Mid-range Android smartphones give me more value for my money.

After about 8 years using Android smartphones, it has become my go to mobile operating system. Android just works for me, in a way iOS just can't compete. Not that iOS is bad, its just that it simply doesn't works how I want it to, and Android fits with how I use my smartphone a lot better.

Add to it, that with each new Android version it just keeps getting better for my use case, moving to iOS is less appealing. There is also the fact that Android OEM keep releasing better smartphones each year, it does feel like an upgrade each time I make the choice to get a new one.

Most importantly, the mid-range Android smartphones give a great value in the hardware the have. They might not have the greatest, and latest, tech in them, but they work great for the use I've for my smartphone. They actually find they give me more for the cost they have.

The fact that there are several options with in the Android ecosystem, making OEM having to compete among themselves, makes for appealing smartphones and choose the one that better fits my needs with some extra things that I want to have at hand. In most cases, I'm able to find the smartphone that gives me that extra without going out of budget, or for just for a little more if I can.

Android just works, and it keeps getting better.

Linux Mint just works for me.

Windows 11 release last week proved how Windows has become rather irrelevant for me. I only use it for work, and through a remote desktop client, as such I don't really have to worry about keeping the OS up to date.

For the better part of a decade now, I've been using a Linux distro on my personal computers. Currently, I run the latest version of Linux Mint, which just works for all my needs. Actually, I've much less issues with Linux Mint on all my laptops than with the computers I've used at work running Window 7 or 10. Specially on computers on the lower end of technical specifications.

Yet, what really solidify Linux Mint status as my go to OS, is the fact that since at work we moved to using the could for work Remmina has proved that I can keep working using Linux Mint without any real problem. What is better, since I use laptops, that has meant that I can keep working from any where with an Internet connection.

With how good Linux Mint has gotten in the last 4-5 years, it makes hard for me to make a case to move back to using Windows. Specially when I take into account that almost everything now can be done through a web browser, or a mobile app.

Linux distros like Linux Mint, and Ubuntu, that have a solid development team behind them make for a great OS for most people. Now, unless you have a need for a very specific piece of software that only works on Windows, or on macOS, Linux is quite a solid option for most user cases.

A nice update of Android by Motorola.

When I got my Motorola One Fusion a couple of months ago, it came with Android 10. Since I don't really don't care about having he latest Android version, just one of the last 3 released, it wasn't that big of the deal for me. Personally, that the smartphone I get runs Android and has at least 64GB of internal storage, about 4GB of RAM, is the baseline I go for.

Android 10 really was an improvement for me coming from an Android 9 smartphone. Besides, the OS actually worked rather well on the smartphone. Yet, on the 1st of October I woke up to the pleasant surprised that my smartphone had upgraded to Android 11 overnight. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting it to happen, but as an Android fan it was a nice thing to get.

In the week I've using Android 11 in a daily basis, it has actually improved my user experience in the same smartphone. Mainly, the user interface was a big improvement compared with Android 10, and as a whole my smartphone has worked better overall.

Each time I get to try a newer version of Android, it gets better for me. So much so, that I simply don't see myself jumping to the iPhone. If anything, I keep looking for better Android smartphones with at least the version of Android my current smartphone runs. Android just works for me in ways iOS would never do.

And with the update, Motorola has solidified itself as the OEM I'll give priority when I'd look into replacing my current smartphone. Now, I just hope that the Motorola One Fusion gets Android 12 in the near future.

Laptops work magic for me.

As time goes on, I've found that laptops are perfect for my computing needs. Laptops have more than enough computing power for my needs, and allow me to take them with me to work from pretty much most of the places I frequent regularly.

Laptops just fit perfectly my lifestyle, specially with Wi-Fi becoming so ubiquitous along side with charging spots. That make possible for me to actually be able to work from almost everywhere, or just get online when I need to access things for which a laptop is a better option than a smartphone.

It has been years since I've seriously considered a desktop as a replacement, or even as an upgrade to the laptop at the time I was considering getting replacing the laptop I'd at the time. Laptops just offer what I need from a computer, which is not really much on the computer power side. Portability is just far more important for me, since I like to be able to work from different places from time to time.

