TYPES OF MICROSOFT EXCEL SPREADSHEETS

MICROSOFT EXCEL - A spreadsheet program that uses tables to record and analyze numerical and statistical data with formulas and functions. It can also be used for anything that requires a table.

Examples

 
Numeric tables. Record miles traveled for a job or trip - Uber driver or Lyft driver

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Date
Uber Fares
Lyft Fares
Daily Total
Start Miles
End Miles
Total Miles
Uber Miles
Lyft Miles
Transit Miles


Data table. Job search record

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Week Starting
Week Ending
Contact Date
Position Applied for
Business name
Name and title of person contacted (If Known)
Method of contact (In person, phone, email, etc)
Contact Information for Method of contact listed (address, phone #, email, web site url)
Result of contact (If known) (Interview, waiting for response, not hired)
City

T-MOBILE WAS HACKED IN AUGUST 2021

 T-mobile was hacked in August 2021 by a "professional" hacker.  It is not clear if the information he stole has been released to the dark web.  This effects over 40 Million people.  Information included full social security numbers and Drivers License numbers.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS EFFECTS BOTH CURRENT AND PREVIOUS T-MOBILE CUSTOMERS.

In one case that I personally know of, the person was a customer back in the 1990's but has since left that provider.  Her personal information was stolen.  The repercussions of this is that once you provide your information, it is never deleted.

What can you do if you suspect your information was compromised.

1.  Lock your credit -  Equifax, Experian and Transunion (one from each company) can be locked so that no new lines of credit can be opened in your name.  The downfall for this is if you need to open a new line of credit such as for a new car, etc, you will need to unfreeze your credit

2.  Use a credit monitoring service.  Some banks are now offering this as a service.

3.  Use an identity theft monitoring service.

4.  Make sure you are getting your yearly free credit reports.

I anticipate that there will be several class action law suits.

SMART HOME TECH - AN IDEA NOT QUITE READY

So I've tried several different smart home solutions. From plugs to lights.

My main beef with smart home tech is that they need to stay connected to your home wifi system. Any interruption causes the devices to go unresponsive. Lights won't turn on or change color. Power switches won't turn on or off. I've tried a few different devices and they all suffer the same frustrating problem. They all stop responding at some point and they need a reset.

By restart, I mean they need to be powered off or unplugged. In the case of lights, simply turn the light fixture off. For plugs, you need to unplug them, then plug them in and wait until they link to wifi. In my case, I have a floor lamp positioned just behind my tv. When it stops responding, I need to tip it around the TV and turn the power off and then turn it back on in a few seconds.

    Note to manufacturers. Have the devices do a daily self-power reset. That might reduce the problem. Or, design a fault tolerance circuit that detects when a wifi signal has been lost for a period of time and recycles the device power. 

Smart home tech is not new. The ability to remote control home systems has been around for years, but no one seems to have perfected it yet. I remember episodes in TV shows where people try to control their home and hilarity ensues. Window shutters open and close at random. Heat turns on and off at random. The TV turns on by itself and the volume is insane.

It's going to be a long time before I fully trust these systems. And if companies can't get these little things right, imagine them working on automating your car.
 
UPDATE:  I purchased a device in August that detects when a loss of internet connectivity is detected.  I've been testing the device since then and been happy with the results.  It's a plug that monitors the internet signal and when it loses a connection to the internet, it resets my modem and my router.  It also sends a text once a connection has been reestablished. 

COMPUTERS AREN'T GETTING ANY FASTER

 When it comes to processor speed, we haven't had a breakthrough in years. It all comes down to heat. For a number of years, processors got faster and faster. Companies got better at cramming more and more speed into their chips. However, I we've hit the proverbial speed barrier.

 

Where previously, system speeds were doubling every few years, we have not had a major improvement in several years. It's honestly not necessary to spend money on a new system when systems 4-5 years old are capable of doing the job just fine.

 

Companies need to evaluate their expenses and the actual cost benefit to buying new equipment every couple years. Where changes were constant and new speeds improved operations, today there really isn't a need to spend a lot of money on hardware.

