Time to exit, stage left…

I have had an incredible time writing these blogs over the last couple of years. While I have never actually managed to get a good schedule down for writing them on a consistent basis, I always enjoyed getting some time set aside to do so. So it is with a heavy heart that I inform the regular readers of the TechTalk blog that as of now, there will be no longer be any updates to it for the foreseeable future. We will leave the page up though, for anyone who still has lingering questions about any of the “How-To” articles we have written, or just want to watch one of our videos again. So thank you all very much for just reading my (and my colleagues’) articles, it has been a pleasure.

Time to meet the staff at the UC Davis Stores – TechHub. We try to maintain a level of professionalism at the TechHub…aw who am I kidding. Sometimes this place is a little crazy. Check out our video to meet the awesome staff at the TechHub.

Avoiding mishaps with your computer is easy, but not always achievable. When disaster does strike, come to the UC Davis Stores – TechHub to let us take care of your machine for you. One more thing…”Blue screen mother!…”

Just bought yourself a brand new PC laptop with an NVIDIA with Optimus graphics card, and looking forward to doing some gaming or even watching some movies in High Definition? You start things up, but things don’t look exactly like they should. Your game winds up running at 15 frames a second, or your movie is choppy and always seems to be buffering. Well, with the NVIDIA with Optimus graphics card, you must tell programs when to run the onboard graphics (usually an Intel chip), or with your dedicated graphics card (the NVIDIA). Watch the video that NVIDIA posted on just how to do that right after the break.

The year 2000 was a special year. I had just started college, got my first job, got my first car, oh, and I also obliterated the lord of Hell that year too. For the second time in fact. Diablo 2 consumed my life for a good year. Whether playing over my buddy’s LAN with him, or with a bunch of strangers over battle.net, the Lord of Lies, Diablo, never stood a chance against my mighty Barbarian, or my fierce Amazon. I am a huge sucker for traditional RPGs, but Diablo came along and blew the doors of any preconceived notion of what an RPG should be, and paved the way for many after (like World of Warcraft, Torchlight, Kingdoms of Amalur, Dungeon Siege, etc.) Now, after twelve long years, the wait is finally almost over. Diablo 3 will be released on 5/15/2012 to the masses. (If you have not pre-ordered your copy, you can certainly do so through the UC Davis TechHub.) In celebration of that, check out the opening cinematic right after the break. For once the gates open, it will take us all to beat the denizens back into their realm. See you online…

It only seems like a short time ago when Microsoft cast off the shackles of Windows Vista and introduced the world to Windows 7. It was a glorious day for many, security, stability and everything that makes Windows great was back. It ran smoother, it ran faster, it required the same system requirements, and it just plain ran. While Windows 7 is an incredible OS, it will soon be time for consumers to decide if they want to upgrade or keep their current OS. The new OS is due out later this year and Microsoft looks to be making some radical changes with Windows 8. Watch the video after the break for a sneak peak at just how big those changes are, starting with the interface.

Recently, I needed to send an HTML email to a list of graduating seniors here are UC Davis to let them know about some Adobe deals we had. How was I going to do this though? I researched Google and found several different options involving having to use Internet Explorer to “Send page by e-mail”. This was not what I wanted though. I wanted to send it through Outlook. So after even more digging, I finally found the solution and wanted to share it with everyone else. (Hopefully you don’t have to do as much digging as I did to find this page.) Read on after the break.

First, you need to create your e-mail and save it in an HTML format. In my case I named mine “adobe test.html”.

Open up Outlook 2010 and create a “New E-mail”.

Click on “Attach File”.

Find your .html file (in this case “adobe test.html”). Then, click on the drop down next to “Insert”. Click on that, then scroll down and click on “Insert as Text”.

Your .html file will then be placed into your e-mail as you were intending. Make sure to test out links, etc. before sending to recipients.

All you have to do after that is hit send. But again, make sure to test and tweak your work. Each e-mail provider (from Outlook to Hotmail) offers different interpretations of your HTML e-mail. Certain ones don’t care if you use an image map, but Outlook will not let you use it. Make sure you search around for the latest restrictions on HTML emails with various platforms. If anyone has better ways to accomplish this, please be sure to leave a comment at the bottom. Until next time…

Update for Office 2013

Author:
Mike Adams
04/30/2014

It has been a very long time since I have updated anything, but I see that this post still gets a LOT of traffic, so I wanted to give a quick update. While the actual program may look different, the steps listed above still work exactly the same for Outlook 2013.

How do I find my warranty coverage?

At the TechHub, we have people come into the store on an almost daily basis asking if we can find out the length of time they still have on their Apple warranty coverage. Well, we can find out that information for you pretty easily, and after this how-to, so can you. Find out after the break.

Well, the first thing you need to do is to go to https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do. [The steps of how to find your serial number can also be found on the same page.]

