Valley of Boom - TV Series
Can Firefox survive in a Google world?
Digital photography begins its next chapter with radical changes
The Why Axis: More Americans Get News From Social Media Than Print
The 100 Best Android Apps for Your New Phone
The Best Home Security Cameras
13 Great Gift Ideas for Kids Who Want to Code
Curious about cord-cutting? Read this before you cancel cable
Get a Password Manager
Valley
of Boom - TV Series
National Geographic cranks up the internet wayback machine with its forthcoming series Valley of the Boom, to explore the dot-com era and the culture of speculation, innovation and disruption during Silicon Valley’s unprecedented tech boom of the 1990s and subsequent bust.
The six-part limited series, starring two-time Emmy award-winning actor Bradley Whitford, Steve Zahn and Lamorne Morris, tells the story of the epic browser wars. While most of the show is scripted, showrunner/director Matthew Carnahan weaves in select documentary elements that help tell the true inside story of the internet’s formative years.
Series starts January 13, 2019 on National Geographic.
Can
Firefox survive in a Google world?
With Microsoft's decision to switch to Chromium for its Edge browser,
Mozilla's Firefox remains the only major browser developer that still maintains
its own alternative engine. In a world dominated by Google, can Firefox remain
competitive?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/can-firefox-survive
Microsoft Edge: What went wrong, what's next - Microsoft's grand browser
experiment flopped in the marketplace, so the company is turning to an unlikely
successor: the open-source Chromium project. Can it succeed where EdgeHTML
failed?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-edge-what-went-wrong-whats-next
Digital
photography begins its next chapter with radical changes
Computational photography remakes phone photos, while Canon and Nikon embrace
the camera design of the future.
https://www.cnet.com/news/digital-photography-gets-radical-changes-smartphone-mirrorless-tech
The
Why Axis: More Americans Get News From Social Media Than Print
Social media platforms are now outpacing print media as a news source,
according to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center earlier this year.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/365489/its-official-more-americans-get-news-from-social-media-that
The
100 Best Android Apps for Your New Phone
So you have a new Android device. Congratulations! The question is, which
apps should you put on it? The problem is, the Google Play Store's 2.6 million
app count is staggering. We've been curating our list of best apps for almost a
decade. You can't go wrong with these picks in 14 top categories.
https://www.pcmag.com/article/362295/the-100-best-android-apps
26 iOS Apps Worth Paying For
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/331159/26-ios-apps-worth-paying-for
16 Android Apps Actually Worth Paying For - Free apps are cool, but a few
bucks can get you so much more. If you are looking to buy in the Google Play
store, here are the best paid Android apps to put on your phone.
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/331205/16-android-apps-actually-worth-paying-for
The
Best Home Security Cameras
If you want to keep an eye on what's happening at home when you're not there,
but you don't want to invest in a full-fledged home security system, a
Wi-Fi-connected camera is worth a look.
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2475954,00.asp
13
Great Gift Ideas for Kids Who Want to Code
I suspect that there are far more parents who want their kids to code then
there are children that want to learn to code. That said, there is a precious
cohort of our kids that enjoy programming. I still remember showing my
grandfather my first handwritten BASIC programs. "Looks like math," he
said. "No, I hate math. This is programming!" I responded, not
realizing we were both right. My skills never progressed much further than
BASIC, in part because I didn't have access to cool tools and toys like these.
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/340408/13-gift-ideas-for-kids-who-want-to-code
Curious
about cord-cutting? Read this before you cancel cable
Save a bunch of money! Kick that ancient box to the curb! Ditch all those
channels you never watch! Never deal with a cable guy again! Not so fast.
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/10-things-to-consider-before-canceling-cable
Get a
Password Manager
A password like "123456" or "monkey" is easy to remember,
but it's also easy to crack. With the help of a password manager, you can have a
unique and strong password for every secure website. We've evaluated two dozen
apps to help you choose.
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp
Links
- News, Tips, & Downloads
Got a New Router for the Holidays? Here's How to
Set Up and Optimize It
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375207,00.asp
Your New PC Needs Antivirus
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372364,00.asp
How to replace your dumb deadbolt with a smart
lock
https://www.cnet.com/pictures/install-smart-lock
'Donald' Makes It on 2018's Worst Passwords List
- Whether you support President Trump or not, using his first name as your
password isn't a good idea. For the first time, "donald" cracked
SplashData's annual top 100 list of worst passwords.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/365497/donald-makes-it-on-annual-worst-passwords-list
The Best Wireless Routers - With the gaggle of
connected home products, smart TVs, smartphones, and other mobile devices ruling
our lives, it's more important than ever to outfit your home or business with a
wireless router that can handle the increased demand for Wi-Fi connectivity.
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398080,00.asp
Windows 7 to Windows 10 migration guide - With
Windows 7 approaching the end of support deadline, it’s time to get cracking
on upgrading your organization to Windows 10. Use this planner to help ensure a
successful migration.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3276311/microsoft-windows/windows-7-to-windows-10-migration-guide.html
What to Consider Before Giving Smart Home Gadgets
as Gifts
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/365116/what-to-consider-before-giving-smart-home-gadgets-as-a-gift
Top Tips for Safe Online Shopping
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/364896/14-tips-for-safe-online-shopping
10 old cables you should keep around (and 6 to
toss)
https://www.cnet.com/pictures/should-you-keep-or-toss-these-old-cables
PCMag Picks the Best VPNs - A VPN, or virtual
private network, is one of the smartest ways to protect your privacy online and
maintain your data security. We've tested scores of them, and these are the best
VPN services for Windows.
