Computer Support Blog

As companies rise and fall in Silicon Valley, it is no surprise that the big tech companies frequently see employees migrate from one popular company to the next big thing.  While some of the big tech companies actively poach employees from their competitors, other tech companies seem to just attract a lot of employees from the companies with greater name recognition.  In the case of StumbleUpon, the comparatively small Internet company has a surprisingly high number of employees formerly employed at Google.  One of the most significant ex-Google workers who is now vital to StumbleUpon is Japjit Tulsi.

Japjit Tulsi made a lateral move in 2011 when he became StumbleUpon’s Vice President of Engineering from being Google’s Director of Engineering.  While at Google, Tulsi was responsible for creating Google Analytics, which is one of the standard-bearers of online traffic analysis.  That level of programming genius made him very attractive to StumbleUpon.  Prior to Google, Japjit Tulsi was a part of Microsoft’s executive development program.  At Microsoft, Tulsi served as a group manager in the engineering department.  Prior to Microsoft, Tulsi studied at Punjab University where he abandoned a law career in favor of the tech sector.

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Like so many industries, the consumer electronics sector has a vibrant secondary market.  Thanks in no small part to Alpha Consumers frequently upgrading and the consumer culture that fosters the mindset that this year’s new products will be obsolete or uncool by next year, the used electronics market has grown in recent years.  Buyers who are more interested in substance than style or who are simply thriftier than their peers can enjoy significant benefits from buying their electronics in gently used condition.  One of the biggest sectors in the electronics secondary market is in cell phones and smartphones.

However, just like when you are considering purchasing a used car, there are some good rules to live by when purchasing a used cell phone or used smartphone.  Both as a buyer and a seller, you should consider the following:

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Even during the current worldwide economic instability, most everyone would like to be able to donate to charity and help out others.  But just as educated consumers consider the corporate philosophies of big businesses, it is also wise to educate yourself about charities to which you donate.  While a charity will always try to put the most positive spin on themselves in order to solicit donations, objective criteria should be used to determine whether a charity is worthy of your donation or not.  For that, there is Charity Navigator.

Charity Navigator is an Internet site that provides information on charities, much the same way Open Secrets provides information on political donations.  Evaluating objectively using records supplied to the government for tax/accounting purposes, Charity Navigator uses a series of consistent criteria to evaluate the health of a charity.  This allows you to both compare charities and view charities that come close to an ideal using Charity Navigator.

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Demand Media had a pretty rough 2011, though its Fourth Quarter earnings were actually better than expected.  A provider of videos, blogs, and other media over the Internet, Demand Media has been working to transform the way people use the Internet for education and entertainment.  While the company has been growing, Demand Media’s Board has been buying back its stock and the company is not quite where the executives and analysts thought it would be.  Dave Panos is the man who will change the direction of Demand Media!

Dave Panos is the Chief Strategy Officer of Demand Media and his plans for the company are ambitious.  Because Demand Media is known for delivering original Internet video content the company is in competition with many distribution channels, like YouTube.  Panos organized a strategic partnership with competitor CoverItLive.  By pairing Demand Media and CoverItLive, Panos helped increase the video base of Demand Media dramatically, which allows Demand Media to reach a much wider audience.  Having the vision to partner with potentially vulnerable competitors is part of what makes Panos a truly great Chief Strategy Officer.

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The Internet has given rise to many phenomena in American culture.  Arguably the most significant lasting social change of the Internet comes in the form of people making statements.  In the inorganic medium of the Internet, anyone can rant about anything anytime they want to.  Between Tweets on Twitter, Facebook status updates and any number of message boards on any of a million websites, for the first time in the history of humanity, anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can feel like they have a voice that is being heard.

Not everything said on the Internet is a gem of human wisdom.

Just as in real life, where once you say something you cannot take it back, Internet users – thanks to things like the Facebook Timeline – are discovering that what they say lingers online, even for years.  But with all of the people posting very publicly about everything in the world, the Internet is now giving users the equivalent of leaving the room where you can hang out with a bunch of friends you actually like!  These new, limited, social networks, have the potential to restore actual family and friend interactions amid all of the noise of more popular Internet social networks.

