Thor's Archive
Schrock Innovations Computer Company was mentioned on the KFRX morning show today.
Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to get to know the KFRX staff and their show is awesome.
I have a special appreciation for the talent required to pull off a morning show, and after you listen to how they wove Schrock into the content of their morning show, you will understand why!
Omaha, NE is a very different beast from Lincoln, NE. Everything is more expensive, less available, and more regulated.
Despite the challenges, Schrock Innovations is planning a massive expansion into Omaha in 2010. Replicating what we have done in Lincoln for $850,000 we are planning to spend nearly $1.9 million to establish a presence in Omaha.
Didn't Schrock Already Have an Omaha Location?
Schrock Innovations entered Omaha in 2004 with a small 1,500 sq foot expansion office on 84th and Maple Street. We had a radio show on the lightly listened to KOMJ Magic 590 AM, and we managed to generate a profitable first year of operation with a light staff and a lot of small-ticket repair work.
In 2006, Magic 590 was flipped to an all-sports format and re-branded as Big Sports 590. We lost our radio show, and with it the only means of marketing that we had cultivated in Omaha.
We tried to move to KKAR 1290, but after 6 months of radio we only had 2 new customers to show for it. KFAB did not have any available air slots, so we cut our losses and killed the Omaha radio show.
From a financial perspective we should have rolled up the Omaha physical location right then and there. From a moral perspective the right thing to do was to keep the store open to service the hundreds of warranties we had sold on new Modular PCs.
We tried to hedge our losses by locating our web development staff in Omaha and moving the location to a lower rent area on 93rd and Maple.
Our lease on that location expired in October of 2009, and our landlord had the opportunity to lease to a longer term tenant. I was not willing to sign a long-term lease in that space, so we rolled up the location in November 2009 and went to 100% mobile service in Omaha.
What is Going to Be Different This Time?
In a word, everything. The most basic barometer is money and the #1 reason our first entry into Omaha didn't become a permanent fixture was capitalization.
On our original expedition into Omaha we spent just under $200,000 and managed to cross break even on all start-up costs by mid 2007. When we lost the radio show we did not have the time to develop and cultivate a new advertising medium while maintaining basic services.
This time we are entering the market with a few more factors on our side. First, we are capitalized. We are not borrowing one single penny to make this happen in Omaha.
Second, we have a primary and a secondary advertising medium developed and ready to launch. One model should be enough to gain penetration rapidly, but if it fails or falls short, we have a backup plan that we have been testing successfully in Lincoln for months.
Third, we have a staffing plan that will allow us to add new people to our Lincoln Service Center and train them there and then move some of our existing employees into the new Omaha Service Center to assist and train our new Omaha staff. This "culture graft" will help us maintain our normal service-focused edge as we bring in new people who may have been trained as technicians instead of service providers in the past.
When and Where Will it Be Opening?
We have narrowed our possible locations down to two possibilities - Village Point Mall at 168th and West Dodge Road, and The Shoppes at Legacy at 184th and West Center.
We are targeting September, 2010 as the opening date for the Service Center.
I will have more updates as we lock things in, but all in all this has been a VERY busy month and should be an interesting 4th quarter as well :-)
This morning I was a guest on the Channel 10/11 News morning show. We did two, three minute segments. You can watch the complete interview about the iPad below.
We hit on some of the high points of the device, talked about its limitations, and whether or not it is a "must have" for students in school right now.
While it is certainly nothing new, yet another threat to your email security is floating around the internet.
This email made it through our formidable spam filters (as well as through Google's filters) to find its way to my inbox.
Dear Customer,
This e-mail was send by schrockinnovations.com to notify you that we have temporanly prevented access to your account.
We have reasons to beleive that your account may have been accessed by someone else.
Please click on the following link (or copy & paste it into your web browser):
http://limpadoralimptec.com.br/instructions.exe
(C) schrockinnovations.com
As usual, the message is plagued with misspellings and the link (removed in my example) to the instructions.exe file would have attempted to infect my computer.
As a general rule, email system administrators do not send broadcast emails to users notifying them of an intrusion.
Does your PC freeze often, especially when you start or shutdown your computer, or try to launch an application?
If you answered yes, then to rectify the situation you need to first identify the culprit. Typically, a computer freezes when one or more running processes, such as ipssvc.exe, ekrn.exe, or msmpeng.exe, report high CPU usage.
Perform the following steps to identify the process that is eating into your system’s resources:
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the Task Manager window.
- Click the Processes tab and go through the list of running processes to identify the process that is reporting high CPU usage.
Note: The percentage of CPU resources a process is consuming is listed next to its name.
If you find that one or more processes are frequently reporting high CPU usage, then you need to take corrective measures to get rid of frequent system freeze ups.
The first step is to run a malware scan to ensure your PC is free from malware. Malware processes, if present on your computer, can cause frequent system freeze ups by consuming huge amounts of CPU resources. Do not be fooled by the name of a process, because various malware programs are known to use the same name as genuine processes, such as ekrn.exe or msmpeng.exe.
In case a malware scan reports the presence of malicious programs, immediately remove them to speed up your computer. If no threat was reported, then you need to make a decision about whether or not you wish to disable the process(s) that is causing the frequent system freeze ups.
Before you disable the process, you should first determine the function of the process and the program to which it is attached. Next, check if the process is an essential process or not (one without which the attached program cannot function properly) or if an alternative program, which consumes less resources is available or not. For instance, if you find the genuine ekrn.exe process (this process is part of NOD32 virus protection software) to be constantly consuming huge amounts of resources, then you can uninstall the NOD32 protective software and use another equally potent but less resource-consuming protective software.
On the other hand, if you do not want to uninstall the program to which the high CPU consuming process is attached, then you can choose to disable the culprit process, if it is not an essential process. To understand this better, an example is shared below:
If you find ipssvc.exe (this process is part of the ‘LanCom VPN’ software) is constantly consuming huge amounts of CPU resources, then you can safely disable the process to avoid frequent system freeze ups.
