2 April 2017 | Computers, Networking |
I was reading a French forum recently, and the folks there were discussing their 1 gigabit fiber internet connections. Lucky them!
Someone posted and remarked that his download speeds were nowhere near 1 Gbps, but more like 80 Mbps.
He then asked if his ethernet cable mattered, and the response was along the lines of, “Yes, and make sure you get one with good connectors.”
Well, um… Yes and No.
So, this is everything you need to know about choosing a good ethernet cable for your wired network. It’s much simpler than it seems!
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27 March 2017 | Computers, Gizmos, Spare Me! |
People ask me, “Scottie, what’s the deal with technology?”
And I say, I say to them: “Technology is gonna be big this year. It’s already big, but it’s gonna get bigger. So big! Technology is gonna be so big, you won’t fit into your house anymore. And it’s coming soon. It’s already here, but it’s coming more soon. BIG, so big.”
You may now attempt to discern if I’m making fun of Trump because I don’t like him, or because I DO like him. Naturally, it may surprise you to know that my answer is neither black nor white.
And that’s exactly the state of technology right now…
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18 March 2017 | Computers |
I have been asked this question so many times: I’ve got a new puter. I want to copy everything from my old puter to my new puter. What to do?
Well, copying things over manually is very tedious, and very time-consuming. I’ve done it so many times, I’ve lost count. It takes hours… And then you have to reinstall all the applications. :O
Mac users, of course, have nothing to worry about: Apple has provided such a tool built-in to MacOS for years.
But if you’re using Windows? Well, it’s complicated. Or at least, it was complicated.
Now, this is gonna cost you a few bucks, but it’s worth every single penny…
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5 March 2017 | Computers, How Does it Work? |
Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, has openly stated recently that Google’s hold on information is so powerful, it could even influence people’s political views. Ya think?!
The only thing worse than this influence is the fact that Google has become deeply embedded in our lives. If you so much as view a web page with a single Google ad, they can track you in very clever ways.
When you use Android + Google search + Google Maps + view web sites with ads, Google is essentially gathering data on everything you do.
It would be naive to assume that this data isn’t finding its way into the hands of folks like the NSA… The point of the Ed Snowden “revelations” wasn’t to make you safer; it was to scare the living crap out of you. Nothing changed, despite the very public declarations that all is better now.
Well, okay… But Google search is handy. Is there a better alternative? There sure is!
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26 February 2017 | Computers |
You’ve upgraded to Windows 10. All is well.
But then one day, you decide to upgrade your motherboard, processor, and RAM…
With Windows 7, you didn’t have anything to worry about. Most likely, Windows would reactivate after your upgrade, and if it didn’t, an automated phone call to Microsoft was all it took to get back up and running.
But then came Windows 10: You now have a digital entitlement, which then changed to a digital license, which means… ??? Furthermore, until recently your ONLY option was to reinstall everything.
So how the heck do you reactivate Windows 10 after a major hardware upgrade?
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19 February 2017 | Computers, How Does it Work? |
One of the best features ever in Windows is hibernation. You may never even have heard of this feature, but it’s one you should definitely know about – and use!
Of course, everyone is familiar with “Sleep mode”, and it’s probably what you’re already using. But there are certain advantages to hibernation, especially on laptops.
But what exactly is hibernation? How is it different than Sleep?
And most of all, why should you use it?
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11 February 2017 | Computers, Programming |
Many people use WordPress on a server for a blog, online stores, and so on.
It’s great software since it makes creating a “fancy website” accessible to those who are not so technically inclined – which is most of us!
There is a problem many people see when using WordPress that has become known as the WSOD, or White Screen of Death. Basically, one day you try to load any page on your WP site (including the admin pages), and all you get is a blank screen.
When this WSOD happens, there is 1 trick that I have found works better than any other…
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30 January 2017 | Computers, Gizmos, How Does it Work? |
You know the drill: You’ve got an image on your puter. You print it.
It’s either really small, or it’s big enough, but really blocky and nasty looking.
So what gives?
It’s all about PPI and DPI.
That’s Pixels Per Inch and Dots Per Inch. Don’t worry, it’ll all be clear in a few more paragraphs…
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22 January 2017 | Computers, Networking |
You’ve most certainly heard about “mobile hotspots”, which is when you connect your smartphone or tablet to WiFi in town, at a hotel, in a restaurant, etc.
Hotspots let you use a local wireless data connection without blasting through the monthly data limit on your mobile plan.
Don’t confuse hotspots with tethering. Tethering is when you surf the net on your puter by using your smartphone as your puter’s net connection. Hotspots are sort of like “reverse tethering”: you use your puter’s net connection to surf on your phone. Don’t miss: All about smartphone and tablet tethering
So how do you set up a WiFi hotspot on your wired internet puter? Actually, Windows 10 makes it easier than ever…
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15 January 2017 | Computers |
Ah, yes…
Sometimes your cat decides to walk on your keyboard. Sometimes you just type the wrong key combination. And sometimes, all you have to do is bump or move your laptop in the wrong direction, and BAM!
Suddenly, the image on your screen is rotated to the left, rotated to the right, or even upside down.
The first time this happened to me, I darn near had a fit.
Not to worry though: It’s not Russian hackers doing it, and it’s rather easy to fix!
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I was reading a French forum recently, and the folks there were discussing their 1 gigabit fiber internet connections. Lucky them!
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