September 1, 2023
Samsung announced another “high screen real estate” monitor for those who like to plaster a lot of content on a single screen … or more that likely, play games … but besides ogling this massive 57 inch wide display, it is definitely not something I need these days. There was once a time that I […]
Filed under: Business, Computer, Financial, Productivity, Shopping, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: Air M2, amazon, display, macbook, monitor, portable, samsung, tech friday, techfriday, usb
June 26, 2020
Besides Google’s less intuitive cloud storage, Dropbox was the first cloud service that I gravitated to “back in the day.” I’ve posted about them before on TechFriday (2015 comparison) and they are still one of the best cloud storage services for the way I work on computers and devices. Unfortunately over the last few years […]
Filed under: Advice, Business, Computer, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: amazon, cloud, Computer, Dropbox, google, microsoft, odrive, office, pricing, services, storage, tech friday, techfriday, Technology
June 19, 2020
Way too often those who maintain their own web servers and computers grit their teeth and cringe when it is time to update and upgrade. A month or so ago I replaced one of my servers (the one this blog is on) and suffered through the anxiety of getting everything working again. I generally follow […]
Filed under: Blogs, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apt-get, bionic beaver, blog, idioms, linux, phrase, server, ubuntu, update, upgrade, wordpress
February 21, 2020
If you’ve been on the Internet for any length of time (post from 2007), you have likely used, or been marketed VPN services, as a way to secure your Wi-Fi connection (especially public hotspots) away from the office or home network. I’ve pitched them as a security precaution to my customers and use them when […]
Filed under: Advice, Cellphone, Computer, Productivity, Software, Tablet, Technology, Travel by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: Computer, cyber, internet, network, online, privacy, proton, protonvpn, secure core, security, tech friday, techfriday, tunnelbear, vpn, wifi
November 15, 2019
While looking to purchase a can of the highly regarded CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor, the shipping can sometimes become an eye opener. Perhaps Amazon Prime shipping is a good thing? (let’s hope this is an Ace Hardware – Google Shopping glitch?)
Filed under: Humor, Shopping, Technology, Tools by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: ace hardware, corrosion, crc, google, Humor, inhibitor, online, Shopping, tech friday, techfriday
February 9, 2018
As a Fox Business addicted viewer, I keep a live-feed running much of the day just as others do for music, talk radio or sports. One of the challenges is that it isn’t convenient or available, especially in a low bandwidth, "just" audio feed … unless I’m in the car and listening on SiriusXM Radio. […]
Filed under: Audio, Business, Cellphone, News by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: app, foxbusiness, radio, siriusxm, subscription, tech friday, techfriday
January 19, 2018
Besides my personally server and fading Raspberry Pi server projects (just too small), I been using several different companies to host Internet connected servers for Consolidated Printing and Publishing’s customers – traditional servers and virtual Droplets. Having used a variety of dedicated servers and virtual shared machines over the years since first getting into archiving […]
Filed under: Blogs, Business, Computer, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: amazon s3, aws, digital ocean, godaddy, hostnine, linode, tech friday, techfriday, tucows, vultr
September 15, 2017
So you want the new iPhoneX? Wouldn’t that be nice, but can you handle the new features? A BIG sharp OLED screen = 5.8 inch. Glass front and back. Stainless steel. Wireless charging. Home-button-less swipe gestures. Animoji expressions. iMessage ApplyPay Four-core CPU 70% faster than the A10 A11 capable of 600B operations/sec. Three-core GPU that […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Humor, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, faceid, iphonex, security, smartphone, tech friday, techfriday
September 8, 2017
Accessing the Internet with broadband speeds has definitely improved this past year or so in our area. I remember connecting via modem at 300 baud, improving to 1200, then 56K and making the expensive big move to a twin pair of 128K ISDN lines giving me 256K of bandwidth in the 1990s. Eventually I jumped […]
Filed under: Computer, History, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: cable, cincinnatibell, dslreports, fiber, fioptics, internet, speeds, tech friday, techfriday
September 1, 2017
