When Apple announced the AirPods last fall, I wasn't too excited. I didn't understand why there was so much news coverage about them. I didn't get why so many people rushed to preorder them. They're just wireless headphones, right?

As the running season approached, I decided it was time to invest in some new headphones. I had recently bought my Apple Watch and needed a wireless pair to use with them. I looked at a few options and did some research. The AirPods, which I had previously been disinterested in, rose to the top of my list. I went to buy some at the Apple Store and of course they did not have any in stock. I put in my order and received the AirPods about a month later.

I've been using the AirPods for about a month and they are simply amazing. Why? Here are three reasons:

1. Sound

The AirPods sound incredible. They are as good, if not better than the Lightning headset that comes with the iPhone 7. They have crystal clear highs and surprisingly full bass. The overall frequency response is smooth and they don't hurt my ears, even after long periods of listening.

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Japan, a land steeped in tradition, but also known for its technological progress, has just made a stunning announcement. The Japanese language will be completely replaced by emojis.

Japan's language overseer, Iwao Suzuki, made the announcement on the first day of the month, saying, "The leadership of Japan has unanimously voted to use emojis as our primary written language going forward." He said, "We have been planning this change for several years and we believe now is the right time."

Instead of using complex symbols to depict words and phrases, Japanese people will simply be able to tap emojis on a keyboard. For example, "love" can now be written with a simple heart emoji instead of the complicated Kanji character, as shown below.

❤️ vs 愛

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I've had the Apple Watch Nike+ for over two months now and have worn it every day. Over time, I've grown to like some things about the watch more than than I thought I would. Other aspects, well, not so much.

I've listed the top five best and worst things of the Apple Watch below. I'll start with the worst and save the best for last.

The 5 Worst Things

1. The charger

The Apple Watch charger is circular contraption the connects magnetically to the back of the watch. I like the magnetic part, but I have no idea why they decided to put in on the back of the watch. It would be so much easier if the charger connected to the side. Instead of simply placing the watch on the charger, I have to pull both sides of the wristbands taught and meticulously place it on the white circle. I do this every night in my dark bedroom and it's annoying.

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I never wanted an Apple Watch. I made that pretty clear back in 2014. But my Garmin Forerunner 405CX running watch recently died and I needed a replacement. So I decided to try the Apple Watch. I bought the Nike version, a.k.a. the "Apple Watch Nike+" model, just after the beginning of the year and I've been using it for about two months.

It's a good thing I waited to review the watch until after two months of owning it. My view of the watch has changed a lot since the first week or so. Let me explain.

I bought the Apple Watch to replace my Garmin Forerunner, not to use as a daily watch. The Apple Watch Series 2 (which the Nike+ version is based on) is the first model to include GPS, so this was the first time I even considered an Apple Watch. Since I'm already so deep into the Apple ecosystem, the way the Apple Watch synced with my iPhone made it worth the premium compared to running watches, even if I just used it for running. The $400 price for the 42mm model wasn't much different than the $330 Garmin Forerunner 235. Apple haters and trolls, your comments are welcome below.

When I got the watch, I decided to wear it for a week to test out all the non-running features. After all, I am still kind of a geek and I wanted to see what the thing could do. My plan was to put it back on the shelf after a week and then just use it for running. Two months later, I'm still wearing the watch. It's become a daily accessory. But that didn't happen without a few notable frustrations.

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On Wednesday, January 18th, PC.net underwent the biggest change since I renamed the site from Sharpened.net to PC.net on May 1, 2012. Once again the website has a new URL. Instead of http://pc.net, the new URL is https://pc.net. Pretty dramatic, huh?

While it is a small change, this means all traffic to PC.net will be handled through the HTTPS protocol instead of boring old HTTP. So what exactly is HTTPS? It is a secure version of HTTP, the standard protocol used for accessing webpages. It runs connections through SSL, which encrypts the communication. Therefore, your connection to PC.net will now be encrypted, meaning no one can eavesdrop on your browsing or see what you submit via the contact form, for instance. Otherwise, it should have no noticeable effect on your PC.net experience.

HTTPS is super important for e-commerce sites and websites where you can log in with a username and password. It protects your personal information from being intercepted by someone on your network running a packet sniffing program or other malicious software. For PC.net, this isn't really a concern.

So why the switch? Well Google, the self-proclaimed authority of webmaster guidelines for websites around the world, has encouraged websites to use HTTPS since August 6, 2014. The goal, I suppose, is to make the web more secure, preventing data theft and the alteration of webpage content between the server and end user. A noble goal, but also a pretty big hassle for the average webmaster. Historically, moving to HTTPS has involved buying a secure certificate, authenticating your identity as an individual or organization, and installing the certificate for your domain on the server. Not an easy task for the everyday webmaster.

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