Tech Barista
56 Cameron Lane N3R 7v2 Brantford, ON, Canada

Tech Barista 16.11.2020

Many of our friends are still running Windows 7 even though it is End of Life and Microsoft no longer supports it. Some users are reporting that they are not able to shout down their computers. This link as provided by ZDNET does provide a few work arounds. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Tech Barista 02.11.2020

Wonder when the next one will be?

Tech Barista 15.10.2020

My New Computer - Cute Small and Powerful This is my New Computer.It is a Raspberry Pi version 4. It's size is 3 1/2" by 2 1/2". For those that want to know some of the specs: it has 4 Gig of memory, Ethernet and Wi-Fi, 4 USB slots, a micro-sd slot that currently uses a 32 gig card as my hard drive and a 4 core Arm processor. In other words for a really small device it packs a pretty big punch. This micro computer has more "power" then my last windows computer.

I am ...currently running a fully functioning version of Linux ( Raspbian ).

This computer can handle most of my everyday computer requirements. Some of the tasks that I can perform on this computer includes, write notes or creating spreadsheets, check Facebook , update my website and handle my e-mail I am for example writing this post using the raspberry pi. This machine can play Movies that run smoothly from my own library. It also can connect to my home network and access and open any typical files. In other words this mini miracle ( which I am using to write this post ) can do the majority of my everyday computer tasks. There are only a couple of applications that it cannot run but that is more to do with the version of Linux I am using. As an aside Microsoft has not released a version of Windows that can run on a Raspberry pi.

In summary if anyone wants a really inexpensive computer that will run mot of your required programs, handle school assignments, surf the internet and check e-mail and social media this is truly a device one can consider.

If anyone is going to consider a raspberry i would suggest purchasing the 4 gig of ram version. There are versions available with less memory but most programs run better with more memory. I purchased a kit that includes the pretty white case, power supply, 32 gig SD card, keyboard, mouse and monitor cable.

See more

Tech Barista 30.09.2020

Are you still using Windows 7? The Time to start planning your upgrade is now. 01/04/2019 Hi are you one of the 48% of Windows users still running Windows 7? ( source ) If so, you should start thinking about upgrading to Windows 10. Why? Microsoft has stated that Windows 7 will no longer be supported by the end of January 2020. What does that mean? Will it automatically stop working? The quick answer is no, with a big BUT. The but is that Microsoft will no longer provide secu...rity or program updates. As a result there will be an increased possibility that your computer will be vulnerable to a virus or other malicious attack. Also, other software such as anti-virus and Microsoft office will not be designed explicitly to be compatible with Windows 7. In other words some programs once updated may stop working on a Windows 7 computer. What to do? Even though the official free upgrade to Windows 10 has now ended there still seems to be a way to upgrade to Windows 10 for free ( here is a link talking about how it is possible to upgrade for free ). If that does not work consider buying an upgrade version of Windows 10. If your computer is an old one ( five years or older ) then maybe the best solution is to use this as an opportunity to upgrade. When considering to upgrade take the time to determine how you actually use your computer. Do you only use it to browse the internet, check out Facebook and read and send e-mails? If these tasks are really the only tasks that you do then do you really need a computer? All these tasks at just a press of a finger can be done on a Tablet ( either Android based or Apple iOS ). If the tasks involve photo editing or video editing then maybe a laptop ( if you like the ability to use your computer anywhere in the house and outside the house ) or a desktop ( if you have a dedicated office or work area ). In summery if you are still using Windows 7 on your computer start to think about how you can securely use all your applications in 2020 and beyond. If you would like any assistance with this - contact the Tech Barista. I would love to help.

Tech Barista 10.09.2020

When travelling - a Tablet and a phone are just the ticket! Recently I had to travel with little notice due to a family matter and I ended up being away from home for an extended period of time. Where I was staying had no wireless connectivity or Internet, but I needed to stay connected. I do not own a laptop. I do have an iPad Pro but the model I purchased only has wifi. I setup my iPhone to be a hotspot. By creating a hotspot my iPhone became a wifi router using my phones d...ata plan. I was then able to connect my iPad to the Internet. I would download my e-mails and read them later. I used OneNote as a diary to keep track of my daily activities and my ever evolving to-do list.When I was connected to the internet my updates were uploaded to the cloud. Using only my iPad and iPhone I booked train tickets, used Google Maps to locate retail outlets and restaurants, researched, kept current with the news, used messenger to keep other family members updated, watched previously downloaded movies and used my iPad as an ereader. I did not need a laptop computer, the tablet did everything that i needed or wanted to do. It is a true travel companion. This experience further strengthened my belief that an iPad is a senior friendly device. With just a touch on an icon I was able to launch every application I required, E-mail, browser, movies, books, google; in short everything. So next time when you travel and you do need to stay connected consider a Tablet, they truly can do almost everything a computer can do. Happy travelling!