Aug 7, 2014 | Computer technology, News
So you’re the CEO of an open-source documented database company. This company is in Silicon Valley. You’re worth around 1.4 billion dollars. And you’re a dedicated husband and father of three children. What do you do?
Max Shireson, CEO of Mongo DB, decided to leave his position to spend more time to his family. He wrote a blog explaining, “Why I’m leaving the best job I ever had”. He talks about how difficult it is to balance the demands of being a CEO of a fast growing corporation and the demands of raising children. Dev Ittycheria, a co-founder of Blade Logic that later merged with BMC Software, will replace Shireson as Mongo DB CEO. He eventually became one of BMC Software’s presidents, overseeing over 4,000 employees.
But let’s go back to Max Shireson leaving the job most of us would kill for. It goes back to the career vs. family dilemma and the question ‘Can we have it all?’. That’s a question usually pondered by women, like Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi. But it’s rare you see men wrestling with this issue. This is why I admire Max Shireson so much. He realizes what’s really important in this life. Not to sound preachy, but money and titles come and go. You only have one shot to be a decent husband and father. It helps having a great supporting cast. Shireson’s wife is a professor at Univ. of California-Berkly. Dev Ittycheria has plenty of experience in the technology world and has good management skills. But I want to ask those who are in high positions and have families at home, regardless of gender: Can you really have it all?
Aug 6, 2014 | Backup, Computer Repair, Computer technology, email, internet, networking
#1- You’ve Been Searching for Hours, but still can’t find the “Any” Key
Chances are if you think that the “any” key exists, when you get hit with a virus, you’re not going to be able to remove it yourself. And to the best of our knowledge here the “tab” key never dispenses soda, as awesome as that would be. If you are having problems setting up a new computer, Geek Choice is the one to call!
#2 Someone told you “the files are IN the computer” so you smashed it open, only to find nothing..
The files in your computer shouldn’t be hard to find, if you are having issues with Data Recovery, I suggest calling Geek Choice to get the files out, just a bit more gently.
#3 If you cannot describe your issue, chances are you can’t fix it
If this is you, then we can still help. The key to giving your Geek Choice representative the information he needs, is to simply ask yourself “What does the computer do when you turn it on?” Do you get a blue screen? Does it say Hard Disk not found? or are you just not connecting to the internet? Whatever the issue, we’ve got you covered.
#4 You’re Knowledge of how your business network functions may not be at 100%
Business Networking is a complex thing. Something as simple as sharing a file with a coworker, rather than sharing it with everyone could be the difference between you having a job and not having one. Even though you get more phone numbers from it. Geek Choice specializes in Business Networking and can make sure you and your staff are properly trained on all of the inner-workings.
#5 You want to buy a new computer, but don’t understand what all the techy stuff is.
Buying a new computer can be a scary thing. How much RAM do you need? What kind of Processor is best? How big of a Hard Drive do you need? If any of these questions alludes you Geek Choice can help. Not only do we do any computer repair you may have, we also sell computers too. We can have a professional tech assess your computer needs and make sure you get into the right machine for you, at the right price.
Aug 6, 2014 | News, Security
China and Apple seemed to have good business relationship. Could that relationship be in jeopardy?
China banned ten Apple products, including the iPad, iPad Mini, Mac Book Pro and Mac Book Air, from being bought with public money because of security concerns. This mandate is coming from the Chinese government. Apple is just the latest US technology company to be excluded from Chinese government purchases. You can thank tensions between the two nations over hacking and cyber security. One nation is constantly blaming the other. Symantac Corp.’s antivirus protection had been banned, so has Microsoft’s energy-efficient computers.
Guess how much China contributed to Apple’s economy last quarter? China made Apple over $37 billion, about 16 percent of their total revenue for that total. I will admit, there has been hacking stories between China and the US. But whose doing the majority of it? For instance, Apple rejects claims that China’s communist Central Television reports that iPhone software could leak government secrets. I’m not giving Apple any moral awards, but I’m sticking with Apple on this one. And I’m wondering is China using this scare tactic to build their own devices, using American companies’ technology to do so? And now China is virtually pulling the plug on the company that is bringing their economy billions, not to mention jobs? Have they ever heard the phrase, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”?
