Keep your computer out of the landfill

May 8, 2018 by Tom Bull

Recycling and upcycling are noble and worthy of our best efforts as humans. Keeping plastic, glass and aluminum out of the regular landfill has been a huge step to keeping this planet healthier. Taking old wooden pallets and turning them into usable furniture is furthering that pursuit. There’s communities, magazines, websites and TV shows dedicated to the idea of upcycling.

Don’t throw it out…keep it alive a while longer.

That’s what we should be doing with our computers. As many are painfully aware, most electronics seem to have a shorter lifespan than when we were growing up. I remember the same copper-colored refrigerator my entire life until I moved out of my parents’ house at 19. Sure, we had the repair guy over from time to time, but my parents kept that baby running until the point where ice just never formed in the ice trays. OK, time for a new one. 22 years in total. Not a bad run. Since I’ve been in my own house, I’ve had 4 over a span of 26 years.

What the heck?

Sure, I could have called the repair man to fix our first broken fridge, but the cost of the service call and the parts were almost ½ of the replacement cost. “Maybe we should just get a new one”, I ask my wife. So we did. We could have gotten a repair man to fix our 2^nd broken fridge, but we hated the 2^nd one. It wasn’t made very well and we felt like they were all made that way and 5-6 years was a good run.

We are a disposable society and we all keep the cycle of buying and trashing electronics and home appliances alive and well. All the repair places are gone as we all just simply replace what we have instead of prolonging its life.

Except when it comes to your computer.

In previous articles, I’ve mentioned how a new computer will last 1 year for every $200 you spend on it. A $1000 computer will last 5 years and a $400 computer will only last 2 years before you get tired of how slow it is.

Unlike a fridge, dishwasher or clothes dryer, your computer has a personality. The programs that are installed, where the icons are located, the saved logins for all the websites you visit and even how the left shift key sticks sometimes. Each one is unique and while not perfect, they work for us. The idea of getting a new computer, while exciting, is also fraught with anxiety; do I need to buy those programs again? Where are my icons? No, I don’t remember my passwords for the bank, Amazon, eBay, Facebook or the community website! Arghhhhh.

What if you could keep that computer running a few more years? What if everything was where you like it and you didn’t have to change a thing? What if it was the same…but ran 8-10 times faster? That’s what happens when you upgrade your computer using the not-so-new-but-now-affordable Solid State Drive (SSD).

An SSD is a non-mechanical hard drive that replaces the old, spinning hard drive…the cause of your computer’s slowness. For those old enough to remember floppy disks, when flash drives came along the speed difference over floppies was staggering. Same thing with SSD drives. Your existing hard drive can be literally cloned onto the newer, faster SSD and the results are…well, staggering.

Laptops, desktops, PCs or Macs can all be upgraded to SSD to squeeze another 2-4 years out of them…or to just give the computer a major boost of adrenaline. We have taken computers as old as 7-9 years and made it possible for them to continue to serve their owners. And now running better than ever. Not all computers are candidates for this upgrade; they need to have “good bones”. That is, a good Intel or AMD processor and be in general good health.

So think about it…are you ready for a new computer, but really would just prefer to keep the existing one running longer? Consider upgrading what you have and keep it out of the landfill for now.

How much control can parents have over the internet?

April 3, 2018 by Tom Bull

Looking at this as a parent myself, and a technologist, I say “just enough” control is all I really need.

I want something that will lessen my own anxiety and make me feel like I’m in charge…not my kids. I’m one of the few parents I know that actually knows more than their kids about technology. So I can only imagine some of the genuine fear that some may have when the kids are behind closed doors or little Johnny’s friend brings over his laptop or iPad for a playdate. What are they watching? Why do they keep hiding the screen when I walk in the room?

As I am prone to say, “the fun never stops”.

There have been many approaches to the concept of “parental controls” since computers began appearing in kitchens and family rooms in the mid-1990s. Some of the early players were software programs that got installed into a computer and could filter internet requests. It was sometimes tedious to work with because you often had to create your own “black list” of websites or keywords that you didn’t want your kids to see. And then came the “white list” when good things got blocked.

We saw a lot of this being applied when classrooms full of computers started appearing. Products like NetNanny, SafeEyes and K9 were popular and did the job. In homes, some parents would put the computer with the screen pointing into an open area so they could see everything. That was a great deterrent. The software helped too, but kids are curious. Naturally. It’s normal.

