Recently, I had my first Waymo ride. A friend suggested I try it while I’m on a short vacation in the Phoenix, AZ area. I saw dozens of Waymo vehicles whizzing by. Initially, I felt some trepidation, but after visiting their website and getting some encouragement from a close friend, I decided to give this … Read more
In 2025, WordPress continues to be the backbone of accessible, customizable web publishing—especially for community organizations, libraries, and small businesses. Built on a robust open-source database, WordPress empowers users to organize content intuitively through categories and tags. Categories help group broader topics like “Digital Literacy” or “Community Programming,” while tags such as #Python, #GoLang, or … Read more
Recently I had a client who despite my recommendation for Linux or macOS chose instead to opt for Microsoft Windows 11. They purchased a nice Windows 11 laptop and of course it came with an invitation to use Office 365. Are there other options? Yes, I told her. There is LibreOffice which is my go … Read more
I have been using open-source software for almost twenty-five years now. I was a user and an evangelist for open source for the first fifteen years that I used open source software. I didn’t see myself as a coder so how could I give back to the community. That changed in 2011 when I began … Read more
I’ve long been a writer, but writing and publishing have been challenging. Pencil or pen and paper and then endless sheets of paper for rewrites. My writing took off when my parents sent me to college with a typewriter. Lots paper and ink were used, but the writing process became easier. Then came word processing. … Read more
I spend much of my day on the go whether walking around the village where I live or traveling nearby. During those walks and drives I’m often listening to podcasts or just thinking about content I read on blogs and other sources of information. I have found it useful to have an app where I … Read more
When I attended All Things Open a year ago, I carried a Hewlett-Packard DevOne, which I had purchased the year before. Two years ago, I was anxious to try the DevOne because I wanted to try an AMD Ryzen 7 with Linux. It was a platform I had never used. I have been a solid … Read more
Our children gifted with a subscription to Storyworth for Father’s Day this year and each week a new writing prompt arrives in my email inbox. This week the prompt was what are some hobbies you have pursued or want to pursue in your retirement. It took me a while to think about that topic. I … Read more
Frequently, I’m approached by individuals seeking assistance in rescuing Windows computers that have encountered locking or damage issues. I occasionally utilize a Linux USB boot drive to access Windows partitions effectively. This enables me to transfer and safeguard files from these compromised systems securely. Sometimes, clients misplace their passwords or lock themselves out of their … Read more
An urgent plea for assistance reached me from our local library director concerning a patron grappling with an unresponsive Dell laptop. Upon arriving at the library, I encountered the early-morning visitor facing this issue. Activating the laptop, it became evident that it refused to boot, displaying no prompts to access the startup disk via F1 … Read more
