Scottie's Tech.Info

These days, WiFi is everywhere. Even your washing machine probably has it! ;) I typically don't recommend using WiFi due to the huge amount of evidence indicating that it's probably not the best thing for your health. But there's another reason to go back to cables: WiFi is quite often WAAAY slower than most people think. In fact, it's very rare that you will get anywhere near the maximum speeds advertised when you buy a WiFi access point or router. What to do, what to do? Go wired: - D-Link 8 Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch: https://amzn.to/2WzJwQO - Cat 6 Ethernet cable (various lengths): https://amzn.to/2WFuyIZ More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

One day, you flip a light switch and notice a lovely popping sound. The pop might even be accompanied by a brief blue flash of light from within the switch. What's going on here? Well, it turns out that even if the current rating of the switch has NOT been exceeded, you may have a problem related to inrush current due to the use of fluorescent and especially LED light fixtures. More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

We all know what happens when your puter gets all dusty inside: it gets noisy! Cooling fans start spinning like crazy. If things get bad enough, your CPU can even overheat, halting the system. To avoid this mayhem, you should dust inside your computer twice a year. But what to use? Dishwasher? Washing machine? Garden hose? Hydrochloric acid? Just kidding! All you need is... air. Goodies in the video: - Endust Aerosol Duster, 2-Pack https://amzn.to/2U449V3 - Metro Vacuum ED500P DataVac 500-Watt, 75-HP Electric Duster https://amzn.to/2U8YY5W - BOSTITCH BTFP02012-WPK 6-Gallon 150 PSI Oil-Free Compressor Kit https://amzn.to/2rgr9Ti - Antec TriCool 120mm Computer Case Fan https://amzn.to/2rfyanB More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard CletusAir flight 353 with non-stop service to Mos Eisley." "Please return your seatbacks and tray tables to their upright position, fasten your seatbelts, turn off and stow all portable electronic devices, or put them in airplane mode for the duration of the flight." Eh... Why airplane mode? Most of us think it's to prevent interference with the airplane's electronics. It turns out that's not quite correct... More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

In the olden days, our gizmos had electro-mechanical power buttons. When the thing was turned off, no power was sent to it. Nowadays, things have changed with the advent of electronically-controlled everything - including things like washing machines. You can even look at the specs of most gizmos these days, and you'll see two power ratings: Max Power, and "Sleep" power consumption. Puters haven't been off-off for a long time now. Smartphones are also never really off in many cases, as are smart TVs. In and of itself, that's not really a problem... Until certain agencies and groups and hackers decide to exploit these "features" to do evil things. Mind you, this is nothing new. Smartphone hacks to turn phones on remotely and spy on their owners have been around for at LEAST ten years. Dumbphones are no different! More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

It's time for something completely different! I've wondered for awhile why oscillating multi-tools don't cut skin. I know there are many explanations out there, but it appears that many people were in the same boat: We kind of understand, but not really... Well, that simply won't do! Behold the two reasons why these power tools don't (easily) cut you! Fein Multi-Tool: https://amzn.to/2Otw2Sm More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

You've probably noticed those strange cylinders at the end of your puter cables. It looks a bit like the cable was a bit overzealous at dinnertime and swallowed something a bit too large... As it happens, those strange meals are actually ferrite cores. Ferrite is a totally magical material! While there are many different types of ferrite used for things such as transformers, inductors, magnets in motors, and all kinds of other stuff, one of the most common uses is for ferrite chokes. A choke is basically a filter - in this case a low-pass filter - that prevents high-frequency noise from passing along your data cable (or its shielding). So there you have it! More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

