#184 - Acting might not be a good career path

The growth of simulation animation has cut down on the number of acting roles in Hollywood. If it weren't for dubbed voices the future would indeed be very bleak. The use of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) began with Toy Story (I guess #1) in 1995. This was the first movie COMPLETELY made by computer. Special effects had been using CGI for decades. Actually the first use of CGI was in the SciFi movie Westworld in 1973. The best of the CGI special effects came in Jurasic Park(1993) with those extra real looking dinosaurs terrorising real people on the screen seamlessly.

All the CGI was made possible by more powerful computers and in particular more powerful graphic processors used with those computers. The big CGI shops (Pixar for example) use banks of computers (computers tied together in a tight network) called a render farm in their graphic design. Thus the graphic load is spread out over many computers and not just one. The recent SHREK series, Toy Story series, Up and Finding Nemo are great CGI films that the characters in the films generate just as much emotions in their audience as real actors.

So when will the job of imperfect human actor end? Already you can have a virtual sales person for your business web site. No need to hire an actor, just go to the virtual actor site and pick out who (whom???) you like and type in their script. No mistakes to worry about and they are all cosmetically perfect. Finding perfect simulated actors for your next script can't be far behind. If my son or daughter announced they were thinking about being an actor, I might ask them if they wouldn't rather be a blacksmith or buggy whip salesman....

#183 - Things you should know about Technology today

Did you know that you don't have to type www. any more in the address bar of your browser? Starting with Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 3 you don't have to waste that precious time. Just type in pcss4u.com and off you go!

Did you know that only 3% of PC infections now come from email attachments? Most of the infections now come from links in email or on a website. They can mostly be classified as malware or spyware. That's why its important to have more then just a basic antivirus protecting your computer. PCSS likes AVG antivirus & antispyware. Only $39 for 2 years of protection.

Did you know that the built in Windows Media Player does not normally play DVDs? Not until the latest version (11) were the coders put into Windows Media Player to play commercial DVDs. PCSS recommends the free VLC (VideoLan Client) software to play ALL types of media on PCs and Macs.

Unlike on your PC, when you delete a file on a flash drive, it really does disappear. Actually PCSS can recover some flash drive deletions, but it certainly doesn't go to the recycle bin. That reminds me to ask: Have you emptied your recycle bin recently? Run the Windows Disk Clean up utility to clean out your PC (Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Clean up).

Did you know that in most programs holding down the CTRL and Z keys means Undo? Try it next time you make a boo boo. Another helpful short cut is the CTRL and F key to start the Find function.

Did you know that Laser Printers are MUCH cheaper then InkJet printers in the long haul? Even though they cost more up front, Laser Printers will quickly be cheaper to operate per printed page.

Do you know the difference between Reply and Reply All in email? Do you know how to do a blind copy (no one can see who is the blind copy recipient)? Did you know that you should NEVER attach files larger then 5MB in size? (most Internet providers have limits and filters) Just ask Nick if you aren't sure about these items.

The only way to truly delete items from your computer is to put zeros in all the "empty" places. PCSS uses a program called File Shredder that uses a Defense Department algorithm to really delete information.

#182 How small can computers go?

Since the advent of the netbook, I've stated to many customers that I believe the netbook will be the smallest computer you can actually use until speech recognition technology gets alot better. Why no smaller? Its the keyboard. Anything smaller then a netbook and you can't touch type. You can thumb it in or peck and poke, but not type. Now typing may become a thing of the past, but as of July 2010 speech recognition just doesn't' work.

Many of you have seen/heard the infuriating commercials with the person calling a service center and having their words garbled by a computer answering system. "Did you say you want to buy a compactor?" When you are looking for a laptop. Now when speech recognition actually works then you'll be able to have the computer a size of a button. It's the input (keyboard/mouse) and output (monitor & printer) that are the most limiting in computer size. I just set up an iMac desktop computer at a local office and the size of the keyboard was that same minimum size of a typical netbook.