To disable a process, you need to complete the following tasks:
- Remove the process from your Startup Programs list using the System Configuration utility (msconfig).
- Disable the service to which the culprit process. You can do this from the Services management console window that you can easily display by running the services.msc command.
We hope you make use of the suggestions presented in this article to tackle high CPU usage issues on your PC and avoid any further unwarranted system freeze ups. The key to resolving high CPU usage issues is to identify the culprit process(s) and then perform definite measures to rectify the situation.
I just picked up my 32 GB iPad from Best Buy (after my online order placed on March 27th was delayed until April 12) and I am not impressed.
As usual iTunes bottlenecks the type of files I can sync with my iPad, Apple dictatorially controls what apps I can have, and I can't customize the unit in any meaningful way.
It is time to jailbreak this thing. Here's how and why.
(P.S. Buy it at Best Buy with an accidental damage warranty. If it bricks, smash it and exchange it.)
A Couple Problems Out of the Box:
Like all apple mobile products you MUST have a computer with iTunes available to turn on your iPad, so don't go ripping it out of the cellophane in the car. Its pointless.
When I did get back to my office and tethered the iPad to my Windows 7 netbook it took a few minutes to get things going, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Then I tried to get the iPad on my WiFi network. Let the problems begin.
Just like my iPhone, the iPad detected my network and asked me for a password. I enereted my password and the iPad authenticated. With the little three wave wifi icon in the top left corner I tapped on Safari and tried to open Google.
BOOM.
Cannot Open Page
Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the Internet.
What the heck?!My netbook was on the wifi. My iPhone was on the wifi. My iPad as not. I tried rebooting the iPad, restoring the iPad,and forgetting the network and re-entering it. Nothing worked.
Without internet the iPad isn't even heavy enough to be a good paper weight, so I called Apple Support to figure out what the problem was.
Apple Support Was No Help
While everyone on the phone from Apple was very friendly and they tried to be helpful, they had no explanation.
After some back and forth we discovered that the iPad was not pulling a "Router Number" from the router in my office and that is why it could authenticate and get an IP address but not actually connect.
It was super frustrating to look at my iPhone perfectly connected with Router Number and all and then look at my brand new iPad with no internet legs whatsoever.
Because of the limitations of the iPad software, it wouldn't let me enter the router number (copied from my iPhone) and that was it. Nothing more to do. Thanks for trying an bye bye.
Hidden Costs
One of the things that you probably don't know is that you only get one iPad operating system update for free.
After that, you pay for each one. No one knows how much they will be or if security updates will be considered OS upgrades, but this could actually be great news for jail breakers.
If people have to pay for OS updates, they probably won't update - especially if their iPad is jail broken.
Time for an Jail Break Unlock
Setting aside the internet troubles for a moment, the iPad is a nice portable screen, so jail breaking it is going to be SWEET.
Right now a couple of people I know who have had success developing jail breaks for the iPhone are working on the iPad. The SECOND they have a tested jail break I am going to be all over it and I will post the location and method used here.
If you want to get an alert when the jail break is available for your iPad, leave a comment below and I will post an update comment when its in. Otherwise, subscribe to my RSS and you will get an alert in your email when it is posted,.
Encountering a computer error can be a frustrating experience, especially if you are unaware of its cause or the steps you need to follow to troubleshoot it. One of the most common Windows errors that irritate computer users are DLL errors.
So, what are DLL errors anyway and how does one deal with them?
DLL files are a group of files that contain codes that allow them to perform one or more specific functions, such as providing graphical user interface for applications or controlling dialog boxes. A DLL file can be used by multiple applications simultaneously.
This brings us to the next question – Why are DLL errors so common? Well, there are many reasons for a DLL error, but the main reason for their frequent occurrence is attributed to the fact that these files are present in huge numbers on all Windows PCs.
One of the most common types of DLL errors are “missing or not found” DLL errors. Examples of common “missing or not found” DLL error messages are shared below:
“The file msvcr80.dll is missing”“Adobelinguistic.dll file not found”“This application failed to start, an important component mfc80u.dll is missing. Reinstalling the application may fix the error.”
As you can guess, the most common “missing or not found DLL errors” occur because of missing DLL files. Listed below are the two most common situations that lead to the removal of a DLL file and the steps you need to perform and repair the missing DLL error.
Deletion of a DLL file by mistake
Removal of a DLL file by mistake is also a common occurrence. This generally occurs when a user intends to delete a file that has a name similar to a DLL file.
If you believe you have mistakenly removed the DLL file, then restore the DLL file from the Recycle Bin. This should correct the missing DLL error. If you have already emptied the contents of the Recycle Bin, then you may use a reliable third-party recovery tool to recover the lost DLL file.
Malware Infection
Malware programs, such as virus, trojans and rootkits have the potential to affect your computer’s performance in many ways. Malicious programs are notorious for modifying or deleting important files like DLL files.
If you suspect your PC is infected, first run a malware scan using a reputed antivirus and antispyware tool to delete the malware and restore your PC’s integrity. Next, if the missing DLL file is a non-Windows file, download a new copy of the DLL file from a reliable DLL online directory. There are many free DLL directories available on the Internet that offer free downloads of DLL files. However, before you select a website always confirm that the website is safe and genuine. The reason being – there are many dubious websites that are known to push rogue or malicious files in disguise of genuine DLL files. Downloading a file from such websites may cause more harm to your PC.
In case the missing DLL file is a Windows file, then you simply need to extract a copy of the DLL file from your original Windows installation CD and restore it in the right folder.
It is also recommended that you run a registry scan to ensure that the DLL error is not caused due to an incorrect DLL entry in the registry.
This morning Schrock Innovations issued a press release about what the company is doing to help businesses use their websites to weather the Great Recession.
Here is the text of the release:
Schrock Bets on Lincoln’s Digital Recovery With Hire
With the prospect of a double-dip recession looming, Schrock Innovations is betting Lincoln’s businesses will turn to the web
Lincoln, NE, March 29, 2010: Although Lincoln’s economy is the nation’s second best for its size, that doesn’t mean local businesses are escaping the pinch of the Great Recession.
