Bill Schiering - Computers, Security Cameras, Fishing & Harley-Davidson

THE OHIO SMOKING BAN NEEDS TO BE REVISED!

2008-06-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

I believe in good friends, good times and supporting your community. But most importantly, I believe in becoming involved. If something is not right, don’t sit back and complain, become involved.

For these reasons, I ran and was elected the President of the Middletown Aerie #528 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. The Eagles Motto is “People Helping People”. We are a private club and we have always given back to the local community by donating money and our member’s time. Over the past 4 years, we have donated over $500,000 to Local Charities. Thanks in part to the smoking ban, our Local Charities Donation are down $30,000 over this period last year. Our Sales Tax Payments to the State were down $5,000 over this period last year. The Smoking Ban, as it is written, is threatening our ability to support the Community, it is threatening our ability to keep our doors open. It is threatening our States ability to count on Tax Revenues.

Our business is off close to 30%, most of it can be attributed to the lack of participation by our members that smoke. The Anheuser-Busch distributor sales for on premise consumption locations is down 10%, but their overall sales are flat, which means that the smokers are buying at carry outs and drinking at home.

When it hit the ballot for voter approval, Private Clubs were supposed to be exempt. The fine print (not on the ballot summary that the voters read by the way) further clarified Private Clubs with NO PAID employees. So people voted for the bill thinking Private Clubs would be exempt, but that is not what happened.

The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by the Ohio Department of Health, which argued that the smoking ban approved by voters in 2006 included an exemption for VFW halls, American Legion posts and other fraternal clubs. They rejected the appeal on the basis that the definition of “employee” includes “wages for compensation for labor”. An employee is not a volunteer.

Cigarettes are a LEGAL PRODUCT. They are sold in every Convenience Store, Grocery Store and Super Market in this state. I do not believe that the State should be able to tell private business that they cannot use, or have their client use a LEGALLY SOLD product on their premises. I work for CFR, Inc., we run several businesses, Rentacomputer.com, CSN1 Technologies, ComputerServiceNow.com, CameraSecurityNow.com, Tech-Army.org, MiddletownUSA.com, MainStreetMonroe.com and Xponex just to name a few. Where is the States intrusion into private business going to stop? Is the State going to tell us that we cannot sell monitors because they cause Eye Strain? Or keyboards because repeated use will cause Carpal Tunnel? I mean, right now, you can’t even use a Gas or Charcoal Grill if you live in an Apartment! WHERE IS IT GONG TO STOP?

The Smoking Voters were duped by the way this issue was presented on the Ballot. The Ohio Supreme Court was unwilling to touch such a Red Hot Issue, but Ohio does have 3 Senators with enough fortitude to stand up for the rights of the smokers, for the rights of private businessmen and for the private clubs. Senators Gary Cates (Butler County), Robert Schuler (Warren and Hamilton Counties) and Bill Seitz (Hamilton County) announced at the Middletown Moose Lodge on Tuesday, June 24, that they are introducing a bill to reflect what the voters actually voted on the first time. If passed, the bill would allow smoking at private clubs and family owned businesses.

Time will tell, it looks like this legislation may pass the Senate and the House, then we will see if our Governor has the fortitude to right a wrong.

Projector News and Articles

2008-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to help pass that word about a great new blog I came across a few months back that is dedicated to LCD Projector technology and its use. The blog is simple titled "The Projector Blog". Personally I enjoy how the blog is written for the non technical user. Keeping with that low tech approach The Projector Blog targets more practical aspects of LCD projector technology such as which specs are most important when choosing a projector to buy, or how the technology is commonly used within a market.

One article the stands out in my mind, because it came in handy as I planned out my own media room was entitled “Should I get a screen for my projector”. A simple subject that I appreciated having some input on so that my hard earned cash for this project was not wasted by my lack of education on the subject.

So again if you are interested in LCD projectors I am giving The Projector Blog two thumbs up.

Missouri Makes My Day

2008-05-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of the day is when I get to meet new Tech-Army members. For those of you who may not have heard of the Tech-Army it’s a nationwide organization of technicians, installers, engineers, and technology experts that all work together providing technical services to small and medium sized companies.

The other day I had the privilege of speaking with a new member, David Rogers, from Eye Spy Electronics in Herman Missouri. David has been in the Security Camera business for several years now and can provide onsite CCTV installations anywhere in Missouri.

With vendors like David Rogers the Tech Army is able to provide services in even the remotest parts of the country. Not that Missouri is all that remote but you get the point. So from services like Missouri CCTV to Missouri Computer Service, these great Tech-Amy members get the job done. Although it makes my day meeting such good people I know that if there are more service providers like David Rogers in Missouri to be found it’s our customers who really benefit.

Laptop Rentals For Summer Vacation

2008-05-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Summer and sunny beaches are just around the corner and many people are making vacation and travel plans for the season. A short term laptop rental would make a great addition for any sort of travel, whether its business related or for pure recreation. Laptops are great for storing pictures, checking mail, and they allow you to receive wireless access virtually anywhere. Make sure you don’t miss beat while on the job or with the family and stay connected with our Special 10 Day Laptop Rental while you enjoy your summer travels.

