When Facebook indefinitely suspended ex-President Trump after the January 6 attack on the capitol, its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, got no thanks from either side. Why did he wait so long, considering how Trump and his campaign had used Facebook to perpetuate lies, many complained. And Trump supporters complained that the suspension was a violation of […]
WaterField Designs has introduced the slim and elegant Double-Take iPad + MacBook Sleeve to protect and transport both devices at once. Increasingly, we routinely carry either an iPad Pro and a MacBook or two laptops, one personal and one professional. The modular Double-Take Sleeve, with two padded compartments, a designated Apple Pencil slot, a […]
The luggage industry has been hit hard this past year, with most of us stuck at home and not traveling. Buying new luggage is the furthest from our minds. Samsonite, the world’s largest luggage maker, had nearly a one billion dollar loss in the first half of 2020, but showed a small improvement later in […]
As a business traveler for over fifty years, I’ve been on dozens of airlines flying to scores of countries. Most of it was for business travel to Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and China. But a fair amount of it was for pleasure, visiting family and going on vacations to Hawaii, Europe and elsewhere. In […]
There are a few rules I’ve learned over the years relating to technology: If it’s not broken leave it alone Things rarely go as expected A bargain is not always a bargain Well, I just broke all of them going through cell hell. It all began last week when I learned that Verizon was having […]
We are about to see some meaningful action against the incessant violation of our privacy by Facebook, data brokers, and others that collect and sell our personal information. Up to now, there have been no limitations to what they collect and what they share. With its next software update for iPhones and iPads, iOS 14.5, […]
This past Thursday marked one month since my wife got her second vaccine; I became eligible a few weeks earlier. At 6 am on Thursday we were off on a 500 mile road trip to Marin County from San Diego to visit our son, his wife, and our grandkids. We hadn’t visited them in Marin […]
In a recent column I described how Amazon knocked off one of Peak Design’s iconic bags. They copied the unusual design right down to the trapezoidal shape of the label and priced it at a third the cost. They even used the same name, “The Everyday Sling Bag.” Peak responded by creating a parody video that […]
Yes Watch has been making unusual watches since 1999 and has just brought out its latest model, the YES V7. It’s the most complex and comprehensive timepiece the company has ever created, built upon the designs that have preceded it. Like its earlier models, the watch provides an excellent value for those utilizing its unique […]
The number of new electric cars being introduced provides us with many good options to reduce our gas consumption, but they all suffer from one major disadvantage, range anxiety. Until the number of chargers becomes as common as gas stations, and until charging times can be reduced from an hour to mere minutes, EV (electric […]
It’s no secret that Amazon has become a haven for unauthorized and fake merchandise. Type in the name of any music artist or group appended with the word “shirt,” and up comes scores of them emblazoned with the the artist’s name and image. Then there are products on Amazon that are knock-offs or copies of […]
In 1985, a few years after moving to Silicon Valley, a new 20,000 square foot store opened in Sunnyvale, called Fry’s Electronics. It was founded by the same family that had run a regional supermarket chain by the same name. It was one of the first super-sized stores in the area to specialize in electronics, […]
Seemingly out of nowhere, the app Clubhouse has became one of the most talked about new social platforms since Facebook. This iPhone-only app currently can be activated by invitation only, adding to its buzz. It’s been around since March of last year and supposedly has six million users around the world. Clubhouse connects people of like […]
Just when you thought there was an app for everything, there’s a new one that lets building tenants operate their elevators remotely from their smartphone or watch. Yes, you read that correctly. Control the elevator from your smartphone. Now what can go wrong with that? Atlanta-based thyssenkrupp Elevator claims their new app reduces elevator traffic […]
Imagine if we were searching for a flight and had to sign in to each of the airlines’ websites, one by one, then enter all our personal details in each site, and only then learn whether a flight was available on a particular day. That’s pretty much the scenario we now face in trying to […]
This country barely survived a disinformation campaign that was propagated and amplified by a combination of old fashioned broadcast propaganda and newly created algorithmic technologies. If we are to protect our democracy, both need to be addressed. The most prominent actors in each of these areas are Fox News and Facebook. While they’re very different […]
Facebook and Donald Trump are both threats to our democracy and our well-being. Each have contributed to the events on January 6 in Washington D.C. Trump facilitated and emboldened white supremacists to come out of hiding and storm the Capitol, while Facebook helped them organize, grow in number, and coordinate their plans. They are each […]
With our spending more time at home and with all the streaming entertainment available, now is a good time to buy a large screen TV (HDTV). New models are being announced, older models are being closed out, and the annual Super Bowl sales are about to begin. Even without the sales, you can find decent […]
Apple has suffered a huge embarrassment with their recently announced Air Pods Max headphones. While the super expensive $500 headphones get excellent reviews for their audio quality, design, materials and build quality, it’s been ridiculed for the dinky “Smart case” that’s supplied with it. It’s less of a case and more a cheaply made cover […]
Facebook has been relentless in selling our personal information to their customers in order to target us with ads and messaging, some even encouraging people to join groups with like interests, including hate groups. They’ve done this with little opposition as they sweep up more and more of our data, to the point where they’ve […]
