Ban clpostings.com
Got a call from some BS company claiming to do Craig’s List postings. Of course, it is an obvious scam since you can do that yourself for free. Be sure to block their number (305) 396-8889
FL, USA too. It’s also noted as spam on Mr Number.
John D’s Has Moved!
John D’s Computer Services is proud to announce that we will now be servicing the southwestern portion of Ohio. In particular, we are now located in Hamilton, Ohio, which is about 9 miles north of I-275.
We will gladly refer existing customers in the Cleveland area to a company we’ve partnered with for a limited time. Our old phone number still works, so phone or fill out a service request, and we will gladly assist you during this transition period.
Of course, a lot of things can be done remotely, so we are willing to still offer low rates for software configuration, PC tune-ups, and other items that can be done remotely.
John D assures you that he will miss northeast Ohio, as he has called it home for 17 years. He is grateful for all of the great people he’s met in those years.
However, he is looking forward to being able to provide value & convenience to an entirely new set of customers!
PayPal CSV to QIF Invoice Converter (PP2QIFInoices) Script Updated
I had written earlier (in “Mobile Invoicing Disappointments & Solution, Part 2”) about a Perl script, PP2QIFInvoices, I created that will convert a PayPal invoice data file delimited with commas, known as a comma separated values (CSV) file, into Quicken format, QIF. This allows you the freedom to invoice customers at their location, and thus gaining geek points in your invoicing solution, and yet still be able to use the other accounting functions of Quicken. This provides a low cost alternative to using one of Intuit’s money sucking online schemes.
I’ve updated the script because I was manually parsing through the fields to separate out the values. “How hard can it be?” I had asked myself. Well, it actually worked pretty well except for the fact that any unexpected comma contained within quotes would throw the entire record off. That’s when it dawned on me that I really need to download and use existing libraries for parsing the values, else I’ll just end up patching it over and over again.
So, I downloaded Text::CSV_XS from CPAN and re-wrote the beginning parsing routine to use it instead. This new version I labeled “0.8” because I believe it to be a lot further along as “ready to go” except perhaps for a couple of items. I’m now making available PP2QIFInvoices.0.8.zip as a free download. Keep in mind that my liability in you using or abusing the script is limited to the amount you paid for it. 
Seth on Having a People Strategy
Seth Godin recently asked in a blog article "Seth’s Blog: Do you have a people strategy?". Sometimes, when it comes to information technology (IT), we want to come up with all sorts of strategies, but in the end we forget that it is all about people.
Review: Microsoft OneNote for iPhone
Well, this review is long overdue, but I’ve been putting Microsoft’s latest addition to the OneNote family through its paces. Overall, I’m fairly pleased with how well I was able to reorganize my notebooks, including some older ones from when I had a Windows smartphone but never had the incentive to do anything with until the iPhone app came out.
However, I should make sure to stress the word "fairly".
Geek Friday: Running Ubuntu on Windows 7 Using VirtualBox
I like Linux. However, due to various reasons, I spend the majority of my time in Windows 7. It can be a pain to reboot in order to switch because there are some processes I just plain need running the majority of the time (Skype, for example).
I was reading about Windows 8, and some were advising running it in a virtual machine (VM). That sounded like a great idea to me, but for running Ubuntu rather than Windows 8. I pondered why I hadn’t thought of it before.
Actually, I know why. It is bound to suck down the memory, and, sure enough, in the end it did. But, it is possible to do!
Ubuntu Linux 12.04 "Precise Pangolin" Released; How Windows Users Can Get the Best Out of Linux
Ubuntu has released 12.0.4, which is, according to Lifehacker article "First Look at Ubuntu Linux 12.04 ‘Precise Pangolin’", more of a polishing up of the old more than anything else.
What in the world is a “pangolin”? According to Wikipedia, it is a scaly anteater. Aren’t you glad you asked?
Ubuntu is perhaps one of the most popular flavors of Linux, a version of Unix originally written for the Intel-based PCs. It doesn’t take a geek to set it up and run it. While I’m not convinced the average user would be able to install it any easier than Windows 7, I think most could with minimal coaching.
Google Drive Is Out–How Does It Stack Up?
Well, the word is that Google Drive is now out in the wild. So, how does it fare? Well, if Lifehacker’s article “File Syncing Faceoff: Dropbox vs. Google Drive” is any indication, I’ll keep on using Dropbox.
Apparently, Google went to great lengths to make it even look similar to Dropbox and not just make it functionally equivalent. However, not everything really is functionally equivalent, it seems:
Once it downloads all your files, you’ll see them in your Google Drive folder, just like Dropbox. Each has a green checkmark if it’s synced, or a blue refresh icon if it’s currently syncing. Items created in Google Docs have their own special icons, and can only be opened in Google Docs….
Say what? I went to a lot of trouble installing Docs To Go on my iPhone (review pending) in order to be able to open items on my iPhone and not in Google Docs! This is a deal breaker already, if you ask me. While Google Docs does a decent job at many of its apps, they really do look and behave differently than in MS Office.
There are some other more minor (IMO) items that Lifehacker points out as well, so don’t consider this a rehash and skip their article, please. Not all of them are downers, either, as Google Drive will come with 5GB already free, and disk space is always an attraction for those who need it.
More Time to Clean TDSS/Alureon as FBI Orders Extension for Clean DNS Changer Servers
The DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG) has been ordered to extend activities in providing clean DNS servers to replace malicious servers that were used to further infect machines with malware and fake software products.
The Internet runs on dotted decimal addresses, but human beings remember words easier than huge numbers. So, the Domain Name Services tree was established to publish a translation from domain names to the dotted decimal addresses that computers understand. For example, while you might type “www.johndscomputers.com” into the address bar of a browser, it is sent to a nameserver which will translate it into 216.239.131.9.
