With Computers, Heat is Your Enemy

When it comes to computers, heat is an enemy. I recently visited my youngest son in Ohio and enjoyed an evening of watching him play Spider-Man 2. The way he has his PS5 set up is that it sits in a television stand below his TV. His stand has doors on it and so when he plays, he has to open the doors to make sure the console has enough airflow to remain cool. When he forgets to open the doors, it gets really hot and the PS5's fan sounds like a jet engine. Continuing to run the console could cause damage and render it useless.

When I worked in Research and Development at Sony Interactive Entertainment, the PlayStation 5 early development kits took many precautions to ensure they didn't overheat. I can't go into too many details because of my existing confidentiality agreement but we always worried. about heat. The consumer units have been designed to withstand a lot, but they are not designed to run in an enclosed space without proper cooling.

The PlayStation 5 is similar to high-end home computer systems. Both need to be appropriately cooled. This means ensuring there is good airflow around intake and exhaust vents. Dust needs to be cleaned from fans and airways. Basically you should constantly evaluate your computer setup and make sure nothing has changed that would create an overheating hazard.

Remembering Film Cameras

I think we take the ubiquity of digital cameras for granted. Sometimes we forget about the technology that existed before this new one. Yesterday I started reading a non-fiction book about mountain climbing. An up and coming climber had the chance to meet another famous climber. Someone pulled out a camera to capture the meeting. Only later did they discover the camera didn't have any film in it. Reading that reminded me of how much easier digital cameras have made our lives.

This morning I read an article about how archeologists are using declassified cold-war satellite photos of the Middle East to find ancient Roman forts and outposts. These finds are changing the way we view the Roman empire. The article went on to discuss how the pictures taken by the satellites made it back to earth. I just assumed pictures were taken using using early digital technology. Nope, they used film and would drop canisters that landed in the Pacific ocean. The US Air Force would then locate the film and pick it up for developing. A lot of the pictures were never found but most made it to analysts looking for something other than traces of ancient civilizations. Now we have satellites that can take a high-resolution photo and transmit the digital image to analysts in a matter of minutes.

Sometimes we look back into the past and reminisce about old technology like vinyl records and long for days of old. When it comes to photography, I prefer the new way. Our lives are greatly enhanced by charge-coupled devices (CCD) which make capturing digital images possible. We can take pictures in very little light without having to slow down shutter speeds to the point of endlessly blurry images. We are no longer relegated to a handful of pictures before having to change film canisters. Most importantly we have technology that makes what used to be mediocre photos look downright amazing. Yes, I like my digital camera. I'd say the only problem is that cameras are everywhere making it easy to get caught when you do something wrong. 

Paper vs. Eletronic Magazines

I have a notice on my desk that I received in the mail a few days ago. It is from ARRL which is the national association for amateur or ham radio. It is time to renew my membership and I have a choice to make. In the past, membership has paid for a monthly printed magazine. Now that will be an additional cost. If I don't elect to receive the printed magazine, an electronic version is available for just my annual membership dues.

I know I am old school but I still like to read printed magazines over electronic ones. Is it worth an extra $25/year and the associated environmental cost (think trees and gas to deliver the magazine)? For me I think it is and I'll illustrate why with examples of magazines I currently receive.

I have a free subscription to an electronic version of a sailing magazine. I'm not sure how I got on the list to receive it. Perhaps because I previously subscribed to the print magazine or because I had an article published in the magazine on ham radio and sailing. I'm not sure why, but I have it. I also have a subscription to the print version of another sailing magazine. Interestingly enough, I read the print magazine cover to cover every time I receive it. I will only glance through the electronic one and never read more than a single article if I read any at all. From this experience, it seems I prefer print.

I also have a subscription to National Geographic which comes in print form but also electronically. Every day I receive an e-mail with about a dozen article teasers. If I see something that interests me, I click on the link and read the article. Sometimes the articles are from a few years ago that appeared in the print magazine with updated information. Other times the articles are from an upcoming issue. When I receive the print magazine, I am finding that I have read about 60% of the articles already. Furthermore the electronic versions of the articles contain interactive presentations or movies that greatly enhance what comes in the print magazine. This experience has me rethinking my print subscription for National Geographic and going with just an electronic one.