Schrock Innovations, a local Lincoln computer company, has hired Brian Augenstein to captain the company’s Web Development Division as demand for their local web-based services grow in the face of a recessionary business environment.
Thor Schrock owns Schrock Innovations and he believes that businesses are turning to the web because, when used properly, it is less expensive to generate leads, sales, and profits online. Schrock has been buying media in Lincoln for 11 years and he is seeing the signs of a business environment that is scared to take chances.
“When I can buy commercials during the NCAA Final Four for $10 per spot, that speaks toward the business climate,” Schrock said. “Couple advertising cuts with layoffs, outsourcing, and rising taxes and the result is a timid business environment that is fearful for the future.”
For what it would normally cost to run a single television commercial, Schrock Innovations is redesigning websites to make them more efficient at delivering information, generating leads, and bringing shoppers through the doors of Lincoln businesses.
“For many businesses, their website is an afterthought in the marketing budget. With marketing dollars becoming scarce, tweaking a company’s web presence is becoming more attractive because local businesses see immediate returns that go on over time without continued investment.”
Schrock points out that many businesses have all of the information they need right now to boost sales and profitability through their websites, but simply don’t know how to do it. Rather than designing a website for a client and walking away, Schrock Innovations helps its clients see the potential in the present and the future.
“In the past it was enough to know who your customers were,” Schrock said. “In today’s web world you need to know who they are, where they are coming from, how to reach them, and what they want. If you use your website to get that information, sales and profits are a natural conclusion.”
Schrock’s team of internet marketers and designers evaluate a company’s web presence based on three criteria. If a client is missing any of the three, Schrock shows them how to claim the business they are missing out on:
- You don’t know how many of your customers or clients come from your website. There are numerous free online tools that allow you to track how many customers search for you, find your website, and then what they look at before they leave.
- Your website has few visitors. Many of the websites designed between the late 1990’s and the mid 2000’s were designed as an online brochure rather than a marketing piece designed to attract visitors and convert them into paying customers. If you didn’t own the company, what is the #1 reason you would go to your website?
- Your website is not reflective of what you do. Companies are necessarily focused on the day-to-day activities of running a business. Over time, businesses can evolve to offer new products, services, and even change their look. Does your website represent where your brand is today, or where it was 5 years ago?
“If a company’s website has traffic, tracking, and conversion that means they are making money. A website is more than a billboard. It should work for your company day and night. If it is not, your business is missing an opportunity to make money in the toughest of economic times.”
This weekend Schrock Innovations kicked off the 2010 Ultimate Upgrade sale with all of the normal events, plus one new twist.
While I was taping last weekends show in the studio with Chris Goforth the first day of the NCAA Basketball Tournament was under way.
In between each segment Chris was switching between the studio mode and the KLMS 1480 - ESPN Sports Lincoln feed to catch the latest scores.
I am not a huge basketball fan, and while an upset is always interesting something else stood out to me above all else. There were no local commercials in the commercial segments.
Why No Local Commercials?
In just 5 weeks 1480 AM was flipped from a sports station, to an oldies station, and then back to a sports station again just days before the tournament began.
There was simply no time for the sales management to put together commercial packages, get them to the sales people, and then present them to clients.
These situations always interest me because here I saw a great sports product paired with a station with available advertising spots, and a lack of a pre-defined pricing structure.
I was already in the studio, so we cut a quick :30 spot (listen to it here) and I simply asked the station manager if I could advertise during the games. Of course they agreed, so the only thing to work out was the price.
I was able to get spots during each game for an unbelievable price just because I asked. The price was so good that I asked if I could have 2 spots per game instead of one. They agreed!
What is the Ultimate Upgrade?
The commercial we cut was all about the Ultimate Upgrade sale at Schrock Innovations. During this sale you can trade in an old computer for credit against a new system.
The new computer is only $449 after your trade - $250 off our normal entry level price - and you can trade any old computer working or not!
Its a little early to know how the commercials did, but for the price I paid I would be willing to blindly commit to a regular KLMS schedule no questions asked!
Barack Obama's health care plan is scheduled for a vote on Sunday, and rather than preach my feelings about this bill and the methods used to pass it, I have decided to simply urge my readers to contact the representatives who are undecided.
The website Barak Hates This has a list of the undecided Congressional representatives and their phone numbers.
Their is still time to make a difference in this vote, but you have to act now.
Regardless of your position (I believe most of the American people are against this) take advantage of your right to influence your Congressmen and Congresswomen.
There are a million posts about how to start an online business on the Internet, but they all have an angle of some kind. They are all pushing a product either directly or indirectly.
I received an email a couple days ago from a woman who had seen me in Next Internet Millionaire and wanted some advice on starting her own home based internet business.
Like many online entrepreneurs she was looking into buying the packages and the programs that promise fast results. She wanted my advice on how to build a real online business that would make money.
I have purposely refrained from posting links to affiliate programs in this post or recommending specific products.
I am also withholding the emailer's last name so she does not get deluged with offers from TONS of people out there with programs to offer.
With that said, if you genuinely want to help this person, make a comment below and let her know how to get in touch with you. Here is her email:
Hi There Thor,
I found you via multiple internet clicks that ultimately landed me on the Next Internet Millionaire.
I watched a little of one of the episodes and you seemed to me to be the most genuine of the lot. That's all interesting but you're probably wondering why I'm writing to you.
I'm not looking to recruit you into any screwball thing, I guess mostly I'm looking for some advise / insight. I have my own home based business and I see lots of internet marketing, attraction marketing, magnetic marketing programs online and they all say they are the best.
They all say they have the "secret". In fact one of your fellow contestants on the show Steve Shuitt along with a guy named Ryan Dunn are selling a "MLM Biz Builder Course".
Even the show you were on is selling (and I see posted on your blog a contest to win) "The Secret Classroom" program.
I have purchased some of Tim Sales products and on Facebook I see lots of MLM'ers promoting themselves as 'experts' but in reality most of them don't know any more than I do.
