Miscellaneous Tech News
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Google Drive will introduce long-asked-for file shortcuts feature
It's coming to G Suite in beta first, but may reach more users at a later date.
Soon, Google will add one of the most commonly requested features to its Drive file hosting, sharing, and collaboration service: shortcuts. These will allow users to create pointers to files from either the same drive or another, separate shared drive. The new feature will work just like shortcuts in Windows—they are pointers to a file stored in another location. The shortcut can be stored anywhere without impacting the location of the original file. Google gave this example in its blog post announcing the feature: -
Report: US expected to give Huawei another 90-day export license
US and Chinese governments are expected to talk things out this weekend.
Back in May, the US government placed an export ban on Huawei barring US companies (and companies using US-origin technology) from doing business with the Chinese tech giant. Because Huawei still has customers to support in the smartphone and cellular infrastructure business, the US Department of Commerce gave Huawei a 90-day exemption on the ban, allowing it to support its existing customers. That 90-day license was issued on May 20, 2019, so it expires this Monday, August 19. Now what? According to a report from Reuters, the US Government is just going to kick the can down the road again and give Huawei another 90-day extension to support its customers. Sources tell Reuters the deal is "expected" to be renewed this weekend, pending a call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Back in May, the Department of Commerce described the exemption, saying, "The Temporary General License grants operators time to make other arrangements and the Department space to determine the appropriate long-term measures for Americans and foreign telecommunications providers that currently rely on Huawei equipment for critical services. In short, this license will allow operations to continue for existing Huawei mobile phone users and rural broadband networks." -
How Old Should Kids Be When They Get Their Own Digital Devices?
PCMag polled 1,000 parents of school-age children about when they'd feel comfortable buying their kids smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart speakers. Here's what we found.
The argument over how we use technology and the role it plays in our lives is often framed in terms of kids: How does growing up with smartphones, tablets, and other smart devices affect childrens' cognitive, emotional, and social development? We won't have definitive answers to those questions for a generation, but meanwhile, today's parents are faced with daily decisions. What boundaries should be set on device and internet use at home? How much screen time should be allowed? Does your child need a smartphone at school, and at what age? PCMag surveyed 1,000 parents with children in grades ranging from preschool to college to gauge when they think is the right time to buy their kids a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and smart speaker. For smartphones, the majority (53 percent) of parents said age 12 to 15 is appropriate for kids to get their own phone. Another 23 percent said ages 9 to 11, and 17 percent said not until ages 16 to 18. -
@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
How Old Should Kids Be When They Get Their Own Digital Devices?
My little spin on the title of the article.
They can have "Their Own Digital Devices" when they make enough money to buy their own. Until then, each device is owned by the parent and used by the child.
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@pmoncho said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
How Old Should Kids Be When They Get Their Own Digital Devices?
My little spin on the title of the article.
They can have "Their Own Digital Devices" when they make enough money to buy their own. Until then, each device is owned by the parent and used by the child.
Technically speaking, aren't children owned by their parents, unless the kids are taken away because of the parents being complete PoS's? Thus the children have no ability to own anything.
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@DustinB3403 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@pmoncho said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
How Old Should Kids Be When They Get Their Own Digital Devices?
My little spin on the title of the article.
They can have "Their Own Digital Devices" when they make enough money to buy their own. Until then, each device is owned by the parent and used by the child.
Technically speaking, aren't children owned by their parents, unless the kids are taken away because of the parents being complete PoS's? Thus the children have no ability to own anything.
Technically yeah. Law dictates 18 for contracts AFAIK.
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@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
Another 23 percent said ages 9 to 11, and 17 percent said not until ages 16 to 18.
LOL, mine have had them since they were one.
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@scottalanmiller said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
Another 23 percent said ages 9 to 11, and 17 percent said not until ages 16 to 18.
LOL, mine have had them since they were one.
Yeah my daughter has been playing with our cell phones and tablets since she realized we've used them so often.
She doesn't have her own because it would be wasted money at this point, but she will as soon as she has the capability to speak.
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@DustinB3403 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
She doesn't have her own because it would be wasted money at this point, but she will as soon as she has the capability to speak.
Mine got their own super young. Otherwise they'd be using battery, storage, access on ours .... and the last thing that we wanted was them dropping our critical devices. By giving them their own we got them more age appropriate devices, that weren't critical to adults functioning, that could be in child-protective cases.
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@scottalanmiller said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@DustinB3403 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
She doesn't have her own because it would be wasted money at this point, but she will as soon as she has the capability to speak.
Mine got their own super young. Otherwise they'd be using battery, storage, access on ours .... and the last thing that we wanted was them dropping our critical devices. By giving them their own we got them more age appropriate devices, that weren't critical to adults functioning, that could be in child-protective cases.
Oh how many non-IT parents don't understand this. I cannot tell you how many parents here at work come to me for help with virus's and such on their own device (with saved banking logins and all the goodies). I ask what they clicked on or what they were doing and 90% of the time the answer begins with "Well, my child..."
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@pmoncho This is the exact reason my kids had their own devices from early on.
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@scottalanmiller and @pmoncho I've been considering just setting up an old touchscreen laptop for her to mess around with, and just keep reloading it as often as needed.
@pmoncho I deal with this 90% of the time as well, and respond with "Well this isn't a personal device, so I'm going to have to let management know that I'm fixing issues caused by your children using work provided equipment which is strictly against CP."
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@brandon220 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@pmoncho This is the exact reason my kids had their own devices from early on.
It took a while to convince my wife to do the same with her kids. Ugh. It's like pulling teeth some times. She gets new and the kids get her old after I reload. Simple but mostly never done.
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@DustinB3403 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@scottalanmiller and @pmoncho I've been considering just setting up an old touchscreen laptop for her to mess around with, and just keep reloading it as often as needed.
@pmoncho I deal with this 90% of the time as well, and respond with "Well this isn't a personal device, so I'm going to have to let management know that I'm fixing issues caused by your children using work provided equipment which is strictly against CP."
Oh man. I don't have to deal with home employees so I get to escape that one. Thank goodness. I feel your pain.
Does management/HR ever say anything?
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@pmoncho said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
Does management/HR ever say anything?
Doesn't seem like it some times because there are repeat offenders.
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@DustinB3403 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@pmoncho said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
Does management/HR ever say anything?
Doesn't seem like it some times because there are repeat offenders.
UGH!!!!
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But anyways, I was thinking a kid friendly linux distro would be good for her, something that would help her to learn numbers, letters, programming, with some parental controls would be nice as well.
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@DustinB3403 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@scottalanmiller and @pmoncho I've been considering just setting up an old touchscreen laptop for her to mess around with, and just keep reloading it as often as needed.
For usability, an iPad is hard to beat. But for cost effectiveness a Kindle Fire is so cheap.
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@scottalanmiller said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
Kindle Fire is so cheap
Under $100 for a tablet is pretty darn nice, but I'm not wanting to give her something to just play on, but to actually learn with.
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@DustinB3403 said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
But anyways, I was thinking a kid friendly linux distro would be good for her, something that would help her to learn numbers, letters, programming, with some parental controls would be nice as well.
I've been wanting to try this for some time with my son. Pop in the thumb drive in my desktop when he wants to use it and not have to worry about anything getting messed up with my computer.
https://spins.fedoraproject.org/en/soas/
