CST News

 

Seems hard to believe that we are only a few days away from the shortest day and, touch wood, the weather has not been at all bad. A few wintry days and a couple of good frosts, but overall manageable.

We have been busy here at work with the usual crop of spyware to remove and hard drives to replace. However, if you need some work done – at your place or ours – we can always fit you in!

Thanks to all those who responded to my query about radio listening habits – really interesting results. Thanks also to those people who gave a couple of suggestions for targeting our advertising dollars – really appreciated.

The lucky entry was drawn by Dave. Congratulations to Roger and Heather who can drop in sometime to pick up a small gift.

Sue and I have a couple of weeks away coming up. Some time ago, Sue managed to score a contribution to some travel as a result of a radio promotion in Dunedin. So we have decided to head away to Darwin for a couple of weeks to chase crocodiles and barramundi. As well, we will have a look around the national parks at the top end of Australia. On the way home, we will stop in and see Mum in Brisbane for a day or so. I suspect that there might also be a little time available for some retail therapy in Brisbane.

Spyware

For those not too familiar with the term spyware, this is software which is put onto your system without your knowledge – and no, that does not mean by the kids! Someone at some stage will have clicked a button to get rid of a pop-up on the screen or some other innocuous task and this has allowed this rubbish to infect your computer. You will know you are infected if you get some or all of the symptoms below:

• You get lots of pop-ups
• Your computer is running slower and slower
• Your home page has changed by itself
• Other components have installed themselves eg toolbars in your browser.

How do you protect yourself?

• Use a firewall
• Keep your software updated
• Ensure you are running protection software such as NOD32
• Close stuff you are not sure of using the X in the top right corner of the window
• Be wary of free music and movie sites and programmes

If your system becomes too slow or unstable, bring it in to Dr Dave or Dr Blake. They can return it to a much better state in a short time. Think of this as an oil change for the car – we need one of these every now and then and similarly we need a spruce up on the computer on occasions.

The pic below came into my mail from a customer as I write this newsletter. Obviously the customer did not know he has sent it. This is an obvious scam or danger since it is not even in English, but anyone clicking on the links supplied – either out of naivety or general interest – is likely to be inviting problems into their computer.

Twenty-one Reasons Why English is Hard To Learn

 

1.         The bandage was wound around the wound

2.         The farm was used to produce produce.

3.         The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse.

4.         We must polish the Polish furniture.

5.         He would lead if he would get the lead out.

6.         The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7.         Since there was no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8.         A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9.         When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10.       I did not object to the object.

11.       The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12.       There was a row among the rowers on how to row.

13.       They were too close to the door to close it.

14.       The buck does funny things when does are present.

15.       A seamstress and a sewer fell down into the sewer line.

16.       To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17.       The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18.       After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19.       Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

20.       I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21.       How can I intimate this to my most intimate friends?

 

In a similar vein, I used to use this sentence when I was teaching to show that the spell checker could not be trusted. Try it and see.

 

We went too Dunedin two by to bits of would but it was two hot. T

Totally nonsensical but no spelling or grammatical errors!

Buying The Right Business Laptop

We have had a couple of customers come in recently after having bought business laptops in Dunedin. I found it difficult to hold my tongue when I saw what they had paid and bought and what they expected it to do. As luck would have it, the following article appeared in my email within a day or so and I thought it would be appropriate.

It all boils down to the old saying “you get what you pay for”.

With notebook prices reaching all-time lows, it’s easy for businesses to take the cheaper option by purchasing a number of streamlined, consumer notebooks, rather than notebooks that are built for business. Choosing the right notebook for your business could mean the difference between success and failure. Here are some of the essential features to look for—and questions you should ask—when purchasing a business notebook.

Spend your money wisely

Cost is always an issue when purchasing new technology, and that’s especially true with notebooks and their variety of features and add-ons. While the final cost of your new notebook should always be a deciding factor, it’s important to first take the time to see what you’re getting for your money. Because there isn’t a specific price range that ensures you’re getting the right notebook for your business, know what features you need and what features you can live without.

Don’t strain yourself

Depending on the size of the screen, notebooks can become quite heavy and cumbersome to carry around. If you’re using your notebook as a desktop replacement in your office, size and weight probably won’t matter, but it’s a different story if you’re a business traveller. As notebooks become thinner and lighter—without sacrificing quality, screen size or performance—road warriors now have choices that won’t break your back.

Have the power

Most notebooks have the capability to handle everyday business tasks like document creation and email, but what about more intensive tasks like audio and video presentations?

When it comes to RAM, the right amount of memory will determine how many programs you can work on at once without slowing down your computer. As a general rule, 4 GB of RAM is most likely all you’ll need to handle multiple programs simultaneously.

Keep on running

When working for long periods of time without downtime is important, it all comes down to battery life. Most business notebooks come with a variety of battery options, so the more “cells” (4-cell, 6-cell, etc.) you buy, the longer your battery will last. But keep in mind: the bigger the battery, the more weight that’s added to your notebook. However, being able to run your notebook for a long period of time without a power cord could be worth the added weight. HP EliteBook Folio comes with a secondary battery that, when paired with its standard battery, provides double the run time.

Store more

You’ll be surprised by how quickly your hard drive fills up with videos, multimedia presentations, and photos, so a spacious hard drive is always a good idea. You typically have two types of storage to choose from: Solid State Drives (SSDs) and optical drives. SSDs don’t have any moving parts, making them more durable and better suited for the road, but their storage capacities aren’t as large as optical drives, and they’re more expensive. A 250 GB hard drive should be enough for most people, but you can certainly buy more for a minimal cost.

Don’t forget about the other options

Do you do a lot of work in spreadsheets or work with a lot of numbers? Many notebooks come with a 10-key number pad feature than can save you a lot of time, but keep in mind that it does make the rest of the keyboard a little smaller. Another good feature to look for or add is an HDMI output. This allows for greater video quality over the standard VGA port, making your presentations look even better.

Businesses are expected to keep up with the increasing demand to be able to work—quickly and efficiently—no matter where your “office” may be. Choosing the right notebook and features will help you meet those demands.

Data Backup

It is amazing how things come in runs! We have had a number of computers in the workshop lately with failed hard drives. The hard drive is that part of the computer which stores the data. This means that if it fails, your data may be lost. In the cases we have had in lately, two or three have had drives that we cannot get data from. It may be possible to use data recovery specialists in some cases, but they will charge plenty.

The moral of the story is that if your data is important, ensure you have it backed up. We can provide a number of ways to back up your data and help you set up processes to do it. Depending on how much data you want to back up, the simplest option is a portable hard drive.

A 500GB portable hard drive is $130.00 and a 1 TB hard drive (= 1000 GB) approximately $180.00. These are small prices to pay for peace of mind knowing that those important files or those irreplaceable photos are safe.

Picture of the Month

Fear of heights never used to be an issue for me as a young bloke. But even looking at this picture, taken in Norway I believe, gives me the screaming heebie jeebies!

Website of the Month

A short page this month. I will bet that most of you do not know who Warren Buffet is. He is the world’s third richest man but seems to be a very down to earth sort of bloke. A really interesting read.

The Last Word

I thought this might be a bit appropriate given our trip early next month.