Chris Pirillo » diy http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:06:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © chris@pirillo.com () chris@pirillo.com() Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. chris@pirillo.com No no http://chris.pirillo.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpgChris Pirillohttp://chris.pirillo.com 144 144 DIY Digital Camera Repairhttp://chris.pirillo.com/diy-digital-camera-repair/ http://chris.pirillo.com/diy-digital-camera-repair/#comments Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:52:03 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=7579 DIY Digital Camera Repair is a post from Chris Pirillo

Joseph Manchor gives hope to those of us who have run into problems with our digital cameras, which are increasingly becoming disposable. That is to say, it’s often more affordable to buy a newer version of a digicam rather than repairing the broken one!

Many people have unused digital cameras hidden from view in a drawer somewhere. Their only fault that for whatever reason, they stopped working. They may have been ineligible for warranty repair, and professional repair was usually found to cost more than the value of the camera. But most people don’t realize though that almost half of these hidden cameras can be easily and quickly repaired at home. Most repairs do not even require opening the camera’s case. All that’s required is a little patience, and background knowledge.

I collect Canon digital cameras. This could be an expensive hobby, except most of mine were previously broken and acquired at very little cost from ebay. To make this work, I had to become proficient at camera repair. But having no background or knowledge in this area, you guessed it, a blog was started camerarepair.blogspot.com. The hope was that camera repair hobbyists would contribute to the blog, thus enhancing my reader’s (and my own) knowledge in the subject to help fix an ever expanding inventory of broken cameras.

Unfortunately, it turned out that most repair experts were rather secretive on this subject, viewing it as trade secrets. But thanks to Google, was able to find little tidbits here and there. Whatever gems were found were collected and shared on the blog. Have focused the blog on dealing with the most common problems that might be experienced. Have also tried to focus on the simplest of fixes that would work for these problems, hopefully without requiring the reader to even open their camera’s case. Happily about half the readers have reported success with the fixes listed in the blog. Noticed that you have mentioned in previous videos that you have a few Canon’s yourself. If any of them are hidden from view (they were dropped, or just stopped working), stop by the blog. Who knows, you might get lucky with one of the listed fixes.

Thanks, Joseph – you’re a hero! I’m more than happy to pass your resource along to my friends.

]]> DIY Digital Camera Repair is a post from Chris Pirillo

Joseph Manchor gives hope to those of us who have run into problems with our digital cameras, which are increasingly becoming disposable. That is to say, it’s often more affordable to buy a newer version of a digicam rather than repairing the broken one!

Many people have unused digital cameras hidden from view in a drawer somewhere. Their only fault that for whatever reason, they stopped working. They may have been ineligible for warranty repair, and professional repair was usually found to cost more than the value of the camera. But most people don’t realize though that almost half of these hidden cameras can be easily and quickly repaired at home. Most repairs do not even require opening the camera’s case. All that’s required is a little patience, and background knowledge.

I collect Canon digital cameras. This could be an expensive hobby, except most of mine were previously broken and acquired at very little cost from ebay. To make this work, I had to become proficient at camera repair. But having no background or knowledge in this area, you guessed it, a blog was started camerarepair.blogspot.com. The hope was that camera repair hobbyists would contribute to the blog, thus enhancing my reader’s (and my own) knowledge in the subject to help fix an ever expanding inventory of broken cameras.

Unfortunately, it turned out that most repair experts were rather secretive on this subject, viewing it as trade secrets. But thanks to Google, was able to find little tidbits here and there. Whatever gems were found were collected and shared on the blog. Have focused the blog on dealing with the most common problems that might be experienced. Have also tried to focus on the simplest of fixes that would work for these problems, hopefully without requiring the reader to even open their camera’s case. Happily about half the readers have reported success with the fixes listed in the blog. Noticed that you have mentioned in previous videos that you have a few Canon’s yourself. If any of them are hidden from view (they were dropped, or just stopped working), stop by the blog. Who knows, you might get lucky with one of the listed fixes.

Thanks, Joseph – you’re a hero! I’m more than happy to pass your resource along to my friends.

