Basics: Cell Phone & Data Access in the Dominican Republic

While in the Dominican Republic I made it my personal mission to gain data access on my smartphone. Over the years, this process has become easier as the companies have accommodated smartphone users. With an unlocked smartphone, you can get reliable and useful pre-paid cell phone and data access in the Dominican. I’ve learned a few things along the way that you’ll want to know if you plan to do this.

Airlines Are About to Make Flying Even More Painful

Flying is painful. The long waits. The difficult and intrusive security. The cramped feeling on flights. The nickle-and-diming checked bags. Now, this insanity is going to ratchet up to a new class of ticket below economy named “basic economy”. This new class of ticket appears to be finding widespread adoption among airlines, with United setting new lows. If your last class ticket is with United expect no chance at seat selection, no access to the overhead bin, and be forced to board the plane last.

Apple’s September 7, 2016 iPhone 7 Event

I regularly use a Macbook Pro for administration duties, a Magic Mouse v2, an Apple Wireless Keyboard, Apple Watch 1, and an iPhone 6s Plus. For the most part, I think these products are rock-solid and reliable (for what I do). Given this, every Apple announcement is generally met with great interest for me, mainly because I’ll probably be in there at 3am Eastern Time buying the next iPhone on Friday like many of you.

I Struggle With How Badly Technology People are Represented Online

Regularly, I read articles and blog posts, but I also see a good deal from people who represent my industry, namely the Computer Technical Service or MSP folks. What I’ve encountered, however, has me incredibly troubled. A number of folks online are purporting to represent us, when in fact they aren’t doing it well at all. This hit the tipping point when two of these people came together to make an insanely bad webcast, that I had to share it with you.

Highlighting the Good: Teksavvy

One familiar refrain amongst all Canadian Internet users when talking about service levels is “There’s nothing we can do”. We’re resigned to bad connections, routing devices that appear untested, over-priced services, phone systems that are truly hellish, and big companies that operate as if they were monopolies. In fact, you don’t have to go far to find horror stories. If you even look at the history of my blog, you’ll see that I write much more about negative topics than positive. The challenge, I find, is surfacing the good stories, so they can also compete for attention just as much. This is a story about Teksavvy.

Reviewing the PeakDesign Messenger Bag

As someone who works in I.T., but is also into photography, I rely on bags for everything. Most cheap bags (hasn’t everyone had an APC bag in I.T.?) are great for storing laptops but aren’t so great at photography gear. Camera bags too are often not meant for computer gear. Well, thanks to some good fortune, I came across PeakDesign and their EveryDay Messenger bag. Frankly, it was a challenge to tell if this was going to be great at what I needed until I bought the thing, so hopefully, if this is on your mind, I can help. Here are my thoughts on this bag.

Reviewing the Apex Computer Stand From Sano Creative

Dubbed “The World’s Best Laptop Stand”, the Apex Stand arrived as a Kickstarter project. The stand was wildly successful, gaining $417,515 in pledges. I liked the idea immediately. Laptops are quite literally a pain in our necks, and this stand appeared to offer a way to make using them more ergonomic. So, in September of 2014, I backed the project. With its arrival on Feb 29th, the project was realized in a speedy 181 days.

How To Spot a Fake or Scam Website

Often I hear this: “How am I supposed to know when I see a fake? They’re all so perfect!”. This familiar refrain is often followed by the person explaining how “computer illiterate” they are or some other version of that idea. The truth is, if you know what to look for, you can often tell that you’ve landed on a fake page. It’s important to learn that you have to suspect everything you see in a browser.

Helping Other I.T. Consulting Companies

The most amazing side effect of being in the technology business is working with all sorts of technical people. Most often, they work for manufacturers or vendors; but they sometimes branch out and start their own businesses. After more than 16 years as a consultant, I’ve learned a few things and sometimes get to pass on my “straight talk” to others who do what I’ve been doing so long. I want to do more of this when I can.