Articles by Brian Becker

Brian is the president/CEO and majority shareholder for semo.net and TotallyFabricated. A lifetime resident of Southeast Missouri, Brian has continued to bring the best and most advanced technologies to the area.

Bob and Pam Becker will be performing a free concert this Saturday at 7pm at the First United Methodist Church in Poplar Bluff. The concert is open to the public.

The husband-wife duo have performed both on theatrical and concert stages with a number of wide diversity of styles. The evening promises to be with music from multiple genres including popular opera, folk songs & broadway tunes.
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Apple iPhone: Jailbreaking & Unlocking and Related Security Problems
jailbreaking – the act of “freeing” a phone or computer from its manufacturer’s limitations
unlocking – the act of opening a phone so that it can be used on another network

A Netherlands-based hacker broke into some iPhones that had been “jailbroken” because of a security flaw in the code. The hacker placed a message on the screen that the user should pay 5 euros (more than $7) via pay pal to find out how to secure the phone.

Apple has taken steps in their latest firmware to prevent jailbreaking/unlocking.

Windows 7 – A Great OS (operating system)
Even despite the Apple ads that laugh at the OS woes of Windows-past, this new Windows 7 is a great operating system and worth the upgrade. semo.net will upgrade your computer for as little as $59.95 + the cost of the software from Windows (you can bring in your own or buy an upgrade from us for $129). Most newer computers can handle the upgrade but some might require new memory. If you need your computer data backed up before the upgrade, we can do that for you as well.

DroidGoogle’s Android Appears with Verizon as “Droid”
Less than two years ago, Google announced that they were releasing an open-access, mobile phone software platform. T-Mobile and Sprint have released phones with Google’s mobile phone OS. Now Verizon along with Motorola have designed their first offering dubbed: Droid. This phone has lots of promise and the buzz is that the phone will live up to the hype.

Great Kids Christmas Present
Give your child a three-class tutor session on how to program computers. Taught by Ben, Jack and Brian Becker. Email us@beckerboys.com for more information.
http://scratch.mit.edu/users/thecatcher
http://scratch.mit.edu/users/smallstuff

I was interviewed last week for an article on ISPs who have submitted to the Fed Government for grants under the Recover Act’s Broadband for Rural, Unserved areas programs by the Dept of Agriculture and Dept of Commerce.

TCMNet: Poplar Bluff: Where Broadband Stimulus Meets Green Technology

America’s Got Talent winner, Neal Boyd, is in concert in Poplar Bluff tonight and only 100 tickets are still available at the door starting at 6pm. On stage tonight, opening the show at 7pm is semo.net’s own Toni Becker Band.

Tickets are $15 at the door and there are still a handful of floor seats available along with balcony seats.

Rodgers Theater
Poplar Bluff
7pm (doors open at 6)

Pulse-pounding mixed-martial arts action returns to the Coliseum this October courtesy of Cage Fighter Championship. Night of Champions brings the best of the best to Poplar Bluff for one night only on Saturday, October 10. The event brings together several UFC stars, including 9-time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes and Marc Fiore of HIT Squad, UFC fighter Brian Foster, and Ultimate Fighter 10 superstar Jon Madsen.

Matt Hughes and Marc Fiore will be bringing their HIT Squad fighters to compete for Cage Fighter Championship belts. There will be three – that’s right, THREE – championship fights, so the action will have you on the edge of your seat from the time the doors open at 7PM until the last knockout punch is thrown.

Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster or at the Black River Coliseum box office.

Windows 7.0
Windows 7 is just days away with a release date of 10-22-09. Is your PC ready for Windows 7? Download Microsoft’s Advisor to find out. I have no idea what takes so long to determine compatibility…my laptop took over 10 minutes to get an answer. My Sony laptop (new in February 2006) running XP passed as long as I free up 12G of hard drive space (easy enough by I dumping “My Pictures” onto an external drive).

Don’t want to do the upgrade yourself? semo.net’s certified technicians can do the upgrade for as little as $59.95 plus the cost of Win7 upgrade software ($119 – $210). Call 686.9114 today for information about your upgrade.

Apple Tablet Rumors Continue
You can find tons of rumors on the new Apple product and whether it will be an ebook reader, large iTouch or Newton 2.0. Dvorak uses reason and rumor to gives his opinion on what this new device will do.

Google Android Coming To Verizon
T-Mobile & Sprint have already released a version of the Google Android phone, but in S.E. Missouri that doesn’t do much for you. But earlier this month, Google & Verizon announced that the open-platform phone was coming to the “Can You Hear Me Now” network. AT&T, home of the iPhone, has yet to agree that the Android can be used on their network.

Google AppEngine Goes Java
For two years, Google’s development platform (known as Google App Engine) was only available for the Python programming language. But last month, Google released a Java version of the application development system. For those who program, Google has developed a powerful, scalable platform for your web applications.

Saturn Has Invisible Ring
According to an article posted today, Saturn has an invisible ring up to 7.4 million miles from it’s surface.

semo.net Still Looking For Writers
You can make up to $500/month writing articles & blog posts for semo.net. Imagine an extra $6000 per year! Here’s how the process works:
Email a subject you want to write on to “articles@semo.net”
Within one business day you get a response. If it is a “yes” you will also get guidelines of how long the article should be, how much semo.net will pay you for your post, and when you need to have it completed.
Submit your post for final editing (articles that need major editing will either be rejected or the payment will be reduced by an editing expense — so write well!).


I love baseball. I love Cardinal’s baseball. And I enjoy Pujols and Holliday as the best 3-4 combination in the majors. My youngest son’s room has a life-sized Pujols pin-up, I own five Pujols rookie cards (including a card that is one of only 15 printed), and I will join any “retire #5” club. But I do not support $35m to keep Pujols.

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As of 2:00pm on Tuesday September 8, 2009, the Butler County Health Department has received 6 additional laboratory confirmed H1N1 cases. This brings the total to 12 confirmed cases in Butler County. Of the 12 H1N1 cases, at least 6 have sought treatment, recovered and have returned back to school or work. The remaining 6 cases are currently under review. The majority of confirmed cases have been within the school age population. The Butler County Health Department continues to see an increase in the number of patients presenting influenza like symptoms to physician’s offices. We are currently educating the public to help reduce the spread of H1N1 influenza. The Butler County Health Department is in the planning stages for vaccination clinics for the CDC recommended priority populations.

For any questions or comments, please contact the Butler County Health Department at 573-785-8478.

Semo.net has been working to develop a long-range strategy for bringing broadband Internet services to Southeast Missouri rural communities. In January, we began a campaign to have people contact our office and let us know that they wanted broadband service in their area.
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The Missouri Muddogs who placed 4th in the USSSA State Baseball Championships in Branson this past month have teamed up with Applebee’s in Poplar Bluff to serve the “best breakfast in town” this Saturday, July 18th.

$5 is the cost for an All You Can Eat breakfast of pancakes, bacon & drink PLUS a portion of every meal meal goes toward sending these great players out to be baseball ambassadors of Poplar Bluff to a four-state region.

Muddog players and their families will be your servers for this wonderful and delicious meal.

So come on down to your neighborhood Applebee’s, across from Home Depot in Poplar Bluff, this Saturday July 18th from 8am to 10am to enjoy a great breakfast served by a great team.

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