Monthly Archives: February 2014

Sleepless in Cyberspace?

| February 27, 2014

For many people, using electronic devices before going to bed has replaced reading a book or magazine.  Whether it is a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or even e-reader, more and more individuals use them in bed right before sleep.  But unlike the yellowish glow of paper illuminated by lamplight, the harsh blue light projected by an LED screen can have the effect of keeping us awake and can even affect the quality of the sleep that we get. I have to admit that I am guilty of doing this pretty often.  I spend all day on computers, phones, and tablets for work, but sometimes it is not until just before bed that I have a chance to read news articles, visit internet forums, check on socialRead Full Article

Meet the Nerds, Part V: Marshall Flaig

| February 25, 2014

In addition to being the Nerd’s recently promoted Service Manager, Marshall–who has been playing drums since 4th grade–is in the band, A Living Soundtrack.  Here’s the band’s link: http://alivingsoundtrack.bandcamp.com. Another cool fact about Marshall is that he grows his hair so that when it’s long enough, he can cut it to donate to Locks of Love, which creates natural-hair wigs for children with cancer.  We’re very impressed!  Here are Marshall’s responses to our “fun facts” questions: Favorite local restaurant:  Jacques Imo’s When asked to choose between Star Wars and Star Trek, Marshall said, “I don’t want to live in a world where I have to choose.” Favorite Mardi Gras Krewe: Endymion Dream vacation location: New Zealand (We didn’t ask if he’s motivated by “The LordRead Full Article

Computer for Donation

| February 24, 2014

We have a desktop computer to donate to an area nonprofit organization! Please send us your suggested agencies. We are also seeking a (gently) used flat screen monitor to pair with this computer, so if you have one to donate, please consider doing so. The computer is a Dell Pentium Dualcore, 2.7 Ghz, 6 GB RAM, with Windows 7 Home Premium and Open Office. It’s ideal for word processing. We want to be sure this goes to a good home! Special thanks to our fabulous client, Avery Fine Perfumery, for donating the computer. It was a breeze for us to clean it out and get it ready for use. Computer for Donation was last modified: February 25th, 2014 by Charlotte Piotrowski

Oh no, I spilled something on my laptop!

| February 20, 2014

So, you’ve spilled something on your laptop. Here are a few steps you can take to prevent further damage: Time is of the essence. It’s very important that you remove all power sources from the laptop immediately without having to go through the proper shutdown procedures. This includes unplugging the AC adapter and removing the battery from the laptop. Also remove any attached peripheral devices (such as your flash drive, printer, wireless mouse receiver, etc.). Turn your laptop upside down to avoid any liquid spilling beneath the keyboard and into the motherboard. Dry off any water residue from the exterior of the laptop. At this point you should take it to us—if possible—so that your laptop may be revived by one of the Nerds. IfRead Full Article

Meet the Nerds Part IV, Tommy Reine

| February 18, 2014

The next Nerd in our series is Tommy, our field services technician.  Tommy has been with Rent-A-Nerd since 2002, and is the one you’re most likely to see if you’re a home user. Favorite local restaurant: The Galley When asked to pick between Star Wars or Star Trek, his response was: Yes (We think that must mean he can’t possibly choose, though we should point out that per the vast amount of debate we read online, Star Wars really is superior to Star Trek.) Favorite Mardi Gras Krewe:  Endymion (Just like our office manager, Cecily, Tommy lives in Mid City.  We think that might play a factor in krewe selection.) Dream vacation location:  Tommy had no response to this question, and we’re not sure whatRead Full Article

Google Chromecast: The Future of Television?

| February 13, 2014

“Find me in the future.  You can live in the past.”  Jonwayne Google Chromecast is a small, inexpensive way to get a number of streaming video services directly to your television. Installation and setup is relatively easy.  First, you connect the Chromecast to any open HDMI port on the television. Then connect the micro-USB cable to the Chromecast and then any open USB port on the television.  Note: I also tested plugging the Chromecast into an open HDMI port on my Onkyo Reciever, which also worked great! Once connected and powered on, switch the television input to whatever HDMI port the Chromecast is plugged in to, and then connect Chromecast to your wireless network. Then open your Google Chrome Browser and install the Chromecast ExtensionRead Full Article

Meet the Nerds, Part III: Cecily

| February 11, 2014

We’re excited to introduce the office’s original Nerdette, Cecily Coats, our fabulous office manager.  Cecily and owner, Darrin, have been friends for years; and we appreciate her combination of quirky humor and professionalism.  Here are her responses to our “fun facts” questions: What’s your favorite local restaurant:  Mimi’s—the lamb chops are the best! When asked to choose between Star Wars or Star Trek: Cecily chose neither, which makes us all a little sad. Favorite Mardi Gras Krewe:  We weren’t surprised this Mid-City girl picked Endymion as her favorite krewe.  At least she has parking! Dream vacation location: Bora Bora PlayStation or XBox:  Again, Cecily chose neither.  (We kind of think Cecily isn’t a nerd.) Favorite game:  Jenga (Well, maybe she is a nerd after all.)Read Full Article

Meet the Nerds, Part II: Nick

| February 4, 2014

Next in our Meet the Nerds series, we’ve asked Nick Lauve, Network Specialist, our “fun facts” questions; and here are his responses: What’s your Favorite local restaurant:  GW Fins  (We have to agree; this is a great choice!  www.gwfins.com) Star Wars or Star Trek:  Star Wars, though the original Star Trek w/ Shatner and Nimoy is a VERY close second place. What’s your favorite Mardi Gras Krewe:  Endymion What’s your dream vacation location:  Grand Isle (We happen to know that Nick loves the outdoors and fishing.  In fact, you can read his blog on these subjects and more, at  http://techlauve.com/blog/.) PlayStation or XBox:  Playstation When asked his favorite game, he couldn’t pick just one:  Relatively Current: Red Dead Redemption.  All time:  Super Mario World AndroidRead Full Article