Next, we saw some internet routers that had some of this web-filtering capability built-in already. That was helpful in homes with more than 1 computer, which started in the early 2000s. It was a great start to what I call “whole-house” protection. Anything that connected to the router to get internet access had the parental controls applied. Sounds good, but it was cumbersome. Again, you had to create white and black lists of websites and keywords.

As time marched on, these products got better. Then the websites themselves got classified based on content, which helped a lot. Like the movie or video game rating system; G, PG, MA, R, etc. The software installed on the computer or built-in to the router could filter by category. You could easily block things like guns, drugs, sex, hate and more. They also started using their own database of dirty words and phrases so you didn’t have to make your own lists. Some of those words…wow!

These days with each person having 2 or more devices (and some of those persons are under the age of 5!) managing the internet access and content allowed has become a real job to manage. Software and apps can do a lot, but they are device-dependent. If the software gets removed or another device is used, then it doesn’t work. I run into parents all the time that tell me about the best app they just put on their kids’ phone and how they feel so safe knowing they are being protected. Until I show them the workaround that kids can usually find a few hours after you put something on the device. I often say, “install something at breakfast and they found a workaround by dinner”. This is not true for all, but I see this a lot.

So what’s a concerned parent to do?

I prescribe to the idea that in life there is “an acceptable amount of abuse”. This may not be popular, and abuse is a strong word, but somehow fitting. In the 1980s it was using the work phone to talk to your sister in Indiana. In the 1990s it was using AOL instant messenger to chat with your friends. In the 2000s it was using company internet to sell your Beanie Babies on eBay. Now it’s social media and texting while working. It’s OK to do these things a little. We sometimes need to look the other way…but not for long. I think the same thing applies to the kids and internet access. We hope they make good choices based on how we raised them.

Back to the “whole-house” solutions. The concept here is that ANY device that enters your home can have filters applied. Individual profiles can be created for each family member and their respective devices to allow the proper amount of access. A 5 year-old shouldn’t have the same access as a 15 year-old. The bigger bonus these days is how much control we can actually have. Things like a “bedtime” when the internet will cutoff for a user and ALL their devices. You can even assign an amount of time per day they can spend on their devices; even how much time per app can be assigned also. Some devices even allow for a PAUSE the WHOLE HOUSE for when it’s dinner time. Game changer!

In the end, parental controls are good. They can help us feel better about what our kids our seeing and how much they are seeing. But it’s no substitute for good parenting. Tell your kids why the internet can be bad…or addictive…or hurtful…or helpful. Teach them about time. Good time. Bad time. Wasted time. Time well spent. You get the idea.

Cyber Security…much ado about nothing?

March 8, 2018 by Tom Bull

It depends if you like to gamble or not.

It seems that not a week goes by when we are not reading about some kind of cyber security breach at a big-name retailer or corporate giant. Every news site’s Homepage would have a piece of news about the cyber security breach and the ways to tackle it once in a week at least. Sometimes they can be attacks by a rogue government, or even by a teenager in the Ukraine. The fire barrier construction provides the best cyber security services that was acknowledged by all of its users.

But what about me? Am I safe? Surely these problems won’t ever affect me, will they?

Well, that depends on a lot of things. Cyber security requires that we adhere to same basic rules even when it is for cyber threats to manufacturing industry and other industries as well:

limit physical access to our device(s)
have strong passwords in place to access our information
keep devices and operating system software up to date
use a good security program
have a plan if things go bad

Allow me to elaborate a little on each of the rules.

Rule 1 – Limiting physical access. This may seem really basic, but its importance cannot be stressed too much. Lock your doors, keep your phone in your purse or pocket and don’t let other people use your stuff.

Rule 2 – Strong passwords are always a must. Here’s some things to help you make them. Use special characters to replace letters; use a $ instead of an S, how about a 3 instead of an E, or maybe a ! instead of a 1. Those can definitely help make the password stronger. A phrase “sandwiched” between some numbers, like 19BornToRun75! As a Springsteen fan you would easily remember that this album came out in 1975 and adding the ! at the end makes it stronger.

