Most Commented Technology Blogs (217)

I'm thinking about a phone upgrade this year and the model I want is around $1,000. Scary thought to pay so much for a phone, but there's an interface that connects it to a monitor, mouse and keyboard creating a desktop environment. That way, you don't have to squint and pinch.
That model is also available in a 5G version for $300 more.
If I go for the 5G model, It will probably be the single most expensive device I own, exceeding the GPS drone I purchased a few years ago.

I'm not a power user and don't spend time streaming videos on my phone so the idea of 5G isn't a requirement.

To 5G or not to 5G... that is the question.

I bought my first personal computer in 1975. It was made by Commodore and the programs had to be typed line by line and saved to a cassette. Soon after I joined a club that would send out monthly games and utilities on cassette. We didn't have internet then and I bought a modem where you could put the telephone handset into a cradle used as an acoustic coupler to transfer data at the rate of 300 baud. That allowed us to connect with other computer users and mainframe with other means of connection.

For me, It didn't do much more than keep records, low resolution images, basic word processing and a scientific calculator.

One of the guys in the club owned a car dealership and took courses in computer programming. He created a finance package that calculated car loan details of interest, payments and contracts. He connected it to an electronic typewriter and the contracts were printed on 4-part carbon copy forms. All of the records were save in his floppy disk system. After perfecting his 'finance package' he sold his software and hardware a complete packages to other dealerships and supported training, service and tax code updates. He had access to control all the dealerships and their client lists.

About 10 years later IBM computers became available. That was the time where people were using low speed connectivity via phone lines. I remember going to an electronics trade show to see companies had lots of business software and I recommended a package to get one company I worked for to use computers and get away from 100% manual bookkeeping. Part of their packages required subscription and their ability to access clients records.

A few years later and IBM clones were sold at a much lower cost than the original computers. Some of the reasons to buy cheap is they used cracked software.
A brief explanation is someone got into the original program and changed (cracked) the parameters so you didn't need an activation code or registration to use the programs.

The bad thing about cracked programs is who did the work and want 'gains' did they crack it for? I would guess (of the people I knew) half were using cracked software. In a hobby environment it wasn't so bad, but in a business environment, it was a no-no.

A friend told me the engineering firm next to his business had people using cracked versions of a popular design suite called AUTOCAD. One new employee didn't know his workstation had a cracked version and tried to do an update. The company information was in the cracked software and the update didn't match a registered serial number. If I recall, they had a few installations (seats) all using the same fake serial numbers.
Not long after, they were visited by police with a search warrant to seize all the computers using the cracked software. Along with the seizure were heavy fines for using unlicensed software. The company had to 'pay up' to stay in business.
They were lucky as I've heard other companies using cracked software had their data pirated that included bank account information giving access to the people who controlled the cracked software.

While some top level software prices have gone up, there are alternatives. Subscription, software is available. For example, If you cannot afford $4,000 to $5,000 for a purchase, you can access fully workings versions online without a large cash outlay.
I use PDF's in my business. Adobe was the original. It's expensive and I don't need to use all of it's capabilities, so I found a few competitors with fully licensed software at a fraction of the original. That works for me and no cracks!

Too often batteries are the issue in things needing to be replaced. Years ago, I had cellphones that the user could change out a battery when it no longer would hold a charge. Cellphones now are sealed to be dust and water resistant. They require the user to send it to a factory center... a process that often takes 2 weeks to get the phone back.
Too many things happen in my life and I don't want to be without my phone for weeks. Is it possible? (groan) Yes, but not practical. Some phone stores have loaners but they are entry level phones and limited, meaning I have a good chance I'll lose data in multiple transfers.
I'm at the crossroads now. My phone that used to go 2 days without a charge needs to be juiced twice a day. I can get around that with a charging station and I'm waiting for a deal on a new model with 5G capability.

For weeks, I've been saying the battery in my car is near the end of life and wanted to get it replaced at the wholesaler I normally do business with. I carry a spare battery in the back of my car for use when I go to the model aircraft field. It runs my laptop, chargers and some cooling fans. I charged it 3 weeks ago. Yesterday, without warning, my car wouldn't start. I connected jumper cables to the spare but it wasn't fully charged and didn't start the car. Lucky for me road service responded in 10 minutes and a new battery was installed.

I've been through packs and packs of AA batteries. The two main manufacturers claim 10 year shelf life. That said, I've had had to replace hundreds of dollars worth of electronic & mechanical devices due to leaking batteries that corroded rendering the device useless with batteries less than a year old.
I don't need a flashlight very often. when it doesn't work and I unscrew the case I'm guaranteed it will have some gooey mess inside from a leaking battery.
Currently, I'm taking photos and discarding the damaged devices (like smoke alarms and flashlights) at some point complaint letters will go out to manufacturers.
Seriously, I wouldn't try to rehabilitate a smoke alarm by cleaning the terminals with baking soda to remove the corrosion.

