September 2017 - Geek for Hire

Digital Currencies and Bitcoins

Posted on September 26, 2017December 12, 2017 by Gail Eddy in Tips

We’ve been hearing about Bitcoin and other digital currencies for years now. For a long time these digital currencies were used primarily for people transacting business that they wanted to stay “under the radar”. We didn’t realize that initially, and thought it would be cool and cutting edge if Geek For Hire could accept payment in Bitcoins. Then when we wanted to be certified by the Better Business Bureau, they nixed the whole idea. Bitcoins have come a long way since then.

First of all, what is Digital Currency?

Digital currency is, essentially, virtual cash. It’s not backed by gold or the full faith and credit of any government. A good definition comes from Wikipedia:

“Digital currency (digital money or electronic money or electronic currency) is distinct from physical (such as banknotes and coins). It exhibits properties similar to physical currencies, but allows for instantaneous transactions and borderless transfer-of-ownership. Examples include virtual currencies and cryptocurrencies.^[1] Like traditional money, these currencies may be used to buy physical goods and services, but may also be restricted to certain communities such as for use inside an on-line game or social network.^[2] … Digital currency is a money balance recorded electronically on a stored-value card or other device.”

More recently, companies and individuals have been using blockchain software to create their own digital currencies. This article describes how Robert Hackett, writing for Fortune magazine creates his own Petsdotcoin and why companies all over the globe are creating their own, as well.

If you’re looking for an analysis of current pricing for some of the major currencies check out CoinTelegraph.

But, in spite of (or because of) the success, and extended use of digital currencies, larger financial institutions are still threatened by them as evidenced by this comment by Jamie Dimon from JP Morgan. (Read the full article here.)

“Bitcoin is a fraud that will ultimately blow up, according to JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon, who said the digital currency was only fit for use by drug dealers, murderers and people living in places such as North Korea. Speaking at a conference in New York, the boss of America’s biggest bank said he would fire “in a second” anyone at the investment bank found to be trading in bitcoin.”

In response, “Yann Quelenn, an analyst at the online bank Swissquote, said bitcoin “still has great potential” …. “Cryptocurrencies are a new asset class, one at war with fiat [paper] money, and that war will be fought on regulatory issues. Central banks are keen to preserve their monopoly on money, something they will not let go of without a fight.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and other digital currencies to see where this goes.

I hope you found this interesting. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years. We like the free 2-3 day shipping and the online streaming. I haven’t tried the Kindle lending library yet. I’ll try that next! Prime is normally $99/year, but you can try it for 30 day for free by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial (Yes, we’ll get a small commission if you sign up.)

Save

Virtual Reality Update

Posted on September 19, 2017October 12, 2017 by Gail Eddy in Tips, Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality has been out for a while. I last took a look at the technology in this post from April, 2016. In terms of technology, that might as well have been 100 years ago! It’s time to take another look at the changes and upgrades.

Microsoft and Virtual Reality

Microsoft has jumped in the game with it’s “Mixed Reality” device. No one is sure why they’re calling it “mixed”, when it really is “virtual”, but it’s due to come out later this year in the under $400 range. Tom Warren wrote his review in the Verge earlier this month. He’s not that enamored with it, but does see how it could work in the future:

“It’s a lot more fun than the mundane environment of my Oculus Rift at home, and Microsoft clearly wants this to be your hub for running its universal apps. If this gets good enough one day, I could see it replicating a multi-monitor setup for when you’re mobile. …. Microsoft is clearly aiming to bring virtual — sorry, I mean Mixed Reality — to the masses, and it now needs to convince game developers and all headset makers to support its platform.”

Time’s Lisa Eadicicco also took a look at the Mixed Reality technology. Like Mr. Warren’s review, Ms. Eadicicco also feels that what will make a platform successful or not is dependent on the developers who support it:

“What will truly determine whether these Windows-powered VR headsets are successful is the quality and variety of apps they’re compatible with, of course. Windows Mixed Reality will support apps and experiences from Sony, Jaunt and Hulu in addition to games like Rec Room (a VR social club that supports multiplayer paintball and other sports games) and Dreadhalls (a horror-themed dungeon crawler). Microsoft is also bringing popular games it owns to Windows Mixed Reality, including Halo and Minecraft…”

Facebook & Virtual Reality

Facebook is looking at how its Facebook Live feature can embrace VR. Fast Company’s Daniel Terdiman took a look at the Facebooks new Space platform in this article from July. Mr. Terdiman writes:

“The idea is fairly simple. Spaces allows up to four people–each of whom must have an Oculus Rift VR headset–to hang out together in VR. Together, they can talk, chat, draw, create new objects, watch 360-degree videos, share photos, and much more. And now, they can live-broadcast everything they do in Spaces, much the same way that any Facebook user can produce live video of real life and share it with the world.”

Since Facebook acquired Oculus in 2012, this seems like a logical step.

