Computer Support Blog

With the holidays behind us and many struggling already to keep their New Year’s resolution, it is nice to know that one of the most common subjects for a resolution has a little help this year.  If you are one of the millions of people who made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, technology is coming to your aid.  You might achieve success this year with the DietMate Weight Loss Computer.

The DietMate Weight Loss Computer is a handheld computer device designed exclusively to help you monitor your eating and exercise habits and keep you focused on achieving your weight loss goals.  The best aspect of the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is that it is a very simple specialized device.  Ideal for those who are easily distracted, and for whom a weight loss app on an otherwise cluttered smartphone or tablet computer could be ignored, the DietMate Weight Loss Computer helps you remain focused on a single goal.

The DietMate Weight Loss Computer is a handheld computer with a simple monochromatic LCD screen.  When activated, the screen has a clear, sharp readout and easy-to-use interface.  One of the striking aspects of the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is its lack of a keyboard.  The entire system works off seven buttons in conjunction with the screen.

The brilliance of the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is that it does the thinking about food and exercise so you do not have to.  Many diets fail simply because it takes so much work and effort to count calories each and every day.  Proper dietetics is a skill set like computer programming or accounting; asking most people to be so attentive to all of the nuances of nutrition is folly and the manufacturers of DietMate understand that.  The DietMate Weight Loss Computer comes programmed with all of the information on nutrition and aspects of dieting you need, so when you turn control of your diet over to the DietMate, you no longer need to be preoccupied with food.

Using the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is very easy and truly only requires a bathroom scale to use it successfully.  Each morning, you simply weigh yourself and then activate your DietMate Weight Loss Computer.  After inputting your current weight, simply carry around the DietMate and do what it tells you!  The DietMate Weight Loss Computer will tell you when to eat, it helps you choose your meals and it calculates the most efficient forms of exercise to help you reach your weight loss goals!

Approved by the National Institutes of Health, the DietMate Weight Loss Computer uses a powerful database and computer to take the thinking out of your diet.  By adapting your diet more to your existing life and patterns, you maximize your chances of weight loss success.  The DietMate Weight Loss Computer helps you change some of your patterns to help you lose weight!

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 are alive and living in a First World or Second World nation, you probably know what an iPod is.  In our world today, the iPod is a universally-recognized device.  While Apple Computers would prefer its trademarks not be infringed upon, “iPod” is used far more frequently to refer to any portable digital music player.  That sort of meteoric product launch and instantaneous word association does not just happen.  The smashing success of the iPod and the products that have followed it from Apple Computers came from effective marketing.  In fact, you would find it difficult to find a person in the United States today who cannot recall a single Apple advertisement.  That level of cultural penetration from advertising is largely the work of Philip Schiller.

Philip Schiller is the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Apple.  When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Schiller became an integral part of Apple’s executive leadership team.  He ascended to the post of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing after a strong marketing career with software companies Macromedia and FirePower Systems.

As Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Schiller was responsible for rebranding Apple and his success speaks for itself.  In his tenure, Apple Computers went from being a floundering computer company to the dominant computer manufacturer on the planet.  While Steve Jobs and Tim Cook deserve a lot of credit for pushing the company’s direction into the emerging markets of portable digital music players and handheld computing devices, all of their efforts would have been for naught had it not been for the effective marketing Schiller and his team provided.  As the leader of the marketing department at Apple Computers, Philip Schiller made the first iPods seem indispensible and easy-to-use.  Even more important, through his targeted advertising strategy for the iPod, Schiller made the iPod cool.

As Apple has risen to dominate the portable digital music player market, Schiller’s marketing teams have made the career of many musical artists through their association with Apple’s advertising.  Schiller is an executive who is not content to rest on a single success.  As such, Schiller effectively led the Apple marketing arm through an entire rebranding.  Well in advance of the product releases for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad, Schiller and his marketing department created such hype that each of those product releases became an event.

It is one thing to have a successful product launch, it is entirely another to market so effectively as to create a culture surrounding a company’s entire product line.  That sort of result requires a leader and Philip Schiller is just that type of leader for Apple!

