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Castellini on Computers
Free Weekly Email Newsletter
January 16, 2008
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Spelling and punctuation guaranteed to be at least 78 percent accurate
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In this week's issue. .
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*** Tip of the Week
*** Geek Speek of the Week - (Simple
definition of common computer terms)
*** Computer News...and
comment
*** Last week's Poll results
*** Adam's Comments - Stuff
from the digital world that is rolling around in Adam's head.
*** Email
of the week
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We have now been home from CES for about a week and have had a chance to step back and ponder what we saw while we were there.
Last week we did our annual post CES show. Many of you have commented
that was the first show you have joined live since we moved from radio
to Internet. It is a change. The show takes on the personality of those
who join in and participate.
For our radio show, that meant we had a show that resembled on air tech
support. With our new show, it means a much more lively show that
covers a wider variety of topics. In a sense everyone who joins in
becomes a part of a program as they chat, call in and write emails
while we are live on the air.
If you are used to the old program and the new version seems more
chaotic, give us time to grow on you. The new Castellini on Computers
is revolutionary. Castellini on Computers isn't a radio show with a
webcam in the studio. It also isn't a true webcam show. Our goal is to
take the best of talk radio and mix it with the best of TV news and web
chat.
There is nothing else like it. In the end we still have one goal for
the show: The end result should be computer news and information that
you can not only use, but understand.
We hope that one day our show
will be huge and supported with enough advertisers that we can do it
several times per week. Then we will setup an official studio with
fancy microphones and webcams to create the type of show that we have
always imagined. You can help us get there by spreading the word about HelpMeRick.com and visiting HelpMeRick.com EVERY DAY!! |
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Email your questions to us
and we will answer them live on the air or on our daily website
updates!
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Custom Computer Help from Rick and
Adam
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We have been posting a new how-to video every week since November and
the feedback has been tremendous. Now YOU have the opportunity to get your own
customized video tutorial about a topic that you are having trouble with or just
want to learn.
To learn more, visit: www.HelpMeRick.com/videohelp
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Tip of the Week
Video Tour of HelpMeRick.com
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View the Video Here
HelpMeRick.com has a wealth of information for computer users of all
experiences, but beginner or novice computer users find the information
found here the most helpful. We have put together a short video
explaining how our site is organized and how you can find information
about computer topics that you are most interested in learning.
No other web site is built on information quite like ours. We strive to
make computers and technology understandable by all and a tool that
will benefit everyone.
To replay this 6 minute narrated video tour of how to best utilize
HelpMeRick.com, push F5 on your keyboard or click the Refresh/Reload
button on your browser. |
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Geek Speek
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UBER
is an UBER geek term. Just as it would sound funny to hear Martha
Stewart talk street jive, it sounds funny to geeks to hear non-geeks
use a term like uber.
Uber essentially means super, ultimate or ultra. It is typically used
to modify an adjective associated with geek life or style such as UBER
geek or UBER chic. It can be used to modify a noun, but only a geek
noun such as an UBER jet or an UBER laser.
Examples: Wikipedia is the online UBER encyclopedia or UBER reference
site. iPod touch is the UBER media player and Rick Castellini is an
UBER country music fan (ha ha). |
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UBER
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Computer News...and
comment
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Apple announces ultra portable laptop
No one expected much from Apple at this week's MacWorld, instead they got the MacBook Air.
Rumors began to spread about an ultra portable laptop from Apple about
36 hours before MacWorld this week. The MacBook Air is a laptop with
some of the most innovative space and power saving features ever
implemented in any computer.
The MacBook Air features a specially designed monitor, battery and
processor that not only use less power but fit in the thinnest laptop
form factor ever. Apple is also offering an optional 64 gigabyte
solid-state hard drive to increase performance and durability.
All this and a built-in webcam.
Detroit Auto Show new car debuts
Cnet.com
has posted a great gallery of new cars that made their debut at the
Detroit Auto Show this week. The 620 horsepower Corvette ZR1 was one of
the highlights of the show and it gets 8 mpg!!
The HD format war is over
We made a lot of fun of the Sony press
conference this week as they announced dozens of new products where a
handful of products would have done just fine.
However, one big announcement was made that appears to be accurate, the HD format war is over between Blu-Ray and HD DVD.
Paramount is now the only major film studio that remains exclusive to
HD DVD, all others have either fled to Blu-Ray or support both formats.