One year ago, I advised against getting a 4G dumbphone with KaiOS. I am officially reversing that recommendation! After purchasing a Nokia 8110 4G and playing with it for 1 month, I'm actually pretty speechless, and that IS rare. Despite Google's investment of $22 million in KaiOS over 1 year ago, Google's services remain "add-ons". IOW, KaiOS has NOT become Android Lite. KaiOS is KaiOS, and there's some Googley stuff on the phone that you can either use, or not. Better yet, you can block the Google apps from doing much of anything. Even better, KaiOS is basically what PWAs will become on normal smartphones: KaiOS apps are actually just HTML5 + CSS + Javascript, running on a Gecko-based browser engine tied tightly to a small linux kernel. The end result is the perfect non-Android, Google-enabled dumbphone. You can do stuff like Facebook or WhatsApp if you want, but there are NOT Android-type apps. Note that the KaiOS app store is totally separate from Google's Play store, and there are 130+ apps already available - and growing daily. So, for your new dumbphone, give KaiOS a try! Mentioned in vid: Choosing a dumbphone ain't easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JR2fM8oBas Nokia 8110 4G: https://amzn.to/303wMZ6 Press release about upcoming Nokia Flip and Tough phones: https://www.kaiostech.com/introducing-the-nokia-2720-flip-and-800-tough-powered-by-kaios/ Get my shirt: https://teespring.com/wi-indeed?tsmac=store&tsmic=scotties-techinfo&pid=389&cid=100026&sid=front More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

What happens if you want to set up a home network, but you already have existing Ethernet cabling and wall jacks? While it may seem simple, it turns out that you need to do some investigation first. In this video, I describe the different types of patch panels you may find in your home, how they work, and how you will use them (or not). In Part 2 of this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxgUHxRazHc), I'll show exactly how to connect everything. It's worth noting that if you only have twisted-pair phone cabling (often called PTT-298), you CAN use that wiring for 100 Mbps Ethernet - but not for Gigabit+ speeds. Fortunately, most homes these days have Cat 5e or higher cabling, so that part shouldn't be a problem. My "No more Wifi" Series: Part 1: https://rumble.com/vj5qhp-no-more-wifi-how-to-wire-your-house-for-internet.html Part 2: https://rumble.com/vj8tgp-no-more-wifi-part-2-home-network-using-coax-or-powerlines.html Goodies in the video (affiliate links): - Open House H628 Ethernet Patch Panel: https://amzn.to/309A89T - Open House H618 Telephone Patch Panel: https://amzn.to/32i6kuG - Legrand AC1068 8-Port Cat 6 Ethernet Panel: https://amzn.to/2Ccyext - D-Link 8-port Gigabit Switch: https://amzn.to/3ewt0cN More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

So you've read all the studies about our Wireless Wonderland, and you'd like to go wired. You've also watched my first video, No More WiFi: How to wire your home for internet (https://rumble.com/vj5qhp-no-more-wifi-how-to-wire-your-house-for-internet.html). You're not big on drilling holes and running cables everywhere, so you decide to use powerline ethernet or ethernet over coax. Before you go that route, there are a few things you should know about these two home networking solutions. Not only are they generally more expensive than ethernet cabling, but they're also usually not as fast or reliable... Web pages mentioned in video: - Netgear Powerline 2000 + Extra Outlet homepage: https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/powerline/PLP2000.aspx Goodies mentioned (affiliate links): - NETGEAR Powerline Adapter 2000: https://amzn.to/36FutKn - NETGEAR Powerline Adapter 1000: https://amzn.to/36Ex33q - MOTOROLA MOCA Adapter for Ethernet Over Coax: https://amzn.to/2PRsMmn Video on WiFi vs Ethernet speeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s3n1nKlb9U Video on USB-Ethernet adapters for smartphones and tablets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3caLXPlsic More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

There are quite a few smartphone cases, Faraday bags, and other little gizmos out there that claim to protect you from the phone's RF waves. A common method that people use is to line one (or both) sides of their phone case with good old aluminum foil. So, the question is: Does foiling your phone really work? How much? And where exactly should you put the foil? Watch to find out! Note that while the foil will reflect some of the RF energy away from your body, it isn't 100% protection. Radio wave propagation is an entire science in and of itself. In short, it's complicated! Also note that you could increase the protection by using several layers of foil separated by packing tape or some other non-conductive material (like plastic). You could also use copper tape, which would perform a BIT better. But as always, the best protection is just TURN IT OFF when you're not using it! - Cornet ED-88TPlus EMF/RF detector (100MHz - 8GHz): https://amzn.to/30YWjQp (affiliate link) - My Faraday Box vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NguyYHPjwnI - My Microwave as Faraday cage vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox4CsbPIGlg More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