You should be greeted with this webpage when you follow the link.

After typing in your serial number, this is the page you should see next.

If you enlarge the photo above, you will see that not only do you see the date that your coverage ends, but it is a one stop shop for everything Apple repair related. You can contact Apple Support, set up a repair and you can also purchase an extended warranty there as well. [Note: If you live in Davis,CA; I recommend contacting our repair shop on campus first. Also, if you are a student/staff/faculty of a higher educational institution, like UC Davis, make sure you get your AppleCare from us with your educational discount.] If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let us know. Until next time!

That guy way in the back? He was just looking for some diapers for his kid late at night. He picked the wrong night to run out...

I have been watching, listening, and reading all of the great after Thanksgiving sales that will be going on in the consumer electronics market. I have seen numerous amazingly priced items, too good to pass up, and yet I look at them with a cynical, cautious eye.

Have you seen the ads for the 40” LCD TV’s for $248, or the 15” laptop for $198? Have you been enticed by these ridiculously priced goods that seem too good to pass up, and require you line up in the middle of the night, or on Thanksgiving to get them. Well not to bust the happy bubble, but I must be the breaker of shopper’s hearts and give you an idea why these prices are not what they appear.

Let us look at the Wal-Mart deal for the 40” LCD TV at $248. I would love to have a new TV myself, as my old 35” tube TV is starting to have color and clarity issues, yet I will wait for something even better than what is being offered, and I will explain why. First the brand that is advertised, Emerson, does not conjure top-of-the line products, or state-of-the art technology. To the contrary, you will be lucky you can get 2 years out of this product without significant problems. Not that I am guaranteeing it will break, but if I were betting the Craps table I would bet the point. The picture quality is so-so, and the general build lacks any real quality workmanship. Now I can understand if this is your first TV, or you are on a very tight budget, but to protect you from what could happen, I would have to say pass this item up.

The $198 computer! Sounds amazing, well it is not. The computer is a Compaq Presario. Yes it is a name brand, but a name that should be avoided like the Ebola virus. There has been a track record of immeasurable fail of this product over the last 3-4 years. Even though HP owns this company, it is not to the standard of most HP products. The computer is also packed with all sorts of obsolete technology, like an AMD dual-core processor and a whopping 2GB’s of ram. Wow I almost want to get this, so I can use it to prop open my garage door when I take out my garbage.

Yes I have been facetious, and I am probably coming off as a snooty, self-absorbed individual. However, that is furthest from my true reason to bash these and other door busting deals for the after Thanksgiving sales. I am not a technology hound, I do not need everything that is shiny, new, or is the next must have item. Yet I am technologically savvy enough to know what to buy and what not to buy. Not all deals are deals, when you end up having to replace, repair, or cry because nothing else can be done. Keep your money and wait until you can truly afford something that has a better reputation and a better service record.

Just to help you out a little during this Holiday season, if you are going to buy some technology items, a quick guide of what to look for when dropping your hard earned money.

• LCD TV’s should not be purchased with anything less than 120Hz. The refresh rate will enable a much smoother life-like picture than the 60Hz can. Also Xbox and PS3 will look much sharper.
• Go with a reputable name brand, and say no to the “house branded items” when it comes to technology. Yes a $400 60” LCD TV sounds amazing, but have you ever heard of PooDong as a reputable manufacturer?
• Research, research, research. Know what you buy, before you buy it. Know that you had looked into all available resources, and even asked your local electronics dealers what to buy, and surprisingly you will find they will rarely mention the so called deal breakers.
• Never buy a full size computer that has less than 4GB’s of standard RAM. You will be disappointed with the lack of performance. RAM is what generates all power processing needed to run not only the hardware of the machine, but the operating system and any software, or processes you will be running on the machine. Skimp here and you will find an Abacus and note pad will do a better job.
• Get the latest processors available when purchasing a computer. The newer the processor, the longer it will stay compliant and compatible with the newer software and hardware. It will be truly frustrating to find out that a new office program, or gaming software cannot work because your machine is obsolescent as soon as you walked out of the store you purchased it from. *Just a small hint: the Intel i3,i5, i7, and AMD Phenom processors are some of the latest available.
• Don’t be lured into buying on credit cards. The mind plays a terrible trick on you when you pay with imaginary money. You will buy what you can’t afford, or do not need simply because you have the credit to do so. Poor decisions are made and you will buy on impulse rather than true discretionary reasoning.

I wish you the best for the Holiday season, and I hope whatever electronics you purchase, bring you many years of enjoyment. Happy Holidays!

In this episode of UC Davis TechTalk, Mike Adams takes a look at the events that the UC Davis Stores – TechHub took part in during the Fall 2011 quarter. Also, we take a look at the winners of our “Moving on Up and In at UC Davis” 2011 Facebook photo contest.