Bigwoofs Technology

Hard drive failures

Ryan — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:47:36 +0000

We’ve seen an uptick in hard drive failures recently. It’s important to remember that the weakest link in a computer is often the hard drive. It’s the only constantly moving part (unless you have a solid state drive), and the most fragile.

Please do yourself a favor: spend some money on an external drive, and do regular backups, at least once a week. If you have a Mac running OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or later, it’s as simple as plugging in the drive and letting Time Machine do the backup automatically. The money and effort involved are a far better value than the alternatives should your drive or computer fail!

Kachemacs Mac User Group membership benefit

Ryan — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:28:42 +0000

I’m offering a $20/hour discount on my services to paid members of the Kachemacs Mac User Group. We meet once a month at the office for 2 hours, and cover a range of interesting topics throughout the year. The membership fee is $30/year. Please stop by the office for more information on how to sign up.

Due to the steep discount, some restrictions apply.

The discount only applies to home computers. Businesses wishing to gain a discount will need to contact the group for sponsorship options.
Only Macintosh computers are covered.
Appointments must be made at least a day in advance.

Upcoming events sidebar added

Ryan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:20:32 +0000

I’ve put nice big calendar buttons over on the left sidebar, detailing upcoming events that I will be a part of. If you click on an event, your browser will download an .ics file to import into your calendaring program, and the meeting time and location information will be automatically added.

New Bigwoofs Technology site goes live!

Ryan — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:33:06 +0000

Welcome to my new Tech site! I’m hoping this more dynamic version of my business site will generate more visibility, and give me a place to put my tech-related information. I’m hosting a few how-to posts over on my personal site, and this would be a more appropriate place for them in the future.

I want to use this techblog to host some product reviews, support advice, and other techie stuff. I may soon also branch out into podcasting, which will be new and exciting (for me).

I’m still tweaking the site to look exactly how I want, so please excuse any weirdness you may see.

Tutorials

Ryan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:42:06 +0000

What do you want to do with your computer? I offer instruction on many aspects of computing. I can provide one-on-one tutoring, or I can meet with several people at once and do classroom-style teaching. Some of the topics I can cover are:

Computers

Computer Basics (Macintosh or Windows)
Components of a Computer (what’s inside that box, and what each item does)
Mac OS X Basics (Navigating the file system, saving, setting preferences, customizing, etc.)
Mac OS X Intermediate
Mac OS X Advanced (Command Line Interface, compiling open source software, etc.)

Photography

Photography Basics (framing, aperture, shutter speed, focal lengths, etc.)
Advanced Photography (digtal SLRs, RAW files, etc)
Photo Editing Basics (iPhoto, etc.)
Advanced Photo Editing (Aperture/Lightroom, Photoshop, etc.)

Audio/Video

Videography Basics (Cameras, framing, audio, etc)
Advanced Videography (Lighting, microphones, sequences, etc.)
Video Editing Basics (iMovie/Movie Maker)
Advanced Video Editing (Final Cut Express/Pro)
Audio Recording Basics (Equipment, microphones, formats)
Audio Editing Basics

Internet

Safe Internet Skills
ebay for fun and profit
Social networking
Online advertising

iMac photo credit: Apple, Inc.

Websites

Ryan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:35:39 +0000

A website is one of the best ways to attract attention, whether you are a business or an individual with something to say. Laptop computers, cell phones, and iPods, combined with the increasingly universal coverage of wireless signals, means near-constant access to the web for many people. It is the first place many use to look up information about a business or a person.

A website that is easy to access and update is as important as having a website, since outdated or incorrect information can be worse than no information at all. You can take charge of updating the site after it goes online, or opt to have me update it for a small fee.

I will build you a website that is both modern, and simple to maintain. I mainly use WordPress, an open source content management system that can be adapted to just about any purpose.

WordPress features a simple, yet powerful system for editing your site and adding images, movies, etc. with minimal hassle.

Web Services

Website planning (what do you need your site to do?)
Domain name selection and purchasing
Finding reliable hosting services
Photography
Website design and creation
Usability testing
Update training

Photo/Slide/Negative Scanning

Ryan — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:03:47 +0000

Do you have boxes of photographs and slides that have never made it into photo albums? Do you scrapbook, and want to use some of your pictures without damaging the originals?

I can scan your photos, negatives, and slides, and deliver printable digital versions of them back to you. I also have software that can remove spots and redeye, restore correct color to faded or discolored images, and remove dust and scratches from slides. See the examples below.

Spot Removal

Color Restoration

Dust/Scratch Removal

Windows Support

Ryan — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:11:31 +0000

General Support

New purchase recommendations
New computer setup
Troubleshooting and data rescue
Upgrading (hardware and software)
Virus/Spyware/Adware Prevention
Automated backup configuration
Wired or wireless network setup

Advanced Support

Windows/Macintosh integration
Virus/Spyware/Adware removal
Firewall setup
Safe Internet Skills

Business Support

Ryan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:18:18 +0000

As technology increasingly becomes an integral component of modern businesses, it’s important to have a comprehensive plan for your use of it. A clear understanding of your business’s use of, and reliance on, technology is an imperative step that is often overlooked.

We offer a range of services for business owners, including: fixing immediate problems, extensive technology planning, and on-site installation and configuration.

Existing Technology Support Services

Windows and Macintosh workstations
Wired and wireless networks
Printers and other peripherals
Information security
Backups
Disaster recovery/business continuity planning

New Technology Planning

System requirements
Budgeting
Purchasing
Installation
Backups
Disaster recovery/business continuity planning

Macintosh Support

Ryan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:10:21 +0000

I have been working with Macs, personally and professionally, for over a decade. I consider myself an expert in almost all aspects of Mac OS X, having configured and supported several thousand Macs in my lifetime.

General Support

New computer setup
Troubleshooting and data rescue
Upgrading (hardware and software)
Automated backup configuration
Wired or wireless network setup

Advanced support

Windows on Macintosh

Virtual Machines (Parallels, VMWare)
Bootcamp

Linux on Macintosh
Mac OS X Server/Client Administration

User/Computer Management
Classroom/Lab Setup
File, Web, Print, Authentication Services
Windows Client/Mac Server Integration

Mac OS X Internet Security

Firewall setup
TCP wrappers
Safe Internet Skills