Author Archives: Paul Begley

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

Posted on 2019-09-13 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 2019-04-18 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 2018-08-29 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 2018-07-18 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 2018-03-08 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 2018-01-28 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 2017-06-04 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 2017-02-07 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 2016-12-31 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 2016-12-30 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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