The big day looks to be September 12, 2017 when "watchers" expect Apple to release their 10th Anniversary iPhone. I may have been slow to accept the virtual keyboard "back in the day," but have comfortably adapted to it starting with the iPhone5 in 2012. As smartphones go (after the Palm Pilots and Handspring clones), […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: anniversary, apple, flipphone, i500, iphone, palm, samsung, smartphone, sph-i500, tech friday, techfriday, treo
August 25, 2017
While listening to the early comments from the technology pages and news programs regarding Samsung (Galaxy Note 8) and Apple (iPhone 8 – ???)releasing their new smartphone models, I realized there are features I haven’t used much. One of the camera upgrades coming to the new Samsung Note 8 phone is a portrait mode like […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Photography, Photos, Technology, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, camera, insect, iphone7plus, mode, portrait, tech friday, techfriday
July 21, 2017
While learning a little bit more about the improved camera on the iPhone7+ (was the reason I opted for the "plus" was the camera), I tested the macro and zoom features while shooting a video of my "Little Praying Friend." It has been vastly improved over the iPhone 5 in several areas … particularly stabilization […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Photography, Video by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: apple, camera, insect, iphone7plus, mantis, praying, tech friday, techfriday, test, video
July 7, 2017
Complaining is getting me nowhere … but those of us old school users of Yahoo and Google continue to be frustrated to see both companies going down the "design for smartphone – card look format" to their pages, even for large display computers. YAHOO A few weeks ago Yahoo Finance forced all users to give […]
Filed under: Business, Computer, Financial, Marketing, News, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: complaint, design, finance, google, News, portfolio, smartphone, tech friday, techfriday, website, yahoo
June 30, 2017
Switching from an iPhone 5s to an iPhone 7 Plus has a few surprising pluses and minuses that need to be address by new users. One such negative adjustment has a fix that on the surface may not be found by everyone. The annoyance: The larger iPhones (currently 6 Plus & 7 Plus) go into […]
Filed under: Advice, Apple, Cellphone, How-To, Tablet, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: home, iphone, landscape, mode, plus, portrait, screen, standard, zoom
June 16, 2017
We’ll see how the new iOS Twitter update is received by users, but since it is my go-to social network for all things news, I’ve download the hefty update to my aging iPhone5s and will see how bogged down it feels (very sluggish of late on most apps). Hopefully it will continue to run reasonable […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Social Networking, Software, Tablet, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: android, app, interface, ios, mobile, tech friday, techfriday, twitter
June 9, 2017
Along with all that is happening with hardware and innovation at the Apple developers conference — WWDC — one of the more anticipated upgrades to the mobile operating system was announced. Along with the likely "millions" of suggestions from daily users, my iOS11 suggestion/request was probably lost in the shuffle … although I’ve made the […]
Filed under: Advice, Apple, Cellphone, Computer, Software, Tablet, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, conference, date, features, improvements, ios11, microsoft, options, suggestions, tech friday, techfriday, time, windows10, wwdc
June 2, 2017
Who doesn’t love anticipating "the next big thing" when it comes to tech, especially the mobile tech we used everyday? I for one am ready to replace my iPhone5s with some new hardware — if for nothing else, a snappier interface (it just feels slow). The plan for about a year has been to wait […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Computer, Software, Tablet, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: apple, conference, developers, imac, ios11, ipad, iphone, iphone8, macbook, tech friday, techfriday, wwdc
May 26, 2017
Are you tired of more and more sites with pop-ups blocking content and asking your to whitelist their sites from your browsers ad blocking extension if you want to read their content? Then read on. First, I’m an advocate for advertiser supported websites and appreciate readers who occasionally read and click the few ads that are semi-hidden […]
Filed under: Computer, Marketing, Technology, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: adblocker, advertising, browser, filters, pop-up, tech friday, techfriday
May 12, 2017
