Tech Guru Speaks

Faster Ways to Access the Internet Using Your Smart Phone

Katatkoin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:29:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru If you have a cell phone, chances are you are part of the growing group of consumers who want to use it to access the internet. Q- “What are my different options for getting on the internet using my smart phone?” ...(read more)

Should You Get a Blackberry?

Katatkoin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:07:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru I’ve received many questions about the brand of smart phone a person should get if they’re looking for a business phone. I have many years of experience with all types of smart phones and here is what I’ve found. Q- “Should I get a Blackberry for my business phone?” Claire B. Portland, OR. Well Claire, here’s the scoop. A lot of people have the Blackberry phones and most seem happy enough, but I think it’s because they don’t know enough about...(read more)

Use the Internet to Never Leave Home Again

Katatkoin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:05:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru Although I recently spoke with Bill Lake who is the FCC head of the DTV switchover, I’m not going to talk about DTV (even though the cutover is in less than two weeks). I believe we’ve all been reminded until we’ve shut our brains down when the topic comes up. I’m also not going to talk this week about the Conficker virus, despite the fact that it has been stealing millions of people’s identities over the past month. It’s been the most successfully...(read more)

Making Money by Publishing Your Own Book on the Internet

Katatkoin — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:01:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru This week I published my first book on the internet, and I didn’t have to get an agent or be rejected by any publishers. Thanks to websites like Amazon.com, you can now make money even in a down economy by publishing your own book. First, I’ll give you a little background. I wrote a short story for my youngest kids when we moved from one part of Beaverton to another a few years ago. Since that was the only house they had known, there was a lot of anxiety over...(read more)

Social Networks Cause Stolen Identities

Katatkoin — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:53:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru Facebook, My Space, and Twitter are all examples of the burgeoning social networking phenomenon that’s happening all across the world. For those of you living under a rock since 2005, I will give a brief history. The rest of you can skip down to the paragraph that says “Free beer.” My Space was the first giant social networking company that briefly became the website with the most hits in the world after beating out Napster (remember them?). For the first...(read more)

The Meter is Running on Your Internet Usage

Katatkoin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:37:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru In the early 1990’s when consumer use of the internet was new and was all done by dial up, we were used to paying for the internet by the hour. I remember some of my bills ran over a hundred dollars a month. Plus, we had to pay for the phone usage as well. Fast forward almost twenty years and we see a different world. Besides phone bills dropping by 80% over what they were back then, we have unlimited and 'always on' internet capability. But a new ugly term...(read more)

Monitor Your Home on the Internet

Devereux — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:49:00 GMT

Monitor Your Home on the Internet By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru Most of you have heard about the Florida woman who had a funny feeling about her home so she logged into her web camera to see it being robbed. Since then, I’ve been asked multiple times if people should do this with their home. I’ll show you several ways people are successfully doing this. You just need to have a high speed internet connection to get started. Q- “Should I have a webcam monitor my home when I’m away? Is it...(read more)

Don’t be Fooled. Conficker is Just Getting Started

Devereux — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:53:00 GMT

Don’t be Fooled. Conficker is Just Getting Started By Robert McMillen- Koin’s Tech Guru Last week, the big hoopla about Conficker (aka Downadup) activating on April 1st was thought to be a dud. Reverse engineering showed that something was going to happen on that day, and some people said the virus was going to activate while others said it may be Y2K all over again. Conficker is no dud, and it’s just gaining momentum while the world media feeding frenzy has just been diverted elsewhere. Read on...(read more)

Watch Out for The April Fool’s Day Virus

Katatkoin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:59:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru It’s coming this week! The Conficker.C (aka Downadup) virus that has been infecting computers worldwide for the past month or so has been lying dormant waiting to attack. The first version came out last year, but most computers eradicated that virus and the B version by updating their computers. Anyone with Windows Updates turned on and installed and patched to the latest level is most likely safe. If you have an antivirus program that’s up to date and working,...(read more)

Netbook Mania. Everyone’s Gotta Have One, But What is it?

Katatkoin — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:16:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru How many times have you been at the airport with your laptop and thought, “I wish this thing wasn’t so big”? Well, cue the Superman music, because almost everything you ever wanted in a tiny laptop has hit the store shelves. Prepare to be underwhelmed! What? What do I mean by that? I ask myself this a lot when I have these conversations with myself. Let’s get to the question of the week and see if I make any sense. And, if I don’t, then I blame it on the cold...(read more)

Use Technology and Never, Ever Get Lost Again

Katatkoin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:12:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen- Koin’s Tech Guru I’m on the airplane taking my family and I back to Portland from Disneyland. This article focuses on using technology that will keep you from ever being embarrassed again by driving up to the gas station to ask for directions, but I need to point out a few truths I’ve discovered from my trip: There is no recession at the House of Mouse. The Disney Hotel was packed even though this was the off season. The rides had waiting times into the next decade. I...(read more)

Should You Jailbreak Your Smartphone?

Katatkoin — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:03:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru I hear a lot about people “jailbreaking” their phone and their reasons why, but even more people don’t exactly understand what it is. Q - “I have an iPhone and my co workers have been telling me I should jailbreak it, but I have no idea if there’s any advantage to it, or if it could cause me trouble. Also, I don’t completely understand what it is but I just nod my head like I understand. So what is it? ...(read more)

Check Your Physical Fitness... Using the Internet?

Katatkoin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:49:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru I think I’m in pretty good shape. I exercise every day and keep my daily calories around 2,000. But a question came up that made me think about how we can use the internet to check on our health and see where we compare to other people in our age range. Q- “I am over 40 and female. I want to see how healthy I am compared to what the government says is “healthy”. What internet sites do you recommend for checking fitness levels?” CathyAnn B....(read more)

How Do I Do That With My Web Browser?

Katatkoin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:00:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen- Koin’s Tech Guru Web browsers have lots of functionality that we never use. It may be that we don’t want to mess with something that works, but for others it may just be fear. Here are a list of questions I’ve received over the past few weeks. Q- “Which web browser should I use? Internet Explorer (IE) or Firefox?” Steve A. Portland A- There are several popular web browsers currently out there. Besides the two listed, there’s Opera, Safari, and Chrome. Opera...(read more)

You May Already be Infected, and This Virus Will Hurt You

Katatkoin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:52:00 GMT

By Robert McMillen, Koin’s Tech Guru So let’s take a break for a while from all the DTV switchover hype. We know it’s coming and if you’re not prepared by now you might as well call the cable or satellite company. Let’s discuss something really sinister. There is a virus that is running rampant right now. So much so that Panda Security estimates that 1 in 16 computers worldwide are infected by it and the PC owners probably don’t even know it. Question: “I’ve heard a lot about the Conficker virus....(read more)