Labor Day is a fun holiday for most people. You get a long weekend, spend time with your family, BBQ’s, you name it. It also marks the end of the summer for most people. Which means back to school for students and teachers. And on days like today, the end of vacation season and back to the grind for business people like lawyers and major corporations. Some of you are starting off your collegiate career today, and others are saying the final goodbye to their kids as they start their journey in life on their own.
With this comes issues in life, you write that first term paper, ya know the one that will set the tone for your entire academic career, and BOOM your drunk roommate spills his beer on your laptop. The world is ending, or is it? We here at Computer Geeks can help you. First thing you want to do is make sure the machine is completely off and unplugged. Then call us up to go over your options. If you can wait a few days, then it is best to do so, leave your PC off and upside down for a few days so it can dry out, before we come out to assess the damage and clean it out. If your needs are more pressing, we can come out right away and extract the hard drive and attempt to do data recovery for you. As well as set you up with a data backup solution so you never have to worry again.
For you parents who just let your little genius go off to school, you all know he/she was your computer repairman. There for you whenever you clicked on something you shouldn’t have. Or whenever you downloaded your 5th toolbar, they fixed you up. Now who do you call in a pinch? Computer Geeks 24/7 onsite computer repair service is here for you. Even though we can’t replace the hugs of your son/daughter, you don’t have to cook for us or do our laundry, so it all evens out in the end.
So, although Labor Day is now over, and it is back to business, know that someone is here for you when you have problems. Think you need Geek to help you? Click on the button below or give us a call at 617-262-2626 or feel free to visit us at our Beacon Hill office in Boston, MA
A federal judge has determined that an employee who failed to return her laptop after taking a job with a competitor, and then wiped the data on her laptop clean, can not be sued under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
The former employer who was the plaintiff ?maintained that the laptop was considered a ?protected? computer under the CFAA because the former employee had been using it in interstate commerce before she left. Therefore, the employer argued, her unauthorized use violated the CFAA.
But U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani disagreed.
?The Act requires ? that a computer, to be protected, ?is used in? interstate commerce,? Talwani wrote, granting the employee?s motion to dismiss. ?And at the time of her unauthorized use of the [l]aptop, the [l]aptop was not being used in interstate commerce. ? [T]he fact that the [l]aptop was formerly used in interstate commerce does not make the later deletion of files ? a crime that is ?interstate? in nature. Instead, such actions are appropriately addressed under state law.?
Being that we are a computer repair and service company, who services law firms and their clients, ?I would like to educate everyone about what the?Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is. ?The?Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?(CFAA)?was enacted by Congress in 1986 as an amendment to existing computer fraud law (18 U.S.C.???1030), which had been included in the?Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. It was written to clarify and increase the scope of the previous version of?18 U.S.C.???1030?while, in theory, limiting federal jurisdiction to cases “with a compelling federal interest-i.e., where computers of the federal government or certain financial institutions are involved or where the crime itself is interstate in nature.” (see “Protected Computer”, below). In addition to clarifying a number of the provisions in the original section 1030, the CFAA also criminalized additional computer-related acts. Provisions addressed the distribution of malicious code and denial of service attacks. Congress also included in the CFAA a provision criminalizing trafficking in passwords and similar items.
So if you are in a similar situation, and you need to make sure you are protected, remember, we here at Computer Geeks can properly wipe and old work computer so that you are not violating any laws covered by the CFAA. This employee did it right and was protected and we can help you do it right too!
You heard it right ” Get a free year of LastPass Premium!”
If you are like me you have a ton of user names and passwords, on a lot of different sites. Using the same user name and password over and over is not only stupid, but it is dangerous and impossible. Every site has different naming rules for your passwords, must have 1 capital letter, needs a symbol, can’t have a symbol, needs a number and a capital letter, this list goes on for ages. Who can remember which variation of your user names and passwords that you used for 50 different web sites? LastPass can.
I was like most people, I knew my main password and the variations to an extent, and honestly relied on my browser to remember my password on a lot of things. But then disaster struck, I needed computer repair at my office in Boston. It was a bad hard drive and although data recovery was successful, my browser settings were reset and all my stored passwords were GONE.
I spoke to my boss about this and he immediately chimed in with “why aren’t you using LastPass?” To which I asked what it was, and he told me that LastPass stores all your passwords in 1 spot. All I would need to remember from now on was my LastPass password and I would never need to learn another password again. I was excited, but skeptical at the same time. What if someone hacked my LastPass account? Then they would have a smorgasbord of information from my student loans, to my credit cards even my bank account.
