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2012 CES Highlights

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:40:00 PST

2012 CES Highlights The Consumer Electronics Show is the yearly tech expo that sets the trend for the year, giving us a preview of what is to come in the tech industry in the coming months and years. This year wrapped up in record-setting fashion. Not only was this the highest attended CES ever, by vendors and visitors, but it was also heavyweight Microsoft’s final appearance at the show.

In this TechTip, I’m covering the Top Five Highlights of CES 2012.

4K TVs:
Some would have you believe that the latest trend in HDTV at CES this year was OLED display technology. The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) offers a thinner display option for HDTVs by eliminating the requirement for a backlight, something that today’s common LED displays require. This is all well and good; a thin TV looks cool, but I’m betting the next HDTV technology that takes off either this year or next, is the 4K display.

Crowd Funding - Do It Yourself, Geeks.com

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:35:00 PST

As we start off a new year, now’s a good time to focus on those burning ideas and entrepreneurial endeavors you’ve been putting off. But with the state of the economy, venture capital and angel investment money have all but dried up. That means you need to be resourceful to make your dream a reality.

People have always come up with clever ways to accomplish a financial goal. During the Depression, there would be what were called “rent parties”. You’d break out the punch bowl, put together some cheap hors d’ oeuvres and invite people over with an admission charge at the door. That’s how you would pay your rent that month.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and thanks to the Internet, raising needed monies is a whole lot easier. Now, more than ever, there are ways to be the next Steve Jobs or Steven Spielberg. If you have that book you want to publish, a documentary you’d like to produce, a CD…

2011 Tech Tips Year In Review

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:52:01 PST

Time flies when you’re having fun. Time flies even faster when you work with technology, and here at Tech Tips, there’s no exception – 2011 flew by, and in this issue of Tech Tips, we’ll highlight some of the tips we brought you during the past year.

In January of 2011, we checked out the new product and tech announcements at the International Consumer Electronics Show (“CES”) in Las Vegas where, as expected, all things “mobile” stole the show. We also examined Quick Response (QR) Codes – barcodes that can take you quickly and easily from a print ad or point-of-sale display in a store to a company’s website on your smartphone. In January of 2012 it seems ridiculously obvious to say that “tablets are back”, but in January of 2011, Tech Tip writer Ryan Morse examined the resurgence of computing devices in this form factor.

Your “Geeky” Guide to Internet TV

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:39:00 PST

Your “Geeky” Guide to Internet TV Watching broadcast television on your computer? Sure it sounds absolutely nerdy but while it saves you money that could easily amount to a monthly car payment, does the nerdiness really matter? This Tech Tip is all about examining the alternatives of traditional television and movie broadcasting and how you can save money and still stay up to date with (insert your favorite TV show here)!

The Basics
First, if you just want to catch your favorite TV show(s) on your computer and save a little money by cancelling your television cable (not Internet cable), you can usually find your favorites on their respective

Cyber Monday Shopping “Tech Tips”

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:26:01 PST

We all know about that traditional shopping mayhem known as Black Friday, and there are plenty of tips for shopping that day - however, in this Tech Tip we’ll be looking at some practical shopping tips for that follow-up chaser to Black Friday known as Cyber Monday.

No crowds to fight; no mad stampede when the store opens; no fighting hand to hand retail combat over a Barbie™ - just a day of “on the computer” shopping bliss.

NaNoWriMo Month - What a “Novel” Idea!

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:37:00 PDT

Have you even been half way through reading a novel and and thought to yourself, “I can write something like this - and do it better! ” Or perhaps, you have writing a novel on your “bucket list” - something to accomplish before you die. Maybe you always wanted to be an author (or to just look like one).

If so, then November is the month to stop putting off writing that book because it has been declared as “National Novel Writing Month! ”

In this Tech Tip - we’ll take a look at that phenomenon known as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) and see what they can do to help you “git ‘er done! ”

1,667!

It all started back in 1999 in the San Francisco bay area when a group of friends (headed by one Chris Baty) decided to stop putting off writing that book - and to (paraphrasing the famous words of the Nike commercial) “JUST DO IT”. Fast forward to today and you now have a something that just can’t be stopped! You have it all its glory - NaNoWriMo! The goal is simple, to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. From November 1-30, you write for “thirty days and nights of literary abandon” - creating your masterpiece for the personal satisfaction of knowing that “you just did it! ” That’s a mere 1,667 words a day. When you break it down that way, you realize that it is really doable.

RC Helicopters - “Learning To Fly”

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:27:00 PDT

If you haven’t been to a mall recently, you may not be aware that remote control helicopters are the hot new item for 2011. They are showing up everywhere these days, and there is good reason for it. The technology that they use has finally graduated to the mainstream.

Let’s take a quick look at whats available out there and what the differences are between a $25 helicopter and a $200 helicopter.

Micro Helicopters are the least expensive of the bunch. They are remote controlled via infra red and are very forgiving for any new pilot. They are of the co-axial style, which means that they have two counter rotating main rotor assemblies to make them very stable in flight. The micro heli is also very forgiving with crashes and what are called blade strikes. (when the blade hits something that won’t give) If you are buying for an 8 or 10 year old, this is the way to go. The micros usually recharge through a cable from the controller to the unit and can be flown indoors without too much worry for damage to anyone or anything.

The Legacy of Steve Jobs

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:08:00 PDT

On October 5, 2011, we said goodbye to arguably the person most singularly responsible for the way we have been using computers (and, more recently, entertaining ourselves and making phone calls) for nearly 30 years.

In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I should state up front for the record that I have never personally purchased an Apple product. It was (and is) easy at times to poke fun at the “Cult of Apple”. Like so many of my contemporaries, though, many of my formative computing cycles came on an Apple ][, and I have always admired the design (and marketing!) of Apple products.

Coffee Shop Computer Etiquette 101

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:28:00 PDT

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest condolences to the family of the late great Mr. Steven P. Jobs who has, without a doubt, more than influenced the world’s personal/business computing, engineering, science, and academic industries with the advent of Apple’s products. He will be sorely missed and such a loss of a legendary visionary and pioneer is a blow to the continued advancement of our society’s computing technology and innovation.

That being said, this Tech Tip is a list of experiences that I have found to be a hindrance but can otherwise be remedied for all you mobile tech commuters. Have you ever found yourself trying to get work done at a Starbucks/Panera Bread (or name your favorite go-to spot) but can’t because some inconsiderate customer is making it difficult/impossible to get work done? Let’s dive right in to what this article is all about, coffee shop etiquette!

Geek Busters! Part Deux

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:05:01 PDT

In this week’s Tech Tip we’ll look at some common “techy” misconceptions that we’d like to dispel with “Geek Busters!” - sending myths into hiatus! Without further preamble, I give you our items for this week’s Tech Tip Geek Busters!

#1 Facebook wants to charge you money for its service
It seems like a week doesn’t go by that the rumor mill churns yet again that Facebook wants to charge you some kind of fee for its service. Basically, put them out to pasture - Zuckerberg and company loves your information that we all (maybe too) freely give out to want to charge us for the privilege of paying him to give it. So, feel free to grouse about the latest changes to the format but know that for now and into the foreseeable future, The Facebook is content to just be happy mining YOUR data.