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

In 2011, Lenovo had a lot to be happy about.  Rescuecom named the computer manufacturer Lenovo one of the most reliable computers on the market in the First Quarter 2011 Reliability Report.  As the creator of one of the most reliable PCs on the market, Lenovo is looking to broaden its horizons.  Lenovo has chosen to branch out into the gaming console market and 2012 may well see the first Lenovo gaming console.

Lenovo announced the iSec and is planning to release the console in May of 2012.  The iSec, which is an acronym for “Sports Entertainment Center,” will be released first in China.  Chinese citizens are not allowed to purchase or own most of the popular gaming consoles they manufacture in their own country.  As a result, Lenovo’s iSec will not be competing with the Wii, Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 for the hearts and minds of China’s consumers!  Not having to compete against the big consoles that dominate the U.S. gaming market gives Lenovo hope for a successful product launch.

Lenovo also has a potential advantage in China with its interface.  Lenovo is continuing to pioneer motion capture technology with its iSec.  Your body will act as the controller for the iSec; there will not be any external controller to play the games the programmers are developing for Lenovo’s new platform.  Lenovo is showing real forethought in its market with the controller-less approach to launch its gaming system; the Asian markets have shown a strong predilection toward physical video games.  Dance video games, which are sweeping through the popular youth culture of the United States now, were hugely popular in Asian countries before the U.S. “discovered” them.

Eedoo Technology, a Beijing-based partner with Lenovo on the iSec, is not limiting its software developing to sports-related projects.  Already, eedoo has showcased a fantasy adventure program for the iSec, which broadens its appeal in the gaming community.  As well, the iSec features an interface with the user’s home stereo system.  This transforms the iSec from a gaming console into a full entertainment system.  The first major application that makes the iSec into a full entertainment system allows the gaming console to be used as a karaoke machine.

Whether Lenovo is successful with the iSec or not, the company seems to have done its homework in designing a gaming system that enters a rather flooded market with some new ideas.  If the iSec is successful in China, Lenovo could release the gaming consoles in the United States in time for a late-2012 release.

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

Geeks, as a general rule, tend to be a highly-educated, highly literate subculture in the United States.  Part of the reason geeks end up so smart is that they are raised smart.  Geek families tend to teach acceptance, manners and commitment to the things that interest them.  In other words, not even having children can keep geek parents from watching their Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica or other smart science fiction television shows or movies.  George Lucas seemed to understand that, and the eagerness geek parents have for sharing their beloved programs with their children, when he designed programs like Yoda’s Challenge for the Lucas Learning branch of Lucasfilm.

The Star Wars Yoda’s Challenge program has been winning awards since 1999 when Lucas Learning introduced it and the program remains popular with parents and children to this day.  Yoda’s Challenge is educational software intended for children ages six and up and for students in grades one through four.  One of the first key selling points of Yoda’s Challenge is its ability to grow with your child.  Yoda’s Challenge features four different skill levels that parents may change.  This allows you to use the same basic program to adapt to your child’s individual learning curve.

Yoda’s Challenge comes on CD-ROM and is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh computers.  Macintosh computers running OS 7.6 or higher should have no trouble installing Yoda’s Challenge.  For Windows users, patches may be required from Microsoft as Lucas Learning wrote Yoda’s Challenge for use on Windows 95/98 systems!

Do not let the age of the software give you pause!  Yoda’s Challenge is as useful and cool today as it was when Lucas Learning released it over a decade ago!  Yoda’s Challenge helps children learn how to read both words and basic sheet music.  Beyond the concrete skills, Yoda’s Challenge encourages logical development through challenges that require deductive reasoning in order for students to progress to the next level.  Children learn spatial relations and how to manipulate objects through tangram puzzles.

Lucas Learning keeps children stimulated by disguising their education as fun.  Activities like piloting a ship through a cave help children learn directions and the properties of motion, without explicitly directing the student.  The entire interface for Yoda’s Challenge is Star Wars based, so children who have seen the movies with their parents – or watch The Clone Wars animated series – will recognize characters and scenarios from the movies.  Because the setting if familiar to children, they are more likely to absorb the lessons than through unique or new environment.

George Lucas’s commitment to education is impossible to deny with cool programs like Yoda’s Challenge from Lucas Learning which uses a galaxy far, far away to teach your child right in your own home!

