How the digital divide can be solved

Paul


OLPC Rwanda Workshop Day 1

The Digital Divide

Let’s begin with the simple facts at hand, that the digital divide is just that a divide again the populations around the world that have very little change to have internet.   One such organization, One laptop per Child a non profit did try to do that to help bring the digital devices and educational needs to the areas with the greatest need.   It however went terribly wrong.   We can only identify areas that need the digital signals and try to provide for them.   This is where Elon Musk’s idea of StarLink is being conceived to do just that.  This will greatly help people with low income or places that has no access to wired internet to be able to get digital signals to them.   In all truthfulness, I really don’t have a lot of ideas on how to address this divide but I am sure it’s only a matter time before someone else comes up with the ideas that will make it work even better than I could imagine it.

Addressing it

Some way I guess we could address this issue is simply by making it inexpensive to countries that can’t afford to pay 100$ for the internet and or pay for the One Laptop Per Child.   I would think if we can get governments around the world to embrace stuff like this and help pay for the technology or even just the internet than more people around the world would be able to access the digital devices like everyone else.   I can think of maybe a few ways to help decrease the amount of the device or even just the internet to people who have little or no internet.   Make it free for everyone around the world but then who’d pay for it?  Who’d keep our privacy safe?  Who’d make sure they didn’t misuse our information?  That’s the real big question when it comes to how to make a free internet, because we will always have to worry about someone using our information for bad or even making money off of us in one way or another.  Still this is just one way we can at least attempt to fix the problems with the digital divide.   It isn’t going to solve every problem but at least it would make it so much easier for people to get onto the internet and we wouldn’t have as big of a divide like we do today.

Why Having a rolling updates for Windows 10 is a Good Idea!

Paul

Microsoft Windows 10

Those unexpected times

So you need your Windows 10 for something important from maybe a church service, or you have an important meeting on zoom for Tuesday.   You have something important going on and Windows brings up this notification that you should reboot your system for an Windows 10 update.  You can tell it to schedule the update later that day or even during the night with no problems but what if you have to reboot your system?   There’s the problem, you do have the option to restart without updating but most people don’t know that option.   It’s an easy fix.   Go into command Mode by typing Cmd into the search bar.

cmd prompt

and then type:

shutdown -s -t 0

Once it shutdowns you just reboot your system and you are back to where you left off.  It however isn’t always that simple with people who seem to forget that little trick from time to time.

Rolling Updates

What if You don’t have time to do this little trick or you forget.  Well you know what happens, you wait for the update to take place.  It can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on how big the update is.   I’ve seen it take like 10 mins on some systems. It can take some time to update Windows 10 because you get some massive updates sometimes when it comes to updates.   You get new Revisions and you get new patches every 2nd Tuesday of the month.   What if you need the updates to update on a certain day.     There is a way to do it.  Depending on which day you need to do the updates, you can make Windows 10 pause the updates up to 35 days and that can be a very useful way to prevent unexpected updates when you need Windows 10 to just be working.   You can do this by going into windows update settings

WIndows update settings

Once you click Windows Update Settings and go to the menu.   You’ll want to hit the advanced options and then look for pause updates.   Then you can select a date up to 35 days.    This is something I tell my clients from time to time to do this because it really does help them from having those unexpected downtimes.

Once you do this, write down the date you selected and put it somewhere next your computer.   I like to use Google Calendar or some calendar app to remind a few days before that date and then I update Windows 10 at my convenience not the other way around.   You find a day that is convenient for you and you update windows before the 35 days or you just let it do it’s thing and you have two updates in one most of the time.   Once you update and restart your system, you go back into Windows update settings and pause the updates for another 35 days or whatever date you want to pause till.   You start the process over again and you have a rolling update schedule.

Change Active Hours

Something else I tell my clients is to change the active hours you work on your system.   Even though Windows 10 does a really good job, it isn’t perfect and thus you might be using the system when the system thinks it should be inactive.   You can also change that on the windows update setting page.   I usually turn off the active hours feature and then change the active hours and put it when I will be using the computer the most of the time.

Schedule the update

You can also schedule when Windows will do the update.   In the early days you could only pause the update for 4 hours before it would restart the system without your knowledge.   Now you can tell Windows when to restart the system and usually it will pick sometime while you are inactive and not doing anything.   So you can select the time that is convenient for you.   You can do this by just going to Windows update Settings page(See above) and hit the Schedule the Restart and then select the time of day you want the system to restart the computer.  This way if you forgot that there is an update and you are busy with work, you can tell it to wait till you aren’t busy with some important work.

Like what you read?  Why not subscribe to my blog and find other things that you might like and want to read?  Was this helpful?  Why not share this post with others so they can know these tricks and tips for the next time this happens.

 

Understanding Passion in the workplace and why it matters!

Paul
Photo of Women Using Laptops by Andrew Neel from Pexels

Passion from someone else!

You’ve probably seen what passion or at least you understand the concept of two lovers who have a passion for each other but is that the only kind of passion?   We can only grasp that type of passion for some.    You can imagine two lovers entwined in each others arms and kissing.   They’ll probably even smiling and being so happy.   This is definitively one type of passion that we may have experienced in our lifetime.  We may never really understand what it truly is until we have it or we have lost it.  Although I rarely say this, you should never mix work with pleasure or even date someone from work.   There are too many ways it could go badly but people who are lonely or single rarely listen to the adage:

“Don’t eat where you poop!”2

I could go on and tell you other adages but that one has always been one that I hear more than once when people find out about co-workers dating.  Just don’t do it!

Should we have passion in the workplace?

This is a tough question to answer because there are so many ways people can think of when it comes to passion.   Is it physical, mental and even psychological?   What about metaphysical?  Can you be passionate about your job?  Is it even possible?

