Apple has announced that macOS 10.14 will be the last version capable of running 32-bit applications.
As Apple finalizes its transition to all-64-bit code, Mojave and High Sierra present an alert like this when you launch a 32-bit application. While it’s not a crisis at present, you’ll need to update or upgrade those applications before you update to macOS 10.15 later this year.
Finding out which of the applications you use each day is a good idea before you upgrade to MacOS Catalina. St Clair Software has a great little application that can scan your hard disk and list the applications that will have problems. The application is called Go64 and best of all, its a free download. Check it out and make sure a critical application to your workflow will not be dying in the next Mac update.
Recently I have been seeing this type of Malware on Macs much more often. This is a great article describing how it can infect you. I have said it before, and I will say it again, never update or install flash. There is nothing on the web worth the risk.
This malware is not removed by simply running Malwarebytes. Thats a good start but there are a number of other steps that need to be completed to get rid of it. The article is a good place to help you to understand what you got from that flash installer.
I have been blogging off and on for quite a few years.I was first encouraged to blog by a buddy of mine named Steve Mays. He worked for Learfield communication and was responsible for assisting clients to create blogs of their own mostly related to sports teams.Steve got me involved in a product called TypePad and over the years I moved on and off of other blogging platforms that are mirror footnotes in blog history. Finally, Steve recommended that I move to WordPress and that seems to have been one of the best recommendations I’ve had in my blogging history.
I was having coffee with Steve this week and talking about an individual I was working with to begin a new blog. After our talk, Steve wrote up some tips for me on about utilizing the WordPress Media Library. As I read through the tips I knew I wanted to post them on my blog for others to be able to get the benefit of. Steve graciously allowed me to do so.
WordPress Media Library Tips
The WordPress Media Library is powerful but it takes some thought and discipline to get the most out of it. And the time to start is when you launch the blog. Or before. The following are some things I’ve done right — and wrong — with images (and video) on my blog.
Use a good file naming convention. IMG_0850.jpg is not a good file name. Before uploading, take the time to rename the file and there’s no compelling reason to keep the file name short. In the example below I named the file “exhaust pipe 2apr2019-A” but could have just as easily named it “Land Rover original exhaust pipe brazing April 2, 2019 – A”. The more descriptive the better. And be consistent. Use the same format on all images.
WordPress Media Library
The first field in the WordPress form below is “Alternative Text.” This is what one would see when they hovered their cursor over the image. Especially useful for those with vision problems. The link in the form has more on “alt text.”
Title. By default WordPress uses the file name but you can edit this to title the image as you choose. As far as I know this doesn’t appear anywhere on your blog post.
Caption. I tend not to use captions but this will depend a lot on how you display images in your post. I prefer to describe the image within the body of the post. I just don’t like the way way WP handles captions.
Description. I discovered this useful field relatively recently. I wish I had made better use of it from the first day I moved to WP. Again, as far I have been able to determine, the contents of this field does not appear with the image in the post. I started using this field when I discovered the text is searchable. So if you have 1,000 images in your library and would like to search for all with the phrase “Lake of the Ozarks” in the Description field, make sure you include that phrase. There’s no real tagging feature for images but you can use this field for that. For example, you might include the word *gear* for any photo of equipment; *John and Jane Doe* for each photo of John and Jane; *fall foliage* for… you get the idea.
The trick is to spend some time thinking about this at the very beginning because it’s a pain to go back and do this after you have hundreds of photos and videos. And you’ll be surprised how fast your media library grows. And how often you want to reuse an image you you posted months or years earlier.
When looking for an SD out micro SD card, the marking put on the card are there to help you choose the speed of card you need for the intended purpose. I found this chart that helps you determine which card speed you might need to record what your device is capable of.
Choosing too slow a card will result in data loss. Choosing too fast a card will work fine but cost you more if the device cannot perform the recording level that the card is capable of.
The speed of the card you purchase is truly one of the most crucial aspects of buying an SD card, and is one that’s often overlooked by those unfamiliar with SD speed class ratings. It may seem complicated at first, but in reality, it’s fairly simple to understand.
SD cards are available six different speed classes, from slowest to fastest: Class 2, Class 4, Class 6, Class 10, U1, and finally U3. U1 and U3 cards are compatible with the UHS transfer bus used in newer devices, so you will often see a card rated with both U1 and Class 10. That means that when the card is used on a standard high-speed data bus, it will perform at Class 10 speed, but when used on a UHS bus, it will perform at U1 speed.
