Year: 2017

An Organized Desktop is an Organized Mind

By Laura Jean On In Tech Tips

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I finally have real-world use case for Virtual Desktops.

I will preface this by admitting that I’m a simple user. Or so I thought. I have 2 monitors, on which there is a specific organization. Outlook takes up ~65% of my right monitor, full-screen justified to the left. Desktop shortcuts and items (of which there are under a dozen) are found only on my left and primary monitor. As you might have guessed, I do IT-related things; namely, I remote into servers and computers. When that activity begins, I full-screen it on my right monitor, to allow active note-taking or email previews to populate on the left. This may be useless for you to follow, but I aim to exemplify that there is already some method to my madness.

Don’t Let Your Password be Hacked!

By Sean Christopher On In Tech Tips

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Ever see someone’s Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Gmail/Yahoo (need I go on?) randomly start sending out weird ads? This usually means the account has been compromised (aka, hacked). Passwords are getting hacked in record numbers right now; major breaches to corporations are daily headlines. And you need to be aware of how to prevent it. This blog is going to highlight simple ways to avoid the time, energy and embarrassment of having your passwords hacked.

The Arrival of A.I. (No-One Is Ready For It)

By Laura Jean On In Fun Stuff

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There has always been a lot of talk of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) within the tech community; a blend of fantasy and anxious anticipation for all the things it could do for humanity. From the start of the Industrial Age, humans have imagined a time in which machines and robots perform our mundane tasks. We dreamed of robots to clean our homes, tend to our crops, assist us in late age. In a lot of ways, these are all great things and we have practically arrived at this new reality. Albeit without the humanoid robots walking around restaurants asking us if we’d like more coffee…

Face Pulls: An Exercise

By Will Jay On In Fun Stuff, Misc

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I’m bad about doing exercise that work the muscles of the back outside of whole-body movements like deadlift. It’s much easier to perform an exercise confidently when you can see what you’re doing and make adjustments, a la bicep curls or squats, but working things on the backside of your body is an entirely different beast. Compound that difficulty with something like an imbalance or injury and you’ve got yourself the perfect recipe long-term gym morose. This is why I tend to incorporate additional simple prehabilitation movements to address imbalances as needed. The face pull is one such exercise, and one that most people should probably be doing with some frequency.

Bye, Chicago!

By Kristin Imperio On In Fun Stuff, Misc

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I always to try to write my blog post using the following criteria: 1) something [somewhat] tech-related 2) what’s currently happening in life 3) something I’m interested in sharing.  For me, these rules help keep it true to heart, which makes blogging so much easier.  Though #1 may not qualify for this specific post, I wanted to share that I am moving to Portland, OR toward the end of April!  Lucky for me, I get to keep my job as a Bird, which seems to be one of the only constants in this big life change.  36 years is enough time in IL – it’s time to extend my swing span!

Netflix and Podcasts and Resolutions

By Laura Jean On In Fun Stuff

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When the new year started, I resolved to pay more attention to media. Why is everyone always talking about Netflix? What’s a Podcast? Finding time for these things has been my biggest hurdle, but it’s going well. I listen to Podcasts at the gym (because I also resolved to start hitting the gym), and managed to watch a couple episodes (because seasons are daunting) of new TV.

SLOW COMPUTER?

By Sean Christopher On In Tech Tips

Royalty-free clipart picture of an angry computer support worker baning his fists on his desk, on a white background. The PNG version includes a transparent background.

Do you feel like half your day is spent watching your status bar load? Is the frustration starting to take over your daily life? It’s a common problem to have a “slow computer,” but not always easy to pinpoint.  Here are some tips to help you eliminate some of these issues and work more efficiently. Hopefully you use some of these tips before physically harming your machine…. I’m semi-kidding.

The Age of Corporate Spying

By Laura Jean On In Tech Tips

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Yes, I said it: corporate spying. This will no doubt conjure images of big dark rooms filled with desks and cubicles; hooded figures tapping on keyboards wearing OJ Simpson style gloves; and monitors everywhere. I assure you that this image isn’t too far off from reality. Just ditch the gloves and light the room to discover a smartly decorated workspace, where those hooded figures wear ironic tee shirts and flip-flops.