In Canada, it would seem online rental services are not damaging local video stores; likely because several companies have created their own internet-based rental systems in recognition of the demand.

“We’re not noticing that big of decrease in customers. It’s not affecting business,” said Matthew Miller, an associate at Movie Gallery.

In the United States, though, there are more competitors in the online TV and movie rental business, and traditional rental companies are feeling the effect. So much so that some journalists are predicting the fall of rental-giant Blockbuster.

“For Blockbuster, there is currently no prospect for growth. Not only is it incapable of breaking the Netflix shell, the brick-and-mortar stores are failing, and there is little chance it will be able to capitalize on the future of movie rentals—downloading,” says Don Reisinger of CNET’s News.com.

Some people don’t seem as willing to stop renting movies the old fashioned way, but online rentals are becoming more popular with those who have the hardware to take advantage of them.

“Downloading movies today requires a certain degree of tech savvy-ness and the appropriate hardware in your house–which may or may not be connected to your television set. So, there’s something to be said for going down to the store for an impulse rental,” said Gordon Haff, a writer for News.com

With Netflix, there are no late fees. Customers pay a flat monthly fee, and movies are mailed to them one at a time, and mailed back when customers are done with them. Zip.ca is the Canadian alternative, and works much the same way. Each service allows consumers to rent more than one DVD at a time, at an increased price.

Netflix recently introduced streaming TV shows and movies to your computer or TV, given you have a high-speed connection and capable equipment. Zip.ca doesn’t seem to offer this service yet.

Originally posted 2008-11-21 17:03:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Kevin Mertz, service technician at Saturn of Lethbridge

When you go to buy a car, some of the things you want to know are how good the gas mileage is with the cost of fuel, how well it handles, and the safety features included if you ever get into an accident.

All of those features are controlled by technology, and nowadays, mechanics need to be as savvy with computers as they are under the hood.

“You also have to know how the electronics work together with the mechanical parts. You have to find out if it’s an electronic problem before you can determine if it’s a mechanical fault,” says Kurtis Ruston, a Toyota certified master hybrid technician.

Many of the systems built into vehicles have made driving much safer and more reliable, and according to one mechanic, we’re safer on the roads because of it.

“There’s no question that electronics have vastly improved the safety of cars. With the monitoring of seatbelt systems, with the advent of crash sensors, the car can automatically sent a signal to the authorities to send help. The pros outweigh the cons, “ says Murray Charles, service manager at Saturn of Lethbridge.

Mechanics are doing just as much hands-on work as ever, but now with the aide of computers, they can find out what the exact problem is faster and more reliably.

“They’re dealing with as much hands-on as they ever did, but [now] with electronic assistance. All of the work we do [is] connected to [scanning tools]. [This makes diagnosis] more accurate. The better we can diagnose the car, the more effective we can repair the cars,” says Charles.

A great deal of the technology built into vehicles these days is required by law, and it makes driving safer.

“All vehicles these days are required to have electronics and safety devices on board, for passenger safety of course. [There are] technologies involved there, [so] there typically can be high costs involved,” said Charles.

According to Ruston, finding a mechanic isn’t hard, but it seems the bigger issue is keeping mechanics, since those without passion for the job move on quickly.

“The government is helping people out with grants and tax breaks on the tools you buy, where when I was apprenticing, we didn’t have any of that. They’re slowly catching up, helping you get into this trade,” said Ruston.

Like in any other trade or job, finding people isn’t hard, but finding people with a passion for the work and with the skills necessary is difficult.

“It’s not hard to get people to work in the trade, it’s hard to find quality people,” stated Ruston.

Another benefit of computerized components is that they don’t wear out nearly as fast as their mechanical counterparts, making the car last longer.

“You get a lot more life out a car then you would 15-20 years ago because there’s a lot less maintenance costs, stuff doesn’t wear out now like it did 15 years go.”

Originally posted 2008-10-31 04:13:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The most popular smart phone is Apple’s iPhone, originally released in 2006, and recently upgraded last June. Although expensive, at $199, the main issue consumers have is the price of the data plans that must be purchased to surf the net, or download files.

Rogers was the first to introduce the iPhone to Canada, but in the first month of its release, consumers made it clear that the data plans weren’t affordable, and the pressure forced Rogers to reduce its prices. To find out more, visit http://tinyurl.com/cbcrogers or http://tinyurl.com/canadaiphone.

Another issue with the iPhone is that Rogers forces buyers into a three-year contract in order to get one, though that is becoming more common with most carriers, according to many students.
Few students using iPhones, Blackberrys or Windows Mobile phones due to the cost, but they’re out there, and consumers seem to like them.

