Personal site — writing, work, and a small corner of the internet.https://chadunderwood.com/en-ushttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/hello-internet/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/hello-internet/A sample essay marking the start of this writing space.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/on-leaving-the-feed/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/on-leaving-the-feed/Why a personal site should feel like a room, not a feed — sample post, edition 2.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/nfc-near-field-communication-makes-passing-info-easy-with/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/nfc-near-field-communication-makes-passing-info-easy-with/Remember passing notes in school? Passing a note was a quick way to send information to someone else. If the teacher caught you passing the note, they could read whatever was in the note. Because […]Tue, 11 Oct 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/surround-sound-making-movies-sound-like-real-life/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/surround-sound-making-movies-sound-like-real-life/Surround sound makes the movie theater experience worth the price of admission. Last year, I convinced my wife we should have a theater in our house. I had spent the preceding year learning as much […]Tue, 27 Sep 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/distributed-denial-of-service-how-bots-attack/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/distributed-denial-of-service-how-bots-attack/A DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack uses multiple connections to stop access to a website or internet service. These attacks use many computers to complete the attack. These computers can be PC, Macs, servers, […]Mon, 19 Sep 2022 05:00:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/optical-character-recognition-how-text-in-a-picture-becomes-usable/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/optical-character-recognition-how-text-in-a-picture-becomes-usable/Optical Character Recognition has been in use for a long time. Over the years, it has become a staple in our daily lives. In 2008 a small company called Evernote made a big impact on […]Tue, 13 Sep 2022 05:00:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/digital-minimalism-protecting-your-attention-and-focus/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/digital-minimalism-protecting-your-attention-and-focus/Digital minimalism helps minimize anxiety and find more time for the things you love. Digital minimalism requires taking a deep look into the habits you’ve formed with your devices. You need to find what you […]Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:29:21 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/systems-on-a-chip-are-all-over-your-house-but-where/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/systems-on-a-chip-are-all-over-your-house-but-where/As you sit down on the couch, you turn on House of the Dragon. You used the built in HBO app on your TV. You know it works but you’ve never thought about how. It’s […]Tue, 30 Aug 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/firewall-the-great-protector-of-your-network/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/firewall-the-great-protector-of-your-network/A firewall is your protection from the internet Another place you might be familiar with a firewall is in your house. When building a house with a garage, it needs a fire rated wall. The […]Tue, 23 Aug 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/progressive-web-apps-are-the-future-of-apps/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/progressive-web-apps-are-the-future-of-apps/The original concept of the iPhone didn’t include an app store. Steve Jobs’s idea of apps for the iPhone was to use websites as apps. This didn’t take off. Instead, they built the app store […]Fri, 19 Aug 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/spatial-audio-is-the-future-of-headphones/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/spatial-audio-is-the-future-of-headphones/Spatial audio is surround sound for headphones. A major benefit of watching a movie at a theater is the sound. You’re able to immerse in the movie because the sounds are accurate. The theater gives […]Tue, 09 Aug 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/sans-solved-the-data-sharing-problem/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/sans-solved-the-data-sharing-problem/Storage Area Networks (SANs) were created to solve data shares. In the old days, a server would host its own storage. As tech has progressed, application reliability became as issue. When your data and application […]Tue, 02 Aug 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/databases-are-spreadsheets-on-steroids/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/databases-are-spreadsheets-on-steroids/In their simplest form, databases are massive spreadsheets. The information stored in a database has logical structure like a spreadsheet. It has headers (columns) like a spreadsheet. You can sort, update, and new records to […]Tue, 26 Jul 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/backups-the-insurance-policy-for-your-computer/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/backups-the-insurance-policy-for-your-computer/The most important maintenance is backing up your data. Yet most users don't take any time to save important files. We overlook this simple step even with the hours work put into creating file. Everyday you're playing Russian roulette with your lively hood.Tue, 19 Jul 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/email-the-most-common-and-misunderstood-technology/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/email-the-most-common-and-misunderstood-technology/Email is an essential tool for everyone. The only communication used as much as email are text messages. It is in the center of everything we do. With as much as it is used, few […]Tue, 12 Jul 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/server-clusters-keep-applications-running-when-failures-happen/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/server-clusters-keep-applications-running-when-failures-happen/Server clusters keep applications running by allowing one server to switch to another server when it fails. Applications need to be available all the time. There’s many ways to accomplish high availability. We discussed load […]Tue, 05 Jul 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/algorithms-are-in-the-cookbook-of-technology/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/algorithms-are-in-the-cookbook-of-technology/Algorithms