Laptop - Projector Rental Bundle

2008-05-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

Any traveling business professional knows the benefit of being connected virtually anywhere in the United States and the increased ease of use and portability that laptops offer. Business professionals also know how helpful a projector can be when showing presentations during committee meetings or trade shows.

Rent Our Laptops is now offering a Laptop-Projector Rental Bundle to be the most cost effective rental option to those constantly on the go. Kill two birds with one stone and get the wireless connectivity you need to stay busy and complete projects, as well as the visual aide you need to convey information and ideas to a group of peers. If you are attending a conference, trade show, or convention in the near future and are going to be traveling, consider a Laptop - Projector Rental Bundle and see for yourself just how hassle free it is.

Texas Security Cameras

2008-04-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Another shout out to Adam and the guys at Xponex for their nice work last week on our Texas Security Camera project.

Our Camera Security Now website had about a dozen “shell pages” for the Texas CCTV market just sitting there. I would guess those pages had been there, but empty of much content, for at least a few year. Well that’s not the case any longer. Now that list of well done web pages for Texas Cities, of course covered by our local security camera installers, includes: Arlington Security Cameras, Austin Security Cameras, Corpus Christi Security Cameras, Dallas Security Cameras, El Paso Security Cameras, Fort Worth Security Cameras, Garland Security Cameras, Houston Security Cameras, Irving Security Cameras, Lubbock Security Cameras, and finally Plano Security Cameras.

However I do have some work for them on this project as we plan to list our local installers on each page and continue to add local stories about CCTV installs and applications in each of those Texas towns.

So if you have a need for Security Cameras in Texas just take a look at the above list and rest assured we have Texas covered with top qualiuty security camera systems!

Virginia Computer Service Always a Pleasure

2008-04-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Working for a nationwide computer service provider has a lot of advantages. We get to meet people from all over the country and of course take care of a lot of computer problems in places we have never heard of. But quite often we get to help people in places we know and love. Such is the case with our Virginia Computer Service Now customers.

By chance Virginia is one of those places where I have visited often over the years. From visits to the relatives, to fishing or hunting trips, or even just a vacation on the beach, there has always been something about Virginia that keeps me coming back.

Apparently there is also something about Computer Service Now that keeps our Virginia Computer Service customers coming back. Though I would like to think the native population can sense my love for their state and that my likeable personality is just too much to resist, I guess it would not kill me to admit that our great onsite staff of computer technicians in Virginia could have something to do with it.

So if by chance you find yourself in Virginia, reading this article, and in need of any manner of IT service, from a simple PC repair, to help buying the right Small Business Server, I hope you can give me a call and make my day all the more enjoyable with the opportunity to work with a customer in one of my favorite places.

Technology The Old-Fashioned Way

2008-03-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Laptop rentals have been a really enjoyable part of my job now for over 20 years. It’s hard to imagine where all that time has gone. But over the years Rentacomputer.com has turned into one of the largest nationwide laptop rental suppliers in the business. Every year we ship and deliver countless thousands of laptops that help both the business professionals, and the average Joe, accomplish a critical short term task.

A few months back we started a new website for laptop rentals. The new website is RentOurLaptops.com. Though I love the website and the concept of on-line laptop rentals I can’t help but worry that after 20 years my job might be being outsourced right in front of my eyes.

Though such websites don’t always take off right away I did notice that in both Google and Yahoo the new website comes up on the first page already for the search term “laptop rentals”. What really has me worried are the 50 largest laptop rental markets they have targeted by city. They already have the first 30 some pages done and with topics as specific as “New York City Laptop Rentals”, “Los Angeles Laptop Rentals", and “Las Vegas Laptop Rentals”, I expect the online orders will only grow.

Lucky for me Rentacomputer.com still does things the old fashioned way. We talk to clients and advise on the best products then schedule accordingly to provide complete turnkey technology rental solutions. So if you have a need for a laptop rental anywhere in the US, you could of course go to that new website and place an order or you could give me a call at 800-736-8772 x225 and get it done in person.

Wireless PTZ Solutions

2008-03-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

If you have been thinking about a Security Camera System but have been reluctant to get the project started due to concern about how to handle some remote locations that needed video surveillance, then this product is worth note.

The Shepherd SH-200 and Shepherd SH-600 are complete wireless transmission systems designed for industrial outdoor use. They are capable of converting analog video, audio, and PTZ control information into a digital format that can be transmitted at 54Mbps at distances up to 4 miles.

The Shepherd can work with any DVR system and even with IP cameras.

With an easy to install all-in-one solution at an affordable price the Shepherd products open up a lot of possibilities for situations that in the past were off the table for security camera coverage. Common uses of the Shepherd Wireless Products include city parks, the grounds of a large educational campus, remote gates, large parking lots, or shopping centers where cable is next to impossible to run.

