Computer Support Blog

Despite its faults with repeatedly recommending the same hundred people to be your friend, Facebook remains a very cool social network.  Facebook is a social network where you can communicate with friends far and near and even people you just wish were your friends, all at once.  The social network that Mark Zuckerberg founded on the concept of exclusivity is now a universally-recognized facet of United States popular culture.  One of the nice elements of Facebook is that it serves as a platform for applications that do not take Facebook all that seriously.  Two of the coolest such applications are Face-Invaders and the Photo Booth Friends video slot machine.

Face-Invaders is a very simple application for Facebook.  The Face-Invaders game is a recreation of the classic 1980s video game Space Invaders.  The difference, though, is that instead of generic aliens, the creatures descending from the sky are made up of Facebook photos of your Facebook friends!  You use your own Facebook photo in Face-Invaders as the defensive weapon to save the world.

The game is very simple to play, just as Space Invaders was.  As your friends float down from the sky, you shoot them until the rows of friends are all gone.  Moving your avatar is easy, as you simply tilt your tablet computer or smartphone in the direction you want to go. To fire your weapon, you simply tap your portable device’s screen.  Face-Invaders can be a nice cathartic tool when people you are friends with on Facebook have annoyed you in real life!

For a more positive spin on using your Facebook friends’ photos, the DoubleDown Casino application on Facebook has Photo Booth Friends.  Photo Booth Friends is a standard video slot machine on Facebook, except that all of the symbols are profile photos from your Facebook friends.  Photo Booth Friends is a cool application in that you may let the program choose which friends it represents in the game or you may associate specific friends with different winning values.  Suddenly, your loved one may help you win big at the virtual casino!

Photo Booth Friends is otherwise a very typical video slot machine on the DoubleDown Casino platform.  Photo Booth Friends is a twenty-line video slot machine with eleven different symbols, including Bonus Game and Scatter symbols.  The bonus game for Photo Booth Friends is the aptly-named “snapshot bonus” that makes further use out of your friends’ Facebook photos.

Facebook profile photos can be fun or troubling, but with applications like Face-Invaders and Photo Booth Friends, you can see a lot more of your friends while gaming on Facebook!

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

Everyone does it and no one really thinks about it. You register on a new website and your browser automatically asks if you want to save your password. If the computer belongs to you, you think, “Sure, why not?” and click ok. Unfortunately, there could be some major consequences to that little decision.

If your computer were ever stolen, the thieves would have instant access to all of your sites. They could get into your email, your social networking sites, your online shopping accounts, and any other website for which you have saved the password.

Even if that never happens, saving passwords in your browser does not make them secure passwords. Most browsers have a way to look up all the saved passwords, usually under the ‘tools’ or ‘settings’ menu. Anyone with access to your computer can find this registry of your saved passwords and use them.

Malware can also get into your computer and find these passwords in the same manner. If you have poor Internet security, malware can even steal these passwords undetected. Sometimes even a scan specifically designed to detect malware programs does not find them.

There are a few options available, however, to make certain you have secure passwords. At home, the easiest thing to do is simply write them down and keep them near the computer. Unfortunately, you would then have to re-enter them every time you login to the website.

Another thing to consider is that there are programs that will keep your secure passwords safe. These kinds of programs have a master password that you can set-up, which you must enter once each time you open your browser, that will then unlock all the saved secure passwords. This eliminates the need to constantly re-enter all of your passwords on different sites, but the problem with this is that you cannot ever re-set the master password, even if you forget it.

If you do not want to use either of these options but tend to forget your passwords, you can always keep changing your passwords using the ‘forgot password’ feature on the website. Most websites make this an easy and quick process, and it is another way to make sure you are using secure passwords.

Fortunately, if you ever do run into problems stemming from lost or stolen passwords, you can easily get computer support help from a computer repair company such as RESCUECOM. If you follow the tips above, however, you should have fewer worries about whether or not you have secure passwords.

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 odds are good that if you have done any sort of financial transaction on the Internet, you have a PayPal account.  The spin-off of eBay has helped make eBay even more money than the auction site was making on its own.  By charging anyone who received money through PayPal, the financial company has generated enough revenue for itself to make PayPal a multi-billion dollar company.  PayPal has become the online financial powerhouse it has by taking money out of small businesses – like independent vendors who sell on eBay – and from the multi-billion dollar banking and credit card industries.  Now, Dwolla is entering the market to take a bite out of the credit card companies and PayPal.

It is about time.

Dwolla is using new technologies to provide its users with direct access to their bank accounts while protecting their private information.  The stated goal of Dwolla is to provide the flexibility of cash for the virtual world of the Internet.  Your Dwolla account is intended to give you a common source of payment online and in the real world without ever having to touch cash again.