I've got a love/hate affair with batteries.

I read a story today that people who charge their cellphones in public places are at a high risk of being hacked... especially if the charging cord or charging adapter isn't theirs.

Hackers have found a way to manufacture iPhone charging cords with microchips embedded in the USB connector. They look like normal cords, but If you plug your phone to charge from one of these cables it can compromise the security of your phone and allow someone to hack into your phone.

One version gets into your phone while it appears to be harmlessly charging the phone. then via Wi-Fi signal a hacker nearby can capture your password, unlock your phone, change the password and steal sensitive information from your phone. All within a few minutes.

Another version uploads an app that essentially does the same thing via your data signal hacked to anywhere in the world.

Rule one. Don't buy charging cables from unreliable sources like a booth at a flea market or convenience store. Typically, they are low quality that you should avoid, but it's an easy way the hacker cables make it into the marketplace.

Rule two. Don't borrow a charge cable at the airport or coffee shop, use only the cable and power supply supplied with the phone.

If you must charge on the go, use your own wireless charger or a 'Power Bank' portable battery charging system.

I inherited the family photo albums and scrapbooks. My brother does the genealogy and sometimes asks for scans of old photos. With the camera my parents owned, all the photos were square so it didn't matter which way the camera was held. Later on, they purchased a different camera that shot rectangular photos and it came with a neck strap and a top viewfinder so all the photos ended up in the portrait mode. Tall shots and not wide ones.
Fast forward two generations and wide screen TV's are the norm. Landscape. Cellphone videos shoot wide screen but people normally hold them vertically. If you've seen videos posted to social media, the majority are in portrait mode.

TV news stories often add some enlarged blurred images in the background of the original video filling the empty space on the sides.

Depending on the subject, I rotate my phone to landscape mode so all the image comes through a normal TV (or computer monitor) and you don't have to twist your head to see the video.

Crime doesn't pay or so they say... If you don't get caught it probably does pay and that's why so many scammers are making careers out of cheating people. As we deal less with cash & checks and more with debit & credit cards the chances of getting scammed become greater.

I was coming back from a project in downtown Miami and stopped for gas. I paid at the pump with my business debit card and bought lunch & a drink with my personal debit card. The attendant had a smile on her face as I swiped the card and entered my PIN. It did seem odd why she was smiling. Two days later my bank phoned as I was overdrawn and they wanted to verify some recent purchases. $7 at a convenience store, $25 at a fried chicken restaurant and nearly $2,000 at a grocery store. the $7 was me and the other 2 were fraud. My comment was who can buy $2,000 in groceries without drawing suspicion? Both purchases were in the downtown neighborhood.

Chip cards have reduced the amount of ATM or POS fraud, but not all businesses use them. Typically, a thief will install an overlay to the existing card skimmer that reads cards before the real card reader. There is a 2nd add on device with a tiny camera recording keypads to see what the user types for the PIN. The thieves return to retrieve their equipment and use the data to steal money from the people who used the ATM's while the devices were installed.

The video attached shows surveillance how quickly someone can install a credit card skimmer.

Sure, many say it's fun and costs nothing. But really? Facebook and most others ask quite a bit of us to join up. Huge personal info market for governments, businesses, scammers, etc. Why I avoid most of SM, and more and more folks are doing so. Family I know have a daughter with blood cancer. Good news--- most (85+%) of these tumors these days, with modern treatment, are fully treatable. Bad news---the treatments can make one sick as a dog. Hair loss and nausea seems worst for many kids. To learn more about their kid's treatment, family went on line, including much SM, for medical info. Began getting adverts for wigs and over the counter treatments for vomiting. Coincidence? Perhaps. Aa.

Anybody know about a dating site call Mingle2.com? Two weeks ago I sign with that site and now I can't delete my account. The site is full of scammers and spammers.

An American firm (Biofire) has developed a programmable 9mm double stack pistol that can only be fired by the specific person authorized to use it. It uses fingerprint reading and other technology so only the user the gun is programed for can turn the gun on. It will remain on and active as long as it is in that person's hand, but turn off and become inert as soon as the hand leaves it. Orders are being taken now but first deliveries will occur in early 2024. The advantage is a homeowner or other authorized user no longer has to keep the gun under lock and key as it will not work for unauthorized persons. This makes it child safe while also preventing someone who overpowers an authorized user from shooting them with their own gun (something that sadly happens now and then). Many crimes are committed with stolen guns. Stealing this kind will not help a criminal if he is not the authorized user. If you are the owner, it works for you. If you are not, it won't. More information below.

What do you think?

It could have a camera, microphone, it automatically follows you at a distance you do not even know it is there. Perhaps, it could even be armed. Your own guardian angel....

You send it to pick up things from the store for you, you use it to give you up to date road/weather conditions.


Is something in our near future?