375: Two Beacons In A Box

Topics:

-Jerry gets called to do a tough Wi-Fi job. Double masking, rubber gloves, and humidity don’t mix. 

-Jerry turns to listener and friend of the show John Moder for advice on the job. 

-after a big storm in our area, some have been left without power and internet. Even cellular was affected due to cell towers losing power. 

-Jerry realizes just how tied to the grid he is. 

-As Sam realizes the same, he describes how he could no longer manage his Philips Hue lights using his HomePod due to a lack of internet connectivity. 

-Both Joe & Jerry have done some research on backup ISP options. 

-Jerry learned about HomeBridge for Synology, which is supposed to make more devices HomeKit compatible.  His experience was not a positive one. 

-One of Jerry’s clients jumps the gun and hard restarted just SonicWall. Jerry had to go onsite and correct the issue. 

-Somehow we end up sharing stories about trying to have a conversation while at the dentist. 

-Small Cubed makes some great add ons for apple Mail. Jerry has a PSA about Send Later. 

-To wrap up, Jerry has a rant about people traveling during current times. Joe shares a rant on masks. 

374: The Sam Valencia Seal Of Approval

Topics:

-The conversation about learning on the job continues. 

-Joe throws to Sam about identity management. Services like JumpCloud come up as a good option for even small offices. G Suite Cloud Identity Management is a great option for customers who already use Google for services like email and Google Drive.  Sam shares a shameless plug about a white paper regarding G Suite and Jamf Pro. 
https://www.hcsonline.com/support/white-papers?start=20

-Microsoft provides great options in Azure as well. 

-We talk about how to implement services for a client when our own experience is limited. 

-Jerry asks a good question about how to sell something to a client that ultimately makes your life easier as a technician. 

-Sam goes on about Apple Business Manager and automated enrollment. 

-Jerry & Joe challenge Sam on why a small business should invest their time to getting this all set up. 

-Joe also makes a good point about the Apple custom store portal. This also allows the consultant to be added to create quotes.

-A call to all ACNs to sign up for Apple Business Manager: https://business.apple.com

373: Super Secret Squirrel Password

Topics:

-Joe schools us on verified phone calls on iPhone. 

-Jerry has been testing iOS 14 with positive results. 

-Both Jerry & Joe have been using RingCentral for years. Joe decided to clean house with his extensions. 

-Sam just has nana answering his calls. 

-Back to user sentiment surveys, Joe describes how apps seem to pause for an extended period before asking for a rating. 

-Exavault makes a diagnostics tool called MTR that Jerry has had success with for traceroutes.

-Security is brought up again by Joe. It reminds Sam of the “I’m a Mac” commercials with Windows Vista:
https://youtu.be/8CwoluNRSSc

-Screen Recording, a long griped about feature on the show, is an admin only feature as of now in the beta release of Big Sur. The hope is that this will be configurable via MDM. 

-System 8 is now available virtually!
https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/29/21346392/mac-os-8-electron-app-download-windows-linux-features

-One of Sam’s neighbors sometimes reminds him of Rick Moranis from Ghostbusters. It then turns into a story about the feud between his dog and the mailman. 

-Sam spins a yarn about setting up new Wi-Fi hardware and SSIDs at multiple client sites and the curve balls that are thrown at him.

-The conversation delves into Joe’s yoga practices.

-Since diving into the Wi-Fi security topic, Joe talks about 802.1x Authentication and other security measures. It starts a discussion about learning new technology on the job. 

370: Did I Not Read The Effing Manual?

Topics:

-Fake keyboard sounds drive Jerry bananas

-Amazing calculator tips are blowing our minds.

-A TeamViewer tip from Jerry. Or not.

-Sam has done some research to automate the installation of TeamViewer Host as well as auto assigning and grant easy access. 

-Jerry shared a video of a person scamming the scammers by infiltrating their call center. Here is Jim Browning’s YouTube channel. 
https://youtu.be/le71yVPh4uk

-Joe wants to get Sam’s take on his new AirPods Pro. The noise cancellation feature is incredible. He recalls Adam Engst’s TidBITS review and joe spot on it is.

-Jerry schools us about how to properly insert earplugs.

-Joe’s ears are working overtime with holding in his AirPod, holding up his glasses, and his mask. 

-Misplacing notes in the Notes app creates a difficult restore situation. Jerry gets help from MacMost.

-Joe finds himself in a similar situation to Sam where he received credit for an article with content from TidBITS Content Network. 

-Sam runs into a situation where a product he purchased form social media advertising stopped working and he found the warranty was only 30 days. Word to the wise, stay away from the Magic Bolt. 

368: Finding Your Way Through The Chicane

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Topics:

-Jerry gets a real kick out of Joe’s texts of frustration with clients.

-Joe’s patience is tried with a client simply unable to deal with passwords. It’s a remote session that would have taken down the best of us.

-Jerry has a password story of his own that caused Apple to lock the account.

-In Sam’s early career, he accidentally forwarded a negative email about a client…to that same client. Jerry has a similar story from his past.

-HCS had recently picked up a new client from another consultancy. During a conference call with a vendor, the sales engineer decided to open up and bad mouth the consultancy after just meeting on the phone.

-Jerry has a Dropbox story where terabytes of data were attempting to be synced over a poor internet connection.

-After one of Joe’s clients went down a road of potential concern working with someone claiming to be Norton and providing private information, he decided to investigate. As it turns out, it was a legitimate service from Norton called LifeLock.

-It does bring up a conversation about the validity and safety of using services like LifeLock.

-Somehow we end talking about maps…

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367: Leaving A Trail Of COVID Behind Me

Topics:

-Joe starts rattling off the list of his beer flight.

-Joe is in Montana now and feels he has left a trail of COVID behind him.

-CCP is close to going into the political arena

-Both Sam & Jerry encounter situations where clients or others at a client site are not wearing masks.

-COVID fatigue is a thing.

-Everyone has their opinions about masks but various businesses and individuals have to contend with interacting with others.

-Sam realizes he needs something formal to make clients aware of his policies for onsite visits during COVID.

-Jerry has disposable masks that he uses in order to stay safe at client visits.

-Joe’s team has not reported anything alarming as of yet but Joe wonders if hazard pay is a necessity.

-Providing a disposable mask may be another way to protect yourself.

-Moving on to WWDC, we briefly discuss Apple’s move away from Intel. Joe recalls the similar move from PowerPC to Intel.

-A little Command Control Power Theater 

-Jerry laments the oncoming questions from users that will inevitably come about these changes and if they should wait on purchases.

-Joe is reminded of Osborn announcing the next generation while still trying to promote their current generation.

-Sam thought it was curious that Apple decided to use the names Universal 2 and Rosetta 2 in relation to apps that can work on both processors (Universal 2), and apps that were designed for Intel and need translation (Rosetta 2).

-Jerry was not that interested in WWDC.

-Thank goodness for the TidBITS Content Network to help capture significant announcements from WWDC and other events.  Visit http://tcn.tidbits.com to sign up.