“When people ask to see my iPhone, I actually warn them that if they are not willing to spend the money, they should not look at it. They’re just so easy to use,” said Dwayne Harapnuik, manager of educational technology at the college.

Many college employees are using Blackberrys and iPhones to communicate, store their contacts information and email.

“The Blackberry is the smart phone of choice currently,” said Harapnuik. “With the release of the iPhone, we are starting to see more requests for it.”

The biggest benefit of smart phones is that they bundle the features of many devices into just one. Instead of carrying an mp3 player for music, a laptop for the web, and a PDA for GPS, smart phones consolidate it all into one device.

Another benefit to smart phones is that they can use Wi-Fi (public wireless internet access) networks, which means customers can avoid paying steep data charges to a cell phone provider, according to Harapnuik.

There are many options for consumers who want a smart phone, The iPhone is just one choice. Others are the Blackberry Bold, the Samsung Instinct, and the just-released T-Mobile G1, which has the Google phone operating system.

Before you get a smart phone, do some research, find out which phone is best for you. There’s no point paying for a phone with features you’ll never use.

To see this story or my column, visit www.lethbridgecollege.ab.ca/endeavour/ or www.thedigitaldistraction.com.

Originally posted 2008-10-09 17:27:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Limited time has forced a lot of us to be very selective of the TV shows we do watch. The solution seems to be catching up on missed episodes via websites such as YouTube, and by other ways using the internet, allowing us to choose when we watch, instead of TV schedules dictating that for us.

That’s not to say TV will be going away anytime soon. The internet simply gives people additional options in terms of how they watch programming. When viewers have the opportunity to watch good ‘ol TV, they do.

“My first resource is TV. If I can’t, I watch it online. I don’t download, I watch it streaming,” says Jason Bass, a student at Lethbridge College.

Jason brings up a very good point. People are doing what they can to watch content legally. Some websites that stream programming to viewers are more legitimate than others, but viewers who want to watch U.S. programming, but can’t, are doing what they can to watch the content without getting themselves in legal hot water.

Many students are hoping that the major networks in the United States will soon start allowing residents in Canada the ability to watch and download their shows, and the idea of having control over how they watch that content and when is a very powerful motivator.

“If I could, I would watch it online or download it at my convenience,” says a very enthusiastic Chelsi Brisebois, a General Studies student at Lethbridge College.

TV stations in the U.S. and Canada are recognizing the changing television landscape and are offering their content online after their shows originally air for people to watch at their convenience, albeit with a 30-second ad before the show starts. All major Canadian broadcasters are included in this movement.

Many issues plague the possibility of watching U.S.-based content, including copyright issues, copy protection, and legal roadblocks, Many websites, including NBC and CBS, which are based in the United States, don’t stream or allow access to downloads of their programming across the border, forcing many to get that same content by other means.

An increasing number of TV shows and movies are available through alternative services, such as the iTunes Store, offered by Apple Inc, which allows those who have chosen to download content alternative legal ways of doing so.

Originally posted 2009-01-26 18:17:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Facebook is one of the most popular websites in the world, with more than 150 million active users. The site quickly introduced a new “Bill of Rights”, and is allowing the site’s users to comment and vote on the new wording of the Terms of Service.

As CNN noted, Facebook, and we quote, “granted itself permanent rights to users’ photos, wall posts and other information, even after a user closed an account.”

Thousands of angry users either cancelled their accounts in protest.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quick to point out that users reminded the company that they feel a real sense of ownership over Facebook itself, and just the information that they share over the site.

Facebook was quick to clarify their position, which eased a lot of minds. Here is an excerpt from that statement:

“We are not claiming and have never claimed ownership of material that users upload. The new Terms were clarified to be more consistent with the behavior of the site. That is, if you send a message to another user (or post to their wall, etc…), that content might not be removed by Facebook if you delete your account (but can be deleted by your friend).

The note goes on to say that any limitations that a user puts on display of the uploaded content are respected by Facebook.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has also posted a more philosophical response on the Facebook blog saying that while the new Terms of Service were “overly formal”, and that the company is encouraging user input for a new Terms of Service. In essence, they admit as new features are introduced, mistakes will be made, because companies like Facebook are new.

“Rather than simply reissue a new Terms of Use, the changes we’re announcing today are designed to open up Facebook so that users can participate meaningfully in our policies and our future,” said Zuckerberg, referring to how the company is now accepting input into a new Terms of Use.

In 2006, Facebook launched the News Feed, which is a key part of the Facebook site now, but it caused a great deal of uproar when it was introduced, since users can see what a friend’s friends are up to. Users came to accept the feature, though.