Aug 5, 2014 | News
Ever been on a flight and told you can’t make cell phone calls? Now there’s a push to make that federal law.
The US Department of Transportation are taking steps to officially ban in-flight calls from your cell phone. Months earlier, the FCC proposed easing rules against in-flight calls that has been in place since cell phone use started soaring in the 1990s. Those rules were to stop interference with ground cellular networks. But technology has become far more advanced since then. Then why are the majority of airlines, airline staff, and even passengers against in-flight voice phone use? One reason is distraction. That’s why some have banned them altogether. Others are exploring options, like in-flight phone booths. DOT will pursue such bans on consumer-protection grounds only. That means they’ll pursue the ban only if it means keeping passengers safe and protecting them from being exploited by airlines.
I wouldn’t mind such a ban. Other aspects of transportation are following this route. Amtrak trains have a quiet car that bans cell phone conversations. Take a Greyhound bus and the driver will tell you, “Please keep cell phone conversations to a whisper and to a minimum.” Now I do know emergencies happen; this is the real world. So if something does happen, texting or a short conversation would be suffice. I love the idea of having either a quiet section on a plane or an in-flight phone booth. But nobody wants to be on a flight with 10 or 20 people talking on a cell phone all the time. That would drive anybody crazy. But do you think it’s the government’s place to tell people whether or not to use cell phones?
Aug 5, 2014 | Computer Repair, General
Is your Computer screen upside down? Today in our video blog series we are going to show how to easily fix your screen if it goes upside down or sideways. This typically happens when something falls on the keyboard and hits the right combination of keys to make the screen flip.
If you need any computer help, including your screen upside down, feel free to Contact us Via email.?Or you can call us toll free at 800-433-5435. Our office is open from 8am to 10pm Monday thru Friday. We are also open on Saturday and Sunday from 9Am to 8pm.?Geek Choice is a nationwide?computer repair company in Boston, MA. We do on-site computer repair for home users and businesses.?Such as dental offices, law offices, and many more types of businesses.
Aug 4, 2014 | Computer technology
For quite some time, I’ve talked about diversity, or lack thereof, in certain technology based companies, like Google. One woman is responsible of shining the light and challenging this issue.
An engineer for bookmarking website Pinetrest named Tracy Chou called for statistics in how many women worked at tech companies. Chou herself did research on her own company and found out Pinetrest has 11 women engineers out of 89 overall engineers. So Pintrest has 12% women engineers. Chou established an online data center so other engineers could investigate diversity in their workplaces. Over 170 companies were researched, even big names like Yelp and Survey Monkey. After Chou’s research, the number of women engineers at Pinetrest rose to 21%.
Before long, major, mega tech companies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter started doing their own research of diversity. They studied racial as well as gender diversity in their own workplace. The numbers were often woeful. Back in May, Google shocked the technological world with it’s own report: of all it’s employees, only 2% were African-American and 3% were Hispanic. But at least the issue can be addressed because now we know. And great ideas are being thrown out there to combat lack of diversity in the technological workplace. And things can change. After Tracy Chou’s research, the number of women engineers in Pinetrest almost doubled. So I salute her for getting the ball rolling and encouraging others to look critically at workplace diversity. How can a problem be addressed when people don’t know there’s a problem at all?
Aug 3, 2014 | Computer technology, Entertainment, Wireless
For many sports fans, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: the beginning of the NFL football season. You’ll be seeing new things on the sidelines this season, and I’m not talking about a new Washington Redskins mascot.
Starting this season, NFL teams will use tablets and a digital video system to study opponents. If successful, this will replace printed photos. It’s called the Sideline Viewing System and it’s an alliance between Microsoft and the NFL. These tablets are the first time players and coaches are using computer technology devices for football purposes. The Sideline Viewing System will make it’s debut tonight, August 3, 2014, at the Hall of Fame game between the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills. Let’s look at how teams used to study fields and opponents:? There were printed photographs to learn how opponents set up defenses before the offense snapped the ball. Then coaches used Polaroid shots. And in recent years, they used faxes and fiber optics.
