On Computers

Most people rely on their phones to take pictures. But professional cameras, such as DSLRs, do a much better job.  Professional cameras have sensors about the size of 12 Lego bricks. Your phone’s sensor is probably about half of one, according to CNET.  But phones are catching up. Some have sensors the size of two Lego bricks. Meanwhile,  Xiaomi, the world’s third largest phone maker after Apple and Samsung, is developing one that lets you mount a Leica M lens. It’s been dubbed the “12S Ultra Concept Phone.” In other news, LG Innotek is introducing a new telephoto zoom camera module at this month’s Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The module’s moving lenses will be similar to professional camera […]

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Filed under: apps, cameras, DVD, environment, Internuts, keyboards, passwords, printer | Comments Off on PHONES CATCHING UP WITH CAMERAS

After the FTX bankruptcy debacle, people lost faith in cryptocurrency. Even I did, though I bought a sweater with bitcoin in 2017. It might be different if I lived in another country. Take Lebanon, for example. According to a report last month, people who try to get their cash out of a bank have to give up 85 percent of it.  CNBC quoted an architect who said he now gets 90 percent of his payments in bitcoin there, which he swaps for a “stablecoin” called tether, which he exchanges for US dollars. “One of the big attractions of cryptocurrency is its independence from governments and traditional financial institutions,” said Joel Ewing, the president of the Bella Vista computer club in […]

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Filed under: 3D Printing, crytpocurrency, environment, games, Gmail, TV, wireless | Comments Off on THE FUTURE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY

Don’t get me wrong. I love Lyft and Uber. But sometimes a taxi is better. I recently ordered a Lyft for a 40-minute ride. The app said it would cost $53. Ridiculous, I thought. When I started over, the price changed to $43. But Lyft wanted to pick me up at a different address than the one I typed in, an aggravation I’ve experienced many times. I thought I’d have to cross a wide boulevard in the freezing rain at night. So I called a taxi. Price: $39. Arrival: instant. Driver: courteous. A friend of mine has also faced his share of Lyft annoyances. Last summer, he was waiting for a ride home from the airport when they canceled it […]

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Filed under: Amazon, environment, gadgets, Internuts | Comments Off on RIDESHARING VERSUS TAXIS

Scammers are now adding hoaxes to legitimate text messages. It’s getting easier to be fooled. Recently, a friend of mine got a legitimate text about her furniture delivery. It asked her to choose a date. When none of the dates worked for her, she wrote down the number listed in the text, to get more options. What made it suspicious? She couldn’t just tap it to initiate a call like you normally can on a cell phone. And the guy who answered said: “How old are you?” When she said “70,” he said, “You sound so young, like you’re 30.” Then he added: “I’ll need your credit card number.” “Why should I give you that?” she asked, before hanging up. […]

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Filed under: environment, Internuts, Microsoft, photos, spam, text messaging, word processing | Comments Off on FAKE TEXTS LURK INSIDE REAL ONES

When I spilled orange juice on a Macbook it died. Apple said it couldn’t be fixed. But if that happens to the new Google “Framework,” I could just swap out the bad part. The $999 “Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition,” by Google, is made of replaceable components. It’s part of the “right to repair” movement, which is all about do-it-yourself (DIY). Instead of buying a new laptop, you could theoretically keep upgrading the parts forever. Each component has a QR code that takes you (or your repairman) to DIY guides for replacing or upgrading. At 2.8 pounds, the Framework weighs the same as a Macbook Air, and is similar in size. Unlike the Macbook, its basic memory can be upgraded from […]

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Filed under: computers, environment, games, Internuts, trends, Wikipedia | Comments Off on NEW CHROMEBOOK LETS YOU SWAP PARTS

I like to highlight passages in my ebooks. But if I get Amazon’s “Kindle Scribe,” I can also add my handwriting to the margins or even all over the page. The new tablet’s 10.2-inch screen, like the Kindle Paperwhite, mimics natural writing on paper. It doesn’t have the bright colors of other tablets, but is great for reading and writing. A basic digital pen is included, and there’s a premium pen for an extra $30. The premium pen has a digital eraser at the top and a customizable shortcut button. Neither one uses batteries. Besides adding handwritten notes to the book you’re reading, with the Scribe you can handwrite your memoir, sign documents, make shopping lists or create art. Your […]

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Filed under: Amazon, environment, Internuts, Kindle, trends, YouTube | Comments Off on KINDLE SCRIBE LETS YOU SCRIBBLE ON EBOOKS

Three of my friends have books they want to self-publish. It sure beats sending your manuscript to the slush file of some harried, overworked agent. But another way to go is called “hybrid publishing.” With the hybrid approach, you team up with a publisher who lends an air of credibility to your book. As with Amazon’s “Kindle Direct Publishing,” you do the whole thing online. To find out more, I chatted with the author Samuel M. Goodman, a PhD chemical engineer. He took the hybrid route for his new book “Beyond Carbon Neutral,” by using an outfit called “New Degree Press.” What’s nice about New Degree is that you can refer readers to an actual publisher instead of a vanity […]

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Filed under: books, environment, Internuts, kids, music, text messaging | Comments Off on ONLINE TOOLS FOR PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK

I was stranded. No cell phone signal, no WiFi. I blame you Tracfone.  When I got finally got back home, I checked my Tracfone app. It showed a $125 payment in December for a year’s worth of service, but my credit card statement did not. The Tracfone’s website said my number now started with “143.” That’s a scammer’s prefix, according to a telephony expert at Quora.com. I wanted out. I went back and forth with Tracfone via the chat bot on their website. They told me to use the phone or an advanced chat. When I phoned, a robot answered, saying: “Your number is being ported.” When I tried the advanced chat, it wouldn’t accept my real number. Nuts! Tracfone […]

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Filed under: cheap calls, crytpocurrency, environment, Internuts, phones, trends | Comments Off on TRACFONE FAILS TO DELIVER

With the world’s first solar headset on my head, and a solar watch on my wrist, I marveled at how solar the world is becoming.  I can hardly wait to try the new “Solare” solar headset on the plane. It boasts 97 percent noise cancelation. I can finally hear a movie through the background noise. But there are two kinds of noise cancelation: one in the headphone and one in the microphone. To test the one in the headphone, I went to YouTube on my computer, chose “white noise” and turned it on full blast. Despite the horrendous sounds, I could hear a podcast on my phone perfectly. By contrast, my cheap headset didn’t let any of the words through. […]

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Filed under: environment, gadgets, Google, Internuts, maps, security | 1 Comment »

Years ago, my mediocre piano teacher failed to show up for my lesson, even though we were meeting at her house. I heard she did it to others too.  Phooey on her. I can get the best teachers in America online, and they’re cheaper. According to a 2020 report from Thumbtack, the average in-person piano teacher charges between $40 to $100 an hour. I just got 36 lessons for $25 from TheGreatCourses.com during one of their major sales. By using the free Chrome extension from CapitalOneShopping.com, the price dropped to $18. The equivalent from a live teacher would have cost $1440 to $3600. My online teacher, Pamela Pike, won the “Outstanding Teacher Award” from Louisiana State University, among other honors. […]

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Filed under: apps, education, environment, facebook, how-to, Internuts, music, Windows | Comments Off on ONLINE PIANO LESSONS ROCK