Own Your Network!
What You Should Know About Your Smart Home
In the Smart Homes of today, everything is connected to the internet and thus your home network. You can set the AC from the airport, view your backyard via a camera, your fridge can order take-out, you can stream music in the shower, and your smart lightbulb can unwittingly participate in denial-of-service attacks against Martha Stewart Living. It's not just about email and web surfing anymore, and your home network is the foundation on which it all runs. So this means that you have a responsibility to know or have access to certain things about it.
But, not all home networks are equal. If you have a simple modem with a router, then knowing the admin passwords is fine. That way you can access the devices or give that information to someone who is helping you troubleshoot an issue.
If you have a Smart Home with entertainment centers, cameras, connected lighting, or a myriad of other things (e.g. Savant, Crestron, etc.), then it becomes much more complex.
If you have a Smart Home and hire a company to install it, here are a few things you want to ask for:
Don't be afraid to ask questions before, during, and after install. Keep all the documents and manuals in a binder. Smart Home integrations are expensive, and you don't always get what you pay for. But if you do your research, ask tons of questions, and own your network, you are putting yourself in a very good position for a positive experience.
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The Paleo Diet for Your Mac
Trim Up & Spring Cleaning
Storage on a Mac, if it is a new one, is (and should be) Solid State. This type of storage is significantly more expensive than the old style SATA drives, or even banker's boxes. (Stone tablets still win for affordability, but you can only put so many in your pocket.) Not emptying the Trash or cleaning off old files could mean a $600 mistake, as you would need to move up in storage on a new machine. The good news is that Apple has a tool to make your life easier.
First, just go empty the Trash. Do it now. I will wait.............
Great! Now, if you are on macOS 10.12 Sierra or 10.13 High Sierra, go up to the Apple in the upper left and choose About This Mac. Select the Storage tab and, this is where the magic happens, choose the little Manage button on the right. Give it a bit of time, but your Mac will show you where you are eating up space and how to clean it off.
***A Warning About Adobe: You may see the option to remove and optimize Adobe files in Applications. Do not do this. Adobe likes to take up space and removing files can break the programs. Just pass that one over.
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A Case for the AppleTV
Stable Streaming for Sanity
After a glass of wine or two, when you sit down to watch a movie, stream a show, or binge on last season, the last thing that you want to deal with is streaming issues. In a world where you have options on your smart TV and cable box, along with add-on devices like Roku, Amazon FireTV, and AppleTV, it can be difficult finding a reliable device that gets you all the content that you crave.
The good news is that as of 2018, the majority of streaming services are available on all the options out there. It comes down to personal preference and reliability. Apple is very strict about third-party developed apps, and they need to go through a rigorous testing process before being allowed on the AppleTV. It is the same process that they use for anything from the App Store. The benefit to you is reliability and a consistent experience across different apps and services.
Other streaming devices do not have the benefit of Apple's gatekeepers that the AppleTV does. This results in a more stable streaming experience. True, the AppleTV is on the higher end of the streaming device spectrum with regard to cost, but in this case you do get what you pay for.
To learn more about the AppleTV visit: https://www.apple.com/tv/
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