I do like Tim Sales approach and his products but other than just being friendly with strangers I'm not sure of the best way to get people who are looking for and open to a real work from home business in front of my product/opportunity.
Essentially how to drive traffic to a website and if there really is a tried and true way to do it on a budget.
I appreciate your feedback and wish you well.
Warm Regards,
Lanelle -Last Name Withheld-
This is what I told her:
Thanks for your email. Your question sounds easy enough, and if there was an easy answer I would give it to you right here. Unfortunately there is not.
Sometimes people online get so focused on pushing traffic to a site that they are willing do do anything, pay anyone, and believe anything to make it happen.
Most of the programs you buy are simply study at home courses that package and present information that is freely available on the Internet anyway. Don't get me wrong, these packages can greatly speed up the deployment of your product and even increase its chances of a successful launch, but they are not a silver bullet.
There are three things that every business needs - Time, Money, and Differentiation. If you have any 2 of these in great supply, starting your work-from-home business is a snap. If you don't have time, you can use money to buy other people's time. If you don't have money, you can use your own time. If you have differentiation your product is better than all of its competitors and you have either the time or money to let others know about it.
What happens a lot of time is that people get off the Time, Money, Differentiation track and get focuses on buying tools that allow them to get more Time, Money, or Differentiation. Time and Money spent on tools directly takes away from time and money that can be spent promoting your product.
While many people don't believe it, there is no silver bullet shortcut to getting traffic. It takes time, content, and sometimes money to get your message out there.
With that said, the situation most new online entrepreneurs find themselves in is that they have little or no money, need to make money quickly, and they have an untested or unknown product.
Since there is no silver bullet, the best thing you can do as an entrepreneur is arrange the circumstances to give you the best possible chances of success. There are no guarantees, and the odds are 75% against you - but you know that going into it.
Here are the steps that I would do to get a product up and running as quickly as possible with little or no money:
1. You must have a good product. No amount of traffic, money or time can make up for a flawed product. To be a good, your product must fulfill a gaping need that the public has - whether they know they have it or not. Start with a specific problem that your product will resolve and then focus everything around your product from your marketing, design, videos, audio clips, and imagery toward showing people how your product solves their problem. If you find that your product doesn't really solve a problem, or its a stretch at best to say it does, save your time and look for another problem to solve.
2. Get something online. Anything. Content first, beauty last. Now that you have a product that solves a real problem, start getting ranked in the search results. Use video, audio, images, local business center listings, press releases, blog posts, tweets, facebook posts, MSN spaces blog posts - anything you can do to get your message and backlinks out there without spamming.
As time goes on your talents and abilities will increase with every post, and every video you upload. You will learn the lessons you could have bought in some of the products you have looked into in the school of hard knocks. As your skills increase, your ability to communicate how it solves the specific problem will increase as well.
Traffic is a function of time because the more content you create the more traffic you will get. As time passes, your older content will gain traction and you will begin to see exponential results. Most online entrepreneurs pump out the content and then fizzle out. Those who keep going are the ones who succeed.
3. Stay Open to Opportunity. Best laid plans rarely work. Businesses are all run by people, and people who run successful businesses adapt to changing circumstances. You could build a year of content only to find that search engines changed a math formula and now all of your content has disappeared from search results. Some people faced with this would quit. Others would look back on their old content, revise it, and re-purpose it into new applications.
Time is never wasted. Old spent time can be used again and again to get results in the present. You just have to be loose enough to realize that things are changing so you can get back on top of the game again - and continue solving problems.
4. Look for Force Multipliers. Never stop talking to other people - especially within your industry. The more you stay involved with others the more you will learn about what they need to make their own projects succeed. You may even find that you can provide a resource to them that they need to help reach their goals. Likewise, the odds they can help you are good as well. By working together you can use all of their old time to push your current efforts while leasing your old time to push theirs.
Imagine how much more quickly you would get your product off the ground if you had three friends who instantly would help you by giving you access to their old time?
I hope this helps in some small way. Good luck!
Schrock Innovations successfully hired a new Web Development Director last week thanks to a radio recruitment advertisement we ran on KIBZ-FM, The Blaze.
Brian Augenstein was hired away from Phoenix Computers in Beatrice, NE to head the company's Web Development Division. Brian is a very promising employee who is laying important groundwork for Schrock's future expansion into website development, hosting, and application development.
Normally if we would have advertised that position in the paper we would have had to search for the proverbial needle among dozens of applications from unqualified people.
Let's Do it Again!
The radio recruitment ad worked so well that we decided to run a second one seeking a Computer Repair Technician. For some inexplicable reason experienced computer break / fix technicians are hard to find in Lincoln Nebraska.
We have had a post up on Craig's List for weeks, only to get applications from people ranging from auto mechanics to fry cooks. We can't hire a poorly skilled technician to work on our customers' computers, so the next step was to drop an ad in the paper - or try the radio again.
I decided to give radio another try.
What Schrock is Looking For
You can listen to the radio recruitment ad we are running the week here.
In the ad we describe the kind of person we are looking for. Schrock technicians are never allowed to give up on a problem. At times this leads us to work directly with developers and engineers at companies like Microsoft or Kingston to resolve problems on the bleeding edge of technical support.
When a Schrock technician is confronted with an un-patched problem, they don't quit and wait for a patch. They become the catalyst that gets the patch created.
In fact, Schrock is so selective about the kind of person we employ that two of our senior technicians have been courted by Google.
This position pays up-to $30,000 annually plus benefits.
How Can I Apply?
If you are a technician who wants to take the next step in your career, fill out an application on Schrock's website. Its nice to be part of an award-winning team that will challenge you to rise to the next level of performance.
We will not contact your current employer unless you allow us to do so and we will arrange an interview around your work schedule.
ZDnet.com is reporting that famed computer component distributor Newegg may have been duped into shipping fake Intel Core i7 Processors to its customers.
Newegg is currently conducting a thorough investigation surrounding recent shipments of questionable Intel Core i7-920 CPUs purchased from Newegg.com.
