Andy TaylorBlackmagic Design, Computers, Consumer Electronics, Education, Entertainment, Hardware, Home Automation, Home Theater, Microsoft Windows 10, Netflix, Office, Review, Shopping, Technology Companies, Technology News, TechtalkRadio

New Show Added! “The Great Yawn” or Can They Make it Any Smaller!?

For this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Broadway, Shawn DeWeerd, Justin and Andy take a look at some changes Shawn made to the ATEM Mini from Black Magic Design and how the software for the Unit can give some added features he gives us a look at in the Video posted to the Blog and Website. Andy has wanted to do a segment on KMSB Fox 11 on Mini Form factor computers. Andy tells us about reaching out to MinisForum to take a look at the Mini Desktop only to be told by PR, go buy one! With the budget on the show he then reached out to Zotac which also produces Mini Desktop computers. The Marketing wizards responded with some questions which Andy answered and…They disappeared, never responding. Disappointed Andy decided to buy a Mini Desktop and went ahead and bought the ACE PC T11. A Mini Form Factor PC running Windows 10, Andy talks about the T11 and some of the reasons he is glad he went with this unit. Upgradability on the Storage, 4 USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet Port, MicroSD Slot, Included HDMI Cable and a VGA port are just a few of the reasons, the pricing was only at $140!

Check out Our Beginning Segment from This Weeks Show

The guys talk about the difference between the Raspberry PI Micro Computer and the Mini Form Factor in the Ace PC T11. Cnet shared a story about the Brave Browser and how many users are beginning to take a look at the features on this free browser. Shawn told us about this a few weeks ago and answers some questions regarding the ad and track blocking browser. Many users have been searching for info on Corona Virus, Covid-19 and that has opened up non reputable sites with disinformation and to get malware on users systems. Broadway reminds us to be careful with Vanity Websites. Andy reminds us the website for the CDC is CDC.Gov.

The guys talk about the Plex Server and while the service makes it possible to have many features Shawn talks about the downsides of connecting from Outside the Network. A Big question on digital privacy is opened up and Justin at this point has pretty much said maybe we are too concerned. The Guys play a round of Name That Term with Justin asking the guys to find the answer to the acronym, A Fun Segment! Just hearing Broadways frustrations is memorable!

For our Website of the Week, Justin shares with the guys a site they didn’t know about and are super happy to hear it is on the Web. Gary Larson the man behind the Far Side has never really embraced the web and is now sharing his funny looks at life at https://www.thefarside.com

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Andy TaylorComputers, Consumer Electronics, Education, Entertainment, Microsoft, Netflix, TechtalkRadio, Videos, , , , , , ,

Into The Mind of Bill

TechtalkRadio Original Crew
When we started the radio show, it was in Palm Springs on the KPSI-AM Station. Mike O’Brien, Bill Grace and I had heard that Bill Gates had a home not far away in Indian Wells and always wondered if he ever checked out the only Tech Show on the Radio in Palm Springs back then. We did get a guy named Bill Gates call into our show once but..not THE Bill Gates.

When we started the radio show, it was in Palm Springs on the KPSI-AM Station. Mike O’Brien, Bill Grace and I had heard that Bill Gates had a home not far away in Indian Wells and always wondered if he ever checked out the only Tech Show on the Radio in Palm Springs back then. We did get a guy named Bill Gates call into our show once but..not THE Bill Gates.

While I will have to juggle Downton Abbey, Rambo Last Blood and Ad Astra this weekend, I still have to be sure to catch Between Two Ferns: The Movie on Netflix. To be honest I have already snuck in about 15 minutes of it while at work and am still laughing.