Rule 3 – If the hardware or software manufacturer issues you an update, you need to install it. We all need to be sure we have a proper backup before installing the update (also referred to as a patch) in case something goes wrong. Microsoft and Adobe routinely release updates, but not so for Apple. We sigh when we see the pop-up about even more Microsoft updates, but they are all still important. And when Apple releases a security update, it’s usually pretty serious so do it right away.

Rule 4 – Have a good security program installed on your computer. And yes Virginia, Macs so get infected. And don’t forget about backup. The best plan is 3-pronged; the original data on your computer, a local backup device like a USB external drive or even a flash drive, and also a cloud copy using a service like Carbonite or CrashPlan. The malware detection and prevention of cyber attack is important.

Rule 5 – What if my device is compromised, now what? First, we need to assess what it really means. Most of our devices are not that important to be attacked. Nor is the data on them…at least not to anyone but ourselves. The best plan is prevention. That and have a someone to call for help, whether that’s your neighborhood computer folks, banker, attorney or kid brother. Don’t panic, just ask for help.

According to a business law firm In Prime Legal located in Marietta, GA, for business, cyber security has an enormous and scary downside if the data gets compromised. They even sell insurance now in case your data gets stolen. But for consumers, it’s really about identity theft. Long gone are the days when our contact list was stolen and emails about Viagra, Low-Interest Mortgages and Weight-Loss were sent out. Embarrassing to be sure, but pretty harmless in the end.

Now the bad guys are more surgical. They are hijacking your email and looking for conversations between you and your brokerage house; searching for terms like “wire transfer” and other things that will allow them to see a pattern and try to have money re-routed to their account instead of yours. We witnessed it enough because the protocols of the bank or broker are not followed precisely, but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place, right?

Right.

And identity theft…this can be the worst. Accounts opened in your name or tax returns filed on your behalf are obvious signs your identity has been stolen. You have resources to help you at the Federal Trade Commission – www.identitytheft.gov. Go there to report an event if it ever happens to you.

Keep your devices near you. Have strong passwords. Install software updates. Use a security program. Know what to do if something does go wrong.

Treat your email like it’s 1960

February 2, 2018 by Tom Bull

It really makes sense…you’ll see what I mean in a minute.

Many people we come across often have 1,000s or even 10,000s of emails in their INBOX. That’s a ton of email, don’t you think? Many users just look at the number and say, “wow, I have a lot of email”, when the number the see only represents the number of emails that are UNREAD. The total number is often far greater. How did this happen and what can we do to manage our email better?

Pretend like you’re a desk worker from 1960, that’s what you can do. It works, I swear!

Look into your minds’ eye and imagine what your desk would look like. A large steel desk, probably gray, with a chair also made of steel and covered in green vinyl on the seat and the back. Now look at the top of the desk. A blotter covers most of the area, but then there’s a pencil cup, a stapler, a tape dispenser, a bowl with paperclips in it and maybe even a plaque with your name on it. Perhaps a photo of your family in a nice frame. Getting the picture?

Many of the desks for a typical worker had an INBOX on the left and an OUTBOX on the right. Supervisors and other co-workers would put things in your INBOX for you to complete. You would work on them and shift them to the OUTBOX for your supervisor or other co-workers to take the next time they came around to your desk. Old-school to be sure, but very efficient and effective. You could easily see your workload at a glance. A full INBOX meant you had lots to do and a full OUTBOX meant you got a lot accomplished. If your INBOX was piling up and not enough items were making it your OUTBOX, you probably got a visit from your supervisor complaining about your lack of efficiency.

Your email INBOX must be treated the same way as your 1960 INBOX. Consider it more of a TO-DO list of things you need to accomplish. Once the emails get answered they move to the OUTBOX and then get sent out to the recipient. But you know the emails don’t actually leave your INBOX. A copy remains there until you do something about it. Here’s where we time travel back to 1960 again.

Two other items that are at your desk include your file drawers and trash can. The file drawers might have those green hanging folders, called Pendaflex, that you can put nice clear plastics strips with the name of a client or a project. Inside those we put manila folders of specific things within that client or project that needed to be kept separate from the rest of the items. And the trash can was probably the same color as your desk and was right under your feet. No recycling cans back in those days…everything went in there; papers, food, soda cans, you name it.

