Escaping Google’s Influence: A Review of the Zen Browser

I've been using the Zen browser for a couple of months now, and it is quite a great web browser. Before using Zen, I used Firefox for well over a decade and never imagined that I'd make the jump to other browser in that time.

Specially since I prefer open source apps, and most browsers out there are proprietary or heavily based on Chrome tech. While I used Android, Gmail, and Google Maps, I prefer my browser to be out of Google's influence. So, Zen being based on Firefox made it a good choice for me to at least give it a try.

To be honest, it took a really short time to make Zen my favorite web browser. Mainly because of two things, it is easy to easy to use, and I can use my Mozilla account with it. After a decade using Firefox, being able to use my Mozilla account made it a lot easier to make the jump, since all my history of use and other things came along to Zen without a problem. So much so, that I've been using Zen as I'd use Firefox from day one, with some minor adjustments that actually have made my web browsing that much easier.

So much so, that the only two web browsers I'd recommend are Zen and Firefox. Both work great on Windows and Linux, so they are some of the few apps I can recommend for users who use any of those OSes. I've personally used them on both, and they work the same, making them a no brainier to recommend.

If you are a Firefox user that is frustrated where it is going, or want a web browser that feels more modern that uses the same core tech, Zen is what you are looking for. The same if you want a modern web browser that uses none of Google's stuff under the hood.

At long last, there is and option to Google's dominance on the web browser arena- 

The Case for Minimalist AI: Only Where We Want It

There is no doubt that AI(Artificial Intelligence) is a useful tool in a variety of ways, from prompting ideas to analyzing data for patterns, but it doesn't need to be at the center of every action that a user makes with a computer, tablet, or smartphone. It shouldn't be integrated to every app either, the user should be the one who decide which apps should come with AI integrated to it, how and when to use it.

The push to integrate AI to everything by tech companies, is making what should be the next big thing in computing is being oversold to consumers and making many of them resistant to even learn to use it to their advantage. AI is a great tool to have in many ways, but it shouldn't on every app, and should a opt in when it is shipped with an app.

AI development has had several problems, one of the main ones when facing user is that companies don't seem to know how implement it and it has felt somewhat half baked at times. No only that, at times since companies don't seem to have a concrete idea what to with it, the users have done things that are questionable with AI tools Things like deep fakes of adult content with quite questionable themes.

Another thing, is pushing it on every product they have no matter if their users even want it or not. Some apps could have waited a bit longer, while others have no place of AI. One big example is Microsoft integrating Copilot directly on Windows by default. Copilot should be an app that has to be given permissions to what it has access and how much of it. Not every users needs to Copilot to make their computer useful to them, much to give it access to their whole computer.

At the end, AI to be most useful need to be in places where the user actually wants it to be and access only to what it needs to be useful at that task. What has put off users from AI is not that it exists, is that it companies have made misuse of it and tried to make users make use of no matter what they want.

To be honest, in time most people will end up using AI in some way because it is a great tool. But, now its adoption will take longer because companies made people distrust AI because of their actions. 

The Incentive of Care: Why Local Owners Work Harder for You

As life goes by, I've noticed that I prefer going to small shops and businesses. Mainly because, whit the right people, small shops and businesses attention tends to feel a lot more personal.

This kind of places tend to do so, because they tend to serve a smaller number of clients and that gives them the chance to actually create personal connections with the people they serve. As such, their service feels more tailored and personal to those who use their services or buy their products. Not only that, the owners of these businesses have a better chance to react to the wants or needs of their clients, making the whole experience feel even more personal.

While the offerings of small shops and business can compete on the number of products or services they can offer, they can compete on offering a more tailored offering to people they serves, making them a better option at times even when they can be a bit more expensive.

Most often than not, also the service that comes along with the experience, or product, you get from them make it worth while since you know that who is at the other side of the counter has an incentive to give you a better deal to keep you coming back. Not only that, when you become a regular the incentive to better serve your needs becomes even greater since your good will and word become the best advertisement they can have. In many ways, the incentive to create a sense of community around them is quite bigger, since that community is what will support them in the long run.

for them, treating their costumers like people is far stronger. Specially since the owners, and employees, tend to make roots at the community they serve because they know they people who live in it because they are their costumers and friends.  While this can be a double edge sword, if it is well managed it can be their biggest strength since it means that their costumers are far more loyal to them since they feel like the business is part of the community and it serves them in some level.

The biggest problem for this businesses if their reluctance to adopt new technologies that could better help them to stay relevant in their communities, like the web, smartphones, and the like. Those who are able to integrate new tech that their clients adopt too, are the ones who become even stronger.

To be honest, the ones I like the most are those small shops and business that adopt those new techs that don't lose that human touch. 

