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Technology catch-all thread


iamshack

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QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Oct 8, 2010 -> 07:40 PM)
There's some service in Orland that does it for around $80 from what I heard. A cousin of mine had the same problem. Honestly though, try the frozen hard drive trick. Everyone tells me it works. Try it for about 12 hours.

 

Hmmm, if you can give me the name of that Orland place I'd appreciate it a lot.

 

The frozen hard drive trick got it going a little bit earlier, but I'm being told I need to format again...so back to the chill box.

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When it rains, it pours.

 

My mom for some reason thought the hard drive needed air...and opened the bag a bit.

 

There was some (not a lot) condensation, but the fact that I had it in a case inside of the bag may have saved it. I get the clicking noise.

 

I'm done with the home-methods. I'll try finding that store in Orland tomorrow.

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Ok, so I need some quick IT advice (within the next 24 hours would be great).

 

As many of you know I work for a church/school. One of our pastors has a serious form of cancer and is going to Arkansas for treatment. He's going to be there for 3-4 months and his family (wife and two daughters) have made the choice to go with him. They dont want to up root their two daughters from school, but dont have much of a choice. So, we're looking at doing a teleconference where each of the kids will have a laptop with them in Arkansas and "teleconference" into their classrooms so they still have some interaction with their classes (they will be partially home schooled in Arkansas)

 

Which free "video chat" software do you think would work best? My first thought is Skype. We also have access to Google Chat (via our Google Apps account). Any other solid, easy to roll out options? They are going to be in a hotel, so bandwidth might be an issue. but if we can at least get audio through, or one way video) that would be great. On our end, I have a T1 line I can dedicate to the teleconference.

 

This is a major time crunch issue, as they told me today they leave Saturday morning and I'd like to have their laptops configured before Friday.

Edited by Athomeboy_2000
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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 12, 2010 -> 02:43 PM)
Our company has used Skype to communicate with people on other continents, seems reliable. They're only using voice, though.

The video part scares me. My worry is that they will have limited bandwidth in the hotel and video will constantly dropout or get laggy.

Edited by Athomeboy_2000
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QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 12, 2010 -> 02:59 PM)
The video part scares me. My worry is that they will have limited bandwidth in the hotel and video will constantly dropout or get laggy.

If bandwidth will be an issue then I don't think you'll find an alternative solution that will work.

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QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 12, 2010 -> 03:15 PM)
If bandwidth will be an issue then I don't think you'll find an alternative solution that will work.

That's my assumption at this point. I didnt know if there was something out there that has some sort of adaptive video quality as bandwidth shrinks.

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QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 12, 2010 -> 03:20 PM)
That's my assumption at this point. I didnt know if there was something out there that has some sort of adaptive video quality as bandwidth shrinks.

Maybe see if there is a local library near them at their new place where they are safe but possibly have a more stable internet connection. You could possibly ask the library to rent (not sure on charges but I'm sure during weekdays they aren't that busy so could be free) the rooms to help the family.

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This appears to have the stamp of an official announcement from the 2 companies and is therefore not a rumor.

Verizon Wireless will begin selling Apple's iPad at its 2,000 retail stores nationwide on Oct. 28, the companies announced Thursday.

 

The move ends AT&T's (T, Fortune 500) exclusive grip as the U.S. wireless carrier for Apple's wildly popular tablet, and potentially sets the stage for a broader partnership between Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) and Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500). The two are widely rumored to be preparing to bring Apple's iPhone to Verizon's network in early 2011.

 

Verizon Wireless will offer three iPad bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a separate Verizon mobile hotspot device. The retail prices range from $630 for a 16 GB iPad to $830 for the 64 GB model.

 

Those prices match the cost of Apple's WiFi + 3G iPads, which come with built-in 3G capabilities running over AT&T's network. Stand-alone, Wi-Fi only iPads -- which Verizon says it will also sell -- begin at $500.

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QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Oct 9, 2010 -> 12:52 AM)
When it rains, it pours.

 

My mom for some reason thought the hard drive needed air...and opened the bag a bit.

 

There was some (not a lot) condensation, but the fact that I had it in a case inside of the bag may have saved it. I get the clicking noise.

 

I'm done with the home-methods. I'll try finding that store in Orland tomorrow.

 

I don't know if you still need it. He didn't give me the name. Just said it's on John Humphrey Dr

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 27, 2010 -> 08:05 AM)
I'd always had great luck with computers, in terms of not ever having any major hardware failures. Then yesterday, I dropped my laptop, and the screen is now toast.

 

I can hook it up to the TV and see the computer itself is fine otherwise, which is a relief. But it doesn't project well on the TV, and I'd be taking up the one TV in the house.

 

So now, I have a debate. I see that they sell replacement screens online - and I found a manual on how to do it. Looks like major surgery. New screen is $80, but a lot of time, and who knows if I'll screw it up. Or, I can buy an external LCD monitor for like $200, and turn my laptop into a desktop. Easy, but I lose portability. Or, since its a 3 year old laptop with s***ty Vista on it, maybe now is the time to just get a new laptop.

 

Anyone every changed out a laptop screen before?

 

My laptop has been a desktop for a year. I was planning on getting a new computer and never got around to it. Now that checking email and stuff is easy on my phone, I feel less and less of a need for a laptop. I may just pick up a new desktop PC

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