So now we head back to our email. You know about the trash can or Deleted Items folder. Get in the habit of deleting items once you’ve answered the email. It’s a good method of keep things tidy, even if the email thread is still ongoing. Getting rid of the latest email after you’ve responded keeps your INBOX lean. If you need to keep it in your INBOX as a reminder, use the FLAG or FOLLOW-UP option. Don’t forget to delete it when it’s resolved to keep things in order.

Many times we need to keep emails for one reason or another. Perhaps there’s some important info that you’ll need to access later, like airline or hotel reservations for a flight 3 months from now. I don’t want that getting buried in my INBOX. I put in a folder called TRAVEL so I can easily find it later. There are many times when we need to save emails, so think like a 1960 file drawer. Label your folders for easy sorting and retrieval later. As an example, I have a folder called PERSONAL and under that I have folders named TRAVEL, COLLEGE, INSURANCE, TENNIS, GOLF and ’73 NOVA (a sweet hot rod I work on with my kids). At the end of a project, I’ll locate the last sent item from that email thread and save that in a folder. It will have all the info I need (except attachments so keep those emails too as they arrive) and it’s all in a nice, neat package.

So bottom line…go back in time to realize some new-age efficiencies. Keep your INBOX lean by deleting the emails you’ve answered via the OUTBOX or the ones you don’t want at all (mark the ones as SPAM if necessary). Consider your INBOX your TO-DO list and you’ll be happy. Sort and save the ones that are important so you can get back to them later.

A computer costs $200 a year?

January 5, 2018 by Tom Bull

Yup, it’s true.

The facts behind this are based on over 30 years of experience installing and repairing computers. If we look at typical usage, by the typical person in a typical environment; a computer costs about $200 a year. Your results may vary based on workload, but generally this rule applies to almost everyone.

If you purchased a computer for $1000, expect it to last about 5 years. Many people who put down $1500 or more on a Mac or high-end PC will have a good experience for 7-8 years. It’s the same on the low-end. You will be frustrated and will end up ditching that $400 laptop you bought at the big box store after just 2 years because it will become so slow as to be unusable. Your smartphone is faster, so why not use that instead!

This continues after the life-cycle of the computer is reached and you are faced with an upgrade or repair situation. If after 5 years, your $1000 computer is limping along then upgrade it instead of buying a new one. Keep those computers out of the landfill please! An upgrade can preserve the environment…and your well-being. Sort of.

All of our computers have a unique “personality” that’s all our own. We like the way the screen is laid out and where the icons are. The programs all work the way we like (or tolerate) and all the accounts are properly logged into for email and websites. We know where everything is, and it works the way we expect. My mom used to say, “the devil you know is the devil you can deal with”. The same thing applies here. While the computer may not be perfect, we know exactly what to do to make it work and get what we need.

To recreate that personality on a new computer can be tough. There are programs that exist to move programs and data from old computers to new ones, but sometimes any sluggishness or bad behavior can move over at the same time. And why would we want to slow down our new computer? The reason we bought it was because the old one was slow! So, if you’re over 40 and not a proponent of change, upgrade that computer instead and use the same $200/year rule.

Upgrades to the operating system can often improve performance, but not typically. If your computer was frozen in time and you didn’t need that new gadget or software feature and never upgraded anything, your computer would run well. It may not have all the security benefits of the new software, but it will run well. As soon as we start upgrading the operating system to accommodate new software or new gadgets, we will likely need to upgrade the computer to keep running well. Keep the $200 rule in mind when upgrading. If you spend $300 for an upgrade, that PC better run for another year and a half or it was not worth it.

One revolutionary upgrade that is being performing daily is swapping out the old, slow hard drive in your computer for a new Solid-State Drive (SSD). There are no moving parts in SSD drives and they generally increase performance by a factor of 7. That’s right…your computer will run 7 times faster! Everything from the old hard drive can move to an SSD. The process is called cloning and it’s just like it sounds. We can move every little nuance of your computers’ personality to the faster hard drive.

We continue to be stunned at how well these upgrades work. We can easily take any computer; laptop, desktop, PC or Mac and make it run better than it ever did if it has one of the old hard drives. Computers that are 8 or 9 years old get upgraded and run as fast as one you can buy today…sometimes faster! Even here the $200/year rule applies. While these upgrades can cost between $300-$600, users are getting another 2-3 years out of there aging, but devilishly comfortable, computer. After all, if you’re over 40 you don’t like change…unless it’s a change in speed!

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