Vortec IRC -- Out Of Beta

I've been blogging about the Vortec IRC chat client since I became a beta tester. After many updates to the beta, a release is now available. If you chat on IRC, give Vortec a try. It does everything I would expect out of a good chat client. The options to tailor it to your needs are virtually endless.
Vortec is a Windows application, however it runs well in a linux environment under wine.
Go to http://vortecirc.com and give it a try.

Computers On The Cheap

Computers are cheaper now than ever. However the typical computer buying consumer still pays more than what a tech savvy computer geek can build a comparable computer for.
Since retiring I've had to resort to doing extensive research (shopping) in order to satisfy my constant geek computer needs on limited available funds. This has been an enlightening experience that I actually enjoy.
I'm going to focus this blog on getting computers, parts and components to upgrade your computer or build a replacement machine. If you are in need of a power machine capable of heavy gaming, video editing or computer aided design the computers and components I suggest might not be up to your needs. However the methods and sources I suggest can certainly be scaled to your computer needs.
I anticipate making some YouTube videos on Computers On The Cheap. This part of the project will be delayed until I upgrade my video camera and find some additional studio lighting on the cheap.
I solicit readers interest in this project. Leave your comments here on the blog, email me at miiikeeeworld@gmail.com or leave a voice message at 586-298-2311.

Computer Recycling

Recycling of computer equipment is extremely important. People are replacing computers at an alarming rate. Our landfills are getting filled up fast, So it's imperative that computers get recycled properly. Many communities have established stringent recycling procedures.It has resulted in big business. Companies remove all the precious metals and recylce them at a profit.
I believe that many computers end up being recycled or otherwise thrown away unnecessarily. With the cost of computers being cheaper than ever these days, many computers get replaced by new equipment rather than be repaired and used longer. At some point a computer can becomes obsolete because of lack of speed or memory to run modern applications. In many cases these computers are still satisfactory to run a number of applications. They might be a good second computer for email, word processing etc.
So before throwing yet one more computer out, think about how it might be pressed into service by you or someone else.

Vortec IRC, Revisited

This is my second blog post about Vortec IRC. It is without a doubt the best IRC chat client I have used. John continues to work on the beta. Every update brings improvement. I use Vortec every day and am more impressed with it now than ever.
I only have one real complaint with Vortec IRC. John is a perfectionist. He will implement changes and additions submitted by followers as well as Beta testers. It's rare when users can interact with the auther of an application like this. While this is a good thing, I find it also has a crippling affect on Vortec's distribution. I am extremely active on the web among technology "geeks". Because I am such a fan of Vortec IRC, I've posted comments about the application on a number of forums and social networks. The biggest comment I've received on it is in regard to many people not desiring to use an application that is still in Beta.
I feel the current Vortec IRC beta is more than stable enough for a full blown release. I urge John to take a week or two to clean up what he can on the application and do a full blown Version 1.0 release on it. No doubt little problems will arise. But I think they will be insignificant enough to be handled by routine updates.

Check out Vortec IRC

Google Voice - Real Phone Service

Phone technology is adavancing at an amazing rate. I just signed up with Google Voice. It's an amazing service loaded with potential. Most of the service is free of charge. With Google voice you select a telephone number in the area code you want. Once you have that, you can tie it to your other phones. There are provisions for screening calls prior to forwarding them to your other phone(s). The line has voice mail with a provision to translate your voicemails to text and multiple other features that I'm still learning. Without a doubt Google voice is one of the most feature packed services I've experienced.
I will be blogging more on this once I learn more about it. Do you use Google voice? What features do you like? Leave a comment here of leave a voice mail at 586-298-2311.

Google Voice