Computer Support Blog

When one thinks of cool products and cool places to visit on the Internet, the U.S. Government is hardly a name near the top of the list.  When many people think of the federal government, they think of the IRS (often negatively) or political in-fighting.  The Federal government actually runs several vital, completely apolitical, organizations.  One of them is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  And, believe it or not, NOAA has one of the coolest websites on the Internet! Read more »

Every city has something unique to offer its residents or visitors, but nothing truly defines a location as its small businesses – especially restaurants – do.  So, to get the real flavor of a city’s unique benefits, it helps to have a site where small businesses may promote their deals and customers may be exposed to all that locale has to offer.  That is the concept behind the LivingSocial website. Read more »

In the wake of the National Traffic Safety Board’s proposal that each state pass a law to outright ban the use of electronic devices while driving and the revelation that Carrier IQ has been acquiring deeply personal data through its smartphone programming, it is hard not to feel jaded about technology right now.  The National Traffic Safety Board had absolutely the right idea in its proposal.  Unfortunately, if left up to the states or the federal government, it might take some time for government to act.  As penance for the Carrier IQ scandal, the smartphone industry should be compelled to make technology do what law enforcement has not. Read more »

Today, there are few technology-related aspects of life that are as important as having a reliable Internet connection.  Most people can easily live without advanced television features or even the telephone capabilities of their smartphone, but finding oneself trapped without a reliable connection to the Internet is enough to make you pull out your hair.  One of the essential tools for virtually any business or home, then, is a good router.  The ADSL2+ Four Port Ethernet Switch Router is a worthwhile router for home or business use. Read more »

Virtually every business journal has weighed in on the decline in Facebook’s stock.  After years of playing coy about it, Facebook had its initial public offering in May at $38 per share.  When the stock fell below $30 on May 29, every pundit in the business world weighed in on the decline.  The prevailing wisdom was that Facebook’s stock was overvalued and investors did not have a good-faith belief in the long-term profitability of the company.  That makes perfect sense from a business perspective.  The problem, however, with that view, is that it completely neglects the consumer perspective and there is an excellent chance that the consumer perspective is what is affecting Facebook’s stock. Read more »

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 the debate continuing in the political arena over the future of healthcare in the United States, it might not surprise you to learn that private entrepreneurs are already looking to pick up the slack from where government programs might leave off.  In fact, many new businesses are utilizing the Internet to spread information and form communities online where users work together toward common health and fitness goals.  One such online community that is currently growing is EveryMove.  As a member of the Board of Directors of EveryMove, Anna Haghgooie is responsible for keeping the venture capital flowing to the start-up! 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 »

In this day in age, it is hard not to look at pop psychology with anything but disdain.  Unlike legitimate psychotherapy – which treats the human mind like a complex organ and human motivations as a complex series of events, triggers, consequences, and conditioned reactions – pop psychology creates simple, generic answers for virtually every situation or conditioned.  Pop psychology and the mentality that all mental disorders can be mitigated with medication, has largely been reinforced by the speed and access to information that the Internet represents.  Fortunately, People Mapping is not pop psychology. Read more »

In the last few years, there has been a wireless revolution; virtually every computer peripheral or electronic device has wireless access.  With so many wireless devices operating in a home or office setting, it is easy to lose track of the range on each device.  Moreover, if you and other family members are accessing the Internet through a home wireless network, you may experience lag.  Nothing restores the functionality and speed of a wireless network like a good wireless router.  One of the most versatile wireless routers on the market is the AirStation HighPower N600 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router! Read more »