At Home with Tech

Unlock the power of all your technology and learn how to master your photography, computers and smartphone.
July 2, 2017

At Home with Paper

Can you imagine a paperless world? Do you aspire to live in one? Are you already there? If not, please find a bit of solace in my flawed journey towards this elusive goal.

Last week, I was boarding a plane to Chicago, and I was flying with a few work colleagues. At the gate, I pulled out my paper boarding pass. My travel companions all whipped out their iPhones. They clicked to their digital boarding passes. Then, they looked at me like I was holding an ancient hieroglyphic tablet.
(And they also offered a few choice words, which I gladly stole for the title of this post.)

Hey, it’s not like l’ve never tried the digital boarding pass thing. I just didn’t get around to checking in online before I got to the airport.
(Isn’t it ironic when you don’t have the time for something that’s designed to save you time?)

And wouldn’t it be funny if I showed up with a digital boarding pass, and my iPhone was out of juice?
(Just saying)

But the truth is I still like using paper.

Memory Jogger
I just find it easier to keep track of a paper receipt that I can throw in one place with other paper receipts during a trip for later T&E reconciliation.
(Are you ready to stone me as a Luddite?)

Sure, digital receipts are cool.
(Like my Uber email receipt for my trip to the airport.)
But then you’ve got to remember to go back later into your email and retrieve them.

When something is already in physical form, it’s not as easy to forget.
(All right… I’m ready to be banished to the prison of analog misfits.)

But seriously…
Paper does have its benefits.

At Home without a Printer?
Five years ago, a friend of mine told me he didn’t own a home printer. He said he simply didn’t need one anymore. I was impressed but also annoyed.

Why?

Because I couldn’t fathom a life without the convenience of a fax/scanner/copier/printer at home.

Fast forward to the present, and you know what?
I still can’t.

Nobody Faxes Anymore?
Does anyone really need a fax machine at home? I just had this conversation last week with my 84-year-old father, when he asked me to ‘fix’ his old HP fax unit.
(It ended up just being out of ink.)

I tried to convince my dad he didn’t need one anymore, but by the time I was finished presenting my case, I had changed my mind.

Because you do.
You think you don’t, but you do.

It’s not a frequent need, for sure… probably just a couple times a year. But at the most unexpected moment, you’ll suddenly need to sign a silly (or important) form and then fax it.

I suppose you could also scan it as a PDF and email it back, but that assumes the recipient’s rules allow for that.

It’s Still Cool to Copy/Scan
Speaking of scanning, if you ever hope to live in a paperless world, you’ll need a scanner to convert all of those precious family archival photos and documents you’ve been holding onto for future generations.

Digital conversion is a huge time suck. So you might have to depend on one of your descendents to finish the job. But I’m sure they’d be mighty thankful if you did your fair share during your lifetime!

And since you can scan, you can also copy.
Tell me that you never need a copy of something.
Enough said…

Printing is Evil
Yes, I’ve progressively reduced the number of pages I’ve printed out over the years. I try to save whatever I need long term as a digital file instead of printing it out and slipping more paper into my bulging file cabinet.
(And then never looking at it again, only to throw it out ten years later)

But other times, I just want a simple, printed page for the moment. Sure, there are digital workarounds. But I can’t imagine they all take fewer steps than just “File” and “Print.”
(And then ‘grab’ and ‘go!’)

Printing is sometimes…. just faster.
(I suddenly feel a digital lighting bolt forming above my head. You should take cover.)

Physical Photos Can Warm Your Heart
And don’t tell me there’s no longer any value to printing up that priceless family photo moment from your weekend trip to the lunar colony.
(Oh… apologies… I think I was channeling fragments of the future via the Force.
I just rewatched “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes” back and Yoda’s famous line, “…There is another.” Am I the last science fiction geek in the galaxy to make the connection that this line is probably super significant to Episode 8?)

But I digress…

Of course your local chain pharmacy can print up your photos for you, but it’s so much easier to print out your one-off pics with your own photo printer.

All-In-One Printers to the Rescue
So that’s why I’m still at home with paper.
Call me crazy.

The good news is one multifunction printer can handle all of the above needs.

I’ve been a big fan of Epson all-in-one printers over the past few years. Epson’s current flagship model, which gives you “photo quality” printing is the
Epson Expression Photo XP-860.
($262.87 on Amazon)

  • Print
  • Copy
  • Scan
  • Fax
  • #Boom

Guilty As Charged!
If you have completely shed the need for paper in your life, I applaud you.
(And please tell me exactly how you do this.)

For everyone else, don’t feel guilty.
(At least not for your ongoing, messy relationship with paper)

It’s still a journey to the paperless world…

Leave a comment
June 25, 2017

Two Reasons Why You’re Failing as the Family Photographer

It’s not difficult to snap a picture. In fact, it’s never been easier. But if you don’t follow a photo library management plan, you’ll quickly be in a world of hurt. I’ve got seven steps that should help make your day…

No matter how hard I try, I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle as the family photographer. Sound familiar? The good news is you’re probably doing just fine taking the pictures.
(I snap a few winners here and there.)

The problem is what comes after…

Sure, you can quickly flip a photo or two out to your world from your smartphone, but if you’re like me, I like to bring my photos home for review, grading and improvements.

I have a five-point numbering system when I go through my pictures in
Adobe Lightroom:

5 = Great
4 = Good
3 = Okay
2 = Not very good
1 = Terrible

I immediately throw the 1’s and 2’s into the trash, because they’re the stinkers. But then I hold onto everything else. But after years of following this practice, I’ve discovered a severe flaw.

Only Keep Your Best Photos
My plan has allowed me to retain pictures that I just don’t need. More importantly, the sheer mass of accumulating photos clogs up my computer’s hard drive, and they simply take too long to catalog.

