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A Great Addition if You Have an Amazon Echo…

The problem with the gadgets that you can connect to your WiFi (called the “Internet of Things”) like cameras, etc. is that most are made in China, sold cheap with no future support (like security updates.) TP-Link is an established networking company and they have a 2-pack of smart plugs that you plug into an outlet, and you can then control whatever is connected to it. It’s GREAT for turning on lamps, and if you’re going to be out of town over the holidays you can schedule the lights to look like you’re at home.

You set them up from your smart phone, and can control them from your phone, Amazon Echo and Google Assistant. It’s on sale for $27.99. There are cheaper devices on Amazon, but they are no-name and I doubt they will get security updates when needed. These little guys can be updated from your phone, that’s great!!! Click on the image to get the deal or click here: TP-LINK HS103P2 10 Amp Mini WiFi Smart Plug No Hub Required, Works with Alexa Echo & Google Assistant, 2-Pack, White

Newest Windows 10 Upgrade

Version 1809 just came out today, so being the sucker that I am and being willing to sacrifice my system so that you don’t have to, I upgraded. So far… not a problem. The last upgrade (1803) broke my Skype mic and camera settings, this time–no problem, it works just fine. Everything on the surface looks and works the same. I have a pretty fast Internet connection (over 200 MB/s) and a fast, overclocked and liquid cooled computer running at 4GHz with 16GB of memory, probably more that most of you have, but I started the upgrade at 8:00 pm this evening and by 8:30 I was at the desktop of the upgraded system. I’m guessing for most of y’all it will probably take an hour to two hours depending on your Internet speed and the speed of your computer.

If I see and red flags I’ll be sure to post them here, but at the moment and at first blush, it’s looks like a safe upgrade.

MINOR UPDATE: I have TWO audio outputs from the sound card on my system. One using the normal speaker output goes to the main speakers in my setup and they worked perfectly. I configured a SECOND output from the system to go to headphones (using an output otherwise used for surround sound) and that broke. I went into the Sounds settings and corrected it and now I can listen to both. A MINOR problem that most of you would never even encounter and not even Microsoft probably thought of-so not a problem, just wanted to let you know of any issues I run across after the upgrade.

MacBook for Sale – $300

I just refurbished a 2010 MacBook. I upgraded it to 4GB of memory, a brand new and fast 128GB solid state hard drive and the latest version of MacOS – High Sierra. It’s pretty fast and I’ve also installed Google Chrome, Adobe Reader and LibreOffice (Word and Excel compatible office.) The battery is in great shape (I ran it for over 3 hours on battery and it was still at 40%.)

I’ve gone completely through it and it’s pretty darn good. A GREAT 2nd computer or if you have kids in school that need a Mac, here you go! Don’t think too long about it. This is another good deal or I wouldn’t be posting it.

The photos I took are so-so, but it’s clean inside and out.

I’m not making a penny on this, the money goes 100% toward a friend’s future mission trip.

Email me ([email protected]) if you’re interested. The first email with “SOLD!” in the subject line gets it!  🙂

This is a little better picture of the screen itself…