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 United States is full of fiercely independent people.  These independent Americans have a tendency to resist any form of change that involves the United States government.  When the U.S. Postal Service first adopted the ZIP code, these independent alarmists preached that the government was categorizing its citizens!  While members of this same subculture have resisted the Electronic Health Record, they are not the biggest obstacle to the adoption of the new technology.  Doctors have actually been slower to adapt to the practical development of the EHR than consumers or developers!

In case you have not heard of it, Electronic Health Records are a relatively new concept that would provide doctors with a universal framework for medical records through the United States government.  The Federal government has sought to create both an identification card and a standardized computer system that would make your medical records completely portable.  More than simply a database, the EHR would completely overhaul the field of health informatics.

The Electronic Health Record would be accessible through the Internet or a more protected government/medical intranet (this is part of the technology that is still under development and the subject of much debate).  In order to gain access to your records, you would need to provide your identification card.  Swiping your identification card in the EHR terminal, your doctor would have complete access to your entire medical history.  The EHR is not a system like stuffy old medical records; it is more like a Cloud-based multimedia presentation!  Every doctor you have ever had will make notes in your EHR and they may include photographs, diagrams and even video footage of their procedures!

. . . At least, that is the theory of how the EHR will work.  Despite mandates and government incentives, many doctors have not purchased an Electronic Health Record system.  There is a sizable portion of physicians who have purchased their EHR hardware, but have not used it yet!  In addition to bearing the expense of the EHR system, many doctors have been resistant to take the time to learn the new computer system that the Electronic Health Record creates.  Moreover, doctors with vastly different proficiencies in using the system contribute to each patient’s record.  If a particularly loquacious doctor provides an extensive narrative that is read by a doctor who just needs bullet points, your treatment may be delayed.  Similarly, if a doctor does not provide all necessary information in a useful fashion, your next doctor may misdiagnose any subsequent ailment.

The theory behind the Electronic Health Record is that you will have an entirely portable medical history.  If your job transfers you to a different part of the country or you get hurt on vacation, your EHR record will give doctors in any medical facility every medical fact about you.  But because the system requires doctors to learn how to both contribute to and gather data from the Electronic Health Record, it is clear that the practical implementation of the EHR is still many years away.

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

There are few computer accessories that show little or no change from when the personal computer became a household item, but arguably the device that has changed the least is the keyboard.  The keyboard is essentially the same layout as a classic typewriter with an extra number pad on it.  While the ergonomic keyboards broke up the solid keyboards and wireless keyboards made your keyboard more portable, those improvements left the basic keyboard remarkably intact.  The leap forward for keyboards that we have been waiting for finally comes with the Cellulon Virtual Laser Keyboard “Magic Cube.”

As the name implies, the Magic Cube projects a keyboard using lasers to create a keyboard anywhere you might want one.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is only physical in that it requires a surface to be projected onto; the only physical component to this cool device is the Magic Cube.  The Magic Cube is a laser projector and it is a comparatively small device at that.  At 1.5” wide by 2.95” tall by 1.14” deep, the Magic Box is very easy to transport.  The Magic Cube connects to a PC, laptop computer or any smartphone with a USB port.  Connecting your Magic Cube to a USB port allows you to swap the Virtual Laser Keyboard between any of your computers, tablets or smartphones with which you type.

The Virtual Laser Keyboard is a red laser projection that comes from the Magic Cube to any flat surface nearby.  While the Magic Cubes come in several stylish colors, to date they only project red virtual keyboards.  The projection is a standard QWERTY-style keyboard, so in that way Cellulon maintains the familiarity of the classic keyboard.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard operates easily, with the projected “keys” typing letter on your computer when you break the beam associated with a specific letter.  As a result, you do not need to vigorously press against the surface upon which the Virtual Laser Keyboard is projected.  This makes the Virtual Laser Keyboard ideal for those who have injured hands or overly sensitive fingers.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is also ideal for travelers who might not have a lot of space before them upon which to project the keyboard.  They may use a smaller surface area for the virtual keyboard, simply by projecting the keyboard with a more narrow focus!

