Tech Better's Tech Tips

How To Spur New Ideas And Get Help Brainstorming

2009-08-17T09:49:00.000-04:00

If you have ever had an occasion where you needed to be creative, you have probably tried some form of brainstorming. However, if you're like me, it doesn't take long to run out of ideas. One tool you can use to keep the creativity flowing is Google's Wonder Wheel. If you are unfamiliar with Google's Wonder Wheel, read on.

Go to Google and search for any term you choose. On the search results page, click the ‘Show Options’ link in the shaded information bar immediately below the search term box. This will display a column of search options to the left of the search results. In this list of search options you will find a link named Wonder Wheel. Click the Wonder Wheel link and give Google a few seconds to load a graphical display of your search term and related search terms. Each time you click a related search term on the Wonder Wheel, Google will update the wheel and show other related search terms. Using the Wonder Wheel can often spur new ideas when you need to be creative by displaying related terms you had not previously considered. Also, each time you click a new search term on the Wonder Wheel, the search results on the right of the page update with new search results which you can use to go more in depth on any term.

Ryan Williams

http://www.techbetter.com

How Jump To A Specific Time In A YouTube Video URL

2009-08-17T09:46:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wanted to send someone a link to a long YouTube video when the segment you actually wanted them to watch was several minutes into the video? Well here is a trick to make the YouTube link jump straight to the interesting part of the video. Just add "#t=*m*s" to the end of the URL where the asterisks represent minutes and seconds respectively. When anyone clicks the URL the YouTube video will jump to that exact time in the video. Below is an example link. I have chosen a fun video and I jump to the end for demonstration purposes. If you've never seen this video, it's a fun one. I recommend you watch it from the beginning. It's guaranteed to make you smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0#t=4m45s

Ryan Williams

http://www.techbetter.com

1/3 of Discarded Hard Disks Contain Sensitive Data

2009-06-29T09:27:00.000-04:00

Inc. magazine recently published an article stating that 34% of discarded hard disks contain either someone’s personal data or commercial data that a company would not want released. The study was conducted by purchasing random used hard disks and computers from EBay.

Many people believe that simply deleting files from a hard disk is sufficient. Unfortunately, this is not the case. When you delete a file from your hard disk the data is actually still present on the disk. The operating system just does not “see it” anymore. Even reformatting a hard disk does not actually remove the data from it. Anyone with an inkling to do so can still retrieve information from the disk. We do this often to help clients recover files they have deleted by accident.

The next time you are ready to discard an old computer, make sure it wiped clean. One tool that will do this is a solution called WipeDrive.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

The Future of Mobile Internet Browsing

2009-06-29T09:26:00.001-04:00

Below is a video of a Mobile Augmented Reality browser. Basically, while you are walking the street, you can pull out your mobile phone and point it at anything. Then, using images recognition, a built-in compass and GPS the browser looks up information about whatever it is pointed at. The video shows pointing the browser at different buildings to see how much they cost. Then, it shows pointing the browser and buildings to see if there are any job openings within the building.

The video below shows this functionality in its infancy but you can imagine the things we’ll be able to do with this technology in 5 to 10 years.

This description does not do it justice. Watch the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b64_16K2e08

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Petabytes

2009-06-29T09:25:00.000-04:00

Interesting fact: every single day 15 petabytes (15 zeros) of new information is created. This is 8 times more information than exists in every U.S. library combined. That much information is created every day!

I think my email inbox is responsible for about ¼ of that total.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Google Tasks

2009-06-04T09:38:00.000-04:00

If you are one of those people (like I am) who likes to work from a task list, you will want to check out Google Tasks. Google Tasks is a sub-component of Gmail. It is by far the simplest task organizer I have ever used. Just start typing to add a task, press enter to add a new task and press tab to make a sub-task. Tasks can also be rearranged on the fly.

