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526: Stay In Your Lane

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Topics:

-Jerry talks about a break/fix client that stores Time Machine backups on a Synology.

-A discussion ensues about how to charge a client that needs you out of the blue and what your expertise is worth.

-We get into changes in the Dropbox API and its behavior.
https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes

-An odd issue really confounds Sam with a SonicWall firewall and Ubiquiti PoE switches.

-Joe runs into a snag with devices adoption in the UniFi portal.

-Joe has some thoughts on remotely rebooting modems and managing using a WattBox

-Some feedback on using the UniFi LTE as a backup ISP connection.

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316: Wi-Fi On A Stick

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Topics:

wifistick.jpg

-Sam has a first run working with the ”Wi-Fi on a stick” method of mapping out Wi-Fi. He uses a product from wifistand.com and NetSpot to create a map":
https://wifistand.com

-Joe brings up a great tool called Magic Plan to create floor plans on iOS:
https://www.magicplan.app/en/

-The nanoHD is a particular Ubiquiti model that same used and likes to deploy

-Joe warns of things to be aware of when scouting out an environment for Wi-Fi

-Another new monthly service that Sam is offering is hosting a UniFi controller in his environment to manage firmware updates and alerts. Joe weighs the responsibilities that comes with such an offering.

-Joe throws Sam a curve ball explaining how he has a singular login for his clients

-Another issue in the long line of networking troubles that Sam has experienced: finding incompatibility between a SonicWall and WAN connection at a NYC client. The fix? A dumb switch!

-That story rings a bell for Joe who has a similar story to tell about a Zywall and WAN connection that turned out to be a multi pronged problem.

Thanks to our Patreon Sponsors!

Thanks to our Patreon Sponsors!

304: Joe's Beauty Salon

Topics:

-Jerry has some follow up on a show where Sam & Joe discussed friendliness with employees.  Jerry offers his thoughts on drawing a line with staff.

-The topic spills over into relationships with clients

-Insurance is something that Jerry is curious about amongst others in our profession.  He and Joe discuss hard numbers.

-Jerry wants to know why Joe doesn’t hire people as contractors or 1099 employees

-After buying a new MacBook on eBay, Jerry has noticed that the display is starting to delaminate: MacBook Retina STAINS ON DISPLAY / damaged AR coating

-Joe brings up the “Rights to Repair” movement
https://repair.org/stand-up

-Louis Rossmann is a very vocal voice on the subject of Right to Repair
https://rossmanngroup.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl2mFZoRqjw_ELax4Yisf6w

-Security is a subject we commonly bring up and Joe recalls a story he heard on the Reply All podcast.  This concerning topic revolves around intercepting a phone number in two step verification by a practice called SIM swapping.
https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all

-Jerry wraps up the show by offering up movie recommendations:
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley | Documentaries | HBO
https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-inventor-out-for-blood-in-silicon-valley
Free Solo
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/films/free-solo/
Dawn Wall
https://www.dawnwall-film.com
Meru
http://www.merufilm.com

302: The Virtual Strength Of Ten Men

Topics:

-New iMac computers have been released. While it is a welcome update, the group discusses the difficulties of dealing with refreshes when recently purchasing “new” hardware for clients.

-On a positive note, Joe brings up the longevity of Apple products

-Jerry laments the release of new products with rotational drives. The crew agrees.

-Joe starts reading off specs and pricing from Dell and realizes that Apple is in a league of its own

-New AirPods have been released and Jerry already has them on order. Joe’s history with his AirPods comes back up.

-Apple Store Lady - https://youtu.be/jiyMx7rDKAM

-Sam is not impressed by the hardware updates

imac-tape-fail-tim.jpg

-Friend of the show, Brandon Walter of Macfaqulty, has a PSA about adhesive strips purchased from eBay. He provides our show with photo evidence sent from his client.

-Working from a variety of coffee shops, Joe has experienced some inconsistencies with Captive Portal on macOS

-This reminds Jerry of trouble working remotely while on a trip. He also clears up some confusion for Joe about Tripmode and its country of origin.

-Circling back to Joe’s nomadic life, he describes the joys and frustrations working in various coffee shops and establishments. But while it is his mobile office, he observed a fellow tech using it as his hardware workbench.

iPhone_Repair.png

281: Hey Siri, Will you dance with me?