I know I'm amazed at the ever decreasing size of phones and the tremendous amount of capability they have. They now have so many features that computers have and many that they don't! GPS, music player, camera, book reader, database, calendar and on and on. I was amazed the other day when a person with an iphone showed me how to use it as a bar code scanner. They picked up an item in a store, scanned the bar code and immediately could look up the product for reviews, pricing and more information then you possibly could use. I certainly use my phone for way more then a phone. It has my schedule, contacts and a couple of neat games. It can translate several languages and connect to the Internet for information searches.

A complete computer computational power can now be on one chip. The input/output devices are what makes the computer large. I've seen demostrations of computers built in to clothing, sunglasses, pet collars even a tiny surveilance camera. How small can they make them? I guess we will soon see (or not!).

#181 The new Mac mini!

The new mac mini has arrived at PCSS. We got our first mac mini in 2006. We have used it as our Internet device (browsing all over without fear) and as the home of our music and movie collections. Four years later and we were ready for a bigger hard drive, fast processor and the new Apple operating system Snow Leopard. There was nothing really wrong with the old one. So we have re-purposed it by reformatting the hard drive and installing just the essential programs. In fact we are typing this update on the old mini.

After healing a computer for the 3rd time this year, a customer asked if I ever get malware infections. The simple answer was no. I do the vast majority of my Internet work on the Mac Mini. I do email on my PCs (laptops and desktop) when I am home but that is about it. No Mac has ever been infected as of today.

So what else is new about the mini? Its shorter, a bit wider and has several new ports on the back side. Here is the rear and from left to right we have power, Ethernet, firewire, HDMI, mini display adapter, 4 USB ports, SDXC memory card reader, microphone & speaker ports. The top, 2 sides and front are brushed aluminum. The bottom actually opens up so you can easly upgrade the memory (yeah). Unfortunately Apple has filled all the memory slots so you have to remove memory to upgrade (boo).

We purchased the basic model. Intel 2.4GHz Intel Duo Core processor with 2GB of memory, 320GB hard disk drive, NVIDIA GeForce 320m graphics (Hi Def!), DVD burner (no blue-ray), Built in wireless & Bluetooth. Minis don't come with keyboards, mice or displays, so you can use any USB keyboard or mouse. It comes with a DVI adapter for display, but if you are like me and don't have a DVI display, you have to purchase the VGA adapter. Cost was $699 for the Mini and $29 for the display adapter.

We moved all our music and movies without much trouble. We are waiting for an HDMI cable to attach it to our flat panel TV. Plans are to get the AVATAR DVD to watch and see how we like that aspect of the Mini.

Let me know if you have comments or questions about this remarkable little PC!

#180 What do we use the Internet for?

The Internet as we know it (a place where YOU can go) is about 20 years old. The actual architecture is closer to 40 years old. I only mention the age because I think that the it is amazing that the Internet has now become the major use of people owning a computer. Although word processing and spreadsheets are the backbone of business, it's the Internet that supports most activities on PCs. The first question I get from people buying a new PC is will the new PC make their Internet faster? Sadly in most cases the answer is NO. Internet speed is mostly decided by the speed of your Internet provider and not your PC.

So what are we doing on the Internet? Well right now I am blogging. A new word and action in the past 10 years. Most people shop on the Internet. I was looking for a vacuum bag for our Kenmore vacuum. Couldn't find one in Covington, but had lots of choices on the Internet. We've decided to stop our daily Newspaper and get our news online. We check the weather online. I purchase almost all the PCs and supplies I sell online. Someone in this household (not naming names) gets their sudoku puzzles online. I keep up with high school and college friends on Facebook. We use a wonderful site called Skype to see our distant friends and relatives. Then there are the sites that follow (you name the specialty) Virginia Tech sports, my mission group Episcopal Relief & Development, my church, the Covington Lumberjacks, and on and on. The sites are almost "TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!"