These days, it's all about Going Green. And what could be more green than an electric car? Zero emissions, baby! Well, sort of... While the acceleration may be awesome, the range leaves something to be desired. And range is directly related to power - specifically, the available power from a battery pack. What's more, the power to charge the battery has to come from somewhere, and that "somewhere" is the electric grid. So what happens if all of a sudden, everyone gets an electric car? Well, in many places, it wouldn't be pretty. Some regions would need to DOUBLE their current grid capacity. And all that extra juice has to come from somewhere... and it ain't coming from solar or wind power! World Energy Consumption graph in vid from: https://yearbook.enerdata.net/total-energy/world-consumption-statistics.html More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

We all know that AC won the war vs DC back in the day. But did you know high-voltage DC is still around? What's more, it's actually become quite useful! Some countries have recently installed million-volt DC power lines that span thousands of kilometers. While HVDC has various benefits over HVAC, naturally there are also a few drawbacks. Join me for another exciting episode of EEK! Previous EEK! videos that explain current, voltage, AC, DC, 3-phase AC power, RMS, Power Factor, and other exciting topics: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrTCa4nP8TlFtXAegJomfLqiZ6DT_X_0s More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

I finally managed to read Arthur Firstenberg's book, The Invisible Rainbow. The well-documented book chronicles the multitude of effects of everything from the first telegraph lines and electric lighting to modern day wireless systems. The data is plentiful and the effects are... well, not very good. But I found myself with more questions than answers. For example, why did 5 children get cancer at 1 school in Spain after the first digital cellular tower was turned on? What about the other schools or hospitals with antennae next to them? They were all over the world! At the same time, it's hard to discount the stories as just, "correlation does not equal causation". At this point, there's simply too much data out there to ignore it or try to explain it away. If you're looking for answers or solutions, this book doesn't have any. What it does have is a fascinating look at the LONG history of the negative effects of various types of EMFs on human, plant, and animal life - over literally hundreds of years. It should make us all pause for a moment and ask ourselves if things like 5G are really worth it without further testing - and what we can do to ensure that our modern tech is truly 100% safe for everyone. - The book The Invisible Rainbow: https://amzn.to/3tmwyY6 - 'Dark Waters' movie: https://amzn.to/3czJpA2 More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

Microsoft can't seem to get Windows 10 right, and maybe now we know the reason: because they just announced Windows 11! Coming sometime around the end of this year, Windows 11 promises to be everything Win 10 is not. There's only one problem: Everyone is claiming (including MS) that you'll need a super-modern puter to run it. In this vid, I take a look at Windows 11 and its system requirements. I also review past Windows releases, and how each time, the same thing happened. In short, YES, your computer will run Windows 11 just fine! Nothing to see here... 0:00 Intro 1:14 Windows 11 Intro 2:40 Android Apps 3:50 System Requirements 4:20 TPM 1.2 or 2.0? 5:50 PC Health Check App 6:50 So what is TPM?! 8:25 History of Windows ‘Requirements’ 10:18 Enable TPM 13:30 Enable UEFI + Secure Boot 16:23 Do you actually WANT Windows 11?! Links mentioned in the vid: - Windows 11 Intro: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11 - Compatibility requirements for Win 11: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11/ - TPM fun: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/information-protection/tpm/tpm-recommendations - My guide on how to, "Convert your Windows 10 boot drive from MBR to GPT": https://scottiestech.info/2017/11/12/convert-your-windows-10-boot-drive-from-mbr-to-gpt/ More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

