Articles written by Lee Mathews

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About me - Lee Mathews

I'm a full-time computer technician now into my second decade of experience, as well as a husband and dad.

Why am I on Helium? Well, I enjoy writing and blogging, and I've got a lot of information to share. I also like to think that I'm good at presenting

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Business > Business Issues Big blunders in business: How your business can learn from common mistakes: 1 of 18

Success in business is just like everything else - mistakes are going to be made, and you've got to do your best to learn from them when they happen. Of course, looking at common mistakes that other businesses make can prove extremely helpful, too. I have a few key rules that I've developed for myself over the years, and I'v...
Computers & Technology > Internet Software & Utils Free security measures to take for your computer: 1 of 4

Making sure you're safe and secure online seems like it's getting more and more complicated, but it doesn't need to be. Knowing what risks are out there and what software is available to combat those risks will give you a huge advantage. The very first thing to do is to make sure your connection to the internet is secured. I...
Computers & Technology > Software (Other) The advantages of downloading software vs buying it on CD: 2 of 7

What is a better option, buying software online and downloading it or buying a CD? Let's look at a couple of things first before making a decision. Let's take a piece of major software so we can compare an online version and a packaged version of the same thing. Apples to apples and all that. How about Norton Antivirus 2008?...
Entertainment > TV News & Commentary Dateline's To Catch a Predator: Helpful service or illegal entrapment?: 8 of 24

Because of how closely Dateline works with police authorities on To Catch a Predator, I don't think there's any way it can be termed "illegal" entrapment. I just can't see local police being "ok" with participating (on tv, no less) with an operation that was anything other than legal. Let's figure out first what "entrapment"...
Arts & Humanities > Internet Writing & Blogging Should bloggers and citizen journalists have an opportunity to get credentials so they can cover Congress the same way mainstream media journalists do?: 2 of 6

Should someone that gives you advice about which cough syrup they use be allowed to prescribe drugs? No, that doesn't make any sense. That person isn't a doctor, and they haven't gone to medical school. So why should a "citizen journalist" be allowed to get press credentials to cover Congressional hearings? In short, they sh...
Computers & Technology > Computer Buying Tips Using old hard drives to improve system performance: 2 of 4

As a general rule with computers, the idea of "improving performance" and "old hardware" don't typically go hand-in-hand. And that's mostly the case with an old hard drive. Just what can we term as and OLD hard drive, anyways? From a technicians standpoint, I look at two things. First, the "spindle speed" of the drive. All d...
Computers & Technology > Internet Tips BitTorrent for free downloads: A safe alternative to Kazaa or Limewire: 2 of 4

The bottom line is that there's no such thing as "safe" when it comes to downloading things for free on the Internet. Why? Plain and simple, if you're doing something illegal, there's always a certain amount of risk involved. Torrents are a specific file format, and don't have anything to do with the "BitTorrent" website or ...
Computers & Technology > Malware & Identity Theft How to get rid of adware: 1 of 2

There are a lot of misconceptions about adware to clear up before you look at how to clean it up. What is adware? It is any software that causes the display or download of advertising on a computer while the program is being used. What does that mean? Well, for starters it means that your favorite P2P or file sharing program...
Computers & Technology > Computers & Technology (Other) Disabling the ability for a computer to download: 1 of 2

While it just wouldn't make sense to completely disable all downloading functions on a computer, it certainly makes sense to learn what you can do to control and limit what is downloaded. So much of what we do on computers requires downloading of one form or another - updating your antivirus applications, reading RSS feeds, ...
Sports & Recreation > Hockey Observations regarding the Detroit Red Wings: 1 of 1

No one doubted the Red Wings' winning streak would come to an end. What is a bit surprising is how the Dallas Stars have turned the tide. A Stars team that looked completely outmatched in the first three games of the series has fought back to a 3-2 mark and is now taking the series back to Dallas in hopes of forcing a game 7...