Texas has a new law that makes it mandatory for computer repair technicians in the state to have private investigator licenses. This is being contested by at least one advocacy group that's suing, as many techs don't know they're being criminals by doing their jobs. The strange new law comes about because sometimes in the course of repairing a computer some investigation is needed, and in the great state of Texas that's a felony without a license. It can take up to three years to get one, so this whole thing is messed up. Hopefully no poor minimum wage Windows jockey will wind up in jail over this, but stranger things have happened in Texas. Looks like those Geek Squad guys will get real badges, though. [Gear Log]

They've just opened a comically large warehouse just outside Louisville, Kentucky, aka the capital of the world, in order to redress these issues. For a photo tour of the facility, along with some running social commentary inspired by listening to right wing talk radio, jump for joy. Did I mention that Fabio was there?

I was dragged from my big, huge mansion in Manhattan to Louisville to cover this thing. The day opened with a Geek Squad helicopter majestically floating above the local square. Why? I don't know.

Then there was a press conference with the founder of Geek Squad, the mayor of Louisville and Fabio. Yeah, that Fabio.

The news here was that Geek Squad is teaming up with the city to bring Wi-Fi to it. Of course, details of the deal weren't discussed in the slightest. Who needs details?

The big daddy, however, was the huge ass facility Geek Squad built. I've got a few pics for your amusement.

In essence, the facility was constructed to, as I said earlier, redress quality assurance issues that plagued Geek Squad in the past. Once completely up and running, the facility should be able to turn out faulty computers within three days. That is, send it in on Monday, you'll have it back on Thursday. It's just a matter of people being willing to pay more for shipping charges; the computer will likely be fixed within the same day that it arrives at the warehouse. The new facility will be big on data recovery, too. They're thinking of constructing a clean room to really get customer's data back from the dead.

They take that whole "Geek" thing seriously.

Later today, I'll have an interview with Fabio up. It turns out he's a pretty big nerd and loves his electronics. Look, him soldering a motherboard!

Keep your eyes peeled. I asked all the tough questions. – Nicholas Deleon

Geek Squad Home Page [Geek Squad]