Given the state of the world, you could be forgiven for planning ahead with back-up power and a method of preserving food. Deep freezers - or chest freezers - are great for storing large amounts of food for a long time. But how much juice do they really use? If you're running on the back-up power of a generator, for example, will the deep freezer suck too much electricity? It turns out the answer will surprise you! Also, note that some chest freezers use less instantaneous power. I have one that only uses a max of 120W! However, it's annual kilowatt-hour rating is the same as other units that use 200W. So, a lower power rating doesn't necessarily mean a lower annual operating cost. Sometimes, the compressor just runs more to compensate. Finally, keep in mind that the bigger the deep freezer and the more frozen food you have inside, the longer it will all last in the event that you have to unplug it. It's the same as a small ice cube vs a block of ice the size of a car: the big block of ice will last WAAAY longer. More Techie Tips: https://scottiestech.info

Power banks, portable USB chargers, battery banks... Whatever you want to call them, they're very handy for charging your gizmos on the go. The only trouble is that almost all of them take AGES to recharge themselves. Even though many models support Quick Charging of your gizmos, the power bank itself usually only gently sips juice from the wall outlet as it leisurely refills its internal lithium-ion cells. Typically, you may have to wait upwards of 14 HOURS for a full recharge! That's not very convenient. Enter the RAVPower 26800mAh USB C Power Bank - with 30W quick-charging INPUT for a full recharge time of only 4-5 hours! But the fun doesn't stop there... Gizmos mentioned in the vid (affiliate links): - Portable Charger RAVPower 26800mAh 30W PD USB C Power Bank: https://amzn.to/3owS8Xi - RAVPower 65W USB PD 2-port wall charger: https://amzn.to/2HEmq9H - EC Technology Portable Charger 22400mAh Power Bank (SLOW!): https://amzn.to/3e1SaS4 - RAMPOW 60W USB C - USB C charging cable: https://amzn.to/3jyfIPI - RAMPOW USB Type A - Micro USB cable: https://amzn.to/37QJfC9 - RAMPOW USB Type A - USB C cable: https://amzn.to/37Fr3v4 More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

We often hear lately about nefarious plans involving injectable tracking devices... But is such a thing even possible? Given the current state of technology, would such a thing even work? Better yet, HOW would it work? After all, it's a long way from contactless payment cards to tracking chips floating inside inside millions of people who are constantly on the move. The answers to these questions surprised me - and they may surprise you, too! Stuff mentioned in the vid: - https://www.bichip.com/ - https://onlineweb.dkpto.dk/pvsonline/Patent?action=102&sagID=PA%202017%2000432 - http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17284751/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/t/hitachi-shows-worlds-smallest-rfid-chip/ - https://www.engadget.com/2006/02/06/hitachi-shows-off-7-5-micron-thick-mu-chip-rfid-tag/ - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/smart-dust/ - https://rf-controls.com/passive-rtls-smart-antennas/ - https://www.rfidjournal.com/e-thread-provides-discrete-anti-counterfeiting-or-tracking-solutions More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

Wireless charging is all the rage these days. Unfortunately, it's not quite up to par. It turns out that most chargers are actually wasting tons of electricity - and they're not exactly easy to use, either. Join for me for a look at yet another wireless technology that leaves a lot to be desired... Mentioned in the vid: - "Wireless Charging Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen" on Medium: https://onezero.medium.com/wireless-charging-is-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen-48afdde70ed9 - Mercedes-Benz image: Copyright 2017 Mercedes-Benz AG - More info on the Qi wireless charging standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi_(standard) - I'm Wired Coffee Mug: https://teespring.com/i-m-wired?tsmac=store&tsmic=scotties-techinfo&pid=659&cid=102965 - I'm Wired Shirt: https://teespring.com/i-m-wired?tsmac=store&tsmic=scotties-techinfo&pid=408&cid=103447 - Oral-B Pro 3000 3D electric toothbrush (charges wirelessly and IS actually useful in this case): https://amzn.to/33DPUgR More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

