June 14 is Flag Day in the United States of America. Click here for the origins of Flag Day.
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Happy Flag Day
Author: George
I have been in the IT profession over 27 years. Most of my experience was providing Workstation / Desktop support for several clients.
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Apple Magic Trackpad 2
Yesterday I picked up on Amazon the Apple Magic Trackpad 2 in Space Gray (it was on sale). I’m sure I still paid too much for it. The Magic Trackpad 2 works great with my iPad Air 4. I shutdown my MacBook Pro at the end of my work day and used the iPad Air 4 with the new trackpad for several meetings and other things.
The Satechi Slim X1 keyboard and the Apple Magic Trackpad 2 work great together. It fun learning how to use the iPad as a computer replacement. A few months ago I worked my day job as an IT support using the iPad. I was able to complete most things without too much aggravation. A few things would be better, and maybe I just need to install Microsoft Company Portal and use Office365 apps to get a better experience. Still, if you had to, you can use the iPad as a replacement computer if needed. If only you could have dual screens.
Maybe next week I will work a full day or two from the iPad.
About a week ago I purchased a Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard for my home office. You can connect unto three Bluetooth devices to the X1 keyboard. Press and hold the fn key with one of the Bluetooth keys to program. I set the Bluetooth connections to match my Logitech MX Anywhere 2 mouse. Switching between the three connections is quick by pressing the fn key with the corresponding Bluetooth key. You can also connect the USB-C cable to the keyboard and computer and press fn Eject to switch to a wired connection.
You can adjust the back light of the keyboard by pressing the F5 to turn down the brightness and F6 will increase the brightness. The back light is nice, but I only used it twice, once when I pressed the keys and then for the pictures for this post. The light does bleed out from the keys.
One key that I was missing is the Mission Control on Apple Magic Keyboard (F4). The F4 key is now mapped to a task switcher. I checked the settings and found pressing ctrl and the up arrow ^↑ will activate Mission Control.
Satechi states it will take about 2 – 3 hours to charge the keyboard. Depending on the brightness of the back light keys, you can get anywhere from 8 hours to 125 hours and 13 days of standby time.
This is my favorite keyboard. I have it programmed to connect to my Lenovo T480 work computer, my MacBook Pro, and my 2020 iPad Air. It is comfortable for my ergonomic needs, responsive keys and switching between devices, and looks great. Plus the color is very close to the Space grey on my MacBook Pro.
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How to Enable Num Lock
I have an Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and needed to use this keyboard with my Windows 10 work computer. The keyboard works well with Windows 10 except for the numeric keypad. Pressing the keys will display anything on the screen.
What to do?
Just press the Clear key and start using the numeric keypad. Windows will remember the numeric keypad after a reboot.
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Another Recall
On January 8th I received another airbag recall notice for my 2007 Subaru Outback. This time the recall is for the front passenger system. I reached out to Matt Slap Subaru to see if they had the parts for the recall. They do!! I scheduled the appointment for January 20th, added it to my personal calendar and moved on with life.
My plan for the weekend weekend before was to go on a Boy Scout camping trip and drop off the car on Sunday night so the dealer had it first thing on Monday. Too bad I slept-in, didn’t look at my phone, and had breakfast first. When I got around to my phone, I was almost 2 hours late. I called the service department and they rescheduled the appointment but could not guarantee I would have my car back on Monday. I also put in for an oil change. I received a call that evening stating all the work was completed!
Maybe they had too many complaints or the service people were in a great mood, but this is the first time in a while that getting service for the car was not a painful experience. they did their standard car inspection and they found 2 items I know I need to address: leaking power steering pump and a leak in the exhaust system.
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Browser Tryouts
Based on Google Chrome engine, Microsoft releases the new Microsoft Edge web browser.
I installed the new Microsoft Edge on my work computer with Windows 10. You know someone in the company will install it and then need some help when something does not go well. So far the new browser is running well including the Chrome extensions I need.
I’m not sure if I want or need another web browser on my Macbook Pro. Safari is my preferred browser and I use Google Chrome for some specific work or Boy Scout related web sites.
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January 2020 Challenges
I’ve earned the January Challenges for Apple Watch.
I’ve messed up my Achilles tendon several time over the last several months and all I’ve been doing was sitting around, watching TV, making poor food choices and late night snacking. The new clothes I purchased after the weight loss in 2018 and 2019 no longer fit. I had a complete lack of energy with everything, and it was getting me down.
So I’m making a commitment to eating right and exercise. In 12 days I’ve noticed my blood-pressure is lower and I have more energy. Today I went on a 2.25 mile outdoor walk and enjoyed the 68 degree day.
Tonight I have a craving for a late night snack and to watch TV. They say it takes 21 days to develop a new habit, I think it will take me longer. So I have a couple of goals that I want to make this year:
- Score a perfect month in February on my Apple Watch for Move, Exercise, and Stand
- Lose 10 pounds by my next doctor visit
- Daily bicycle rides on my trainer
- Walk everyday during lunch
- In the Spring, weekly bike rides at the C&D Canal
My goal for this summer is to go on the 185 mile bike ride with my Boy Scout Troop on the C&O Canal. The scouts had a great time a few years ago on that trip and I think that would be a fantastic week.
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Siri Suggestions to Watch TV
On December 28, 2019, I purchased an iPhone 11 in black with 64GB storage. My old iPhone 6S battery would not last a day on a charge, and I’ve had the battery replaced twice.
Since the purchase, I’ve used Screen Mirroring to AirPlay to the Samsung Series 7 TV at work during lunch to watch Monk on Amazon Prime. Today Siri made the suggestion to continue watching Monk when I was getting ready for lunch. Just pressed the link on the screen and it started playing without having to unlock the phone.
Should I be concerned that Siri knows my routine after a week?
Drahusz 