The "cheap" replacement Epson printer arrived on Thursday and I was very disappointed in the quality of the multi-function-device that replace the Epson WF 545. Unfortunately several years after the previous, the WF M-1560 is of even poorer quality and even slower as a scanner. It was surprising to me. The positive is that it […]
Filed under: Computer, Technology by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: copier, epson, fax, m1560, printer, scanner, tech friday, techfriday, workforce
May 5, 2017
Ever since the switch from Time Warner to Cincinnati Bell Fioptics, the Raspberry Pi2 and Pi3 that I’ve been using for testbed Linux servers have been out of commission. I’m struggling to come up with a way to bypass the Port 80 block that CB and many ISPs put in place to protect users equipment […]
Filed under: Raspberry Pi, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apache, blocking, isp, port 80, raspberry pi, server
April 14, 2017
Last week someone asked me about my large screened notebook, the 15.6″ Lenovo Yoga 710 with an Intel i5-7200U CPU (2.50GHz), 8 GB memory and a rather smallish 256GB SSD. The question was whether I would recommend it. The answer is yes … if you can live with a couple small nits that I have […]
Filed under: Advice, Computer, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: Computer, lenovo, notebook, review, tech friday, techfriday, youtube
April 7, 2017
At one time or the other, we have all started to pull our hair out while on the computer and said, “this is ridiculous, why doesn’t someone fix this!” Well after literally years of waiting for Google to do something about the “sensitive scroll feature” (or curse) when moving through the months in Google Calendar, […]
Filed under: Advice, Computer, Productivity, Software by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: browser, calendar, chrome, disabler, extension, google, plugin, scroll, tech friday, techfriday
March 31, 2017
Last year, the social networking company Twitter announced it would begin changing the requirement that all tweets could only contain 140 characters. They started with not counting characters of the media attachments or @ replies. Some users are concerned that Twitter will stray too far from its roots as a public text messaging service tool. […]
Filed under: Social Networking, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: change, characters, social network, tech friday, techfriday, tweet, twitter
March 24, 2017
A couple years ago I backed Seymour Segnit’s ThingCharger project and was very pleased with the “plug-charger” gizmos. After learning from his previous launch, the sharp marketer is giving a new “system project” a try. Take two, if you will. This time he has added and improved the earlier design and added a “kit” worth […]
Filed under: Business, Cellphone, Financial, Innovation, Marketing, Tablet, Technology by RichC | 4 Comments »
Tags: backer, charger, crowdfunding, magfast, Marketing, tech friday, techfriday
March 17, 2017
The Magnifier is a simple but overlooked feature on an iPhone. The setting is found in Settings > General > Accessibility. Turn “Magnifier” on. Then simply press the home button three times anywhere on the iPhone — either on the lock screen, the home screen, or in an app.
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Misc, Technology, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, iphone, magnifier, tech friday, techfriday
February 10, 2017
This was going to be a normal Tech Friday post, but instead it will marry the automotive technology leader Tesla with a bit of news on their higher-volume / lower priced Model 3 sedan due out this summer. The company stated that all was on schedule for meeting their targeted July production date and they […]
Filed under: Automotive, Business, Energy, Environment, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: july 2017, model 3, production, tech friday, techfriday, tesla
February 3, 2017
The cursor on my new Lenovo Yoga 710 Windows 10 notebook has been driving me crazy. It jumps around the screen when I’m typing and often ends up add or deleting text in previous paragraphs. In an attempt to diagnosis the problem, I’ve fiddled with the trackpad thinking that my palms or thumbs must be […]
Filed under: Advice, Computer, How-To, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: lenovo, microsoft, mouse, tech friday, techfriday, trackpad, windows, yoga
January 27, 2017
After a previous simple $20 relay component test, my friend Jeff and I realized that there were a few shortcomings in using it for a future project — enter the cheaper eBay $3.99 higher powered solid state relay module. This smallish sized relay component can be wired into a 40 amp circuit and switched with […]
Filed under: Computer, Misc, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: Computer, ebay, gadget, pine64, raspberry pi, relay, switch, tech friday, techfriday
January 20, 2017
