Month: June 2021

Robot Vacuum Update!

By Kristin Imperio On In Fun Stuff

Before the pandemic, I wrote about my old Robovac, and how it seemed… dumb. To no one’s surprise, it continued to stay dumb, so much that I nicknamed it ‘Idiot’ and would kick it around to places that needed cleaning.

Well, about a month ago, I decided to upgrade to the Roborock S4 Max. Smartest move I’ve made in 2021 thus far, and probably the smartest machine I have in the house. Its website gushes on how intelligent this thing is, and I agree! The best thing about it is that maps the entire house, so it knows where it has cleaned, and doesn’t just operate endlessly until it runs out of battery. It’s also great at getting into corners and next to baseboards (the old one came close but was a little too careful). On the bottom of the device, there’s some sort of gadget (think like wheels on a military tank) that lifts up the vacuum so that it can free itself from rug tassels or power cords. It also talks, which is not necessary, but still fun and confuses the dog.

I give it a 5 out of 5. There’s a mopping vac available if that fits your needs!

Windows 11

By Will Jay On In Tech Tips

Up until a couple days ago, I was under the impression that Windows 10 was supposed to be the “final” version of Windows, with major iterations being released twice a year. This turned out not to be the case, as an early version of Windows 11 was recently leaked online just prior to the expected announcement of the OS at a Microsoft event scheduled for June 24th. I have yet to personally install it (who knows what the leaker might have hid in it), but based on what others are reporting, it appears to be a re-skin of Windows 10 with some minor updates to usability.

News and Interests

By Alex Robert On In Tech Tips

A new “feature” is coming to a Windows desktop near you. That actually wasn’t an ironic use of the word, as this isn’t a bug passed off as an intentional function as some Windows “features” often are. You may have already noticed an addition to your Windows taskbar. Microsoft is rolling out the “News and Interests” widget to the latest versions of Windows. By default, it will appear in the bottom right of your task bar. An icon representing the current state of the weather and the temperature will be displayed. If you mouse over it, a dashboard of various tiles that contain news stories, stock prices, and traffic info will pop open.

Live Your Best Sleep Life!

By Michael Gregory On In Fun Stuff

If you’re like me, you have a love-hate relationship with your sleep life. You love sleeping, and you hate not feeling like you’re getting enough sleep. I’ve known I was a night-owl for most of my life, easily staying up late and sleeping in. I am NOT a morning person.

Years ago, in an effort to also help combat onset insomnia (difficulty falling asleep), I began using an Android app (sorry iPhone users, not iOS version) called Sleep as Android. It runs while you sleep and uses device accelerometers to measure movement and deduce what state of sleep you are in. Additionally, it can time alarms to go off early so that it wakes you when you’re in a lighter sleep phase, meaning you don’t wake up groggy.

New Computer, Who Dis?

By Sean Christopher On In Tech Tips

One of the many perks of being in IT is that sometimes you’re able to get demo or NFR (not for resale) products. Vendors want you to show off hardware and ideally sell them to clients. Well, it just so happens that the Surface 4 Laptop was released as I needed a new laptop. My Dell had a great run, and while I haven’t had any issues with it, it’s time for an upgrade. I’ve been a big fan of the Surface series since Day 1 – I’m talking the tablet version with the cheap click-on keyboards. I had one of those back in the day, and never went the Surface route again… until now. Let me tell you a little bit about the new love of my life.