CompuBlab

If it's computer related, we'll blab about it!

Category: Off Topic

How to Contact Amazon.com Customer Service via Telephone

By

On October 5, 2014

In Buyer's Guide, Geek Alert!, Off Topic, Tech Rage

It has rarely been the case that I have ever needed to speak to Amazon.com’s technical support staff via telephone, but I have to say, the few times I’ve needed to do so it has not always been a breeze to locate their telephone number. Since my wife just recently needed to do exactly that, here is the number that she used:

866-216-1072

Of course, this number is only known to be valid as of yesterday: October 4, 2014. Hopefully it will continue to be valid, but we all know how quickly telephone numbers can change.

And Now For Something Not So Completely Different…

By

On August 29, 2012

In Administrative, Off Topic

Greetings all!

When I first started this blog, it was to provide a place for people without a lot of technology skills to be able to learn about technology from one who could both understand it and explain it. This was a great idea…until I realized that no one is really interested in such a thing!

You see, when I analyzed the web traffic to this site, what I’ve found is that non-technical people are only visiting the site to look for specific answers to specific questions. They have a problem they want to solve…and they want to solve it NOW. They are not interested (for the most part) in understanding the underlying “how” and “why” of the problem…they mostly just want a “click this, drag that, push this button” type of solution to their problem.

In honor of this, I am now shifting this blog to be a bit more technical, bringing it closer in line to an actual professional blog. I have a lot to say about the things I do in my day job (from a technology point of view), as well as plenty to add about my exploits in the lab at home during my spare time (not that there is much of that).

One other change I am making to the blog: I am getting inundated with spammers setting up accounts on this site. I have therefore disabled users from creating an account. If you would like an account on this site so you can join in on the discussion (which is always welcome), I am happy to furnish one…but please use the feedback form under “contact us” to let us know you would like an account. Send us your email address and we’ll get to you shortly.

Other than that, here’s to a new direction for CompuBlab!

Sincerely,

Peter S. Lee

Happy Halloween from CompuBlab!

By

On October 31, 2011

In Off Topic

Happy Halloween to all you ghosts and goblins! Be safe!

iPhone Survives Fall Out of Skydiver’s Pocket

By

On July 23, 2011

In Mobile Technologies, Off Topic

I just had to comment about this story I read over on CNN about a skydiver who lost his iPhone 4 sometime after he jumped out of the plane (click here for original iphone 4 skydiving article).

It seems that our intrepid skydiver’s son once knocked this same phone off of a bathroom shelf, causing the phone to crack. Well, this time the phone  fell out of the skydiver’s pocket somewhere between 13,500 feet and the ground. Never expecting the phone to work, our skydiver managed to retrieve the phone with the help of a GPS application, where he was then dumbfounded when he was able to receive a call with it.

Of course, the phone was completely shattered, bit it is quite impressive that it worked at all.

While I don’t recommend tossing your phone out of the window (especially from 13,500 feet), this story will no doubt end up in an iPhone ad sometime in the near future. Maybe they’ll find a way to make it into an “I’m a mac…I’m a PC” commercial. Or would that be “I’m a iphone…I’m an android” commercial?

Hacked Twitter Account Announces (falsely) that Obama is Assassinated

By

On July 4, 2011

In Off Topic, Translated Tech News

I just wanted to get this out to all of our readers in case you noticed this today. Reuters is reporting that this morning, the twitter account of the Fox News Politics team was hacked/compromised/broken into, and that the perpetrators were sending false “tweets” out such as:

“#ObamaDead, it’s a sad 4th of July. RT to support the late president’s family, and RIP. The shooter will be found”.

If you saw such messages…know that they are false.

There is much to be said about protecting one’s account passwords, but I find it sad that such a message would be sent by those who gained access to the account. While I know that there are laws that can imprison persons threatening the life of the President, I don’t believe there are laws in place that can imprison those who falsely announce the President’s death. However, I have the sneaking suspicion that the government attorneys might just find a way to argue that declaring his death is somehow akin to threatening the President…which would mean that those responsible just might have something to worry about.

In any event, it is my personal opinion that these hackers have no sense of style. You mean to tell me that they break into the Fox News Political team’s twitter account and THAT’s the best they can do?

Ah well…

Happy 4th of July!

By

On July 4, 2011

In Off Topic

Happy 4th of July! Thank a vet! Say a prayer! Read the Constitution! Most of all, teach your children! Have a great and safe day!

Been Busy!

By

On June 27, 2011

In Off Topic

Greetings all!

Sorry there has been a slight delay in posting here. Personal life has gotten just a tad busy.

This past weekend I participated in “Field Day,” a single day in the US where all amateur radio operators go out into the field and operate on portable power for 24-hrs. It is a chance for amateur radio operators to practice their emergency communications skills in a fun way. I made some new friends and enjoyed helping out.

Anyway, back to the compu-stuff…

I have been watching the technical news over the last few weeks, and when I started this blog I expected to be talking about computers and related technology. However, now I find that dominating the news seems to be two recurring themes:

  1. Mobile Devices
  2. Security Breeches/Hacking

Sadly, part of the news dominating the Mobile Devices topic is lawsuit after lawsuit of one mobile technologies company to another. This is evidence of our horribly broken patent system in the United States, and is also an indicator as to why mobile technology prices in the United States are so much higher than they have to be. In the end, I think the only ones that are winning in this battle are the lawyers…but that’s for another post (or several).

Security breeches have been on the rise, and two world-wide hacking groups (anonymous and LulzSec…you can think of them as two teams in the game) have been garnering a lot of press.

I’ll have something to say about these topics in the very near future.

Thanks for tuning in..more to come shortly…

Happy Father’s Day!

By

On June 19, 2011

In Off Topic

A big “Happy Father’s Day” to all those Dad’s out there!

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