Solving Homelessness: Goodbye Street People
Background Firstly, I know, homelessness has a stigma. You can call it whatever you want, but I’m sticking with the most commonly used term. Secondly, this is a broad issue and term. Some people choose to live ‘home free,’ others, battle addiction issues, some just don’t make enough money to afford non-temporary accommodations. Homelessness can look like someone sleeping on the sidewalk, appearing dirty, perhaps conversing with themselves. It could look like someone sleeping in a car, someone at a shelter, someone in transition; it could even be someone staying with a friend or relative. For this post, I want to discuss what many in America’s urban centers might consider…
The $199 Pinebook Pro ARM64 Linux Laptop – Unboxing and First Impressions
The first part in a many part series (and it’s NOT an AD). . . Background The $199 Pinebook Pro ARM64 Linux Laptop – Unboxing and First Impressions– Pine64 is a community-based platform. They make single board computers, some laptops… they’re working on a tablet, smartwatch, and even phone. The Pinebook Pro is the latest addition to the Pine64 family of the product. While the $199 price point for a 1080p laptop might be tempting, it might not before you… or maybe it is… keep reading below… The goal is to deliver ARM64 devices that you really wish to engage with and a platform that you want to be a…
NEWSLETTER!!!
Background I’ve been finding it difficult to write short-form posts (<500 words). There is also a lot of content I’d like to share– some that just don’t quite fit in a blog format: interesting articles, videos, products, podcasts, etc. As such, I’ll be sending a one-a-month newsletter. It’ll be informal, short, and if you decide you don’t like it, simply unsubscribe. I have no plan to add advertising, but it’ll serve as a place for all the odds and ends stuff that doesn’t quite fit here. Final Thoughts & Opinions I still plan to write one 500+ word essay a week and 1-2 shorter from < 500-word posts a week–…
The Ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control: is Amazon’s Alexa spying on you?
Quick Background Almost 50% of your home energy consumption is heating and cooling related according to the EPA. That’s a pretty big chunk and creates a lot of room for potential savings. Let me start off by saying, smartthermostats are great and I do own an ecobee. I live in Portland, OR, so I don’t see a lot of savings (our weather is pretty awesome!) but when I do use heat or air conditioning, I want to be the most efficient I can be. You might also benefit financially. Many states and even some cities offer credits or incentives for buying and using smartthermostats. If you live in Oregon, check…
Honesty is ALWAYS the Best Policy
Background Many, may people will give (and sometimes charge) for advice on how to be successful. So far, in my 15+ year career, I’ve found that being honest is the easiest and best way to be successful… no influencer model required. Really? Yep. Could probably stop here, but I’ll elaborate a little bit. First off, lying is actually quite hard, especially if you intend to be good at it. One has to keep track of who was told what, and the further you get into the trail of lies, the more ‘lie management’ is needed. What about a ‘white lie’ here or there? Maybe that works for you sometimes, but…
The Working Thesis: Technology, Thought, Politics
I want to share my thoughts and the ideas I have. I want to get people thinking for their own and questioning what they think they know - and hopefully - drive to understand what they do not know.
For the Maker: Portable Gaming Machine… Look out Nintendo! Hello ODROID-GO Gaming Kit!
Want a fun — some assembly required — portable gaming experience? How about something that’s kid friendly and a great intro for how hardware tech works? If so, keep reading… Quick Background I first discovered ODROID a couple years back when researching computer boards. A computer board is a mini computer on a board, usually running an ARM processor and designed for Makers and Tinkerers. They can be insanely cheap ($5 USD), and are built to be mostly open source (more on the importance of this in another post) and accessible. I’ll likely have a post on compute boards in the future… stay tuned 😏. For ODROID’s 10-year anniversary they…
Affiliate Link Policy:
If you see a link labeled AL or (AL), it’s an affiliate link and I make a tiny amount of money if you decide to purchase something. It pays for the site and I’m not getting rich 😭. I do really appreciate the support, you can also support the site here. About the author: Andrew lives in Portland, OR and has worked in tech for over 15 years. With a foundation in philosophy, political theory, and communications, he is an avid thinker & tinkerer, constantly learning and exploring the world around us. Originally published on andrewjneumann.com and is best viewed in person. Support | About Andrew | About Site |…
Sponsor Policy:
Sponsor Policy: If I write sponsored content, it’s clearly labeled as such. I’ll even provide a content tag for it. That being said, you’re still getting my honest opinion and I don’t agree to censoring or prior review of content prior to posting. It’s also highly likely I currently already use the content of a sponsored post. About the author: Andrew lives in Portland, OR and has worked in tech for over 15 years. With a foundation in philosophy, political theory, and communications, he is an avid thinker & tinkerer, constantly learning and exploring the world around us. Originally published on andrewjneumann.com and is best viewed in person. Support |…
Third Party Hosted Content Policy:
I may offer mirroring of files used in a project or on a thought piece; I will also include first party links. I mirror them for archival purposes (things on the Internet tend to disappear) so people can access to the awesome thing you created (especially in the future). If you discover something of yours hosted and don’t want me to mirror it, please provide me with proof of original ownership, my link to the file, and the link to the post you found it on. I attempt to link to the parent content of the file(s) if possible, not directly link to the file. This also helps you get…
