As Spring gets underway, thunderstorms become a real concern for technology. Power issues created by lightning strikes or downed power lines can damage your computers, appliances or home theater equipment.

I spoke to Bill Wills of Cleveland’s WTAM 1100 Newsradio this morning about protecting your computers from Spring and Summer storms with both surge suppression and backup plans for your data.

I took advantage of the warm weather in May for a mid-week motorcycle adventure. Like most motorcycle adventures, I did not plan ahead a specific itinerary. I simply pointed my 1978 Kawasaki KZ650 motorcycle in a general direction and went where the roads would take me.

I knew that I wanted to make use of the southern Ohio roads again on this trip, but also knew that I needed some new tires for my vintage ride. I stopped at Shop Dog Cycles in Hilliard, Ohio to get a new set of Spitfire S11 sport touring tires put on. Shop Dog Cycles is a one-man affair, but owner Ryan puts great care in his work. An older bike like mine meant more work to pull 34 year old tech apart, but Ryan did so with patience and professionalism. I have to say, the back country riding with those new tires was certainly smoother.

While in Hilliard, I encountered one of their sets of double roundabouts. The road signs for the roundabouts look like a mess of circular arrows, but once you’re in the middle of it all, it makes sense. The roundabouts make for an interesting alternative to the normal intersection with stop lights. While they require more work on the driver’s part, I think the extra attention required works to make the affair safer. Traffic constantly flows, versus the stop and go of a light, which is welcome as well.

Leaving the Columbus area, I took off to the back country roads of southern Ohio. I hit most of the more famous roads here, like Route 555, 78 and 26. Route 26 feels like a roller coaster, with plenty of tight and sweeping turns, hills and spectacular views. Route 78 has plenty of twists as well, but I always find myself stopping at points just to take in the view when you get to the top of one of the hills and can see miles of rolling Ohio in all directions.

One particular stop I did want to make on this trip was the Sisterville Ferry. This ferry shuttles cars across the Ohio river between Fly, Ohio and Sisterville, West Virginia. I crossed the border into West Virginia so that I could take the ferry back into Ohio. There’s something magically adventurous about crossing a river on a ferry with a motorcycle, and as soon as I heard about the ferry, I had to make the detour. Although a short trip across the river, it was absolutely worth it, if only for the view in the middle. The ferry crosses as one of the longer straight sections of the river, giving you a view down the river in both directions for miles.

As the sun started to set, and the clouds began to darken, I made my last stop at the historic Lafayette Hotel in downtown Marietta, Ohio. The hotel sits next to the Ohio river and offers many spectacular views from the rooms. The rooms themselves are like a time capsule from the 1940s with their furniture. Definitely a must stay if you’re in the area.

The next morning, I took the straight shot home up highway 77 north. It was another great trip, and I am glad I was able to take the time to experience it. I can’t wait for the next adventure!

Fox 8 News in Cleveland put together this story of computer webcams being accessed without authorization through malicious software.

I had a chance to speak to them as a member of Geek Squad on signs that your PC may be infection with malware, such as viruses or spyware.

In general, webcams are not a target for most malicious software, but it’s important to help protect your PC from malware where you can. Keeping your antivirus software up to date and set to scan your computer on a regular basis will help. Making sure your operating system and web browser plug-ins like Java, Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader will help as well.

There is an unlimited amount of data available on the Internet, but your mobile plan likely has a bandwidth cap that means you may need to decide how exactly you want to use your smartphone to access it. I spoke to Bill Wills of Cleveland’s WTAM 1100 about how mobile phone apps can impact those monthly limits.

On this week’s Tech Tuesday segment for KARE 11 in Minneapolis, I had a chance to offer some basic smartphone productivity tips to make your phone a pocket-sized office.

Last year, I began my motorcycle journey with a 2009 Yamaha Vino 125 scooter and then a 1973 Honda CB350F motorcycle. Earlier this year, I added a 1978 Kawasaki KZ650 to my stable. The scoot and CB350F are great fun, but aren’t really designed for a longer ride that I had started imagining over the Winter here in Ohio. The KZ650, on the other hand, had the performance (and reliability) to make a multi-day trip.

So I took three days off during the first week in April, and set out to ride through Ohio (and a little bit of Pennsylvania). I even managed a stop at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame near Columbus, Ohio.

Some very cold and wet weather, along with a number of thunderstorms, delayed most of my progress on the first day. Fortunately, I had plenty of tech to help me out, and was able to bring up the latest weather reports on my tablet to help avoid the worst of it.

I was able to get onto State Route 78 and 555 on the second day. Both roads are filled with plenty of twists and turns, along with the hills and scenery one expects in southern Ohio. I was able to really enjoy the ride, and gained new confidence in all that I’ve learned over my first year as a motorcyclist.

Towards the end of the day, I headed through West Virginia, and on to Pennsylvania, where I stopped at Pittsburgh for the night. The next morning, I gave into my geek side and visited the Carnegie Science Center before heading back up to Ohio.

The map below shows my progress across those three days, but I like to think of it as a larger sign of the progress I’ve made as a rider. I definitely look forward to more opportunities to get onto the open road for some more motorcycle adventure.


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Looking to clean those dust bunnies out of your PC?

I had a chance to speak to Bill Wills of WTAM 1100 Newsradio in Cleveland this morning to provide some tips for Spring Cleaning your computer.