  When you sign up for Elftown, your application has to be approved by the site’s founder, Hedda.  After Hedda approves you, Guides greet users, and artists on the site randomly say “hello.”  A bar on the right side of the Elftown page shows a list of the Elftowners who are currently online.

As artists, artistic integrity is very important, as is Internet security to protect their intellectual property. The social aspect of Elftown is visible by Guards who patrol the site to enforce the terms of use and prevent violations to copyright laws, as well as guard against Internet security violations and threats to data backup on the site.  Elftown runs contests where users are encouraged to generate original art for specific themes, encouraging healthy competition.

Elftown started as a virtuous idea: to connect artists of all mediums with one another to encourage art and the free spread of ideas.  As Myspace.com and Facebook decline, perhaps the Elftown model will have its day simply by enduring through Internet security threats and by providing reliable data backup for artists.  Social networking is about connecting, not monetizing, and Elftown has endured when others on the Internet have not.  Elftown is still ahead of its time.

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

As cool as tablets are, they still have to overcome plenty of tech support issues before they join the realm of standard computing devices. The biggest tech support issue facing tablets is functionality. Tablets operate largely like fancy smartphones. Even Apple’s iPad is closer to an iPhone than to a laptop. Additionally, tablets need a lot more tech support to tackle problems relating to connectivity, storage and usability.

Tablets are gaining a lot of popularity among business travelers and people who need light, portable computing devices, but such users often discover that connecting their tablets to printers is complicated and messy because tablets significantly lack printing tech support. To connect a tablet to a printer, it is often necessary to use a third party app, as tablet makers haven’t provided sufficient tech support yet.

Another tablet limitation is web browsing. Tech support for tablet web browsers is also limited, often forcing users to use multiple browsers to access different websites. One exception to this may by Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which is due for release next week. The Kindle Fire comes with its own web browser, SILK, which was designed exclusively for the device. SILK does not operate on any tablet or device other than the Kindle Fire. Because it was created for the Kindle, rather than made to work with it, Amazon says that browsing using SILK will be a super fast and a very smooth experience.

Tablet computer repairs are another major limitation of the devices. Computer repair work for tablets is usually tricky because of the devices’ delicate and compact nature. Taking risks with cheap or self-help computer repair work can be very risky. It’s always better to seek out professional tablet computer repairs that have a history of excellent computer repair work than to trust amateurs. It’s easy for the inexperienced person attempting to provide tablet computer repair to damage the device by merely trying to take it apart.

Software computer repairs aren’t as risky, but that’s no excuse to take them for granted. Again, always seek out professionals as your first option. Don’t wait for an inexperienced provider to try—and fail—at fixing your tablet. Bad computer repairs can cost you to lose valuable data.

Because tablets are still in their Alpha phase, we can expect that they will continue to need plenty of tech support. And who knows, perhaps enough time and advanced tech support will actually succeed in making tablets a standard computing device, a title still monopolized by computers and laptops.

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

Using your network service to do your holiday shopping has many advantages.  There are no lines or crowds.  If you want to see another store’s price for a product, that information is a click away.  Even better, you don’t have to worry about parking at the mall – shopping has become as easy as turning on your computer and starting the network service. Shoppers who used their network service to buy gifts accounted for more than thirty billion dollars in sales last year.  Taking some quick and easy precautions will ensure that you can participate in this exciting new marketplace without compromising your Internet security.

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A study appearing this week in First Monday highlights a serious threat to users’ Internet security—underage users, that is. Millions of kids under the age of 13 are on Facebook, according to the study. One of the most significant findings is that parents willingly help their children join Facebook, despite the dangers this practice poses to children’s privacy and Internet security.

According to a CNN article on the study, 95 percent of parents of 10-year olds know that their children are on Facebook. In fact, they helped their children create the account. Though this is not necessarily a surprising finding, it should certainly be an upsetting one. Parents are essentially desensitizing their children to the need to have strong Internet security while online. By helping kids join at such an early age, parents are telling their kids that it’s ok to share pictures and other personal information, that being vigilant about Internet security isn’t necessary.

Perhaps one cause of this growing disregard for Internet security is the fact that people take Internet security for granted. Users assume that there is no imminent threat to their children’s—or their—Internet security because they’re using a secure home network service or because they have firewalls and other kinds of protection set up that. However, the main Internet security threat is not one that comes from network services. The most imminent Internet security threat facing younger users is the loss of privacy.

Last year, Consumer Reports found that 7.5 million children under 13 were Facebook members. Such a figure may not seem too significant relative to Facebook’s 800 million users, but in reality it is very alarming. There are almost as many underage kids on Facebook as there are people in the greater Boston area. Shouldn’t kids be playing outside or reading Harry Potter instead of slowly becoming naturalized to ignoring Internet security, living in a cyber world that cannot substitute for healthy, real social interactions?

The trouble is, as network services become abundant everywhere, it’s hard to prevent children from wanting to join Facebook or going online 5 hours a day. In fact, as the study shows, parents tend to allow their children to join Facebook precisely because it has become a standard communication tool across network services. The rising complexity of network services makes it hard to separate online media and stick with one form of communication only. Email, chat, Facebook, and calendars are increasingly becoming one large network service, which makes it hard to limit online activity to only email, for instance.

For parents, there’s no easy solution to the problem. Balancing the need for strong Internet security and protecting kids’ privacy with the need to be involved in an increasingly interconnected online world is just one of the many perks of parenting.

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

Most people have some form of virus removal software on their computer.  Despite that fact, a significant proportion of those users will have to deal with an Internet security issue at some point in their computing career.  This is because the threat environment online is dynamic; it evolves constantly, trying to outfox the Internet security providers and get to your data.  How can you be sure that your virus removal software is providing the most comprehensive protection?  Here are some questions you should ask in shopping for virus removal software:

1)  Is the virus removal software you’re considering from an established, reputable provider?  It’s important that you be able to trust your virus removal software.  Most brands will have reviews posted online, which can help you decide if that particular program will fit your needs.  Conversely, choosing a virus removal program without investigation carries many risks, not least among them the risk of having your Internet security compromised by a bogus “diagnostic scan.”

2)  What happens when the software detects a threat?  It is important to make a distinction between virus detection software and virus removal software.  Virus detection software will find a threat and then notify the user, leaving them to deal with the threat by themselves.  Virus removal software will detect the threat, isolate it, and then remove it from the computer, usually with little or no input from the user.

3)  How often does the software update its threat registry?  As mentioned above, the ways in which hackers test your Internet security are constantly changing.  It is important, therefore, to make sure that your virus removal software updates its threat registry regularly and often.  These updates will allow your virus removal software to detect and cope with the newest Internet security threats as they appear.

4)  Exactly what features does your virus removal software offer?  Before committing to a particular program, take a look at what it can offer you.  While it is true that some Internet security companies offer only bare-bones virus removal packages, others include things like personal firewalls for added security, or spam filters for your email accounts.  Just as with any other purchase, the goal when shopping for Internet security programs is to get the most value for your dollar.

5)  Does the software company stand by their product?  Let’s be clear: no matter how comprehensive your virus removal software is, no matter how careful you are with your permissions, there is still a chance that you will eventually have to deal with a breach of your Internet security.  Another important question when shopping for virus removal software is: what happens then?  Does the Internet security company have support personnel standing by, or is it up to the user to fix the problem?

These are just some of the important questions you should ask yourself when shopping for Internet security software.  Answering these questions before you buy will ensure that you get the best possible protection for your computer.

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