Fortunately for me, laptops have gotten to a point where they can cover all my work and entertainment needs without breaking a sweat. All this with improving the battery life by several hours, that make them a lot more useful for my needs.

The best thing, is that Linux Mint has worked flawlessly with my favorite brands of laptops. And with the on going development of Linux Mint, I expect for things to get better for me.

Linux Mint is my go to operating system.

As time goes on, Linux Mint has become the operating system that works for me for my computers. It simply works for me, and it has worked as a charm ever since Linux Mint 19 (Tara) came about.

I personalize prefer the version using the Cinnamon desktop environment, since the desktop environment that better suits my needs and system work really well with it. There is also the fact that it it works great with the dual monitor setup I prefer, and that Remmina works really well on Linux Mint.

The first Linux distro I ever used was Ubuntu, yet ever since they move away from using Unity I just haven't felt comfortable using it. Linux Mint, with Cinnamon, just gives me a better user experience.

With each new release since Linux Mint 19, at least the base experience has remained there. There have been some improvements, like being able to creating app Web App to create direct access to most used web pages that have served to improve my experience on the end user side, but the best thing is that overall the OS has been improving with each release.

Linux Mint is really the Linux distro that I can recommend the average computer user, or more advance users with specific needs. Specially since I've used it on my personal daily driver for over 3 years, and for work for about a year now.

Remmina enabling using Linux for work.

I've been using a Linux distro on my personal computers for about 8 years now. The two distros I've used from the start are Linux Mint and Ubuntu, though as of 2019 I prefer to use Linux Mint.

 

At work, most of the time I've to use Windows computers mainly because that was the operating system the computer I had to use had installed. Yet, since last year I've been able to use my laptop with Linux Mint installed for work since we have to work on a remote desktop.

I use Remmina, and it has work great for me. If I had issues with it, all can be attributed to a bad Internet connection or the server going off line. I didn't know much about it, but it has been really easy to configure to work as I want it to work. So much so, that I prefer it over the Windows option I was using before.

 

The best thing, is that it allows me to work from anyplace I can get an Internet connection. The flexibility I get from it means that I can use my time much more effectively. I don't have to worry as much about getting all I need to do at a certain time, since I can keep working almost from all the places I life to frequent.

I do recommend Remmina if you need to work from a remote Windows desktop and you want to keep using your Ubuntu based OS.

Going on with less cash.

After a few weeks working from home, I've come to use cash far less than I did before. Most of the purchases I do on regular basis, I can do using credit, or debit, cards of via electronic transfers. As such, I don't need cash as much as I used to.

To be honest, even before the start of the pandemic my use of cash had be declining for some for years now. Working from home only accelerated the trend, with no sign that my use of cash would increase any time soon. As it stands, there is no really a good reason for me to carry much cash.

The need of having cash with me, or at least large amount of it, is becoming less important for me. I just need small amounts, since most of payments I've to do by electronic ways. Most importantly, is that I can actually choose not to use cash on my every day life.

In a way, I've seen this coming a long way ahead. Yet, it still got me by surprise since it came in a way I wasn't expected to come by.

For me, not having to worry about having to have cash at hand, makes my life a lot easier. Mainly because I don't have to withdraw money often, which gives me a lot more flexibility of what to do with my time, and not having to worry about getting it stolen. As time goes on, more and more places are starting to accept payments by credit and debit cards, or by electronic transfer, which make my need for cash even less.

Time will tell if my use of cash will keep decreasing, or just stays the same.

Need to change the education system.

As time goes by, I've come to the realization that the problem isn't the amount of information that its available online, but there are many who don't have a way to process information critically in order to differentiate which information is relevant and useful from misinformation. Most people just are able to just memorize facts and figures, but not processing information.

The problem isn't the amount of information out there, but that our education systems put emphasis on memorizing, rather then on giving students the ability to actually process the information they come across, in order to learn new things and make decisions based on that information.

