January 14, 2025
Every year, I back up the home directory on my Mac to an external hard drive. This process has become more difficult in recent years since I receive an error a few minutes after the copying process begins. The error says:
The operation can't be completed because "[username]" needs to be downloaded.
January 1, 2025
In January 2017, I recommended that you don't change your password. Seven years later, I stand by that advice, as juggling too many passwords is less secure than choosing a few good ones. But it is wise to change your passwords every few years in case one of them is compromised.
The beginning of the year is a great time to choose new passwords since it will help you remember when you last updated them. I updated several passwords last year, and most of my common logins now have a new password. When I log into a frequently-used account, I enter the new password, and when I log in to an account I haven't used for a year or more, I know to enter the old password.
December 30, 2024
In 2021, I published a review of Corsair's top-of-the-line K100 keyboard. While it was a high-quality keyboard with excellent backlighting, the loud keys made it unusable for work — especially during Zoom calls. So — almost for fun — I went to the other extreme and tried Corsair's entry-level K55.
Could a $60 keyboard keep up with a $250 one? And did it actually work on a Mac? Read on to find out.
December 1, 2024
Many of us are so tied to our smartphones, we won't go anywhere without them. What if I need to contact someone? What if someone needs to contact me? What if I want to take a picture? Or get directions? Or ask ChatGPT something?
Guess what — you don't need your phone. For thousands of years, people left their houses without phones, and they managed well. Sure, smartphones make a lot of things easier, but you don't need your phone every moment of the day.
November 1, 2024
If you're traveling these days, it's a good idea necessary to bring a USB adapter. Most hotels, airports, and planes still have USB-A ports, so if you need to charge your new USB-C device, you'll be out of luck without one.
For decades, devices had rectangular USB-A ports — you know, the asymmetrical ones where you had a 50/50 chance of plugging it in the right way. Thankfully, we've moved on to oval-shaped USB-C ports, where you don't have to plug in the cable a certain way.
October 19, 2024
ChatGPT is an amazing technology, but it is killing the web.
For several decades, people Googled their questions. They typed in search terms, viewed the search results, then clicked on a website. Visitors allowed website owners to monetize their original content through ads. The more traffic they received, the more revenue they would generate, and the more content they could produce.
October 1, 2024Tired of typing? Try talking.
Most of us dictate messages on our smartphones, but for some reason, not many people use dictation on their computers. Modern operating systems have built-in speech-to-text capabilities, so why not use them?
Today is Jan 17, 2025
