The state of technology

My youngest son graduated with his Bachelor's degree last week and I desperately wanted to attend but logistically it was problematic so I stayed in San Diego. My sister sent me a link so that I could view the ceremony via livestream. It worked out incredibly well. The producers had multiple camera angles so I got a wide angle view and I could also see my son walk across the stage after they called his name and accept his diploma. How cool was that?!

What's New?

It's been more than a year since I last posted on this blog. A lot has changed or has it? We elected a new President. Well some of us did. Elon Musk is still trying to get to space and the North Korean leader is still crazy! Meanwhile, in the tech world things are largely the same.

Should you upgrade to Windows 10?

Windows 10 has been released to the public for nearly a year. If you haven't already done so, you have probably asked yourself if you should upgrade to Windows 10? People wanted to get as far away from Windows 8.1 as possible, but they don't like the fact that updates are not an option with the Windows 10 OS. They are installed automatically. Humans like to have options. You don't have a choice to choose an update with Windows 10.

The last version of Microsoft Windows ever?! Really?

According to Microsoft this will be the last version of Windows ever...Ever, ever. They have agreed to support it for ten (10) years and rollout updates as needed. Microsoft Windows 10 is the last of a dying breed.
What will we do? Rumors are swirling about the next step that Microsoft will take in the Operating System space. One of the rumors is that in the future all operating systems will be Web based. This limits your options for computing to online ones.
Microsoft has ten years to figure it out. What are your thoughts?

Will the Smartphone take over the world?

Smartphones are everywhere! People don't even use them for the original purpose anymore! It's crazy! People use them to surf the Internet, check their email, post on Facebook and...oh yeah...talk on the phone! The screen size has gotten so large that they are called Phablets, a combination of the phone and the tablet.
What's next? Smartphone sales have already eclipsed the laptop in sales and companies have BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies in the workplace. I can go for weeks without using my Desktop computer because I can do virtually everything from my Smartphone. The only things that I can't do are burn CDs and save files to a USB drive. I could even use the USB drive if I had a converter.
It's amazing! Technically, I don't even need to burn CDs. I simply buy an MP3, save it to the cloud, and play it back from my Smartphone. Since I have Bluetooth in the car, I can play the song as though I made a CD! I can even play Pandora music with my Smartphone in my car because there is a dedicated Pandora setting on the car stereo system.

The Direction that Microsoft is taking with Windows 10

People are eagerly awaiting the release of the new Windows 10 Operating System this Summer. A sales associate at Best Buy made an interesting comment about Windows the other day when I was in the store.
He said that Microsoft gets it right with every other version of the OS and I agree. Microsoft XP was a stalwart. Microsoft Vista was crap. Windows 7 is stable. Microsoft Windows 8.1 was too different and Windows 10 hopes to correct some of Microsoft's mistakes.
If you could make a wish list of features that you needed and wanted in an Operating System, what would it include?
Most people would say that the return of the Start Button would be a nice start.

Desktop, notebook, or netbook? See what I choose hands down...

I get asked for computer advice all the time. The conversation usually starts like this..."I'm thinking about buying a new computer and I'm not sure what type I should buy..." They usually make this statement having already arrived at a conclusion that they want me to confirm or rubber-stamp by saying that I think they should buy a notebook too. My response usually catches them totally off-guard when I tell them that my advice would be to purchase a desktop and not a notebook or netbook and there are several reasons why:

1. It is far easier to type on a full sized keyboard. I will concede the fact that notebooks (laptop is a misnomer; more on that later) look cool and the screens are finally getting large enough to actually see what you're working on, but if you plan on actually using the computer to work a full sized keyboard will reduce fatigue in your fingers and decrease your chances of repetitive strain injuries like Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.

2. You get more for your money with a desktop. Because the manufacturer is not trying to cram all of those components into a small space you will pay a lower price for the larger size of a desktop. You even have some extra space in the desktop case to add a second hard drive, CD or DVD drive.

3. Heat kills. Many people make the mistake of placing the notebook computer on their lap (hence the term laptop). These machines were not designed to be placed on your lap or anywhere that the tiny vents on the bottom of the machine may be blocked. A notebook computer should be placed on a flat service such as a table or tray so that air from the internal fan can circulate. Blocking these vents can be a costly mistake when the CPU overheats. While I'm on the subject of heat, never leave your machine in a car. Treat them like you would your child or pet. Heat is not good for your computer and can kill it too.