Initially, the investigation pointed to possible "demo units" that were shipped by accident, however there were some disturbing discoveries that made this quite unlikely.
First, there was an obvious typo on the sticker that identified what CPU was in the sealed box. The word "Socket" was misspelled as "Sochet".
Additionally, the hoogram logo in the upper left corner of the sticker was a horrible replica of what Intel normally places in that spot.
On top of that, the manual that comes with the processor (which I freely admit I throw away without reading as I suspect most system builders do) was completely blank inside.
Unless the buyer actually looked through the manual, the fakes would not have been detected.
Newegg made the following public announcement once they realized that these were not "demo units" shipped accidentally:
Initial information we received from our supplier, IPEX, stated that they had mistakenly shipped us “demo units.” We have since come to discover the CPUs were counterfeit and are terminating our relationship with this supplier. Contrary to any speculation, D&H Distributing is not the vendor that supplied us with the Intel Core i7-920 CPUs in question.
Newegg’s top priority is to proactively reach out to all customers who may have been affected to ensure their absolute satisfaction. We have already sent out a number of replacement units and are doing everything in our power to resolve the matter promptly and with the least amount of inconvenience to our customers.
We have always taken pride in providing an exceptional experience for each customer, and we apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers. We take matters like this extremely seriously, and are working in close cooperation with Intel and the appropriate law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident.
If you recently purchased an Intel Core i7 from Newegg, you might want to dig out that manual you tossed away to make certain you are not one of the victims in this.
I received this email from Go Daddy a few days ago If you have any 10-year domain reservations to make, you should do it before July to save a little money!
On July 1, 2010, VeriSign®, the registry for .COM and .NET, will increase prices – .COM will go up 7%, and .NET by 10%.
The increase will be passed to registrars like Go Daddy and then, unfortunately, to consumers like you.
As of July 1, we will be forced to raise registration and renewal* prices for these two popular top-level domains.
If you wish to avoid this price increase, you can renew your domain names by June 30 and add another year to your current expiration dates. You have the option to register or renew for multiple years and lock in long-term savings. Of course, should you have any questions, please give us a call at 1-480-505-8821.
Last December I attended a seminar about the various ways radio advertising can be used to accomplish goals other than simple product and service marketing.
One of the speakers spoke about using radio to recruit new employees rather than the newspaper or a recruitment service - especially when you are hiring for key positions.
Why Use Radio to Recruit Employees?
For one thing, it can be less expensive than the newspaper and is definitely less expensive than a recruiting service.
Schrock is hiring a Web Development Director, and it would have cost us over $900 to place a classified ad in the Lincoln Journal Star for that position.
A recruiter would have charged a percentage of the employees annual salary - typically 10% - which would have been up to $4,000 for this position.
Second, using radio allows us to do more than just look for an employee with an ad. It also tells all of the station's listeners that we are hiring, we pay well, and that working at Schrock is a great experience.
While we are reaching out to potential employees, we are also increasing our brand awareness.
Here is the ad we ran for our Web Development Director position.
What Kind of Employees Do You Find With Radio?
The biggest reason to use radio for recruitment is so simple most HR managers miss it.
When you post an ad on Craigslist, in the classifieds, or on Monster you are advertising to the available pool of unemployed workers - or at best un-loyal workers who are always shopping around.
When you think about it, the people you want to reach are the ones that employers have held on to. These key people have the best skill sets, the highest degree of training, and are competent at what they do.
When you hire from the pool of employed people rather than the pool of unemployed people you get fewer applicants, but the applicants you do get are of a much higher caliber.
So How Much Does a Recruitment Ad Cost?
We ran an ad about 60 times on one local station for about $800. We had one very qualified applicant, currently employed with a competitor, on the first day the ad ran. The ad is still running, so I will post about how it comes out.
Schrock Innovations is seeking a Director for our Website Services Division in our Lincoln, NE Service Center. For the right candidate, this is an opportunity to make a real difference in the way business and non-profit organizations operate every day.
This is a description of what you can expect from the position and what we are looking for in a candidate:
Lincoln's #1 Computer Repair Company is looking for a charismatic, energetic department supervisor to oversee our Web Development Division.
This position requires excellent customer service skills, a genuine desire to help our clients achieve their business goals, and over-the-top communication skills.
Direct responsibilities for this position include:
- Meet with web development clients and potential clients to identify needs and create plans to meet those needs
- Oversee the progress of our coders and ensure their work is meeting the expectations of our clients
- Customer relationship management tasks
- The development of a monthly client newsletter
- Coding minor HTML updates and image changes on client websites
- Prospecting for potential new clients
- Working with our service providers on any issues that arise
- Provide and maintain an organizational framework for the Web Development Division
A qualified candidate must be able to:
- Work in our Service Center in Lincoln, NE (this is not a telecommute position)
- Maintain a pleasant, professional demeanor at all times
- Understand web design business concepts such as hosting, reserving a domain, etc..
- Develop and skillfully present website proposals for clients and potential clients
- Edit existing HTML code with the assistance of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
- Do basic image manipulation using Adobe Photoshop CS3 (resize an image, change resolution, etc)
- Work a 45-50 hour work week
Requirements for this Position:
- Applicant must have a valid driver's license and current insurance
- Applicant must pass a thorough background check
- Experience in coding is a considerable plus, but limited training is also available
- Experience in business management, project management, or a similar field is a plus
Additional Responsibilities:
- Applicant will be required to fill in on the Front Desk 1-2 days a week
- Applicant may be required to answer phones, assist customers, or perform other assigned duties
Compensation:
- $30,000 to $40,000 annual salary based upon qualifications and experience
- Bonuses based on achieving specific performance goals
- 401K retirement package with employer match
- Employee Assistance Program
- Discounted products and services
If you are the person we are looking for, please fill out an online application on our website. We look forward to hearing from you!
You can win Apple's latest creation, the iPad just by being a part of the nationally-syndicated Living Digital radio show!