A friend of mine has been brainstorming the components and options for a project that I’m tinkering on for both the sailboat and improving my back up power at the house. Basically the idea is to use a minimalist single board computer like the Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Pine64 or maybe just the new IoT Photon. […]
Filed under: Computer, Raspberry Pi, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: a64, aduino, Computer, high power, mp4, pine, raspberry pi, relay, solar
January 13, 2017
Twice now I’ve found myself unable to post to my WordPress blog. Once a few years ago using the windows based Microsoft Live Writer (now defunct) and recently using the open-sourced Open Live Writer. The “Invalid Server Response – The response to the blogger.getUsersBlogs method received from the blog server was invalid:” error pops up. […]
Filed under: Advice, Blogs, Computer, Software by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: blog, error, live writer, open source, plugins, problem, tech friday, tip, wordpress
December 9, 2016
The top image is a daylight test image while trying a new camera and lens combination (Panasonic Lumix GX8 and 14-140mm lens) and is a very large original image … so if you click it, it will prove to be a larger image download (be warned). The image below as been reduced in size but […]
Filed under: Personal, Photos, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: camera, gx8, lens, lumix, panasonic, tech friday, techfriday
I helped fund the Raspberry Pi based computer Kickstarter project known as the RaspberryShake networkingworking a large number of inexpensive earthquake monitoring station around the world (www.raspberryshake.org/quick-start-guide). The idea of connecting hundreds if not thousands of independent volunteer monitoring stations isn’t new, but it is a growing force in data collection. Hopefully I’ll be able […]
Filed under: Computer, Environment, Photos, Raspberry Pi, Science, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: earthquake, kickstarter, raspberry pi, raspberryshake, tech friday, techfriday
November 25, 2016
It is easy to forget just how much software one ends up with after 9 years using a computer. There was everything from odd ball utilities to a variety of outdated Adobe Creative Suite design software that I occasionally need. These were all versions installed from CD and are not openly supported anymore. Unlike my […]
Filed under: Computer, Software, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: adobe, Computer, lenovo, microsoft, office, tech friday, windows
November 4, 2016
The pile of new electrical parts in my photo likely doesn’t mean much to those who don’t enjoy tinkering with computer and robotic projects, but for me a novice in programming computers gadgets, it is an chance to learn on the cheap. With the budget Raspberry Pi and Pine64 computers, beginners of “all ages” have […]
Filed under: Computer, Education, Innovation, Raspberry Pi, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: code, computers, gadgets, learning, pine64, programming, raspberry pi, tech friday
October 28, 2016
As Fernando Lamas would say (or Mark Howard – it’s on the back of my late brother-in-law grave marker) … "it looks mahvelous!" (paraphrased). Unfortunately the Apple’s newest MacBook Pro has a price to match it’s looks and expected performance with the 13" model WITH the new TouchBar starting at $1799 and the big boy […]
Filed under: Apple, Computer, Technology by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: apple, event, macbook pro, tech friday, touchbar
October 21, 2016
Given what Sir Tim did for all of us when he developed HTML and created the World Wide Web, he’s got a fair amount of credit in the bank. If he did have any major regrets about the web, we wouldn’t find it too difficult to forgive him, but his mea culpa relates to only […]
Filed under: Computer, History, Innovation, Technology, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: Business, double slash, insider, internet, tech friday, tim berners lee
September 30, 2016
The Raspberry Pi’s main operating system, Raspbian, just got a brand new look from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Dubbed PIXEL, it’s a skin for Raspbian that modernises the interface, adds some new programs and makes it much more pleasant to use. Click for a full review from Lifehacker Australia: The New Raspberry Pi OS Is […]
Filed under: Computer, Misc, Software, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: linux, microcomputing, operating system, raspberry pi, raspbian, tech friday
July 22, 2016
With a renewed interest in the upcoming iPhone7 after Apple released the new iOS10 public beta, I’m wondering what’s really the next “big” (pun intended) thing for pocketable smart devices. If it were durable and possible, I’d love having an expanding screen on my iPhone that could do double-duty as an iPad!