For more information visit Computer Service Now and their page on the Shepherd Wireless Transmission Products.

Kidd Coffee Monroe

2008-02-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

I have had several chances to try Kidd Coffee in the three plus weeks they have been open and I think they are doing a fine job. My first visit was lunch time, so I had an Almond Joy Frappachiller, Buffalo Chicken Wrap, Chips and a Cookie. The Frappachiller and the Buffalo Chicken Wrap were both top notch.

The girls behind the counter, Peggy Lacy and Laurie Triick were fantastic, they helped me decide on what to have for the first time. They are very excited about being open and very happy with the support they are getting from the Monroe Community.

I met an off Duty Monroe Fire Fighter and his wife, Aaron and Cathy Vance. They have been in a bunch of times. Aaron’s favorite is the Carmel Macchiato and Cathy’s is the Milky Way Frappachiller.

Kidd Coffee carries 5 different brews everyday. They always have a Dark Roast, Medium Roast, Decaf Roast, and Highlander Grog (House Specialty). The 5th brew is rotated between different flavored bean roasts. The flavored bean roast was Crème Brulee the first time I stopped in.

They also sell their beans, and they can even grind them up for you. They plan on having wireless internet access as soon as it is available in the plaza. They are currently working with Time Warner Cable and the Plaza developers. They will offer wireless internet access as soon as it is available to them.

Monroe Kidd Coffee is owned and operated by Steve and April Craft. I did not meet them on my first visit, but I have met them often since. They are excited to be open and are looking forward to serving the Monroe Community coffee for years to come.

My favorite so far is the Highlander Grog, Peggy Lacy said she liked them all and Laurie Triick’s favorite is the Peach Fruit Smoothie which she said was “Out of this World!”

To read more about the Kidd Coffee in Monroe visit this forum link on the Monroe Community Website.
Bill Schiering

New York File Server Rentals

2008-01-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

Just a special thanks to the guys at Xponex Media Services for getting started on our new file server rental project. We plan to do a new web page on file server rentals for each major city in the country and Xponex wasted no time in knocking our first one out for New York Server Rentals.

If you were not aware server rentals are a large part of our business to business computer rental service that we offer here at Rentacomputer.com.

Server rentals offer a cost effective way to increase your hardware on a short term basis and we provide our server rentals all across the US, Canada, and most of the English speaking world.

If you are still wondering about when a server rental would come in handy we have an entire page explain why people rent servers.

So in the months to come I hope you will be finding our New York Server Retnal page in Google, and a few other cities as well, as we continue on this project.

Render Farm Rentals - Quantity Matters

2008-01-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

Having been in the computer rental business for 20 years I am always excited when we add a new computer rental product or service to our product mix. Several years back the new service was renting what we call a “Render Farm”. A Render Farm Rental is nothing more than a collection of computer systems that are put to the task of encoding a work of animation or other computer generated video.

However as most of us are not working in Hollywood or with one of the large animation studios our most common exposure to this type of activity might be found not in the encoding but rather the decoding of a piece of video. For example our web marketing firm, Xponex, just this morning had some one stop in from the local fire department. The fireman left them a video on a DVD and Xponex will be decoding it and then converting it to a form that will more easily play over the internet. This process, even for this short video, will take the standard desktop pc over an hour to complete.

Now imagine a project 1000 times larger that needs to be completed before the latest and greatest computer generated full length film hits the theatres. This is of course where a Render Farm Rental comes back in the picture. Animation Studios take advantage of our Render Farm Rentals to add additional systems to their inventory to complete large projects in a timely manner.

Our rentals of computer systems for use in rendering projects have ranged from 5 to 50 units. From experience customers most often use a quality workstation or file server with a single or dual processor with a few gigs of RAM and a modest hard drive. Why such a simple configuration for such a complex project you might ask. That question is easily answered by looking at the way the render project will actually take place. Imagine a 1000GB video file that must be processed. If one system were to be the only system involved that project could take 1000 hours. However if 10 systems, even of a modest configuration, were devoted to the same project the processing time could be cut ten fold. The Render Farm then could complete the project in 100 hours or approx 4 days as compared to the 40 some days for the single system.

So if you are tasked with investigation a Render Farm rental we hope you will keep our service in mind and we hope you remember that this is one situation where there is strength in numbers.

Hello World !

2007-08-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my blog. If you already know me or have had a minute to glance at my BIO you will understand why my blog is full of posts about computer rentals and security cameras. Those posts will be coming from my daily experiences as the Vice President of a nationwide computer rental firm and its sister company that specializes in computer based security cameras. Hopefully these posts will be both entertaining and educational.

If you don’t mind I am sure I will be tempted to throw out a post or two from time to time about my favorite past times of fishing and riding my Harley.

So thanks again for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment here or contact me at the office anytime. 800-736-8772 x225

Thanks,
Bill