Who I am - part 001
(I reviewed this post in October 2010 and found some things I said that required modification. While those changes have been made, the original text is included for posterity. New wording is highlighted with burgundy text.)
My name is Sid Plait. I am a graduate of Georgia Tech in Computer and Information Sciences, and I worked for high technology corporations in and around Atlanta, Georgia for over 21 years. I spent most of that time concerned with what my clients needed and wanted, and making sure that what we developed was as easy to use as possible. At some point, long after I'd had enough of Corporate America, I left it and went out on my own. I love consulting, and I work with homeowners and very small businesses from Buckhead to points north, from Decatur to Vinings, Roswell, And Alpharetta.
I look forward to meeting you through this medium. This should be fun!
My main areas of expertise are:
- Macs and Windows PCs (fixing, maintaining, and upgrading)
- Networking (wired and wireless)
- Strategic planning - making sure you get the right technology to take you at least five years into the future
- Technology integration (getting your iPod, Treo, Blackberry, and whatever else comes along talking to your computer and assisting in organizing your life, putting your record albums into digital format, hooking up an external drive for backups, etc.)
- Virus and other malware removal
- Data recovery from failed hard drives
- Recycling electronics properly
- Destroying hard drives from old computers so no one can get to your data
- and I love to write
I also love to teach my clients as much as they want to know about their computing environment, and I do it using plain English, so that it's easy for them (and you) to "get it".
When my clients graduate to servers, I refer them to several area companies I like that will provide them with the same level of support and respect I gave them while I worked for them.
I have lived in the Atlanta area since 1972, in Roswell for the last 16 years. I love my wife, daughter (and her new husband), and dog; music (most types); movies; science fiction; mysteries; college basketball and baseball; PowerCore; the wonders of the universe beyond our planet; and volunteering at the Georgia Aquarium . Oh yeah, I also like Waffle House, the Cuban sandwich at Fancy Pantry, ribs and onion rings almost anywhere, food in general, and working on computers.
If you wish to explore the non-technical side of my life, you will find there are non-technical posts here. Use the Categories listed to the left to chose what you read on this site. While critical thinking and the state of affairs in the U.S.A. are huge concerns of mine, I will do my best to avoid politics, since they probably don't have too much to do with technology (although...) and I don't want to alienate any of my client base or readers. As a result, you won't find much about Texas, the Tea Party, antivaxxers, and Creationism-as-science here. Just know up front that I won't always be able to ignore some issues. I promise, though, that I'll try really hard!
I use a Mac as my main computer (MacBook Pro, 2.66GHz dual-core, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive), and I have a number of PCs running different Windows operating systems.
This blog is dedicated to the average computer user who wants to know about their systems and what affects those systems.
Please feel free to comment on anything I write, but do so nicely. BE CIVIL, no matter how much that hurts. (If you're not sure what 'being civil' means, go here.) I promise to do the same. I reserve the right to remove any comments or whole postings by anyone who is rude or mean. Even to the point of blocking that individual from posting at all if s/he doesn't understand the rules. After all, it's my blog, not yours.
I hope you find these pages informative. If there are topics you would like me to address, please write me by cutting and pasting the following into your browser's address bar: blog"at"plaitsolutions"dot"com. MAKE SURE you change the word "at" (with the quotes) to @, and the word "dot" (with the quotes) to a period. I did it this way for security purposes.
Trust me. Internet privacy and security are true passions of mine, as you will see in future posts.
I look forward to meeting you through this medium. This should be fun!
Good job Sid! Nice blog.
I'd love to hear maintenance and backing up tricks for the mac.
-- Allison
Reply to this
Great idea to have a blog! Here are some possible column ideas:
- the five most important things to think about when buying a new computer for a personal user and/or home office
- essentials of backing up (how to be sure you protect your files and have a reliable system in place. Which external hard-drives or server-based backup systems you recommend)
- how to keep your internet safe for kids without becoming Big Brother
Keep me up to date on the new posts!
Reply to this
Congratulations on your blog! Great idea. I look forward to some tips and tricks, ideas for buying a new computer, wifi, etc. Yay!
Reply to this
Your a geek with a life! I think you did a great job here. The personalization of your Blog lets me know that I am dealing with another human. I have been in the computer & electronics service arena for 30 years and from what I've experienced, the repair of a problem goes beyond hardware or software issues. There is the human side which you have artfully communicated. I look forward to reading your future entries. Congratulations Sid!
Reply to this
I was sent here from Bad Astronomy, and I'm so glad I made the journey! What a wonderful resource. Thanks for running this blog.
(The smart hammer really did hit the Plait family, eh?)
Cheers!
Reply to this
Awesome blog! Thank BA for redirecting!
Reply to this