Category: Technology

Geek Squad Holiday Support Chat

I had an opportunity to participate in a bold little experiment created by the Geek Squad team this year, in which they asked for volunteers to man an online holiday tech support channel to provide free support for all that new technology received as gifts this year.

Eighteen agents volunteered, including computer support agents such as myself, along with Geek Squad home theater and car audio experts as well.

I participated across all three days, answering as many questions as I could. It was a humbling experience to see just how many people came to us for help and a great feeling when we could make their holiday a little less stressful. It was a strong reminder that even though it’s a job, there’s some real good that you can do when you’re helping someone make their life a little better through technology.

I look forward to the next holiday support event!

A Li’l Guppie for Big Jobs

Li'l Guppie Multi-Tool

I’ve been using the Li’l Guppie Multi-Tool that my sister bought me as a Christmas gift from ThinkGeek all day, and I’ve come away with a lot of respect for the little guy.

While the included tools aren’t really meant to replace your nice, rugged toolset, it’s nice to have a multi-tool device that can hang from your belt like a carabiner for all those quick little fixes you need to do in an on-site technology support job like mine.

Plus, the little fish design makes for a good conversation starter with clients who see me using it. Thanks, Sis!

Apple Abandons Macworld Expo

The tech news sites are all abuzz with news that Steve Jobs will not be making the opening keynote address, along with the announcement that Apple will not be taking part in Macworld Expo after this year.

I understand that companies like Apple, Adobe and Belkin would decide to skip the large amount of money that the average convention costs them in terms of marketing dollars, but at the same time, I have to wonder if it’s possible for companies to be losing out in the long run with these short term savings.

WordPress 2.7 Update Available

While my Macbook downloads and installs it’s updates, I’m spending time on my other system updating the blog here to the recently released WordPress 2.7 update.

While there shouldn’t be much difference from the outside, other than some performance enhancements, the back end looks to have a completely updated interface, which should make bloggers happy. Or angry. Or both.

This may be the motivation to start looking at a new layout for the site, since I’ve used the current design for nearly 5 years.

Mac OS X 10.5.6 and Safari Updates Available

I’ve seen that Apple now has updates for both OS X and Safari available now, so that’s currently what my Macbook is downloading.

Reading through the release notes, there’s the usual “improves performance and reliability” bullet points, though I’ll be interested to see how well their claim that MobileMe will update within a minute of any changes being made pans out.