Many websites use user information for marketing purposes, including Facebook. For example, if you make it known to the site that you’re single, you will see a lot of singles ads. Websites across the internet use such methods.

A golden rule of thumb seems to be that people shouldn’t post anything to the internet that they want kept private or that could embarrass them, including pictures, video, and personal information. Sites like Facebook make it a lot harder for just anybody to find your information, but for sites like MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter, anyone can access it.

It’s important for users of sites and companies like Facebook to continue to make it known what they feel is acceptable for a Terms of Service. This will remind companies not to get power hungry, and that, overall, the success of such sites solely depends on how they treat their users and customers, and their content.

Originally posted 2009-03-02 01:33:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Most of us use Microsoft Office, but there is a free office suite you can freely download and use at no cost to you, called Open Office. It is developed for the most part by volunteers who goal is to create a strong and free competitor to Microsoft Office. It is completely compatible and it uses up less memory.

On a Windows machine, anti-virus software is a must. Norton or McAfee are options, but they’re bloated and not as effective as they used to be. AVG Free Edition, Avast Home Edition, or BitDefender are free, and won’t slow your system down. Don’t use more then one anti-virus at a time, though.

Most of us have heard of Ad-Aware and Spybot, but a great, and more thorough anti-spyware program is Spyware Terminator. Most anti-virus solutions contain equally effective spyware detection, but it never hurts to have a second opinion.

I use Adobe Photoshop often in college. It’s very popular, but very expensive. If your tasks only require simple image editing and don’t need anything elaborate, get Picasa, Gimp, or Inkscape to do many of the same things.

WinZip or WinRAR seem to be the most common programs to extract and create compressed files. Zipeg or 7-Zip handle all of the most common file formats, and will accomplish the same tasks.

There’s no need to buy programs that will “clean” your system. There are free applications that will do the exact same thing. One is IE Privacy Keeper. Another is Ccleaner (crap cleaner).

With all of the files on hard drives, it’s important to keep everything organized so your computer does slow down while it’s looking for particular files. Windows does come with a defragmentation program, but IObit Smart Defrag has more options and does a better job, for free.

Instead of sifting through the start menu looking for the program you want every time, use Launchy. Type alt+space, and type the first few letters of the program you want and press enter, and it opens. It’s very similar to a feature built into Mac OS X called ‘Spotlight’.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my columns this semester, and I look forward to writing more of them next semester. For links to all of the programs, please visit my website at www.thedigitaldistraction.com.

Originally posted 2008-12-04 19:16:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

My landlord came to me with his wife’s laptop, which is running Windows Vista. She bought it a few months ago and was just getting around to really using it. Trouble is, she forgot what her password was, and was unable to access her Windows profile, and her data.

I remember attempting to reset or remove the Windows password in 2000 and XP, but didn’t succeed and ended up having to format and reinstall Windows just so I could use it again. I did not want to put my landlord through that.

After two hours worth of research, I ran into a few paid-for (shareware) programs, a couple of which were command-line based (DOS). They didn’t work, at least not for me. Windows still asked for a password. Two of them were GUI, so they just have a few checkboxes, and click ‘next’ a few times, then reboot.

The program I found to work, and easily reset the Windows password. It’s called PC Login Now. It’s open-source, so it’s free.

You simply download the ISO file, and use a program such as CD Burner XP Pro to burn the file contained in the ISO to a CD or DVD and it’s bootable, and is able to reset and remove the passwords of Windows accounts.

It’s a tool that’s a must in my computer repair arsenal, and I suggest any computer user do the same.

Originally posted 2009-07-07 00:34:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

It’s important to note that just buying a Blu-Ray player doesn’t give you the high-quality picture and sound, you need a TV that supports it, and audio equipment if you want the best sound.

“You need a TV with 1080p. [If you don’t have one], you won’t notice the difference. If you’re a stickler for sound, you can buy the speakers,” says Rob Horlacher, a supervisor at the southside Blockbuster video store in Lethbridge.

Those who want the full experience can talk to an expert at Future Shop or other electronics store to ensure they purchase the proper speaker setup.

Many argue that DVDs work just fine, and have a hard time justifying the purchase of a Blu-Ray player or the discs.

“I just get the regular DVDs, [they] work just fine, [and] I don’t have the player,” said Charlotte Etches, a student at Lethbridge College.

Blu-Ray players are not cheap, as those who choose to pay for them can look to hand over $200 or more. The good news is they do play regular DVDs as well. The bad news is consumers can’t enjoy the full experience without having a decent home theatre setup to enjoy the advanced technology.

It seems age might have something to do with whether people choose to invest in Blu-Ray movies or not.

