22 January 2019 | Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
Many people have asked me how to use ethernet instead of WiFi with their tablet or smartphone.
While the idea is simple enough, getting ethernet to actually work with your gizmo can be anything but easy…
Some devices simply won’t work with certain USB-Ethernet dongles, and other devices won’t work at all with any dongle – period.
So, the short answer is: it’s complicated!
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8 January 2019 | Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
Ever since I made my Stylish Smartphone Faraday Box videos, countless people have told me to just use a microwave oven, or just use an empty potato chip bag.
Well, no… And yes! It depends.
The truth is that Faraday cages don’t block signals – they attenuate (or weaken) them.
That means that depending on the situation – the phone itself, the signal strength, the microwave oven itself, and so on – it may or may not work.
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18 December 2018 | Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard CletusAir flight 353 with non-stop service to Mos Eisley.”
“Please return your seatbacks and tray tables to their upright position, fasten your seatbelts, turn off and stow all portable electronic devices, or put them in airplane mode for the duration of the flight.”
Eh… Why airplane mode?
Most of us think it’s to prevent interference with the airplane’s electronics.
It turns out that’s not quite correct…
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27 November 2018 | Gizmos |
As regular readers/viewers know, I’m not a terribly big fan of smartphones.
For more info, see my video Why I ditched my smartphone.
In response to my musings, many people have said that they don’t think people buried in their smartphones all the time is causing any real harm.
After all, they argue, people used to just bury their noses in newspapers – right?
Well, yes… But no.
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20 November 2018 | Computers, Gizmos, Networking, Video |
You know the drill: you try to tell someone about some study showing the health effects of WiFi, 5G, or whatever, and then it hits…
Maybe they come back with one of several standard cop-outs, maybe you’re called crazy, maybe they ask what happened to your tinfoil hat, or maybe they even get angry and abusive!
So, what to do?
In this video, I give some tips and tricks and information that hopefully you will find useful in spreading the word.
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23 October 2018 | Computers, Gizmos, Networking, Video |
Ah yes, the IoT, or Internet of Things.
The future is apparently filled with internet-connected everything, including dust (yes, dust).
We’re already seeing the beginnings of this brave new world, mostly in the form of smart thermostats, smart appliances, and things like Amazon’s Echo toys.
Part of this future IoT is 5G. As I mentioned in an earlier video, there is a fair amount of evidence in the form of numerous studies that 5G will be particularly bad for our health. As you’ll see, even physicists have jumped on board to sound the alarm.
And finally, a discussion of the 5G Internet of Things wouldn’t be complete without a reintroduction to everyone’s favorite forgotten topic: spycraft!
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25 September 2018 | Gizmos, Networking, Video |
If you decide to ditch your smartphone, then you have to pick the right dumbphone.
“You must choose, but choose wisely.”
There are many factors that come into play, like where you live and what wireless provider you’re using.
But it gets way more complicated than that…
2G, 3G, or 4G? And then, will 2G be around much longer with the release of 5G? What about 3G networks? How long will 3G be sticking around?
And then we have 4G dumbphones: There aren’t very many (at all), and they aren’t as Google-free as we might hope. SIGH…
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31 July 2018 | Gizmos, How Does it Work? |
In my last vid, 5G is just the tip of the iceberg, I talked about a bunch of recent studies showing that all this crazy wireless stuff is having negative effects on our health.
Naturally, the question on everyone’s mind is: What can we do about it?!
Well, minimizing your exposure is probably a wise idea. There are all kinds of fun ways you can do that.
And second, you should speak your mind. Share on social media, talk to your friends and family, show them the studies, sign petitions…
Ya know: Don’t assume that you are powerless!
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17 July 2018 | Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
5G is coming, and people are worried. Well, should we be?
To answer that question, we need to know what studies have been done on the safety of microwave-frequency digital radio transmissions.
We need to look at WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, and 4G studies, as well!
After all, much of the concern about 5G is based on the results of those studies.
It turns out that there ARE a ton of studies out there that indicate that yes, it looks bad.
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27 March 2018 | Computers, Gizmos, How Does it Work?, Video |
In the olden days, our gizmos had electro-mechanical power buttons. When the thing was turned off, no power was sent to it.
Nowadays, things have changed with the advent of electronically-controlled everything – including things like washing machines.
You can even look at the specs of most gizmos these days, and you’ll see two power ratings: Max power consumption, and “Sleep” power consumption.
Puters haven’t been off-off for a long time now. Smartphones are also never really off in many cases, and neither are smart TVs.
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