HD DVD's only way to fight back has been to lower prices of movies and
players.
Retailers are anxious for the battle to be over as carrying both
formats means carrying extra inventory that takes up valuable shelf
space.
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Poll
Results
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Are you reading and watching our CES 2008 coverage?
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Next week's poll:
What kind of memory does your digital camera use?
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Yes 75%
No 18%
Not yet, but I plan to 6% |
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Adam's
Comments
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I
went to the funeral of a long time friend last week. Gary, like my dad,
was an avid builder of plastic models. He and my dad both belonged to a
club made up of other model enthusiasts. I would go with my dad to the
club meetings each week, and I also enjoyed the hobby very much.
Building plastic models for me, my dad and everyone else in the Grand
Junction Scale Model Society consisted of more than breaking pieces off
of the plastic tree and gluing them together with airplane glue.
We built scale miniatures. My dad is one of the best at it. An entire
model can take over a year to finish as special after market parts are
added, colors are matched and fine details, are painstakingly
implemented. What comes in the box is just the skeleton.
Over time I transformed from model builder to computer guy. I still
have a closet full of models that I hope to build some day. Deep down I
am still a model builder, however my association with those in the
model club has transformed from fellow modeler to that of their
computer guy.
I now fix computers for many of the guys who have known me since I was six. Gary had also been a client of mine.
When I walked into Gary's funeral, I sat down in a row with these long
time friends who have become my clients. I hadn't even sat down when a
few of them started whispering computer questions too me.
They gave each other a hard time about talking business at a friend's
funeral, but I knew that Gary would have done the same if the tables
were turned.
Someone made a comment that being a computer guy is a lot like being a
doctor or a lawyer as someone always has a question for you, but I
compared it more to being a superhero. I told them, "I didn't ask for
these powers."
Deep down I am a model builder, a photographer and an observer of
politic I don't know how I became a computer guy. I have more to say
about movies, books and art than I ever would devote to computers were
it not for how I make my living.
Several times a week I ponder how I became a computer guy. I do it for
one reason, I enjoy helping people. The satisfaction that comes from
completing a model is wonderful, but it doesn't equal the satisfaction
I feel from helping someone get emails from their kid serving in Iraq.
I hope someday I can return to building models and pursuing my personal
interests, but for now humanity needs me to save the world one desktop
at a time.
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Email of the
week
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Hello Rick,
I
ran across your site HelpMeRick.com today as I was searching for some
computer info. on Google. Your site is fabulous and certainly grabbed
my attention! (I like your page layout!).
I run a website also,
and would like to see if there are ways we can work together to benefit
both our businesses. As I am sure you have found, reciprocal links have
very little value these days - getting ahead on the search engines
relies on two factors...
1. Lots of well-crafted unique content on your site.
2. One way links to your site.
We
are willing to supply you with "unique" content for your website in the
form of keyword rich articles written on topics related to both our
sites. All of your articles will be on interesting topics relating to
the windows registry or related computer topics and of course, will be
search engine friendly. These quality articles will help you in your
search engine rankings, and will never be published on another website.
We are offering you unique high-quality content for your website. In
return for the free articles, we want the links within the article to
remain intact. We will put links (3 to 5) into the article.
If
you are interested in getting free content for your site, just let me
know and we will go to work writing two fabulous articles exclusively
for you. We feel your site meets our quality guidelines and would be a
good fit.
Our website is Instant-Registry-Fixes and you can
contact me by replying to this email, or calling either Miles or myself
at (720) --------.
Thanks so much,
Emily
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Hello Emily (if that's your real name),
Obviously
you didn't look around our site too much because you would have noticed
that we don't believe in Registry fixers or excessive utilities. Also,
you would have noticed that we provide many helpful and fine articles
all by ourselves. Thanks for writing, however...even
though I know it was your "robot" writing and not you. Good luck
peddling your crap to non-informed computer users...ours know better.
Rick Editors Note:
I included this email this week to demonstrate what a "phishing" email
looks like. While this particular email is not a financial phishing
email (unsolicited emails posing as legitimate companies that you
should never respond to), it is a type of phishing email that web site
owners get from time-to-time trying to peddle their crap for their
gain. We get them all the time and we get just as frustrated as you do.
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Castellini on Computers &
HelpMeRick.com ©2008
Rick Castellini and Adam Cochran
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