Tsikbal: from my perspective

Bluetooth was one of those technologies that I found interesting, but I didn't see myself using much. Now, I really have become a heavy user of the technology. I use it from headphones, to my main mouse and keyboard. I stated using Bluetooth with headphones with my smartphone, and not having to worry about a wire made the experience a whole lot more convenient. And when I started using them with my laptop, the whole experience became even better since I wasn't tied down to being close to it to keep listening to my music or podcast. At work became even more liberating, since I have to constantly stand up to pick documents at the printer or do things out of my desk. Not having to take off my headphones every time I stand up from my desk is a nice thing to be able to do. I did use a wireless mouse, using a USB interface for a long time, but moving to Bluetooth liberated a USB port, which on modern laptop is great since USB ports are not that many on them. Next came the keyboard, ...

It has been about 4 years that I've been getting regular Android, and each one it proves to be the better option for me. I've been getting the upgrade with Android 13 , and currently I got Android 16 . The first two were on the Nothing Phone (1) , and the last two on the Pixel 7a . Each time it felt like an improvement, and the smartphone felt a bit better after the upgrade even though are mid range devices. Which makes it a lot more impressive, the level of optimization makes them a breeze to use and extend their useful life. The new features that come with each upgrade also makes them more useful, even if they aren't ground breaking. The quality of life that comes with them make them wort it. Yet the main reason why the upgrades are important, is that they bring security updates with them that keeps your device safe to use for longer. Personally, that Android upgrades are becoming more common for more devices, and for longer, is something that will benefit the users on th...

It has been nearly two years since I got the Pixel 7a , and it is one of the best two Android devices I've used. The other one would be the Nothing Phone (1) , both really good mid range options. Both devices are really solid mid range smartphones, and in some ways punch a bit above their class in some ways. Mainly in how smooth they operate, and for me both cameras were quite good if you are just looking to share photos and video on social media, or with friends. Not the best ones out there, but more than good enough to share a moment with friends and family. The main reason I didn't go with the Nothing Phone (2) , and instead went with the Pixel 7a, was that it wasn't available in Mexico when I made the switch. I don't regret it, but in a way I would get a Nothing phone if the timing is right when the time to upgrade comes in a year or two.  If not, I'd go with the Pixel Xa phone is available at the time. The main reason I'd continue using Pixel or Nothing de...

One of my biggest gripes with mobility in big cities, is that we have the public transport systems to help alleviate the traffic, thus improving the quality of life of the people, and they aren't given enough priority and planning. Systems of light rail , and bus rapid transit , when correctly planned and implemented, can help to move people faster and conveniently. When implemented well, people can move fast and easily within the city. This in turn benefits their employers and other business owners by making it easier to their employees and clients to get to where they are located. Not only that, by taking people of cars, the congestion will be a lot less. This means that those who need or prefer using cars, can move faster since there are less traffic jams. Good public transport systems are a win for everyone, even those who don't use them. Most importantly, it doesn't take away from personal freedom. A good public transport system actually increase the mobility of peopl...

While I love using Linux Mint, one of the things I would love to see more is more people who use Linux Mint sharing the apps and the desk set ups they use. To be honest, one of the reasons I love Linux Mint is that is one of the distros that is easiest to set on your personal aesthetics. A solid Linux disto that is easy to use, and that is easy to set to be aesthetical pleasing. A distro that has the looks and the technical foundations, so to say. In a way, Linux Mint is elegant. The closest one that come close in my view was Ubuntu when it used Unity. Other than that, I haven't found that gives me the aesthetics that Linux Mint gives me. And since it changed the release schedule to use LTS versions of Ubuntu as its base, it has been even better.

Something that feels like a downgrade when the local server was changed to a server provided by our enterprise resource planning provider, was that we stopped being able print remotely. The reason that we could print from outside the office, was that the printer at the office was on the server itself. As such, the laptop or computer we used to connect to the remote desktop we used for work, didn't need to be at the same network where the printer was connected to be able to print. When the change was made to the server provided by provider the computer, or laptop, we used needed to be at the same network the printer, because to printer needed to be added to the computer itself. Which is something that has come to bite me in multiple ways. Mainly when we had a couple of energy outages, and couldn't connect to the network the printer is at. Also when I was out of the office, and needed to help making invoices. I just couldn't print the invoices, since I was out the office...

