Scott's tech blog

More people are becoming increasingly concerned about jobs.  As technology advances at the sonic speeds more entry-level jobs are going to be replaced.  This is a fact.  We can't slow it down if we want to see cheaper goods and services.  Companies also need to stay competitive.  Look at the recent deal between Microsoft and Walmart as both behemoths battle Amazon Another factor with this is growing wages.  As more states implement higher minimum wage laws companies are seeing more ROI on Kiosks and self-checkout registers.  Amazon has introduced a convenience store model that doesn't have cash registers at all.  You just download an app and you can go through the store and items get added or removed based on what you pick up. and put down.  More and more jobs are going to be automated.  Tesla is working on self driving tractor trailer trucks.   Amazing technology, but humans need to adapt.  Even in IT we...

New iPhones today             Today,  Apple is going to announce there new iPhone's along with the new version of IOS and other items.  Don't buy the new phones this year.  There's going to be very little innovation in today's announcement.  Save your money and wait until next year.  If you truly need a new phone get the iPhone 8 or iPhone X and save some money.   Technologically, were at the beginning of a new mobile era.  Once 5g begins rolling out the beginning of next year you will want to get a phone that is capable of accessing that very fast mobile network.  Devices that have been released this year won't be able to take advantage of the new speeds.  You will need to wait until at least next year before you can get a device that takes advantage of the new faster mobile service.  No Need to upgrade             These devices won't have too much that will warrant...

The Rise of Chromebooks For my birthday this year, I received a Chromebook.  Specifically an Acer Chromebook 15 ( Find it here ).  It has been a great addition to my collection.  They truly boot in seconds and it gets days on the battery.  You can easily do eight hours a day of work on this and go home and catch up on the news. Can you do work on this I can connect via a URL to my work if needed, I can edit documents using Google Docs.  I can surf the web.  Now, with the addition of Android apps, I have even more tools available to me.  I have configured Outlook for Android to check my work email.  I can use other tools available either in the Google Play Store or Chrome Store to access other applications that I use. Updates Updates are downloaded on a schedule which you can find here.   You will be prompted to restart, but again it takes seconds.  This is versus hours for the last Windows 1803 update.   If somethi...

Wow one week down!  This week we will talk about the "Cloud"!  What is the Cloud?  Why is this important to consumers?  What are best practices for home users? I will touch on different cloud related subjects and we will talk about your data and how the different services hold your data.  These are all important subjects and we will touch these all this week. I will continue talking about security as well.  This fits nicely into the cloud and protecting your data. Finally, on Friday I will discuss my favorite cloud services are and why these are my favorites. Good night and see you tomorrow!!

To continue the theme on security there is one last piece I didn't mention in my security post.  Updates!  Windows updates as well as you everyday software updates.  As we know with the Equifax data breach a security update that isn't applied is all the bad guys need.  There is a difference between businesses and home though.  In a business we need to test updates before deploying them to ensure something doesn't break.  At home it is vital to not wait an update your computer.  When I say test I mean quick test we run them through and with a couple weeks of the update being released it is generally allowed out.  At home you should be connecting to a server at the office securely and working.  You shouldn't be off the work network when working. Windows updates I feel these are critical.  If you are running Windows 10 the process tends to be smooth.  Windows 10 in my opinion, does the best job of staying up to date.  Automati...

You Made it! It's Friday time to relax!  First, give yourself  a pat on the back.  Now, I said I would post some of my favorite websites today and I am!  These sites help me wind down especially on Friday nights after the kids are in bed.  YouTube! Of course I can get lost in Star Wars rumor videos those can be fun.  I also like to listen to Tony Robbins, and others on building a good life.  These can be fun and teach you something. Sports sites This is easy.  espn.com for all the latest sports score and news.  I also visit csnne.com for my Celtics news!  Bill Simmons is awesome!  So I check out The Ringer  It is a fun site and you can get a lot of good information. Learning Yes, even though it is the weekend I like to learn.  I will study for my next certification at Pluralsight I also enjoy Success Magazine as well.  They have many great articles to help you improve yourself and make your work week le...

Well, yesterday was a fun post after the Equifax data breach post.  Today we are back with a serious topic.  Your home computer security.  There really are some "simple" steps to take to protect your computer and data when at home.  There are strong password, security your wireless settings, updating your computer regularly.  Also, having anti-virus software on your computer is critical. Strong passwords This is very important if your passwords are simple they will get compromised.  You need to have a password that is at least eight charaters long with a capital letter and number.  No, Password1 is not a safe password!!  Still something like Redsox#1 or Patriots1 would be safer.  The main reason for this is the tools that hackers use take longer to crack passwords with numbers and capital letters.  They also have a harder time with long passwords.  Technically, the longer the password the safer.  Don't make your password tw...