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 know… until it’s too late. …
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 use, and worthwhile investments. I still have my original iPhone and iPod because, for me, those two products are works of art, devices which captured the imagination of the entire world and changed the landscape of technology for generations to come. …
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 best to use it. …
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. …
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 number, my previous addresses and phone numbers, my auto & real estate loans, or members of my immediate and extended family. …
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 computers, iPhones, Sony Playstations, etc.) along with any nearby wallets, and fled. No one was hurt and it doesn’t appear that the thieves were interested in violence or confrontations of any kind. …
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 time to discuss what a VPN actually is and what it actually does. This article was motivated by a question submitted by one of my subscribers, so thank you: your comments often fuel new topics and explorations. …
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 the name of the application that helps folks to meet-up virtually, video chat, and broadcast webinars. …
Today’s installment is all about the traps — usually hiding in plain sight — that tech companies use to help us part with more of our privacy and security than we should. We often overlook these seemingly benign requests, so let’s learn how to better identify them so that we can start saying “No!” when we see these requests, OK?
Websites — especially “free” social media and networking sites — rely on generating their profit by selling your data to advertisers. It’s a very lucrative business, something I talked about at length in Episode 15. That episode was focused on how the Google ecosystem works. …
Of all the questions I get as a tech expert, this is the one I get the most. Usually, the question gets asked in relation to installing new versions of iOS but it also gets asked about macOS, WindowsOS, Android and beyond. Clearly, there’s a need for this kind of information, so I figured it was time to provide the answer in a simple, and easy way for anyone to understand.
Please note: because I’m discussing a general approach and a philosophy to software installations and not to a specific process for one type of device, please use this approach for any kind of software (operating systems, applications, or firmware) that you want to install on any kind of hardware device (computers, cellphones, routers, tablets or smart devices). …
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