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Tablet, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: display, expanding, flexible, iphone, outside the box, prototype, tech friday, youtube
May 27, 2016
Top ways to use your tablet or iPad on board your boat — Matthew Sheahan 12/15/2015 How are sailors using their iPad or tablet on board? Matthew Sheahan talks to cruising sailors, racers and industry professionals Photo: Tor Johnson As iPads and other tablets become a part of the arsenal of electronics on board, their […]
Filed under: Archive, Sailing, Tablet, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: archive, cruising, ipad, sailboat, tablet, yachting world
April 22, 2016
While learning a bit more about Amazon S3 data storage, it was time to experiment with the hotlinking and leaching of stored content, be it video or photo. Although the S3 storage is relatively inexpensive, every byte that is stored (no biggie) … or megabyte that is downloaded/streamed (photo/video) is billed whether or not it […]
Filed under: Blogs, Computer by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: amazon s3, blogging, hotlink, images, tech friday
April 8, 2016
On our last trip out sailing on Encore I noticed the Volvo was running hotter than it should be. My first thought was a lack of cooling water flowing in through the new smaller strainer, but then it was possible the coolant was low — I added about a quart. After returning home I also […]
Filed under: Shopping, Tools by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: amazon, digital, encore, prime, sailing, thermometer, tool
January 1, 2016
If you enjoy playing with inexpensive computer gadgets and perhaps getting them a LinuxOS Raspberry Pi … or maybe a PINE A64??? Check out the inexpensive Single board Super Computer … and under $100 computer set-up and top of the line smartphone might be all the tech many of us need? PINE A64 compared with […]
Filed under: Computer, Raspberry Pi, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: Computer, gadget, pine a64, raspberry pi, tech friday, techfriday
October 23, 2015
The best known video streamer, YouTube, has entered the subscription based video streaming service with their YouTube Red. They are asking $9.99 from potential subscribers for ad-free content that can be viewed on a variety of devices or saved for offline viewing. They’ll compete with services from several others who have significant content libraries (movies) […]
Filed under: Entertainment, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: red, services, streaming, subscription, tech friday, techfriday, video, youtube
October 2, 2015
What do you think??? I think I need thicker reading glasses. Apple could be developing a new wearable device even smaller than the Apple Watch: an Apple ring. That is, if a recently filed patent leads to an actual product. The ring, which could be made with or without a touch display, would be linked […]
Filed under: Apple, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, patent, ring, smart, tech friday, techfriday
September 25, 2015
If you are a regular online shopper and use Amazon, you may have contemplated purchasing their annual membership. Unfortunately each year it seems to go up in price and unless you “shop on Amazon or stream their video content” A LOT, it is hard to justify $99 per year. On the other hand, $67 (the […]
Filed under: Movies, Shopping by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: discount, Movies, online, prime, sale, shipping, Shopping, tech friday, techfriday
September 18, 2015
As someone who has sold a handful of domain names over the past 20 years, it is interesting to see what prices are being generated (my highest sale was $10,000). In 2015 there are a few less impressive high dollar dot-com transfers (overseas) … due to them being “two-letters” I assume… yet they still garnering […]
Filed under: Business, Marketing, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: cpp, domain, internet, names, reselling, selling, tech friday, techfriday, web
August 28, 2015
Most technology followers know the theory behind copying the swipe code from traditional magnetic credit cards, but few people swiping their cards at the gas pump realize that the “skimming device” is installed by criminals is installed out of site “inside” the gas pump. Q: If you can’t see it, how do you know your […]
Filed under: Automotive, Financial, News, Technology, Travel by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: cards, credit, criminal, debit, gas, pump, skimmer, tech friday, techfriday, theft
August 7, 2015
If you are a Firefox browser user, be sure to select the “About” menu and apply the latest update. Yesterday morning, August 5, a Firefox user informed us that an advertisement on a news site in Russia was serving a Firefox exploit that searched for sensitive files and uploaded them to a server that appears […]
Filed under: Computer, Software, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: browser, firefox, internet, security, tech friday, techfriday
