Thor Schrock

Ok, hold on to your hats for this one folks. An Australian study found that laser printers eject toner particles into the air when they are printing.

No big news there right? Everyone knows that "sweet smell of productivity" that fills the air on a big printing job. But what you don't know is that there is a possibility those toner particles are carcinogenic.

The study noted that almost all toner cartridges contain Carbon Black, a known class B2 carcinogen. Conventional wisdom says that as long as the toner gets fused to your paper and your boss does not make you eat your documents with lunch, you are probably safe. The question the study asked was does the Carbon Black nastiness get ejected into the air that comes out of the laser printer.

Airborne Death?

As you might imagine, HP is taking this whole thing pretty seriously. It was reported on a few different ZDNet blog posts that HP disputed the findings of the Australian study, sighting inaccurate particle measurement.

In fact, HP said that more testing would be needed to determine if toner particles are ejected when printing and if so, how much, if any, Carbon Black is in the toner particles and at what concentration.

It is also of note to mention that nearly all toner contains Carbon Black, regardless of the brand of the printer. HP gets the brunt of this blow because they are the market leader.

Of the HP printers tested, models 1320 and 4250 were found to have higher levels of emissions than the model 4050, which had nearly no emissions at all.

Am I Going to Die?

So the bottom line here is that if you have an ink jet printer you have nothing to worry about. If you use a laser printer in home or at work you may be exposing yourself to a known cancer-causing agent.

I am not going to stop using my laser printer, and I suspect most people won't go back to pen and paper anytime soon. Like all medical studies, there will be another and another and another and they will all contradict each other.

We may find out the truth in a decade or so, but until then you might want to change the furnace filter in the copy room a little more often - just in case.

There is an old adage that says "its not what you know, its who you know." While some people may disagree about how far you can get without any core knowledge, it is undoubtedly true that people with contacts make it further in business than people who don't have them.

So what is the difference between the list of people that most of us keep in our Outlook, and those key relationships that transform our businesses? The relationships that end up being key to our success are the stuff that legends are made of.

Viral relationships spread through a company like a virus, infecting culture, outcomes, and profitability. Leveraging the right viral relationship can make or break a small business.

What is a Viral Relationship?

A viral relationship happens when one connection between two people in business is so powerful that it can pull an entire organization in a new direction.

A mere contact becomes a viral relationship when people are willing to help each other without a direct benefit in the short term. These people help propel us in new directions with a few mere words or actions.

Viral Relationships are KEY!

If you look far enough into an any successful business story, there is a relationship that was instrumental in touching off something huge. Those somethings propel businesses that would have been mildly successful to near legendary status.

I made have developed several viral relationships throughout Schrock Innovations' success. In fact, I don't think we would be here today if it were not for a few key relationships that have proven invaluable over the past 7 years.

So How Can I Build A Viral Relationship?

Is there a formula that a business person could follow to develop the key relationships predictably time and time again? I believe there is. I believe I have found a way to quantify that formula so it can be repeated time and time again.

I will be sharing this formula soon. In the meantime, reply to this post with examples of Viral Relationships in your business or life. I may contact you for more information and let you in on the secret!

I was checking my incredible backlog of email this afternoon and I saw a message from www.myspace.com saying a friend had sent me a message. I clicked the link and this is what I saw:

Maybe it was a fluke, but I have never seen a DNS error like this on a major site like MySpace before. Usually you see these when you are moving to a new web server or in the RARE instance that someone gets into your DNS settings and screws something up.

Anyone else having troubles aside from the normal MySpace glitches?

For those of you following the Next Internet Millionaire competition, you should pay close attention to Joel Comm's blog.

I can't talk at all until the show airs, but he can! Check it out!

A couple days ago I received an email from Dave Cisar, the owner of www.winningyouthfootball.com. Dave came to us a few months ago and asked us to host and maintain his website.

Dave knew a lot about optimizing his website for the search engines, but after experiencing some initial success, he was slipping in the rankings. His product sales were dropping off and he needed to turn things around.

We kept the look and feel of his website, but redesigned some of the back-end code to be more search engine friendly. We helped Dave target the keywords that would bring him the most customers and maximize his return on investment.

This is the email that Dave sent me yesterday:

I did everything you told me to do for SEO and we are now in the Google top 10 in 5 of the 6 main key words we want. We are #4 on one main key word phrase!

We aren't making a bundle yet, but are getting about 1000 hits a day, 500 organic. Crushed our sales from last year and actually made a profit LOL.

THANKS!

DC

For those of you who don't speak the web lingo, this means that Dave has more than doubled the number of people coming to his website since coming on board with us, he is selling more of his football coaching products than ever, and his company is now making money.

Congratulations Dave! We are looking forward to doing a complete redesign in November so you ca find that bundle you are looking for!

Back in February I reported some behind the scenes information after a visit to my family physician (at the time) Doctor Robert Brown at Family Med Center in Omaha.

My wife was out driving yesterday and she noticed that the old Family Med Center location is now for lease. Channel 7 News (the station that broke the pain pill death story) never did a follow up that I saw, so I don't really know what happened in the case.

Maybe some of my readers have some information?

