We’ve all been bitten by the bug before. You get in to the office and notice Stewart in HR has 2 brand new wide screen monitors sitting at his desk; “It increases productivity by 30%!” he says justifying the purchase. Though there is some truth to the gains from dual monitors and other technical upgrades they can also serve as the catalyst for what I like to call “Tech Creep”. It’s easy to see the new shiny gadget your co-worker gets but it’s not long until everyone in the office is requesting their upgrade and complaining about how slow their computers are. Though many of these upgrades may be completely warranted it’s good to cover a few points before opening the ol’ pocket book and shelling out for the latest tech.
Unprogrammed 10: IT As A Ministry
It’s easy to find yourself jaded and alone when working in the IT industry.
Changing the way you look at your role can drastically effect your work environment in a positive way.
This week I talk about seeing IT as a ministry and how we can make a big difference in the lives of the users we serve.
Mac vs Ransomware: Why You Should Be Paying Attention
This month saw the release and “capture” of the first real Ransomware attack on the Mac platform.
Palo Alto released a statement on what is being called the “KeRanger” Ransomware attack, a malicious utility that encrypts the data on your Mac and then demands payment in order to decrypt. Though Ransomware is not a new threat having it find it’s way on to the Mac OS is. Apple has rightfully boasted advanced security on their system for years and with very few threats ever making the news it’s users have lived a fairly worry-free technical existence. Though Apple may have things locked down more than other operating systems that doesn’t make them invulnerable and their biggest threat also comes from their largest asset: Their growth and innovation.
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Minecraft: Education Edition
If you had any doubts, Minecraft is here to stay.
In my time as a SysAdmin for a private K-12 in Texas, I was able to get first hand experience in seeing the adoption of Minecraft as a learning tool for the High School programming class. Beyond the class, students campus wide were talking about their latest builds, hacks, mods and griefing adventures; they had found a new community and were learning to explore it together.
Speaking to the teachers (and subbing myself a few times), I was able to here of and see the excitement from the kids when they were given an assignment. This wasn’t just school anymore, this was striking a chord with them. Fast forward 2 years and Microsoft begins releasing details of what they plan to do to take it a step further, “Minecraft: Education Edition.”
Why I Left Google Chrome After 6 Years
I finally said goodbye to Chrome.
After 6 years of championing it as the premier browser I had grown frustrated and distant . There were tears, heartache and questions galore; “How did this happen?”, “Was it something I did?”, “Was this inevitable?”. In the end it came down to my frustrations with performance during my day-to-day use. I have seen the benchmarks and Chrome performs better than most in general use and its ability to sync between platforms is second to none.
But I don’t put hardware or software through “general use”.
Account Switching Comes to Instagram
Social media managers rejoice, your prayers have been answered!
Instagram revealed in a blog post that Account Switching is on it’s way in the form of the version 7.15 update this week for iOS and Android devices this week (currently no word for Windows Phone users). This has been the most requested feature the company has received and for good reason. Until this update, those with multiple accounts (looking at you church social media manager) had to rely on 3rd-party tools (like this) or log out of their current user and then back in. Now you’ll be able to quickly switch between accounts on the fly!