I honestly wish all magazines would come like National Geographic. Instead of receiving something once a month, having a daily e-mail with interesting articles to read. I know my ARRL magazine will show up like the sailing one and I am afraid I will stop reading it without the print version. So until they figure out how to send frequent updates with articles found in the magazine, I'll shell out the extra $25/year.

Storing Electronic Files

Ever since my first computer I have had to work hard to best organize my electronic files. It started with school papers that I thought I would want to keep around forever. Then the problem seemed to explode as film cameras gave way to digital ones and I started storing photos on my computer. Throw in how to best keep e-mail messages and you can see how having a good filing system is required.

Back with my original computer I used floppy disks to store all my school papers. The documents never got very large and so I could use one disk for each class. Even if I still had those disks, I don't have a computer that can read them. Computer operating systems evolved to have a default storage directory or folder for your documents, appropriately named "Documents." There are also picture and movie folders. You can then nest folders inside of other folders to help you organize your electronic files even more.

In my pictures directory I have created a number of folders by subject. I have one folder that I use to store all the pictures of my grand kids and another for my trips to Disneyland. What happens when I take pictures of my grand kids at Disneyland? This is why it is important to have a good filing system. Unix and Linux allow you to easily create symbolic links. This means you can have one file with links to that single file appearing in multiple directories. Unfortunately that is a lot of work to set up when I am just dumping photos onto my computer. Instead I just know all photos related to a trip will appear in the trip folder even if they contain pictures of my grand kids. The "Grand Kids" folder is just the repository for all other pictures of my favorite little people.

What about multiple trips to Disneyland? That is easy. I have a top folder named, "Disneyland," with sub folders inside listing the dates of each trip. I should probably do something similar with my grand kids folder so I know which kid is who while I can still remember. Once kids get older they become much more difficult to differentiate between siblings. I'll save that for another day.

Finally there is the dreaded e-mail organization. I am one of those people that just keeps everything important in my "inbox" until it is no longer needed. Speaking from experience, that is a horrible way to store e-mail. Every week or so, I will go through and delete unneeded e-mails. I also have other mailboxes that relate to major categories. My work e-mail has a mailbox for each project I am working on. My personal e-mail has categories like skiing or Sony, should I receive a work e-mail in my personal account. About once a week, I take an hour and go through both e-mail accounts and move messages from my inboxes to appropriate mailboxes. A lot of the time I will delete messages as they become irrelevant. If I am really on top of things, I will move a message into the appropriate mailbox as soon as it comes in, which is ideal.

So what is your best electronic file storage tip? I'd be interested to know as it may help me. I'm sure others would be interested too. 

Video Games for Younger Kids

My 6-year old grandson loves to come over and play video games. This is not a new thing as he has done it for the past couple of years. Sunday when he came over, it took him all of 3 seconds after walking in the door to ask to play video games. Of course we spent some time with everyone eating a nice dinner my wife prepared. Then after my grandson helped with dishes, we headed into the TV room and played, "Lego Harry Potter Collection."

The Lego-branded video games are a cross between dexterity and puzzle solving. That means I wouldn't start with it for smaller kids. There are much better choices. One of the launch games for the PS4 was Knack and while created to show off the new features of the console, It is a great game for kids. I actually prefer Knack II for younger kids and think most 4-year olds can pick it up easily when playing with someone older in 2-player mode. It has the advantage that if one player is new and doesn't know where to go, the player is transported to the same location as the more advanced player. This feature comes in handy when the youngster surpasses the adult in ability.

I find that when I complete a video game, I am not eager to repeat it. That isn't the case with young children. My grandson has completed Knack II and we are back at it again going through the story one more time. That is important to remember as an expensive game will get more than one play through. Unfortunately the Knack series of games is only available on the PlayStation consoles.