I am sorry I could not tell all of you about this before today, but now that my name has been released on the Next Internet Millionaire website, I can report that I am one of the 12 finalists who will appear on the web's first reality show.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who voted for me, blogged about my audition, watched my audition videos, and sent emails with words of support. I can't begin to tell you how humbling it was to have so many people support my audition in so many ways.

I will be traveling to Loveland, CO for the competition and consequently will be out of the office from July 21st to August 5th (unless I get vote off before then).

I have been told that I can check email and return phone calls in the evenings, however I should not expect to have enough time to "run a business" while I am there. I am not allowed to have my cell phone or computer with me while the filming is taking place throughout the day.

I am expecting this news to hit all over the media as the day progresses. While I am sure that the stories and interviews will be all about me and this show, I want to take a moment to thank the specific individuals who provided the ideas, talent, and motivation to get me on this show.

1. My wife, Kimberly. I know, its so cheesy to thank your wife but you guys have no idea how supportive, loving and PATIENT she was with me as this thing evolved from another one of my hair-brained ideas into reality. She will be pulling double-parent duty for our son Jacob while I am gone, and I will be missing them both greatly.
2. Chris Goforth (a.k.a. Chris BonJovi). For those of you who listen to Compute This, you already know who Chris is. Chris is the audio mastermind who mixed the Budweiser audio from my second round audition video as well as the techno music for my acceptance video. Chris an AMAZINGINLY talented (and single) guy and I appreciate his help immensely.
3. Alissa Johnson Marketing

Once I was notified that I made the top 12, I only had two weeks to prepare press releases, produce an acceptance video, get everything in the shop ready for a 2 week absence, and make sure everything at home was taken care of. Alissa is the mastermind behind the media blitz you will be hearing throughout the day today. Alissa is an A+ professional marketer and she gets results. If you need someone to handle your media relations, she is the perfect woman for the job.

4. Omaha Wedding Photography.

Don and Miriam are some of the most talented videographers I have ever seen. They were the production muscle behind my second audition video as well as my acceptance video. Just check out their website to see a sample of the awesome work they do. They work hard at a very reasonable price. Thanks for all of the help guys!

I was reading a great post on Robin Harris' blog about hard drive lifespan and why hard drives just up and die sometimes. I learned a couple new things, so I figured I would pass the information on to my readers as well.

One of the most expensive (and heartbreaking) situations we handle for our customers is replacing a failing hard drive. The number 1 question I am always asked is what did I do to cause my hard drive to go bad?

The answer is... NOTHING! You did nothing wrong. Hard drive failure can happen to anyone at any time and is simply luck of the draw. A new Google-backed study with a sample size of 100,000 hard drives proves it.

Here are some of the more interesting facts from Harris' pot:

1. Enterprise drives are no more reliable than consumer drives. All of the extra money IT managers spend on enterprise drives instead of the lowly consumer drives simply pads the manufacturers' profit margins. Enterprise drives have the same likelihood of failure as any other hard drive.
2. The DOS-based SMART drive status that pops up when you start your computer is worthless. If SMART is saying your hard drive is dying, then it probably is. But SMART may be silent as your hard drive inches toward failure.
3. Hard drive use has no influence on the lifespan of the drive. This one shocked me. It seems like common sense that the harder you push a device, the more likely it is to wear out and fail. Google found that the best thing you can do to a new hard drive is push its limits on day 1. If it is going to fail, it will. If it is not, then the drive will work for years.
4. The operating environment temperature does not really matter to your hard drive. The temperature of a hard drive has to reach 104 degrees F before failure occurs. Some early SATA drives did this easily, as well as some of the early Maxtor slimline hard drives.
5. The age of your hard drive is the single greatest determining factor in he chances of drive failure. After a hard drive is three years old, the chances of it dying go through the roof.
6. Any physical jolt - even a minor drop - can instantly shorten the life of a hard drive. This one is common sense. Hard drives are made of mechanical components that move rapidly in close proximity to each other. Don't be rough with it!
7. "Pioneer" drives are most likely to fail early. Don't rush out and buy the new had drive model right away. Wait three months until manufacturers get the production kinks out and start shipping a revised hard drive model.

So Harris points out that your individual luck is really what determines the likelihood of your hard drive failing. Google's study data finds that brand, operating environment, and usage volume have as much to do with hard drive failure as the tiny gremlins that hang out on your desk when you are not looking do.

Please take a moment this morning to make a backup of your important data and then go buy a lottery ticket. This might be your lucky day!

A couple months ago I posted about my less-than-stellar experience with ReviewMe. I promised then to follow up on the status of my ReviewMe payment.

As of this moment I have not been paid for any of the reviews I completed on ReviewME and at this point I do not expect that I will.

Google's recent revision of their webmaster guidelines and their growing push to differentiate paid links versus real links might make services like ReviewMe and TextLinkAds obsolete anyway.

Over the past week I have noticed an increase in the number of spam emails that were trying to trick me into disclosing my personal information or infect my computer with a virus.

If these emails are making it through my filters, chances are they are making it through your also. Here are some of the latest emails and what they are trying to get you to do.