I decided to give Pop!_OS a try on my home laptop , and after a week of use I came back to Linux Mint . Not that Pop!_OS is bad, is that Linux Mint is a better fit for me. The main reason that I decided to test Pop!_OS on my home laptop, is that if anything went wrong I wouldn't be as pressured to reinstall Linux Mint and all the apps I really as I would be on my main laptop. And even though the experience was good on Pop!_OS, Linux Mint is just better for me. The worst bug I faced on Pop!_OS, was that the time went several minutes ahead on almost daily basis. Not that big of an issue, but it could be if I had to do time sensitive things. Other than that, there were just workflow things, like I don't like to use docks all that much, and that I find the software update process more intuitive. Honestly, now that I've used Pop!_OS, I find it to be a solid Linux distro . I can recommend people to give it a try, and I can see it be a good fit for many users, even those without ...

After reading some good reviews, I decided to jump to what is expected the last beta of Android 16 . I wanted to see for myself if Android 16 is really shaping to be a good update and mainly jump to it a bit ahead of time. So far, it has been quite a nice user experience. As a whole, I don't feel that Android 16 is that much different from Android 15. Seems like most of the changes that affect my user experience are under the hood, which is not a bad thing in itself. And to be honest, since a major release is expected on yearly basis, I don't expect major changes in the user interface each year. I rather have a couple of years that focus on security and performance upgrades, with major user interfase upgrades only when needed. One thing I've noticed, is that since I started testing beta releases since Android 13 with the Nothing Phone (1) , Google has made a great job of making the last two betas quite close to what we get when the final Android version is released. So m...

That people have their smartphones with them almos the time, doesn't mean that you are available to take a call all the time. This is something that some people, specially of older generations, don't seem to understand, or struggle with. This is why many of the younger generations prefer communicating via instant messaging , it is less intrusive and allows the other to respond when they can without interrupting what they are doing at the moment. It is also become a reason why some send a message before making a call, to make sure the other person can answer. It is not, as some say, that we are afraid of phone calls. Is just that they have their place and reasons to be made. The same goes for instant messages, some subjects are better served by making a call. It could be said, that sometimes an instant message is better that 20 minute call. Which mode of communication, and when to use it, is better depends on context and who do you ask. Both have their place, and as valuable. Y...

I've been using the Pixel 7a for over a year now, and it has been one of the best user experiences I've had so had with a smartphone so far. The only smartphone that come close, is the Nothing Phone 1 , so much so that when the time comes to replace my Pixel 7a, it will come to what Pixel and Nothing have on offering on the mid-range at the time. While I'd like to have to latest, and greatest, flagship smartphone out there, with the experience I had with both the Pixel 7a, and the Nothing Phone 1, I've come to reilase that a good mid-range smartphone gives mee all what I need. Not only that, the user experience is just as good. Besides, with Nothing offering at least 3 Android upgrades, and Google offering 7 on Pixels, the devices become all that better for me. Knowing that my smartphone will receive at least 3 years of OS upgrades is something that gives a lot more value for me. Specially since I know now that 3 years is the minimum amount of time I want to be able ...

One of myths that persist about Linux that bugs me the most, is that Linux is not user friendly. It once was true, but it hasn't been true since at least 2010. While Linux distributions like Arch Linux and Debian require some expertise to use, there are other distros like Ubuntu and Linux Mint that are as easy to use as Windows or macOS . While coming from Windows, or macOS, might mean needing to some time to get used to Ubuntu, or Linux Mint, the jump is not all that big. To be honest, the question you need to make before making the jump to a Linux distro is if the apps you need run in Linux, or if it has an alternative. For most user, the answer is in the positive. It is becoming the case, that only niche user cases can't make the jump because of an app doesn't work, or it doesn't have an alternative, on Linux. Even working on remote desktops running Windows, or macOS, is easy on Linux. I've been using Remmina for years now, and it works like a breeze. N...

Turns out that companies need workers to return to the office, not because the work needs to be done at the office. It turns out, that they need the tax cuts they get for people going to the office. State, and county, governments, give companies tax incentives if a certain number of employees work at an office they open. The more employees, the bigger the tax incentive they get, as such they need people to come in to the office in order to receive that incentive. So, it doesn't matter if the work can be done as well, or better, remotely. It doesn't matter how long the commute is either, they just want the worker to show up so the company reaches the head count needed. There are some companies that refuse to adapt, they fail to see that some of the jobs they have can be done as effectively, or better, remotely. It even motivates their employees to work harder to be able to keep the job, or not having to go the office. It also increases moral, since remote workers feel better ove...

