Beltsville News16 hours ago5 minTech Sense by John Bell June 2022: Computers and CarsI have been writing this column for several years now and it is hard for me to believe that I have never written about computers and...
Beltsville NewsMay 64 minTech Sense by John Bell May 2022: World Password Day 2022World Password Day 2022 World Password Day is on May 5th this year and is observed by updating your passwords and verifying your security...
Beltsville NewsMar 287 minTech Sense by John Bell April 2022: Q & ATech Sense Q&A Every now and then I get questions that I put aside and answer when I have room left in my column. I have accumulated a...
Beltsville NewsMar 14 minTech Sense: Pi Day March 14 By John BellPi Day - March 14th Monday, March 14th is also known as Pi Day. Pi is of course the number that represents the ratio of a circle’s...
Beltsville NewsDec 31, 20214 minTech Sense: A Safer New Year By John BellA Safer New Year I believe that the New Year is a great time to improve your security posture, so with that in mind I have a few...
Beltsville NewsDec 1, 20214 minTech Sense: Holiday Shopping Ideas 2021 By John BellAnother Holiday season and we are feeling the economic impacts of nearly two years of COVID. There are shortages of many popular...
Beltsville NewsNov 2, 20214 minTech Sense: Potpourri 2021 By John BellPotpourri 2021 This month I thought I might touch on several short topics before we go into the holiday season. Windows 11 Windows 11 was...
Beltsville NewsSep 26, 20213 minTech Sense: Wireless By John BellWireless This month our topic is wireless technologies. We will try to briefly cover three wireless technologies that we find in our...
Beltsville NewsAug 31, 20214 minTech Sense: Back To School 2021 By John BellBack to School 2021 School starts again shortly, are you ready for the new reality? We are not certain where our students are going to...
Beltsville NewsJul 28, 20213 minTech Sense: Space 2021 By John BellSpace 2021 A number of significant achievements have occurred in space technologies in the past couple of months and I thought I would...
Beltsville NewsJun 24, 20213 minTech Sense: Chip Shortages By John BellChip Shortages I thought for this month’s column it might be interesting to explore the chip shortage which is having an impact on...
Beltsville NewsMay 28, 20213 minTech Sense: Ransomware By John BellRansomware I am writing this in May of 2021. As I drive down US 1 here in Beltsville the gasoline prices have all jumped from about $2.40...
Beltsville NewsApr 30, 20214 minTech Sense: Another World Password DayAnother World Password Day I have been writing this column for just over five years now and I have written five columns (one was in two...
Beltsville NewsMar 28, 20213 minTech Sense: The USB PortThe USB Port As I see it part of the purpose of this column is to give the readers insight into technology. This month I thought I would...
Beltsville NewsFeb 25, 20214 minTech Sense: Pi Day March 14Pi Day - March 14th March 14th is Pi Day. Pi is the number that represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. In...
Beltsville NewsJan 31, 20214 minTech Sense: How Search Engines Work By John BellHow Search Engines Work Happy New Year! Welcome to 2021, hopefully a better year. Last week I was asked how search engines like Google or...
Beltsville NewsJan 1, 20214 minTech Sense: Free Gifts for the Privacy Minded By John BellFree Gifts for the Privacy Minded The holiday season is upon us as we work, play, shop, and go to school online. For many of us hours and...
Beltsville NewsNov 25, 20204 minTech Sense: Holiday Shopping Guide 2020 by John BellHoliday Shopping Ideas 2020 It's November again and time to prepare for holiday shopping. It seems that many companies are running “Black...
Beltsville NewsNov 2, 20204 minTech Sense: Phone Phishing by John BellPhone Phishing From last month, phishing is a means to try and fraudulently collect money or valuable information from a person using...
Beltsville NewsSep 25, 20203 minTech Sense: Phishing Attacks by John BellPhishing Attacks Continuing our series on security and privacy protection this month, we look at phishing. Phishing is a form of social...
Beltsville NewsAug 30, 20202 minTech Sense: Back to School 2020 by John BellBack to School Back to school in 2020 is expected to be a lot different from in the past. Currently, Prince George’s County is planning...
Beltsville NewsAug 1, 20203 minTech Sense: Encryption Tools by John BellEncryption Tools Last month’s column discussed encryption. This month, the column looks at tools used to encrypt data for everyday use....
Beltsville NewsJun 26, 20202 minTech Sense: EncryptionEncryption One way of protecting your data involves a technology known as encryption. When you were a child, you may have owned a toy...
Beltsville NewsJun 26, 20202 minTech Sense: Privacy Protection StrategiesPrivacy Protection Strategies This month I am finally returning to my series on privacy and protection. In February we discussed who...