If you are looking for a simple task keeper to help you manage your day, Google Task is worth checking out. To enable Google Tasks, click Settings from your Gmail page and then click on the Labs tab. Then, enable Tasks. The tasks link will appear on the left of the Gmail page. You can pop-out the task window to create a standalone task page that is always easily accessible or you can embed Google Tasks within your iGoogle home page.

NOTE: This feature is also available to Google Apps users.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Google Wave

2009-06-04T09:36:00.002-04:00

Email is still the dominate medium for online communication. In 2008, there were over 210 billion emails sent EVERY day. Despite this enormous volume, email really has not changed much since its mainstream adoption in the early 1990’s. That is about to change. The next generation of “email type” communication is being developed by Google and it is named Google Wave. If you would like to watch a video demonstration of Wave visit this URL: http://wave.google.com/

The video is pretty lengthy (over an hour) but you can clearly see that the next generation of online communication will be real-time and freeform.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Hiatus

2009-06-04T09:36:00.001-04:00

Greetings. I’m finally back from a brief blog hiatus. Things got busy, I skipped a week and before I knew it several weeks had passed. I think I’m back on track now, however.

Whenever I need interesting content for this blog, I can always count on Google. They always seem to have something new worth reporting. Both of this week’s tech tips are from Google.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Conficker Worm Update

2009-04-17T16:00:00.002-04:00

The Conficker worm has been spreading since November 20, 2008. The estimated number of infected computers range from two million to the tens of millions. No one has an exact number. Many people mistakenly think that the Conficker worm was programmed to wreak havoc on the 1st of April, and since it did not, the threat is over. This is not the case. I hope to briefly clarify what is known about Conficker in this entry.

As was reported by the media, Conficker had the date April 1st programmed into it. Contrary to what was conveyed, however, the April 1st date was not necessarily the date the virus would unleash its wrath on the world. This was certainly a possibility; however, the April 1st date was really just the date the worm would begin “calling home” for further instructions, which it did actively begin to do.

On April 1st no further instructions were provided; however, on April 8th the creators of the worm began delivering updates and other malicious payloads to infected computers. Among the malicious payloads being delivered is a fake AntiVirus program which fakes a virus detection and tricks the owner of the computer into purchasing fake antivirus software for $49.95. Another of the malicious payloads being delivered is a keylogger used to capture passwords and other personal data. The keylogger then sends the data to the virus creator.

The purpose of this entry is to make clear that although the April 1st date has past, this does not mean you are now safe, and you no longer need to update your computer and keep your antivirus software up-to-date. The worm is still active and no one knows for sure what it will do next.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Seat Karma

2009-04-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

Seat Karma is a search engine that allows you to find people who are selling their tickets to sporting, theatrical and musical events. (StubHub is another website that offers a similar service.) One of the neat things about Seat Karma is you can virtually put yourself in the seat you want to purchase and view how the event will look from your seat’s vantage point.

Seat Karma has taken vantage point pictures from various positions around roughly 140 venues. If you are looking to purchase a ticket from one of these venues, you can see what your view will be like BEFORE you purchase the ticket.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

The Only Way to Coast is Downhill

2009-04-17T15:57:00.000-04:00

“The only way to coast is downhill.” Is there any area of your life or business in which you are coasting? Maybe you need to revisit those areas and reenergize them. Progress does not happen on its own. It takes effort.

Whoa! I almost started to get philosophical. That’s too “deep” for a tech blog. Alright, snap out of it Ryan. I’m not Zig Ziglar. I’m a tech guy. Back to reality. Let’s proceed…

What brought that quote to mind was the thought that many businesses are just coasting when it comes to their technology. They spend the bare minimum to "keep the lights on." For instance, some businesses do not keep up with the updates for their line of business software. This is usually because they do not want to pay the annual maintenance fees. Eventually, however, every business is forced to upgrade their software. I have seen it time and time again where not keeping up with software updates ends up costing a business more money in the long run. This is because the inevitable upgrade that eventually has to happen becomes much more involved and “painful” than it would have been if the software had been kept current. All the money the business thought it was saving it ends up paying eventually, often with much more disruption to the business.

