TECH411.ORG

By Jon M. Cohen

Data is important to most people, but when the idea of backup is discussed, many are always confused on how to backup their data correctly. In the next few paragraphs I will reveal 3 of the biggest mistakes people make based on my experience. 

When we look at today’s computers vs. computers in the past 5 years, we see that a lot has changed. From size and speed to price and storage, the greatest changes in what average consumers get on new computers are the size of hard disc drives. 5 years ago a 10 or 20 Gigabyte hard drive was standard. Most people didn’t have a second thought when it came to the amount of data that would be needed in the future. Over the last number of years we have seen an explosion of data. Now on average most consumers own at least some type of digital camera and portable music player. With the introduction of these devices the desire to create and download content is great. From downloading music files, videos, or creating photos of your friends and family; either way you slice it, one can agree that the need for large capacity hard drive should be top of mind today. 

The first thing people think is that one back up is enough. This is a mistake. I believe that if you don’t have it backed up on two separate pieces of media then you might as well not back up. Therefore, always have a backup of your backup. Sounds like common sense but too many people believe that one copy is enough.

The second point is not to trust that the computer or software is 100% foolproof. All computers have issues and all software has issues. This doesn’t mean that it won’t work all the time; it just means that sometime issues arise and when they occur you need to be prepared. The best way is to test your backup system at least once a month. Some simple ways of doing this are by looking at the files backed up and making sure they match the bit and file sizes that you have on the original computer. If you have an extra computer sitting around, you can try to reload your backup on that computer, but be aware it is a long process.

The third point to remember and try to avoid is keeping all your backups in the same location. I always suggest to people to have one of the backup copies of your home machine at your office or at a friend’s house and likewise keep a backup copy of your office data at your house. Some of the smartest choices are to use a fireproof safe to store the drive. As well, if you are going to keep it out in the open then a lock on the drive will detour someone from robbing you. 

Over the next number of years we know that one thing is for certain, the amount of data that we create or need to keep will increase, and it is more then reasonable to assume that this data will be ever more important and valuable to us; therefore, finding the right solution to backup your data is key. No matter what you decide to use to backup your important data just keep these three concepts at the top of your mind and try to not make the same mistake that so many others have made before. I leave you with this final thought; you can never have too many backups.

By Jon M. Cohen – Technology Consultant

The first thing you need to know is that you need to have confidence in yourself. Although this customization is really easy you need to still have the confidence to do it.  The Top 5 things that I will list are in my opinion the most important things to know when changing your hard drive.

1. Picking the correct replacement hard drive is key. When you look online or go to your local retailer you may see a lot of different choices. Some options are type of drive, speed, and connector type. When it comes to the type of drive, you need a 2.5” footprint, and you can choose between a solid-state drive or a more classic platter drive. The SSD (solid-state drive) is going to be a lot quicker and give you improved battery life, but remember that with the SSD you are limited to the size (capacity) of the drive and you are going to pay a premium because it is a newer technology. If you choose to go with a more traditional platter drive, then speed and connection type become factors. The speeds in RPM’s can be between 4,200RPM up to 10,000RPM. With the 5,400RPM being the most common. If you need a quicker response for the read/write then the 7,200RPM might be your best fit. Just remember the faster the drive the more toll on your computer. And this equates to a shorter battery charge. When you look at connection type, this question is cut-n-dry, the Macbook / Macbook Pro can only you Serial ATA drives (SATA), thus when you are looking to buy that new drive make sure you select the SATA option.

Apple Macbook/Macbook Pro (Late 2008) Hard Drive

2. Have your boot disk and make sure they work. All new Macs come with the boot/recovery disks. Once you have installed the new drive you will need to use the disks to format the drive and to load an OS on the drive. FYI: this process can take a few hours.

3. After you have removed the battery and have the correct tools at arms length, it is important to make sure you have the computer unplugged and you ground yourself. What I mean by that is that you discharge any static electricity in your body. This can be done by wearing a grounding wire, or even easier is to touch the grounding plate on the inside of the Macbook /Macbook Pro case. This plate is directly below the battery.

4. Remove the small screw that is holding down the hard drive. Now that the screw is out the hard drive can be lifted out of the case. Before you lift it up, remember that you need to undo the SATA connector cable. If you forget, you might give a slight pull to the drive and end up dislodging the SATA connector cable to. Thus DON’T forget to undo the cable and then lift up the drive.

5. 5 screws are all you need! It is key that you don’t lose the screws that are with the hard drive already. You will need to unscrew them and attach them to the new drive that you have bought. Once you have done that you can put the new drive in to your computer.

Another point to note; the 17″ Macbook Pro does require different steps to change the hard drive. So hopefully you have learned something from the above and I wish you good luck with the upgrade and enjoy your Macbook or Macbook Pro.

By Jon M. Cohen

Owning and running a small business is as much a joy as it is a punishment. All small businesses are always chasing the bottom line and working hard to stay out of the red. Now as the economy takes a nosedive it is time for businesses to tighten their belts and cut unnecessary costs. 

