New Technologies from Blue Computer Solutions and Bright Life Family Chiropractic

Here's a little more of the fun things we get to do at Blue Computer Solutions. We've known Dr. Andrew Gessart and Dr. Tami Howard since they arrived in Kyle, and we've watched as they networked, chose their location and started construction. We've been telling them about our computer services since the beginning; my brother Mat was chomping at the bit because he knew chiropractors have super-cool proprietary software and he wanted to get his hands on it and play around.

Finally Andrew and Tami were ready to launch Bright Life Family Chiropractic, and they showed us all the things they needed in their office. We had boxes all over the Blue Computer offices, and I'm kind of amazed that once it was all installed, it's pretty compact and out of the way.

Once Mat got everything up and running, the Docs couldn't have been more happy. Andrew was like a kid in a candy store and loved the touch screen capabilities and the ease of use. The software program he uses is quite amazing in its ability to accurate assess patients and determine the right course of treatment in just a few minutes.

I know a little about chiropractic (that's the right word--I always thought it was chiropracty or chiropratology) since I once dated a girl who father was a chiropractor. He should me some basic adjustments and told me some great stories (the constipated man was a classic, but that's for another day), but it's clear that the discipline has advanced dramatically in the Computer Age. By the way, those feet belong to Dominic of Valiant Landscaping Services here in Kyle. I had Dominic service my sprinkler system and he showed up in the late afternoon when it was 104 degrees and still fixed everything with a smile on his face. He probably needs that adjustment.

Even the tables are high-tech. You don't even have to lie down on this one. It tilts up vertically and meets your body and gently transports you to a prone position. This makes perfect sense for people who are in a lot of pain.

At any rate, we're excited to help other businesses get their start in Kyle just as we did a couple of years ago. Andrew and Tami are great people--they're engaged to be married, by the way, which makes it even more fun to work with them. Many businesses have proprietary technologies that cost an arm and a leg to maintain. We have a sonogram company as a customer, and the company that serviced their computers charged them a fortune because they were "specialists." Mat walked in, figured it all out and charged a tiny fraction of what the other company cost. So don't be afraid to give him a call at (512) 644-9054. And if you need a chiropractic adjustment in central Texas, just check out Andrew and Tami's website and tell them the Vinyl Anachronist sent you.

SXSW 2011--random pics

Yes, I did go to SXSW this year, but I was hopelessly disorganized compared to last year. I had only one band, the Materials, on my radar. I was looking forward to seeing old friends such as Jon Ragel of Boy Eats Drum Machine (he didn't go) and DJ DUS (he went, but I couldn't track him down). I even missed seeing Jason Gross and Robin Cook of Perfect Sound Forever; we were scheduled to meet up Saturday evening but I couldn't get a cell phone signal and didn't get any of my messages until 11am Sunday morning.

I had a lot going on with Blue Computer Solutions over the last week, and I just didn't have the time to plan anything. But I did have fun hanging out on 6th Street and SoCo. I did manage to meet up with Colleen Cardas as well as Dean Peer and his wife Deborah for drinks at the Hotel San Jose. I also visited Brian Di Frank at Whetstone Audio...he was sponsoring a gathering of bands that performed in the park behind his store.

I've made a promise to myself that next year I will plan ahead, and I will go to the main event and have much more to talk about. Here are some random pics from yesterday...enjoy!

Blue Cookie Solutions

Here are some of the prototypes for our upcoming "official" cookie for Blue Computer Solutions, which we will give to our customers. Erin Pont and Pam Krug of All Mom's Cookies have been working around the clock to deliver the perfect treat, which we have dubbed the Blue Cookie Solution. All of the recipes revolve around dried blueberries, and we're playing around with all types of ingredients--even maple syrup (I have a serious blueberry pancake addiction).

I think the winning cookie is the one with blueberries, white chocolate and coconut. Unfortunately, a lot of people (crazy people, I might add) don't like coconuts. So our backup is one with blueberries, white chocolate and dark chocolate.