What makes Dwolla different is its security and transparency.  Dwolla has unprecedented security controls that prevent identity theft by keeping your account numbers from ever getting to identity thieves.  In this way, Dwolla is very much like PayPal.  Unlike PayPal, Dwolla’s privacy controls allow users to restrict how much information is available to those they pay through the service.  With PayPal, you have access to quite a bit of information – at the very least e-mail address, name and address – of the person with whom you are doing business.  While that makes sense for virtual transactions that involve physical items shipped between two people, it makes less sense for charity donations and person-to-person transactions.

The real difference with Dwolla is in its fee structure.  Users pay $3.00 a month for their Dwolla account, which gives them access to a $500 line of credit and instant access to their own bank account.  If you use credit money and you do not pay it off by the end of the month, there are fees.  However, Dwolla encourages the small sales.  By eliminating transaction fees on all purchases less than $10, Dwolla fosters support for the small transactions that have been becoming more costly with each passing year.  The CEO of Dwolla argues that transactions like paying for a cup of coffee with your credit card are forcing vendors to charge more for their products and services.

Dwolla wants to turn that tide and help users get the most out of the money that should, by rights, be theirs.  The $.25 transaction fee on all charges above $10 is minimal when compared to PayPal’s oppressive fee scheme.  That is probably why eBay will resist incorporating Dwolla for as long as it legally can.

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 process of driving has become more difficult with the proliferation of new technologies and the distractions those technologies represent.  With the rise of the cell phone, drivers suddenly had phone calls to distract them from driving safely.  While the utterly ineffectual laws requiring hands free devices sought to curb that problem, legislators had no idea how fast the smartphone would take over.  With the smartphone beginning to dominate the mobile phone market, drivers have even more to be distracted by.  Ford Motors, however, has come up with a solution, through their SYNC system!

The Synch AppLink is a new function of the Microsoft-powered Synch platform.  Synch is essentially the operating system for the computers aboard cars from Ford Motors.  Just as Windows may run your PC, Synch runs the onboard computer on Ford vehicles.  Synch monitors your Ford’s status and provides you – and your mechanic – with clear alerts when there is a malfunction within the car.  Synch also assists you in adjusting the frills in your car, like adjusting the radio station or volume.

Now, Microsoft has enhanced the Synch system with Synch AppLink.  Synch AppLink acts as a bridge between the Synch system and your smartphone.  Because Windows occupies such a small market share of the smartphone OS market, it was impractical to create a system for Ford that exclusively interfaced with only Windows-driven smartphones.  So, Microsoft created the Synch AppLink.

The Synch AppLink allows you to access compatible applications on your smartphone through the Synch system.  After docking your smartphone with your Ford, you may give Synch voice commands.  By activating the Synch AppLink, you will be able to give voice commands to activate compatible applications on your smartphone.  If, for example, you subscribe to the Internet radio station Pandora through your smartphone, you would be able to command the Synch AppLink to open the Pandora app.  Within seconds, you would be listening to Internet-based radio streaming from your smartphone to your Ford’s speakers all using the Synch AppLink!

The Synch AppLink is adding compatibility to new programs daily.  In addition to music apps like Pandora and Stitcher, the Synch AppLink has some compatibility with Twitter.  While hands free typing may not yet be available through Synch AppLink, you may now check your Twitterfeed through the Synch AppLink!  Even as you drive away from home, you may remain connected to your friends!

With the Synch AppLink, hands free usage of smartphones is becoming easier and that should make everyone on the road happier!

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

If you have had M&M’s lately, you might be contributing to a growing problem without even knowing about it.  M&M’s has a current promotion on many of its wrappers advertising the chance to win free movie tickets.  This is very exciting; in addition to getting some candy, you have the chance to get into a movie for free!  How cool is that?  Your response might be a little different after you pull back the curtain and look at what MARS/M&M’s is actually doing (and they are not the only ones!).

When you go on the Internet to enter the code found on your wrapper of M&M’s, the site requests your birthdate and state.  This is a very odd redundancy as the M&M’s website requires you to provide your birthdate just to access the site (it reconfigures for different age groups, which is admittedly pretty cool).  After you have added your date of birth and state or territory, you may enter your game code.  When you enter your game code, you are compelled to provide your e-mail address before the site will tell you what you have won.

And lo!  The vast majority of winners who win anything from M&M’s.com have to enter their address . . . so M&M’s may mail you your movie coupon.  This may seem like a very exciting process that has you eager to go to the movie, as well as eat more candy (you could win again!).

But what has really happened?  In the space of about one minute, you have provided the MARS/M&M’s Corporation with your name, address, e-mail address and birthdate.  You have given the company everything they need to put you on a mailing list!

