How to Activate Windows or Office permanently in 30 seconds
Using Microsoft software can be quite an adventure. It's especially fun when your previously activated copy of Windows or Office decides to de-activate itself! Sometimes, the usual official routes of re-activation are useful. Other times, not so much... Isn't there a...
Why haven’t space suits changed much in 45 years?
When we watch sci-fi shows, we see these uber-fancy futuristic space suits. Yet when we look at the actual real space suits in use by astronauts today, we see the same big puffy white suits that look unchanged since the Apollo missions in the late 60's and early 70's!...
Windows 7 is going bye-bye – Upgrade to Windows 10!
If you're still using Windows 7, I've got bad news for you: On January 14, 2020, extended support for Windows 7 will end. That means Windows 7 will no longer get any updates or security patches. In other words, it's officially a "dead" version of Windows. And that...
Is Wi-Fi 6 really that much better?
There's a new flavor of Wi-Fi in town: Wi-Fi 6! In case you're confused, I'm talking about IEEE 802.11ax, the successor to 802.11ac (which is now called Wi-Fi 5). Are you confused yet? While I'm not a terribly big fan of wireless stuff, Wi-Fi 6 does include several...
Help! My USB stick is read-only in Ubuntu Server
If you use Ubuntu Desktop, using a USB stick is a piece of cake. You just plug it in, read/write files, and yank it out again. But what about Ubuntu Server? Try the same thing, and you end up with a USB stick that can only be accessed by root. Well, that's probably...
No more WiFi, Part 2: Home Powerline Networking and MoCA
So you've read all the studies about our Wireless Wonderland, and you'd like to go wired. You've also watched my first video, No More WiFi: How to wire your home for internet. You're not big on drilling holes and running cables everywhere, so you decide to use...
Scottie’s Holiday 2019 Tech Not-Shopping Guide
It's that time of the year again! Time to try to figure out what to buy everyone for Christmas - er, I mean, "The Holidays." Naturally, techie toys are highly valued gifts. But ya know, I have a better idea: Don't buy anything! Instead, give the gift that's becoming...
The Biggest threat to Privacy: Browser Fingerprints
A lot of people these days are talking about protecting their online privacy. We have hearings going on, threats of breaking up Facebook and other Big Tech companies, data leaks, and so on. Many people are going so far as to boycott Google (which is easier said than...
Fast USB 3 sticks that won’t break the bank
Ah, the USB stick. They're supposed to be handy for transferring files between computers. Unfortunately, most of the time they end being painfully slow. If you're frequently waiting several minutes for that large file to copy to your USB stick, then you're using the...
Windows 10 1909 Update: What’s new this time?
Yet another new version of Windows 10! A new update to Windows 10 was released just a few days ago, and once again the rollout was quite smooth. The difference this time was that 1909 isn't really a "Feature Update". It installs very quickly and changes... well,...
Nokia 2720 Flip + Why KaiOS dumbphones are truly smart
This one's a double header! First, I quickly review the new Nokia 2720 Flip 4G dumbphone. Then, I talk a bit more about exactly why dumbphones that run KaiOS are really NOT smartphones. Did I mention that the 2720's HUGE buttons are an absolute joy to use? Or that...
Upgrade to Thunderbird 64-bit, and go supersonic!
For those of us who don't like webmail because storing all our data in the The Cloud just seems like a Really Bad Idea, the best e-mail program available for puters is Thunderbird. There's only one problem: the default version you can download from Mozilla's web site...
FCC + FDA on 5G: You gotta be kidding me…
The FCC recently announced that when it comes to 5G, there's nothing to worry about. They consulted with the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health and other experts, and everything is awesome! Except, it's not. Join me for another exciting look at the...
Big Tech shoots itself in the foot, vows to get therapy
This week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confused everyone (and especially himself) with a speech at Georgetown. You see, now Facebook is all about free speech. He says we need to let politicians lie on Facebook without censoring or controlling their speech in any way....
Deepfakes: Should you be worried?
Yes, I confess: I was actually the star of the hit 1987 film Predator. No, not really. But these days, with deepfake software, anyone can make a video or audio clip that shows anyone else doing/saying whatever they want! There is a lot of angst, anxiety, and worry...
HTTP/3: The internet is about to get faster for everyone
HTTP is the protocol that makes the internet go. Recently, several large tech companies announced that version three-ish of that protocol, known as HTTP/3, was ready to rock and being rolled out. Now, that's nice, but why do we care? Well, we care because the internet...