Eventually the cookie will look like our logo. It will be perfectly square and have the actual logo imprinted onto sheets of fondant. I'll post more pics when the design is formalized!

Blue Computer Solutions Facebook Page

We finally got our Blue Computer Solutions Facebook page up and running the way we want it. Facebook really doesn't like businesses to operate a page that isn't a fan page, and our previous fan page just wasn't flexible for our needs. We had to get a little creative to make it work as a regular page. (Evidently Facebook software knows that no one in the world is named "Blue Computer Solutions.")

Now you can check us out at http://www.facebook.com/blue.computersolutions and see our products, specials, updates and our latest news on our ongoing music server project. Feel free to "friend" us!

The Project Continues...

Here are just a couple more photos of what my brother and I are working on. After attending CES and seeing what's new in the world of music servers, my brother--a long time IT guy and fellow music lover--is amazed at the complexity of it all. His point is that people are focused on the hardware end of things such as controllers, wireless adapters, interfaces, etc. He asks the simple question: why don't you just use your existing PC for all of this? Why don't you just put your money into your desktop, tower or laptop?

In just a day or two, we have created a versatile system that uses little more than a laptop (with four gigs), a $100 Sound Blaster sound card and some software to create a commercially viable and affordable music server system.

He downloaded his music library (he has eight terrabytes of memory on our big music server downstairs) onto my laptop in just a few hours--that's 44,000 songs--and I've been comparing WAV and WMA files to CDs on my CD and there's very little compromise in the sound. (While he's doing all the hard work, I'm the one who gets to sit down and listen and determine whether or not this is "audiophile" quality.)

I'm a little self-conscious about using my blog as a marketing tool. Someone in the audio industry asked me just this weekend if I made my living on this blog, and I replied, "No. I don't make dime. I do this for fun." And I do. At the same time, I think we're onto something very cool. I don't know where this will lead, since my brother has spent the last 14 years offering computer support on a very local level, but you never know. What he has done is very cool, and I honestly can't see spending tons of money on hardware after seeing what he can do. And he told me everything I have can be done for just three figures, and that includes the laptop.

I'll say it once more--I'm not a technical guy and I'm really just getting into the whole computer music thing. Your more technical questions should be directed at my brother Mat. I'm also not a salesman or a marketing guy. I'm an anachronist and a music lover first. But I welcome any questions or concerns!

Blue Computer Solutions

This is to give you an idea what kind of work my brother Mat does for us at Blue Computer Solutions. This was an old abandoned machine that belonged to a teenager. His parents wanted to buy him a whole new machine for Christmas. We took the old machine, cleaned up the rat's nest inside, replaced the hard drive, the CD-ROM and DVD drives and the power supply, gave it a lot more RAM and installed a fancy new fan that has lots of flashy colored lights. Mat even waxes the case so it's shiny and lustrous. And this new machine is a BEAST that will play any game on the market. And the total price was less than one of those cheap basic laptops that will last you maybe 18 months.

 In this economy, we're trying to show our customers that it may be better to re-do your old computer than to throw it away and buy a new one. Like I said, the life expectancy of a laptop is somewhere between 18 months and two years, which really isn't enough. I've had my laptop for four years now, and it's running just as fast as the day I bought it from Mat. All you need is a trustworthy tech. Unfortunately, we can't help all of my friends who read this blog from places such as India, Hungary and Australia, but if you're in central Texas there is simply no one else like Blue Computer Solutions.

I know this sounds like a commercial, but a lot of it is simple awe. My brother Mat, the baby of the family, was always the problem child. Now he's this computer guru who can do things no one else can. At Blue, every single one of our customers loves what we do and the vast majority of our business comes from extremely enthusiastic referrals. And it's nice to be part of something that isn't about making a bunch of money. Like Mat says, he just wants everybody to be happy.