For years, computers used something called the BIOS to get everything going when you pressed the power button. It did the job—but it was old. Really old. Like, 1980s old. As computers got faster and more powerful, BIOS started showing its age. It couldn’t handle big hard drives, took longer to start up, and didn’t…
The vista was breathtaking! Standing on a hill overlooking a valley in mid-spring, with a narrow road winding through it, I knew I had to capture it with my camera. The little red barn tucked into one of the road’s bends was the perfect focal point. I set up my tripod, connected my remote shutter…
Even if you’re not deep into computers, have you ever wondered why some computers can make games and videos look amazing, while others struggle? The secret is in the graphics card. This one component matters more than any other factor in making videos flow smoothly and look real instead of choppy and pixelated.You won’t be…
I think we can all agree that politics can have a polarizing effect on much of our life. The presidential races of 2016, 2020, and 2024 exemplified this as much as anything in my lifetime has. I’ve been surprised at the people I know who have been triggered into outrage over the declaration or support…
I’ll confess that it was an episode of Gossip Girl that reignited my interest in Josephine Baker. However, I remember seeing part of The Josephine Baker Story in the early 1990s. Like the other subjects in my Radicals, Renegades, and Rebels series, Josephine Baker was never just one thing. She was a dazzling singer, a…
When Maria’s rural clinic shut down during the pandemic, she thought her diabetes care would have to wait. Then her doctor called—with a plan to manage everything from her phone. Remote healthcare has been building for several decades, but it saw meaningful growth in the 2010’s. Apps like Teledoc, MDLIVE, and Amwell, coupled with the…
You’ve probably heard the word “motherboard” thrown around—but what does it actually do? Is it just a fancy piece of green plastic? (Spoiler: it’s a lot more important than that.) The motherboard is a central “hub” or something like the nervous system of a computer. It connects the various components of the system and allows…
Einstein played violin and piano. DaVinci was an inventor and a master artist. Ada Lovelace (the first computer programmer – yes, it was a woman!) loved music and poetry. I work in a technical job but I have hobbies that express my creativity: writing, photography, and textile arts. It works in reverse, as well. Actress…
She walked 1,700 miles behind a wagon train, arrived in California enslaved, and died one of the richest women in Los Angeles. In today’s Radicals, Renegades, and Rebels segment, I introduce you to Bidget “Biddy” Mason. Biddy rose from the bonds of slavery and became known for her generosity as much as her wealth. A…
Ever wonder why some computers feel lightning-fast while others struggle to open a simple web page? The secret lies in the tiny but powerful chip inside your device—the CPU. I touched on CPUs in this article on computer internals. Think of it as the brain of your computer, processing everything from emails to Netflix streams….
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