While the standard price of $170 for the Virtual Laser Keyboard may seem steep for personal use, it is a steal for industrial and scientific settings where space is at a premium or industrial elements require you to replace a keyboard frequently.  Because there are no physical keys for the Virtual Laser Keyboard, there are no keys to gum up!

The Virtual Laser Keyboard from the Magic Cube is the next leap forward for both the convenience of a full-sized keyboard and the flexibility of a portable device.

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

While scientists work to engineer a completely artificial hamburger, computers are actually improving the agriculture industry in more appealing and practical ways.  Computer usage and ownership has been increasing in the United States steadily since 2001when the USDA began first seriously tracking computers on farms.  But just how do farms and computers relate?

In 2011, the USDA reported that 65% of U.S. farms have access to a computer, with 63% owning or leasing their own computer.  That statistic is significant in that it indicates that the agriculture industry is the most vital industry in the nation with the lowest computer penetration.  While large-scale farms have adopted the computer to aid in the business of agriculture, many family farms and farms run by an older generation of farmer have actively refused computer integration.

The farms that use computers largely use them for their Internet capabilities.  95% of farms that have a computer have Internet access.  The World Wide Web is being used to connect farmers across the country.  Oddly, it is the resistance of traditional farmers that may be hurting their own business.  The Internet provides local farmers with a new avenue to reach specialized local markets.  However, the USDA found that farms making sales between ten and one hundred thousand dollars only use their computers for farm business 41% of the time!  This is in stark contrast to the farms with sales above $250,000.  Those farms used the computer for farm business 72% of the time.  The willingness to use advancing computer technologies allows larger and specialized farms to continue to grow.

The most common use for computers on farms involves data storage.  Farmers use computers to keep track of workers and inventory.  While many of the smaller farms, the ones that resist the computer, still use traditional bookkeeping methods, most computer-connected farms use computers for keeping track of workers and payroll.  As well, computers help tech-savvy farmers keep a closer eye on inventory and supply chain issues.  By computerizing their feed and fertilizer inventories, farmers using computers provide more precise estimates to economic forecasters.  The estimates developed by economists from data supplied by farmers has been more accurately able to predict price spikes in the price of a gallon of milk, which is one of several key indicators in calculating the poverty line!

Farmers are also using their computers to get more accurate meteorological and climatological data.  Getting data on the weather is vital for farmers, especially crop farmers.  Livestock farmers are also helping to provide environmental scientists with data that is helping to predict and regulate more accurately the environmental impact of agricultural production, like the beef industry.  The flow of information both ways has helped to create sophisticated models that have prevented further outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease.

The agriculture industry may be the last big holdout in accepting the role of the computer, but those farmers that have adapted to the times are discovering the benefits of the computer outweigh the discomfort of change.

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

In revamping the aviation industry to revolutionize air travel, many new products and technologies are being developed.  One of the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest priorities is to replace outdated systems that have been in place since the 1950s.  To that end, the FAA has developed products like the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and it is working on revolutionizing the communications systems between air traffic controllers and support workers at airplane terminals.  Another product integral to the NextGen program for changing the airline industry is the System Wide Information Management system.

The System Wide Information Management system is a new software system for the airline industry.  Created as a new, uniform operating system, SWIM is responsible for correlating data in the new vision of the aviation industry.  SWIM has essentially created a National Airspace System intranet and it is one of the NextGen programs that is already up and running.

The aviation industry employs a ridiculous number of computer systems to gather and correlate data.  In addition to plane movements, weather patterns and atmospheric conditions, the FAA receives data from the military, the government and small civilian airports.  Many of those organizations have their own intranets and when they provide data to the FAA, it is not in a form that is easily usable by the FAA.  For the past fifty years, there have been many jobs in the military and civilian sectors manually re-entering data from those disparate sources for the FAA.  Remedying the problems that come from trying to mediate between all of the systems aviation computers is why the FAA developed SWIM.

SWIM eliminates the need for manually re-entering data into an FAA-based program.  The innovative System Wide Information Management software collects data from the National Airspace System affiliates and correlates it into a standardized database.  SWIM provides a new, uniform interface, which will make jobs in the aviation industry much more portable.  With SWIM fully realized, a technician working for the Air Force would not need to retrain on a new system when they re-entered the civilian work force!