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/diy-digital-camera-repair/feed/ 18 Remember to Write it Downhttp://chris.pirillo.com/remember-to-write-it-down/ http://chris.pirillo.com/remember-to-write-it-down/#comments Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:58:52 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/10/02/remember-to-write-it-down/ Remember to Write it Down is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Any time you have to work with electronics and take things apart, make sure you plan what you’re doing. Don’t get over-anxious and just start disassembling something you may not later remember how to properly put back together.

Ponzi and I recently got some new shelving units for our basement media room, which is still coming together. I have 7.1 surround sound, and had to unhook all the wires from the back of the receiver. Had I just started pulling them out, putting it back together could have been a nightmare. Here are some things I did to help me remember, and are my “tips” to you when doing anything similar at your home.

  • Have plenty of light. Make sure you can see what goes where, the proper color wires, and the proper holes.
  • I recorded myself with my video camera. This gave me a visual and audio backup to refer to if needed.
  • I grabbed some stickers out of Ponzi’s desk drawer. Little color-coded stickers are a great little thing to use to keep things organized. You can actually buy wire labeling kits that you can write on the long, thin sticker what the cord is for, then wrap it around the cord permanently.
  • Write. It. Down. Yes, write! I even drew a little diagram in one instance.

If you take any or all of the above steps, you shouldn’t have any problems when the time comes to reassemble what you’ve taken apart.

Want to embed this video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> Remember to Write it Down is a post from Chris Pirillo


Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Any time you have to work with electronics and take things apart, make sure you plan what you’re doing. Don’t get over-anxious and just start disassembling something you may not later remember how to properly put back together.

Ponzi and I recently got some new shelving units for our basement media room, which is still coming together. I have 7.1 surround sound, and had to unhook all the wires from the back of the receiver. Had I just started pulling them out, putting it back together could have been a nightmare. Here are some things I did to help me remember, and are my “tips” to you when doing anything similar at your home.

  • Have plenty of light. Make sure you can see what goes where, the proper color wires, and the proper holes.
  • I recorded myself with my video camera. This gave me a visual and audio backup to refer to if needed.
  • I grabbed some stickers out of Ponzi’s desk drawer. Little color-coded stickers are a great little thing to use to keep things organized. You can actually buy wire labeling kits that you can write on the long, thin sticker what the cord is for, then wrap it around the cord permanently.
  • Write. It. Down. Yes, write! I even drew a little diagram in one instance.

If you take any or all of the above steps, you shouldn’t have any problems when the time comes to reassemble what you’ve taken apart.

Want to embed this video in your blog? Use this code:

Formats Available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4) Flash Video (.flv) MP3 Audio (.mp3)

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/remember-to-write-it-down/feed/ 5 Pirillo’s Picks for 02/28/2007http://chris.pirillo.com/pirillos-picks-for-02282007/ http://chris.pirillo.com/pirillos-picks-for-02282007/#comments Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:52:08 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/02/28/pirillos-picks-for-02282007/ Pirillo’s Picks for 02/28/2007 is a post from Chris Pirillo

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

]]> Pirillo’s Picks for 02/28/2007 is a post from Chris Pirillo

I send my picks to 140,000 subscribers every day – join them by sending an email to picks@lockergnome.com. If you blog and encourage others to subscribe to the list, your site will be placed in the queue to be featured in an upcoming Pirillo’s Picks!

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/pirillos-picks-for-02282007/feed/ 4 Home Improvement Toolshttp://chris.pirillo.com/home-improvement-tools/ http://chris.pirillo.com/home-improvement-tools/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2006 05:58:11 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2006/10/10/home-improvement-tools/ Home Improvement Tools is a post from Chris Pirillo

So, if one wanted to take home improvement into his or her own hands, where should one begin to look for help online? I really want to become my own handyman, if only because I’d rather “DIY” than wait around for someone else to do it for me. I can change light bulbs like none other, but beyond that – I’m useless. Awl I know is that I need to start collecting simple tutorials for common problems around the house. Let the link love begin!

]]> Home Improvement Tools is a post from Chris Pirillo

So, if one wanted to take home improvement into his or her own hands, where should one begin to look for help online? I really want to become my own handyman, if only because I’d rather “DIY” than wait around for someone else to do it for me. I can change light bulbs like none other, but beyond that – I’m useless. Awl I know is that I need to start collecting simple tutorials for common problems around the house. Let the link love begin!