It’s going to be interesting to see teams study tablets. But one thing I’m worried about is security, equality, and integrity of the game. Apparently, they have that covered too. Each team will get equal amount of Microsoft Surface tablets. These tablets are owned by the NFL. They will be locked up between games to prevent any fraud, cheating or manipulation. Well, that’s a good start. But what about hacking? I can picture someone hiring a hacker to break into an opponent’s tablets, stealing all their information and using it against them. What’s going to stop that? I guess we’ll see. Are these tablets the perfect marriage between sports and technology? Or is this just a scandal waiting to happen?
Aug 2, 2014 | Computer technology, internet, Security
The Internet has no signs of slowing down. In fact, by 2020, the Internet is expected to contribute over 1.3 trillion dollars a year. Don’t you think hackers are going to want a piece of that?
According to sobering research by Hewlett-Packard, there are 250 different security flaws and vulnerabilities for just the top ten most popular products the Internet can be used with. These include webcams, televisions, multiple device controllers, even home alarm systems. Such devices often run of generic versions of Linux, and manufacturers often don’t put the same effort to secure such items as they would a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Hewlett Packard VP Mike?Armistead believes companies are in such a rush to get these products to the store shelves they’re taking little time to protect against even the most elementary attacks.
The scary thing is, one hack on one device can lead to a wildfire of hacks on other devices and? other systems. Look at the infamous Target breach back in December 2013. Plus, it’s difficult to imagine something like a remote controller being hacked. But think about how connected most things are today. Even your garage opener is probably connected to your home security system, which is probably connected to a computer related device. For many, Internet, cable TV and phone service fall under one bill. One way of combating a cyber attack is raising awareness, like I’m trying to do right here. Of course, you can do common sense things to lessen your chances of attack, like changing passwords and be careful who you give your information to. I think we should put pressure on manufacturers to do a better job building safety nets for their products. What else can be done to prevent a hackers’ playground?
Aug 1, 2014 | Computer technology, General
Avast Antivirus is a fantastic antivirus software. The video we have for you today is a short walk through on how to remove the deep screen feature from your Avast Antivirus program which can cause some problems with some software that you may use on a daily basis. If you are still seeing problems with your computer after removing the Deep Screen feature don’t forget to call Geek Choice for onsite computer repair.
Aug 1, 2014 | internet, News
Russia is enforcing new rules on Internet bloggers. As of today, August 1, all blogs having at least 3,000 readers a day will face stricter government scrutiny, such as ban of explicit language, this seems like Russian Censorship to me.
This new code nicknamed Bill on Bloggers was signed by Russian president Putin in May 2014. Any blogger with 3,000+ visitors a day must register with Russian government watchdog Roskomnadzor. They’ll be under the same restrictions as mainstream journalist. Restrictions include, but don’t limited to, refraining from slander or hate speech. They have to use their own name, no aliases. Any blogger caught breaking these rules will be blocked on Russian territory. Rule breakers are subject to fines equaling $850. I’ve read cases where fines can reach up to $15,000.
This sounds like common sense on paper. One can argue this is similar to the same regulations the Federal Communications Commission has on US media. But Russian Internet companies are already protesting, some are even cooking the numbers to make sure their blogs have a maximum 2,500 readers a day just to avoid the Bill on Bloggers. I can sympathize with these bloggers. They say you can’t use obscene language. Yes, I know about the seven words you can’t say on TV. But what if someone criticizes Putin at all? Is that obscene. Keep in mind Putin was a KGB officer, so in his mind and in his administrators’ minds, criticism is probably offensive. Even in this country, bloggers aren’t subjected to such scrutiny. If they were, then probably a fourth of the blogs we read would be taken down by the government. But this is Russia. Why am I talking about it here in the USA? Do you really think this can’t happen here? So I ask you: is Bill on Bloggers a common sense law or is it a gateway to censorship?