We can all imagine ourselves being passionate about something whether you are singing, dancing, writing, speaking, demonstrating or even talking customers about services you offer.   Nothing is written in stone when it comes to being passionate but there are a few differences that we need to talk about and they can bring more understanding as to why being passionate about your job is a positive way to go!

It’s a Driving force!

Being passionate about your job can leave a lasting impression in your coworkers mind and maybe even make them work harder for the same purpose or for the same passion.  You can imagine someone working hard to help another employee succeed because the feeling is so wonderful.   It can make a bond with employees when they work together.   Being passionate can bring a sense of self worth when you feel that passion from your coworkers because you want to aspire to be like them!   Passion will always be something that drives the workforce.   You will find that your employees will be happier and healthier and work even harder than you expected them to.

It’s a positively good feeling!

You may never have felt what it is like to be passionate about your job but when you find that one person who is, you’ll see just how the feelings of optimism and positive feelings will be overflowing.  It is almost the part of the process where your are over flowing with joy at doing a job that is much fun and enjoyable that you are giving other people the glimpse into that good feelings and that can help bring people together to work together on projects!

Do you know anyone who is passionate about something?  Why not tell them and be a part of the experience.   You’ll find that you can bond over this and make even more memories that you might ever experience.   Do you have story about this why not drop it in the comments and tell me your story!

Why you shouldn’t fear the CoronaVirus!

Paul
Photo by BROTE studio from Pexels

Fear is out there

If you’ve been reading blogs, or listening to the news. The CoronaVirus is now considered a Pandemic by the World Health Organization.

What’s a Pandemic, you might be asking?

According to the World Health Organization, a pandemic is declared when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations.

You’ve probably heard all the stories of people dieing or that there will be a toilet paper shortage!  Everything I have heard has been amusing to say the least.   I know the fear is real out there and people are doing every silly thing out there to protect themselves.   I am here to hopefully dispel some of these fears and show you how to approach this problem.  Now let’s make this clear, so you know what I am talking about.   I’m a First Aide Responder and I know about some of this because it’s my job to know.   So I am going to talk about this with statistics.

Statistics

Yes, I’ve said this really big word.   If you compare what is being reported right now to what some of the other information.   You might be able to not fear this as much.   Fear does some strange things to people actions and we should acknowledge that or we are all going to be experiencing The Walking Dead!   Either way, we are doomed if we don’t get a hold of our fears.

  • In 2018 we had 37,461 people killed in a Car crash.
  • Each year in the United States, more than 250,000 people have to seek care in a hospital due to pneumonia. Unfortunately, about 50,000 people die from pneumonia each year in the United States. (accord to the CDC and is 20%)
  • About 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year.

As of writing this there is 125,813 cases of Coronaviruses, and 4,607 have died from this world wide.   Now if we do the math, we can see that is 3.23% for the entire world.  As you can see the percentages of people being killed by this new virus is low.   You really shouldn’t worry about this virus.

Preventive Measures

Most of the preventive measures people are saying actually work.   I however will tell you what I know and share with you my thoughts.

  • Wash your hands — This is the best way to avoid getting sick from this illness.   I don’t suggest using alcohol based hand sanitizers due to it drying out your hands and to much of this can make the virus more immune to it.   A good Hand wash with water and soap is the best way to wash this virus from your hands.
  • Avoid medical face masks —  I’ve seen it all people wear these wrong or wear them more than they should.   You are more likely to get symptoms of the illness when you wear a medical mask for too long due to your breathe having moisture and Bacteria just loves moisture.
  • Vitamin C and D — Taking your vitamins can help your body fight off this illness way faster than if you didn’t.   I’ve been doing this for years and haven’t gotten sick for very long.

These are just simple ways to avoid getting this virus and avoid having to worry about getting pneumonia which is one of the reasons why you die from the virus.   I am sure you’ve probably heard all this but it is true.  Are you afraid of this virus?  why not leave a comment and tell me what your thoughts are?

How the Coronavirus will effect your LDR!

Paul
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels

CoronaVirus (COVID-19)

It’s undeniable that we’ve all heard about the Coronavirus and the impact that is going to come from being in a LDR the next few weeks to months maybe even years.   There is no telling how long this will last but I know it has an impact on me alone.   I know it is going to effect every area differently but I thought I would talk about this just a little.   If you’ve been under a rock or don’t know anything about this virus.   You can visit the CDC and find out even more about this virus.  If you are traveling you should check out the travel advisories from your current country or you can check out what the CDC advises people to avoid!

Cheaper Tickets?

I’ll say this much, the more talk there has been for this virus there seems to be a dramatic drop in prices for flights to and from places.   Even looking for the cheapest ticket for your needs could provide you with some great savings.   I have talked to people who have traveled as of recent and they see that the less people are traveling.   Although that will also bring on lay offs for people who are in the flying industries.

Work hassles!

If you haven’t needed to worry about this, it will only be time before you will.   Just like my work has there own policies in place where you wold need to be tested before you can come back to work.   This can be a hassle since you are traveling and could be coming from an international travel or you could be just traveling across the state.   I’ve heard companies are setting up some strict requirements for employees who are travel!  I am quite surprised at what Walmart is doing to help people not go to work!

If you are like me and you can’t afford to do some of these things, and are worried about the virus.  I’d recommend just waiting and seeing.   I plan on waiting to see what happens in the next coming months before I buy the tickets but if I can find a really cheap ticket in the coming months, I still might go see my Girlfriend.   What’s your plan?  Why not leave a comment and tell others how you plan to deal with this problematic virus and are you afraid of it?