The Tech Guy Blog

Things to Accompany Your Camera For Creating Videos

If you're looking to create videos and short films/skits (for Youtube or just your school), don't shy away from buying a tripod with your dedicated camera. Keeping your camcorder stable makes a world of difference in the feel of your video. Plus, getting some lighting equipment can illuminate your subjects in dramatic ways that the sun, moon, or room light simply can't. A good microphone and audio equipment can make your dialogue sound more clear than the camera's built-in mic is capable of.

Go to HaveIBeenPwned to Check Possibly Compromised Data

The website "Have I Been Pwned", or HIBP, was created by Microsoft Regional Director Troy Hunt as a free resource for the public to check if their personal data had been compromised by a breach on the internet. You can visit HaveIBeenPwned.com and enter your email address or account password to see if either had been involved in a data breach. The way Troy has built the site ensures visitors can enter their passwords safely and securely.

Reducing Those Overwhelming Ads on Youtube

Youtube has been overwhelmed with plenty of advertisements during videos these days. They've increased it so badly, they're likely trying to annoy users into subscribing to Youtube Premium, a $12/mo subscription service that also comes with Youtube Music. It's up to you whether you want to bite their lure, but you can also block ads at the DNS level via NextDNS. If you have an Android phone, Firefox Focus works as an ad blocker and can possibly filter out Youtube commercials. Give it a try!

What To Do With Old Computers?

There are many things you can do with old computers. Obviously, the easiest thing to do it properly dispose of it through an e-waste program. Of course, make sure you properly back up and wipe your drive before disposing of the computer.

But what if you want to re-purpose the machine for something else? There are many things you can do to re-purpose the computer for something else:

Have Your Windows PC Speak the Time of Day

Sometimes, we are just too lazy/preoccupied to use our eyes to check the time. If you want your Windows 10 PC to tell you the time of day audibly, check out this article at makeuseof.com for the Visual Basic script that can add the feature manually with Task Scheduler. With those settings, your PC will have the default text-to-speech voice announce the time of day indefinitely and repeatedly every hour.

Use Apple's Family Sharing With Up to 5 Others Members

If you want to let a family member use some of your favorite apps, media content, and iCloud storage, use Apple Family Sharing. It lets you share stuff with up to five family members, from music to TV+ movies. This is also useful for letting family members use your device without letting them know your individual Apple ID. As an adult (the organizer), just invite the others to join, then select which services can be shared. The other members still see their own personal content and recommendations personalized for their Apple IDs.

Print Wirelessly With Your Chromebook in 2021

Unfortunately, Google has killed their Cloud Print service (like many of their projects) at the end of 2020. Other products like directprint.io and PaperCut are possible alternatives. But see if your printer is still compatible by going into your Chromebook's advanced settings, click "printers" under "printing", and check if the printer can be added. Both devices must be on the same WiFi network in your home. If things aren't working out wirelessly, use a USB cable to connect to the printer.

Automatically Turn On PC After Shutdown During Remote Work.

A lot of us are remoting into our work PCs these days (for safety WFH reasons), but what do we do when our computer inadvertently shuts down and can't be rebooted without a physical power button press? Take a look at the BIOS settings and search for power management options. Locate a setting for "Reboot/Restore On Power Loss" or something similarly named. BIOS settings depend on the manufacturer of the personal computer, so you might have to wiggle around for the exact name of the option.

Don't Use a "Free" or Super-Cheap VPN Service

A VPN is a way to mask an online user's physical location, which is a great way to maintain privacy and security....while also allowing one to watch TV & Netflix in another country (Japan)! VPNs do what "incognito modes" in browsers don't. However, you don't want to sign up for a super low-cost or free VPN service, as those can be quite suspicious. They have to be making money somehow, and it is likely by selling user information (sort of the antithesis of what VPN users want).

Brilliant Ideas Aren't the Key...the Implementation Is.

If you're thinking of a million-dollar idea but need someone to program it, there's a risk or three. The programmer could technically rip off your idea and write the app/code himself/herself. Another issue could be the programmers you hire can totally **** the bed attempting to make your idea come to life, resulting in wasted time and/or money. The brilliant idea is not the key, since ideas are a dime a dozen. The key is implementation and execution. Learning to code will give you an advantage on the road to success, so you have more control in bringing your plan to fruition.   

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