Do you have a backup system in place?  If so, have you actually tested the backup and made sure it restores correctly?  Many people have backups, but they never ever tried a failure drill – this includes a number of small businesses.  Well worth the cost, such drills will truly test what would happen if disaster struck….would you be able to get back on your feet?

Ask yourself this question:

If you are without your computer tomorrow how crippling will it be? 

There are 2 scenarios here: a hardware one and a software one.  Let’s address software first as that’s the bulk of computer problems.  It usually consists of Windows going belly up due to viruses or a bad update.  

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What happens when your G35 Logitech headset which you use to answer the phone is set to voice morphing without you knowing?  A lot of embarrassment when you sound like a chipmunk.  I answer business calls using a Vonage softphone.  One of my clients really had a hard time not laughing.  (What made it worse was that I had at least 5 calls that day and it was the last person that actually talked to at the end of the business day that let me know something was amiss.  I had no idea why so many people were giggling and not taking me seriously).  As you can’t hear yourself when you talk if “preview” voice is set to off to prevent echoes, you need to make sure that your headset microphone settings are set properly.  Better yet, if you are using this headset on a strictly business Windows 7 computer and not a gaming one (like me, but I move my headset to my gaming computer when I do game), then just plug in the headset and install the default drivers from Windows update.  Without the additional control software from Logitech, your headset will have basic microphone, volume, and sound capabilities without have the additional software which could lead to unintentional voice morphs.

I’ve seen many people go green with envy after seeing someone get an iPad during December and have finally come forth to get one for themselves.  The included instructions are menial and certainly the iPad is intuitive so people can figure out how to use it easily.  Nonetheless, it’s always easier to have a guide with some some tips and tricks to put you on the fast track!  Check out the Getting Started with the iPad Guide from JAMM’s founder Patrick Jordan on Just Another iPad Blog.  It’s an excellent read.

Today, while researching some information for a client who needed a way to link his Mobile Me iDisk to Windows, I came upon this little gem which I also later found on the Apple Support site.   Before coming to this page, I had found Apple’s iDisk utility for Windows XP to not work with Windows 7.  The first part will allow you to have a drive letter assigned to your iDisk (example i: in Computer).  The second part, comes from a forum post on Apple Discussions which will allow you to keep information synchronized with the iDisk that is now linked to your computer.  Read past to jump to find out more!

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I’ve been following this story for a couple of days with a very confused look on my face.  When I first heard of it, I was almost convinced that it was a mistake. When I realized it wasn’t, I was certain that there was some kind of misunderstanding that would be worked out between the involved parties over the "next few days," and everything would get worked out.

Seems like I’m wrong; and that really just ticks me off.

I consider Scott Jordan to be a close, personal friend.  He’s a small business owner (plus!), he’s an entrepreneur (plus!), his products are awesome and his business is really starting to take off (plus-PLUS!!). I really love to see small businesses like that succeed as its people like Scott that make America not only great, but make it work.  Without people like Scott, and business like ScotteVest, the country and its economy would be in a WORLD of hurt.

I also LOVE gadgets and anything to do with them.  To say that I love gadget enabled clothing is an understatement.  In truth, its stuff like this that curls my toes. I see the new products he has planned and I have a difficult time keeping the drool off of my computer keyboard.

So, what’s the issue? Very simple:

$768M dollars in baggage fees.

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