Writing
Essays and notes. RSS at /rss.xml.
- Hello, internetExampleA sample essay marking the start of this writing space.
- On leaving the feedExampleWhy a personal site should feel like a room, not a feed — sample post, edition 2.
- NFC (Near Field Communication) makes Passing Info Easy WithRemember 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 […]
- Surround Sound: Making movies sound like real lifeSurround 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 […]
- Distributed Denial of Service: How Bots attackA 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, […]
- Optical Character Recognition: How pictures are usableOptical 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 […]
- Digital Minimalism: Protecting your attention and focusDigital 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 […]
- 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 […]
- Firewall: the great protector of your networkA 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 […]
- Progressive Web Apps are the future of appsThe 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 […]
- Spatial Audio is the future of headphonesSpatial 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 […]
- SANs Solved the Data Sharing ProblemStorage 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 […]
- Databases are spreadsheets on steroidsIn 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 […]
- Backups are the insurance policy for your computerThe 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.
- Email: the most common and misunderstood technologyEmail 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 […]
- Server Clusters Keep Applications Running When Failures HappenServer 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 […]
- Algorithms are in the cookbook of technologyAlgorithms 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. […]
- 3 things you should know about load balancers99.9% 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 […]
- Load Balancers Work Like Grocery Store Checkout LinesYou’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 […]
- Docker is the pantry of virtualizationDocker 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 […]
- Virtualization: the school bus of technologyDuring 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 […]
- VPNs make you invisibleToday’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 […]
- Encryption is the most important tech on the internetA 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 […]
- 5 questions before upgrading your phoneSpoiler: 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 […]
- Multi-Factor Authentication: Preventing account hacksMaking 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 […]
- How a Trojan horse wrecks havocMaking 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 […]
- You’re giving hackers easy accessExplaining 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 […]
- APIs make apps like a restaurantSimplified 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. […]
- You’re the most dangerous thing to your companyHow 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 […]
- What’s A Zero Day and Why They’re ScaryReconsider 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 […]
- Operating systems are the middleman for computer dataExplain 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. […]
- Servers SimplifiedThe 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 […]
- Bulletin Board Systems: The Origins of the InternetExplaining 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 […]
- The Reason Apple DominatesSpoiler 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. […]
- The simple way computers workExplain 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 […]
- WIFI made simpleExplaining 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 […]
- The first portable storage devicesAll 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 […]
- Modems made simpleYour 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 […]
- 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 […]
- Hey, what’s 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 […]
- Explain Open Source Software like I’m 5Open 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 […]
- Yo, what’s 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 […]
- Storyworthy – Matthew DicksReview coming soon
- Stop Struggling for Content9 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 […]
- 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 […]
- How to Take Smart Notes – Book Notes(affiliate) Purchase How to Take Smart Notes. Start taking meaningful notes
- Hemingway App – The Definitive GuideHemingway 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 […]
- Online Growth, Recognizing Your Next MoveThere’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 […]
- 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 […]
- Growing Brands with Decade InvestorIn 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 […]