TechnologyIQ with Douglas E. Welch and Sam Anderson

One call I get quite frequently from my clients is for help in remembering and/or discovering their WiFi passwords. Typically, they have a guest coming to town who wants to connect to their network, but since the password is stored in their computer, they don't remember it. I call this "speed dial syndrome", where you don't remember phone numbers anymore, because you always just select them from your address book.So, as a way of addressing this problem, I have taken to carrying around my P-Touch labeler and putting the password right on the router. This seems to be an obvious place to look for password when someone asks. You could be a bit more discrete than my photo above and put the label on the bottom or back of the router, but you also need to be able to remember where it is. I have one client who put it in her rolodex, but doesn't typically remember that it is there.Routers from the 2WIRE company help to solve this problem by labeling every router with its password. On the underside of the router you should see a 10 digit sequence in square brackets i.e. [1234567890] This is the default wireless password for your specific router.Additionally, you should also place a sticker for the password for the router itself. This password is required to change the settings of your router. The password should be changed from its default when it is installed, as there are a few exploits which can take advantage of routers with default passwords. Of course, since you use this password so infrequently, most people have no idea what it is.There is one final fallback you can use, too. If you can't remember your password at all, most routers allow you to reset them back to their factory settings, including default passwords so that you can login and modify the settings back to the way you wish.Do you have questions about your network, your router, your software? Leave them as comments here on the blog or send them along to techiq@welchwrite.com. I'll be glad to answer them.

We really enjoy our Wii game system, especially the Lego series of games including Lego Batman, Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones. The Wii has recently dropped in price to $199, from its typical $250, which makes it even more inticing.You can find links to all these games and more in the Welchwrite Bookstore.

Latte (320x480 Wallpaper)Originally uploaded by Mike RohdeI went looking for some new wallpapers for my iPhone and came across this collection by artist and online friend, Mike Rohde. Most of you know I am really into coffee, so I love this collection highlighting all the different styles of coffee in Mike's Unique style. These images were originally part of the 2008 Sketchtoon Coffee Calendar.Mike is also getting a lot of buzz over his "Sketchtoon" note- taking at a variety of conferences including SXSW. He recently released an iPhone app containing his Sketchtoons for SXSW in an easy-to-use "stack of images. Free Download from iTunes App Store

I ran into the librarian at my son's school yesterday and saw that she had a new Mac. Her old one had died unceremoniously, but the administration had the budget to replace it quickly. One thing I noticed, though, is that she had not yet setup Time Machine on the new iMac.Mac users, there is no reason NOT to set up Time Machine on your Macintosh. This feature, added with Mac OS 10.5 backs up your entire Mac -- data, applications, settings -- and then updates any changed files on an hourly basis. All it takes a an external hard drive (I usually recommend on about 250GB in size). Theses drives are on sale all the time for prices around $50. This is a great investment to give you substantial peace of mind about your Mac. While Apple touts the ability to easily restore deleted or damaged files using Time Machine, my use of the software has almost always been to restore a Mac that has crashed or build a new Mac that looks exactly like and old Mac -- including email, settings, desktop pattern, printer, everything!I had a client who happened to get a lemon iMac. The unit died after 2 weeks, but we had set up time Machine from the very beginning. It had taken several hours to move data from her Windows machine and set the Mac up the way she wanted it and all that would have been lost if we didn't have a Time Machine backup. Instead, we were able to plug her backup drive into the new Mac, select "Restore from Time Machine Backup" during the setup and about 15 minutes later she was working again -- with all her original settings.I recently had to replace my Time Machine backup drive, as I was using an older, leftover drive I had lying around the office. I found this Seagate FreeAgent Go drive (250GB) on sale at a local retailer. I like it, as it is small, quiet and requires no external power cable. It is powered directly from USb port of the computer.Mac Users -- if you haven't set up Time Machine on your mac -- DO IT TODAY! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain -- including peace of mind.

Now you can get a refurbished version of my iPhone for 1/4 of price I paid only a year ago. Picking up an iPhone 3G 8GB for $50 certainly lightens the load of the $30 monthly data plan. As the article mentions, this price is cheaper than you would pay for some of the more typical, "dumb" phones on the market.$50 Refurbed iPhone 3G 8GB Is Back [Dealzmodo]from Gizmodo by matt buchananI guess AT&T found a spare closet filled with refurbished 8GB iPhone 3Gs (that's a little 's'), because they've got a fresh stock they're selling for $50. That's cheaper than a lot of dumbphones. Check the stock here. [AT&T]

If you are thinking about buying a new iMac, you may want to wait a couple of weeks. The rumor mills are running and it looks like we might see new units as soon as October.Rumor: New, Thinner iMacs Rolling Off Factory Lines, With Mystery Features and Maybe Blu-ray [Rumor]: "New iMacs aren't just coming soon, they've been rolling out for two weeks, according to AppleInsider. They're thinner and look more like the LED Cinema Display, with mystery features that make them the 'most versatile ever.'Read the entire article