July 17, 2015
As much as I want to dislike shopping at Amazon rather than supporting a local business, their Prime Shipping option makes getting a part too easy (thanks to Katelyn and Drew). They are becoming the go-to choice for parts nowadays. I needed a new O-Ring for our pools chlorinator and ordered it within a few […]
Filed under: Shopping, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: amazon, chlorinator, oring, parts, pool, tech friday, techfriday
July 10, 2015
For the past few weeks I’ve been enjoying a quick read each morning summarizing the previous day’s news from theSkimm.com. Currently it is a free subscription and is delivered to your email box and worded in a light and easy to comprehend way. For those interested in more of a business news update, check out […]
Filed under: Business, News, Productivity, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: email, freedompop, gerald baker, newsletter, tech friday, techfriday, theskimm, wsj
July 3, 2015
So much for “considering” Windows 10 on my iMac (Parallels). And here I was thinking that upgrading a couple of Windows machines wouldn’t be as expensive as in the past … with Microsofts FREE upgrad offer and all. (Parallels is working on a solution) Microsoft is making Windows 10 available as free upgrade for qualified […]
Filed under: Computer, Software, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, imac, mac, microsoft, parallels, tech friday, techfriday, upgrade, windows10
June 19, 2015
Plugins for CMS like WordPress are a dime a dozen and many improve the look and use of a WordPress.org blog, but usually at a sacrifice of speed. Recommending them is not usually something I would do … believing that a lean and fast site is better than bulky and slow sites. Unfortunately I’ve fallen […]
Filed under: Blogs, Technology by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: blog, cms, plugin, tech friday, techfriday, wordpress
June 5, 2015
Really tempted to pre-order a Lily “non-drone” (company doesn’t like the “drone” term) according to a CNBC article (below). Lily: the world’s first throw-and-shoot camera Deborah Findling | @dfindles For those times when the selfie stick just isn’t good enough, there is now a flying camera. Really. Called the world’s first throw-and-shoot camera, the Lily […]
Filed under: Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: camera, cnbc, drone, lily, pre-order, tech friday, techfriday
May 29, 2015
As some point in business, we need to know when it is time to throw in the towel. I’m not talking about going out of business, selling or retiring just yet, BUT “giving up” on competing when it comes to data storage. In my personal life, I’ve been using cloud based storage for years… be […]
Filed under: Business, Cloud, Computer, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: amazon, Business, cloud, storage, tech friday, techfriday
April 3, 2015
Ok … so you’ve done your part and registered your phone numbers with the National Do Not Call List and you’ve done your best to keep phone numbers from undesirables … BUT you’re still getting annoying calls (and text messages!) Below is the new (1) iPhone (Settings>Phone>Blocking) method to block phone numbers from your smartphone […]
Filed under: Cellphone, How-To by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: blocking, do not call, ios, iphone, smarphone, techfriday
March 27, 2015
I wasted a couple hours on Thursday morning while “working” (cough, cough) from home and downloaded the Periscope app for iOS on the iPhone. To the novice “tech geek,” these live broadcasting social networking apps will soon have the Internet filled with video streams. Currently I’m seeing broadcasters like CBNC’s Julia Boorstin (above) jumping on the […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Social Networking, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: meerkat, News, periscope, techfriday, twitter, video
March 20, 2015
Although cloud based apps aren’t for everyone, they have made inroads over the past few years. Googles’ online Docs, Sheets and Slides have been slowly improving and many other players have entered the foray including Microsoft with their Office Online. Apple has improve their iWorks online apps and offers their Pages, Numbers and Keynote […]
Filed under: Apple, Cloud, Computer, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, apps, google, icloud, microsoft, office, suite, techfriday
March 6, 2015
One of the reasons for adding the @Blogsyapp to my iPad is so I have an easy way to write and include the media items that I often post. So far, it is almost as easy as using my notebook computer and the “no longer supported” Microsoft Livewriter software. I say “almost as easy” since […]
Filed under: Blogs, Productivity, Tablet by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: app, blogging, blogsy, ipad, livewriter, microsoft, techfriday
February 20, 2015