The Living Digital show covers today's technology from cell phones, to 3D TV to your personal computer with a special focus on how your technology impacts your life.
The show airs from 2-5 PM CST on Saturday afternoon and
can also be heard online.
So How Can I Win an iPad?
There are a few different ways you can win. Each time you complete one of the following actions, you will receive one entry in the drawing for the iPad. There is no limit to the number of times you can enter, so feel free to enter as often as you like:
- Call 1-800-825-5865 between 2-5 PM CST and ask a technology question on the air - Worth 10 entries
- Email your technology question for use on the air at thor<.at.>livingdigitalshow.com - Worth 3 entries
- Post a valid (not spammy) comment on any post on this blog. You receive one entry for each comment you post. You must include a valid email address in the appropriate field. - Worth 1 entry per comment
- Follow @thorschrock on Twitter and RT this message for a bonus entry every day you are following me! I entered the Living Digital Show Apple iPad giveaway! You can enter too at http://www.livingdigitalshow.com. #ipad
- Worth 1 entry per day automatically
How Does the Contest Work?
Entries in the contest will be accumulated between now and the public availibility date of the iPad.
When the iPad is available for purchase, we will buy one and no additional entries will be accepted at that time.
The iPad will be filmed in an unboxing video, repackaged and immediately shipped to the winner (who we will congratulate in the video).
If you are entering from outside the US, please understand that we must comply with duties, taxes, and export regulations that are applicable in your country.
All radio callers, emailers, twitter followers who re-tweet, and comment posters will be aggregated and numbered. Then a random number will be generated. The entry that corresponds to the generated number wins the iPad.
How Will the Winner be Notified?
The winner will be notified by email or telephone, depending on the contact information we have available. The winner will have 1 business day to claim the prize, or we will draw another winner.
The purpose of this contest is to generate interest and callers for the Living Digital show, and that is why the contest has been slanted for callers and emailers unlike the last contest I did a number of months back.
The Anti Phishing Working Group reported that in the third quarter of 2009, 48% of the computers scanned for malware were infected with downloaders, password stealers, or other forms of malware.
Their report also indicated a 5.5% increase in reports of first time phishing attempts, with an overall decrease in the number of victims.
This indicates that cyber criminals are working faster to get new phishing sites online, but those sites are being discovered and neutralized more quickly than ever.
The report continues on to indicate that the single greatest problem in the battle against phishing scams is a general lack of awareness among those in the public about how the scams work and how to avoid becoming a victim.
If 2009 was the year of the netbook then 2010 may be the year of the slate PC.
Apple's iPad tablet device on follows the demonstration of an HP tablet device (also called a slate PC) at the CES.
As the recession hit the US in 2009, computer sales were only 2.8% up in the US as compared to a 24% increase in 2008. In fact the first three quarters of 2009 were awful for computer sales across the country - until netbooks saved the day in Q4.
The idea of a 10" touch screen device that has the power of a notebook and the size of a netbook intrigues me. I can see moving my front desk employees off their desktop PCs and onto iPads or Slates.
Size and Options Mater
I thought it was really interesting that Apple is only introducing the iPad in one size. Apple is clearly targeting the iPad as a lifestyle device while PC manufacturers are targeting the slate form factor as a flexible and useful productivity tool.
Its almost like apple is lining up another Mac vs. PC battle that they can never win - a proprietary Apple device with a closed software distribution channel and PC with flexible devices with customizable options and a ton of inexpensive software already in the pipe.
It's all About the Content Stupid
While PC manufacturers will most likely sell many more slates than Apple will iPads, the real money is not in the device its self, it is in the content that is consumed on the device.
Apple will be releasing its new web-based version of iTunes later this year, which will allow Apple users to synchronize their content between multiple devices like an iPhone, and iPod and an iPad.
Apple followed a similar release model with the iPhone. When the 1st generation phone was released it was lacking in many basic cell phone features (ability to shoot video, picture messaging, etc) yet Apple released it anyway. They needed to get a device in the market so developers would begin building content.
As the content grew, so did iPhone's advantage over other smart phones and subsequent versions could be subsidized to include more features because Apple was making it back on the content.
I would expect a similar model for the iPad. The 1st generation device has no webcam, yet has software handles for video calling for example. I would expect subsequent revisions of the iPad to add additional features as the content growth allows.
How do you think the iPad will do?
This afternoon at 2:00 CST Chris Goforth and I will be kicking off a new syndicated radio show called Living Digital.
Many of you know that I currently do a 1 hour show every Saturday at 10 AM CST called Compute This. Living Digital will be similar in concept to Compute This, but will differ in some important ways.
Compute This is designed to be live and local. It is specifically designed to service the people of Lincoln and the current and future customers of Schrock Innovations.
Living Digital is designed to have a more widespread focus and cover areas that are influenced by technology, but are not necessarily computers.
For example, Living Digital will cover televisions, cell phones, gaming systems, digital cameras and more. With all of the new technologies coming out it is easy to become overwhelmed. The Living Digital Show is designed to make your technology work for you and be more of a help than a headache.
You can listen to Living Digital every Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, NE on http://kfor1240.com (KFOR 1240 AM). This week the show will be slightly shorter in Lincoln because of Nebraska Weslyean Basketball coverage, but I promise it will be a blast!
There has been a lot of chatter all over the web regarding Apple's expected announcement of the iSlate tablet device on or around January 26, 2010.
There are a lot of people with a lot of ideas about what the iSlate tablet is, what product niche it is designed to fill in Apple's product line, what its features will be, and how much it will cost. While no one knows the specifics yet, I believe a lot of the rumors are slightly off-base.
Everyone is wrapped up in what Apple has ordered from suppliers, what the iPhone can do, Apple's supposed need to compete with netbooks, and pure desire for something new from Steve Jobs.