I could list several examples like this where coasting on old technology actually does a company a disservice. Is your business coasting on old technology? Perhaps a “technology remodel” could actually add value to your business.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Cut Costs, Be Green & Stimulate The Economy

2009-03-19T13:47:00.000-04:00

In this current economic climate, many businesses are looking for ways to cut costs. Well here is a simple suggestion that can produce some surprising results.

The average desktop computer has a 400-watt power supply. Generally, however, computers will only pull around 100 watts per hour. Therefore, over a 24 hour day a computer can consume roughly 2400 watts or 2.4 kilowatts (100 watts * 24 hours).

The national average for power is 9.5¢ per kilowatt-hour. Therefore, if a computer is left on 24 hours per day 7 days per week, the cost will be around $83 per year (2.4 kwh per day * $0.095 * 365 days) to operate the computer. If we consider an average size office with 20 computers, this equates to $1,660 in power consumption for just the computers.

Now, let's see what happens if we turn the computers off during non-working hours. Let's assume a 10 hour work day (7:30 AM - 5:30 PM). The computer will now pull 1000 watts or 1 kilowatt per day (100 watts * 10 hours). The yearly power consumption per computer becomes roughly $23 (1 kwh per day * $0.095 * 240 working days) per year. In a 20 workstation office, this equates to $460 per year.

As a whole, a 20 workstation office can save approximately $1,200 per year just by turning their computers off at the end of each day. So, now, not only are you saving money, but you are also helping the environment. You can also take your savings and stimulate the economy. Wow! I feel like I should be wearing a cape or something. I just saved the planet and the U.S. economy in less than 300 words.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Google's Tip Jar

2009-03-19T13:46:00.001-04:00

Google has launched a new service called Tip Jar. The basic idea is for people to post their best tips on a variety of topics, and then visitors vote on the quality of the tip. The subject areas include At Home, At Work, Finance, Kids & Family, Shopping, Food, Cars & Transit, and Travel. Below are a couple tips I found. The site is worth checking out, if even just for a minute. Here is the URL: http://moderator.appspot.com/#16/e=3cfc

"When composing reports or essays, turn OFF spell check. Seeing that you've misspelled a word onscreen curbs the creative fluidity process. When you're done with the first draft, turn it back on."

--Smart Bombshell, Phoenix, AZ

"If you have a security system at home, call your insurance company and let it know. Many will give you a discount on your homeowner's insurance and may even refund part of your last premium."

--johnv, Chicago

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Everything's Amazing & Nobody's Happy

2009-03-19T13:45:00.001-04:00

A YouTube video clip made its way around our office a few days ago. It was a clip from the Conan O'Brien show. His guest was comedian Louis CK. In the clip Louis makes the point of just how much we take for granted these days. I could elaborate, but I think you would be better served by just watching the video. It's worth a laugh, and with all the negative news on television, it might change your perspective just a bit. Click here to view it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Accountability & Oversight

2009-02-20T16:37:00.000-05:00

When implemented prudently, computers are about much more than checking email, surfing the internet and keeping track of accounting records. Computers are also about accountability and oversight, among other things. If you operate under the mindset that computers are just a necessary evil to make accounting easier, then you are missing out on a wealth of benefit.

Your computer network is like a vast untapped resource of business process improvement. Nearly every process in your company can be improved with software. If you doubt, call me and put me to the test. I'm up for the challenge.

I suggest you evaluate every business process in your company and ask yourself if more employee accountability or more management oversight would improve the process results. The vast majority of the time, the answer is yes.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Smart Voicemail

2009-02-20T16:36:00.001-05:00

YouMail is a fairly new service in which you can create "Smart" voicemail greetings. Richard Baker, one of Nexxtep's project managers, turned me on to this service. Among other things this service allows you to create different voicemail greetings based on caller ID. So, you can have one voice mail greeting for family and friends and another for business associates. YouMail also provides visual voicemail management via their website or via text message. It's worth checking out.