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/home-improvement-tools/feed/ 15 How to Get 75,000 Page Impressions in a Dayhttp://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-get-75000-page-impressions-in-a-day/ http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-get-75000-page-impressions-in-a-day/#comments Tue, 08 Aug 2006 06:25:49 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2006/08/07/how-to-get-75000-page-impressions-in-a-day/ How to Get 75,000 Page Impressions in a Day is a post from Chris Pirillo

Doing It is really doing it, apparently – generating over 75,000 unique page impressions for a single post today. Our post on How to open a beer bottle with a piece of paper got Fark’ed, and now that link is leaking out into other social news services. We went from zero to sixty in a matter of hours, and it looks as though that momentum will carry us through to future farkable finds. Yes, we’re expanding our search for the wackiest ways to do things – be that in video, audio, or plain text format. Since anybody can contribute to the site, you’re welcome to join us in our quest for the holy grail…

]]> How to Get 75,000 Page Impressions in a Day is a post from Chris Pirillo

Doing It is really doing it, apparently – generating over 75,000 unique page impressions for a single post today. Our post on How to open a beer bottle with a piece of paper got Fark’ed, and now that link is leaking out into other social news services. We went from zero to sixty in a matter of hours, and it looks as though that momentum will carry us through to future farkable finds. Yes, we’re expanding our search for the wackiest ways to do things – be that in video, audio, or plain text format. Since anybody can contribute to the site, you’re welcome to join us in our quest for the holy grail…

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-get-75000-page-impressions-in-a-day/feed/ 4 Doing It Differentlyhttp://chris.pirillo.com/doing-it-differently/ http://chris.pirillo.com/doing-it-differently/#comments Tue, 01 Aug 2006 06:28:37 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2006/07/31/doing-it-differently/ Doing It Differently is a post from Chris Pirillo

Okay, I love what Gina and pt do – who doesn’t? Jake and I have been kicking an idea around for a while, and I think we’re ready to unleash it. Nothing revolutionary, mind you – just an idea that might (or might not) work.

We’re Doing It – a DIY/GTD group blog that anybody can join at any time. Sign up, post a draft immediately, and never post again for all we care (or continue to post, if you get enough cross-promotional or search engine traffic from the coverage).

So, let’s just see if this “wisdom of crowds” thingy works – and not just for geeks!

]]> Doing It Differently is a post from Chris Pirillo

Okay, I love what Gina and pt do – who doesn’t? Jake and I have been kicking an idea around for a while, and I think we’re ready to unleash it. Nothing revolutionary, mind you – just an idea that might (or might not) work.

We’re Doing It – a DIY/GTD group blog that anybody can join at any time. Sign up, post a draft immediately, and never post again for all we care (or continue to post, if you get enough cross-promotional or search engine traffic from the coverage).

So, let’s just see if this “wisdom of crowds” thingy works – and not just for geeks!

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/doing-it-differently/feed/ 5 How to Handle Remote Tech Support <em>Using <a href="http://www.gotoassist.com/chris">GoToAssist</a> is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party. </em> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMThttp://gotoassist.com/chris/ http://gotoassist.com/chris/ Network Tools for Windows You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">SolarWinds ipMonitor</a>: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">Download your free trial today</a>. Or, try their <a href="http://www.solarwinds.com/products/freetools/">totally free tools</a>! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase <a href="http://store.solarwinds.com/s.nl/sc.16/.f">ipMonitor 9.0</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome Get Your Own Web Site Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">GoDaddy</a> includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">code CP2</a> at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order. <p>Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">CHRIS7</a>, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">GoDaddy.com</a>.</p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a> or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> and/or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ Coupons for Online Shopping <p style="color: red">This feed is fueled by Lockergnome <a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/buy/">Online Shopping and Coupon Codes</a></p> <p> Before you shop next time, see if we have <a href="http://coupons.lockergnome.com/">a coupon</a> first. </p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMThttp://coupons.lockergnome.com/ http://coupons.lockergnome.com/