John BellApr 23, 20204 minTech Sense: Meetings from HomeMeetings from Home It's been a month now, and here we all are still stuck at home. Last month I deviated from my current series and...
John BellMar 27, 20204 minTech Sense: Working from HomeWorking from Home Due to the fact that everyone I know is working from home because of the threat posed by the COVID-19 virus, I thought...
John BellMar 2, 20204 minTech Sense: Protecting Your InformationProtecting Your Information This is the third in my series on privacy and security. Last month, I reviewed one method of creating secure...
John BellMar 2, 20204 minTech Sense: Time to Change Your PasswordsTime to Change Your Passwords This month starts my sixth year writing this column. Each year I have written at least one column on...
Beltsville NewsFeb 28, 20204 minTech Sense: Protecting Your InformationProtecting Your Information This is the third in my series on privacy and security. Last month, I reviewed one method of creating secure...
Beltsville NewsFeb 28, 20204 minTech Sense: Time To Change Your PasswordsTime to Change Your Passwords This month starts my sixth year writing this column. Each year I have written at least one column on...
John BellJan 7, 20204 minTech Sense: Who Is Watching Us?Anybody who has read this column over the years probably recognizes that I am an advocate for both security and privacy. As much as...
John BellDec 2, 20194 minTech Sense: Holidays 2019It's November again and time to prepare for holiday shopping. This year we will start with some new technology gifts that people might be...
John BellNov 1, 20193 minTech Sense: The PC Game Industry!In my last column of 2018, I discussed the game industry covering game platforms and distribution of games for the personal computing...
John BellSep 28, 20194 minTech Sense: Smart Home AutomationThis month I thought I would start a discussion of home automation and monitoring. Home automation is where devices in our homes do...
John BellSep 9, 20194 minTech Sense: Back To School 2019!Back to School 2019 It's that time again when school is starting, and once again we are scrambling to find the tools our students need...
John BellAug 10, 20193 minTech Sense: Finding eBooksFinding eBooks Last month we discussed eBook files and eReaders. This month we will continue looking at eBooks and discuss finding them....
John BellJul 1, 20193 minTech Sense: eBooks and eReadersSummer is here, and many of us will spend time on the beach or in the mountains relaxing and catching up on our reading. This month I...
John BellMay 26, 20194 minTech Sense: LaptopsMay and June are popular months for graduations, and laptop computers make a popular gift for the graduating student. This month we will...
John BellMay 12, 20193 minTech Sense: World Password DayWorld Password Day World Password Day is a day set aside on the first Thursday of May for everyone to change their passwords, add...
John BellApr 1, 20194 minTech Sense: Frequently Asked QuestionsThis month I will be tackling some questions I get asked frequently or FAQ's. Should I use a Surge Protector for my Computer? The answer...
John BellMar 1, 20194 minTech Sense: Pi Day, Raspberry Pi and SBCsMarch 14th is known in the United States as Pi Day, a celebration of the number Pi. We celebrate on March 14th because the first digits...
John BellJan 25, 20194 minTech Sense: You've Been Hacked!This month I have decided to present short insights into the loss of personally identifiable data or identity theft. I will start by...
John BellJan 2, 20194 minTech Sense: GamesI ended my last column talking about games as Christmas gifts, and that has inspired me to write more about the state of electronic games...
John BellJan 2, 20194 minTech Sense: Holiday Tech ToysIt's that time of year again where we help the non-technical spouse, sibling, or friend identify gifts for the techno-geeks in their...
John BellOct 24, 20185 minTech Sense: Famous People in Computer TechnologyThis morning I woke up to read that Paul Allen has died. Paul Allen along with his better known partner Bill Gates created the company...
John BellSep 26, 20184 minTech Sense: Telephone Scams and RobocallsWe all have telephones in our homes or pockets but this technology is abused by scammers to the point that many of us no longer want to...
John BellAug 25, 20184 minTech Sense: Back 2 School 2018 EditionIt's that time of year again, and this month we have our annual back-to-school column. This year, let's start by taking a look at the...
John BellAug 1, 20184 minTech Sense: Multi Factor AuthenticationMulti-factor Authentication I know you have seen in movies where the action character needs to break into a high-security building, and...
John BellJul 13, 20184 minTech Sense: More LinuxMore Linux So last month we discussed the Linux operating system. This month, I want to explore Linux more and cover how to explore Linux...
John BellMay 27, 20183 minTech Sense: LinuxLinux According to Wired magazine, 67% of the computers running the Internet are powered by Linux. So what is Linux, and is it only for...