I made the big 99 cent plunge a couple months ago in paying for more Apple iCloud space primarily to keep data on my iPhone and iPad safely backed up (although it is easy enough to do with and iTunes Lightening to USB connected computer). What I’m finding is that using iCloud is becoming a […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Cloud, Computer, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: backup, cloud, data, files, storage, sync, techfriday
February 13, 2015
Judging from the suggestions complaints to Google from users making an accidental “mouse swipe” through their online Calendar app, it looks like I’m not the only one frustrated. The problem of scrolling to the wrong month has existed for years and is most noticeable when using the Apple OS and their Magic Mouse. The sensitivity […]
Filed under: Apple, Cloud, Computer, How-To, Software by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: apple, calendar, google, magic, mouse, techfriday
January 23, 2015
If you are an Apple Macintosh user and have been living with a cluttered desktop, give the free program Hocus Focus a try … if you like it, make a donation. The purpose of the small program is to automatically hide unused but opened applications and windows so it is easier to focus on the […]
Filed under: Apple, Productivity, Software by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, focus, freeware, hocus, macintosh, Software, techfriday
January 16, 2015
It has been a few years since my wife and I have gone to the movie theatre, but when Katelyn and Drew were visiting they convinced us to go with them to the movie Unbroken. Besides being a history oriented true story based on the book by Lauren Hillenbrand, the WWII timelined story put to […]
Filed under: Books, Movies, Tablet, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: book, library, movie, overdrive, reading, techfriday
January 2, 2015
The slower work days between Christmas and New Years has given me a little time to clean up my files and office, both paper and digital. One productivity app that I’ve been using on my iPad for over 2 years is Notability and I’ve collected a bunch of “notes” and PDFs that have been semi-organized […]
Filed under: Apple, Cloud, Computer, Software, Tablet, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apps, Dropbox, icloud, notability, notes, pdf, techfriday
December 26, 2014
Here’s a very short Apple iCloud iOS tip from a question that came up this past weekend. The question had to do with what size files can be emailed or messaged back and forth between smartphones. A large message may be undeliverable even if it’s smaller than the iCloud Mail message maximum of 20 MB […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Cloud, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: email, icloud, ios, iphone, messaging, techfriday, tips
December 19, 2014
Most media saturated consumers are frustrated using the various apps from big-name news sources for scanning, skimming and reading 100s of news articles each day. Some individual apps are pretty good, others are a real pain … particularly the newer “in your face – ad heavy” versions. The gripes are that each app is different […]
Filed under: News, Productivity, Social Networking, Software, Tablet, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: ios, ipad, News, reader, RSS, savysoda, techfriday
December 12, 2014
IFTTT = IF This Then That Think of it as a simple programming app where there is an “action” when a “trigger” is observed. It is set up on a mobile device and works with “channels” … like Facebook, Evernote, Twitter, Email and even WordPress and it will do something when a “trigger” is observed. […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Social Networking, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: android, app, IFTTT, iphone, programming, techfriday
November 7, 2014
Microsoft is offering standalone versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iPhone, giving users a much better productivity suite for the mobile devices. Prior to the new mobile apps, users who wanted to use Office on an iPhone had to use “Microsoft Office Mobile,” which really only allowed users to view documents and input text. […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Computer, Software, Tablet by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, apps, excel, ios, microsoft, office, techfriday, word
October 10, 2014
Sort of a timely website find if you are an amateur meteorologist or just enjoy watching and learning about weather. Check out MeteoEarth.com or their MeteroEarth smartphone app for $2.99. (explainer video) There are some pretty powerful features and the real time software offers stunning visual views of weather happenings — like the current Typhoon […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Computer, Software, Space, Technology, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: app, hurricane, meteoearth, techfriday, typhoon, vongfong, weather, website
October 3, 2014
Rumors have been floated but Apple hasn’t announce the date for the new iPad until today. October 16th is scheduled for a "special event"… assumed to be the launch of its new iPad. Most expect an iPad Air 2 device with the new A8 processor and touch fingerprint sensor. It is also possible we’ll learn […]
Filed under: Apple, Tablet, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: announcment, apple, ipad, ipad air, tablet, techfriday
September 26, 2014
As a iPhone, iPad and iMac Apple customer, it is challenging to know what products to upgrade and at what time. As much as I would like an iPhone6 or 6plus, I’ve opted to stick with the current iPhone 5s (and 5) in order to save a few dollars on our cellphone plan as we […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Computer, Tablet, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, imac, ipad, iphone, parallels, techfriday, upgrade
September 19, 2014
Ting.com sent out an email blast update letting interested potential customers know that the new “older” iPhone 5s and 5c will be supported on September 29, 2014. I’m still weighing leaving Sprint, but they aren’t doing much to keep their long time customers in their Framily.They change their plans, promos, CEOs and marketing slogans way […]
Filed under: Apple, Business, Cellphone by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, carrier, iphone, smartphone, sprint, techfriday, ting
September 12, 2014
While waiting on the discount cellphone carrier Ting (my daughter’s referral) to welcome my Sprint-based iPhone 5s, I’m also weighing Sprint’s new promos (iPhone for life, etc). Since Ting is only approved as a month-to-month reseller for non-current iPhone models, switching to them requires waiting a few more days or weeks until my second-hand “s” […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Financial, Personal, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: at&t, carrier, Cellphone, iphone, sprint, techfriday, ting, verizon
August 22, 2014
A second Tech Friday post: I’ve been looking for an excuse to try embed.ly … so here it goes with a Fox Business News Elio story … and a good PR one at that.
Filed under: Automotive, Blogs, Technology, Video-TV by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: blogging, elio, embed, foxbusiness, techfriday
After almost two year of using several different wraps and “powered cases” for my iPhones, I whittled my picks down to three … or 4 if you consider “no-case” as an option. In fact, using the iPhone without a case makes it very small and lightweight; slipping the tiny iPhone 5 and 5s in a […]
Filed under: Advice, Apple, Cellphone, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, case, iphone, lenmar, mophie, otterbox, smartphone, techfriday
August 9, 2014
Ok … scratch this week’s Tech Friday post on setting up the iPhone to receive Gmail as if it were “push” rather than “fetch” (the only way Apple’s email client can receive free Gmail nowadays). Unfortunately my iCloud workaround was a convoluted experiment that wasn’t elegant or simple. I’ve toyed with the idea of switching […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Computer, How-To, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: email, exchange, gmail, iphone, problems, Productivity, techfriday
August 8, 2014
I am late to the game in addressing a workaround for a newer Apple iOS devices (recently updated my iPhone 5 to a “secondhand” 5s) and the changed Google Sync services. The changes happened in 2013, but since my old devices were still working it wasn’t a big deal … now it is! Initially, iOS […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Computer, How-To, Tablet by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, email, exchange, google, ipad, iphone, sync, techfriday
August 1, 2014
Ever since I picked up a secondhand iPad2 a couple years ago, it has been my go-to device for traveling, reading and quick notes. I do miss the full computer experience, but it is hard to beat for day to day mobile computing. Truth be told though, I’m starting to have speed envy and wondering […]
Filed under: Apple, Tablet, Technology by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: apple, ipad, tablet, upgrade
July 11, 2014
Those who enjoy tinkering with Linux and the small and inexpensive Raspberry Pi will love the new $45 (Intro price) credit card sized HummingBoard computer.
Filed under: Computer, Raspberry Pi, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: Computer, linux, raspberry pi
June 20, 2014
Tinkering with GIF Grabber and gfycat.com in posting a TechFriday filler post since I’m busy today. Record ride in Portugal riding a 78 foot record wave … that’s big!
Filed under: Misc by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: billabong xxl, gif, surfing
June 13, 2014
It will soon be time to replace the battery in my iPhone 5, and rather than drive to the Apple store and pay them the $80 to do it, it might be worth spending a few dollars on a tool kit and a battery in order to replace it myself. Wish me luck.
Filed under: Apple, Archive, Cellphone, How-To, Photography, Video by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: battery, How-To, iphone5