Category Archives: Computers/Electronics

Computers/Electronics

Microsoft Surface Studio review…

A short while back I posted my admiration for this here device…

The price of the device ($3000 and up) is quite steep but, based on the video, I was shocked by how beautiful and functional, especially to those who are artists, the device appeared to be.

Well, the device has not been offered for review and people are, of course, reviewing it…

I have to say as someone who loves tech and especially tech innovation, this device is really exciting.

Is it exciting enough to spend that amount of money getting it?

Not really.  At least not for me.  Though I have worked in the field of comic book art, I’m more of a writer these days and, as tempting a product as this is, the price tag on this is a little too out of my league for something to “play” around with.

On the other hand, this is the first iteration of this product and it wouldn’t surprise me that future versions are cheaper and (gulp) better.  Apple, take note!

If you want a more in depth review that talks about the actual nuts and bolts within the machine, check out this article by Tom Warren and found on theverge.com:

http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/17/13663112/microsoft-surface-studio-review

Computers/Electronics

Microsoft…comeback?

For years people have put down Microsoft.  The company was a lumbering giant, it created Windows updates that were, at times, considered a serious step back from previous versions.

Something changed a few years ago.

That something was the Surface.

Image result for microsoft surface

The original Surface, which I very happily bought back in the day, was a great computer for its time.  It was a stepping stone between a tablet and a laptop computer and was lightweight and very useful.

But it wasn’t a computer Nirvana and did have certain failings.  New versions of the Surface rapidly came out along with the well regarded Windows 10 (I love it, though the updates have been a great bother as they simply “appear” and I then spent over an hour or so waiting for the computer to be ready instead of, you know, doing something I wanted to do).

Yesterday this commercial, for the Surface Studio, dropped…

Pardon the vulgarity, but holy shit.

There’s been a building “general” consensus, though one I don’t agree with, that the desktop computer is dead.  I’ve written about this before, noting that the drop in desktop sales may be more a function of how good the latest desktop computers are and therefore people simply don’t need to replace them as often as they did before.

With the arrival of the Microsoft Surface Studio, I have to admit my mouth is watering.  I don’t do graphic material as much as I used to, instead using my desktop for writing, but if I should find an extra $2999 under my sofa or bed, I’d be lying if I weren’t tempted to use it on this.

The bottom line is this: I’m glad Microsoft is developing instruments like this.  I’ll be very curious to see what Apple does in return.

Competition between mega-companies is a great thing…for consumers.

Computers/Electronics

Microsoft Word

Yesterday, while roaming around the internet, I found this article by Heather Schwedel for Slate magazine:

Microsoft Word is the only word processor for people serious about words

The web title for the article is “Microsoft Word haters have it all wrong” and the first sentence of the article states the following:

The normal way to feel about Microsoft Word, I’ve gathered, is somewhere on a spectrum from muted tolerance to outright hatred.

Ms. Schwedel goes on to note she really likes Word, despite some “general consensus” which views the program negatively.

Image result for microsoft word

I guess I’ve been in a cave all this time.

As an author and someone who uses Microsoft Word on a near daily basis, I agree with Ms. Schwedel that Microsoft Word is…good, though I’m baffled by the “general consensus” against it.

As an author I’m pretty much always on the lookout for good word processing programs and in my lifetime I’ve tried many of them, always in the hope they’d be even better than Word.  I’ve tried Scrivener, Word Perfect, Works, Screenwriter, Open Office, etc. etc. etc.

Despite all the variety of choices, I’m always coming back to Word.

This is my personal favorite word processing program yet I can understand if others don’t like it.  It’s about what works for you, of course.

The comments section of the article provides some peoples’ opinions as to why they prefer other programs but, as I said before, to each their own.

Word simply “works” for me the best and perhaps familiarity is a big part of the reason.  I’ll I’ll still keep my eyes open for other word processors yet at this late stage in my life/career it seems more and more likely Word will stay my go to word processing program until up until I type out my last creative works.

Computers/Electronics

Blast from the (apparently still usable) past…

Ran across this article, written by Leslie Katz for cnet.com, wherein we discover…

This Commodore 64 bad boy helps drive an Auto Shop in 2016

I well remember (*hack*wheeze*) the Commodore 64.  To the young ‘uns out there that don’t, this is it:

Image result for commodore 64

That was then.  This is now:

Absolutely fascinating stuff.  Makes me want to dig out my Atari 800, the first computer I ever had, and see if it still works.