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403388,00.asp
10 Tips to Speed Up Windows 10
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2364937,00.asp
Easy Fixes for Common TV Problems - If your
television suffers from a distorted picture, weird colors, or the dreaded
"soap opera effect," these simple fixes can help improve your picture.
https://www.pcmag.com/article/357416/easy-fixes-for-common-tv-problems
Do You Still Need Antivirus Software With Windows
10? - Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center gets new features with the Fall
Creators Update, but the best third-party antivirus tools are still better.
https://www.pcmag.com/article/356835/does-windows-10s-security-boost-make-antivirus-obsolete
The Top Sites for Buying and Selling Items
Locally - Need a way to buy or sell something that can't be shipped through
conventional means? These sites can help you get the job done.
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/362642/the-top-sites-for-buying-and-selling-items-locally
Ask a Question
Send any Tips &
Downloads, Ask a Question, For Sale, or articles to: TheMiningPCC@gmail.com
| Q. |
From a PCC
Member - I recently bought an AC1300 router on an Amazon “daily
deal”. Now I’m having a little remorse, thinking I should have
gone faster (our neighborhood is being upgraded to fiber). Any words
of advice? (other than, “faster is better”) |
| |
|
| A. |
From Tom Kreuzer, a
PCC Board member. Couple of things about Internet speed. If cost is no
problem, go for the fastest Internet speed. I always look to save money
and only buy what I need. I have fiber and could get 1 Gb, but went
with 40 Mb for $30 a month for two years. The 40 Mb is enough speed for
3-4 1080p Video streams, which is all I need. Most people can not tell the
difference in speed on a web page when they load in a second or
less.
You want a WiFi router that supports your
max speed from your ISP and also the devices you connect like dual band.
The other thing with a router is how strong the signal is in your house in
the places you need it.
Below are examples of CenturyLink Prices,
Plans, and Packages
|
Plan
|
Price
|
Download
Speed
|
|
Price for
Life 20
|
$45/mo.
|
Up to 20
Mbps
|
|
Price for
Life 80
|
$55/mo.
|
Up to
40–80 Mbps
|
|
Price for
Life 100
|
$65/mo.
|
Up to
100–140 Mbps
|
|
Price for
Life 1 Gig
|
$85/mo.
|
Up to 1
Gig
|
The member responds - Thanks for the
feedback and information. The router I bought is 2x my old (N600), dual
band, and supports MU-MIMO. I can already tell I have better
(excellent) coverage in my house. I will evaluate my incoming speed
to see where my bottleneck will exist, but can already tell I have a
better signal (able to run my smart TV without the Roku box). This is all
with my current service (I have Baldwin Lightstream in Hudson) – may not
even need to consider fiber for a while.
Tom Kreuzer responds - If you have android device you can load and use the
app WiFi Analyzer by Webprovider (the free version) to check signal
strength and possible conflicts with other networks at both the 2.4 and 5
Ghz. You should also check what speed you get up and down using any number
of sites like: http://pcmag.speedtestcustom.com/
|
| |
|
| Q. |
From a PCC
Member Dann Holter - Here is info on 3M Employee Cloud Storage…it
appears that significant changes just went into effect. I have included
the summary memo and copy of the actual policy for your information.
Neither is marked as Restricted or Confidential. Hopefully you will be
incorporate this relevant, but not-so-timely, information into your
discussion. |
| |
|
| A. |
From Tom Kreuzer, a
PCC Board member. Thanks for the info. I
have include the files in the PCC Website Past Meeting Files for the
December 2018 meeting on Cloud Storage.
|
| |
|
| Q. |
From a PCC
Member - I use to have cable TV and now have DirectTV Now and miss
having the ability pause or go back on live TV. |
| |
|
| A. |
From Tom Kreuzer, a
PCC Board member. In addition to DirectTV Now I have an older Channel
Master DVR that I use for Over the Air "OTA" recording. It can
only record OTA and not any other stream. It has a free TV Guide, easy
settings to record (once, new, all), records live TV like you talked
about, 2 tuners, and very fast. The latest model support installing more
apps. You need to add an external hard drive or SSD. Best to use drives
they support, if the drive is too slow the playback has issues.
The member responds - I may have to look
into getting one of those. I wonder if I could rig one up to play to TVs
in different rooms?
Tom Kreuzer responds - The Channel Master
is not made for that. I have cables and remote repeaters that let me view
and control mine on all my TVs, but my setup is not for you. Since I got
my DVR new devices like Tablo look like they would do what you need:
https://www.amazon.com/Tablo-4-Tuner-Digital-Recorder-Streaming/dp/B00MWLZR0I/ref=asc_df_B00MWLZR0I/
Not sure if how fast or user friendly, but
I would look into this if I was setting up today.
|
