STEMs toy ideas

Amazon’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math gift toy ‘category’ might be of interest to a few of you. If you are, click here https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_acss_gb_cg_HTLLPCGB_4a1?node=10054374011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=events-center-c-5&pf_rd_r=48YWSPTNSV9Z93E6PXZQ&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_p=ed09b6ac-6ff0-406f-863f-4a53593203e2&pf_rd_i=HTL_desktop

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Just Checking In… (Plus Friday Fun)

Howdy, Folks.

Just thought I’d post something frivolous, and let you know that ole’ Tech Paul is still here, and still keeping an eye on the headlines.

Of which, there are absolutely none worth passing along. BUT, I do want to remind you that we are smack-dab in the middle of Prime Cyber-crime Season, and to remind you all to be extra paranoid online (and, yes, one MUST be “security conscious” to-the-max.. what I call ‘paranoid common sense’).

About those headlines… do you care that Apple Smartwatch interest is down? No. Didn’t think so. Tired of hearing about privacy loss and ‘breaches’? Me too.

Quick Poll:

Little White Xmas Tree

Friday Fun Video: (I was going to post something that’s currently “trending” on YouTube but, those videos are all super uh, um, er, ‘lame’.)

Need gift ideas? Best tech to buy for under $200

“Buying on a budget? These gadgets are the very best on the market for their price.” Read more..

Today’s quote: “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ~ Denis Waitley

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

The Best Black Friday Tech Deals

Folks, in addition to the links I recently provided in my last post, this resource provided by the folks at PC Magazine can help you find the bargains you’re looking for.

* The Best Black Friday Tech Deals

“Looking for a deal this morning? Check out the best deals from Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and more in PCMag’s Black Friday deal rundown.” Read more..

* * *

Today’s quote: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” ~ Melody Beattie

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

This Week’s Items of Interest

Here are a few items for your consideration.

* How Ordinary Skills Led to an Extraordinary Life for ‘Dilbert’ Creator

“While there is a continuous stream of articles toting the amazing qualities of entrepreneurs, the secret traits of successful people and tricks for making it to the top, Scott Adams, the creator of award-winning comic series Dilbert, thinks it’s hogwash.” Read more..

* The First 100% Free Mobile Phone Service

“If you’re shackled by an unwieldy wireless plan that’s costing you an arm and a leg each month – FreedomPop is here to change all that. Unlimited voice, text, and 500MB of data on a 4G network is unheard of – but how can you make history if you don’t break boundaries?” Read more..

* Massive German hack sees one fifth of population’s passwords stolen

“The passwords and other details of 16 million email users in Germany have been stolen- the equivalent of almost a fifth of the German population being at risk.” Read more..

* A few security lessons from the Target breach

“The Target breach points out some facts of life on the Web: We’re all targets (pun intended) of cyber thieves.

Fortunately, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves. Here’s how to protect yourself from the next big breach.” Read more..

* Can a Tweet Put You in Prison? It Certainly Will in the UK

“Tweeting racist or otherwise libelous bile can land you in jail in the UK, but the victim, as ever, is not the target of the tweet but free speech.” Read more..

* Where can you still find a PC running Windows 7?

“If you want a PC running Windows 7, where do you look? Skip your local office superstore or big-box retailer and go where the business buyers go. In those channels, you’ll find that Windows 7 never went away. In fact, it’s not just alive, it’s thriving.” Read more..

*     *    *

Today’s quote: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” ~ Mark Twain

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.

Choosing the right computer for your student

This is the time of year when I am asked for advice on what computer “tech” to buy for students.

It can be daunting – shopping for a new laptop or PC – as the number of choices is immense. (And shopping for someone else isn’t as easy, either.) But the good news is that it is hard to find a laptop or PC that is not capable of (powerful enough for) ‘general use’; even the cheapest ones. And the other good news is that, because computers are just an assembly of parts, it really isn’t all that important to choose one brand over another. Better yet, almost everyone selling tech has super discounts this time of year.

parents/teachers may want to click this image

However, if your student is older, and their coursework requires taking (doing) processor-heavy stuff – such as Animation/Film, Music editing/Broadcasting, Video Game Design, Drafting/Architecture, etc. – you’ll want to look at mid-to high-end units; which have faster processors (with more “cores”), plenty of RAM (4 – 6 GB’s), bigger screens with a “graphics card” (or in the case of laptops/notebooks, what is called “discrete graphics”) of at least 1GB.

Laptop or Desktop?

For home (or the dorm) the Desktop PC is still the workhorse, and my first choice; but for students who need mobility to study in the library, take notes in the classroom, join collaborative “study sessions” at the Quad, and whatnot, it’s hard to beat a laptop. (Sorry, but no, an iPad or tablet is not really a productivity device.)

If you decide on a laptop/notebook, there are a few factors to consider – most do not come with a 10-key “numberpad”, so if your student is a math, or business major, you might want to choose a model that does. Also, you might also want to buy a (larger) monitor that can be plugged into the laptop when back in the dorm.

More essential accessories:

* I always add a wireless mouse to my laptops. If the laptop you select has Bluetooth, a Bluetooth mouse is a “must have” addition (IMHO). If it doesn’t have Bluetooth, I would recommend a small (aka “travel”) wireless mouse from Kensington.

* External backup (“storage”). Whether you opt for a 1TB “portable” USB drive, or signing your student up with a subscription to a “cloud” file storage/sync service like Dropbox or SOS, a place to store copies of their homework is essential (you wouldn’t want to have to write that essay twice, would you?) and can help prevent “the hard drive ate my homework” nightmares.

