It amazes me further to see so many companies today referring to their employees as a geek and then even push it further to require them to play dress up as part of an advertising gimmick. These people may as well have a job standing on a corner holding a sign and waving at cars. When it comes down to it folks, do you really want a geek working on your computer? Would you not feel better knowing that you have a qualified IT Technician troubleshooting your computer problems? Of course you would. This is not a trick question and the correct answer should have flashed in your mind before you even finished reading the sentence. I need to make it clear that this article is not aimed at any one person that may be or may have been employed as a geek. Furthermore, this article’s primary purpose is to educate the consumer while the possible danger of humour with even a chuckle or two. With that said, let’s proceed with a look into the world of the geek?

First off, let’s start with the definition of a geek. To be fair, I will use several different sources that define the English language as well as one that defines urban and slang versions of the same.

1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity”

There are those that will argue that the only true dictionary of the English language is the Oxford. So, for my friends across the oceans here is the definition of Geek from the Oxford:

“• noun informal, chiefly N. Amer. 1 an unfashionable or socially inept person. 2 an obsessive enthusiast.

  — DERIVATIVES geeky adjective.

  — ORIGIN from the related English dialect word geck ‘fool’.”

Now as promised, we take a look at how the Urban Dictionary defines being a Geek:

“The term “geek” originally referred to the carnival performers whose act consisted of biting the heads off chickens and eating glass. Over time it came to be applied to anyone who got paid to do work considered odd or bizarre by mainstream society.

The term now enjoys a special status within the technical community, particularly among particularly knowledgeable computer programmers. To identify oneself as a “geek” indicates a recognition that most people still consider programming computers to be a bizarre act, along with a certain fierce satisfaction in being very good at their inglorious profession.

That most software geeks now easily earn twice as much as the average laborer just sweetens their defiant embrace of the term.

Note: Unlike the word “nerd,” which is always pejorative, “geek” often carries a positive connotation when used by one of the group. The use of the term by outsiders is considered insulting.”

Given all of the previous, I am sure you can understand why I prefer not to be referred to as a geek. I remain proud of the fact that time after time I am told that I do not look like a geek. Still, one has to wonder why there are so many companies that use this word in their name! I can not begin to list them all, but just naming a few with the most famous first: Geek Squad, Geeks To Go, Geeks On Call, Rent A Geek, Geeks Orlando and Geeks R Us. Soon all of the geeky names were gone and companies moved down to the lower level of desciptives using Guru and Nerd.

Another interesting fact is the amount of negative feedback toward the most popular of the geek business name, yet accordingly the money continues to roll in for the Geek Squad. I do not promote my business by jabbing others, however in this case the sources are unlimited and again I will point out that this is to educate the consumer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now in all fairness this is not the only video out there. It is just one that I randomly picked out of the may. Notice that most of the computer repair companies that they speak of have the word “geek” in their business name. Do you need a geek? Do you really want a geek working on your computer? I am not just picking on the squad here, I am in amazement of the multitudes of businesses that use the title or refer to their employees as a geek, nerd or guru. Once more, there are articles on web sites such as the rip off report where an ex-geek (is that a word?) tells that his role was to be a salesman first and admittedly only knew how to repair a computer by watching what the other geeks were doing.

Another point is that even to do these investigative reports, they had to lug this computer from shop to shop. This is how I created the slogan “pick up your phone, not your computer” tm. Why unplug your computer , load it in the car and drive half way around town to get your computer repaired? Having Mike’s PC Support come to your home or business to do the repairs just makes good cents. You save time and money, quite frankly you save money. We all know time is money. Next time you are in need of computer repair, don’t put yourself at the mercy of any of the geek stores. Look for a qualified and certified computer repair technician. Don’t pay unreasonable fees to companies that pay large advertising fees to be labeled as a geek, you don’t need a geek to get in home computer repair.

 Now a quick look at the humorous side of the word geek

Click here to view the embedded video.

Call Mike at 321-652-5630 to speak to a IT professional.

Okay, so now you have logged on to your computer desktop and you are ready to go to the Internet. Many sites require that you enter a user name and password to gain entry and identify yourself before proceeding. All secure web sites such as banks, credit card services and other financial institutions require strong passwords. Strong passwords contain at least 8 characters or more and must contain a upper case letter and a number in them. Even popular game sites such as Pogo or Cash Break require a password in order to play their free games. To make matters even more complicated, most financial sites require that you change your password every 60 days to prevent password theft.

A bit of password advice.

1. Never use the same password more than once.
2. Never use passwords that are easy to guess, such as phone number or pet names
3. When possible use totally random letters and numbers
4. Use passwords that contain at least one special character such as @ or $
5. Always write you passwords down and keep them in a safe place away from prying eyes.
6. If you store your passwords on your computer in text file make sure to encrypt the document.