Many of the people turning the crank on the rumor machine are fogetting some of the known Apple quantities:
- Steve Jobs doesn't chase market niches - he redefines them
- Steve jobs has publicly stated that netbooks are substandard hardware
- Apple risks cheapening its brand by selling a sub-$1000 computing device
- This is a lifestyle device - people will not buy it because the need it. People will need it because they want it
Rather than getting all caught up in the expected specifications, whether or not it has an OLED screen, or attempting to decode vague requests to iPhone application developers for more high-resolution apps, I am going to make three general Thorstradamus predictions:
- There is a distinct possibility that the late January announcement is about an improvement in the iPhone. I peg this at a 60% chance. Apple is about the software & apps, and they're just not there yet.
- If the announcement is about an Apple tablet, it will cost more than $1200. It may be re-released later at a lower cost as Apple did with the iPhone
- I do not think Apple will launch a device designed to compete with $400 netbooks EVER
What do you think? Post a comment below to go on the record. Let's see who is right on this one!
Last week Schrock Innovations received a letter from the City of Lincoln regarding our support of America Recycles Day.
Each year students and businesses across Lincoln pledge to commit themselves to recycle more in the coming year. Each pledge is placed in a box and a drawing is conducted.
As we have done in the past, we donated a computer system to this year's pledge winner. Here is the text from the letter we received from Gene Hanlon, Lancaster County's Recycling Coordinator:
Dear Thor:
I'm writing to express our sincere appreciation to you for your support of America Recycles Day and donating one of your computers for our Community Grand Prize Drawing. Your donation of the computer provided a valuable incentive for people to take the time to complete a pledge to increase their recycling efforts or buy recycled products.
This year we received over 1,900 pledges from Lincoln and Lancaster County residents to step up their recycling efforts. I don't believe this would have been possible without your support. I hope you found your involvement in the America Recycles Day campaign beneficial.
Best wishes to you and your family during this holiday season. I hope that the New Year brings much happiness to you and your family.
Schrock Innovations received a letter last week that our Lincoln Service Center has been selected as one of 100,000 "Favorite Places" on Google.
The selection was based on how many people have sought out information about Schrock Innovations on Google. That information includes reviews, requests for driving directions, and general search data.
Contained within the letter was a window decal for our Service Center as well as some statistics about how local Lincoln, Nebraska Google users were seeking out Schrock Innovations over the past 6 months:
- An average of 14 people a month request driving directions to Schrock Innovations (pretty nice considering we are on one of the busiest intersections in Lincoln)
- There were 942 requests for specific information about Schrock Innovations (coupons, reviews, etc.)
- The majority of users who look into Schrock Innovations are looking for computer repair services
Gooogle Favorite Places is a sub component of Google Local Business Center. I was unaware of this program until Google contacted us to let us know we had been selected.
If your business has not been selected, you can apply for consideration by signing up for and completing an entry in Google Local Business Center.
Schrock Innovations had an amazing 2009 in Lincoln and we need another technician to continue building on that success.
We posted an advertisement on Craigslist, and we ask that qualified candidates please apply on our website rather than in person or calling by phone.
What are we looking for?
We need a technician that is proficient with PC and Mac troubleshooting who can work alone in the field or in the service center as part of a team.
We are expanding our on-site hours to include weekends. We have also taken on a umber of corporate clients in Lincon and Omaha who use Mac and we need more than one technician on staff to handle the workload.
We need a tech who already knows troubleshooting and is experienced with all versions of Windows and Mac OS. Of course we will train on Schrock procedures, but we need someone who has the skills to do the job on day one for this position.
I saw this USB power outlet online and I honestly will be installing a couple of these in my home office!
These are standard 110-volt outlets with two additional USB ports built right in. This would allow me to charge my iPhone, video camera, and the host of other USB devices I use in one convenient place!
They are a little pricey for outlets at $10 each, but cool nevertheless!
Microsoft is releasing six new updates today that will impact all Windows users in some way.
The updates, scheduled to be automatically downloaded and installed tonight on most Windows systems, patch severe security issues in Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, and Microsoft Office. Because of the Internet Explorer 7 component, just about every Windows System made after 2001 will be impacted.
This set of updates will address a critical security flaw that could allow users to take control of your computer, so it is important you get these installed.
If your computer is having trouble installing updates for any reason, contact us in Lincoln or Omaha, or seek the assistance of a technician who can get them installed before your computer is infected.
Beginning over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend and continuing until recently, a report by security company named Prevx published a blog post stating tat a coming Windows Update will render millions of Windows 7 PCs inoperable suffering from a "Black Screen of Death."
Today, ZDNet has published an article explaining the details and the time line of events that lead to industry giants like PC World Magazine picking up the story as fact.
After further investigation and a near heart attack at Microsoft, Prevx recanted the story and claimed they were not responsible for the damage that was caused to Microsoft by its initial report.Their statement reads:
Regrettably, it is clear that our original blog post has been taken out of context and may have caused an inconvenience for Microsoft.
According to ZDNet, it looks like Prevx's initial report was titled with the headline, "Black Screen woes could affect millions on Windows 7, Vista and XP."
Major Tech Publications Punked
Computer World and PC World Magazine noticed the headline and without waiting for any corroboration or comment from Microsoft, ran with the headline "Latest Microsoft patches cause black screen of death."
The fact of the matter is that after investigation, there is no problem and this is a prime example of how the Internet echo chamber can lead to an inflated story - especially when there is competition to break the story first online where seconds matter to search engines.
No Takebacks, No Way
The most shameful thing of all is that PC World and Computer World both refuse to change the old headlines that they now know to be wrong. That means they will be present in search engines for years to come, continuing to mislead and misinform the poor Windows 7 user with a VGA cable that fell out.
Have you ever wondered if your computer is giving you the actual speed and quickness that was advertised when you originally bought it?
In modern computers the advertised speed should really be considered the "up to" speed because few if any of the computers in the marketplace are actually giving you the advertised speed ratings - especially when they are being stressed with a difficult or time consuming task
What is PC Component Throttling?
It's pretty easy to make PC component throttling sound more sinister than it is. The bottom line is that your computer is engineered to protect its self.
Its pretty much common knowledge that many PC BIOS chips today will adjust fan speed to match the heat being generated by the processor. This keeps the CPU cool under stress and prevents it from burning itself up.