Simple memorization is not longer useful, but rather the ability to process new information and to internalize it in order to be able to act on it in the best possible way according to the needs we have at the moment. What we need now, is that people are able to go through new information and have the ability to use it almost in real time.

As technology is becoming taking over most of the repetitive stuff we do, we need to make sure more people can make the transition to jobs that require the ability to process information and make decisions made upon those new inputs. The main problem is that a large proportion of the population doesn't have that ability, and they are being left behind.

The world is changing at the pace, and direction, that makes it almost impossible for them to adapt to it. Many simply don't have the skills needed to be able to do so, and no place were they can actually learn them to be able to adapt. It isn't that they are unwilling to do so, they cannot adapt because they lack the skills to do so.

While the job market have changed on what it needs, workers haven't kept up to those changing needs because they can access the skills they need. The way we see education needs to change.

Having a good experience with a Motorola One Fusion.

Recently I got a Motorola One Fusion, since the device I was using for about 3 years nos was starting to show its age. After a couple of months of usage, I must say it was quite a good choice. It works quite well for me, since it cover all my needs and expectations about how a smartphone should work.

It also cements mid-range smartphones as my go to option, and Motorola as one of my top 3 brands. Motorola has been one of the brands I usually take as an option, but now having hands on experience with one of their devices it has really come to be one of the main options. It also gets extra points due to the fact that its easy for me to get it unlocked from the start.

The other one would be Nokia, because of the good reviews and of nostalgia, but its hard to get one of their devices in Mexico unlocked from independent stores.

I prefer to get my smartphones unlocked from the get go, mainly as a safeguard in case I need to change carrier for whatever reason. Specially since smartphones are quite expensive, and I don't really like to change them if the one I'm currently using still is in working order.

Though I've toying with the idea of trying an iPhone, my current smartphone kind of makes it harder for me to make the jump to the iPhone. With each new version of Android I get to use, the user experience keeps getting better for me. In more than one way, Android just works for me.

Challenges of adapting to the future workplace.

The kind of jobs performed by people has changed a substantially in the last hundred years. Most manufacturing jobs now are done by robots, or are done using tools that weren't available a couple of decades ago.

Many people have shifted to jobs either service industry, or an administrative position. For many, there is a lot more knowledge about the tools, or systems, needed to be effective in the job they do. They need to be able to use software, or a tool, on which there is a certain level of training needed to be able to even use it.

As time goes on, even a bigger share of the manufacturing jobs will be done by machines, with only a few minority be left to specialized workers. Most people will need to move other jobs, and receive the training to be able to do those jobs. That is why education needs to change faster, since the current system is educating people for jobs that most likely won't exist in the next couple of decades.

This will have a huge impact in all aspects of society, making it vital to make sure we can actually give society as a whole what it needs to make the shift to the new ways all this changes will make.

Society as it stands today, isn't fully ready to cope with the changes technology is doing to the way we work. Many people don't have the skills needed to shift to new jobs, and no way to access the training to get them. This puts them in a disadvantage, since they won't be able to get a new job to replace the income they lost, or get access to better paying jobs.

As a society we need to put in place the structure were access to education and training is accessible for all. If not, we face a future where a large amount of people won't be able to have access to a job because they don't have access to the education or training. Even today, there are people who can't get a better job simply because they can't access the training, or curses, needed to get them.

In a way, that future is now if we don't want to be overrun by it.

Working from home.

I've been doing home office full time for the last week, and it was better than I expected it to be. It help me validate that I can all do all my work, and be effective at it, from home. Since I can access all the software I need to do my work via a remote desktop, and I can contact my coworker vie a phone call, Whats App, or an email, there is little or no need for me to be at the same place than my boss or coworkers.

Besides, not having to go to the office itself saves me a lot of time and I find that even though at times work still piles up, I'm a lot less stressed about work. Though there is some adaptation to do, I do prefer to do home office. While I do miss seeing some of my coworkers in person, I do prefer working from home since I feel like I'm more effective doing home office.

If any change is required, I'd rather just having to go to the office once or a couple of times a week for a few hours. That way, I'll get to get out of the house a bit more while still benefiting from working from home most of the time.

To me personally, home office is something that works for me.