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Taking a Picture of Your Computer Screen (Printscreen)

by Yehuda Cagen 29. September 2010 07:18

Have you ever wanted to send a picture of your screen via email or inserted in a document and you just didn’t know how?

 

Did you receive an error message that was long and you didn’t want to write the entire thing down to remember it?

 

Wouldn’t it be great to take a picture of an error message and send it within an email to the helpdesk?  

 

You can. With the Print “Screen Function”

 

If you desire the entire screen shot:

·         Select the Print Screen key on your keyboard, sometimes you may have to use Ctrl-Print Screen.

This acts as a copy function, taking a picture of the screen.

 

If you only want the “active” or “front” window on your screen:

·         Press and hold the ALT key and then hit the Print Screen key.

 

This will save you time and it is a great way to show someone what you are seeing instead of explaining it.

 

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

 

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston IT Consulting

Is Today’s Text-Focused Communication Passing You By?

by Yehuda Cagen 22. September 2010 06:04

 

 

This week we’re taking a break from IT support tips to lend a hand to those having a tough time understanding “Text-Lingo”.

 

Have you ever had a co-worker or associate email with an acronym like, “EOD”, “CYL”, or “FYI” – and you were too embarrassed to ask what it meant?

 

Business text messaging shorthand jargon has become "foreign language" that many business people today need to know in order to keep up to date at work, understand instant messages from co-workers, and get the meaning of office emails.

Houston IT consultant Cheryl Smith helps you “get hip with this tip”:

 

Popular business text shorthand phrases:

 

  AFAIC - As Far As I'm Concerned

  ASAP - As Soon As Possible

  BRB - Be Right Back

  BSUS - Business

  BTW - By The Way

  CLM - Career Limiting Move

  DD - Due Diligence

  DRIB - Don't Read If Busy

  EOD - End Of Day

  EOM - End Of Message

  EOT - End Of Thread

  FYI - For Your Information

  GMTA - Great Minds Think Alike

  HIOOC - Help, I'm Out Of Coffee

  IAITS - It's All In The Subject

  IANAL - I Am Not A Lawyer

  IM – Instant Message

  KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid

  LOPSOD - Long On Promises; Short On Delivery

  MOTD - Message Of The Day

  MTFBWY - May The Force Be With You

  MYOB - Mind Your Own Business

  NRN - No Reply Necessary

  NWR - Not Work Related

  OTP - On The Phone

  P&C - Private & Confidential

  PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard

  QQ - Quick Question

  RFD - Request For Discussion

  RFP - Request For Proposal

  SME - Subject Matter Expert

  STD - Seal The Deal

  TBA - To Be Announced

  TBD - To Be Determined

  TWIMC - To Whom It May Concern

  TIA - Thanks In Advance

  WIIFM - What's In It For Me

  WOMBAT - Waste Of Money, Brains And Time

  WTG - Way To Go

  YW - You're Welcome

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

 

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston IT Consulting

 

How Quickly Things Change: The Evolution of Information Technology

by Yehuda Cagen 18. June 2010 06:07

 

 

Part 2 of a 3-part interview with Kirill Davydychev, Senior Technical Specialist, Xvand Technology.

IsUtility® Technical Specialist Kirill Davydychev takes a look back at the evolving nature of IT consulting and IT support in Houston during the past decade. 

Q. Is there a downside to the rapid-pace evolution of today’s technology?

Moore’s Law (named after Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore) suggests that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles every two years. Unfortunately, computers are evolving so quickly, ‘hard drives’ (storage devices for digital data) simply can’t keep up with the pace. This may, perhaps, account for why many organizations have transitioned from traditional computer services to cloud and utility computing in the past decade.

Conversely, one of the key ‘upsides’ of the IT evolution is the trends towards simpler “usability”, a phenomena Gartner Research calls the “democratization of technology”. In the past few decades alone, technology has transformed from 100+ lb. machines managed and used only by highly-trained professionals to something that is built into everything we use, including business processes.

Q. Moore’s Law has been around for decades. Why haven't Houston IT consulting firms offered cloud computing in the past?

The advancement of the Internet has been the key factor in the advancement of services such as remote PC access, remote pc support and, eventually, cloud computing.  Ten years ago, remote access was still in its infancy.  Most consumers and businesses relied on 56k modems, and faster lines were cost-prohibitive. Now that cheaper alternatives, such as DSL and cable, are readily available to all budgets, remote desktops run at the same speeds or even faster than locally-run systems.

Q. So all we’ve been waiting for was…the Internet?

Historically, remote access has always been a step behind ‘local access’. In the 1980’s, there was only text. In the late 1980’s, Microsoft and Apple made local computing two dimensional with graphics and images. At this time, text was now accessible remotely.  In the 1990’s, Windows NT4 and Citrix enabled graphical elements available remotely. However, at this time, local access had evolved to enable three-dimensional capabilities (aka “multi-media”, the blend of sound and video). This was predominantly the ‘status quo’ for over ten years since business demand wasn’t present at the time. Recently (2008), industries IT advancements in the oil and gas and healthcare sectors have paved the way for four-dimensional imaging available in real time. Experts predict that eventually there will no longer be a need for locally-owned systems.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you feel that your current process does not meet these standards, or if you would like more information on IT outsourcing please feel free to contact us:

 

 

 

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