File History is pretty cool. It allows you to automatically and incrementally backup all your files. That means smaller backup sizes, easy restore if your puter crashes, and it's literally 'set it and forget it'. The trouble is that File History likes to crash - it just stops backup up your stuff. There are tons of solutions out there, but this one is the ONLY one I have ever found to work. It's a bit tedious, but who cares when it's free and easy to fix?! An excellent USB 3 backup drive (affiliate link): Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive: https://amzn.to/2NtwiWz Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:30 Error messages 1:36 The Solution!! 3:40 Problematic files 4:55 BONUS Tip More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

The Cloud may be handy for backups, but what if you don't want all your stuff sitting on Big Data's servers forever and ever? In the past, the best Windows provided was Backup and Restore. Frankly, it was crap. With Windows 10, things changed: Now with a cheap external hard disk and just a few clicks, you can have a full, incremental, reliable local and PRIVATE backup of all your data. It's much easier to set up than it sounds! An excellent USB 3 backup drive (affiliate link): Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive: https://amzn.to/2NtwiWz Chapters: 0:00 Intro 2:06 What you need 3:16 Set it up! 5:35 How to restore files More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are all the rage these days. All we hear is how Bitcoin has smashed another record high, cryptos are the future, don't miss this train, etc. The question is: How do you know what you're getting yourself into? Many people are talking of using their stimulus check to buy into Bitcoin, for example. While there is a lot of talk about blockchains and cryptos, actual simple explanations of what they are and how they work are hard to come by. How do you understand this stuff WITHOUT getting lost in a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo? Well, it's really not that complicated in the end. If you can understand a bank account and signing a check, you can understand cryptos! Goodies (affiliate links): - Trezor One crypto wallet: https://amzn.to/393NObS - Ledger Nano S crypto wallet: https://amzn.to/2PeuGkp More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

Ah, the internet! It's so incredibly useful, and at the same time you won't find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Well, technically, it's more useful than villain-y. Still, it's good to be careful! So what's the best way to stay safe when using the internet? Strong passwords? Antivirus? Browser add-ons? Privacy enhancers? VPNs?! That's all well and good, but there's one trick that will never let you down... Stuff mentioned in the vid: - https://www.malwarebytes.com/ - Fix stunnel “Bad magic at ssl.c” error / crash on Ubuntu (article): https://scottiestech.info/2020/06/23/fix-stunnel-bad-magic-at-ssl-c-error-crash-on-ubuntu/ - The Biggest threat to Privacy: Browser Fingerprints (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDynjSbaCpU Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:43 Updates 2:19 Antivirus 4:49 Antimalware 8:13 Firewall 9:27 Private Browsing 10:17 Security Add-ons 11:17 VPNs 15:13 THE BIG SECRET! 17:51 What's your goal? 19:26 A story of Nosy Neighbors More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

For reasons unknown to me, other people are always asking me how to learn programming. Well, there's the traditional route: go to school, become a coder. Done! But as we all know, many of the best and most famous programmers were those who dropped out of school and were essentially self-taught. Are they onto something? Actually, yes, they are! Not only that, but most of the 'techniques' I talk about in this video are applicable to pretty much anything else you want to learn or do. Mentioned in the vid: - PikaJS: Think jQuery but smaller, lighter, and just as easy to use: https://scottiestech.info/2017/10/03/pikajs-think-jquery-but-smaller-lighter-and-just-as-easy-to-use/ - How to code smarter - now with 50% less irritation: https://scottiestech.info/2017/11/21/how-to-code-smarter-now-with-50-less-irritation/ - PikaJS on github: https://github.com/Scottie35/PikaJS More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info

Even if you don't know the term 'phishing scam', chances are you've already been targeted by many of them. A phishing scam is when someone uses a genuine-looking e-mail, login page, SMS, or whatever to fool you into giving up personal data - like logins, passwords, card and banking info, etc. They often involve some kind of 'hook' that makes you worried or scared. When that happens, you stop thinking and fall into the trap. But these scams are very easy to avoid with a bit of extra attention. I'll show an example of a phishing scam I received recently and then take it apart piece by piece so that next time, you'll know exactly what to look for to protect yourself. More techie tips: https://scottiestech.info