A Guide to Getting Paid for Your Virtual Classes, Workshops, Art, Performances, and More.
Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Careers
For decades, I’ve led a strange but successful dual-career in both technology and the Arts. It’s not always been easy and I sometimes get a bit of creative whiplash, but I wouldn’t change my journey for anyone.
In my tech career, I was a “Senior Systems Administrator”. That fancy term just means that I was a well-paid geek. My job was to manage hundreds or thousands of computers and mobile devices for the companies that hired me. …
The Right Reasons to Purchase the Right Gear
The Background
As my readers know, when it comes to my digital life, I tend to focus on matters of security and privacy. I purchase and investigate products and services, take notes, and learn what does (and doesn’t) work best for my technology needs. Then, I spend hours organizing my notes, prioritizing what’s important, and translating difficult technology-speak into plain English.
My goal is to always make sure that everyone who reads my newsletter or my Medium articles can easily understand the products, ideas, and approaches that I feel are important. However, what’s important isn’t always up to me. …
Tools to Reclaim Time in Our Digital Lives
What The New Year Brings Is…
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how much time I spend online and on all of my devices. As it’s many, many hours each day, I’ve been seeking ways — for years now — to help reduce the time I need to be on any of my devices.
So while I’ll be focusing on different software titles today, make no mistake: what I’m really talking about is:
Saving time.
There’s a good reason why I focus on time: it’s limited, it’s our most precious resource, and it’s the one gift we’re all granted in quantities that we’ll never…
How Apple is Profiteering & How to Avoid Their Marketing Lies
Many of you either know or have determined that I’m a longtime Apple fan. I use their software and hardware almost exclusively and have since I’ve been 11 years old. That was that age when my folks bought us an Apple II+ computer, forever changing my life. I got so enamored with this new kind of technology — a desktop computer!!! — that I taught myself the BASIC coding language and… never really looked back.
I’ve come to trust Apple because — for the most part — my purchases from them have lasted long, worked well, were always easy to…
What Gear to Buy, How to Set It Up, & How To Look Your Best
This piece will provide you with some of the best tools and practices to help anchor your virtual meetings whether you’re a teacher, a manager, a technologist, or just a good worker bee. The goal is to set you up for success and to make you feel like you’ve mastered all of the basics and intermediate skills when it comes to being in front of a computer with a camera. So… let’s dig in!
The technology you own and use matters. So does the way you set it up. So let’s talk about what products you should consider owning AND…
How (and Why) I Spent Many Hundreds of Dollars to Find the Perfect Solution
The Background
I became a dad in December of 2018. As a human, I was delighted, astounded, and excited to spend time with my son. As a technologist, I wanted to see how I could use tech to simplify my life while being with him. I started with the powerful computer in my pocket: my iPhone 7+.
I wanted an easy way to answer calls and listen to music/podcasts that didn’t include my son getting tangled up in wires, cords, or adding weight around my neck. …
How (and Why) to Remove Yourself From The Internet’s Biggest Data Brokers
The Background
From time to time, we’re told that we should Google ourselves. This is even more true before a job interview or any other important meeting. Why? Simple: it’s best to know what’s publicly available about us on the Internet. If there’s any information that’s embarrassing or damning out there, it’s best to know about it before others do, so we have the chance to edit or delete it.
Even more important: we should ensure that our contact information isn’t easily obtained online. I don’t want anyone in the world to have easy access to my current home address and phone…
Technology and Tools to Help Prevent (or Recover From) a Burglary
The Background
We got burglarized three weeks ago. Right in the middle of the Coronavirus lockdown. As if a global pandemic wasn’t enough…
The thieves (we don’t yet know if it was a crew but I’m guessing it was) grabbed two Apple computers from our basement and then fled our home. Three different townhomes in our community were hit, all between the hours of about 2–5am. My wife, our 17-month-old son, and I were all in the house when it happened.
Yeh: scary.
The same pattern played out in the other homes: the robbers broke in, then stole small electronic devices (Apple…
Debunking the Lies, Focusing on the Benefits of this Solid Technology
The Background
First things first: this week — on May 14th, 2020 — The United States Senate voted to allow the FBI to obtain your Internet Browsing History without a search warrant. These powers were part of a larger bill that extended the power of the PATRIOT ACT.
“The legislation hands the government power for warrantless collection of Americans’ web browsing and internet searches, as well as other private information, without having to demonstrate that those Americans have done anything wrong, or even were in contact with anyone suspected of wrongdoing.”
— Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon
Therefore, there’s never been a better…
A Primer for Educators and Others During the Pandemic & Beyond
The Background
Since my last article, the world has massively changed. Some changes are for the better; some, not so much. On the bright side, people have suddenly realized that we’re all “internet locals” now, so we can hang out together virtually and do some really cool stuff! Musicians are doing free concerts or assembling distributed recordings into neato ukelele videos; adults are attending virtual game nights, artists are creating cool artwork, teachers are porting their classwork into virtual classes and much, much more.
And what do most all of these activities have in common right now? That’s easy: Zoom. Zoom is…