use include the internet and in the devices we use everyday. Ever heard the term serving up content? There’s one other type of person you would think of serving up an item. A chef. […]Tue, 28 Jun 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/3-things-you-should-know-about-load-balancers/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/3-things-you-should-know-about-load-balancers/99.9% uptime for a website/app is a necessity. There’s a silent hero for making this possible. Here’s the 3 things you should know about load balancers. Real World Comparison You’ve been in a grocery store […]Thu, 23 Jun 2022 06:00:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/how-load-balancers-work-like-grocery-store-checkout-lines/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/how-load-balancers-work-like-grocery-store-checkout-lines/You’ve been in the grocery store with only one check out line. There’s a manager always watching to see if the lines back up. The manager sees this and next thing you know, there’s 3 […]Tue, 21 Jun 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/docker-is-the-pantry-of-virtualization/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/docker-is-the-pantry-of-virtualization/Docker is the Rubbermaid of server hosting. If you’re on Instagram, you’ve come across the dream pantry. Each shelf is organized from top to bottom. Each item is labeled in its own container. Docker helps […]Tue, 14 Jun 2022 05:40:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/virtualization-the-school-bus-of-technology/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/virtualization-the-school-bus-of-technology/During the school year, we all see the familiar yellow color driving down the road. The school bus. School districts use buses because they’re efficient. They can get many kids to school in less time […]Tue, 07 Jun 2022 05:43:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/whats-a-vpn-and-do-i-need-one/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/whats-a-vpn-and-do-i-need-one/Today’s article starts in a weird place, water. Let’s think about the water in your house. Water runs through your house’s pipes, and you never see it. You only know the water’s there when you […]Tue, 31 May 2022 03:52:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/encryption-is-the-most-important-tech-on-the-internet/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/encryption-is-the-most-important-tech-on-the-internet/A Police agency is investigating a serious crime. They only find a note. They have no clue what it says. The note is a series of symbols, letters, and numbers. They know it means something […]Tue, 24 May 2022 04:44:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/5-questions-before-upgrading-your-phone/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/5-questions-before-upgrading-your-phone/Spoiler: You probably don’t need an upgrade. Upgrade season is ahead. Google, Apple, and Samsung will be dropping their best devices ever. Of course, they are but you, the average person, wonder if the device […]Tue, 17 May 2022 10:00:42 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/multi-factor-authentication-preventing-account-hacks/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/multi-factor-authentication-preventing-account-hacks/Making MFA easy to understand. Two men in ski masks are running towards a solid metal door. As they get to the door, they see a pin pad on the right side. They enter the […]Thu, 12 May 2022 09:45:35 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/how-a-trojan-horse-wrecks-havoc/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/how-a-trojan-horse-wrecks-havoc/Making Trojan horses understandable Everything isn’t how it appears. A huge wooden horse showed up at the gate of the Trojans. The Trojans thought the horse was a peace offering from the Greeks. Little did […]Tue, 03 May 2022 22:42:37 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/youre-giving-hackers-easy-access/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/youre-giving-hackers-easy-access/Explaining password security Your house was broken into. You have 3 safes in your house with 1000’s of dollars. You use the same code for all of the safes. Then you left the code lying […]Tue, 26 Apr 2022 23:00:34 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/apis-make-apps-like-a-restaurant/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/apis-make-apps-like-a-restaurant/Simplified explanation of APIs You walk into a restaurant and the hostess takes you to a seat. The waiter walks up and hands you a menu. You browse the menu looking over the available choices. […]Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:13:48 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/youre-the-most-dangerous-thing-to-your-company/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/youre-the-most-dangerous-thing-to-your-company/How hackers use Social Engineering. It’s Monday morning. You just made it to your desk. As you’re taking the first sip of coffee, you start scrolling through your emails. Google sent you an email saying […]Tue, 12 Apr 2022 22:00:45 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/whats-a-zero-day-and-why-theyre-scary/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/whats-a-zero-day-and-why-theyre-scary/Reconsider not updating your technology This past week, Apple released an update to patch 2 zero day exploits. This is a good time to explain zero day exploits and vulnerabilities. Zero days are dangerous. There […]Sun, 03 Apr 2022 23:00:34 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/operating-systems-are-the-middleman-for-computer-data/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/operating-systems-are-the-middleman-for-computer-data/Explain Operating Systems like I’m 5 When we simplified servers we talked touched on operating systems but let’s dig deeper. An OS (Operating system) is the software allowing the hardware and software to work together. […]Sun, 27 Mar 2022 22:45:34 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/servers-simplified/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/servers-simplified/The most important computer made. Servers are the most important computer. They are what allow the websites you visit to work. Servers are what power companies and the data they need. Without servers, the world […]Sun, 20 Mar 2022 22:45:35 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/internet-sites-way-before-the-internet/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/internet-sites-way-before-the-internet/Explaining Bulletin Board Systems Back in the 