1) The Classic "Your Bank" Email

This one has been around for a while, but since the results of falling for it are so catastrophic it deserves mention here. This scam involves an email that arrives in your inbox that appears to be from your bank. Typically the message is asking you to click on a link that can look quite legitimate to verify recent activity in your account.

What actually happens is that when you click on the link you are taken to a phishing page that looks identical in every way to your bank's homepage.

The email message asks you to log in, so the temptation is to enter your user name and password to log into the banking website. Once you enter the information and click submit your banking password is whisked away where the scammer can use it to access your bank account for any number of reasons.

If you fall for this one, contact your bank and explain what happened. Immediately change your online banking password as well.

2) The "You Have Received a E-Card" Email

These have been picking up with some frequency over the past few weeks. These emails appear to come from legitimate E-Card websites like www.hallmark.com, but actually are fraudulent emails designed to infect your computer with a Trojan virus.

Trojan viruses can lie dormant on your computer for weeks, before being activated by the virus writer to accomplish whatever task they desire. They are usually used to make your computer part of a bot-network.

Once thousands - or even tens of thousands - of computers are part of a bot-network these networks can be used to attack websites or send spam email. If you get an E-Card - especially one in poor English - don't open it unless you are expecting it for a birthday, anniversary, or other special holiday.

3) The "Install this Patch" Email

As I was writing this post an email arrived in my inbox that told me that there was unusual spam email activity from my IP address and that I needed to install a patch (link provided) to remedy the problem.

Of course, no one reputable emails you a patch you are not expecting. Microsoft does not do it, most ISPs do not do it, so the best policy is to not install patches from strangers.

Have you received a scam email? Post it here and help protect others!

My wife and I bought a neat little house in South Omaha when we moved to Lincoln to open our Omaha Service Center. Now that we are off the ground here and running smoothly, its time to sell the Omaha house and move again!

We have replaced just about everything in our craftsman-style home. We have launched very small website (one page!) to help sell our home for sale in Omaha NE.

If you or someone you know is looking for a nice 1300 square foot home on a double lot with a 1930's era firehouse for a garage, then this is the place for you.

We are asking $124,600 for the package. If you are a good negotiator, you might be able to convince me to leave the home network and servers here too ;-)

Schrock Innovations is now seeking a full-time computer repair technician for in-shop and on-site work. This is a salaried position that pays $30,000 a year. Schrock also offers a 401K with company match, discounted web hosting and an extremely flexible schedule to its employees.

Although this position is primarily intended to be a technical position, applicants should expect to deal directly with Schrock Innovations customers on a day to day basis. We have built our reputation on excellent customer service, so if you are good with computers and good with people, then you are the person for us.

We are open from 10-6 Monday through Friday and Saturday from 12-5, and the candidate who fills this position will be required to be here during those hours as much as possible.

I am looking to fill this position as soon as possible, as the opening is immediate. Contact me to apply for the position.

Today's Compute This show is posted on the Schrock Innovations Radio page for your listening pleasure.

For the first time in weeks I did not ask a single person to vote for me in the Next Internet Millionaire competition. However, I DID ask people to vote for Schrock Innovations as the best computer repair company in the Best of Lincoln Competition!

A lot of you have been IMing and emailing me asking me if I earned a seat on the Next Internet Millionaire show. The short answer is I know the results of all of our efforts, but I can not disclose them yet.

The producers of the show are working hard to keep this information quiet so they can build suspense for the show. They will be releasing two candidates each week at www.nextinternetmillionaire.com and I don't want to undermine that by releasing my results just yet.

Please don't assume anything from my answer. If I would have made it I would have probably been asked to keep quiet about it. If I didn't make it I would not announce that until they were done with their promotional efforts.

With that aside, today's show was great! Chris Goforth was cooking on about 2 hours of sleep and three Red Bull energy drinks and the calls were flowing!

One gentleman called and asked how he could get his computer to stop popping up the dial-up box now that he has high speed Internet. Another caller had purchased a used computer and needed to know how to boot into safe ode on Windows ME.

Of course we talked about the Summer Computer Special at Schrock Innovations, where you can buy a complete computer system for a mere $599!

If you missed the show, be sure to listen to the archived audio on the website and we will be talking to you again next week at 10 AM on KFOR 1240. By the way, if you live out of the Lincoln listening area, you can listen here online.

Every year KFOR 120 AM in Lincoln, NE holds a "Best of Lincoln" competition to find out what local businesses Lincolnites patronize most often. In the past the survey (which is not just a survey of KFOR listeners) has been a telephone poll.

For the past five years Schrock Innovations has been ranked the top independent computer repair company in that poll.

But this year you will not get a phone call from KFOR. That's because they have moved the voting to their website. The new system requires Lincolnites to enter the name of each company they like as the #1 in various categories. If the visitor does not have a favorite for a particular category, they are asked to enter the word 'none'.

One of the neat things about the phone survey was that you know that KFOR was surveying the entire city, and not just their station listeners. But moving the survey to their website, they will gain a lot of web traffic, but they will also lose out on a lot of opinions from people who do not listen to their station.

Never the less, I would respectfully ask you to Read More