Tag: computers

5 Valuable Skills to Learn for the Future We Face.

0ptimizeLeave a comment
  • Programming
    • This one should really come as no surprise. The world is fueled by code at this point. Without our computers and their preloaded software, most people would be completely lost. Learn to make computers do what you want them to do. Become proficient at coding and realize the productivity enhancement that you can really get out of your devices.
  • Cybersecurity best practices
    • With more and more devices being connected to the internet, we need to be increasingly more aware of the inherent dangers associated with this.
  • Basic electronics repair / Soldering
    • While companies are purposefully choosing to create products that only last for a finite number of years in order to force consumers into buying the newest, “better”, “cooler” product from them, you should be able to combat this. Take it upon yourself to learn to simply fix (or even upgrade) what seems broken. It is astronomically cheaper and keeps these disgusting corporations from getting more than they should from such dirty practices.
  • Staying in shape – physically and mentally
    • It is far too easy to now spend a whole day (or week for that matter) just sitting at your desk, completely plugged into your computer browsing the web, playing games, and chatting with friends online. Sounds nice but you are sheltering your mind and your body. As human-beings we are not intended to sit all day long. We are not intended to be secluded from other real (not online) human interaction. Get outside and be active. Join a gym, go hiking, go swimming, or pickup some kettlebells and get an efficient workout in at home. Meetup with people in reality (not online) to stay mentally healthy.
  • Multilingualism – especially Russian and Mandarin
    • Alongside English, these will probably be the most worthwhile languages to learn for the future. Increasing the number of languages you understand increases the number of sources you can obtain new information from. Increasing the number of languages you can speak increases the number of people you can reach with the information you know.

Making The Switch To Linux

0ptimizeLeave a comment

If you are thinking of switching over to a Linux operating system (and you should be), here are some things to know.

  • Linux is not a single operating system. There are many different versions called distributions or “distros” that have been built by many different people and they all have their own features and styles. Think of them being called distributions because they are the groups of software packages that the developers decide to piece together and distribute as a final product.
  • Two of the most popular distros for beginners are Ubuntu and Linux Mint. They are not just for beginners though. They are great distros with ample hardware support. They come preloaded with most software that you would expect to see on a computer these days such as an office suite, media players, file browser, etc. They are both very easy to install and there are how-to guides on each of their websites for every step of the way.
  • Once you pick a distro that you want, you will also want to pick a desktop environment or DE. A desktop environment is how everything appears on your screen. It changes whether your desktop looks like Windows 95 or something from a sci-fi film or maybe like a Mac OS. If you are installing all of this on an older or less powerful machine, make sure to get a desktop environment that is lighter on hardware resources such as xfce or lxde. If you have a fairly modern pc and you care about the aesthetics of you desktop then go for cinnamon, gnome, or KDE.
  • If you end up wanting to change your desktop environment later, you can always do so without having to completely reinstall the distro. This is nice because you can keep all of your files but still try out a few different environments to see which one you like best.