Author Archives: Paul Begley

AT&T to lose 1.1 million TV subscribers as DirecTV continues nosedive

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Paul Begley

We subscribed to DirecTV for over 15 years, but cut the cord months after AT&T acquired DirecTV. There were some minor issues with the DirecTV Genie randomly skipping to the end/front of a recording, and it’s annoying when the service … Continue reading →

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Mueller Report

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Paul Begley

Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election Volume I of II Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III

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Venmo security concerns

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Paul Begley

I haven’t reviewed Venmo security in a long time.  Originally I took a look when my middle daughter was looking for an electronic payment service to sort out payments to roommates and friends in college.  At that time (2010?), Venmo … Continue reading →

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Apple design

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Paul Begley

This is an Apple Magic Mouse being recharged.  Apple is frequently hailed as a model of design.  This is a poorly designed mouse. 

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Backup hardware and software recommendations for family computers

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Paul Begley

Lots of people ask about backup and disaster recovery for family computers. I use an external USB/eSATA case and Acronis True Image software to image all my friends and family computers. Reference links below for the hardware and software. The … Continue reading →

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Browser recommendations – performance and security

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Paul Begley

This is a post to answer some regular questions I get from friends and family. I’ll update it regularly as required. First, I use an ad blocker. Sites don’t like you to block ads, but there are so many malicious … Continue reading →

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Ajit Pai (FCC Chairman) is not our friend

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Paul Begley

We are watching the FCC sell out the consumers it is supposed to protect. Ajit Pai is the head of the FCC. He’s a smart guy, but he is not the friend of the consumer, he’s a former Communication Industry … Continue reading →

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Why do I hate DirecTV Now, let me count the ways

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Paul Begley

I got an e-mail from AT&T/DirecTV asking me to complete a survey on why I unsubscribed from DirecTV Now.  I spent quite a bit of time crafting a comprehensive answer, only to receive the notice below.  Part of my issue … Continue reading →

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"A safe propane torch for applications around the home"

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Paul Begley

I get a feed from “Cool Tools” and this caught my eye.  I’m thinking of using it to remove snow or scare the shit out of my neighbors.  Looking for a backpack to hold the propane tank next. Harbor Freight … Continue reading →

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HP notes – update BIOS from F10

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Paul Begley

I got a friends-and-family return-from-lease HP 8100 workstation.  No RAM, no disk, just the basic workstation.  I am trying to install Windows 10, but I’m having issues with the OS install failing.  HP notes point to an out-of-date BIOS.  The … Continue reading →

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