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

Presentations

December 29, 2019 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode 569 December 28, 2019 The first presentation program available on a consumer computer was Powerpoint. At first it was used to produce 35mm slides but soon became the go-to app for projector slide presentations. It was released in 1987 by Forethought, Inc. for Macintosh only. Microsoft bought Powerpoint three months later for 14 million dollars. Powerpoint was part of the suite of programs called “Microsoft Office” for the Mac, released in 1989. Powerpoint became a standard for electronic slide show presentations when included in Office for Windows in 1990. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPDl9yKSnDE A presentation application replaced overhead transparencies. At first it...
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Word Processors

December 16, 2019 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode 568 December 21, 2019 One of the first applications available on a computer was part of MS-DOS. It was a line processor called “Edlin”. This program allowed the user to edit an entire line of a text file. Typing 1,6L (for example) would list lines 1 through 6. The editor could replace a line, delete a line or insert a line using a handful of commands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIWY8UyW9bw A text processor application is an electronic version of a typewriter without the need for retyping or type white to change the text. Working with Edlin gave the user great flexibility with text...
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SpreadSheets

December 10, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode 567 December 14, 2019 One of the first applications available on a computer was a spreadsheet program called Lotus 1-2-3. This was meant to replace the grid paper that accountants used to do calculations and keep financial records. A spreadsheet application is an electronic version of gridded paper which does the math for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7KuJZanjCY My old boss Mike came from an accounting background and started with paper spreadsheets. When he created a paper spreadsheet the field in the lower right corner was always a “foot” that contained the sum of the bottom row and the sum of the...
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Passwords Again?

December 4, 2019 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode 566 December 7, 2019 This bLog has discussed passwords many times, yet knowing passwords remains a challenge for most users. As human beings we know 20,000 words and use 5,000 of them while routinely speaking or writing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w-1MR1E6so Why is it so hard to remember the 5 or 6 passwords we use all the time? The main reason people do not know their passwords is that we teach our computers to remember them for us. When setting up email we tell the mail app to remember our email password. When setting up a computer for the first time we...
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To Grandmother’s House

November 27, 2019 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode 565 November 30, 2019 How did you get to Grandma’s house this Thanksgiving? “Over the river and through the woods?” Did  the “horse know the [Waze] to carry the sleigh, through (the) white and drifted snow?” Was “the pudding done? Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLSHSVNvbto i have so many options for finding my way to Grandma’s house. My plan was to pick up the pumpkin pie on the way, avoid the traffic and the weather and arrive on time to “Grandmother’s cap i spy!” My first inclination is to ask Siri on my iPhone how to get to...
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Don’t Leave Home Without It

November 19, 2019 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode 564 November 23, 2019 In days gone by, would you have left home without your keys, ID, money, address book and calendar? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8Ttbzqdns Nowadays you only have to remember to bring your phone. An iPhone can lock and open the front door of your house. It allows you to drive your Tesla. Passwords that admit you to virtual locations, such as your bank, shopping and other websites, are stored in the iPhone. In California, a bill was passed in 2015 to study the feasibility of a digital driver’s license app, but was vetoed by the Governor. In Arkansas digital...
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