Class 2 – these cards are the slowest class currently available and are best suited for consumer-level point-and-shoot cameras, audio recording, and low-resolution SD video recording.
Class 4 & 6 – the “middle of the road” in terms of speed, these cards will work well with still cameras shooting jpeg files, and some very light HD video recording at 720p.
Class 10 & U1 – these cards are capable of recording at up to 10 MB/s, so they are well suited for pro-level still cameras shooting RAW photos, and HD video recording at up to 1080p. This is a great speed to purchase if you’re looking for a balance between compatibility with your current equipment and future usage as well.
U3 – these cards are overkill for most uses, but are absolutely crucial if you’re shooting 4K video with your device. 4K video files are large, and require a card with a high sustainable speed to be able to write them properly. U3 cards are quite a bit more expensive than the slower speeds, but if you need them, you really shouldn’t risk using anything slower.
A number of people I work with use the Netgear Orbing Router system. Overall, I am very pleased with the setup and performance of these units. Once in a while, you see colored lights coming from the router and like many things these days you just can’t find the documentation that comes with the devices to be able to determine what the lights mean. Netgear has a great FAQ on this that gets right down to telling you what the lights mean:
Router and satellite power button LEDs
Solid green. Your Orbi router and satellite are powered on. Solid amber. Your Orbi router and satellite are rebooting. Pulsing amber. You must reset your Orbi router and satellite to factory default settings. Pulsing red. Your Orbi system might need attention. Contact support.
Satellite and router ring LEDs
Pulsing white. Your Orbi router and satellite are applying a configuration or updating their firmware.
OFF. Your Orbi router and satellite are working normally.
Router ring LEDs
Solid white. Your Orbi router is powering up.
Pulsing white. Your Orbi router is in factory default mode. Pulsing magenta. Your Orbi router ring LED might pulse magenta for the following reasons: the WAN port link is down, the router is unable to get the IP address from the modem or ISP, or the router is unable to connect to the Internet.
Pulsing blue and magenta. The Internet connection is blocked because the traffic meter is configured to block Internet traffic when it reaches the limit you configured.
Satellite ring LEDs
Solid white. Your Orbi satellite is powering up. Pulsing magenta. When your Orbi satellite’s ring LED pulses magenta for the first time, it means that your satellite is attempting to connect to your Orbi router. If the ring LED pulses magenta for more than one minute, it could be for the following reasons: the satellite lost the connection to the router or the satellite is unable to get an IP address from the router. Solid magenta. Your Orbi satellite ring is solid magenta for 10 seconds if it is unable to obtain the IP address from the router. Solid blue. If your Orbi satellite ring is solid blue for 10 seconds, the connection between your Orbi router and satellite is good. Solid amber. If your Orbi satellite ring is solid amber for 10 seconds, the connection between the router and satellite is fair.
In the last year or so, the security camera market for your home has exploded.Where once there were only a couple of options for cameras to choose from, today there are dozens out there and all have their pluses and minuses.There is a lot to be said for selecting cameras that work inside the infrastructure that you’re already using in your home.If you have nest products in your homes perhaps the nest cameras are best for you. If you have Ring products in your home maybe ring deserves a second look. The one thing you will find is that selecting one of these big-name infrastructure‘s will definitely cost you. Not only will the cameras be more expensive, but she’ll be forced to live with limitations with each and every set up.
I have tried a number of these different cameras and until recently I have been using a
mixture of D-link and blink cameras.My DLink cameras have been around for quite a while and I felt like it was probably time to be in looking at other options.My Blink cameras are only about a-year-old, and are there outdoor cameras. I really love the way they’ve set these up with being battery powered and waterproof. They definitely have a place in my smart home as my outdoor camera variety.
Recently a friend pointed me to some cameras from a company that’s trying to do things a little differently. They are in the process of building their own security infrastructure around their camera models but their big difference is in price. Rather than paying upwards of $200 for a camera, their cameras start at about 25 bucks shipped.Obviously at that price you’re expecting quite a few limitations, and I would be remiss if I didn’t say there are a few but when it comes to price performance these little cameras are a great option for you to look at. The company I’m referring to is Wyze https://www.wyze.com/ and their Wyzecam products.
Right now, these cameras come into varieties. The Wyze cam V2 and the Wyze cam Pan.
