Twitter Follower Moasic

For those of you who Twitter, this is a fun image to create.  Special thanks to @DougMeacham for the tip! 

Get your twitter mosaic here.

Forwarding Email Hoaxes

I receive an email about once a week from a very close relative (ok, my mom) that hasn’t originated from her.  The contents of the email are varied, but generally deal with warnings, possible money making opportunities, and other similar topics.  

I almost always reply that the email that she forwarded was a hoax.  How can she think that Bill Gates will send her $1000, that there is a Nigerian Prince waiting to bestow a cool $10 million, or that there is a cancer-stricken child that will be saved, if everyone forwards the email to all of their friends?

I reply that she is gravely mistaken.  I always include a link or ten to genuine web articles that reference these hoaxes.  

I also caution her that she could actually be forwarding dangerous links and harming her friends' computers.  

Is this a generational thing?  Boomer 6446 (link to blog post) discusses this more in-depth than I have the patience for.  I lost it after the last email warning me about my Swiffer WetJet and how it would cause my dog’s liver to fail. 

Daily Tech Tips

127tech posts Daily Tech Tips each day via Twitter & Facebook. The tips will arrive at 9:00 AM. They are 140 characters or less with a focus on how you can remove one small stress related to your computer.

Would you like to receive these daily via email? Would you prefer them posted in the blog? How do you want to see them?

If you have a question that needs answers, email us and we'll include it as soon as we can figure out how to help you!

Here are the last 10 Daily Tech Tips:

2/9/09 - Busy? Check out Remember the Milk, a great To Do list. Works with Google, iPhone, BlackBerry & More http://tr.im/e2an

2/8/09 - No Daily Tech Tip. Even we need a day off. Check out these Google Tips until we're back tomorrow. http://tr.im/e282

2/7/09 - If the inside of your PC looks like this pic, you really need to buy some canned air :) http://tr.im/e1yt

2/6/09 - It's Backup Friday! Have you seen the pattern? Backup your data today! Carbonite, iBackup, there are many to choose from.

2/5/09 - Don't download every application under the sun. Do you really need weatherbug? Look outside let your PC do real work.

2/4/09 - Want to send a text msg from your PC via email? All carriers allow that. Verizon's formula is phonenumber@vtext.com.

2/3/09 - Firefox is a great browser. Don't be afraid to experiment. You can always go back to Microsoft http://tr.im/e205

2/2/09 - Need to jazz up your photos or scrapbooks? Try BeFunky, a free webservice that cartoonizes your pictures. http://tr.im/e2hg

2/1/09 - Move between tabs in Internet Explorer, Firefox & Chrome by using CTRL-Tab. Special Thanks to Karen H for asking!

1/31/09 - Control your email and reduce your stress. It is just a tool, after all. GTD email with this free article http://tr.im/d3ql

Pandora and PC Fun

Everyone loves to hate their PC. It's a simple fact. Most of us hope to get through the day with minimal complications or rebooting.

However, there is a lot of fun that can be had with PCs, and a lot of it is free. Take Pandora, for example. It's free internet radio in which you compose your own radio stations. Pandora has a simple mission, to play only music you'll love.

Step one - www.pandora.com

Step two - Create an account (you will save your radio stations this way)
Step three - Create a Station by typing in a song or an artist
Step four - Listen and Enjoy!

You can tailor your music with additional artists and by using the "Thumbs Up" "Thumbs Down" grading.

If you have an iPhone or Windows Mobile Phone, you can listen to Pandora on the go!

Google Business Apps Interview

I was interviewed a few weeks ago regarding Google Business Apps. I feel that they are a very viable alternative to Microsoft Office, and have some great functionality for small or mobile businesses.

Here's my quote:
"Google Apps’ collaborative capabilities allow multiple employees in different locations to simultaneously view data, a key requirement for 127tech, a tech support company with three full-time employees and 30 contractors. “We share a good portion of our data with outside partners, clients and others, and Docs allows us to do that,” said Garth Callaghan, the company’s owner. “We all have portable data devices, so we can access data using our mobile connections.”

He touts Apps’ “great integration” with the iPhone and its “phenomenal” calendaring features. “For me to be able to find out at a glance where all of my technicians are and what their schedules are, that’s really valuable,” he said."

Copyright © 2009 NarrowCast Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

The article was published in IT Business Edge.

Click Here to Read the Full Article

What is a "Tweet?"

Tweeting, Twitter, but not TWiT which stands for "This Week in Tech."

I have been introduced to this interesting new communication platform. From a technical standpoint, I am happy to have a tool that can update many places such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

From a purely social perspective, I am finding that Twitter has great potential for communication to and from many various sources.

Where will it go? Join me on Twitter and find out. Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/wgarth

If you don't know what Twitter is, you can check out this video.

It's eBay Time!

The event that we have been waiting for is . . well, passed, actually. It was a good time, more or less, and an experience that was worth experiencing. Now, it is time to make some money for Children, Incorporated.

Our PS3 is up for auction. You can see it here: The Auction

Please bid, but only if you will follow through!