If you have an iPhone, however, you may consider it a step backward since the iPhone already has visual voicemail.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Field Research At Disney World

2009-02-20T16:34:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the sign that is posted in Disney World's employee areas. As a refresher, the sign says "Be so nice they can't believe it!" I wondered what this type of service must feel like so I decided to do some field research. This past week I did some serious field work at Disney World. The customer service was superb and based on the lines the economy has not affected Disney's clientele at all. Mickey was still employed and according to my boys, he was everywhere. Donald Duck was also still employed, although I'm not sure what he does all day. I can't fault him though. I know plenty of people like that.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

A Shortcut To Lock Your Computer

2009-01-28T09:20:00.001-05:00

It is always a good security practice to lock your computer screen when you walk away from it. The most typical screen saver time out is 20 minutes but that is plenty of time for someone to sit down at your computer and view information. In this tech tip I will show you how to create a shortcut which you can double click to lock your computer.

1. Right click on your desktop and click "new shortcut" on the context menu.

2. In the shortcut's target box type the following without the surrounding quotes "%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation"

3. Now close the shortcut properties window and double click on the icon. It should lock your computer.

4. If you want to change the icon to make it more meaningful, right click on the new shortcut and select properties from the context menu. Next, click the button that says "Change Icon."

5. In the box that says "Look for icons in this file" enter the follow without the surrounding quotes "%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll" and hit the enter key.

6. You should now see many icon options from which you can choose.

7. After you have created the shortcut and selected a meaningful icon, my last suggestion is to drag the icon to your quick launch bar (the icons beside the start menu on the task bar). This will make the icon more accessible.

OR, if you have a Windows keyboard you can just hold down the "Windows" key (located in the lower left of the keyboard) and press the "L" button. But that is not nearly as cool as having an icon do the job.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Network Security Scare Tactics

2009-01-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

Did you know that every day 20,000 new distinct malicious software samples are discovered? That bears repeating. That was 20,000 new malicious software samples every single day. That is a lot of ill intended software floating around. Recently the Downadup worm infected 1 million computers in less than 24 hours. I have seen estimates that the worm has probably infected over 20 million computers by now. (To protect yourself make sure all your Microsoft patches are up to date.)

Network security is serious business. Not only do you have to worry about malicious software but also malicious people. We have seen businesses hacked by people in other countries. The hackers don't have to live on your street. Please make sure your antivirus is up-to-date, your Microsoft patches are up-to-date, your internet connect is secure and your wireless access point is encrypted. Don't wait until you are hacked or infected to begin thinking about security. If you have been guilty of not taking network security seriously, perhaps the statistics above will help motivate you to action.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Disney's Customer Service

2009-01-28T09:14:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday I attended a leadership conference. One of the speakers at the conference was Lee Cockerell. Mr. Cockerell was a Vice President at Disney for 10 years and was in charge of all Disney theme parks among other things. He said several things that stuck with me but the most memorable was the sign he said Disney has posted in all employee areas. He said the sign reads "Be so nice to the guests they can't believe it." Every business preaches customer service. I know we at Nexxtep talk about it all the time, but that sentence is a tough standard. It's one thing to be nice, but to be so unexpectedly nice that you leave someone astonished? Imagine if every business had that sentence as their goal. I might not hate shopping so much.

Well, needless to say, I was inspired and that sentence has become my goal.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

How Fluid Is Your Office?

2009-01-07T11:15:00.001-05:00

A 2007 study commissioned by AT&T and conducted by Forrester Consulting found that, "today more than 50 percent of enterprise employees find themselves in circumstances in which they need to work in a fluid and dynamic fashion. For instance, they need to access email, voicemail, and faxed messages when not at their desks." This can be accomplished with the aid of the internet, mobile devices, and various software programs. Below I composed a list of questions to help you determine how fluid your office environment is. See how you stack up.

Can your employees sit down at any computer in the office to check their email?

When someone is not at their desk, does your phone system find them via their cell phone?

