the iMentor

Hints & rants

This weB-LOG is about the musing of a technical consultant. It is the iMentor's thoughts on technology and the human condition.

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Author: Rick Thues

Five senses

February 3, 2020 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #575 February 8, 2020 There are five traditional human body senses: Sight, Hearing, Taste, Smell and Touch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLLMAaf0l1I In our quest to make our machines human companions we endue them with human characteristics. An important aspect of Artificial Intellegence is the machine’s interface with the world. In that quest we program our computers with senses. Sight Video cameras are obvious computer eyes. Spacial recognition software can isolate and identify shapes in a video stream. In “Star Trek: The Next Generation” the engineer Geordi La Forge was blind. He was equipped with a VISOR that allowed him to see light...
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Office Suite

January 27, 2020 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #574 February 1, 2020   i no longer use an office suite.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwGrC0KicSo Office suites consist of word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps. Some include email, contact and calendar integration. Microsoft Office is the standard for office suites. MS Word is the word processor’s word processor. MS Excel is the most featureful of spreadsheet apps. MS Powerpoint is the slide presentation software that has bored millions over the years. Office also integrates Outlook into the suite. Outlook provides a robust email program, address book and calendar. I like to pick and choose my Office apps for...
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Rule of Three

January 22, 2020 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #573 January 25,2020 It is a joke between my wife and i that men can only remember three things at a time. i even use a trick of threes when entering or leaving my car. Do i have my keys? Do i have my phone? Do i have my fanny pack? If i can count to three, i am prepared to drive or shop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJjU0eWnKgg It turns out that all humans can only remember 3 or 4 things in active memory. Active memory is that part of long term memory that you can act upon right now. Humans respect...
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Save and Save As

January 15, 2020 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #572 January 18, 2020 As i have said many times before, knowing where your data is stored is a measure of a skilled user. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYdCzs5uPrI When working on a document it is important to Save it as soon as possible. There are three questions that must be answered when saving a document. What do you want to name the document? What file format will the document be saved in? Where will you save (store) the document? What Name? Most users answer the first question by naming the document. On a Mac, the limit for a file name is 32...
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It’s Invisible

January 6, 2020 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode 571 January 11, 2020 Some things are right in front of you and cannot be seen. They may not be obvious. They may be disguised. They may be invisible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj8MV2r8XdE On your Macintosh computer’s hard drive are thousands of invisible files. These are essential system files that Apple would rather you not see. Deleting or modifying such files can break the operating system. Messing with invisible Library or preference files can break the databases they support. The Mail folder in your User Library is a good example of an invisible file that should not be touched. The Mail app on...
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Internet Connection

December 31, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode 570 January 4, 2020 How do you connect to the Internet? My iPhone connects to T-Mobile’s cell towers. When i am home my iPhone, iPads and computer connect to my WiFi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz_RAud0els When connected to WiFi the iPhone does not use the T-Mobile cell connection. WiFi has priority on iPhones and iPads. The other day i was in town with three bars on my cellular connection, yet i could not get the Internet. i noticed that i was also connected to a regional ATT WiMax terrestrial WiFi hot spot. Since i no longer subscribe to ATT the connection did not...
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