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

One is Many

November 13, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode 563 November 16, 2019 i am fascinated with words that have two meanings or things that do multiple tasks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdFD6U5zQc The word “marked” indicates something that has a mark on it, such as “marked playing cards.” The word “marked” tells of a notable event, such as “a marked change in her attitude.” “Marked” (in the second meaning) is sometimes even pronounced differently, such as “mar-ked”, yet "marked" is still one word. The right click on a computer mouse is a single action that evokes a number of different results. The menu that appears with a right click is called...
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Puzzles

November 6, 2019 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode 562 November 9, 2019 Puzzles keep your mind alive. Navigating life is like the turns in a maze. Every decision we make takes us down another path. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YSSO_cS_6E “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the...
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Dynamic

October 31, 2019 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode 561 November 2, 2019 Projects, tasks and procedures are dynamic. We are taught in school to follow step by step procedures to accomplish a goal or arrive at a conclusion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mpGsTORq5o This is OK if you memorize how to do everything all the time wherever you are. Maybe that is the point of Google. Prior to starting any project we can Google a YouTube and see how it is done… no memorization necessary. The trouble is that even in YouTube there is more than one way to proceed for every task. Playing a project flexibly by ear is the...
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Fear

October 21, 2019 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode 560 October 26, 2019 Some people fear technology. It is mysterious. Some people say that some technology is inscrutable and therefore cannot be learned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5U7b_E14cE i liken the fear of technology to when i walked into a Best Buy for the first time. i stood in the entrance. My mouth dropped open slightly. i actually sighed with trepidation. Sitting at the door was a Best Buy employee who greeted me cheerfully. That made me feel better. He was wearing a blue shirt. As i scanned the store i saw other people in blue shirts standing around. Good to know....
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A Trip to Catalina

October 16, 2019 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode 559 October 19, 2019 Every time Apple releases a new operating system i have advised my clients to wait. This used to be every two years, but now it is every year. This year Apple has released macOS 10.15 Catalina. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I7zMKptjRs It is a very major new version upgrade because Catalina no longer supports 32 bit applications. An operating system that only supports 64 bit applications means that some of your software might not work. You can see which of your software is 32 bit in: Apple menu > About This Mac > System Report… > Software > Applications...
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Aggregators

October 9, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode 558 October 12, 2019 Humans aggregate everything. We are pack rats for knowledge. Our computers have taken our propensity for hoarding and turned it into a guidebook for life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XLV8cBbG1o Social media aggregates community. Religion aggregates faith. Education teaches critical thinking so we can aggregate truth. Computers aggregate information. We have delegated aggregation to our machines. All our communications are aggregated by our phones. Email, text, voice, tweets, posts and social media are all located in one place. Our creative expression is aggregated in the computer. Gone are the days of paper and pen. i used to write poetry...
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