Thinking about adding wireless capabilities to your home or business? Wireless networking, also called WiFi or 802.11 networking, has a lot of advantages, is easy and inexpensive to set up. Recently, we added a Linksys WAP54G Wireless G Access Point at VERITAS Wine Room on Henderson Avenue in Dallas, TX. To access the Wi-Fi services you’ll need a Wi-Fi enabled device, such as a laptop or PDA and you’ll need to get the WEP key from Brooks, Bradley, Eddie or Fernando. Enjoy VERITAS’ old world, rustic decor while sitting by the fire enjoying a nice glass of Pinot, and surfing the web.
2006 Anthill Farms Tina Marie Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Stephen Tanzer’s: “92 Points. Bright red. Vibrant, highly expressive nose offers spicy strawberry, raspberry and baking spices. Zesty and sharply focused, with medium weight and intense, pure red fruit flavors. Fine-grained tannins provide shape and extend through the long, sappy finish. An impressively fresh, elegant pinot with admirable balance and purity.”
One of the most common questions we are asked when consulting with small business owners is, “Do I need a new server?” Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (SBS) is one of the most widely installed small business software platforms. MarkCharles Group is certified to install, configure and perform maintenance on Windows SBS and, has many years of experience doing so for our small business customers. But the times may be changing, more and more small businesses are evaluating SaaS (software as a service) and cloud computing options. Organizations of all sizes are now looking to SaaS to reduce the cost of deploying and managing Web and email services across their headquarters, branch offices, and mobile workforce. Advances in cloud computing and the increased capacity and functionality of cloud-based services have led to a significant increase in the adoption rate for SaaS.
Recently, we were hired by a new customer to migrate their Windows Small Business Server 2003, including their email server and accounting application server, from their distribution office located in Irving, TX , to cloud servers at Hosting.com.
The margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with triple sec and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States. The drink is usually served shaken with ice, on the rocks, blended with ice (frozen margarita) or without ice (straight up). The frozen margarita was invented in 1971 by Mariano Martinez in his Dallas, TX Mexican restaurant Mariano’s Mexican Cuisine.
The primary goal of Green IT is to impact your “triple bottom line”, that is your economic, social and environmental impact on your business, people and the planet. Success is measured not only by your bottom line, but the impact your business actions have on people and the planet.
At MarkCharles Group, our mission is to be the premier On-Site Computer, Server, Printer and Network Specialists in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. We specialize in helping our customers get the most from their Small Business Technology Systems. Our environmental policy is two-fold. We lead by example by reducing our own environmental impact through continually improved performance and we strive to be an informative Green IT resource for our customers.
Green IT is not only good for the environment; it’s good for business. Companies worldwide are realizing that implementing even simple energy saving practices can save thousands, often millions of dollars each year.
Subsequent to a recent deployment of Google Apps for an Irving, TX customer, we made an on-site service call to configure Google Sync on a new Blackberry. Sitting on this customer’s desk we noticed an Anthora cup, which brought back fond memories of sipping coffee while riding the subway into Manhattan for an early morning run through The City.
Google Apps is a service from Google for using yourdomain with several Google products which are Web applications with similar functionality to traditional office suites, including: Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Groups, Talk, Sites, Video and Mobile device sync. At MarkCharles Group, we specialize in providing professional services including Google Apps setup, provisioning, data migration, remote service administration, and more.
The Anthora is a paper coffee cup design that has become iconic of New York City daily life. The cup was originally designed by Leslie Buck of the Sherri Cup Co. in 1963, to appeal to Greek-owned coffee shops in New York City. The Anthora depicts an image of an Ancient Greek amphora, a meander design on the top and bottom rim, and the words “WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU” in a font that resembles ancient Greek writing. The blue and white colors were inspired by the flag of Greece. The cup subsequently became the metropolitan area’s definitive coffee-to-go cup.
Yesterday, we had a lawyer client contact us about using his laptop to connect to the office network we setup for him on an upcoming trip to Italy. His objective was to be able to do tourist type things with family while being able to connect to the Internet from any available WiFi hotspots. His initial question was, “Is there anything special I should know to use my laptop in Italy?” We did some basic research and found several helpful resources. At eHow.com we found, How to Use Your Laptop in Italy. This article was procedural and provided a great deal of useful information. Next we directed our lawyer client to Wi-Fi HotSpotList.com where we found a whopping 245 hotspots listed, who knew. When you click on each of the listed hotspots you are able to not only get the name, address and a map for most but the wireless protocol and the carrier. Finally, because our lawyer client is also an iPhone user, we directed him to the iTunes store to download the app Free Wi-Fi Finder by JiWire Inc. This app resources free WiFi hotspot worldwide. Buon viaggio! Have a caffè corretto for us.
