31478 Industrial Road Suite 200, Livonia, Michigan 48150 sales@xfer.com

XFER Blog

XFER Blog

XFER has been serving the Livonia area since 1994, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

A Better Way to Be Rid of Old Cables

A Better Way to Be Rid of Old Cables

Are you drowning in old computer cables? Do they sit in a drawer and take up space? Chances are that you’ll have quite a lot of old cables that are sitting around collecting dust due to your organization picking up new devices that come with even more new cables. Sure, you might think you still need that old 25-pin serial cable for that legacy scanner from 1997, but it’s probably time to let go. While there is some merit to keeping old cables around just in case, the proper alternative to throwing out unneeded cables is to recycle them.

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Tip of the Week: 10 Google Easter Eggs to Get You Through the Workday

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Perhaps one reason why Google is so popular is because the company knows how to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. One way that Google shows us their silly side is with Easter eggs they’ve incorporated into their search engine. Here’s a list of ten of our favorites.

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Is the “Send Me to Heaven” App the Best Technology Prank Ever? [VIDEO]

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If someone asked you to throw your expensive smartphone high up into the air and risk dropping it, just for the fun of it, you would probably say no. However, for the hundreds of thousands of smartphone users who have downloaded an app designed to do just that, they may have fallen for one of the best (or dumbest) technology pranks of all time.

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The Wolfman is an Executable Virus and 3 Other Monster/Malware Comparisons

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It’s the time of year when we reflect on scary things. For an IT company, it doesn’t get much scarier than an organization’s network getting slammed with a malicious computer virus. There are a variety of really bad viruses out there, each one with its own unique ability to cause some scary results. The way we see it, each computer virus is kind of like a classic monster.

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Hillary Clinton Learns the Hard Way Why Network Security Best Practices Must Be Followed

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With the United States’ Presidential election ramping up, it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing Hillary Clinton’s face. The former U.S. secretary of state and first lady, Clinton is making her second attempt at the Presidency. She has gained some negative attention recently in regards to emails she had sent from a personal email address when she was the United States’ top diplomat and it’s opened up some questions about data security at the highest reaches of government.

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Colonel Sanders Might Be a Technology Genius Thanks to KFC’s Bucket/Printer [VIDEO]

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Human ingenuity never ceases to amaze us. This whole information technology revolution has pushed access to information to levels that any person that lived before the advent of the computer could never have imagined. What’s more, the establishment of the Internet of Things has made it so humans even have remote access to the goods they own. So when we first saw the technological marvel that KFC had in store for the Canadian chicken consumers, we weren’t so shocked as excited that we’ve reached the next step in humanity’s trek into the future.

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3D Scanners Give Scientist a Glimpse of the Real Jurassic World

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Who remembers seeing Jurassic Park in theaters in 1993? By now, the dinosaur flick is ancient history, but with Jurassic World hitting theaters today, you might have huge lizards on the brain. What does this have to do with technology? Well, researchers in Kenya are using 3D scanning and printing to preserve fossils, so the real ones can be safely removed from hazardous weather conditions in the Turkana Basin.

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Too Much Coffee Can Give Your Work Performance The Jitters

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The road down entrepreneurialism is a long and twisted path, full of pitfalls that can lead you astray. However, there’s one companion who will never forsake you, and that’s your morning cup of coffee. While you might feel like you can’t get anything done without your morning caffeine fix, it can be holding you back from achieving your maximum productivity.

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Star Wars Has Shaped Our Technology More Than You Know

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It’s been a full 38 years since we were introduced to the Skywalker family in the first Star Wars film, “A New Hope.” The science fiction franchise has become such a cultural phenomenon that it even has its own holiday, celebrated galaxy-wide every May 4th (May the 4th be with you).

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3 Telltale Signs That Your Hard Drive is Failing

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Technology is vital to the success of any business, but even the most common issue can prevent users from accomplishing their day-to-day goals. Even technology that’s known to be reliable can fail at any given time. This is especially true for the notorious hard disk drive, which is required for the average workstation to function properly. In order to get the most out of your technology, and to avoid data loss, look for signs of hardware failure before the deed is done.

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The Top 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore Server Virtualization

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Is your business taking advantage of server virtualization? It’s a popular solution that increases efficiency and minimizes risk. Yet, despite the well-known benefits of virtualization, there are still businesses that are hesitant to adopt it. Are you still on the fence about virtualization? Consider these top three reasons why server virtualization may be right for you.

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Why Coca-Cola’s #MakeItHappy Commercial Fails to Make IT Happy

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One of the most memorable Super Bowl XLIX commercials yet again came from Coca-Cola. In classic Coca-Cola fashion (pun intended), they premiered an inspirational video with the message, “Let’s all make the World Wide Web a better place, #MakeItHappy.” We can’t contest to Coke’s feel-good message, but as an IT Company, we must object to one horrifying aspect of this commercial.

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Have a Sweet Drone? Think Twice Before Taking to the Skies

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There have been times in the past where technology advanced far faster than the legislation used to govern that technology. A modern example of this is the recent aerial drone controversy. People have no clue what can and can’t be done with them, and it’s generally because the technology came before any laws were passed concerning how they should be governed.

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Tip of the Week: How to Get Some Exercise in the Office

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the new year, and that means it’s time for New Year’s resolutions. Sitting down at your desk all day can make you realize that you’d like to get some more exercise into your lifestyle, but you also might realize that you have nowhere near enough time to make it to the gym. If this sounds like your predicament, you can try working out in the office.

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Can Minecraft Teach Kids Valuable Real-World Programming Skills? [VIDEO]

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Children across the world are heading back to school, and their parents breathe a sigh of relief. Instead of playing video games, children can now expand their minds in institutions designed for learning. But, what if a popular video game could teach children how valuable programming is as a real-world skill?

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Turn Up the Cuteness with Pets at Work!

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We've come across a fun, furry idea to relieve workplace stress. Kitties and puppies! In a fun twist to the workday, many companies are allowing staff to bring their pets with them to the office, and the results are adorable!

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On the Lighter Side, Dogecoin Cryptocurrency Hacked

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We all know about the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, but do you know about Dogecoin? Its figurehead, the grammatically-challenged Shiba Inu, quickly became an Internet sensation called the Doge meme, and was adopted as the mascot for Dogecoin. However, before you go out and buy yourself some Dogecoin for you and your buddies, you should know that its database, the Doge Vault, has been hacked.

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George R. R. Martin’s Tech is as Ancient as His Fantasy Works!

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When it comes to productivity, the latest technology can be a huge boon. A proper word processor can increase your productivity drastically if you know how to use it. However, one of today's most ingenious writers - George R. R. Martin - is still stuck in the Stone Age of word processing technology!

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Space Technology Repair By Chewbacca

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Across the galaxy, Star Wars fans will be celebrating their beloved science fiction franchise on May 4th (May the fourth be with you). One of the most fascinating aspects about Star Wars is its space technology. As cool as lightsabers and blasters are, Star Wars tech can break down just like our modern space technology. Concerning technology repair, we think troubleshooting space tech in our day can be just as exciting as repairing space technology "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."

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Disconnect from the Web and Experience Life

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Mobile devices give you the ability to always be connected with the virtual world. It may seem like this is great for productivity because you feel like more work is getting done; but could it be that constant connectivity is wearing us down? In light of the stresses caused from being connected, it's good to unplug and recharge your brain.

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