Other than just business
This page will contain lots of stuff I do for my own enjoyment that others may find useful. Computers are more than business for me; it's also a hobby and a way to keep my mind challenged. As I get older it becomes more important for me to maintain whatever "mental abilities" I had and technology offers a constantly changing opportunity. So, not only do I buy stuff for myself and clients and try everything that comes with it, purchase a Microsoft "Action Pack" as a Microsoft Partner (gives me all of the Microsoft software), I also invest time in seminars and other free offerings to learn more. Everyone has problems with new technology (there is no way to avoid it as companies release new products with limited testing) and problems that frustrate most people are mostly viewed as a "challenge" by me - I just want to see if I can fix it. In the past my time for activities other than business was very limited and since my business is billed by the hour at the same rates I used in 1990, it was necessary to decline opportunities to help friends and others referred to me when I believed someone with less experience could help them at a much lower rate. My priorities have changed as I my needs are less and I often look forward to telling or showing someone how to solve a problem that I probably solved numerous times in the past just for the pleasure of doing it.
Most personal computers and associated peripherals and software come with more than most people will ever understand or use. Most will work as intended "out of the box" until you try to do something else with them. For example, if you decided to update your computer from Windows 98 to Windows XP you would find numerous problems. Most of the software and equipment (scanners, printers, CD writers, etc) you used are not approved for XP without updates from the manufacturer. I spent several days locating & downloading updates when I tried this. Windows XP will "lock out" everything that is not tested by Microsoft and approved. I still have some items that will not work unless I pay for an update. If you bought a new system and wanted to add your software from your old system, you probably had problems. Since I constantly change and upgrade systems I get lot's of practice transferring programs & data. That's usually part of my "setup" charges when I provide equipment for customers.
Got a new computer that the kids use & still can't get E-Mail?
Just one example of the way times have changed. Most homes now have some electronics that we don't know how to use. I've owned software and equipment for years that allow creation and editing of photos and movies but never took time to learn how to do it until my first grandchild. My only grandson (4 years old in Jan 2005) has given me lots of motivation to learn how to use my equipment & software to create videos & photos with slide shows, etc to entertain him and put on CD to send to relatives. I also learned how to put my photos and some video on my "Palm" type system and when people ask if I have pictures- well sure! Most computers now come with software & equipment to do almost anything you can imagine and all it takes is some help & knowledge of how to use it. I now provide some of this to individuals at rates that are much less than my regular business rates. When I get time, I'll list my software and add notes about what I do with some of it.