Topics:

-Neil Ticktin of MacTech joins us to talk about MacTech Conference coming up in Redondo Beach on November 7-9, 2018

-Neil takes the time to discuss some of the amazing speakers and sessions he has lined up this year 

-Listeners of the show can get special pricing by using the link below to register:
http://conference.mactech.com/go/ccp

-Sam has a rare show appearance 

-Joe discusses the use of the TidBITS newsletter as required reading for his staff

-Sam has a scary moment where during a migration to Gmail, he forgot to look at Notes and receives the dreaded client call the day after

-In addition to the missing notes, he runs into an issue between Outlook and Google with two step verification.  In the end, Keychain turned out to be the culprit.

-Joe is still contemplating a new iPhone Xs and tries to enlist Sam’s help in convincing him.  He is also considering a case and no longer going commando.

-Sam has a pleasant experience at his local Apple Store Genius Bar when dealing with an iPhone with water damage.  It reminds Joe of some recent incidents with similar repairs.

-Sam has a peeve (or gripe?) about Favorites vs Bookmarks on iOS

-Apparently Sam’s HomePod is a George Michael fan and randomly starts reciting lyrics from Careless Whisper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGwDsrQ1eQ

251: Some Serious 'Splainin' About Apple Products

Come see our live show at ACEs 2018! acesconf.com/ccp

Come see our live show at ACEs 2018!
acesconf.com/ccp

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• 'Splainin': Originally derived from the TV series I Love Lucy: to give a false explanation to something you are trying to hide.

• Jerry mentions tracking slow times on the calendar for future reference and reflection

• Jerry picks Joe’s brain about different types of labor scenarios and how PsiMac offers labor services

• Joe and Jerry discuss the need to constantly reevaluate the optimal age of a Mac that might be a candidate for upgrade. When is it worth upgrading 2011-2012 iMacs?

• Jerry recommends the iFixIt Pro program for resellers to get a better rate on parts including the adhesive kit for 2012 and newer iMacs

• Jerry revisits the Mouse Jiggler app from Episode 246: Let Go Of My Echo or Echo Location that helped his Fusion Drive encryption proceed, and shares some excellent feedback from Tom Bridge re: encryption requiring the mouse to be moving. Tom suspected Apple is "using the entropy from the mouse cursor to do part of the encryption" which is apparently the case in High Sierra with APFS (although Jerry's drive was not APFS). See also: The Lava Lamps That Help Keep The Internet Secure

• installing MalwareBytes on High Sierra requires manually allowing the kernel extension to run by clicking Allow in System Preferences: Security & Privacy: General. It appears that it cannot be done using TeamViewer, or perhaps other remote access software e.g. Screen Sharing either. It must be clicked by a local user. See MalwareBytes forum posts 1 and 2

• the MalwareBytes kernel extension issue reminds Joe of an old issue where Keychain Access prompts for login password would require a local user with a physical mouse to click the Allow button. We discussed it two years ago in February 2016, in Episode 140: Tom Bridge of Technolutionary.com - Go iPad Pro or Go Home, in which we discuss the Apple security note About the security content of OS X El Capitan 10.11.1, Security Update 2015-004 Yosemite, and Security Update 2015-007 Mavericks, which explains a change to SecurityAgent: "Impact: A malicious application can programmatically control keychain access prompts. Description: A method existed for applications to create synthetic clicks on keychain prompts. This was addressed by disabling synthetic clicks." Also, we followed up in the very next episode, 141: Keep Your "clicks" Local and Organic!

• In honor of all the new segments (Joe's Conspiracy Corner and Think Like a Client), Jerry and Joe both bring back an old segment and share an "I Should Have Known This"

• Jerry shares a tip courtesy of our very own Sam Valencia: how to find which volume is the startup disk in Terminal

• Joe shares where the setting is to turn off the Offload Unused Apps feature: in Settings: iTunes & App Store

• Jerry brings up the 'Splainin' we sometimes have to do on Apple's behalf

• To round out the show, we share some of the challenges and confusion clients can feel when trying to decide on a new Mac or an upgrade