Author Archives: Glen

What is it? Basically, the Fire TV is yet another entry in the crowded streaming-media market, built around Amazon’s own ecosystem. How do I feel about it? To steal the punchline directly from the article referenced below: As a general-purpose … Continue reading →

Update: Well, that was embarrassing! I had to use this procedure on an XP machine last night, and guess what – it didn’t work. I did find another useful link though, just in case you’re finding yourself needing to do … Continue reading →

Your PC is getting a bit long in the tooth, it’s getting slower and slower, and now you understand that your operating system (probably Windows XP) isn’t going to be ‘supported anymore’. Well, the obvious thing is to haul it … Continue reading →

Recently I have been recommending MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) for Windows PC users (which comes built in with Windows 8 and is called Defender). And for MAC and Linux, I’m haven’t been recommending any Virus Protection. However, referencing this site, … Continue reading →

This is the syllabus I used for my 2014 ‘Platforms and Operating Systems’ class at the Lopez Island Library. There might be some information here you’ll find useful. Enjoy! Cover: Physical platforms, operating systems – purchasing decisions Applications – locally … Continue reading →

This is the syllabus I used for my 2014 ‘Gadgets’ class at the Lopez Island Library. There might be some information here you’ll find useful. Enjoy!   Entertainment Minimize cost, increase choice, and control what to watch TV and when … Continue reading →

[many definitions borrowed from Jon Storm] ADSL – (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) A method of connecting a computer to the internet over a standard voice phone line using ethernet office networking technology. Most broadband connections work this way. Asymmetric because … Continue reading →

OK, here’s something new I thought you might like to know about. Last week, Microsoft added their flagship Office apps to the App Store for iPad users to download. And better yet, they’re all ‘free’ – or are they? Just … Continue reading →

Several months ago, I wrote a post entitled ‘Using your iPad with OverDrive and Kindle to get eBooks and AudioBooks from the library‘. Among other things, it covered downloading Kindle books to your iPad. More recently, I wrote another post … Continue reading →

So you decided this time ‘round you weren’t going to pay the ‘Microsoft Tax’ to upgrade your Office products. You might have chosen to go with OpenOffice or LibreOffice, or maybe even use Apple iWork products like Pages and Numbers, … Continue reading →

There are a lot of good tips in this PCWorld article written by Chris Hoffman. Whether you’re new to ChromeBooks, or have been using them for a while, you’ll learn something useful. Thank you Chris for an excellent article… Chris … Continue reading →

Borrowing ideas from this lifehacker post ‘Five Best DVD Ripping Tools’, there’s a good possibility that  MakeMKV and Handbrake installed on a Mac Mini running Mavericks is able to rip a DVD that’s protected by digital rights management. Before I … Continue reading →

What is it? WikiPedia: The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized single-board computer developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of promoting the teaching of basic computer science in schools. RaspberryPi.org: The Raspberry Pi is a … Continue reading →

Perhaps you read my ‘It’s Time to Consider a ChromeBook’ post from July. If not, please take a moment to read it here. Since I wrote the post, I’ve become even more fond of my Samsung XE303C12 ChromeBook. It is … Continue reading →

File conversion from/to various different formats has always been an interesting challenge. That is, until the cloudconvert (beta) became available on the web. You know from reading my other blog posts that I’m becoming a big fan of ‘the cloud’. … Continue reading →

I’m out of time so will take the easy route to get this information out quickly.  Lately, I have been down on OpenOffice and high on LibreOffice for various reasons, but this article could well change my open source office … Continue reading →

Much has been written in the press about Google’s new $35 gizmo called ChromeCast.  So being the geek that I am, I had to buy it and try it.  So buy it I did, then waited a really long time … Continue reading →

Perhaps your laptop or netbook is aging and you’re thinking of replacing it, but don’t want to spend a lot, or really don’t think you’ll need all the bells and whistles that new laptop computers offer.  Or, your needs are fairly … Continue reading →

Update: Maybe the price of a new Moto X has been scaring you away from investing in Republic Wireless’ service. If that’s the case, you’re in luck (soon*). Sometime in April 2014, you’ll have access to the new Motorola Moto G for … Continue reading →

What is it? In the world of Google Cloud Print, you can print anything, from any device, to any ‘cloud-connected’ printer. When you print through Google Cloud Print, your file is securely sent to your printer over the web. Because … Continue reading →