Geeks - We Are Today's Rock Stars!

In an information society, Geeks are the stars!

Why do you need to backup your stuff?

Why do you need to backup your stuff? You can always create more stuff, right? It doesn't work that way in real life, and it doesn't work that way for your data.

Who uses more Hard Drives? You, me, or Google? We can study the impact of a single failed Hard Drive in your computer, but that doesn't make you an evangelist for data backup unless you have lost data. Google has more Hard Drives than you can imagine. They know what is happening with data, and they closely track the health of their systems.

They completed a study in August 2007 that tracked a 5-year history of Hard Drive failure.

1 Year ~ 7%
2 Years ~ 8%
3 Years ~ 8%
4 Years ~ 6%
5 Years ~ 7%

This shows that your Hard Drive has around a 25% chance of a serious error in a three year span.

Why are you not backing up your data?

Central Virginia Electroincs Recycling Day 4/25/09

Saturday, April 25

Ukrops- Short Pump , 3460 Pump Road (Henrico)

9 am - 2 pm

This is a regional event and you do not have to live in Henrico County to participate. First Market Bank will be providing document shredding. Call 340-0900 for more information.

Saturday, April 25

City of Hopewell Public Works parking lot, 103 S. Hopewell St. (Hopewell) Directions

9 am- 2 pm

Accepted items and fees listed below on this webpage.This is a regional event and you do not have to live in the City of Hopewell to

participate in the electronic collection. Document shredding will be available to City of Hopewell residents only.

Call 340-0900 for more information.

Saturday, April 25

Mechanicsville Convenience Center (Verdi Lane)-Hanover

9 am to 1 pm

This event will offer e-cycling with a different contractor(AERC). Call AERC at (804)798-9295 for fee information.

Household Hazardous Waste collection and paper shredding available to Hanover County residents only.

Accepted Items and Fees

Fees are charged to recycle the following items. These items require special handling due to the leaded glass and mercury they contain. Payment is accepted by cash or check.

Televisions, plastic $5 each

Televisions, wood-encased $10 each

Computer monitors $5 each

Items accepted at no charge include:

Computer systems (hard drive, CPU)

Computer accessories (cables, wires, keyboards, mice, speakers, etc.)

Printers, scanners & copiers

Fax machines

VCRs & camcorders

Stereos

Microwaves

Anything with a plug!

Even dirtier IT jobs

I was interviewed for an article on InfoWorld recently. Technology Moves (PC Disconnect/Reconnect) is the #7 Dirtiest IT Job in America! Here are two excerpts:

"Disconnect machines from one site, reconnect them at another. It sounded so simple Garth Callaghan couldn't quite believe someone would pay his company, 127tech, to do it. Now he employs three full-time employees and 30 contractors, who spend half their time unplugging and replugging machines for commercial movers in Richmond, VA.

But don't think they don't earn their money."

"Occupational hazards include dust bunnies the size of basketballs, displays coated in soot, keyboards with enough food lodged in them to feed a small third-world country or, in one recent case, caked with a viscous layer of cosmetics."

Click Here for the Full Article: Even dirtier IT jobs: The muck stops here More dirty tech deeds, done dirt cheap

Blast Text (SMS) Messages

Do you ever need to send a 'blast' Text SMS to employees or friends? It's easy to do!

1) Set up new contacts in your email program with the contact name and cell phone number/email. The cellphone number/email is detailed in Step 3. I add SMS to the person's name so that it's easy to differentiate between contacts. For example, Garth Callaghan becomes Garth CallaghanSMS.

2) Create a group list including all of your contacts that you'd blast at the same time. Name the group list something easily identifiable like SoftballTeam or KeyEmployees.

3) Cell Phone Number/Email is as easy as using the following equations:

Alltel: phonenumber @message.alltel.com

AT&T: phonenumber@mmode.com

BoostMobile: phonenumber @myboostmobile.com

Cingular: phonenumber@cingularme.com
Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com

Sprint: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com

T-Mobile: phonenumber@tmomail.net
Verizon: phonenumber@vtext.com

Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobl.com

where phonenumber = the 10 digit phone mobile number

4) You will have to ask your contact which carrier they use in order to complete this exercise.

5) Remember to limit your email SMS 140 characters or less. Practice brevity!

6) You should always confirm that it is ok to do this with your contacts. If they don't have a SMS plan, you will cost them money with each message. Picking up the phone and contacting them is always an option!

Happy Texting!

Top 8 Google April Fool's Jokes on the Web

April Fool's Day has to be one of my favorite holidays. I can plan and prepare jokes for years at a time and then hit my friends, family and co-workers when they least expect. I really look forward to what Google, eBay, and other popular websites will do to celebrate the day. Here are my Top Eight April Fool's Jokes by Google.

1. Google Future - Search the future with Google!

2. Google TiSp - Internet Through Your Pipes?

3. GMail Paper - Why send electronic mail when you can use paper?

4. Google Romance - Why use match.com when you can use Google?

5. Google Adsense for Conversations - Really?

6. Google Wake - Trouble getting out of bed in the morning?

7. Google MentalPlex - Too bizarre!

8. Google Gulp - By invitation only!

Top 5 Tips to Making a Tech Support Call

I.T. Happens. You fired up the PC and there is no power, or you see a Blue Screen of Death. Maybe your internet connection is not working correctly. You need to call your "Tech Guy" and get things going again. Here are some tips to help you as you make this call.

1) Get your 'stuff' together before dialing. Have a written description to the problem and recite it to the technician. Be specific, if you can. "My computer is broken" isn't descriptive enough. It might be helpful to have your computer's model number handy. We might look it up on the fly while we're on the phone with you. Make sure that you are giving all of the relevant information. Did you experience a power surge/outage? Are there lights blinking on your modem? Do you have cable internet, DSL, FIOS or other? Have as much information as you can before you call and the call might go by quickly.

2) Exercise patience. Scheduling a service call will only take a few minutes, but tech companies will need to check your account information and record some details. We'll need to start a service call ticket at the very beginning of your call. We will work as quickly as we can.

3) Not All Problems Have a Quick Fix. We may need to be on the phone with you for a long time, or we might want to schedule an 'in person' visit. If you are running to a meeting, starting a tech support call might not be the nest thing to do at that time. If we have a remote service and you are a current client, we can likely work with your PC while you are out.

4) Be Polite. This should go without saying. We know that you are calling because you are having technical issues. None of our clients call us just to let us know that all of their PCs are working just fine. We want to help you, that's why we're in the business. We enjoy the challenge you just presented us. We don't enjoy being called names or being yelled at.

5) Don't Help. When we're controlling the mouse and keyboard, we are focusing on your issues and trying to get you back to work without losing any data. We care about our job and want you to have a good experience using our services.