Image result for atari 800

…somehow, I don’t think it will.

Computers/Electronics

Tech thursday…

Was doing my usual web surfing and, though I don’t usually point out these things, I was intrigued by this, the upcoming Acer Predator 21 X.  Though the machine is still in a “mock up” stage (ie, not functional), this article by Vlad Savov and James Vincent and present on theverge.com offers an idea of what this machine will do…

Acer’s Predator 21 X puts a curved screen and dual GTX 1080s in a laptop

Yes, you read the above right: Its a laptop with a curved screen.  Its clearly designed for gaming and, frankly, the thing looks like a monster.

There was a video included which presented the machine (again, its a mock up model so the reviewer can only judge the looks/weight of it at this point) but it is intriguing.,,

Mind you, perhaps not intriguing enough to actually want to buy it (I love video games as much as everyone but I primarily play games, at least nowadays and when I can find a few seconds to do so, on my XBox).

Still, this is an interesting looking machine…should you be the one interested in it!

Computers/Electronics

Gawker, R.I.P.

I enjoyed Gawker and still enjoy the various sub-sites surrounding it.

The site was alternately irrelevant, hilarious, and informative, often providing news you simply wouldn’t find elsewhere.

And that last item is what ultimately did the website in.

I’m certain many of you are aware of Gawker’s tribulations.  In a nutshell, one day they presented a snippet of a sex tape of Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan, and a woman surreptitiously recorded by the man’s wife (!).

Mr. Bollea sued and, unknown to many at the time, he was underwritten by Peter Thiel, a billionaire tech entrepreneur who spent years figuring out a way to get revenge on the site for “outing” him.

The lawsuit went very badly for Gawker and Mr. Bollea not only won but Gawker was ordered to fork over an extraordinary amount of money for presenting that sex tape.  This led to the auctioning of the company and, after it and the other websites around Gawker were purchased by Univision, it was announced Gawker would be gone.

There are plenty of more details regarding this matter and, in the site’s final posting, Nick Denton offers his take of the situation:

How Things Work

Having read about the trail and the history of Gawker, its clear there are many who admire/enjoyed the site as well as plenty of others who look upon its official closing yesterday and say “good riddance”.

For myself, I’ll miss the site though, given some of the details of that trail, I can sorta/kinda understand why the ruling went against them.

When engaged in a lawsuit, don’t be glib and/or a smart-ass.

Anyway, Gawker, I’ll miss you.

Computers/Electronics

Ah, technology…

As I’ve stated many times before, I’m fascinated by new technologies.  Be it something as mundane as battery life or cell phones or computers or self-driving cars, among other things, I’m so there.

When Amazon announced their latest gadget, the Amazon Echo a while back, I was very intrigued…

Here is an interesting review of the device which gives you an even better idea of what it is all about:

As intriguing as the machine appears, the things it is capable of doing were things I do through other means and, while I considered buying the Echo, in the end I felt I didn’t need this device.  Still, I suspect the device will go through many iterations and become better and better as new generations of it are produced so I wouldn’t be surprised if sometime in the future I change my mind and feel it is worth purchasing.

If you do feel like you want to get this device, you may want to check out this fascinating article by Matt Novak and found on Paleofuture before doing so:

The FBI can neither confirm nor deny wiretapping your Amazon Echo

That’s right, kids, a device that listens to you 24/7 (assuming you keep it on all day and night) and is connected to the internet is also a singularly beautiful device for hackers -be they FBI agents or…others- to gain access to your home and, yes, listen in to whatever you and your family says in the privacy of your home.

Like many others, when I was young and in high school we were assigned George Orwell’s famous novel 1984.  It was frightening work that presented a society where all freedoms were stripped from its citizens.

In today’s world technology that would fit right at home in the novel 1984 comes in shiny, pretty colors and entices us to buy rather than frightens us away.  Thus, consumers voluntarily and without realizing it may place such devices in their homes without realizing they offer access to their privacy.

So, buyer beware.  As intriguing as these devices may seem, one needs to realize they are internet connected microphones which others could hack into.

You’ve been warned.