Wyze Cam Pan
The Wyze cam V2 is their most affordable model coming in at about $26 shipped.This camera is well featured including night vision and motion detection and comes on an innovative little base that allows you to be able to turn and left the camera to position it exactly the way you want it. Neither of these cameras require a hub because they connect to your wireless network using Wi-Fi. They’re quite easy to activate using the app for your iPhone or android phone. Once activated, you can set them up to send you alerts based upon motion or sound. The cameras have the ability to automatically go into night mode and use the night vision to be able to see in the dark. They can record video to the cloud automatically through the app and also record to an SD card that you can place in the camera. All in all, these cameras have all the features of the $200 models at only $26.
The second model is called the Wyze cam Pan.This camera is basically the same camera as described above but has the ability to pan left and right and up and down within the app by moving the camera on a rotating basis. Cameras like this from name brands are always very expensive. But this camera comes in at only $36.It includes all the features of their less expensive model plus the pan feature.
Wyze App for iOS
Wyze Is also working on adding external motion detection and door sensors to their product. While announced, these have not been released yet but to be quite inexpensive also. At CES this year, they also described a product that will value to have a external hard drive in your house they records all of your video and allows you to use the hard drive as a personal cloud.If you have an Alexa display, these cameras also work directly with that. You can say “Alexa, show me The living room camera”, and the display shows you live you with that camera.
Wyze Is quite an innovative company that has made the decision from the beginning to release products at low-cost. If you’re looking for indoor cameras, these definitely deserve a look. At the price they’re charging you can afford to buy one and try it and even if you don’t like it, you don’t have a lot invested.
Beginning this week users of that venerable old operating system Windows 7, willl begin seeing prompts such as this at random intervals. Microsoft has been clear that the day of Windows 7 has passed and its time to begin to plan for the end.
As I work with users of Windows 7, I have certainly heard it all. “I just like Windows 7”; “I don’t want to learn anything new”; “I heard Windows 10 had lots of bugs”; “I don’t want to change”, the list of excuses in endless. But the time for excuses is gone.
What does the end of support mean to you
Ending support means Microsoft will no longer provide updates or security patches for Windows 7. So, as time passes, Windows 7 will likely become the main target of hackers. More and more malware will be targeted at Windows 7. If you are a user of Windows 7 at home, it likely may not mean much to you. If a hacker destroys your operating system you may only lose your music library and all your pictures of your kids. That’s not a problem because you have a good backup, right?? But if you are a business user, the elimination of security patches is critical. You may end up exposing your customers data to hackers, cause a network wide infection, or have your computer crash at the wrong time.
There was a point in time when Microsoft made Windows 10 available for free to Windows 7 users but that time has past and Microsoft has shown no direction to give it away for free again. Your options are clear:
Update to Windows 10 on each machine for a cost of between $139 and $199 depending on the version you need. And don’t forget the labor cost to install it.
Replace your computer with a new Windows 10 machine (or maybe a Mac)
Take the risk that you won’t have any problems
The choice is yours…. Well maybe. If you work with data that must be kept secure such as HIPPA information or SEC data, you may not have any choice at all. Regardless, does it really make sense to update a machine that is a minimum of 5 years old when new replacement office machines may cost between $500 and $700 dollars?
So plan now and beat the rush. January 14, 2020 is the date and the clock is ticking. It’s time to face the final curtain for Windows 7. It was a long run but all good things come to an end.
OK folks, it’s worth saying again, there are no dancing kitties or laughing dogs worth the risk of accepting an update to flash player. This specific post is going to cover updating your Mac flash player, but the same goes for flash player on the PC.The only way to ensure that you don’t get caught from a scam flash player installer is to not update flash player.
Analysts say that the the number one way that computers, particularly Macs get infected with malware is through flash player updates.It usually happens like this.
You’re surfing the web, perhaps looking for entertainment or searching for a product you want to purchase at a great price. All of a sudden you get a prompt that pops up telling you that your flash player is outdated and needs to be updated. This prompt looks completely legitimate. It looks just like the prompts from Adobe that you seen in the past.But what you don’t realize is that it is truly a phishing scam it’s designed to look like a standard update.If you click update, guess what? You’ve just infected your Mac with malware. Very likely you won’t even notice for a while because these type of infections typically download what’s called a “stub“.This small program will run in the background and download other malware on to your machine. Perhaps it will change your homepage in your browser, maybe it’ll change your search engine to a search engine that looks just like Google but isn’t.Maybe you’ll begin seeing pop-ups every once in a while. These are all signs that one click has infected your computer.