The 5’s are the only ones I should be focusing on.
(Sometimes, I also highlight a few of the 5’s as ‘extra special’ by making them a ‘pick.’)

If I’ve nailed the shot as a 5, why would I need to save a version of it as a 3 or 4?

New rule:
When you’re done cataloging all of your 5’s, go through everything else with the intent of deleting them. All of them!

Question why you need to save your 3’s and 4’s.
(Really)

There are No Shortcuts
For me, the underlying problem in my faulty photo management process is committing enough time to do the job right.

That means taking the time to correctly ID your 5’s on the first round of review.

And at the back end, you’ve got to do the ‘clean up’ phase and not leave around a lot of useless 3’s and 4’s you’ll never use again.

Because years will go by, and you’ll realize you’re holding onto way too many pictures.
(Like thousands of them)

Sure, I know I’m a big supporter of taking ‘multiple’ shots of a particular moment to ensure you actually get what you want. But that means you need to choose the best one and then delete everything else!

You Must Find the Time
Second new rule:
This all takes discipline and a daily commitment of thirty minutes of digital photo management.

I know that can be hard to fit in to a busy schedule. So I try to carve out the time first thing after I wake up in the morning with my cup of Joe.
(Yes, you probably need to set your alarm earlier to generate these precious minutes. I do.)

Without this regimen, your system will break down in a number of ways:

  • If you don’t share your photos quickly, their value drops off over time.
    (Who wants to see last year’s photos? Your family and friends want yesterday’s pictures!)
  • Your computer’s hard drive will fill up. Or you’ll have to shell out for cloud storage.
  • You’re never going to create those photo books, as that’s usually the last step in a photo organization plan.

Keep It Simple
I just finished up a few days of ‘staycation’ expecting I would be able to catch up on all of this. Guess what?
Not possible.

If you’re months behind, the only solution is to chip away it.

Thirty minutes.
Every day.

Delete all of your 3’s and most of your 4’s.

Remember, you only need a handful of pictures to tell a story.
Less is more.

You’ve just got to take the time to figure out which ones they are…

Time.

Seven Steps to Success
So let’s review my updated rules for effective digital photo library management:

  1. Don’t let your pictures languish on your camera’s memory card or computer.
  2. Stop grading a group of photos on a five-point scale. Find your 5’s. And that’s it. Really everything else should be deleted.
  3. Proceed with the ‘tweaking phase’ to improve your remaining ‘best photos.’
    (Cropping, color balance, exposure)
  4. Then, go find the four or five best 5’s. Those are your ‘uber 5’s.’ Share those. Family and friends rarely want to see more.
  5. Email your photos to your family and friends within the week!
  6. Don’t forget to copy your 5’s into the appropriate ‘theme’ albums or collections you’ve set up.
  7. Commit half an hour every day to your life-long photo management project as the family photographer.

Thirty minutes.
Every day.
Promise me.

Now, promise yourself.

It’s not a snap, but it’s the answer.

Leave a comment
June 18, 2017

Why My iCloud Email Stopped Working in Outlook for Mac

When your email program suddenly chokes, it’s probably a good idea to first find out if your email provider has updated any of its policies that require you to take action.

Yes, my iCloud emails abruptly stopped showing up in my Microsoft Outlook for Mac program a few days ago. For the record, it was on June 15. My iMac presented a message warning me that something was very wrong and that it might be my password or user ID. But as far as I knew, nothing had changed.

Boy, was I wrong…

June 15 Can be Hazardous to Your Emails
And if you think you don’t need to worry about this particular tech glitch because you don’t use Outlook for Mac for email, be forewarned that this story affects all of your third-party apps that require a password to get to your iCloud email, calendar and contacts.

I scoured the web for possible solutions.
Hours later, I stumbled across this little detail:
(Thanks to 9to5Mac and Lifewire)

As of June 15, 2017, Apple changed its security policies for non-Apple apps. Now, you need to create app-specific passwords through Apple’s enhanced security protocols of “2-step verification” (older system) or “2-factor verification” (newer system).

What this means is you can’t sign into your non-Apple apps using your iCloud password. You’ve got to create app-specific passwords through Apple.

This is not at all a new process. But if you’ve been avoiding Apple’s verification protocols, now you have no choice but to comply or get kicked out of Apple’s ecosystem.

Give a Dad a Chance!
No doubt, better security bolted onto your iCloud account is wicked important. But it would have been nice to know that this was coming.
(Cough)

But as it turns out, Apple sent an email to me on May 16 explaining the change.
I didn’t see that one apparently…

And then I missed the friendly reminder that went out two days before the deadline.
Mea culpa.

So how hard is it to set it all up?
Not at all.

In fact, it’s easy via the Apple ID page, which houses all of your account details and where you can create these à la carte passwords.

Father’s Day Gift from Apple
Look, I know I wasn’t paying attention. And I was given fair warning… twice.

But Apple… did you have to make the deadline right before Father’s Day?!
I mean… chances are there are other dads out there who ran afoul of this change.
I can’t be the only one.
(Cough)

And wouldn’t it be safe to assume we’ve all got other plans on Father’s Day weekend beyond having to spend time trying to figure out how to get our emails working again?

Choosing a different week would have been better.
(Just a pedestrian point of view from one of your faithful users out there in the trenches)

And to all of you ‘IT Guy’ dads out there who dodged this particular bullet, please hear me: If you don’t have the spare time to make your tech updates in a timely manner and hope to keep the status quo going for as long as possible… you can only wait for so long!

And then it catches up with you.
That’s the reality.
Happy Father’s Day.

Now put away your new tie and get to work.
(And read all of your Apple emails!)

1 Comment