We have recently an influx of Mac users wanting to migrate to PC but they generally have a few concerns. The first is having to learn Windows. The other is having Thunderbolt support. Let’s see how we address those issues.
I Got Schooled by a Group of 7th Graders
If you’re feeling overconfident in your public speaking skills, step into a class full of 7th graders. They are a tough crowd.
That’s what I did last week when my daughter’s “Career & Technology” teacher asked me speak to her class about my work in technology. I prepared a 15-minute presentation that covered my years at Microsoft, a couple of startups, and positions at Puget Systems.
Bring On The New Year
The start to a new year is a good time to review your PC. Last weekend I pulled out my desktop PC and performed the following:
Reducing Distractions
A few years ago, the owner of Puget Systems told me about a product that had helped him focus on his work. I’d been feeling less productive and more distracted when trying to work, so I decided to install the application he recommended which is called Rescue Time. I installed the free version, and let it do its thing in the background.
My 5 Favorite Products of 2016
With 2016 coming to end, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of my favorite products of the last year.
I prefer products that seamlessly blend into my life. That means they shouldn’t require a lot of updates or ask me to change my behavior very much in order to enjoy them.
With that in mind, here are five of my favorite products of 2016:
Backup Your Critical Data in 5 Minutes
At least once a year, I take a call from a friend or family member who is despondent because they’ve lost pictures or video or other critical data stored on their computer. Sometimes they accidentally delete a file or a directly. Or worse, a hard drive dies, taking all their data to the grave.
I listen and try to have empathy. I really do, yet I can usually predict the answer to the question I’ll ask next: “Did you have a backup of your files?” It’s probably a good thing they are explaining their situation to me over the phone when they tell me, no, they did not have a backup.
A Weekend of VR Gaming
Since I work for Puget Systems and have access to some cool stuff, I had been “demo-ing” the new HTC Vive and Oculus Rift at work. Remember the Nintendo Wii and how it revolutionized gaming at the time? I was one of those that got up early in the morning and stayed in line for hours to get my hand on one. It ended up being one of the best purchases I made because I kept playing with that console for quite some time.
I had the same feelings toward the HTC Vive with its controllers and room scale play. However, plopping down $800 for the Vive is a lot more than $250 (at the time) for the Wii. I had to make sure. So, I borrowed the HTC Vive for an extended weekend to see. I wanted to find out whether it was just “newphoria” as well as how my wife and kids would like it. The results were quite interesting.
Let the Music Play
While cleaning my garage this summer, I came across what remained of my music collection: about of 300 CDs consisting of jazz and classic rock. It’s been three years since they’d seen the light of day, so I decided to donate them to a local thrift store. What was worth thousands of dollars me to a few years ago, was worth less than a tax write off today.
Time for William to learn Linux
I’m going to diversify my operating system portfolio, integrating the leading open source project into my existing range of Microsoft options. (Did I nail that financial analogy or what?)
Podcast – William on Photo Taco
William was recently a guest on the Photo Taco podcast, hosted by Jeff Harmon. You can listen to the podcast on the Improve Photography website, with William’s interview starting at about 13 minutes in.