So, now you are probably wondering how to perform all of these steps and keep your sanity. When I first started keeping my passwords at a level of higher security, I used a password generator and recorded them all in a password book. Today, I still have that very same password book with hundreds of pages and all organized alphabetically. The passwords I keep on my computer are all encrypted using a free program called axcrypt.

However, I once found a program that had a master password and it would store all my passwords in one tidy spot. This program would even bring up the web site and input the information into the proper areas. The program was call autologon, but has no planned support for Vista. Recently I found a new program that does all of the things listed above and then some. Sticky Password will generate strong passwords for you, store them in a highly encrypted file and input the information on the site automatically. You can’t get much easier than that! The software sells for 24.95 and has a free trial download. If you have a lo of passwords to keep, I suggest you give this useful software a try.

Technorati Tags: passwords, computers, security, software, tech blog

LimeWire claims to not have any type of spyware or adware bundled with their software and I would have to agree with that statement as of the latest version 4.18.6. However, LimeWire gives very good advice on how to safely use any type of P2P file sharing program. That being said, I want to clarify that I am not picking on LimeWire as a program. LimeWire is a very popular program for file sharing and along with this popularity comes many risks by using it. This program as well as any other P2P file sharing program can be used in a safe manor and can enable the home user to download many enjoyable hours of music and programs.

If you are going to use any type of P2P file sharing programs or download torrent files, there are some very strict security policies that you will need to put into place before using the program. As with all of my lessons in these pages I will try to keep the instructions as understandable to the common home computer user. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask.

First, you must have installed, update and actively scan with good anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. The original concept of these type of programs were to share files by people over a network of friends. The files being shared were shared with others that you knew and could trust. However, today popular programs like these can have way over 1 million users, so there is just no way that you can know all of these users.

Before you even download any type of P2P program please be sure to have an anti-virus program installed and updated. I recommend Avast Professional however their is also a free home version available. You can easily set this program to update automatically. Scan all of your download folders after each session and before using any of the files. This is especially true of program files. Best practice to use for program files is to copy them to a folder outside the program and scan that folder. Most of the file sharing programs will not let you install any other programs from within for just this reason. Program files are described as any file having the .exe, .vbs, .lnk, .bat, .sys, or .com.

Next, be sure to have anti-spyware programs installed and updated. I have two software recommendations to help protect your computer from the hostile attacks of trojans, spyware, adware and malware. The latest version (1.6.x) of Spybot Search & Destroy has seen much improvement over an already well written PC pest remover. If a machine I work on does not have this software installed on it when I get there, it does when I leave! That is how much I believe in this free product. Spybot S & D is user friendly for the home user, yet also has an advanced mode where certain options can be set to define how the program will interact with the owner after the initial setup. One of the big features of this program is that it allows the user to read about each of the problems found explaining what harm it can cause. I especially enjoy pointing this out when I am training my customers on the use of the security software that I install. Unlike many of the other techs in our area that just install the software, I make it a point to teach my clients how to update and use all of the anti-harm software I install on their computer. Make sure to use the update and immunize button on a regular basis when using this program for best practice. Note that this software is free, but does have a donation button. If you like the way it performs on your computer you might consider clicking that button. Unlike many other free programs, this one does not have or require any type of an upgrade and you will never see any type of an advertisement or nag asking you for money.

The next software I suggest works well with the two products above to create a computer security package that will not bog your computer down by using up precious resources. Download and install SuperAntiSpyware professional. This software has a free trial of the professional version or a free home user version. While both work well, the professional version has many advantages to it and is well worth the one time fee for the license. Real time protection and scheduled scanning with SuperAntiSpyware will help keep keep your computer free of trojans and spyware and is strongly suggested if you are going to be using any P2P programs.

Bottom line folks, you need this type of protection on your computer just being connected to the internet, but if you are using a file sharing program without them you are headed for disaster. The safest way to download music is through a paid program such as iTunes or Napster. If you want to go for the free stuff with programs like LimeWire, you are going to be at risk. The only way to lower the risk is to have good anti-harm software installed, keep it updated and scan often.

Technorati Tags: computer security, privacy, trojans, virus, file sharing, risk, anti-harmware

At any rate, I hope you will find these pages informative and guiding to a better understanding and improvement in the operation of your home or small business computer. I offer on-site computer repair and upgrades in the Brevard County area of Florida. One of my specialties is Trojan and virus removal, but it is my hope to give you enough information here to help you learn how to protect your machine from the hostile environments that are spreading across the internet.

I am setting up a free computer software download page with many links to the very same tools that I use and run on my systems to maintain them and help keep the spyware and virus free. Thanks for visiting and be sure to bookmark this page to come back often and add to your knowledge on safe use of a computer and the internet.

Technorati Tags: computers, technology, brevard county, florida, pc support