From Dongles to Bluetooth: My Two-Decade Wireless Journey

I've always used wireless tech whenever possible since the early 2000s, when at the time it meant using a dongle to connect your mouse or keyboard wireless to your computer or laptop. On the headphone side of things, I didn't use Bluetooth one since the ones I like were to expensive until about 5 years ago.

But, since I started using Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and headphone about 4 years ago, they have become my favorite way to connect this kind of peripherals  to my my laptop when I'm use them at the office or home office. When on the go, I mainly bring with me Bluetooth headphone and mouse, the mouse is something I don't always use when I'm at the coffee shop, or bar, working or just browsing the web.

To be honest, Bluetooth peripherals are more than good enough for working, casual gaming, browsing the web, or things along those lines. Specially if you don't like looking at wires on your desk, and want a cleaner desk setup, it makes sense having any of these peripherals, specially since they have come down in price as the Bluetooth has matured, and more people use keyboards, mice, and headphones on their setups.

I don't see them becoming as cheap as their wired counterparts, but with time the price difference won't be that big, and more people will be able to get a workable Bluetooth keyboard or mouse that will be more than good enough for most use cases. Specially on the headphone and mouse category, since most people who use a laptop as their daily driver won't need to have a Bluetooth keyboard at hand, unless they want on for their office, or home office setup. Personally, that is my case, I've a Bluetooth for my hone office and my office, but when I'm any where else I just bring my Bluetooth mouse and headphone with me.

Even if I got a desktop for my any of my offices, I would look for them to have Bluetooth. I don't really want to go back to use dongles, since they take a port away and I rather have those ports available to use for other things, like USB sticks, external hard drives, charge my laptop, or monitors.

As time goes by, I see mobile tech becoming better. Which means that people will be better able to set their setups to their specific needs. Even portable monitors are becoming better and cheaper as time goes by, which is greet for those who like to work with a couple of monitors, or want to connect their smartphone to a bigger display when the task calls for it.

As someone who has rooted for mobile tech to get better, I'm somewhat happy where it is now and hopeful for its future. 

The Hustle Culture Trap

The problem with the hustle culture is that it makes work not just a part of your life , not just a part of it. It is unhealthy to focus just on the hustle, as it is not giving any importance at all.

Yet, it is important to keep a balance between work, rest, and doing other things just because you enjoy doing them. While you can enjoy, even love, what you do to be productive, you can also feel the same way about you do just because you enjoy them just for the sake of doing them.

Jobs are just part of your life, and they are just jobs. The rest of your life outside work is just as important, and worthy of being enjoyed as much as you do your job.

Most importantly , modern tech has made possible to have a better balance. We can be more productive at work, and enjoy our free time more giving us access to find more things that enrich our lives outside it. Sadly, it has been used to try to blur the line between the two. Just because we have always have access to a laptop, or a smartphones, it doesn't mean our time is available to work all the time.

Life is not about the hustle, hustle is just a part of your life. Hustle doesn't mean anything much if you don't give yourself the chance to enjoy what happens outside it. 

From Bluetooth to DaVinci Resolve: Living a Frictionless Life on Linux

Linux distros like Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Pop OS! are getting better as an alternative for Windows and macOS, but they lag behind mainly because the average user don't see them. Even when they do, they get the idea they are hard to use and they requiere them a level of expertise that it isn't actually required.

I'm aware that they are several more Linux distros that are user friendly, but my daily driver is Linux Mint and I've hands on experience with Ubuntu and Pop OS!. The main reason I use Linux Mint, and can recommend Ubuntu or Pop OS! to beginners is that they are easy to use with a low learning curve coming from either Windows or macOS. Not only that, apps like Chrome, Firefox, and Spotify, run without problems on them. Even da Vinci resolve is available on Linux distros.

Hardware wise, unless the user has an usual setup Linux will run almost on every hardware out there. Most consumer hardware is supported out of the box, but testing before installing a distro is highly recommended. Personally, I've yet to find a laptop and printer that doesn't work on Linux.

All Bluetooth mice, keyboards, and headphones I've used work out of the box on Linux Mint. The only complain I've, is that not all of them show their battery status, but they work as expected. Currently I've to laptops running Linux Mint 22.3, and the Bluetooth keyboard I use at my home office connects with both without issue when I ask the keyboard to do so. I'm sure the mouse I use would do the same, but I do use different ones.

There are still some rough edges, but in general Linux Mint and Pop OS! are great options for those  who a Linux distro that just work, or want to get into Linux. I can't recommend Ubuntu as much, but is a good option too. At the end of the day, the best and what works for you is a personal choice.

At the end of the day, Linux distros have come a long way. And Linux Mint and Pop OS! are a couple of Linux distros that focus on ease of use and being user friendly. 

