ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW Review

By | February 14, 2016

After three years of using my trusty Vaio laptop, the time had finally come to replace it.  The Vaio has been a great laptop for me, but it was starting to show its age.  When I bought the Vaio, its intended use was to be a desktop replacement when I wasn’t at the office.  Its large 17.3″ screen… Read More »

marc

LUKS Encrypted SSD under Ubuntu 14.04

By | February 11, 2016

So, after upgrading my laptop a couple weeks ago I found myself with a “spare” 960GB SSD from my old laptop.  Since the new laptop uses an M.2 PCIE SSD and has no room for expansion, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to replace the WD Black hard drive I use as secondary storage in my… Read More »

marc

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited – Great idea, bad implementation

By | May 21, 2015

Its no secret that I like Amazon and their services.  There are a lot of things they do much better than their competition, but there are also quite a few things that could use some re-thinking. As I mentioned in my Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet Review, one of the compelling reasons to purchase the Fire tablets was… Read More »

marc

Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet Review

By | April 24, 2015

Last fall, Amazon introduced its new Kindle Fire lineup, and we very excited by the new Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet for our soon to be 4 year old, Alex.  We ordered it immediately and tucked it away for Alex’s birthday in December. The features that they claimed are why we bought it: 2 Year unconditional warranty against… Read More »

marc

Amazon Fire Stick vs Roku 3

By | April 15, 2015

So back in December, Amazon was running a promo for Prime members to purchase the new Fire TV Stick for 50% off, making it just about $21 after tax.  I couldn’t pass up that offer.  After using it for a little while now, I figured I would give a review of it. Before getting started, though, I’ll point out… Read More »

marc

Software Design Principals – For Users

By | April 15, 2015

I’ve been chewing on this since the latest Android update hit Jessica and my phones, and I posted about it here.  Basically, software design has gotten crazy over the last few years.  With technology going mainstream, and most people carrying computers in their pockets in the form of a smartphone, software design is much less of an art… Read More »

marc

Dear Google, Stop it.

By | April 15, 2015

Dear Google, Stop it. Stop what, you ask?  Stop being so damned arrogant.  You’ve forgotten your own motto, “Don’t Be Evil” and you’ve missed sight of what made you the tech giant you are today. I write this because yesterday, T-Mobile released Android 5.0.1 for the LG-G3 as an over the air (OTA) update.  Jessica and I both… Read More »

marc

Why I Just Bought a Nexus 7 2013

By | August 8, 2014

I’ve had a Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for about three and a half years.  Its been a great performer for me, and we’ve put it through a lot of abuse.  We used it for watching movies, checking email, keeping our (then) toddler entertained, writing documents, and all the other things that tablets are great for.  As one of… Read More »

marc

Oh, Comcast how I wish I could quit you

By | June 24, 2014

No, really, I wish I could quit you.  Unfortunately, cable service is effectively a monopoly in most places.  You’re the only company that can provide half way decent Internet speeds, and the only company that allows me to use a cable card for my MythTV setup. Why, oh, why do you make it so painfully frustrating whenever you call… Read More »

marc

Fixing My Parents Network Part 1

By | June 17, 2014

A couple months ago, my parents finally replaced their old Sony console TV (a tube TV) with a bright shiny new Samsung 60″ Smart TV.  Its a thing of beauty.  The picture is crisp and sharp and has excellent color.  Being one of Samsung’s Smart TV’s, it also has networking capabilities and can stream things from the Internet.… Read More »

marc