Another game that my grandson loves to play is another PlayStation exclusive called, "Sackboy A Big Adventure." It is part of the Little Big Planet series of games and is another great game for 2 people to play. He started playing it with his dad but knows that I also own the game and he will sometimes ask to play it when he comes over. This is one game where my grandson is better at it than I am.

My son won a contest at work and received a Nintendo Switch console so he has that in addition to a PlayStation 5. Before I started working at Sony, we had a Nintendo 64 that my kids grew up playing. There is a lot of content specific to the Nintendo platforms that is great for smaller children. When I go over to my grandson's house, he is always trying to get me to play on the Nintendo. I think the current favorite is Super Mario 3D World. Then there is always Mario Kart that everyone loves.

Video games can be addicting and so it is important to set limits, especially with small children. An hour a day is about the maximum amount you should allow and it doesn't need to be a daily ritual. I play with my grandson only about once a week. I also would not start a game and then abandon a small child to play alone. I look at video games as a way to bond with the younger generation and it is something I can do with my grandchildren now. I don't know how long it will last but it is fun and one of the reasons my grandson loves coming over.

A Virtual Doctor Visit

Every 6 months I get to visit with my doctor and get a checkup. This morning I got a text from the doctor's office saying that my doctor was ill and wouldn't be in the office today. Instead I had the option of visiting with a physicians assistant or PA about an hour later without the hassle of having to go to the medical clinic. I didn't really have much of a choice as I had a prescription or two that needed refilling. I opted for the virtual visit instead of trying to reschedule.

When I got the text about my doctor being ill, I felt a bit frustrated but understand what happened. When you are a doctor, you get to spend your days seeing sick people. It makes sense that a doctor is more exposed to germs than someone like me that spends all my time in my home office being a hermit. I couldn't be too mad after that realization.

I met with my PA and she had access to all my lab results from my last visit. I am one of those people with perfect health numbers, never mind that they are pharmaceutically enhanced. Of course some of it is due to my constant vigilance to diet and exercise but the net result is my PA felt pleased with my numbers and didn't think it necessary to do anything more than renew prescriptions. That didn't bother me as I didn't feel the need to give a couple tablespoons of blood for lab work. I can wait 6 months.

I wouldn't recommend the virtual doctor visit for everyone. Notice that I meet with my healthcare professional every 6 months and don't mind dropping it back to a yearly visit. I just know that the next time I need to make an appointment, it will be in person and I will have to do the full lab work. It is nice that COVID-19 has made the virtual appointment an option. Before the pandemic, I would have had to reschedule. 

Sending Text Messages from your Computer with Android Phones

Apple recently released information about their latest phones and I don't see the need to spend $1000 or so to upgrade the one I have. Sure I will get a credit for trading in my iPhone 12 mini but it won't be a straight swap and so I am keeping my current iPhone for now. 

One of the reasons I have stuck with an iPhone for as long as I have is because I can stay on top of my text messages using my Mac computer. While I am not too slow texting using the smartphone's tiny keyboard, I am lightning quick using a full-sized one. Furthermore I sit in front of my computer all day and if I get an important text, I can see the message immediately without having to pull out my phone. My oldest son feels the same way but has grown tired of constantly being tethered to Apple's overpriced phones.

My son has been looking at Android phones just to compare specs and also did some research on if it is possible to use a desktop computer to send and receive messages for Android devices. He found a CNet article that shows how to do it. This actually opens up a few possibilities for smartphone options.

One of the advantages of working for Sony is that I have access to great discounts on Sony products. Now Sony isn't a big player in the United States when it comes to Smartphones. However they do have some great products that are technically superior to Apple's. Right now there is a special for a phone that retails for $1800 and I can get it for $400 as a Sony employee. It is tempting now that one hurdle that keeps me on iOS is gone. Perhaps when my current phone's battery needs replacing, I can just replace it with an inexpensive Android.