So I did my homework. ?LastPass has NEVER been hacked, NEVER. They are a security focused app, dedicated to securing passwords.?Furthermore, like any other service,?you should be using two-factor authentication with LastPass. If you do, someone with your master password still will not be able to access your account, even in the event of a breach. If you want to take it to the next level, you can?put together this awesome thumb drive-based system?and?enable these features?for extra two-factor security. LastPass is available for your desktop, and all smartphones and tablets! LastPass is also great for any types of businesses, like Law Firms or Dental Offices where you have a lot of different places you need to log in to.?
You’ve been seeing it for a while now, and I’m sure your Facebook News feed is flooded with the videos. The Ice Bucket Challenge. When I,?Matt Mackey was called out by a fellow teammate last week, I wanted to do the challenge really bad. Being the glutton for punishment that I am, it looked like a lot of fun. The only issue I had was the rules that I had seen on the challenge called for you to do the challenge or donate $100 to help fight ALS through The Pete Frates Fund. I wanted to do both, no strike that, we ALL should be doing both. If you have $3 to go out to the store and buy a bag of ice to dump on your head, then you have $5 to give to a great cause. You don’t have to give the full $100 just whatever you can, because it all helps.
Take 15 minutes out of your day and look up ALS and become more aware of how this disease is affecting people, because AWARENESS is what Pete Frates wants.?The challenge started in Massachusetts with former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, loss of the use of arms and legs and difficulty speaking, breathing and swallowing.
Computer Geeks Donated the $100 asked for the challenge along with taking the Ice Bucket Challenge, right here in front of our office. Watch the video below and see me get cold and wet.
Also I would like to take this time to congratulate My Softball team The Juggernauts?for not only taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge themselves, along with making donations, but on their Championship win this past Saturday at The Hub Softball Summer Showdown Tournament! As a team, not only did they help strikeout ALS, but they struck out their opponents too!
To Donate to this great cause go to Petefrates.com and click the donate button. Feel free to take the Ice Bucket Challenge too, as we here at Computer Geeks challenge EVERYONE!!!!
I had a feeling this day would come. A popular magazine asked young people ages 13-18 who are their favorite celebrities today.
Over 1,500 teens were asked to choose their favorite celebrities based on approachability, authenticity, and positive influence, among other qualities. Of the top 20 celebs that made the list, the top five were You Tube personalities. In fact, half of those who made the list were YouTube stars. That’s Right folks YouTube Outshines Hollywood! The top 5 You Tube celebs include Smosh (who took the #1 spot), The Fine Bros,? and Ryan Higa. Top Hollywood celebs on the list include the late Paul Walker, Jennifer Lawrence and Katy Perry. According to the many teens surveyed, YouTube stars are more engaging and extraordinary.
But the magazine article says there is a danger if YouTube stars go to Hollywood. They could lose their credibility. But that’s the danger of anyone who wants to get in the entertainment business and remain in good standing with your fans. I think a lot of entertainers today forget that. That’s one reason half this list is made of YouTube stars. I testify myself there are some days and nights I don’t even turn on the TV. I just keep my computer or device on You Tube and other social media aspects. Often times, the entertainment is even better. I don’t know about you, but YouTube celebs just feel more…human.? Think about this: who is more likely to sign your autograph, Smosh or Madonna?
Netfix is obviously a household name, and with blockbusters shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black going viral, they’ll only get bigger. Amazon’s Prime Instant Video is taking off. Now CBS wants some.
CBS is producing and backing shows that will be streaming online only, as well as selling reruns to Netflix and other entertainment streamers. A CBS spokesperson says talks are in the works to sell shows to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others. These streaming services commission studios like CBS to make new series for them, and buy exclusive rights to air them for a certain amount of time.
So what kind of shows will CBS produce for these online streamers? I can see news and talk shows being peddled. I can definitely see reality trash…I meant reality TV being sold. America can’t seem to get enough. Or maybe more franchises of CSI or NCIS will be sold. Those have been going strong. Needless to say, television is changing. Gone are the days of three, four or five networks competing for our viewership. Gone are the days of thirty, forty or fifty networks competing for us. Instead of watching TV around on a big screen, we can watch it on our phones. This moves proves CBS understands that, and they’re not afraid to branch out into this new order. Will NBC, ABC, Fox, and others join them?