Can your employees check their email on their cell phones?

Better yet, can they update their calendars from their cell phones?

Can they access their computer files from any computer with an Internet connection?

Even better, can they access their computer files from their cell phones?

If your employees have laptops, can they still remote back to the office to access your "line of business" applications when traveling?

Do your employees receive their voicemails via their email inbox so they can easily listen to their office voicemails from anywhere, including their cell phones?

Do you have an Intranet to serve as a centralized repository for company information so employees can find the information they need regardless of their location?

These are just a few questions worth considering. How well did you score?

- Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Google Street View

2009-01-07T11:14:00.001-05:00

Google has been very busy over the past few years. Covertly, they have sent cars all over the United States imaging everything they can see from the road. It is really mind blowing. You can look up your home or business address in Google Maps (maps.google.com) then click the Street View icon to see a street level image of the location. Visit this URL to see an example of how it works: http://tinyurl.com/9h9ekr

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Special Request

2008-12-12T15:20:00.001-05:00

This week I have a special request for those of you who live in Lowndes County, Georgia. The Rotary Club of Valdosta is sponsoring the Second Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner on February 19, 2009. You are invited to attend and show your support for our local law enforcement. The dinner raises money to help officers in times of need. If you stop and think what Valdosta would be like without law enforcement, you will quickly realize just how much you appreciate these men and women. Dinner tickets are $100 per person and businesses can purchase a table of 10 for $1000. I have scanned the event brochure, which you can view at this URL: http://www.ncare.com/dinner.jpg. It is a worthy cause and I hope you will make plans to attend.

If you would like more information, please call me or reply to this email.

Ryan Williams

Common Website Mistakes

2008-12-12T15:19:00.001-05:00

We do a lot of website development. As part of the process we often evaluate a company's existing website before planning the new one. There are several common mistakes we see repeated over and over. I have listed a few of these common mistakes below. Scan the list and see how your website stacks up.

MISTAKE: Displaying email addresses on a web page
WHY IT IS A MISTAKE: There are programs on the Internet that do nothing but scan web pages to harvest email addresses. Once found, these email addresses end up being targets for spammers. A better idea is to use contact forms on the site so visitors can still contact you via email. If done correctly, this method does not expose your email address.

MISTAKE: Not considering browser compatibility when the website is developed
WHY IT IS A MISTAKE: Not all web browsers interpret web pages the same. What looks like a work of art in one browser might look like a train wreck in another. Internet Explorer has lost market share every year since 2003 so developing for just Internet Explorer is not wise.

MISTAKE: Not giving ample thought to web page titles
WHY IT IS A MISTAKE: Web page titles have a lot to do with search engine ranking and click rates. Careful consideration should go in to your web page titles.

MISTAKE: Not keeping track of your website visitors and website browsing patterns
WHY IT IS A MISTAKE: As the old business saying goes, "you can't improve what you don't measure." If you do not know how many visitors your website generates and where they navigate once they are on your website, then how can you improve your website to get more business?

MISTAKE: Not including your company's contact information and driving directions
WHY IT IS A MISTAKE: While displaying email addresses on a website is a bad idea, displaying your telephone number, address and driving directions are a must.

MISTAKE: Not investing enough
WHY IT IS A MISTAKE: As the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for." Many people think they can get a website developed for $200, and they are right. You can get a $200 website developed for $200. However, if want to represent your company well, you may have to invest a little more. When determining the budget for your website, keep in mind that many potential customers will base their buying decision solely on the look and content of your website.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com

Google's Book Search

2008-12-12T15:17:00.001-05:00

Google's mission statement is "To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." To that end, they have expanded their online search capabilities to include book and magazine content. Click this link to see the search results for the term "Vince Lombardi." If you scan the search results you will see books dating back to the 1960's and 70's. I don't know about you, but I'm impressed.

The standard URL for accessing the book and magazine search is http://books.google.com.

Ryan Williams

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryanwill

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill

Website: http://www.techbetter.com

Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com