SAN DIEGO’S FAVORITE COMPUTER EXPERT TURNS MAN CAVE DREAMS INTO A HIP COMPUTER REPAIR GARAGE

“Great customer service! Awesome decor!!”

Another thing customers of SD Bytes would all agree on is that Shannon has a unique style. His curated collection of antique tools, typewriters, signage, and even a Wurlitzer jukebox, makes visiting SD Bytes a cultural experience, like a visit to a museum exhibit or a cool diner.

“I designed my shop to be like an old ’50s garage,” said Isselhardt. “My thinking was to have a computer garage with old tools and art mixed in with new technology. I wanted to stand out from all the other computer repair shops, and it just so happens that this is also what I’m interested in hot rods and antiques.”

How interested? Every year, Isselhardt packs up his five-window Chevy pickup and heads to Nevada for the Viva Las Vegas meetup event to celebrate all things cool. It’s an annual analog tribute to the classic character of the post-war era.

Back in today’s digital era, Isselhardt has gone all-out to make his very own tribute to Americana, decking the walls of SD Bytes with lovingly selected art and hand-me-downs from his own family. In a way, Isselhardt has become a high-tech grease monkey.

“My dad influenced my aesthetic taste by way of his music, which was Johnny Cash, older country music, and 1950s rock ‘n’ roll,” Isselhardt said. “And my aunt and uncle always had old hot rods and taught me how to work on my car.”

Isselhardt’s passion for such rockabilly sensibilities is matched only by his work ethic. And excellent customer service is only part of it. In fact, his computer troubleshooting experience goes back a few decades.

“This wasn’t my first job. When I was 19 years old and working for a professional photographer, I had to build a Windows machine to test the digital download from the new digital Nikon camera,” he said. “I believe NASA used the same camera model on the first space shuttle expedition.”

Since then, Isselhardt has positioned himself among the dozens of San Diego repair shops with a reputation for honesty and integrity. He also has become an expert on fixing everything from cracked phone screens to liquid damaged laptops and saving otherwise lost files on bad hard drives.

“There isn’t any computer-related repair that I haven’t been able to fix,” Isselhardt said. “The only reason something wouldn’t get repaired is if the customer declined repairs due to the cost of the parts or I suggested that it wasn’t worth it.

Interestingly, building custom hot rods isn’t much different from another specialty of Isselhardt’s. Custom gaming machines, water cooled like so many V-8s, have become very popular. Building these demanding computers is an emerging hobby, and many local gamers have found SD Bytes to be their go-to resource for fair and reasonable service.

“There are a lot of companies who build custom PCs but they overcharge everyone and upsell hardware the customers typically don’t ever use,” said Isselhardt.

“We can work with just about any budget and will never sell them something they won’t use or need. If you’re a basic gamer who plays on the weekends, you don’t need a $6,000 PC. We can make you a custom machine that will more than fit your needs and save you money in the long run.”

Interest in the community is another Isselhardt virtue. Owing much to his own daughters’ involvement in school and scouting, SD Bytes gives a lot back to the youth around him.

“I have two girls (ages 7 and 10) and both are in the Girl Scouts. That is how I opened my doors to them and learned that the scouts have a computer badge they can earn. I have always enjoyed helping others, almost to a fault sometimes. Sometimes, I feel I do more free work than paid projects out of my shop,” he added.

Isselhardt concludes, “I keep my prices at a very competitive rate as the majority of my customers don’t have a lot of money to just go out and buy a new computer. So I try to be as fair as possible with everyone. And all of my customer reviews on yelp and on Google are great testimonials to my work.”

In 1986, a few life changing experiences happened. My family immigrated from Taiwan and San Diego became my home. My family took our rst American road trip in our Oldsmobile station wagon to Las Vegas. e burlesque dance show with the amazing visuals and the fancy hotel suite at Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas had my eyes wide open. A few months into my high school experience, my friends told me they were going to a concert a er our daily boogie boarding session at Del Mar beach. ey said you too will play tonight. I was so confused as I wondered to myself how I was going to play with them at the concert. I eventually gured out U2 was playing that night in San Diego.

Now in the year 2023, I am in Vegas reliving that experience all over again, watching U2 at the most talked about venue in Vegas, e Sphere. I did not know what to expect when I purchased my tickets back in April but it’s safe to say I was blown away.

Sphere at the Venetian is truly a visual and sonic marvel. e bubble-like theater along the Las Vegas Strip is 580,000 square feet, 366 feet tall and contains 1.2 million LED lights. ere are hundreds of speakers hidden within its all-absorbing IMAX-like screen, delivering precision audio to each seat. Sphere is basically an indoor amphitheater, with four levels of seats and the top level being amazingly steep. If you have a fear of heights, be warned that the escalators and steps inside are steep, the seats certainly were in the 400-section. We were in section 107, but if I can do it all over again, I would most likely choose the seats in level 2 to be able to see the stage and also the whole visual e ects that the Sphere o ers.

I booked a room at the Venetian, so we could walk through the bridge that brings you directly to the Sphere. I also splurged for the rst time and signed up for the Prestige Club Lounge. is allowed us to go directly up to the 23rd oor to check in without waiting in the long line at the main lobby.

Getting into Sphere took about 15-20 minutes from the Venetian Box O ce on Restaurant Row through the bridge to the detectors. ere are merchandise booths and drink stations on every oor inside the Sphere. Single shot cocktails were $15. Bottle of water was $7. is is when the Prestige Club Lounge really makes sense, we made sure we drank and ate some snacks before heading over to the concert. ere was a DJ playing music in the GA section to hype up the arena before U2 came on the stage. Its box-shaped stage was made to resemble a turntable with a circular platform on top. And it’s around 2 hours of show time once they take the stage.