Dell & Windows

Dean Takahashi of Venture Beat writes about Dell’s new Virtual Reality Visor and controls. He really likes the physical aspects of the new device set to hit the shelves in October:

“The Visor sits comfortably on your head because it has well-designed cushions. It also has a small rubber flap that fits over your nose. That flap keeps the headset from irritating your nose, and it also keeps light from getting in. There is a small opening both at the bottom and the top of the headset that allows air to flow through so that you don’t have sweat or fog building inside. The ventilation is unique compared to other headsets on the market.”

I hope you found this information helpful. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Save

Interesting Webcams

Posted on September 12, 2017October 12, 2017 by Gail Eddy in Tips

If you’re like me, sometimes you just want to look at other places. Not in a voyeuristic kind of way, but just because of a sense of curiosity. Some webcams are co-located with a personal weather tracking system for a household, some webcams are in cities and you can look at the street views, some webcams are at ski resorts and allows you to look at the snow conditions before plunking down a small fortune for a single day lift ticket. ($120 at Vail for Thanksgiving Saturday!)

Ski Resort Webcams

Traffic-Cams

I like these sites because you can click on the location you’re interested in, and can see the current conditions:

Cities

People watching is one of my favorite activities, and where better to people watch than in a city? Here are just a few people watching webcams:

Brooklyn Bridge http://www.cruisin.me/cruise-port-webcams/united-states/new-york-new-york5.php
Navy Pier Chicago https://www.lookr.com/lookout/1418071578-Chicago
San Francisco http://parksconservancy.org/visit/web-cams.html

National Park Webcams

We have some amazing parks to visit throughout the United States. Here are webcams from just some of these National Parks:

Beaches

In a landlocked state like Colorado, sometimes you just NEED to see the ocean. Here are some webcams with beach views:

Was this info helpful? Please share it with your friends!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America

Save

Big Data & How it is Used by US Companies

Posted on September 5, 2017October 9, 2017 by Gail Eddy in Tips

I have been hearing the term “Big Data” for the past year or two, and I keep wondering exactly what that term means. As I’ve done with other columns, we’ll find out together.

I started with an article from Bernard Marr which describes Big Data from a beginners point of view. This article says that “…almost every action we take leaves a digital trail. We generate data whenever we go online, when we carry our GPS-equipped smartphones, when we communicate with our friends through social media or chat applications, and when we shop. You could say we leave digital footprints with everything we do that involves a digital action, which is almost everything. … Data is generated and shared when our “smart” home devices communicate with each other or with their home servers. … The term “Big Data” refers to the collection of all this data and our ability to use it to our advantage across a wide range of areas, including business.”

How does it work?

Again, quoting from the Bernard Marr article: “Big Data works on the principle that the more you know about anything or any situation, the more reliably you can gain new insights and make predictions about what will happen in the future. By comparing more data points, relationships begin to emerge that were previously hidden, and these relationships enable us to learn and make smarter decisions.”

How is Big Data used?

Many companies use the data they collect about their customers to improve services and products. Starbucks, for example, uses the data they collect from their Rewards program as explained in this article. “In the words of Starbucks CTO Gerri Martin-Flickinger, “With about 90 million transactions per week we know a lot about what people are buying, where they’re buying, and how they’re buying. If we combine that information with other data like weather, promotions, inventory, insights into local events, we can actually provide better, personalized service for customers.” This ultimately creates a positive feedback loop. Starbucks uses data to improve its product offerings and customer experience, leading to increased sales from both existing and new customers, as a result more customers sign up to become Starbucks Rewards memberships, Starbucks captures more data from its large user base and the cycle repeats itself.”

Companies do need to be careful in how they use Big Data. The New Yorker lists several points in their article.. For example:

“Remember that correlation doesn’t imply causation. A correlation between two variables (ice-cream consumption and shark attacks) may well be due to a third variable (summer weather). These days, spurious correlations often emerge from data mining, the increasingly common practice of trawling large amounts of information for possible relationships. For instance, there is a statistically significant—but, one hopes, meaningless—relationship between the annual divorce rate in Maine and the annual per-capita consumption of margarine in the United States.
“Beware of Big Data hubris. The Google Flu Trends project, which claimed, with much fanfare, to anticipate seasonal flu outbreaks by tracking user searches for flu-related terms, proved to be a less reliable predictor of outbreaks than a simple model of local temperatures. (One problem was that Google’s algorithm was hoodwinked by meaningless correlations—between flu outbreaks and high-school basketball seasons, for example, both of which occur in winter.) Like all data-based claims, if an algorithm’s abilities sound too good to be true, they probably are.
“Know that machines can be racist (or sexist, or otherwise prejudiced). Computer models designed to predict individual criminal behavior have shown bias against minorities, possibly because the data used to “train” their algorithms reflect existing cultural biases. Machines are as fallible as the people who program them—and they can’t be shamed into better behavior.”

If you’d like to learn more about Big Data, check out Bernard Marr’s latest book Data Strategy.

Was this explanation helpful to you? Please forward to a friend!

Save