The System Wide Information Management system stands to make the aviation industry much safer by providing all of the information collected by members of the National Airspace System and presenting the data to all members in a universal interface.  SWIM will make flying easier and safer and software that can do that is undeniably cool!

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

Recently, we pitched the idea of sharing your smartphone with someone less fortunate in order to give them a holiday connection with a distant loved one.  With the holiday season behind us and the new year looming with all of its potential, we wanted to share an idea for lasting change.  A recent study found that over 100,000,000 homes in the United States are not connected to the Internet.  While politicians debate remedies and devise programs to change that, we have our own proposal.  Volunteer to help the underprivileged learn to use computers.

Why do people who live in poverty need computer access?  The Internet has enhanced the quality of life for billions of people the world over by providing reliable interpersonal connections, job opportunities and educational materials.  The poor and underprivileged have as great a need for the benefits of the Internet as any of us do.

Many communities have public Internet access, usually through your local library.  If your local library provides computers and Internet access, volunteering your time to help the less fortunate becomes very easy!  Librarians may be a great asset in finding individuals you might be able to help.

Showing another person how to use social networking tools over the Internet may give them a foothold to start their climb out of poverty.  Many poor people have friends and/or family outside their current location.  By taking the time to help a person establish an e-mail account and accounts with major social networking sites like Facebook and Google+, you may help an impoverished person become more visible to those who might be looking for them.  With an online presence, you may help another person find someone who may be able to help them.

The Internet is a wealth of educational materials as well.  Those who have basic educational deficiencies like illiteracy or the inability to do basic math are highly unlikely to approach a computer on their own.  You may make a profound difference in another person’s life by getting them online and hooking them up with Internet programs that help them develop their reading, writing and mathematics skills.  You do not need to be a teacher; online there are many teachers and programs looking to help others; they just need students!

Perhaps the greatest benefit of donating your time to helping the less fortunate get on the Internet is that you may help someone get back to work.  Many employers, especially for minimum wage or undesirable jobs require applicants to apply online.  Homeless and transient individuals seldom follow up when they are turned away from a prospective employer when that employer wants all applications to be digital.  By patiently guiding a less fortunate person through the online application process, you may well be able to help that person get a job.

By patiently guiding a less fortunate person through the process of becoming computer literate, you may provide them with a valuable skill that could change their life for the better!

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 advances in technology like the camera and video camera on the Apple iPhone 4S, it seems like smartphone manufacturers continue to forget about the basic purpose of the phone.  The telephone and mobile phone were devices used for person-to-person communication before they were data storage tools, music players or cameras.  Touch, an app for smartphones manufactured by the small Canadian company Enflick, seems to recall the origins of the smartphone and makes texting cool again, by providing more chat options and blending some of the most successful elements of social networking.

Touch, which went by the name Pingchat until recently, is an application for Apple iPhones (or any other iOS-driven device), Android powered smartphones and Blackberry products.  The Touch app is designed to make texting more flexible and to provide options for group communications over your smartphone.

The texting options Touch provides are a bit more sophisticated than standard text programs.  In addition to not having the strict character limits of traditional texting, the Chat function through Touch provides vastly faster back-and-forth messages between you and the person with whom you are chatting.  The interface has more in common with a chat program like Instant Messenger than it does a texting program, including being able to see when the person or people you are chatting with are typing.

The group aspect of Touch is another distinctive aspect of the app.  Touch allows you to chat or share photos with other individuals or select groups of your friends.  You may have a multi-person chat session with other Touch-enabled friends.  During such multi-person chats, you may share photos and videos through Touch with all of your friends.  As a result, Touch becomes a great way to get feedback from all of your friends at once.

As well, Touch allows you to send private messages to individuals or groups outside the Touch conversation.  While obscure social networks like Elftown have had systems where you could see when someone had read your message, a lot of the newer networks and apps leave you in the dark about what happens to your messages after you send them.  Touch goes back to letting you see just how your friends react to your messages, including having status updates noting your friend drafting a response to a message you sent!

By combining some of the best old ideas with some of the newest innovations in social networking, Touch reinvents texting and file sharing for smartphone users.  Touch makes intimate group texting cool and it is a welcome app for smartphone users . . . at least until we all have videophones!

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