Max Farrell - Tech

Tech FAQ

2025-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

General time-saving tips</h2>
Passkeys</strong> are a way to verify your identity using biometrics like Face ID on your phone or fingerprint readers. Way easier than a book of passwords and syncs across your devices.</p>
Mail applications</strong> like the Mail app on your Apple device or the new Outlook on Windows can be annoying to set up for the first time, but will save you a lot of time and frustration waiting for web interfaces to load for each separate account.</p>

I think I have a virus</h2>
Take a look at Malwarebytes Free</a> and run a scan.</p>
If you want what's called "real-time protection," where it checks your computer in the background, you can get the Premium subscription, frequently on sale</a>.</p>
My internet stinks</h2>
If it's good in some areas of your house but not others, it's probably related to your Wi-Fi coverage. Check with speedtest.net</a></p>
My go-to recommendation is a set of used eeros</a> for around $50</p>

Although these have been a great solution for some people, since they are sold through eBay, it is a good idea to:</p>

Make sure they include power adapters</li>
Look for a listing where seller offers returns</li>
Pay with PayPal for a better chance of disputing if there is a problem</li> </ol> </blockquote>
When setting up eeros, it's best to connect as many as possible to ethernet, but if this isn't possible, try to place the satellites (the eeros without wired ethernet connection) a maximum of one wall away from the gateway (the one with a wired ethernet connection).</p>
If it's unreliable, working some days but not others, and you have Spectrum, it might be best to look into switching to Verizon.</p>
Do I need a new computer?</h2>
If your computer:</p>

is using a version of Windows older than Windows 10</li>
is an Intel Mac (pre-2020) with stuck keys or a broken screen</li> </ul>
it's probably best to get a new one.</p>
If you're running Windows 10, use this app</a> to see if your computer can be upgraded to Windows 11, since Windows 10 will stop receiving updates this October.</p>
If budget is a concern, take a look at Ubuntu on YouTube and see if it could work for you. Installing it is a little tricky, but it runs much faster than Windows on older computers.</p>
Laptop recommendations</h2>

As of December 2024</p> </blockquote>

If your eyesight is a concern, go with 15" or larger (trust me!)</li>
If you want the best reliability and good battery life, I recommend the MacBook Air M2 with 16GB of RAM</li>
As a rule of thumb, if you aren't sure of the differences between the MacBook Air and the Pro, you probably don't need to spend more for the Pro</li> </ul>
Printer recommendations</h2>
In general, Brother laser printers are the most reliable and work the best with cheaper third-party toner cartridges.</p>
If you print a lot of documents (black and white), the black and white printers are a lot cheaper to operate and it might be worth it to skip the color functionality.</p>
If you print a lot, the Brother Inkvestment line seems to be a good option, but they do clog up if you go a while without printing.</p>
If you print mainly photos... (researching this one!)</p>

Some of my favorite tools

2024-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

I'm primarily a Mac user, so some of these tools are Mac-specific.</p>

Arc Browser (Zen browser on Windows)</li>
Obsidian</li>
Pixelmator Pro</li>
Shapr3D</li>
fish shell</li>
Svelte(Kit)</li>
TomatoBar</li>
LM Studio</li>
Pocketbase & Pockethost</li>
Cursor AI</li> </ol>