This process is very similar on a PC. But typically, malware installed on a PC is much more advanced and can often search your computer for personal data and send it off to some website in the sky.
The answer is simple. Eliminate flash from your life. Resist the idea of installing, or updating flash on your machine. It just isn’t worth it. The risk of being infected from some of these flash player update prompts is much greater than any value you get from a little flash video.You see the truth is, developer is no longer develop legitimate applications in flash. It’s old technology, it’s far from secure, and there are much better tools to develop anything current.
But, there are millions of existing flash developed apps still out there on the web. Many of these are games that were developed 15 years ago when it was the only technology that would allow you to move things around on the screen easily. Even more might be ad platforms that allow people to use a JPEG and a link to purchase placements on legitimate websites. Whatever they are, the ability for you being able to see these is nowhere near worth the risk of problems installing flash player updates can cause.
If you ever see prompts similar to this, ignore them. Move on.There is plenty of content on the web for you to be able to see that doesn’t require flash player.
Often times, I finish a discussion such as this by describing the correct way to update your flash player. But I’ve recently seen so many of these infections on peoples Macs That I just can no longer recommend using flash at all. I’m sure you can search the web and find the correct way to do flash updates but my recommendation to you is to forget about flash, and forget about those puppies and kitties that often times lure us into clicking on things that hurt us.
One of the new photo types available with some cameras is 360° photography. The photograph below is a 360° photo taken with a Insta360 One X camera. Photos like this give you the ability to have a perspective of the scene from any direction regardless of the way you were pointing. The camera itself has two lenses each with a 180° field of view. Each lens takes a photo and the two photos are stitched together. As part of the stitching process the software removes the camera from the photo. It’s actually quite interesting to see the results.
Click on the image below and move your mouse around to see the full scene.
Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 – an aluminum cased machine that meets all my requirements
A Chromebook is a laptop of a different sort. Instead of Windows 10 or macOS, Chromebooks run Google’s Chrome OS. These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud.
I was fortunate enough to see and play with one of the very first Chromebooks. A buddy of mine somehow manage to get himself on Googles beta test list and Google send him one of the first original Chromebooks. While a very interesting piece of hardware, it was so limited in function that I somewhat had written Chromebooks off as a ‘browser in a can’ device that only ran the rather new Chrome browser. Boy how things have changed.
In those early days, Chrome OS was in it’s infancy. There was little support for attached hardware, printing was difficult to setup, and unless you could find a web based application to perform all your tasks, you were left feeling that a Chromebook could not work as your primary device. But that was 2011! Today, a Chromebook is a much different experience.
So what has changed. First off, Chrome OS has been improved to allow a more user-friendly and robust experience. Gone are the days that setting up printing required Using Google remote print. Most network attached printers these days are recognized and easily setup in Chrome OS. Chrome also recognizes hardware additions like USB drives, keyboards, mice, and cameras.
Also gone are the needs for web applications to be available to make a Chromebook work for you. All Chromebooks released since late 2017 can also run Android apps. Some Chromebooks can run Linux apps. In fact, if you are an android phone user, you will feel quite at home using many of the same applications you use on a phone. And iOS users need to remember that while you don’t get that integration from being in an all Apple ecosystem, most applications you use in iOS are also available for Android and guess what, they look and feel nearly the same as iOS.
Benefits of a Chromebook
Why might you want to consider a Chromebook?
Lightweight OS – A Chromebook requires many less resources to perform well that a Windows machine or a Mac.
Long battery life – 12 hours is an average life for a Chromebook. Some get 14 hours. You can get close to that in a Mac but a Windows machine can’t come close
Optimized for Google apps – If you are a Google user and particularly if you have your life in Google its a great fit. Everything works seamlessly and syncs with the google cloud. If you lose or break the Chromebook, you just log back in with your google account and everything downloads and sets itself back up.
Fast boot times – MacOS machines with an SSD boot very fast but Chromebooks are truly instant. Lift the lid and you’re ready to go.
Browser-based simplicity – Because you do most things in the chrome browser, everything happens quickly and simply. IF you can surf the web you can be productive in ChromeOS.