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Corporate executives of major companies have a lot on their plates; that is the nature of the position.  Because of the burdens of the industry, technology companies have additional stresses and responsibilities that add to the CEO’s responsibilities.  As a result, the very best CEOs in the technology sector tend to hire a close cadre of people whom they can trust absolutely.  The CEO relies upon these close corporate officers to oversee the minutiae while they focus on the big picture for a company.  Usually, one of the key hires to make a tech sector CEO successful is the hiring of a head of human resources.  Mark Pincus of Zynga certainly qualifies as successful and part of his success comes from his reliance upon Colleen McCreary.

Colleen McCreary is the Chief People Officer of Zynga.  In that role, McCreary frees up CEO Mark Pincus to worry about things other than the staff of Zynga.  As Chief People Officer, Colleen McCreary is the woman to see about applying for jobs and all other human resource issues at Zynga.  McCreary has been with Zynga since 2009 and helped the company staff up as the Facebook games Zynga produces became more popular.

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The Internet truly has made the world smaller in many ways.  With communications over the Internet happening virtually instantaneously, the people of the world are more interconnected than ever.  This interconnection between geographically and culturally different people is especially evident on Internet social networks.  Just because the connectivity between people exists in the Internet does not necessarily mean that it is well-understood.  To understand the real impact of online activity, one needs impressive analytical tools like those offered by Gnip.  Gnip needs Chris Moody.

Chris Moody joined Gnip in the middle of 2011.  Hired by CEO Jud Valeski, Moody assumed the dual roles of President of Gnip and Chief Operating Officer.  In the two executive positions, Moody essentially runs day-to-day operations of Gnip.  Chris Moody is directly responsible for the company’s development and while Valeski and the Board of Directors determine the overall direction of Gnip, it is Moody who is responsible for managing the company to get it there!

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Regardless of what one may think of 3-D movies, 3-D technology is undeniably cool.  Visual effects may only be one component of popular movies and television works, but it is an increasingly important component.  Visual effects are also created more and more through the use of computers.  A significant number of the computers used to create special effects for blockbuster movies and popular television shows run Autodesk.  Carl Bass is the CEO of Autodesk.

As CEO of Autodesk, Carl Bass is responsible for developing and marketing the Autodesk tools to keep them the industry standard for special effects.  Infatuated by 3-D effects, Bass recently made many Autodesk 3-D applications free to Autodesk users.  By increasing the availability of the 3-D tools, Bass hopes to keep Autodesk dominant in the market.  So far, his plan is working quite well.

Bass came to Autodesk when Autodesk bought his first company, Ithaca Software, in 1993.  Having marketed HOOPS, an important 3-D software, for Ithaca Software, Carl Bass was a great asset to Autodesk and was part of their interest in the smaller software company.  Carl Bass ascended from Executive Vice President of product development to Chief Technology Officer of Autodesk.  When Autodesk promoted Carl Bass to Chief Operating Officer, Bass developed his abilities at worldwide marketing and marketing.  From there, he was the natural choice when the Board started looking for a new CEO.

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When it comes to creative building, most people think of Legos.  But the virtual worlds created by computers actually have far fewer limits than the block toy that most people associate with construction play.  If Legos have an entire adult subculture, it is easy to postulate that someday, a subculture will exist built around Crazy Machines.

Crazy Machines is part puzzle game, part free play building platform.  Viva Media created Crazy Machines for computer enthusiasts ages eight and above.  The single CD-ROM easily installs onto any personal computer that is running Windows Vista or XP or any Macintosh computer running OS X.  Because of how graphics-intensive and color-rich Crazy Machines is, it is highly recommended that you have a good computer monitor hooked up to get the most out of the game.

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With the recent underwhelming performance of Siri, it is clear that no matter how many “smart” devices technology companies create, the keyboard is not in danger of becoming obsolete just yet.  The keyboard remains an essential tool for interfacing with your computer.  As a result, typing skills are still an invaluable skill to have.  Adults, especially, may be reluctant to take a typing class for fear of feeling embarrassed at not knowing such an important skill.  For teenagers and adults who want to learn to type on their own, there is Typing Instructor Platinum software!

Typing Instructor Platinum is a comprehensive typing program that helps users master typing by breaking the process up.  Users learn to type in an academic section for part of the program, but move on to games that involve typing as they become more proficient.  In this fashion, the software guarantees that you will retain the lessons that the software initially teaches.  Typing is a more complicated skill to learn than some people understand.  While typing may be taught in an absolute sense (key positions and hand placements), the act of typing requires a higher level of abstract thinking.  Typing words and sentences is very different than typing individual characters.

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