How to fix low mic volume on MSI and other PCs
My wife's MSI GE75 Raider 10SE laptop recently had a quirky audio issue: the mic volume was really, really low. It didn't matter if she used the integrated mic, or an external one. I set out to solve the problem, and determined that it wasn't faulty hardware. Instead,...
Why is my light switch popping and sparking?
One day, you flip a light switch and notice a lovely popping sound. The pop might even be accompanied by a brief blue flash of light from within the switch. What's going on here? Well, it turns out that even if the current rating of the switch has NOT been exceeded,...
Resize images in Windows 10 the super-easy way
You may have read my 2013 post entitled How to Easily Resize Images in Windows. Thanks to a comment from a reader the other day (you rock, Nick!), you don't need Windows Live Photo Gallery anymore. There's a free tool available from a Microsoft engineer that you can...
Save Money (and your Gizmo) with a new Power Brick
They're known as power bricks, wall warts, AC Adapters, AC-DC Converters, and probably 10 other names - and they power many of the gizmos you use every day. But what happens when a gizmo stops working right? You may think it's the gizmo itself, but very often it's the...
Why most video games these days suck
Back in my day, video games were simple. You typed in some cheat codes, kicked butt, and you were done. My favorite, of course, was Wolfenstein 3D. I remember playing Wolfenstein as a wee young man. There was just something about wiping out Digital Nazis that was sooo...
When it comes to Cyber Warfare, we’ve got it all wrong
Hacking, data breaches, and general cyber battles have been in the news a lot lately. I recently read a book that shed a lot of light on how these things actually work - behind the scenes. It's called Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber Warfare. Despite our...
Brave: A browser for a post-Big Brother world?
You may have heard about the new-ish web browser in town: Brave. The trouble is that it's a bit hard to wrap one's head around exactly how Brave is different - and supposedly better. Brave was created by Brave Software, a company that was founded by Brendan Eich. In...
My results using the Q-Link – YMMV
Well, the results are in: I'm keeping my Q-Link! While nothing really happened at first, I did actually notice certain improvements when using this crazy thing. I still can't explain how it works, or if it's just the placebo effect. But, whatever it's doing, it's...
The YouTube Algorithm has changed again, and people are pissed
Oh dear god, make it stop... It's time once again for The Great YouTube Algorithm Tweaking! This time, that means even more nonsense, even fewer recommended videos that you actually want to watch, and just general chaos. Of course, what most people are concerned about...
A new type of App you’re gonna LOVE!
Until now, apps were for smartphones and tablets. But that's all about to change with PWAs: Progressive Web Apps! PWAs are a new(ish) type of app that is web-based. In other words, PWAs are literally web sites + JavaScript encapsulated in a window on whatever gizmo...
Windows 10 1903 Update: What’s New?
Another new version of Windows 10! A new update to Windows 10 was released a few weeks back, and this time the roll-out seemed to be way smoother than the last version - which is nice. I got the update fairly quickly this time around, which almost never happens. The...
Fun 5G Facts you may not know
It seems there are some common misconceptions out there about what 5G actually is and how it will work. I wasn't planning on another 5G video, but alas... Much of this confusion is totally understandable since info is hard to come by despite the fact that 5G and IoT...
How to debug JavaScript on mobile devices
Ah yes, the Mobile Revolution! It's fabulous - unless you actually create web sites and other stuff that use JavaScript. In desktop web browsers, you generally get a web inspector / debug console that lets you do all kinds of fun stuff, including debugging your JS...
EMF Protection: These Q-Link things actually work?!
Many people have asked me about the Q-Link and other similar gizmos. You're supposed to simply wear them, and they strengthen your body via "resonance" such that you are even protected from the negative effects of all kinds of EMF. Well, I used to think that was...
Why webmail is just a really bad idea
I'm always amazed at how many people these days still use webmail. From Gmail to Yahoo Mail, it seems everyone enjoys the convenience of no crappy e-mail program, easily accessible e-mail from any device, and free data storage In the CloudTM. In the case of Gmail, you...
5G rollout runs into roadblocks – Detour ahead?
There's a lot happening on the 5G front. From petitions, to cities temporarily halting their 5G rollout, to senate hearings, to nation-wide days of protest, things have been pretty busy! In this video, I talk about one particular petition that I think summarizes...