The Internet has become a powerful part of our lives. Indespensible for many in the world. So what do you use it for?

#179 Office 2010 arrives

Microsoft released to big businesses their 14th version of their Office suite last week. Consumers will get to see the product in June. This new version is creatively called Office 2010. It includes updates to Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, OneNote and Sharepoint. It comes in 6 different groupings of these products and in 32bit and 64bit versions. Confusion on which box to buy will again be the entertainment of early summer. There will also be online versions of the software (note not with the SAME features) that you can access from any Internet access.

There are lots of changes and we will take a look at them in our June updates. One big change is that the file menus (File, Edit, View, Tools, Help) are back. For some inexplicable reason Microsoft got rid of the file menu in Office 2007. They put in the Office "Ribbon" that was supposed to be quicker to use then the menu system. Mass confusion took over the software world as no one could find any of the features they normally. It only took 3 years for Microsoft to admit they were wrong. Note that 70% of the Office users in the world still use Office 2003 mainly due to this mistake. Outlook didn't get the ribbon in 2007, but does in 2010. Thank goodness the menu items are still there.

So will this be a "good" upgrade? The pluses are that this version should be faster. It takes advantage of the new Intel multi core processors. The 64bit version will allow for absolutely HUGE Excel spreadsheets (did you ever ask for a bigger Excel?). Changes in Word are fairly minimal other then the interface. Cut/Copy/Paste get some extra options and you can do more editing of pictures you insert into your documents. The Office 2010 suite uses a still different file format. So when one of your buddies buys the new version, if they send you a Word or Excel file, you probably won't be able to open in until a conversion utility is released. Outlook and PowerPoint seem to get the most upgrades and mostly for the better.

PCSS will install Office 2010 on our Window 7 laptop so that customers can take a peek. We'll take it through all the paces and let you know our opinion on whether to upgrade or not.

#178 Late April 2010 ramblings

I got my hands on an iPad that a customer had last week. I was setting up the WiFi in their home so the iPad could pick it up and be Internet functional. It is lightweight and the screen is brilliant. You really can't multitask and if you surf the web, beware that any site that uses Adobe Flash (lots) won't look right since Flash is not supported by the iPad (or Apple). I played with some of the apps that come with the iPad and they all seemed fast and well designed. Still its a lot of money for single tasking item that doesn't do Word or Excel.

HP announced yesterday that it is buying Palm. HP has made PDAs for a long time, but they never could compete with Palm. HP has NOT been in the phone market, so this buy puts them in that group. Palm is barely a viable company. They only have a very few products and their old stand by PDA, isn't bought by most people since phones can do all a PDA used to do. I own a Palm Centro phone by Verizon and honestly if I had to get a new phone today, it would be a Palm. Why? Because the Palm's apps work better then most other phones Verizon sells. Also I've had a Palm for over 10 years so TRADITION! Will this be a good purchase for HP? I really doubt it. But you just never know in technology.

I'm looking to replace my venerable Suuntro Vertex watch. This watch has a clock, stopwatch, altimeter, barometer, compass, and thermometer. I mainly use the clock and altimeter. I'm considering a watch with a GPS. Nephew John has the Garmin GPS watch. He is an addicted runner and uses the GPS for training and race running. I'm a mountain biker and having a portable GPS would be especially nice. Let me know if you have any recommendations. So far I've looked at Garmin and Sunntro GPS watches.

The latest/greatest phone coming out is the Nokia N8. This is a super duper phone based on the Symbian operating system. The specifications just blow you away: 12Megapixel camera, HD Video recorder and player with Dolby Digital plus sound, 16GB standard memory with up to 48GB available with micro SD card, Free for life GPS navigation, Facebook and Twitter built in apps, WiFi Internet browser and it really is a phone. We don't know who(which phone company) will be offering the N8, but expect it in the US at the end of 2010.

