Like anything to do with computers, password management has its share of jargon. To avoid cluttering up my posts on password management, these terms are defined here.
Continue reading “Definitions for Common Password Security Terms”
Author: Joe Golton
I’m a dad with a son who loves baseball. Professionally, I’ve been a software developer, investor, controller, and logistics manager. I now make my living from this blog, supplemented with occasional consulting gigs.
The Next Batch of Posts
In 2009, I had a few ideas that I wanted to get out into the world, and I wrote up a few of them for this site. I then took a break for a variety of reasons. One reason is that the next planned article turned into a lengthy research project on password security.
Need Tech Help? Google it!
Modern hardware, software, and web services are loaded with useful and customizable features, but figuring out how to use them is usually time consuming. Traditionally, people learn new features or resolve tech issues by following some combination of these time-consuming steps:
- Tinker.
- Read help files or manual.
- Call the most knowledgeable person or relative you know.
- Call Tech Support, if available. Wait on hold a long time then talk to someone who may or may not be able to help you.
- E-mail Tech Support. Hope that the reply comes soon and actually resolves your issue.
Thankfully, there’s a much faster, more reliable way: Google it.
Google for help first, and you can save yourself tens of hours per year. In this post, I provide specific examples and helpful tips on how to quickly get tech help using Google.
The Desktop or the Cloud?
A growing number of people are migrating much of their computing work from the desktop to the cloud, including myself. Why? What exactly is the cloud? What’s it like to work in the cloud? What are the pros and cons of the cloud? Who should consider (or not) migrating much of their work to the cloud?
This post is an attempt to answer these questions from a balanced perspective.
Best Upgrade? The Browser . . . Five Browsers Compared
The best upgrade you’ll ever make? It’s not a new computer. It’s not an operating system upgrade. It’s a browser.
NOTE: In 2015 I posted a more current comparison of the latest browser versions, Best Browsers . . .
Most individuals access the web using the browser initially bundled with their computer, and typically don’t update it. Accessing the information superhighway with an outdated browser is like driving today’s roads with a Model T—slow, unsafe, unreliable, and in many places not usable at all.
In this post, I explain why it’s so important to use the latest version of Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Safari—speed, security, reliability, and compatibility. I describe each of these browsers, to help you decide which is best for you. And I lay the groundwork for the next post on cloud computing.
Continue reading “Best Upgrade? The Browser . . . Five Browsers Compared”
Filters for Distraction-free Writing
Distraction-free reading is not a fully solved problem–which is why the last article was so long. Distraction-free writing is a solved problem, which is why this article is short.
Filters for Reading on the Web
Will reading lengthy text on the web ever be as comfortable as curling up in your favorite chair with a paperback? In theory, computers offer some reading advantages such as fast look-up and infinite storage. In practice, conflicting priorities of site design and current display technology get in the way.
For people like me who read hours per day, there has to be a better way. Luckily, there is.
Site Design for Reading
Site Design for Reading – sounds like an oxymoron, right? When is the last time you read a 1000+ word article on the web that was just as easy to read as a chapter of a paperback? Never, if you’re like me.
Info Overload or Filter Failure? Introducing FilterJoe
Since 2001, I’ve noticed a trend: People are gradually getting less productive, efficient, and focused, caused in large part by an ever growing list of technology distractions.
To this point, many articles on the subjects of information overload, Internet distractions, and declines in reading and focusing abilities have appeared during the past few years. Some of the more interesting ones are here, here and here.
Continue reading “Info Overload or Filter Failure? Introducing FilterJoe”