CVGeeks (Coachella Valley) Tech Community

After all my crowing about Heather, BarCampLA, Geek Dinners and all the other cool tech community events here in LA, my sister, Denise Welch, has stepped up and started CVGeeks for all the tech folks in and around the Coachella Valley.

Everyone tends to think of the Palm Springs area as nothing but retirees, but the tech community has grown greatly over the last several years with companies both large and small, entrepreneurial and corporate.

Their first Geek Dinner is scheduled for Dec 5, so pass along word to anyone you might know in the area.

CVGeeks also has its own community site at http://cvgeeks.ning.com/

Thanks to Heather and all of the BarCampLA crowd for showing the way to a more connected tech community, no matter where you might be.

Happy Thanksgiving from WelchWrite.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the US, so from all of us to all of you, Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are! We are thankful for much and many. May your day be filled with food, fun and family!

Listen to our audio message

After-Thanksgiving Sales at Amazon.com

Get your holiday shopping started with these special After-Thanksgiving Day deals from Amazon.com.

After-Thanksgiving Day Sales from Amazon.com

...or check out my recommendations in...

The WelchWrite Store

A bit of high-tech silliness

computer cat
Originally uploaded by badbudo

If you haven't heard of LOLCATS, meet your first example. Silly pictures combined with even sillier words, many with a high-tech bent.

Enjoy a smile today!

Elsewhere Online: Evernote is free today only! (11/15/07)

Here is some free software to grab, especially if you have a tablet PC.

Evernote is free today only!

Evernote is a great note-taking application that is full featured and very good on a Tablet PC.  The full version of the program is available today only for free from Giveaway of the Day so you'd better get cracking if you want it free.

Thanks to all the jkOTR readers who let us know!

(Via jkOnTheRun.)

Elsewhere Online: Ever wondered what was in your computer?

What a great learning tool...and it works, too!

Ever wonder what was concealed behind the sleek walls of your computer. These folks have pinned all the parts to a wall so you can see it all.

PC is Stark Naked, But Safe For Work [All Nude]

The computer has no clothes, nor does it even have a case protecting all of those delicate electronic components. In a variation of that crazy case mod we showed you last month with a working PC exploded into a strange midair view, this one takes an approach that's even more whimsical. Each of its parts is neatly attached to the wall, and labeled so that passersby might know exactly what is what. In fact, it's downright educational. Sure, it's got Intel outside, but if you want to know what else was used to build this working PC, all you need to do is read the labels in the gallery below.

(Via Gizmodo.)

Audio: Social Networks - LIVE from the Library Internet Seminar - November 8, 2007

This night we talked about social networks, the Writer's Guild Strike, traditional media and the future of new media.

Listen to this seminar

Links discussed in this seminar:

MySpace - Add me as a friend in MySpace
Facebook - Add me as a friend on Facebook
LinkedIn - Connect to me on LinkedIn
YouTube - Watch my videos on YouTube
Ning.com
Jott.com
Garden Fork TV
The Minimalist with Mark Bittman
quarterlife
Blogger.com
Wordpress.com
Mixergy.com
The Wish Book Holiday Podcast Project

Technolust: Sanyo Xacti HD1000 4MP MPEG4 High Definition 1080i Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

It can be so hard to be a tech geek sometimes -- especially a podcasting tech geek. While at PodCampAZ last weekend I learned about the Sanyo Xacti line of digital camcorders that vloggers like Clintus McGintus use. I need to upgrade my current camcorder and this top-of-the-lin High-Def unit looks sweet.

Imagine being able to pull this out of its holster and start shooting, at 1080i HD, in around 2 seconds. An 8 GB SDcard can hold up to 1.25 hours of video and the camera comes with HDMI support, rechargeable battery and more.

I have added this to my Amazon Wish List in case anyone wants to give me a great Christmas gift that will give back to you in the form of video blogs and more podcasts. (BIG SMILE)

Video: Social Networks - LIVE from the Library Internet Seminar for November 8, 2007

Here is the video from our latest Internet Seminar at the Sherman Oaks Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Click To Play

Technorati Tags: california, howto, how-to, podcast, podcasting, tutorial, events, losangeles, technology, learning, education, library

Disk Management in a Small Office

Disk Management in a Small Office
Originally uploaded by dewelch

A client called me in today to do a clean install on one of their Windows XP boxes. Usually this entails me diggings through lots of dusty boxes trying to find the right disks for Windows, drivers and other software.

Imaginemy joy when I was presented with this amazingly organized collection of CDs. This rebuild only took me 2 hours from start to finish and I give a lot of the credit to having everything easily at hand.

If you want to emulate someone when it comes to organizing your computer life...here is a great place to start.

Douglas on the SOHO Tech Podcast - Can/should operating systems (Win/Mac/Linux) matter?

I was a guest on the SOHO Tech Podcast with Dean Jensen last Monday where we talked abotu operating systems like Windows, Mac and Linux and how much they mattered when choosing your computer.

Web: SOHO Tech Podcast's Monday Night Tech for October 29, 2007
Listen: Audio Version

Chris Hughes on Chumby at BarCampLA4

Click to Play

Chris Hughes presents Chumby the ambient computer on Sunday at 2pm at the Little Radio Warehouse at BarCampLA4.

Chumby is a neat, neat, neat Internet appliance and Chris gives a great demo of it. This is definitely on my "technology want" list.

The video gets a bit "geeky" toward the end, but the basic demo at the beginning is well worth the time.

Friends in Tech: Using Gmail to get your mail OUT when on the road

I just posted this tip to the Friends in Tech blog. You can check out the entire article at Friends in Tech.com.

As some of you may have experienced, sending mail from your email program might not work when you are using public WiFi networking hot spots, such as those in hotels or coffee shops. This is usually due to port restrictions on the network, put in place to prevent anonymous users from using the network to send SPAM or attack other network systems.

(Continues at Friends in Tech)