#177 - USB 3.0 is on its way

Earlier this year the people that standardize things in the computer world, have finalized the USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed) standard. You might not have known there was a USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 standards, but you probably use them every day.

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. It is a standard in computers for how equipment connects to your computer. Your Printer, Mouse, Keyboard, Camera, Flash drive, External hard Drive and even your speakers can connect to your computer through a USB interface. The first USB standard was used by MAC computers and not far behind were PCs. It began development in 1994 by a group of seven companies: Compaq, DEC, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC and Nortel. USB was intended to make it easier to connect external devices to PCs by replacing the multitude of connectors at the back of PCs with one simple interface that did not have screws. Faster speed and simplifying software connections were also goals.

The first widely used standard USB 1.1 was released in September 1998. It allowed for a 12 Mbps data rate. The USB 2.0 specification was released in April 2000 with the resulting specification achieving 480 Mbit/s, a fortyfold increase. The latest version, 3.0, has a maximum speed of 5Gbps or about 10 times faster then USB 2.0. It also has more power eliminating the need for 2 USB cables for external hard drives.

For USB 3.0 to work you need to have a device that support USB 3.0 and a computer that supports it. Presently the only way you can do that for an existing PC is to buy an adapter card for your PC or laptop (around $40-$45). USB 3.0 will be on most new computers coming out later this year and on more items (flash drives, external hard drives and cameras) this summer.

Faster is generally better in computers and PCSS is looking forward to the new USB 3.0 devices. Transferring pictures and music will be 10 times quicker and that is a good thing!

#176 - 3 D Technology

The 3D TVs are arriving on our shores. The spectacular special effects movie AVATAR wows theater goers with its 3D displays. So what is 3D and why are we now getting this technology in our homes?

There have been 3 D movies in some form since the beginning of motion pictures. The hey day of 3D was in the 50s. I remember as a child going to a theater and putting on one lens red and one lens blue glasses to see the film. In all it was great for a kid, not so much for adults.

The old method of 3D production is called Anaglyph. This method has the movie makers taking two images and superimposing them through two filters, one red and one cyan. The two images are then printed in the same complementary colors on white paper. Glasses with colored filters in each eye separate the appropriate images by canceling the filter color out and rendering the complementary color black.

A newer method, Polarized, uses two separate images are projected superimposed onto the same screen through different polarized filters. Two separate cameras record the images at the same time from slightly different perspective. Special polarized glasses are used to display the 3 D effects.

The move of 3D to TV has taken much longer. Phillips developed Lenticular technology which uses a lens to send different images to each of your eyes. This technology requires you sit directly in front of the screen. Good news is you don't need special glasses. Hyundai developed the passive glass 3D system which has two overlapping images. You have to wear special glasses for this technology. A fairly new technology called active glass system is similar to the passive system but puts the all the technology in the very special (and expensive) glasses.

We don't' have 3D computers yet, but I'll bet that will come soon.

#175 - Is that a Hoax or what?

An interesting show that I like to watch is Myth Busters. The show takes several premises (legends?) and by scientific method proves or disproves them. Great entertainment and usually good use of science.

Unfortunately on the Internet, there are lots of Hoaxes. People can say anything and send you an email or Facebook message that has no factual basis. How can you tell if a message is truth, lie or worse - a virus!

There are several sites on the Internet that are there just to help you determine exactly that. We like SNOPES, ABOUT and Truth or Fiction. We also will just type an Internet claim into google and see what comes up (on our MAC of course!).

About once a month some friend will forward to me some fantastical message meant to scare or upset people. Items like "Facebook to charge fees", "Cell Phones explode when ....", "And every lie you can think of about our President. This isn't meant to be about politics, I'm just saying that there are hoaxes being put out and you should check them out before worrying about them and/or passing them on to your friends.

If it sounds outrageous, it is; If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. If it makes you angry then someone may be pulling your chain. Forewarned is Forearmed.