Patient, plain-English help in five areas. If you do not see what you need, ask; I probably know someone if I cannot do it myself.
Help at home
Hands-on tech help. Phones, tablets, printers, email, computers that have gotten slow, and locked-out accounts. At your home or office.
WiFi and Starlink. Dead spots, slow upstairs, mesh setup, Starlink setup and mounting advice, and a basic security tune-up for your home network.
Smart cameras, doorbells and lighting. I look at what you have, recommend what will work, install it, and set up alerts that do not buzz all night. Anything that needs line-voltage wiring goes to a licensed electrician.
Home, cabin and garden sensors. Know what is happening at the cabin, the crawlspace or the greenhouse while you are away, without a camera. Temperature, humidity, water-leak and power alerts on your phone. For gardens and high tunnels I choose and place the sensors, get them on your WiFi, and show you how to read them before I leave.
Small solar and backup power. A short class, a written plan, or a small stand-alone, low-voltage system for lights, a freezer, a router or a greenhouse fan. Anything that connects to your house wiring is a job for a licensed electrician.
Home media server. Your movies, music and photos on every TV and phone in the house, with no monthly subscription. Plex or similar, on a small Linux computer, with shared storage and secure remote access.
Digitizing photos and home movies. Prints, slides, negatives, VHS and camcorder tapes turned into files you can watch and share, organized, and backed up.
Help for seniors. Unhurried help with the devices you already own, scam spotting, video calls with family, and written large-print steps you can keep.
Small business and offices
Websites, domains and email. A domain registered in your name, a simple site with your hours, contact details and a map, and email at your own address, linked to your Facebook page and Google Business Profile so everything matches.
Hosting and monthly care. One flat monthly fee covers hosting, security updates, domain renewals, backups, small changes, and help when something stops working.
Website maintenance. For WordPress sites I did not build or that are hosted elsewhere: updates, security checks, backups, small content changes and cleanup after a hack.
Backups. Automatic daily off-site backups, a test restore so you know it works, and an alert to me if one ever fails. Cloud backups on Amazon S3 for businesses and techy households.
Small office care. Regular patching, shared drives and permissions, and one person to call when something breaks.
Business data and optimization. Turn spreadsheets into a searchable database so you can ask real questions, like how much you sold last summer, and know what to order this year.
AI help and open-source software. Practical, no-hype uses of AI tools for emails, quotes and paperwork, and free alternatives like LibreOffice and Thunderbird, set up and explained.
Online privacy and security
Most worry about the “dark web” is really worry about things outside your own computer. I explain what is actually risky, what is not, and fix the settings that matter. Offered as a class or as an audit of your accounts and devices.
- How HTTPS and the padlock protect you, and what they do not tell you
- Spotting phishing, and encrypting email contents and attachments
- Two-factor sign-in: passkeys, text messages or an app
- Password managers, so every account has its own strong password
- Disk encryption, so a lost laptop is not a lost identity
- Who can see your Google Drive files and how to share by permission
An audit ends with a short written list of what to fix and what is fine.
Learning
Technical instruction. One-on-one or small-group training for you and your staff, in person or online: software you already use, spreadsheets, email, using AI tools safely, Java and software engineering for working adults, and encryption tools like Kleopatra and OpenPGP.
Academic tutoring. Math, physics and computer science, from high school through Kenai Peninsula College and UAA. Explanations, not just answers.
Workshops. Small group sessions by arrangement, such as the basics of homebrewing beer for personal use.
Local sellers and groups
Nearby. A way for local sellers to be found by local customers: arts and crafts, farmers market tables, homestead products, and services such as a snowplow route. I get you listed and keep your listing current.
Membership and availability tools (jChamber). For chambers of commerce, clubs and associations: a public page showing which members have openings, member logins so each business updates its own listing, and admin tools for the group. A flat monthly fee with no per-booking charges.
Not included
Hardware repairs that need parts or a repair bench (I will point you to someone who does them), and large redesigns, which are quoted separately. Domain registration and paid software are passed along at cost.