Why I’m Not Surprised Tablets Haven’t Replaced My Laptop

The idea that the iPad, or any other tablet, becoming a laptop replacement for everyone is as misplaces as wanting to laptops to become a replacement for a desktop for everyone. To be honest tablets are the best option for some workflows, they aren't the best option for every workflow.

As laptops didn't completely replace desktops, tablet won't completely replace laptops or desktops. While tablets have proven to be more than capable in some instances, for others it isn't that that good of an option. Tablets have carved their niche, and they won't go anywhere anytime soon. I'd say that tablets are here to stay, because they have proven to quite useful for graphic designers, artists, and as point of sale, among many other things. But, it also have proven that it can't completely replace laptops, or desktops, in other areas where their form factors are better suited.

Laptops are more than portable enough for the people who use them for they work, while the tablet don't really bring any killer advantage. Their laptop can do everything they need better than a tablet, and then some. Not to say that tablets do the same for some people, but at the end this comes down to what each person wants from their device.

All comes down to the needs of each individual. With mobile chips getting better each year,  soon laptops will have SoC that will give them more computing power, while having as good battery life as tablets. Thus making the choice of which to get more dependent on which device better fits the use you are going to give it.

I'm not surprised that tablets have become the main computer for some, but they won't be the main device for everyone. 

The Office as a Hub, Not a Cage

The more I think about it, the more I realize the best compromise for administrative, programmers, and employees like that, is they hybrid work model. Bringing them in to the office according to whats needed, giving those the employees a more flexible schedule.

To be honest, these employees don't need to be all the time at the office to be effective. Depending on the individual, they can be more effective working remotely most of the time, just coming to the office for meetings or to talk face to face when needed. While others, might prefer to come to the office more often because they prefer to work there just using the remote mode from time to time. Most would fall somewhere in the middle, even splitting their work day between the office and remote work.

While some would like to work from a home office, others would prefer to work from a coffee shop or some where similar, for some hours a day, just to change their setting from the office. The office would become the place where to meet and iron things out, and then each go out to their preferred work setting where they can do their best work.

Even those who prefer to work at the office can benefit from the flexibility of being able to work remotely when required, knowing they'd be able to do when need without problem when they need to do so. Minimum time at the office could be set for all, to use as they see fit.

Personally, I'd split my days between working from home office and the office, with just a couple of full days working remotely and at the office. That way, I'd get to talk with my boss and set things for the week and have a better time management. Specially since at work we access a remote desktop to do our work, which means that i don't have to be at the office to do my work. Most importantly, that would give my boss and me more than enough time to talk things over on what needs to be done, while giving both of us the flexibility to work where we are most effective.

As important, is that we can change the schedule as needed. We could change things day to day if needed, since we both have the flexibility to come in and out the office to work as needed, which is something that makes the hybrid model even more effective and plausible for both of us.

Being able to work in a hybrid model is something that would make employees more effective, and committed. Specially because when needed, meeting could be held outside the office to boots moral when needed. The office could become the place where people come together when needed, or to meet to set things up, and work from where they are most effective the rest of the time.

In essence, the office would be the place where employees come to set targets, and their remote work place where they make things happen.

Solving the RDP Printer Redirection Nightmare: A Case Study in Linux vs. Windows

One of the aspects where Remmina as remote desktop client, running on Linux Mint, has proven better than the option we have on Windows 11 at work, is that it respect the printer settings.

To save on paper cost, the invoices we send to our clients are printed on both sides of the paper. On Windows 10 and 11, it is a hit or miss option. It does respects it a few times, mostly ignoring it. While on Remmina, we set it once when the printer is added and we can count that it will print on both sides of the paper,

We have test it on at least three brands of printers, like HP and Bother. While on Remmina it works consistently on every printer,  on Windows it consistently fails to work. One would think that running a Windows remote desktop on a Windows computer would be easy to set it up, it has proven not to be. While doing so on 3 different laptops running Linux Mint has worked every time.

To be honest, setting printing on both sides should be something that just works.  That it doesn't work on Windows not matter the printer, or the computer you use,  is something that baffles me. Specially since is something that is easy to do, and works consistently on several computers running Linux Mint.

For my department, is has been a long standing problem. For some five years, I've the only one that could print double sides print outs directly from the remote desktop. My boss, and coworker, had to send the document to their local desktop to be able to do so, which is not that bad if it something we do sparingly. Yet, we need to do it several times a day, then it becomes a problem.

Something so simple doesn't have a simple fix, and it seems that it is something that won't be fixed anytime soon. Which is a shame and frustrating. 

The Math of Mass Transit: How Integrated Fares Save More Than Just Time

The more I use mass transit, like the light train or bus rapid transit, in Guadalajara metropolitan area and compare it to using a car for everyday commute, the more I'm convinced that we need a larger integrated system.

