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Microsoft released a critical patch this week that blocks a serious security flaw in their operating system.  You can read about the issue here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10074072-83.html.  If you are on our N-Care support plan, we are working hard to get the patch deployed and installed for you.

 

- Ryan Williams

 

 

Many of you have probably heard of Twitter, but for those who have not, I will provide a couple sentences to describe it.  Twitter is a micro-blogging site, which means that each post is less than 140 characters.  You can update your Twitter status by sending text messages from your phone or via Twitter’s web page or via several other methods.  Updating via text messages is the most interesting method, however.  By its very nature, Twitter is less formal than traditional blogging.  Most people who regularly blog (at least those who do it well) spend time thinking, planning, researching and fixing grammar (actually my wife does this part for me).  Twitter, on the other hand, is a spur of the moment, off the cuff, and unvarnished communication medium.  It is whatever thoughts enter your mind at any given moment.  And, since it can be updated via text message from a

We hope everyone is doing well this week despite the constant bombardment of negative economic news.  I don’t know about you, but I think I can name more economists than I can players on my favorite sports team.   I’m actually rooting for the economists like they were a sports team.  I found myself actually rooting for the Dow Jones Industrial Average as the countdown to the final bell approached Wednesday.  For a while, it looked like we were going to pull out a nail biter in the closing seconds and end the day on the plus side.  But, alas, the home team lost another one.  I feel like a Chicago Cubs fan.  Sorry Cubs fans, that was uncalled for.

 

Have you ever wondered if any websites are linking to your website?  It is a good idea to occasionally check this.  One reason to do so is to keep tabs on your company’s online reputation.  If you can see what web pages are linking to your site, then you can also see what those web pages are saying about you. Visit http://www.altavista.com/web/webmaster to view who is linking to your website.

 

- Ryan Williams

 

I resisted creating a Facebook account for years because I did not understand the appeal, and I did not want to maintain it.  Time is precious, and it seems like there is never enough as it is.  However, I eventually began to feel guilty that I was a technology consultant and really did not know all that much about Facebook.  I try to have an intelligent answer when people ask technology questions, so I broke down and created an account (just for educational purposes).

 

It didn’t take long to understand Facebook’s appeal.  Within about two hours, I had about 20 "Friend" requests from friends, relatives and old high school acquaintances.  Due to Facebook’s "People You May Know" feature, the minute I filled out my profile I popped up on other people’s home page who might be connected to me in some way.  Now I am talking to people I

I was visiting a future client in a rural Georgia town last week.  The future client was running late, so I had to wait in the lobby for a while.  I pulled out my iPhone to pass the time, and much to my horror I had no connectivity!  I briefly felt like Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) in the movie Castaway, disconnected with no way to communicate with the rest of the world.  It was painful yet enlightening.  I did not realize just how reliant I had become to having instant access to the internet.  I’m currently looking for a support group because of the experience.

 

So our first tech tip is bring a book or a magazine when traveling to rural areas.

 

- Ryan Williams

 

I think most of us believe that information is power.  With today’s technology there are very few reasons for not having the exact information you need to make good decisions.  Custom written reports can be an incredibly valuable tool.  Custom written reports can retrieve information from many diverse sources including the Internet, accounting systems and excel spreadsheets to name a few.  The custom report can then tabulate and summarize the gathered information into one cohesive report complete with color graphs.  Custom reports can be a HUGE time saver and facilitate better decisions to boot.  So the next time you find yourself wishing you had more information before making a decision, I recommend you at least inquire about a custom report.  There really are few limitations to what can be accomplished.

 

Ryan Williams

 

The folks over at Google are always busy cooking up new ideas.  Long before you see these ideas become mainstream they reside in Google Labs.  You can access Google Labs and evaluate and use Google’s latest ideas by visiting the Google Labs web page located here:  http://www.google.com/labs/

 

The newest item in Google Labs is GAudi which is converting the voices in YouTube videos and making them searchable via the Google search engine.  Pretty amazing stuff.  I recommend checking out Google Labs about once a month just to see what new.

 

Ryan Williams