Caffè corretto is literally “corrected coffee.” The drink is a mixture of grappa and espresso, sometimes with sugar, though the sweetened version is usually drunk in the morning. In Italy there are variations on the caffè corretto such as sipping a few drops of grappa just after a sweetened espresso-ammazza caffè-or adding a bit of grappa to the last little bit of espresso left at the bottom of the cup-resentin.
The other day we got a call from a Home Office customer, and seasoned googler, stating; “When I do a Google search, the search results/links appear but, when I click on the link I want, I’m redirected to a totally different site. When I use the ‘Go back one page’ arrow to return to the Google results, I’m taken to another totally different site that I did not want. If I keep clicking the arrow, I’m taken to all different sites. Someone mentioned malware. I’ve heard the term, but I’m not sure what it means. So, in plain English please (lol), what are the possible problems/solutions here?” We dispatched a certified computer service technician that same day to their apartment located in the Uptown area of Dallas, TX.
Malware, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. The term ‘computer virus’ is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, spyware, including true viruses.
We were greeted at the front door by our customer, who led us through a spacious kitchen area where a young woman, sitting on the floor in front of the stove offered, “Can you please help us? I’m making Spaghetti Bolognese for our dinner co-op tonight and he’s stressing me out, Big Time!”
After several minutes of work, we completely cleaned and cleared the infected computer of all malware, spyware, viruses and malicious programs. We also found that the antivirus program loaded on the computer was out of date, leaving the system mostly unprotected. Next we directed our customer to toptenreviews.com to read ‘2010 Anti-Spyware Software Review Product Comparisons‘. After some consultation, CounterSpy 3, published by Sunbelt Software, and sells for $19.95, was selected. This program was downloaded here.
On our way out we walked back through the kitchen area where the cook, now standing and stress free, was putting the freshly made Spaghetti Bolognese in Tupperware, to be delivered to a lucky dinner co-op member. A dinner co-op is simply an agreement by two or more individuals or households to provide prepared meals for each other, according to a schedule. The goal is to reduce the time spent in the kitchen while increasing the quality and variety of the food eaten.
It works like this: Once a week, you cook a dish, making enough to provide at least one serving for each member of the co-op and, around the same time, your fellow co-op members are cooking large batches of their chosen dishes. After setting aside a dinner for your household, you divide and package the rest, usually in reusable containers, and label them with reheating or assembly instructions. Members then gather and swap dishes, each walking away with a variety of meals for the coming week’s dinners and, often, leftovers for extra meals and lunches.
Recently we had a meeting with a prospective customer to discuss a new server for their small business. One of our Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers performed a technology survey of their current computing environment. Our goal here was to provide a comprehensive and comparative technology analysis. While this survey was taking place, the conversation turned to a recent trip our prospective customer made to South Padre Island, TX, which included a stop at Sea Turtle Inc. –more about this later.
A follow up meeting was held where we made several suggestions including upgrading to a new Dell PowerEdge T410 server with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 as the operating system. As a Dell Registered Partner, we were able to pass along a sizable savings to our new customer. Next, we presented an implementation schedule that included an estimate of hours required to complete each task. Now our technology team of Microsoft Certified System Engineers will get to work installing and configuring their new technology upgrades and make sure everything works to their satisfaction.
Subsequent to installation, our support services are designed to give you professional, dependable, and experienced support. As your system grows and evolves, we will be there to help you manage every change successfully.
Our new customer told us of discovering Sea Turtle, Inc., which was founded in 1977 by Ila Fox Loetscher, better known as “The Turtle Lady” of South Padre Island, TX. As she explained, the mission of Sea Turtle, Inc. is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured sea turtles, educate the public, and assist with conservation efforts for all marine turtle species. Additionally, she told us that her family had adopted a hatchling!