The first cut that most small businesses will make is related to advertising and marketing. Everyone knows you need to spend money to make money; small business owners know you need to spend money wisely to make money. Thus it is best not to take risks during hard economic times and to do whatever you can to get a high return on your investment. 

Traditional advertising is expensive and while it can be successful it does not always produce the great customer response that is desired. Many ad campaigns end up going over budget because they paid for high demand time slots with the media buy. Think of the recent popularity of sites like Facebook and MySpace, customers who would typically consume these ads on TV or radio are not watching and listening. Rather these consumers are surfing and reading web content. It has been suggested that radio and TV consumption as a primary entertainment source is down about 10% over the past 2 years. 

Keeping in mind that you have high hopes for making a profit with your small business and want to ensure the goal of being around next year, it can be easily understood why your business should look down different avenues for advertising. One of the most direct ways to target potential customers is to use the Internet as an agent for advertising. Now you can pay for clicks, banner space or words online, but keeping in mind that you have a bottom line to protect, it is suggested to use social networking websites like Twitter (http://www.twitter.com) to promote your business. Need more info about Twitter, CLICK HERE

Twitter is a free website that is super simple to use, and can be one of the best ways to leverage potential customer and investors who don’t know that your small business exists. Twitter can be a gold mine to you the small business owner. Here are a few key tactics to use to be successful; pick an identifiable user name, add a human element to your content, and use social networking websites to promote yourself on Twitter.

A good example of a company that picked a direct name that says exactly who you are and what you do is Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors is a small company that makes a good-looking electric sports car. They use the Twitter name “TeslaMotors”, it can’t get any simpler then that right? 

Now remember that once you have the right name, the second key is content. People online want to feel a personal connection to your company, so it is important that you bring a human level to your Twitter updates. Therefore, I don’t recommend updates that just talk about products or services. Instead focus on how what you are offering in your small business is “cool” or “unique”. 

The last of the three simple tips was to use other websites to promote your Twitter account, like the previously mentioned social networking sites Facebook and MySpace. If you can nail down these three things, you have added the potential to reach millions of customers and it didn’t even cost you a cent.

It is important to spend money in hard economic times. It is even more important to spend money wisely! You will need to advertise your business to get customers and increase sales. So as you trim your advertising budget don’t forget to use the free tools that are out there. Your success is in your own hands, and regardless of what your small business sells or offers, you can make a lot of money when you leverage the Internet.

Jon M. Cohen  - Technology Consultant

Haven’t heard of Boxee yet; well get excited! Boxee is an application for both Ubuntu and Mac that offers a fully integrated media player and media manager. The biggest feature that Boxee offers users is a centralized way to watch web based primetime media.

Boxee is a simple and effective media application that allows home users to set up streaming for music, pictures, and movies. As well with its great interface, users can easily grab content from sites like Hulu, Fox, ABC, and CBS, just to name a few. Boxee gives you a nice centralized place to watch all the rich content that the web has to offer instead of going to individual websites of each broadcaster.  It still allows for short web commercials, but adds improved picture and functionality such as pausing and adjusting the volume.

Most people love watching the rich web content and now Boxee has also integrated a full-featured media player, so organizing and sharing your home videos (movies), music, and photos is easy as pie. Just point Boxee to the network with the media and Boxee can do the rest. Sharing your network content is an effective and easy task when Boxee is involved.Screenshot of Boxee Movies

Another great feature that is available to Boxee users is the Boxee OS that can be loaded on the AppleTV. With the combination of Boxee to the AppleTV, we see a huge opportunity for great media viewing on your HDTV. This allows users to sit on the couch and really get involved with all of the content the web has to offer. While loading Boxee on the AppleTV does take a bit of work; a quick web search will lead you to the needed instructions.

You may be asking yourself what the down sides of Boxee are, and to be honest, there are a few. It should be noted Boxee is still an Alpha. The first thing I quickly noticed is that Boxee is slow to load and can be slow as you move through different menus. I have tested the Boxee application on the Mac and Ubuntu,  as well as the AppleTV, and regardless of which platform I tested I always got the same results. The second point has to do with configurations. As I stated earlier, it is very easy to configure, but it falls slightly short in the depth of the security configurations that are able to be setup. The final issue that I found was related to the speed and quality of streaming. I found that I spent a lot of time waiting for the buffering. This was expected due to the upsizing of the video and general speeds of the internet, but it can be assumed that this third issue will quickly disappear as speeds on the internet increase and adopt new formats for web based rich video content.

Screenshot of Boxee TV options

Boxee is the premier application for absorbing your media on a daily basis. It is not perfect, but the innovations found in this application lead me to believe that it will be a very popular application in years to come. I also assume that we will see more hardware devices that Boxee will be able to work with.  As the popularity grows and Boxee moves from Alpha to Beta and on to RC, I am sure that Boxee will be as well known a term as “TiVo”. Boxee really has endless potential; it will be great to see what the final application looks like. Do you want your own copy of Boxee? Click Here.