Virtually every company with an online presence now gets their data directly from their customers in this fashion.  Why pay for a mailing list from a competitor when you can simply have your customers furnish their contact information under the guise of winning something?  The bottom of the receipts for Taco Bell and Wal-Mart promise the chance of money each month when you call and inform the company about the service you received.  Some users online have reported spikes in e-mails from companies like Wal-Mart following filling out those surveys!

It used to be that businesses kept customers in the dark about how their names ended up on mailing lists.  With the rise of Internet contests and surveys that require you to give your contact information, the process is being redressed poorly.  But kudos to the big companies!  They have realized they do not need data miners; they just need to offer the possibility of getting something more with your seventy-five cent candy!

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 Toshiba Satellite L735-S32310 offers as much or more than many of the more expensive tablet and ultrabook laptop computers on the market.  With the flood of tablet computers hitting the market in the $200 to $829 range and the Toshiba Portege Z835 Ultrabook laptop boasting an online retail price of $899, it is hard for laptop computer buyers to not feel like they are being fleeced.  The Toshiba Satellite L735, in contrast, offers as much for as little as $439.83.

The Toshiba Satellite L735 boasts a 13.3” monitor with the same 1366 X 768 pixel resolution the Portege is bragging.  The Toshiba Satellite L735 has 4 GB RAM, like the most Ultrabooks, and it is unlikely users will need much computer support as the Toshiba Satellite L735 can handle most programs adequately.  Moreover, for hundreds of dollars less, users get almost four times the hard drive space.  The Toshiba Satellite L735 features a 500 GB hard drive that will store more information and programs than most users will ever need.

The big difference between the Toshiba Satellite L735 and the Ultrabook laptop computers coming on the market, ignoring the price, is the weight.  At 4.6 pounds, the Toshiba Satellite L735 is hardly an anchor.  Ultrabooks and the MacBook Air advertise the benefit of being less than three pounds, but most users will find the 4.6 pounds of the Toshiba Satellite L735 to be an almost imperceptible difference in weight from the Ultrabooks, even if they are carrying their laptop computer for hours.

With its built-in camera and the DVD drive, the Toshiba Satellite L735 makes multimedia conferencing and entertainment easy and efficient.  The MacBook Air requires users to network to digitally share DVDs and CDs, whereas the Toshiba Satellite L735 allows users the simplicity of using the media they already have in their home theaters in the laptop computer.  The convenience of being able to access the media users already have without additional steps is an idea not lost on Toshiba.

Because Toshiba laptops have been on the market for years from an industry leader, as rated by the latest RESCUECOM Computer Reliability Report, it is easy to find laptop repair for the Toshiba Satellite L735 as well.  Despite the durability of the laptop computer, accidents happen.  It is much easier to bear the expense of repairing a Toshiba Satellite L735 than it is to wrestle with both the sticker shock and repair bills from the more expensive Ultrabooks.

In the current economy, thrift is cool. Status comes as much from staying connected as it does from the device one is using to connect.  The Toshiba Satellite L735-S32310 allows greater functionality than the lightweight laptop computers at a much more reasonable price.

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

If you rabidly check every computer-oriented or technology-related site on the Internet to keep up with the most current events in the technical world, you may well be confused by a name you keep seeing there.  For the last few weeks, one name keeps appearing with a frequency that has not appeared on technical news sites and blogs since the death of Steve Jobs.  The new name on the tip of virtually every technology geek’s tongue is Louis C.K.

Louis C.K.?

Louis C.K.?!  Who is Louis C.K.?  If his name is on the technical sites, he must have taken over one of the big computer companies!  Is Louis C.K. the new CEO of Microsoft?  No, Louis C.K. is none of those things.  Louis C.K. is a stand-up comic and comedy writer.  He has, to date, illustrated no particular aptitude for anything computer-related or innovative in the electronics field.  Why then, are so many technical sites that usually focus on Internet security issues, forthcoming computer product releases and everything concerning the minutia of smartphones paying so much attention to Louis C.K. all of a sudden?

In mid-December, the 44 year-old comedian decided to skip the networks, bypass potential FCC censorship and all of the other potential middlemen who might have profited off his talent and presented his latest stand-up comedy special, Louis C.K.: Live At The Beacon Theater.  The reason this has become such an issue for the computer sector of the blogosphere is that Louis C.K.’s direct-to-consumer offering has several significant technical aspects that have been untried until now.

On the most technical side, Louis C.K. has attempted to make his program exceptionally easy to view.  Louis C.K.’s website sells the program directly and after paying via PayPal, you return to the site where you get access to the video and have the ability to download it.  Louis C.K. presents the video without digital-rights management programming or regional encoding, which means you may view it on any computer or smartphone around the world.

