Author: Mike Pihlman

  • Are all Wi-Fi Hot Spots Created Equal?

    August 2007   The signs of the times! It is apparent that the popularity of “Wi-Fi Hot Spots” is increasing. Although Wi-Fi hot spots never really struck me as something interesting (I turn into TracyReaderDad after working hours), one day I got to wondering just what all the fuss is about. Soooo… Being free, and…

  • iPhone

    “The iPhone Experience” by YeOldeTechy Rating:4 Watertowers Apple has once again shown that it has the genius (or guts) to revolutionize where others merely improve. Once the crowds subsided, and much of the iPhone excitement died away, I drove to the AT&T Store on Grant Line Road in Tracy (near Wal-Mart) to see what all…

  • Tel Bit Consulting has arrived!

    The day has finally arrived, well almost, a few short hours. Tel Bit Consulting, Yeoldetechy, has opened for business in Tracy, CA. Do you hear the fireworks? People screaming? Hmmm, neither do I. Shortly, right here on these pages there will appear–as if by magic–new articles, product reviews, opinions, and more. So stay tuned and…

  • Office 2007 Compatibility Pack

    If you have received a file recently that was produced using Office 2007 (Word, Excel, etc) you may not have been able to open it. Download this “Compatibility Pack” from Microsoft. That will allow you to open and edit Office 2007 files without the need for you to upgrade. Here is a pretty good explanation,…

  • Fathers Day – I’ll take a REAL book

    Being YeOldeTechy…I like techy stuff. Not to the extreme, but a new gadget every now and then catches my eye and I have to check it out. There is one gadget I will NEVER check out and will never want….the electronic book. I have been seeing Sony ads touting their latest electronic book that can…

  • Cell Phone and Brain Cancer Theory

    My wife suggested I document this theory I have had for quite some time. But first, let me give you a very brief background. When I was in graduate school at the University of Kansas, one of my research interests was on the effects of microwave radiation on the human body. I never got to…

  • Thoughts on Instant Messaging

    Update June 2023: Enjoy this technology history lesson. 🙂 Well it has been along time since I have entered anything here. Lets get back into it…. Instant Messaging I like IM but, now that I am “retired” from my old job and have picked up a new one (where IM is a daily part of…

  • HDTV Tutorial

    High Definition TV UPDATE January 29, 2019:  It’s been 13 or 14 years since I wrote this article. Another Super Bowl will start on Sunday, and, we still have the same Sony HDTV I talk about below.  We have had to change the projection bulb twice, but, it is still running and still has a…

  • DVD Burning and Standards

    DVD Standards are Important when Burning a DVD by Ye Olde Techy This Christmas, Santa left Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 under the tree. I had been playing around making home moves with Windows Movie Maker, but, now, with Adobe I could take the next step in home movie making. Soooo, being a normal “kid” I…