* A pair of decent speakers. Today’s world really is “multimedia”, and speakers are must-have’s. It’s just that simple. And I said “decent”, as in don’t buy the cheapest you can find. (Yes, laptops do [usually] come with some kind of ‘built-in’ speaker, but even the best of those are wimpy.) I consider headphones to be a supplement to a speaker set, but in environments with nearby roommates (such as a dorm room), headphones might be a better first choice than speakers.. (if you’re planning to use Skype to visit with your student [and/or they’re online gamers] a headset with a ‘built-in’ microphone would be a good choice.)

* Anti-theft/find-if-lost software (optional). I personally would feel better if my student’s new laptop were protected – and (possibly) recoverable – if misplaced or stolen, and software like Laptop Cop is a great addition, well-worth the added investment. (See, 6 Ways to Find Your Stolen Laptop, If your laptop is ever lost or stolen, this security software will work hard to protect your precious data and help you recover the device.)

I hope these thoughts will help you choose a unit that your student will like and get good use from. But if you were hoping for more info (such as, “what do those Giga-numbers mean to humans?” [aka “specs”]) you may also be interested in this article: What to Look for When Buying a New Computer, My Computer Shopping Guidelines (it’s older, but still pertinent and more detailed).

*    *    *

Are we ready to pay attention now? $1.5 million Cyberheist Ruins Escrow Firm

“A $1.5 million cyberheist against a California escrow firm earlier this year has forced the company to close and lay off its entire staff. Meanwhile, the firm’s remaining money is in the hands of a court-appointed state receiver who is preparing for a lawsuit against the victim’s bank to recover the stolen funds.” Read more

Today’s quote: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” ~ Mark Twain

Today’s fun video (because it’s summer):

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Are you shopping for a tablet, notebook, or desktop?

Folks, I don’t usually ‘plug’ a particular store, but this sale has some deals worth considering.. if you’re in the market.

Click on image if interested..

The store is TigerDirect (who I use rather frequently) and to see this “100” items, click here. While you’re there, you might want to check their other clearance sale as well …

Note: There are Windows 7 units in there..

(And did you see the 23″ monitor deal?)

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Questions Answered plus You Might Want To Know

For today’s Grab Bag, I am going to answer some reader questions, and point out a couple of items of interest.

Samsung E2420L 23.6″ LCD Monitor – 70,000:1, 5ms, 1920X1080, VGA/DVI

$237.48 $129.99*

*When you use Promo Code 51D1AAE for $20.00 off

First up: we all know bigger is better (in tech, anyway). And nowhere in your “computing experience” is that more evident than the size of your monitor. There are three ways to really improve (aka “upgrade”) your computing:
1) buy fastest Internet (aka “speed”, aka “bandwidth”) and,
2) have a big, bright monitor and,
3) add RAM.

I spotted a deal today that makes upgrading to a 24″ monitor hard to resist (VGA, DVI).

Reader Questions Answered:

Q: “Can you recommend some cooking games for girls?”

A: I am sorry, Dear Reader, but I cannot help you out with that question. Perhaps people in the audience can help us out with some suggestions.

Q: “How can I get more wifi than my roommate?”

A: Well, short of planting limiting software on their machine, you really can’t (short of bringing in your own Internet line..). But there are some ‘tweaks’ you can make to your router which can help you get as much as is possible. (See, How To Limit Your Roommate’s Bandwidth)

Q: “How can I attract all the bandwidth to my Xbox via a laptop?”

A: That really isn’t how networking works. If you really want the fastest online experience, whatever the Internet-connected device, you want to use wires (aka “Ethernet cables”). If you’re using Wi Fi, you want the fewest devices accessing the ‘net as possible.. so turn off your laptop’s wifi when Xbox-ing. Unless .. you are “tethering” your Xbox to the laptop to gain a Internet connection, for some reason.. which is the worst way to do it and will have serious lag. (See, Wired or Wireless?*)

Q: “Does Gigabit router multiply megabit Internet speeds?”

A: Again, that isn’t how networking works, so no, it doesn’t. Purchasing a higher service level from your ISP is the only real way to increase your Internet speed. (See, Gigabit Ethernet Didn’t Make Internet Faster)

Q: “Can you put more than one virus protection on a tablet?”

A: Well, you could.. but you do not want to. Antiviruses most often do not play well together. (And spend more time fighting each other than protecting you.)

Google Nexus 7″ 32GB Slate Tablet – NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30L, 1GB RAM, NVIDIA ULP GeForce Graphics Card, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean $279.99 SAVE 17% $229.99

Q: “Is there any way to look at logs of what website my kids visited through a linksys router???”

A: I know you can blacklist (block) websites but, I have not looked that deep into Linksys router config’s since, basically, when Wireless N came out (i.e. all the Linksys models I own, and support, are older) so I’d have to look up “DNS lookup logging” or “domains accessed logging” to answer that specifically. (If you set your DNS server to OpenDNS, they do free DNS logging.) You can look for a “Logs” tab in your (router’s) Control Panel. Generally speaking, I doubt your router creates logs that you could easily see where they visited.

But, if your child has erased their browser’s History, my (technician’s) advice is to install parental control/monitoring software; such as the excellent and free K9 Web Protection or Norton’s Family Protection services (Norton Family is free).

And finally.. Not a bad price on a higher-end 7″ Tablet..

That’s all I have time for today.

Today’s quote: “At sixty, I know little more about wisdom than I did at thirty, but I know a great deal more about folly.” ~ Mason Cooley

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.