Looking for a little extra help with your software? These free quick reference forms, in PDF format, could be great have next to your computer. The PDFs are easy to reference on your computer, or you can print them out and keep them in front of you all the time. I am going to go over several of them to refresh my knowledge on some of those programs I don't use very often.CustomGuide Provides Quick-Reference Sheets for Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe Products [Reference]: "Learning a new application? Have a cube-mate that pesters you with questions about an application they're learning? Print off a cheat sheet from CustomGuide. CustomGuide has guides for popular Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe software. Most entries have both present and past versions of the application in question. The entry for Outlook, for instance, has quick-reference sheets for Outlook 98 through Outlook 2007. Each guide includes a diagram of the main interface, keyboard shortcuts, summaries of the menus and the tools found in them, and other relevant tips for using the application more efficiently. Know of a good resource for software guides and cheat sheets? Let's hear about it in the comments. The guides are free and in PDF format. CustomGuide Quick-Reference Sheets [via MakeUseOf]

I listen to a lot of the TED Talks as podcasts, so it is great to see an iPhone app to help even more people discover the great information delivered at each TED Conference. I will be downloading this app ASAP -- DouglasTED Talks iPhone Application: " The quarter-century old nonprofit TED—Technology, Education and Design—just made their mission of spreading innovative ideas easier with their iPhone application. Aggregating the latest audio and video from the TED talks and conferences, the search function sorts through the hundreds of speakers and a bookmarking feature marks favorites.The TED app is free, compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch and available from iTunes.

Update August 25, 2009: According to the Google Maps group, street traffic has been turned on today. I noticed it early this morning, when I brought up Google Maps on my iPhone. While I had seen some information on state routes over the last several months, this update adds a host of larger streets throughout the area, at least here in LA.Update: It looks like this was only a test on Google's part. I hope they move to launch it as soon as possible, though, as it will be amazingly helpful in navigating around the cityHow did I miss this? Has this feature been available for a while?If you look at this screen grab, you will notice that Google Maps traffic now shows surface street traffic, not just the freeways. I used to have to go to the LA City Traffic Info page to get this amount of detail.Unfortunately, the iPhone Maps application doesn't show this data yet. This would be so cool and so useful to have in the palm of your hand when driving about the city, like I do.

Stellarium Turns Your Computer Screen into a Planetarium [Downloads]: "Windows/Mac/Linux: Whether you're a die-hard astronomy buff or someone who'd just like an idea of what constellations are where, Stellarium is a fantastic tool for viewing the night sky from the comfort of your home.

Google has added some "Labs" features to Google Calendar today. I think one of the neatest features is the "Time to next event". Interesting bit of info to have in front of you all the time. The World Clock is also useful when planning online events.Introducing Google Calendar Labs (David Marmaros/The Google Apps Blog) from Techmeme David Marmaros / The Google Apps Blog:Introducing Google Calendar Labs — It's hard to believe it's been more than three years since we introduced Google Calendar to the world. (It's true, I just checked my calendar.) In that time we've received countless ideas and suggestions, including many from my fellow Googlers …

SBHosting.com posted an interview I did last week talking about the uses and differences between Wordpress.com's hosted blogs and the Wordpress software available from Wordpress.org.Listen to the entire interview (30 Mins)Wordpress.org Vs Wordpress.com With Douglas WelchOn this episode I talk with Douglas Welch about the differences between Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org and when you might want to use WordPress.org vs Wordpress.com. Wordpress.com is hosted and managed by automattic (the company behing wordpress). If you choose WordPress.com you don’t install or control the software. WordPress.org is the home of the open source wordpress software. [...]Continue reading...

Speaking with my friend Michael today, He reminded me that the digital television switch over is going to occur on June 20, 2009 and many older televisions will stop receiving "over-the-air" television signals.Anyone who is getting their television signals over cable, AT&T uVerse, Satellite and other methods will still be able to watch their shows. It only effects television delivered via an antenna.I know from my travels that very few of my clients are in danger of losing their television service, but I have always had another concern about this switchover. Throughout the years, we have always been reminded to have a battery operated radio or television in case of weather, or in California, earthquake, emergency.Unfortunately, all of the small televisions we have around our house will not receive any signal after June 20. I hadn't seen any prominent advertising for newer, portable TVs so I finally decided to go looking for them.Amazon.com lists a number of portable digital TVs with ATSC tuners that will receive the new digital television signals. The smallest size seems to be 7", but there are 9" and 10" models available, too. Most operate on AC or DC current and some come with car adapters, too. Some offer rechargeable battery packs, although at least one said it could not be recharged through the car charger, so you would eventually have to use your car battery as a primary power source after a few hours.Here are the features to look for when purchasing a new portable digital TV:ATSC digital tunerBattery powered (Rechargeable or traditional)Runs off 120V house powerRuns off 12V car power with adapterLink: Amazon.com: Portable Digital TVsRelated articles by Zemanta 30 Days to Digital Television Transition (seattlest.com) LivingHD.com answers Digital TV questions (live event) (techburgh.com) HD for free, out of thin air (thestar.com)

I so wish Google had had this available when I was forced to hand migrate a client's email contacts from AOL to their new Gmail account. It was painful, to say the least, and horribly time consuming. I haven't yet tried this new migration with someone, but I have some candidates I am going to approach so I can use them as a test.If you are still using AOL, do yourself a favor and check out Gmail. I have moved all my email over to my Gmail address and can now easily access it on my own computers, friends computers, my iPhone and pretty much anywhere I have an Internet connection.Gmail Makes Email Switching EasierBy Kevin Purdy, 5:30 AM on Thu May 14 2009, 12,921 views Been looking to move a friend or relative to Gmail, but they complain the move from AOL, Hotmail, or their ISP email would be painful? Let 'em know Gmail now offers an easy switching tool.Read the entire article