Extremely thin and light – Chromebooks can be light, thin and cheep. Like most things, these machines are not the best user experiences but there are Chromebooks available today that are just as high quality as a Mac or high end windows machine. Plus they cost about half the cost of these machines.
Not for Everyone
Limited Storage – Some Chromebooks have very limited storage. All are SSD but with some as low as 16GB, that could be a problem. You can get more but the price does go up
Cloud based data storage – Google provides cloud storage in Google Docs for two years with the Chromebook purchase and extending that storage is inexpensive. So storage is not really an issue. Remember you have to get your files in Google Drive to make good use of this storage.
Cheeper machines can be slow – You can get a wicked fast Chromebook but you can also get a dog. Be sure to look at my spec recommendations to see what you need to look for.
Internet based – Keep in ming that while Chromebooks can work off-line, making full use of a Chromebook requires a Wi-Fi connection. If you commonly work without am internet connection, be sure what you do will work while you are off-line.
Microsoft Office is available but… – With the availability of android apps, Microsoft office is available in ChromeOS. To take full advantage, you will need a Microsoft 365 subscription for licensing, but if you use office, that’s a small price to pay. But also don’t forget the Google Applications like Docs, Sheets, and Slides that can do the same thing for you.
Video Editing is limited but doable – There are certainly some good online video editing services like WeVideo that you can use on a Chromebook. However, Chromebooks do not support professional video editing programs like iMovie, FinalCut Pro or Adobe Premier. If these are a requirement in your workflow, you may not be happy here.
Some Professional software is not available… yet – If your a Photoshop user, you probably dont need to consider Chromebooks. It isn’t available and many would not be fast enough for it if it was. But there are plenty of other image editors that can perform many of those tasks. So consider if Photoshop is a requirement or a prestiege statement for you.
If your a hard core gamer, this may not be for you. You can play thousands of games on a Chromebook but not the high performance shoot em up games may young people require. Perhaps that’s why these are such a good fit for schools…
Who does a Chromebook fit?
These machines are a natural for school systems. By March 2018, Chromebooks made up 60% of computers purchased by schools in the USA. Why is this trend continuing to grow? Because of the absolute manageability of ChromeOS.
But in my experience, many computer users would do fine with a Chromebook. If you are a web browse who uses email, writes some documents and has some spreadsheets, uses phone apps for most things these days, and is willing to learn a little different way to work, a Chromebook is perfect for you.
If you are one of the many computer users that just can’t seem to keep your machine from getting Viruses and Spyware, ChromeOS is a much better and controlled environment to be in. Viruses don’t exist and Chrome malware is easily dealt with.
What should I look for?
Like most computer purchases, the cheapest one is not the best one. While a Chromebook can work with many fewer resources, some hardware leads to a much better user experience. Here is what I would look for if you want to go the Chromebook route.
Processor – Chromebooks can run on a much lighter processor than a Windows or Mac machine. I would still look for an Intel processor of sometype but anything in the M3, or Core i3 line should be plenty good
Ram – 4GB ram is fine, 8GB is great. Don’t consider one with just 2GB
Built in Storage – I think 32GB is a minimum. You can push all your files to Google Drive but there is some need for application preferences and local files. 64GB is better
Display resolution – Many… most Chromebook have a display resolution of 1366 x 768 but I think a Full HD or FHD display will be much nicer in the long term. Look for a 1920 x 1080 display. More resolution is alway better . Actual screen size is a personal preference.
Touch screen display – since you will be using some Android applications designed for touch, a touch screen display is a nice addition.
Wireless – Be sure the wireless is 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. The AC part allows support for the latest standard wireless.
Other items to future proof your purchase – A USB 3.1 port is a must. USB C is much better. A Card Reader of the microSD variety allow you to add storage if needed.
If these specs sound daunting, it is because Chromebooks go from very inexpensive to much more expensive. So the specs can run the gauntlet. Do your homework up front and find a machine that fits what you want to do. Plan to be in the $375 to $599 price range to meet all these specification requirements I describe.
Conclusion
With the advent of built-in android support in today’s Chromebooks, a Chromebook could be a good fit for your next laptop. Do your research upfront and make the decision that you’re going to move most of your files to the cloud before you even start. If you do this, and orient yourself into the Google ecosystem, the move to a Chromebook will be seamless and efficient.
Like any computer purchase, consider all your options but don’t overlook a Chromebook in that consideration. It might just be the best choice you’ve ever made.