I never really used email clients before I started made the jump to Ubuntu  over a decade ago. When I first installed Ubuntu, I saw that Thunderbird was one of the included apps, and since I already used Firefox , which is also made by Mozilla , I decided to give a try. Since, I haven't looked back. Thunderbird made managing my email a lot easier, specially since I got more than one email address. Not having to enter the webpage of each of them is quite convenient, specially time saving for important mails. Another thing I like, is the fact that I can set up Thunderbird the way I like, and have all my emails in one place. Which means that I don't have to jump around several webpages to see to which email address a particular email arrived. Over the years I've tried a couple of other email clientes, mainly GNOME Evolution and Nylas N1 , I even used Microsoft Outlook at work for a while, but I always come back to Thunderbird. I've found out that Thunderbird gives me t...

After listening to an episode of the Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast  (Spotify link) about the economic data of the craft beer industry, it got me thinking about what the bars I like have that keep me coming back. Not only that, I also things that I'd like my perfect bar to have. The first thing in the list, would be the beers I love and some craft beers to taste when I feel like trying something new. Preferably on draught , since I prefer it over the bottle or can options. i just like the taste better, for me it is just better. Then comes the ambience. It has to be a placer were I can chill either by myself or with friends. The music should be loud enough so the conversations on other tables can be ignored while you can talk with the people on your table or just chill out. Talking about the music, I prefer it to be rock , pop , lounge , or techno . The reason I prefer this music in the bars I like, is because they help me to chill out or not distract me much about t...

About a five years ago I decided to give Bluetooth headphones a try for use with my smartphone , and I must admit that not having wires to worry about was a nice thing to have. Before that, the only other wireless device I had was a mouse , because I had being using a laptop as my every day computer for years and not having a cable to use the mouse was also quite a nice thing. After a I got a laptop that had Bluetooth when I upgraded, I had been using Bluetooth headphones for a couple of years. So, I decided to get a pair of Bluetooth headphones to use with it since I found that the audio of Bluetooth headphones is more than good enough for my use case, since I only use them to listen to music, videos, podcasts , or on video conferences. And it turned out to be quite a great experience for me. It gave a degree of freedom of movement that I appreciate a lot, since I like to stand up and walk a bit from time to time, and not having to take of the headphones to do so is quite nice. The ...

The news that Microsoft   Skype , and integrating some of its functionalities into Teams is one that hits in the nostalgia. To be honest, the news in itself wasn't all that surprising. Microsoft had been pushing teams as a collaborative tool for a while now, while Skype has been largely ignored. While I used Skype in the early 2000s, it has been quite a while since I moved to WhatsApp , and Messenger , for most of my everyday communications including voice and video calls. I even do more phone calls using the phone app. Though, I did use Skype to keep in touch with friends and family for a while, but we ended up moving to WhatsApp, or the massaging services of Facebook, Instagram, Telegram , Zoom , or other social media sites. Mainly because they are more convenient ways to chat and share files or other media. I can't remember the last time I used Skype for anything. In someways, when Microsoft purchased Skype I thought it could become a worthy successor to MSN Messenger . I...

I've using a Machenike L16air  with Linux Mint  for over 6 months now, and it has been a great experience so far. Even though the laptop came with originally came with  Windows 11 , installing Linux Mint was easy and everything just works. The upgrade to Linux Mint 22.1 Xia happened without any problems when the time came, and the improvements the Linux Mint made to the new release are quite good. The Machenike keyboards K500 Pro-B94  and K500 , that I use on regular basis, also work out of the box with Linux Mint. So much so, that I'm now a fan of mechanical keyboards for when I'm at home or the office. Not only that, it has made me a Machenike fan, and I wish they would offer their laptops with Linux Mint preinstalled for those who prefer it over Windows. Not only that, that they offered the software for their keyboards for Linux too. Machenike has proven to be quite a great value for money. So much so, that I'm considering one of Machenike's monitors for when the...

It has been about a week since I upgraded to the Linux Mint 22.1 Xia,  and it has been one of the best point releases Linux Mint has had in a while. The change that has proven to have the most impact on me, as an user, is the ability to change the power setting on my laptop. I've seen a mayor battery life improvement when I set the power setting to power saving when not plugged in, and one of several hour. It has gone up from about 4 hours, to about 8 from a full battery charge. Other than that, it has been a great point release so far for my daily use. Now, I'm looking forward for Wayland to supersede X11 . And that's why I like Linux Mint, it give a modern OS that only changes things when necessary and it just works. It isn't at the bleeding edge of Linux, but I don't need to be at the bleeding edge. I just need at the system that just work.