Consumer electronics: the PNY flash drive
The tutor tells of a purchase he made. A few weeks back, one of my kids wanted to borrow a flash drive so he could load his project on it to take to school. We didn’t have any at our …
Category: technology
Lifestyle: texting: long-press for other symbols
The tutor reveals why it might be easier to type x4 on your smart phone than from a desktop keyboard. Trying to send a text that mentioned a dollar amount today, it seemed that, on my Nexus 4, only the …
Lifestyle: texting: long-press for other symbols Read more »
Spreadsheets: When is Easter?
The tutor points out how a spreadsheet can show holiday awareness. Most holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Christmas, happen on a set date. However, Easter is different. As a child, I overheard it’s the Sunday after the first …
Web design: css3 gradient, part III: browser support
Continuing about css3 gradient effects, the tutor discusses some of the browsers that do or don’t support them. In my previous two posts (here and here), I’ve been talking about the css3 gradient effect. I’ve acknowledged that not everyone viewing …
Web design: css3 gradient, part III: browser support Read more »
Modern manufacturing: brandless products
The tutor asks: Is this a modern phenomenon? During 2005-2010, I’d occasionally go to Future Shop just to see what was new. Ironically, I’d usually end up buying something “old” – aka, outdated – that was offered for cheap because …
Linux: ls command: listing subdirectories first, part II
The tutor talks more about listing subdirectories first with the Linux ls command. I began with this topic in my May 17 post (exactly five months ago, I notice:) While the solution therein is very helpful, I’ve found another one …
Linux: ls command: listing subdirectories first, part II Read more »
Computer use: solving an email problem
The tutor reveals how he solved a problem with Windows Live Mail. As the in-house computer troubleshooter, I received the following request from my wife today: “I can’t open .pdf attachments from within the email program, but I always could …
Residential electricity: what is a kiloWatt*hour (kWh)?
The tutor takes a detour from his solar energy series to explain kiloWatt*hour. A kiloWatt*hour means 1 kiloWatt multiplied by 1 hour. (The asterisk means “times.”) A Watt is energy used per second – aka, power. The unit is named …
Residential electricity: what is a kiloWatt*hour (kWh)? Read more »
Solar energy: price per Watt
The tutor continues from his last post about the value of solar energy dollars. In my last post I discussed the Wattage one might expect from solar energy for $100. Based on a graph from Scientific American, the equation for …
Formula use: Simulation calculation on the Sharp EL-520W
The tutor shows another feature of the Sharp EL-520W: simulation calculation, aka repetitive calculations with a formula. Let’s imagine you’re a middle school math teacher who wants to do a lesson about Pythagorean triples: you want sets of values a, …
Formula use: Simulation calculation on the Sharp EL-520W Read more »