Author Archives: Nerds Care

Rent-A-Nerd has always been active in the community and has a history of generosity toward numerous non-profit organizations. We have now stepped up our commitment to the community and invite our customers to participate in our current program. We are collecting towels and sheets for the Jefferson SPCA, which provides adoption and other services for the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter. They are always in need of these items, and the summer months are especially busy with kittens and puppies. Your Nerd will be happy to pick up your donation during his next service visit, or you may drop off your donation at our office Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. at 103 Focis Street.

CityBusiness honors Charlotte Piotrowski as a 2015 Women of the Year

| September 2, 2015

Rent-A-Nerd, Inc. is very pleased that our co-owner and Director of Marketing and Community Outreach has been selected by New Orleans CityBusiness as one of the Women of the Year honorees. Charlotte was selected based on her professional and community achievements. Per CityBusiness: Fifty honorees for the 2015 class of CityBusiness “Women of the Year” have been chosen, and they will be the guests of honor at an event highlighting their professional and community achievements. The 17th annual “Women of the Year” will be recognized at a noon Nov. 12 luncheon at the Hyatt Regency, when an overall Woman of the Year will be announced. A special insert spotlighting all “Women of the Year” honorees will run in the Nov. 27 issue of CityBusiness. SeatingRead Full Article

Two-Factor Authentication: Security for Your Valuable Data

| March 10, 2015

Two-factor authentication is an extra step that one takes when logging in to various sites and programs. It happens after the username and password have been entered. I know what you’re thinking, passwords are difficult enough. However, many times. in order to make it convenient to remember, we use the same password for nearly all websites (which I would never recommend) or we make simple passwords that are easily guessed, i.e. password, password 123. What two-factor authentication does is add an extra layer of security on top of those passwords, no matter how simple or complex they are, in order to further protect your information online. A quick and easy way to describe two-factor authentication is to think of when you call your bank’s customerRead Full Article

Guest Blogger Collecting Items for CASA

| February 4, 2015

Rent-A-Nerd, Inc. is thrilled to have guest blogger and local student, Eleanor, write about her service project; we think you’re going to be very impressed with this young lady.   Hello everyone! My name is Eleanor and I am a freshman at Ursuline Academy, New Orleans. This year for my service hours I am working with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). CASA New Orleans fights for the rights of abused and neglected children. The majority of the children in foster care do not have anything to carry their belongings in when traveling from home to home, so they are forced to use a trash bag instead. To help contribute to CASA and these children, I will be collecting suitcases now through March. Please help whileRead Full Article

Your New Computer: Do Not Get Too Attached

| November 18, 2014

Remember those Maytag commercials where the guy sat there doing nothing because their washing machines worked forever?  Computers aren’t like that.  Computers break.  This can be frustrating, especially considering that computers are changing very quickly.  What was true a decade ago is not always true today in the computer world. You simply can’t get too attached to your new computer, because soon it will be outdated. So how long do computers last and stay relevant these days?  With constant upgrades and advances in technology, including programming, computers become outdated very quickly.  Desktop computers tend to be worth repairing for about five to six years.  After that you should use it until it either dies or becomes so problematic that it’s not worth using anymore. LaptopsRead Full Article

How did I get this computer virus??

| November 5, 2014

“How’d I get this computer virus?” I think the question I get asked more often than any other is “how did that virus get on my computer?”  And most of the time I have to answer that I don’t know.  This is because tracing the source of an infection is often a very time consuming process.  Sometimes it is obvious, but most of the time it isn’t and can easily take me an hour or more to locate the source.  Most people don’t want to spend the money having me search in vain for the chance that I may figure out what caused the exact infection when I can just get rid of them all and be done with it. That being said, there areRead Full Article

The Lowdown on Smartphone Battery Life

| September 24, 2014

The battery in your smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device, is not as terrible as you may think.  Now don’t get me wrong, I too feel like I’m constantly plugging my phone into a charger.  I even keep a portable charger or two with me at all times.  This is in addition to having three chargers at home, one at work, and a car charger.  I constantly wish that smartphone battery life would improve.  Here’s the secret; it is improving.  The problem is that battery life is not improving faster than the phones that are sucking power from them. Computers are doubling in power every two years.  With each upgrade they require more and more power to keep all the apps, websites, music streams, and dataRead Full Article

Kevin Lee’s Lifehacker Blog: Four Methods to Create a Secure Password You’ll Actually Remember

| July 28, 2014

NOTE: This blog originally appeared elsewhere, and was repeated on www.Lifehacker.com.  The Nerds thought our readers would benefit from this information.  It is copied in its entirety below. How do you balance the necessity of highly secure passwords with the utility of easily recalling them all? The only secure password is one that you can’t remember, but there are times when you can’t use a password manager and need to rely on your memory. This post originally appeared on the Buffer blog. It’s a question I mull each and every time a security breach happens. When the Heartbleed vulnerability was discovered last spring, the mandate was for everyone to change all their passwords right away. It’s still on my to-do list. I cringe at the thought ofRead Full Article

Bluetooth Audio Receiver Product Review

| April 24, 2014

Today I’d like to share with you an inexpensive little device I purchased recently. This new toy is a Bluetooth audio receiver.  The function of this little gizmo is to allow streaming audio from any of your Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as smartphones and tablets.  The specific unit that I purchased is a HomeSpot NFC-enabled Bluetooth Audio Receiver for Sound System, and here’s my review. The setup was about as straightforward as can be: Plug the device into an available a/c outlet. Plug the device into an audio receiver, boom box or shelf system that has an auxiliary input (rca plugs or mini-jack) with the provided cable. Pair your Bluetooth device of choice to the Bluetooth audio receiver. That’s about it. Now all of the audioRead Full Article

Help, my computer is infected! Or, Ways to Prevent Your Computer from Being Infected

| March 6, 2014

Wikipedia defines Malware (short for malicious software) as: “software used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems.It can appear in the form of code, scripts, active content, and other software.’Malware’ is a general term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software.” As a Rent A Nerd field technician, hardly a day goes by where I am not called upon to remove all manner of pop-ups, toolbars, fake antivirus programs and ransomware (a class of malware that restricts access to the computer system which it infects, and demands a ransom paid to the creator of the malware in order for the restriction to be removed). The main thing most people want to knowRead Full Article

NerdsCare: We are collecting unopened toiletries for Ozanam Inn.

| December 4, 2013

NerdsCare is Rent-A-Nerd’s way of connecting with the community.  Right now we are collecting unopened toiletries to be donated to Ozanam Inn, which is a New Orleans-area nonprofit that offers shelter, meals and services to men in need as well as various services and support to women and children.  We will gladly pick up your donations during our next service call, or you may drop off donations at our office, which is located at 103 Focis Street, on the corner of Metairie Road.  The shelter is always in need, but most especially during times of extreme weather, so please consider collecting those hotel toiletries and various samples you have stashed around the house.  Every donation counts! NerdsCare: We are collecting unopened toiletries for Ozanam Inn.Read Full Article