An On-Site Printer Repair service call was scheduled for a small family run motel in Irving, TX. Our printer repair technician reported to the motel office at approximately 11:30 a.m. Adjacent to the office was the kitchen where a wonderful aroma was coming from a strange looking burgundy colored clay pot on the stove. The office manager said with a smile “this is a tagine and we are having tagine of chicken for lunch today”. She walked into the office further explaining that when she tried to print to the HP multifunction printer she noticed prints contain white spots and horizontal lines. Our technician immediately suspected, and what proved to be the case, that this printer had not been used regularly. The solution was to use the “Clean the Print Head Option” for the printer, and you can refer to the printer’s manual for using this feature or watch the video below.
Multifunction Printers (also known as MFP’s and all-in-one printers) are the most common technology for home-office and small business printing. The most commonly used MFP technology is of the Inkjet type, where images are formed by spreading tiny droplets of ink on the papers. The following tips will help you to get the best performance from your Inkjet printer. Before using the printer, run the basic test page. With the test page, you will be able to diagnose and troubleshoot many common problems. Keep your printer clean from dust particles, debris and paper snips. Use compress air and tweezers to clear the printer from inside. If you are facing connectivity and other performance related issues, you may need to download the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website. It will resolve many common issues. Reset your printer by turning it off for 1-2 minutes as it will resolve many basic issues.
A Tagine pot is a cooking vessel commonly used in North African countries like Morocco and Algeria. It consists of two pieces – a plate like bottom and a conical shaped lid. The bottom doubles as a serving dish, which comes in handy for nomads. Heat is retained for hours in a tagine, which can be used on the stovetop in modern kitchens. Cooking with a tagine is unique and produces food that is rich in flavor. Tagines are slow-cooked stews braised at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce.
About 8:30 a.m. on a recent morning, we received a call from a new home network customer stating, “What does it mean when my laptop says Operating System not found?” We spent some time going through the various procedures ruling-out any possible USB or discs devices plugged in, or HDD connection problems. At that point we heard a voice coming from the background of our conversation, “Mom, I told you, you’re toast!” Returning to the conversation, our new customer asked us, what does ‘you’re toast’ mean? Well, we stated, more than likely your HDD is no longer working and you’ll need another one, as well as a disc to reinstall the OS. Further conversation revealed that there was no data backup software and procedure in place; unfortunate.
We dispatched a certified computer service technician that same day and, after a new HDD was installed and the OS restored, we directed our new customer to toptenreviews.com to read the article, Which Backup Solution is Best for You?, then to read the article, Data Backup Software Review. After some consultation, DT Utilities PC Backup 11 was chosen then, purchased for $49.99 and downloaded at dtransfer.com. We installed this software and created a data backup plan on this home network, both locally and online. Computers are prone to failure as much as any other type of electronics, and data loss can be devastating –pain perdu!
According to the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, where the phrase “French toast” first appeared in print in 1871, French toast does have its origins in France, where it is known as “pain perdu” (lost bread). French toast is believed to have been created by medieval European cooks who needed to use every bit of food they could find to feed their families. They knew day-old bread could be revived when moistened and heated. They also added eggs for additional moisture and protein. Medieval recipes for French toast suggest this meal was enjoyed by the wealthy. These recipes used white bread (the very finest, most expensive bread available at the time) with the crusts cut off—something a person of meager means would be unlikely to do. Recipes for French toast can also be traced to Ancient Roman times. One of the original French names for this dish is le pain á la Romaine, or Roman bread. Apicius, Roman culinary expert born 25 B.C., wrote: “Another sweet dish: Break fine white bread, crust removed, into rather large pieces which soak in milk [and beaten eggs]. Fry in oil, cover with honey and serve.” Reference: Apicius Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome, edited and translated by Joseph Dommers Vehling, recipe 296.
Thinking about adding wireless capabilities to your home or business? Wireless networking, also called WiFi or 802.11 networking, has a lot of advantages, is easy and inexpensive to set up. Recently, we added a Linksys WAP54G Wireless G Access Point at VERITAS Wine Room on Henderson Avenue in Dallas, TX. To access the Wi-Fi services you’ll need a Wi-Fi enabled device, such as a laptop or PDA and you’ll need to get the WEP key from Brooks, Bradley, Eddie or Fernando. Enjoy VERITAS’ old world, rustic decor while sitting by the fire enjoying a nice glass of Pinot, and surfing the web.