 

Instead, companies should concentrate on software and personnel and consider operating system updates as they come out instead of a full system replacement.

 

On the personal user side, as long as your system can be kept up to date, for the operating system it should be fine.

APPLE WATCH - Review

IS THE APPLE WATCH WORTH THE HYPE? I have used the Apple 4 watch for few years now. I have tried most of its features and found some good uses and some irritations. I'll review the WI-FI Edition as that is the one that I have.

BATTERY LIFE. Just wearing the watch across the normal part of the day causes the battery to lose a lot of life. For example. just sleeping with it on will drain 30-40% of battery life overnight. You can disable various functions and prolong the life such as turning the motion sensors off, but if you're like me and trying to track my sleep, then it's a fast drain. Another tip is to turn off the Wi-Fi until you need it. 

FITNESS. I like the way it tracks my swimming. The pool at my gym is approximately 13 yards long. When I set the watch to that length and test the distance of one lap from the watch, it keeps a good count. Also, swimming additional laps and keeping track of the lap count proves it's accurate over the entire workout. However, using the watch in my entire workout causes a faster drain on the battery. Walking and running are also pretty accurate.

TIP. If you press the crown, it activates Siri. This happens at random when you're just wearing the watch. I've learned to use the water lock feature unless I'm actively changing a function. The downfall here is you first need to unlock the watch before you can review other features. This isn't specific to just the Apple Watch. Other watches also activate at random and need to be locked as well.

HEALTH. The heart rate monitor works like many other watches available on the market. It takes your pulse. I bought another ($69.00) fit watch which I gave to my wife that boasts a blood pressure monitor. That's not present in the Apple Watch. The ECG feature is nice but comes with a disclaimer that it can't detect a atrial Fibrillation, so it's more of a gimmick than any real feature.

USED AS A WATCH. It tells time. That's about as close as I can get to a positive statement. Other less expensive watches boast a large number of watch face options. The Apple Watch has less than 10. Also, there is no way to upload and design other faces.

Overall, I use my Apple Watch every day, but the reality doesn't match the hype. It spends almost as much time on a charger as it does on my wrist. As for the cost, well, let's just say that Apple still owes me a steak diner, roses and a box of chocolates.

VIDEO: IS THE TEXT ON YOUR LAPTOP OR DESKTOP TOO SMALL

 

WHAT DO I NEED TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET

Don't let companies up sell you on equipment.  Get just what you need.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)- A company that will connect you to the internet.  Spectrum, Verizon, etc
Modem - A device that communicates with the internet
Router - A device that connects multiple devices to the modem

Note:  Some modems also contain a built in router

MODEMS IN DEPTH

A device that sits between your home network and your internet provider. You can’t access the internet without one because your devices and your provider’s network use different types of signals to send and receive data.

ROUTERS IN DEPTH

Wired Router - Allows a direct connection to the router which reduces interruptions or loss of signal
Wireless router - Allows multiple devices to connect to the router
Mesh Router - Allows you to place a few routers in your home in order to extend the signal.  Used in homes with metal or interference, and or larger homes or offices.

Note:  Most routers are a combination of wired and wireless.  You can use either method to connect

ADVANCED CONCEPT  Most current home routers contain a switchboard that allow multiple devices to connect.

 CONCLUSION

A modem offers a single connection to the internet.  Think of it as the main pipe of water to your house.  The Router allows several  connections to the modem.  These are the other pipes that branch off.

WHAT INTERNET SPEED SHOULD YOU GET?

There are many choices, but the simple answer is, buy the cheapest plan that will give you what you need.

Using the chart above, here is a breakdown of how these speeds would work.

200 mbps - 2 - 4 continuous users moderate use.  Video streaming is good on a couple devices
400 mbps - 4 - 8 continuous users moderate to heavy use.  Video streaming is good on a few devices.  Ok for gaming
1 GBPS - 8+ continuous users moderate to VERY heavy use.  Video streaming is excellent on a few devices.  Heavy gaming