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/
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)
NASA’s SLS is being tested! Biggest rocket to date! (1/16/21 Part 1)
Today NASA is testing the engines of their SLS (Space Launch System) booster rocket. BIG Rocket Test! This is the biggest test for the project. Its being livestreamed, NASA is recording TERABYTES of test data, and Jonathan could NOT resist talking about it! Whoot! Space Launch System | NASA Space Launch System – Wikipedia WATCH LIVE: NASA test-fires SLS megarocket for moon missions (msn.com) SLS: Nasa’s ‘megarocket’ set to fire up engines in crucial test – BBC News
It was a crap week. Here’s why. (1/9/21 Part 1)
So, its been a helluva week. Are We Sure that 2020 is Over? And as such, we need to talk politics and tech for a bit. We sort of hate that. But here we are! 1st Amendment, options for platforms, the importance of Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act… we get it in a concise manner!
Predictions 2021! Can we do better than last year? (1/9/21 Part 2)
We’re making predictions for 2021! 2021 Predictions After a spectacularly horrible showing for 2020 (thanks 2020), we’re making yet another go at it! Maybe not super risky predictions, but here we go!
2020 Predictions: Who could’ve predicted that?! (1/2/21 Part 1)
Well, its that time of year again! We made our predictions about 2020 last January, and now? Time to grade them! Egad! Predictions Scorecard 2020! – Part 1 We also have to announce our new prize! Ooh, what could it be? Maybe its something to help with the COVID 19lbs? Why, yes it is! Our friends at OfficeMax/OfficeDepot gave us a great set of JBL Tune headphones! Noise cancelling, wireless thanks to Bluetooth, and can be yours for the price of an email!
2020 Predictions: we’re not quitting our day jobs (1/2/21 Part 2)
Good thing we’re not picking stocks, right? Predictions Scorecard 2020! – Part 2 Its time to grade our 2020 predictions! And how did we do? There was a huge monkey-wrench thrown into the mix, but hey, that’s half the fun! And as promised, here is the Zinc air battery story! New battery chemistry results in first rechargeable zinc-air battery | Ars Technica
Your phone is watching you. Still. Is this news? (12/12/20 Part 1)
Jonathan found a great article from a German, and wanted to talk about it. I Always Feel Like Someone is Watching Me… My Phone Was Spying on Me, so I Tracked Down the Surveillants (nrkbeta.no) So, while we sort of know our phones watch us? We never really dive into it. So, lets talk about it! On top of that, we had a caller asking about how to remove Adobe Flash! Uninstall Flash Player for Windows (adobe.com) How to Uninstall Adobe Flash Player on Mac [Updated 2020]
Its our annual Holidays and Scams talk! (11/28/20 Part 1)
Its the holiday season! And thus our annual installment of Holidays and Scams! Holiday SCAMS! Charity watchdog sites https://www.charitywatch.org/home https://www.charitynavigator.org/ http://www.give.org/ https://www.guidestar.org/ Charity scams Charity Scams – How to Tell If a Charity Is a Fraud (aarp.org) How To Recognize Veteran Charity Scams (aarp.org) https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/how-donate-wisely-and-avoid-charity-scams https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search http://www.nasconet.org/resources/state-government/