Today I had some errands to run, and had to transfer between both systems to get where I had to be. If I had to use the normal bus, I´d have to pay four fares to get where I was going and would have taken at least half an hour longer since on normal bus it shares the road with private transport. Which means that it runs slower overall.

Using the Macro Periférico rapid bus line and the Línea 3 of the light train system it took an hour and 20 minutes, even accoutring for waiting time for the bus and train to arrive both ways, since they have their own right of way. Not only that, the transfer cost half the price of the fare, which means that for the round trip I paid the price of three fares, instead of the four it would had cost me using the bus. For one trip it doesn't mean much, but for those who make the trip for work between five and six times a week, or those who have to make it daily, it adds up quickly.

While the Macro Periférico is getting extended, and the another Macros Bus is getting done to get to the airport, and a fourth light rail line has been completed early this year, there is room to expand both systems. For example the Línea 2 of the light rail could be extended to at least the Periférico from where it ends now, and more light rail or rapid bus lines need to be added in mayor avenues like Mariano Otero and Lopez Mateos, where options to cars are badly needed.

Mass transit in not a luxury, or nice things to have, on metropolitan areas like Guadalajara. They are must haves, that make commuting within the city not only easier, but much faster. Just having a few lines is not enough, they must be complete systems that allow people to move around the city, and with the same payment system to allow seamless transition between them. The same goes for the normal bus system, adding that they should also accept the transfer discount when taking near the stations of the light train, and rapid bus systems.

Public transport should be seen as system, not as independent services. Taxis, and shared ride apps, could be seen as exceptions, but light rail, rapid  bus, buses, and trolleybus should be considered as part of the system and integrated as such. And should be made so that everyone living in the metropolitan area should be within a 15 minute walking distance of a bus stop, trolley bus stop, light rail, or rapid bus station. Not only that, transferring between them should be seamless when needed. Not only that, it should be cheap enough for most of the population to pay, even free in some cases.

Public transport should so good that most people can consider it as the first option for their daily commute, with private transport being primary mode of transport for as little as possible. It is not about taking freedom of choice away, is that the making the choice of public transport easier to make for a larger portion of the people living in cities.

Public transport makes building cities for the people who live in them much easier, it is time to make cities for people not for cars.

Security vs. Usability: The Case for OS-Agnostic Remote Work

After a while of using a work issued small form desktop at work than ran Windows 11 for almost 6 months, and then coming back to using my Linux Mint laptop, I got reminded why I preferred using Linux Mint at work.

For my work, I had to access a remote desktop. As such, the OS that my computer runs locally doesn't really matters while there is app available to access the remote desktop without issues from any place with an Internet connection. Which I was able to do for more than a couple of years, until a boss decided that the only way we could connect to the remote desktop and print, was only to be done on a Windows computer at the local network.

Which has come to bite us several times over the last year and a half, specially since only a couple of accounts can make the invoices needed to send our clients orders and at times only one of us was at the office and could not invoice and print them.

The main reason cited for the change was network security, which for us was a non issue since to login to the remote desktop the IT department has to issue a hardened account with password to each user, and the permission to the account to be able to access the printer.  As such, the access to the printer is not only secure, but also restricted to only those who actually need to be able to print. Those who can't, have to ask someone who can by policy.

Not only that, some of us who use the system and need to print have more capable computers than the ones that the company can issue us. And the server, and software we use, require that each computer to be added to the whitelist to be able to connect to the server. Which means that someone leaves the company, and used his own computer to work, that machine can taken off the white list, and be denied access even if they for some reason still have their individual  user and password on their machine afterwards.

Personally, taking away the chance of each employee to connect to the server with the computer they already bring with them when is safe to do so, is something that doesn't make sense. Doing so, is denying people doing their best work with the tool that allows them to do so. If people can do their work bringing their own devices, they should be allowed to do so. Specially on post that you know they can be trusted to do it in the best way possible, and there are ways to set restrictions in such a way they can only access what they need to do their job.

Not only that, when they bring a laptop or tablet, that allows them to do their job from wherever they are at any given time. is a change to offer flexibility to that employee and/or have some insurance that they would be able to continue do the job if they can make it to the office sometimes.

Even if by company policy, employees need to come in to the office, being able to work remotely if there is the need means that work won't come to a stop if something unforeseen happens. It give everyone involved the certainty that things can be done even if the unexpected happen.

It is sad to see companies not allowing their employees do their best work because they don't use the tech at hand to its full potential. In a way, they are leaving money at the table, because their employees can't solve problems or find ways to work focused to giving the best they can. If employees aren't allowed to use their tools to their full potential in a way that lets their creativity to solve problems for the costumer the company loses.

Tech should be at the service of the employees, so they can actually do their best for the benefit of the consumer that will use the services of the company more often in a recurring way. People make businesses great, but only if given the best tools possible.