1980s, there wasn’t a way to connect to one another via a computer. Talking about your interests required meeting up in person. In 1979, 2 engineers came up […]Thu, 17 Mar 2022 22:45:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-reason-apple-dominates/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-reason-apple-dominates/Spoiler it’s the closed Apple ecosystem Apple draws you in with 1 piece of hardware. Everything looks and feels high quality. It’s an experience. The experience is not what keeps you spending lots of money. […]Wed, 16 Mar 2022 06:00:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-simple-way-computers-work/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-simple-way-computers-work/Explain computers like I’m 5. Computers are intricate machines but the way they work is simple. You type into the keyboard. What you type ends up on the screen. You go to a website and […]Sun, 13 Mar 2022 22:45:35 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/wifi-made-simple/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/wifi-made-simple/Explaining wireless internet Everyone uses WiFi without an understanding of what they’re using. WiFi is in your home or at a place of business. It’s different from the cellular data you get from your mobile […]Sun, 06 Mar 2022 23:45:55 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-first-portable-storage-devices/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-first-portable-storage-devices/All about floppy disks Floppy diskettes were the first way to carry around files and store files. You might recognize them from the icon you use to save your files in apps today. They were […]Thu, 03 Mar 2022 23:45:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/modems-made-simple/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/modems-made-simple/Your connector to the Internet From the 1980s through the late 1990s, the dial-up modem (modulator-demodulator) was used most. Dial-up internet wasn’t available for the general population until 1992. Once it was available the dial-up […]Mon, 28 Feb 2022 01:00:44 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-original-chat-rooms-irc-internet-relay-chat/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/the-original-chat-rooms-irc-internet-relay-chat/Easy explanation of Internet Relay Chat IRC (Internet Relay Chat) was the starting point for products you use today. Similar cloud-based products you might be familiar with are Discord, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Telegram. But […]Thu, 24 Feb 2022 23:45:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/hey-whats-an-ip-address/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/hey-whats-an-ip-address/IP addresses explained An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is like your home address but for computer networks and the internet. Imagine you are trying to send a letter to a friend through the post […]Sun, 20 Feb 2022 23:45:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/explain-open-source-software-like-im-5/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/explain-open-source-software-like-im-5/Open Source Software simplified Open-source software is the most important software in the tech industry. Open source means the code (language written for a computer to process) is available for collaboration. A lot of open-source […]Sun, 13 Feb 2022 23:45:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/yo-whats-the-cloud/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/yo-whats-the-cloud/Tech circles have been implementing cloud technology since the early 2000s. But the cloud doesn’t exist. At least, not how you think. It works the same way companies have been running their company networks (the […]Sun, 06 Feb 2022 23:45:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/storyworthy/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/storyworthy/Review coming soonWed, 08 Sep 2021 11:17:15 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/stop-struggling-for-content/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/stop-struggling-for-content/9 Sources of content inspiration. Knowing where to find inspiration is a struggle. It’s 1 of the main causes of creative block. Luckily, many places exist for inspiration. After you read this you’ll no longer […]Thu, 05 Aug 2021 13:49:44 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/stop-caring-about-seo-search-engine-optimization-for-your-content/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/stop-caring-about-seo-search-engine-optimization-for-your-content/Start caring about the social media algorithm instead. It’s how your writing will get found as a creator. I’ve read more articles than I can count from searching Google. And subscribed to zero. Why? Because […]Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:59:15 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/how-to-take-smart-notes/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/how-to-take-smart-notes/(affiliate) Purchase How to Take Smart Notes. Start taking meaningful notesWed, 14 Jul 2021 08:14:02 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/hemingway-app-guide/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/hemingway-app-guide/Hemingway app is a simple tool for writers of all skill levels. It will help you get over the fear of creating.It’s based on Ernest Hemingway’s writing style. And gives you the necessary tools for […]Fri, 04 Jun 2021 10:32:55 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/online-growth-recognizing-your-next-move/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/online-growth-recognizing-your-next-move/There’s no wrong way for online growth. However, you need a strategy. Strategy is the GPS for growing your audience online. You always need to know your next turn. Your next move must be based […]Fri, 04 Jun 2021 09:03:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/why-are-you-afraid-of-creating-content/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/why-are-you-afraid-of-creating-content/In the beginning, thinking about what people could say about me creating content held me back. Sometimes it stills does. I still force myself to create audio or video content. Your content creation doesn’t Too […]Fri, 28 May 2021 08:03:00 GMThttps://chadunderwood.com/writing/growing-brands-with-decade-investor/https://chadunderwood.com/writing/growing-brands-with-decade-investor/In August, Kolin Hayes reached out for some help in growing his personal brand. He runs a brand called Decade Investor. It was started to promote investing to a younger crowd. He helps people grow […]Fri, 30 Apr 2021 14:13:53 GMT