The idea behind the technology (called SpeedStep in Intel based systems and Cool and Quiet in AMD based systems) is that to reduce the speed of the components in the computer to reduce heat when the fans are working at 100% and you are doing a really intense task like rendering video, playing a high-end game, or editing 50 high-resolution images in Photoshop at one time like my wife does.
If your computer is cooling at its maximum and that's not enough, it will drop the speed until the temperature falls back to normal levels.
Why You Want / Don't Want It
Views on PC Component throttling generally fall into two camps - high-performance junkies hate it because if it gets too hot they will just install more / better fans.
Average Joe users love it because there is literally no risk or burning up a processor or a motherboard because the computer was working too hard.
Throttling comes in extremely handy when dealing with notebook computers. Notebook computers throttle performance for heat management like desktops, but also for power consumption.
Have you ever noticed that more of your CD burns fail when you are on battery? Have you noticed that the speed of your computer drops by about 15% when you yank out that AC adapter? These are al measures to save battery power.
How to Throttle Your Computer to Maximum Speed
If you are a performance junkie and you want to punch your computer's potential speed through the roof it's pretty easy to do.
** WARNING **
These instructions involve editing your BIOS settings. The layout and available options contained within your BIOS< as well as the method of entering the BIOS will differ depending on the brand of computer you are using. Please don't change these settings on a notebook or laptop computer, and only change them on a desktop PC if you are confident you have proper cooling. Failure to adhere to these warnings could result in permanent component damage to your system.
- To boost your computer's speed, enter into the BIOS. This is typically accomplished by pressing F2, F10, or the DEL key on your keyboard as the computer is booting.
- Next locate the SteedStep or Cool and Quiet options in the BIOS (Typically under power management)
- Turn off Cool and Quiet (AMD processors) or SpeedStep (Intel Processors)
- If your board supports this, set your maximum CPU temperature to no more than 125 degrees. Anything hotter than this will almost certainly damage your processor. This acts like a partial safeguard against component damage.
I am very aware that I have been absent from writing here for many days. There has been a lot going on, so I thought I would mention a few of the things here briefly to tweak your curiosity and then come back with more detailed posts in the coming days.
Here's a few of the things I have been up to:
- Entertained a bid from a group of investors interested in buying Schrock Innovations (and turned them away)
- Selling our current home and moving into a new 4500 square foot home in Papillion, NE (yes, right before Christmas)
- Laying the groundwork for an announcement about our weekly radio show, Compute This - If you like the show now, just wait until you hear what is coming next
- Closed down our Omaha, NE Service Center in preparation for building our new (and permanent) Omaha facility in 2010
- Assisting in the development of a new Website Marketing Division at Three Eagles Communications
- Preparing for the official launch of the Top IT Shop Consulting Website
- Teaching my son Jake how to play Wii Boxing :-)
Its a lot, but I wouldn't have it any other way. More updates to come in the upcoming days!
In early October Verizon started running a commercial series comparing their 3G wireless coverage to AT&T's 3G coverage. The commercials got AT&T's attention, and they requested Verizon modify the campaign.
AT&T says that the 3G coverage maps featured in the campaign, as well as the depicted frustration of iPhone users lead viewers to believe that AT&T users can't use their wireless devices at all across the majority of the country.
Here's the primary commercial they are frustrated with:
I am an iPhone user myself and I can testify to my level of frustration when I can't drive down Interstate 80 between Lincoln and Omaha NE without my call dropping. That's not even 3G - That's a straight cell call. AT&T finally got coverage across Lincoln, NE - a population of over 230,000 people - this summer.
Here Comes the Judge
AT&T is now suing Verizon over the commercial series. Their complaint states:
Verizon’s advertisements also depict AT&T customers as frustrated or sad and unable to meet their friends as the map showing swaths of white or blank space hovers over the fictional AT&T customer’s head, reinforcing the misleading message conveyed by the maps; that AT&T has no coverage and thus AT&T customers cannot use their wireless devices in large portions of the United States.
AT&T goes on to claim:
[AT&T is] losing incalculable market share, invaluable goodwill that it has spent billions of dollars to develop among consumers, and the significant investment it has made in its wireless network.
I think this comes down to a pretty basic question. Is Verizon challenging the 3G coverage AT&T offers or AT&T's overall coverage of any kind.
Hello AT&T check out the GIANT "3G COVERAGE" label under the maps. I think it is pretty clear that they are claiming that Verizon has a superior 3G coverage network. How AT&T thinks the commercials make people fell is irrelevant.
The Kinda-Scientific Test
I decided I would solve this case for whatever unfortunate judge has to hear it before it even goes to court.
I hopped in my car and departed from Omaha, NE where Verizon's map shows AT&T has 3G coverage and drove toward Des Moines, IA.
According to Verizon, I should lose my 3G coverage when I leave Omaha and should not regain it until I am in DesMoins. Click here for my route.
I updated my findings via Twitter as my wife and I drove the route. Here is the coverage I experienced in reality:
- Testing Verizon's AT&T map. 3g signal lost at IA mile marker 11 on I80 in Iowa. So far Verizon's map is accurate.
- No AT&T signal whatsoever from IA I80 mile marker 14 through 17 12:14 PM Nov 14th
- No AT&T 3g from I80 mile marker 11 through mile marker 83. 1:06 PM Nov 14th
- No AT&T signal at all from I80 IA mile marker 83 through 87 1:07 PM Nov 14th
- No AT&T 3g from I80 IA mile marker 87 through 101. No signal at all from 101 to 103 1:19 PM Nov 14th
The Verdict
The bottom line is that in the test I conducted, Verizon's map is accurate and their advertisement is very true.
If anything, they were generous to AT&T because there were many times when I had to type and hold a Twitter update because I could not get ANY cellular or data coverage at all on the AT&T network.
All of my technicians in the shop are flashing their Droid phones and while I love my iPhone, the plan is super expensive and lets be honest - the 3G coverage just isn't the best around.