“It depends on the age bracket. [Those between] 30 and 50 are more inclined to rent Blu-Ray movies. After 50, people don’t really care,” says Rob Horlacher, a supervisor at the southside Blockbuster video store in Lethbridge.

Horlacher also points out the obvious in saying poor college students aren’t likely to spend the money on Blu-Ray, and will likely stick with DVDs, since it’s ‘good enough’, which we confirmed after asking a few students on the Lethbridge College campus.

“I walk right by the Blu-Ray [discs] to the DVDs, because I don’t have the desire, nor the money,” said Chris Smith, a student at the college.

One argument that can be made is that just because the industry is moving forward with new formats and technology, that doesn’t mean all consumers are ready, or willing, to abandon what they have for the latest and greatest thing.

“I’m used to DVDs. I’m not really into the new technology. [I have] no desire to get [a Blu-Ray player],” says Hanna Graves, a college student in the Child and Youth Care program.

Another valid point is that consumers are often weary of how long a new technology will be around, since things in the industry move so quickly.

“[Some people] wait until [new technology] is around for a while; make sure it’s not just some trend,” says Stephanie Rush, a nursing student at the college. “If I had the money, I still don’t care about [high definition]. Eventually, everyone will have [it]; it’s not a necessity, you get it because everyone has it.”

Originally posted 2009-01-26 18:11:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I was listening to the latest Windows Weekly podcast over the weekend, and they started talking about how expensive software is, and some possible solutions to the problem.  While I can see the problems subscription software can have, I hate the idea of paying hundreds of dollars for Windows of Microsoft Office.

Software that lasts for 30-90 days trials are no good. The problem is the average computer user realizes it’s a trial version at first, but by the time 90 days hits, they forget and the security software stops working, leaving their computers vulnerable to threats. I think trying software out before you buy it is a fantastic idea, and allows people to get a feel for it and see if they want to continue using it, but 90 days is far too long. Either way, companies like Symantec and McAfee need to make it much more obvious when the software stops working. To their credit, I do like their annual subscription fee after the first year.

No one likes paying hundreds of dollars for Microsoft Office or Windows. Leo Laporte (@leolaporte) and Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) suggested charge a yearly subscription fee instead, say $49. I’m not sure how that would work on multiple licenses, but it’s certainly a much more economical pricing point. Apple isn’t using subscription pricing for Snow Leopard, which comes out later this year, but they’re only charging $29 to upgrade from the Leopard operating system.

Just a thought. Hopefully more people and companies start thinking this way.

Originally posted 2009-07-07 00:36:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Sadly, no user manual comes with computers, only useless little booklets and pamphlets that bore you with warranty details and support information. We must learn for ourselves how to make our time spent on computers more efficient, and more user-friendly.

First, when you’re surfing the internet, sometimes you may want to zoom into a YouTube video, or maybe some text that you’re finding a little hard to read. In recent versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer. To do this, press the left “CTRL” and the “+” next the backspace key to zoom into the area where your mouse is hovering. Use “CTRL and “-“ to zoom back out.

We all hate the tedious task of sifting through the start menu to find a program. In Windows Vista, simply type the Windows logo key on your keyboard, and start typing the first few letters of the name of the program. It should show up in a list. You can use your mouse to click it, or use your arrow keys and press the “enter” key.

If you use a program on a daily basis, you can assign a key on your keyboard to open it quickly. Use the last tip to find the program in the Start Menu, then right-click the program and choose “properties”, then in the field next to “shortcut key”, press a key you won’t use for anything else. In my case, I chose F9 to open Editpad Lite, and F4 for Paint.

In Windows Vista, you can avoid the painstaking task of renaming a group of files individually. Click on the first item, then hold down the left “shift” key and left-click only once on the last file in the group. Then press F2 to name the first file, and Vista will rename the rest in numerical order.

Also in Windows Vista, you can get a real-time preview of each of your open windows or programs by pressing the “Windows Key” and tapping the “tab” key. This is useful for quickly switching between a few open programs and saves the extra mouse clicks.
In the early years of the internet, in Internet Explorer, we had to type the http:// and “www” before the actual website address. Now, you can avoid that altogether, and just type the address, such as “CNN.com” (without the quotes).

A great deal of students and residents have laptops these days, and most people use Google to search the internet. There is an add-on for the Firefox web browser that will highlight the Google search results and let you scroll through the results with your keyboard’s arrow keys. Once you’ve found the result you want, press enter to go to that site.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my columns and stories this year as much as I’ve truly enjoyed writing them. You can continue to find my work on my website at http://kevins-stories.ca, and I hope you’ll even leave a comment or two.

Originally posted 2009-03-17 01:43:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter