Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Technology Page 4 of 8

Biggs On: Laptops

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On August 28, 2015

In Biggs On, General Cogitation, Technology

broken-surface-2-appleI know, why would I write an opinion post on something that has been around for 40 years??! Since the birth of the iPad technology has been trending away from the nostalgic old desktop PC. Tablets and laptops (and other forms of mobile devices) are becoming more popular by the hour. The truth is, I’m not really a fan of laptops. Sure I use a laptop for work because it’s easier as a consultant to have your trusty computer with you when you need it, but work is the only occasion where I feel like having one is warranted.

My home PC is a custom built desktop. The key word there is custom. I like knowing exactly what is in my computer and I like that I am the person that put it there. I have never bought a mass manufactured desktop PC (emphasis on PC, because I do own a Mac-Mini). I have never needed a reason to buy a laptop to use as my primary computer. Granted, I do have a laptop that I take with me on extended vacations, but when I’m home I will only use my desktop; and to be honest I think I would be just fine without one while on vacation. I typically spend more time doing touristy stuff or reading books when I’m on vacation. If I want to look something up when I’m away from the computer, I reach for my iPad and thus have never wished it were a laptop.

The two primary functions of my home computer is for gaming and programming. Honestly I just think using a desktop is the best hardware for both of these functions. Granted a laptop can be used for software development (obviously since I use one for that purpose at work), but it needs to be a fairly well specced laptop, one I definitely couldn’t afford on my own (which is why I make sure I take very good care of the one provided to me from my employer). How people use laptops for gaming (especially MMOs) is almost beyond my capacity, unless they are plugging peripherals in. They almost have to be using an unattached keyboard and mouse, I just don’t see how any other configuration would be efficient and comfortable. In fact, when I am using a laptop, I always try to plug in a keyboard and mouse if its possible because I don’t like typing on most laptop keyboards and I loathe the touch pad.

I know people make it work somehow and that’s fine, as far as I’m concerned. My desktop is like a muscle car, I like to beef it up, make it glow. I want it to have presence <insert manly Tim Taylor grunts>. But to each their own.

/cheers

[P.S. The Surface Pro laptops look awful and make laptops even less endearing; I’d rather have an Etch-a-Sketch.]

Microsoft Edge is Egregious

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On August 13, 2015

In General Cogitation, Microsoft, Technology

microsoft_releases_windows_10I thought about making this a Tech Talk topic but I want those posts to be more informational and less opinionated. I’m also going to preface this post by saying that I did give Edge an honest try so I feel I’m being unbiased but I will admit, I probably wasn’t as open minded as I could have been when I was using Edge. I’m not going to berate Microsoft either for trying to “force” you to use Edge by making it your default browser upon upgrading. Despite Mozilla’s attempt at a flame war, if you paid attention to the install you could easily prevent that from happening and I’m not going to fault Microsoft for trying to change your default browser. They want people to try Edge and setting it as the default makes good business sense but they were wise to give you the option to switch it off.

minion_whatOk, enough giving Edge the benefit of the doubt because, as the title of this post suggests, I don’t have many nice things to say about Edge. In fact I straight up don’t like it. It doesn’t feel like a modern browser (which I’ve mentioned before). It’s so plain and boring. It has terrible space utilization (like all the blank space when you click/tap on the settings menu). Initially it does feel like it performs as well as Chrome but once you toggle all the suggested privacy settings it definitely feels slower (and its recommended that you turn off those privacy settings).

I think the most cognitive dissonant thing about this browser is that Microsoft is trying so hard to distant it from Internet Explorer but the icons look almost identical. Also, Edge still struggles with a lot of web sites (which is common for debutante browsers) but its suggestion is then to view the site in Internet Explorer. Doh! Also, as a developer, I’m really, really not looking forward to having to code for yet another browser’s idiosyncrasies.

Now, so I don’t go out on a completely sour note I do think that considering the performance of a browser fresh out of the gate, Edge does have a slight “edge” (see what I did there 🙂 ). Since its performance is pretty close to that of Chrome, it has room to improve and could become stiff competition in the browser wars, as long as Microsoft doesn’t screw it up.

I say might as well give it a try if you are on the fence about it, you might like it better than I did, which is fair. Everyone knows I’m pretty critical and not easily pleased by Microsoft. As improvements are released I might give it another test run but in the mean time I will stick with Chrome.

/cheers

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

Tech Talk: Upgraded to Windows 10

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On August 3, 2015

In Tech Talk, Technology

Windows_logo_-_2012.svg_-755x755Well I decided to upgrade my home PC to Windows 10. I have a desktop (not a fan of laptops) so I should never have to see the hideous start screen again. It’s a pretty bold move for me to upgrade to a new version of Windows so soon after its official release. Normally wouldn’t have done it had I not played around with it in the tech preview. Usually I wait until all the install and upgrade bugs have been worked out but there were so many articles (from trusted sources) that said the upgrade is pretty painless I went for it. I had some trepidation because I was worried about which of my previously installed programs and “apps” would and would not work once the upgrade was complete. I really only ran into one issue.

So here is my big tip for upgrading to Windows 10, especially if you are running Windows 7 and you skipped 8 (which is why everyone should have done). If you have any kind of VPN software installed (ex: Cisco AnyConnect) make sure either A) its up to date and compatible with Windows 10 or B) you uninstall it completely. I had done neither of these things and spent the better part of my weekend trying to figure out why my internet wouldn’t work properly – I could only browse secure (https) websites. It was frakkin’ annoying! Apparently even Windows Update doesn’t use a secure connection. Once I completely uninstalled AnyConnect all my internet problems went away.

The other thing I would recommend is the obvious suggestion – Back-Up Important Files! If something were to go terribly wrong with the upgrade you may have to format and reinstall which means all your data would be lost. Use Dropbox, One Drive, Google Drive, USB thumb drives, whatever you need to make sure you have copies of files you don’t want to lose. This should always be the first thing you do anyway.

I would also heed all the articles out there (here’s one) about what to shut off in Windows 10 to maintain your privacy, especially if you are upgrading a desktop computer. You don’t need to send your personal and location information to Microsoft to “enhance your computer and/or browsing experience”. Also, despite all the brouhaha that Mozilla was causing, there is a way to maintain your default browser while upgrading (not that resetting your default browser is terribly difficult to begin with). Do not select Express when you are setting up Windows 10 (after the upgrade completes). This is what all those articles will tell you to do anyway to toggle the various privacy settings. One of the custom options is to choose default programs and you can uncheck Edge.

Unless you want to use Edge, which is entirely up to you. Personally I think its horrid and plain. It doesn’t feel like a modern browser although it does perform better than Internet Explorer (Encyclopedia Britannica performed better than IE), but I still prefer Chrome or FireFox.

I hope your upgrade/install experience goes well and feel free to ask me questions and I can try to answer and/or help.

/cheers

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

Mr. Robot vs Fight Club

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On July 16, 2015

In General Cogitation

mr-robot-headerIf you haven’t been watching this show but you have been considering it, then I wouldn’t continue reading because I am going to talk about something that may, or may not, be a spoiler for the show. I’ve always been a fan of high-brow shows and I do think this show constitutes as high-brow at a technical level. Granted not all of the “hacks” the main character performs are technically feasible (i.e. a brute force password script cannot complete within 2 minutes using only two pieces of personal minutia- ex: favorite baseball team and pets name). It is a pretty decent show if you can get past the far left-wing agenda subtext that comes off a little too radical to be believable. Be that as it may, I am going to get into one of the biggest theories of the show and why I think it would continue to make the show awesome.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

The big theory is that Christian Slater’s character is Eliot’s Tyler Durden brought on by the stress of his cyber security job and social anxiety, or perhaps its brought on by his morphine use. I was originally going to talk about how this was a theory I had since the second episode, but I later found out that this has been a theory posted out on the Internet since the first episode aired online (prior to its USA premiere). Initially I was disappointed that this theory was already so prolific but now I am disappointed to learn that if its true people will be upset. Fight Club, to my knowledge, was the only movie to successfully allude the audience that Edward Norton’s character was schizophrenic and there isn’t an episodic series or movie that has successfully done it.

In fact, I thought at one point I read that some studio was thinking about doing a Fight Club television series. Perhaps Mr. Robot is the evolution of those discussions. Granted I thought Fight Club was a great movie but I don’t know if the end really allowed for it to become a television series. Christian Slater is desperately trying to find a successful sitcom so if he is a figment of Eliot’s psychosis and the producers establish that in the show, does that still warrant a need for Christian Slater’s character? Sometimes tv series just use a big name to generate viewers and then hope that the remaining cast will eventually be able to carry the show without said A-lister (not that Christian Slater is much of an A-list actor anymore, but you get my point).

If it were me and I was producing of the show, I wouldn’t say either way for the entire series. I would keep the audience guessing with every episode. Let the Internet build the hype for you and let them argue about if he’s real or not. In every couple of episodes throw a couple of hints in either direction, creating just enough ambiguity to keep your viewers coming back each week. I would try to keep the suspense going until the final episode and only then reveal the truth. Just as long as the truth makes sense …

… we don’t want to find out he was in purgatory the whole time! 🙂

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

Tech Talk: Tech Pipe Bombs

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On July 15, 2015

In Microsoft, Mobile, Tech Talk, Technology

cm-punk-pipebomb

CM Punk is an amazing athlete and was known for his pipe bombs on WWE

Last week Microsoft and Logitech dropped a couple of pipe bombs on the tech industry. One was unexpected, the other … well, let’s just say I wasn’t terribly surprised. It’s going to be interesting for me to talk about both of these companies because I love everything Logitech creates but my relationship with Microsoft has been a little tumultuous lately. Either way, it was a pretty big shake-up for the mobile and computer industry.

Logitech Re-branding Itself

logi-logo

The new Logitech logo

The biggest surprise was Logitech re-branding itself as “Logi”. I have read all of the various reasons the company decided to do this but I still don’t know if I like the new branding. I have enjoyed Logitech’s products for so long that its going to be difficult for my brain to associate “Logi” and “Logitech” as the same entity, especially when all the logos change. I get why they did it. Our world has become so integrated with technology that it almost seems barbaric to do anything without it (even simply taking a walk now has some technology association).

I imagine its going to be a while before we stop calling it “Logitech”; I know that’s the name I’m going to use for a while (ex: I still call it “Sears Tower“). Also, how does one even pronounce “Logi”? Is it like “logic” without the “c” (i.e. “lodgie”)? Or “loggy”? It can’t be “loogie”, that’s just gross! My guess is “lodgie” but that sounds so childish to me. There wasn’t a corporate buy-out that prompted this change so they are still going to manufacturer the same outstanding products. Hopefully this new branding won’t damage their sales because there’s nothing comparable out there.

Microsoft Killed Nokia

borg

Microsoft of Borg

Now the not-so-surprising news. Windows Phone is officially dead (*cough*about time*cough*)! Microsoft performed a huge layoff, 7800 folks are now looking for new jobs, and most of them were part of the Nokia buyout/phone business. I feel kind of bad for Nokia because they made decent phones … then they started running Windows 8 mobile exclusively. It’s interesting because when I heard Microsoft make the deal to “help” Nokia by providing the OS, I predicted that they would end up buying Nokia (I’m kicking myself for not buying Nokia stock, which would now be Microsoft stock). I also predicted that the Windows Phone wouldn’t survive and is another failed venture, just like the Zune. Sometimes, I hate being right.

It’s also interesting because this seemed like such a surprise to so many people. It was talked about on most news feeds for a couple of days as if it were the most earth-shattering pimp bomb to come out of Redmond since Bill Gates announced his retirement. Obviously I’m not a fan of the Windows Phone but that’s isn’t why I think this was the right decision for Satya Nadella to make for Microsoft. When you have a failing product or a product that just can’t compete, the smarter thing to do is cut it loose, especially when your direct competitor is taking 92% of the profits in the industry. Every company goes through peaks and valleys and Microsoft’s recent moves suggest, to me, that they are trying to climb out of their current valley (perpetrated by said failed smartphone and Windows 8).

The futures of both of these companies is going to be an interesting thing to watch because they made some pretty difficult and paradigm-shifting changes. Don’t get me wrong, I hope the best for both of these companies; one keeps me happy and productive, the other keeps me employed.

/cheers

Did Fitbit Make America Healthier?

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On July 7, 2015

In Apple, Microsoft, Mobile, Technology

I talk about my Fitbit a lot because over the past 2+ years it has helped me to lose over 50 lbs and keep it off. In that time I know, literally, almost 100+ people that are using Fitbits to get into better shape. I know there are millions more out there just based on the premise that Fitbit is now trading stock publicly and you see Fitbit commercials during prime time television. Today I know it isn’t just Fitbit that is causing more Americans to become healthier; Nike, BodyFit, Apple’s HealthKit, even the Microsoft Band (for the 3 people that have one) are also contributors. So I don’t think Fitbit single-handedly made America healthier, but I think it was the catalyst. Seriously, if only Fitbit had stock I could have bought 2 years ago!

I had tried so many different fads, diets and programs to try to lose weight and get into shape, I was even offered monetary rewards one time; but nothing I tried seemed to work. I don’t know what it was about the Fitbit that turned it around for me, but I’m glad it worked. I wish I knew the statistics of obesity in America right now and I’m curious if they have gone down (since I’m not a professional blogger and I don’t write for the AP, I don’t feel like doing the research myself – I guess that qualifies me to work for CNN *rim-shot*).

These things do have a tendency to fade away as it will no longer be “trendy” to use a fitness tracker, but hopefully the numbers keep rising. I know I do what I can to encourage friends, family and co-workers to keep walking and working out to help them become healthier. I think its pretty hilarious though that all of Michelle Obama’s “efforts” to reduce obesity hasn’t had the same impact as a tiny, electronic device (especially since I still see King Size candy bars and I still drink 16+ ounces of pop every day). It just goes to show you that even a tiny device is much more influential than a tiny mind 😉

Keep Walking My Friends (in the voice of the Dos Equis guy)

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