Another Must see on Netflix this Weekend is Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates. The show is a 3 Part Documentary of Bill Gates, What got him started, what motivates him and of course his thoughts on where we are going with Technology. Let’s face it, Bill helped drive computer technology with the Windows Operating System in Homes and Small Business. We look forward to this one as well, but it will have to wait till I finish Between Two Ferns. – Andy

Andy TaylorApple, Computers, Facebook, Netflix, Online Tools, Safety, Technology News, TechtalkRadio, TTR Website, , ,

Is that Site Down?

In this Weeks Show we discussed the recent issues with Facebook and Instagram with widespread reports of the services being down which affected 2.3 Billion Users! Of course this drove traffic to Twitter, even Facebook itself took to Twitter to let users know that the services were facing a downtime. It’s amazing how many people felt disconnected and shared the frustrations on Twitter and Snapchat with Meme’s and the pondering what the user may have down to infuriate the FB Gods to be ignored when trying to login!

It wasn’t you or your fault that sites were having an outage although I did tell my 78 year Great Aunt Delores it was her that took them down and to stay off the Internet! While we still haven’t heard the story of why the Sites were on Timeout other sites have taken a similar turn this week including Apple, Verizon, YouTube and Gmail and its services.

There are a few online tools available as we discussed on this weeks show which can give you a head up if a Service/Site is having an issue. Apple features a System Control Panel giving you a quick look at the different services and display the areas of trouble and accessible to the general public. Check it out at the Apple System Status page.

There are a couple of sites which can give you a pretty good overview of the many services online and when they may be having issues:

  1. Is It Down Right Now – Gives you current status on Netflix, YouTube, Gmail, Facebook, Steam and many other services https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/
  2. Down – Type in the URL and it will tell you if it’s down https://down.com/
  3. Down Detector – This Site is easy to use however requires you to click through to get your answer https://downdetector.com

These will give you a good overview of a Sites Status.

Screen Shot of the System Status Screen at Apple
System Status Screen on the Apple Website

Andy TaylorAmazon Prime, Apple, Computers, Consumer Electronics, Entertainment, Hardware, Mac, Movies, Netflix, RockStar Games, TechtalkRadio, Tucson Computer Repair, Videos, , , , , , , ,

Now for Something Completely Different! New Show Posted!

TechtalkRadio – And Now for Something Completely Different

In this TechtalkRadio Episode, Justin and Andy begin with a discussion of Monty Pythons Flying Circus and how Netflix has added the shows to its library of entertainment. New shows such as Sam Esmail’s “Homecoming” and the return of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to Amazon Prime are discussed.

Justin and Andy talk about Repairing PC’s and Macs with Today’s Technology. Where can a consumer have a Mac-book repaired? The only solution in most cases for warranty and parts would be through an Apple Certified Repair shop. Not all is rosy with today’s Windows based laptops as many manufacturers have taken away user serviceable areas such as hard drives, memory and even batteries. What are the benefits of building your own PC? Can building your own still be done and which could be more expensive? Local Shops to Tucson like SWS and NOS Computers are great, Justin also recommends the PC Part Picker Website. Are Add-On Sound Cards still required?

Friend of the show, Mitch Goldstone from ScanMyPhotos.Com visits with TechtalkRadio to talk about the service available from the company. Protecting the photos and film from years past is a process made extremely easy with the services of the highly reviewed ScanMyPhotos.Com.  Mitch shares stories of photos which have been preserved in the digital format and why this is also a great gift idea for the holiday season. Technology has advanced the process over the years and in many cases Same Day Scanning is available. This can be great for memorial services or special events. Mitch talks about ScanMyPhotos and why the company takes great pride preserving these images.

Powering a Computer, Do you turn your computer off every night? Is the proper fix for a computer to basically, Turn it off and Turn it on? The guys discuss the idea of rebooting for solving problems. Justin talks about running multiple Operating Systems as a Virtual PC with VMware.

Justin talks about a game called GameDevTycoon from GreenHeart Games. Website of the Week is a look at a product that only because of the Internet could become huge, The Nose Warmer. Don’t Sneeze. The Website is at NoseWarmer.Com