The computer and electronics industry place a huge premium on intellectual property rights and protecting those who create programs and media.  The reason so many technical sites are interested in Louis C.K.’s direct-sale from his website experiment is that Louis C.K. is counting on fans to not pirate his work for free distribution.  That’s it; Louis C.K, is using the most advanced technology on the planet to test the most basic human instinct.

The experiment appears to have worked.  After almost a week on the market, Louis C.K. claims that 110,000 paid downloads streamed from his website.  To date, there appears to be only one pirated source of the program on the Internet and that means Louis C.K. might have hit on something many of the multi-billion dollar media companies have not.

If people like what you produce, they will buy.  Maybe it truly is that simple.  Louis C.K.’s success certainly makes that argument.

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

Despite all of the negative connotations about geeks, geeks generally like to have fun.  They are smart, imaginative, clever, and they like to have a good time.  Most geeks do not thrive in the stuffy confines of the business world, especially office environments where their creativity is stifled.  For those geeks who won’t be fired for a little healthy rebellion from the ordinary, there is the USB Rocket Launcher from ThinkGeek.

ThinkGeek puts the fun in office warfare with the USB Rocket Launcher.  The USB Rocket Launcher is a desktop device that launches four small foam darts.  Fear not!  The small foam darts will not cause any damage that necessitates computer repairs!  In addition to being very soft, the USB Rocket Launcher does not fire the projectiles at a force powerful enough to even scratch a computer monitor.  Truly, ThinkGeek has created a harmless projectile for those unwinding a little at work.

The USB Rocket Launcher connects to your computer or laptop through a standard USB port.  The USB port both powers the Rocket Launcher and allows the Rocket Launcher to be controlled.  You control the USB Rocket Launcher through software that ThinkGeek provides; there is no additional computer support or accessories necessary!

With the USB Rocket Launcher plugged into the USB port and the software installed, you may control your Rocket Launcher through the software on your computer.  The software allows you to turn the Rocket Launcher 360 degrees horizontally and up to 45 degrees above the launching surface.  This provides you with a great range of fire to target anyone in adjacent cubicles.

The two inch long foam rockets launch with a touch of the button!  By pressing the launch control through the computer interface, you may launch your foam rockets one by one or all at once.  The launcher quietly projects each rocket using forced air and each foam rocket has a range of approximately nineteen and a half feet.  With such range, the USB Rocket Launcher provides adequate office defense for any fake conflict that breaks out in the workplace.

Safe and easy-to-use, the USB Rocket Launcher can help any creative geek blow off steam in the workplace, without destroying anything or alienating anyone.

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

Flash drives have been transformed from useful data storage devices into fashion statements.  More than simply useful tools for keeping computer files safe or transferring files easily between different computers, USB flash drives have become another way for computer users to express themselves.  Some of the coolest USB flash drives help fans show their appreciation for their favorite films like Twilight or Harry Potter.  Now, Mimoco makes flash drives for one of the undeniably coolest franchises of all time, Star Wars!

Mimoco has a line of Star Wars MIMOBOTs (the Mimoco term for their designer USB flash drives).  Currently, there are twenty-one different Star Wars styles in their MIMOBOT line and they are very cool.  Mimoco molded each MIMOBOT flash drive with a somewhat rounded appearance, reminiscent of Weebles.  Most Star Wars MIMOBOT flash drives come in your choice of 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB capacity.  A few, like their San Diego Comic Con exclusive Bossk MIMOBOT, come with fewer options for capacity.

Each Star Wars MIMOBOT features a different Star Wars franchise character or alien.  The stylized design of the MIMOBOT includes an elongated head on each character.  Mimoco designed the Star Wars MIMOBOTs to stand as desk ornaments when they are not in use.  The MIMOBOTS make for good decorations as each one has bright colors and distinctive markings.  The Darth Vader MIMOBOT even features an additional layer; when you remove the helmet, Anakin’s human face is underneath!

More than simply cool to look at for geeks, the Star Wars MIMOBOT flash drives are entirely functional.  Each elongated MIMOBOT head is the cap for the flash drive!  By simply pulling on the character’s head or helmet, you expose the male USB lead of the MIMOBOT!  Like any other USB flash drive, the Star Wars MIMOBOT flash drive slides easily into any female USB port.  Because of the rounded nature of the casing of the MIMOBOTs, the Star Wars MIMOBOT flash drives may not fit into a crowded USB hub.  These flash drives do not like to share space, so they must be plugged into a USB port where there are no other USB devices that might inhibit the physical connection of the MIMOBOT.

With designs like Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Darth Maul and the ever-popular Boba Fett, Mimoco has tapped into the Star Wars fans’s idea of cool with their Star Wars MIMOBOT flash drives!

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