Computer Tip of the Day – 4 Ways to Reduce Blue Light Emissions

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Do your eyes ever feel strained, watery, and irritated after staring at your computer screen for an extended period of time? Digital screens emit what’s known as blue light. This strains and hurts your eyes. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce blue light emissions from your screen.

Use the Windows 10 Tool

Windows 10 has a built-in tool that limits blue light emissions. To access it, go to Settings and click on the display icon. At the top, toggle Lower Blue Light Automatically to On. Click on the settings option to adjust your blue light filter settings and set hours for it to go on.

Use Flux

Flux, or f.lux, is a popular app for computers that many people use to reduce blue light emissions. It works on Windows, Linux, and Macs. It makes your computer screen appear more like the lighting in your room. This changes based on the time of the day; it lowers your screen’s brightness at night. This helps keep your eyes from being irritated.

Use a Browser Extension

There are many browser extensions that can help reduce your computer’s brightness. Go to the Chrome or Firefox store and look for night light or blue light filter extensions. F.lux has its own extension, called G.lux. You can also just try lowering the brightness of your computer in general.

Limit Exposure

Of course, you can also take some simple steps to reduce your eyes’ exposure to your computer’s blue light. Take frequent breaks when at your computer. Use the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and rest your eyes on an object that is at least 20 feet away.

For more computer tips, contact us today!

Minimize Cloud Migration Failure

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Minimize Cloud Migration Failure

The process of moving a small to medium-sized business to the cloud is unique for every organization.  However, there are some time-tested principles companies can embrace in order to minimize cloud migration failure and resolve issues as quickly as possible.  Companies who are flexible enough to bend or expect the unexpected typically are more successful in their migration to the cloud than those who have an inflexible “win/lose” outlook.

Resist the Desire to Micro-Manage

Those responsible for your technology solutions should have already been scrutinized for their expertise.  Trust the hiring decision you made in the first place and let them manage the project.  There is nothing wrong with a final meeting to review the process, but your technology provider should not need much more than a sign-off signature from you.

Be Proactive

Your tech team should have a comprehensive, organized plan to address potential problems before they happen.  They are experts at brainstorming for “what if” scenarios and how to address them should they occur, and that is why you hired them.

Adaptation is Key, not Blame

Some companies focus on finding someone to blame when something invariably goes wrong in the plan. Rather than focusing on finding solutions.  Don’t be that company.  Instead, focus on creating the kind of environment where value is placed on creative problem resolution rather than pointing fingers.  Users want access to their technology resources as quickly as possible, not gossip about who made a mistake.

Want to learn more about how to ensure a successful cloud migration process?  Contact us.

Proven Productivity Tips from Successful People

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It’s difficult to argue with success.  Throughout history there are a number of people who have earned a place in the “highly successful” category of human endeavors.  If you are frustrated with your current (lack of) productivity tips, perhaps a few tips from some of history’s most successful people will be just the boost you’ve been looking for.

Productivity Tips

Stephen King

This world-renowned author is not only the king of horror books, as it turns out, he is also the king of consistency.  King once mused, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”  He is able to consistently turn out successful books because he applies himself to his work on a daily basis, producing at least 2,000 words a day.

Applying the same consistent work ethic, what could you accomplish over time?  Set goals, meet them consistently and over time you should see real rewards.

Agatha Christie

Sometimes the most creative, successful people are not “desk people”.  In Agatha’s case, she never owned a desk.  In her autobiography, she states, “Plots come to me at such odd moments. When I am walking along the street, or examining a hat shop. Suddenly a splendid idea comes into my head.”

Thankfully, today many work environments are becoming more flexible and mobile.  If you are one of those people whose creativity and ingenuity are not well-served by the proverbial 9-to-5 environment, don’t try to fit your square peg into a round hole.  Find an environment where you can flourish.

Benjamin Franklin

It is important to find a work culture in which you feel comfortable.  In Ben Franklin’s case, he was known to spend the first hour of his day working at his desk. In the nude.  Of course, no one is suggesting that you try to find a company that will accept nudity.  However, as in the case of Mark Zuckerberg and his famous tennis shoes and hoodies, if you don’t fit into a power suit culture then find another environment where you can be successful.

Beethoven

According to historical records, Beethoven insisted on drinking a morning cup of joe containing precisely 60 coffee beans.  While this certainly seems excessive, the lesson to derive from Beethoven’s habit is, that consuming a morning cup of joe or energy drink, going on a morning run before work, and/or eating a power breakfast helps you to feel physically more productive, then let it become a habit.

Want to know more about how to elevate your productivity levels?  Contact us.

 

Computer Tips: How Can You Get A Better Internet Performance?

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If you are running a small business that does not have a great internet connection, you probably shake your head every day at how long it takes for a website’s page to load. No one likes to wait a significant amount of time for any type of web page to load. Regardless of the speed you have provisioned for by your ISP (Internet Service Provider), there is a chance you can do a variety of things to achieve better internet performance. You may be surprised at how a few small changes can give you a faster internet connection.

Better Internet Performance

Get Rid Of Malware And Viruses

It is very important that you make sure your computer is free of any viruses or malware. One of the reasons many computers are slow when it comes to internet performance and system performance is malware.

Test Different Browsers

Some people prefer one browser over the other because some browsers load websites faster than others. You may be surprised at how using a different browser can make a difference in how long it takes for a website to load.

Check Your Router

Is your router capable of handling the highest speeds that your Internet Service Provider offers with your Internet plan? There are some old routers that were not built to handle many of the download speeds. This is because the technology in the old routers is not up-to-date. It is important to keep your router’s firmware updated so you will not have any issues with your internet connection.

Clear Your Cache

How often do you clear your browser’s cache? If you have files that are corrupted in your browser cache, you can experience a variety of problems, including slow performance.

You should not have to deal with a slow internet experience, especially since technology is constantly being improved. Contact us today for additional computer and internet tips.

Do You Know How to Copy More than One Document at a Time?

a person using a computer mouse and keyboard

Copying a document is simplicity in itself. You can simply either:

  1. Right click and select the word “copy” when it appears to copy the file and right click to choose “paste” when you have accessed the file where you want it to be, or
  2. Hit the Control key plus C to copy, and the Control key plus V to make it appear in the file you want. But what if you want to copy multiple files?

Learn how to copy more than one document with our computer tip of the day.

Copy More than One Document

There are several different ways to do this.

First, do you want to copy all the documents in a given file? Open the file and hit Control plus A to select all the files. Then, perform one of the two methods above.

Or, you may want to select a bunch of documents that are next to each other, but not every single one in the file. Simply click the first document you want to copy. Then depress the Shift key and click the last document of your selection. The first, last, and everything in between will be selected.

After they are selected, perform one of the two methods in the first paragraph. Finally, if you simply want to copy more than one, but they aren’t next to each other, there’s a simple method.

Click the first document you want to copy. Then hold the Control key down while you click the others. Then copy the ones you’ve selected. Paste them. Voila, and presto.

This is one of those moves that’s easy to forget if you don’t do it very often. But it’s simple and easy to remember if you keep this info in a handy place.

Contact us for more information.