Fry’s Electronics closed down in its entirety. Best Buy is closing stores and laying people off. Queen Ka’ahumanu Shopping Center is waaaaay behind on payments to creditors. Fun times for retail, right? Retail in the current climes… Lets talk about that! https://www.shiptohawaii.com/ https://www.rubicon.com/blog/shop-local-reasons/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-buying-local-is-worth_b_4310520
Net Neutrality Update! (2/27/21 Part 2)
Net Neutrality! Is it coming back? Net Neutrality Redux If not Federally (probably not Federally) then what about at the state level? Seems like that’s a possibility. https://www.wired.com/story/guide-net-neutrality/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/02/california-can-enforce-net-neutrality-law-judge-rules-in-loss-for-isps/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/02/biden-doj-halts-trump-admin-lawsuit-against-calif-net-neutrality-rules/ And, let’s not forget about privacy in all of this (from 2017 and not yet overturned!): https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/03/senate-votes-to-let-isps-sell-your-web-browsing-history-to-advertisers/
Need Office Software? We’re talking about it! (2/13/21 Part 1)
For work, volunteering, and school there’s no more a ubiquitous kind of software than office productivity. Office Suites! Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, its all common and useful stuff! Compare All Microsoft 365 Plans (Formerly Office 365) – Microsoft Store Home | LibreOffice – Free Office Suite – Based on OpenOffice – Compatible with Microsoft Apache OpenOffice – Official Site – The Free and Open Productivity Suite Corel Wordperfect – Home and Office We talk about it a little!
Printers 101: Supertanks! No, they don’t wear capes (2/6/21 Part 1)
For the longest time there were two kinds of printers you could get: inkjet printers and laser printers. Printer Updates! Inkjet printers were generally inexpensive but the ink would cost you an arm and a leg, get used up quickly, and would print fairly slowly. Laser printers would cost you an arm and a leg, and while getting toner would be pretty expensive up front it would last a long time. A few years ago printer companies came out with a new type of inkjet sometimes called a “supertank” printer. Rather than having to go out and buy ink regularly, you’d get a large tank for each ink color that would only need refilling once in a great while. And the refills are cheap! But, these new printers are not. We take a look at these supertank printers! Are they right for you? Supertank printers – Wikipedia Inkjet vs. Laser: Which Printer Technology Is Better? | PCMag Canon MegaTank & Epson EcoTank Supertank Printers – Consumer Reports Supertank Printers – Office Depot Supertank reviews at PCMag
Cord Cutting: Keeping It Organized (1/23/21 Part 1)
So, you’ve decided to do it. You’re cutting the cord. Good for you! Cutting the T.V. Cord! But now what? Well, you’ve got some options! JustWatch – The Streaming Guide for Movies and TV Shows (Thanks Alert Internet Surfer Perry!) Best indoor TV antennas 2020: 6 great digital TV antennas for inside your home | TechRadar The Best HDTV Antennas | Digital Trends How to gift Netflix, Disney Plus, and every streaming service subscriptions – Polygon Create a recurring event – Computer – Calendar Help (google.com)
On Your Marks… Get Set… GO GET AN SSD! (12/5/20 Part 1)
We like SSDs. That’s no secret. They can breath new life into an old desktop or laptop, extending its life a few more years. They can help you get the most out of your new computer. They’re great! SSDs and why you want one = Part 1 But, did you know there’s THREE different types of SSDs? SATA, PCI-E, and M.2? And that not all computers can use all of them? And that there’s even different technologies behind them that affect both storage capacity and speeds? We talk about that today! For additional reading: How Do Solid-State Drives Work? | MakeUseOf SSDs are on track to get bigger and cheaper thanks to PLC technology | Ars Technica QLC Goes To 8TB: Samsung 870 QVO and Sabrent Rocket Q 8TB SSDs Reviewed (anandtech.com) Sabrent is close to launching a massive capacity 16TB SSD for consumers | PC Gamer Also, don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win an amazing Lenovo C32q-20 monitor! 31.5″ of amazing awesome from our friends at Officemax!
More On SSDs: now and the future! (12/5/20 Part 2)
We continue on with SSDs! SSDs and why you want one – Part 2 This is the alphabet soup segment as we talk about SLC, MLC, eMLC, MTBF, and more! SSD Reliability: Can You Really Rely on Your SSD? (wepc.com) SSD Lifespan: How Long Will Your SSD Work? (enterprisestorageforum.com) Do this to increase your SSD’s lifespan! – CNET SSD optimization in Windows 10 (pugetsystems.com) How to achieve the best transfer speeds with external drives | AKiTiO
Preparing that new computer! (11/28/20 Part 2)
When you get a new computer, its a great time! Its exciting! Aaaaaand its not quite ready to use. Outta the Box! You’ll need updates. You’ll want to take out any crap-ware. You’ll want to so much stuff. Where to start?! Need some useful links? MalwareBytes Windows Defender (free with your copy of Windows) 6 Easy Ways to Uninstall Programs
Desk Ergonomics 101 (11/21/20 Part 2)
Got a desk? Is it a good one? Sam went to OfficeMax to check out some of their goodies to help with proper ergonomics for your desk and what’s on it. Ergonomics 101 Ergonomics? What’s that? Its helping you not hurt and get achy after being at the computer all day! https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-ergonomics/art-20046169 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/standing-workstation/art-20088544 https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-set-up-an-ergonomic-workstation
Consumers rejoice! Intel loses the crown! (11/7/20 Part 1)
AMD’s new Ryzen 5000 series is out and its finally toppled Intel for performance. Even if you only like and buy Intel, this is great news. Why? Because competition is good. Chip Wars Resume! And right now Intel has no choice but to really buckle down and come up with a response. If you want some deeper reviews, we got them for you right here! https://www.anandtech.com/show/16214/amd-zen-3-ryzen-deep-dive-review-5950x-5900x-5800x-and-5700x-tested https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/11/hands-on-zen-3-testing-with-amds-ryzen-9-5900x-and-5950x/ https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-ryzen-9-5950x-5900x-zen-3-review Too much to read? Have a video as well!