Your Computing Requirements

At the low end of the scale is a smartphone, which, although a computing device, is intended primarily for communication, not for data management. Since most people need a phone but few use it for data operations, we will not consider phones as alternatives to computers.

A tablet is in the middle between a phone and a computer. The primary advantage of a tablet over a phone is the display size. Many tablets double as phones, but they share the same limitations as cell phones: they are very small and have limited storage and performance. These small devices are much more susceptible to damage, loss, and theft, making them very poor choices for long-term storage.

Laptop computers are among the most powerful portable computing devices, making them the preferred choice of many students and working professionals who need on-the-job network access or software applications.

The personal computer or desktop computer is at the high end of the scale. These can be custom built to handle most applications and updated or serviced easily making them the most cost-effective computer solutions. Today, most households have at least one personal computer responsible for:

• Home Office
• Shopping
• Research & Education
• Electronic Mail
• Gaming
• Creative Work
• Financial Management
• Photo, Video, or Sound management

Other than console games, for many people, a cellphone is their first computing device. Others may have had access to a personal computer at one time but, in recent years, have not had access to a computer or have found their phones enough to manage their computing workloads, with or without the use of cloud services.

Data Privacy

The most vulnerable aspect of portable computing is data security and privacy. There are no guarantees with online communications and cloud services. If a data center is breached, your private data may be exposed to scammers, hackers, or other nefarious parties looking to profit at your expense.

Cloud Storage does not mean Secure Storage; it means convenience.

If for no other reason, a home computer can be used to back up your phone data, handle email, and browse the internet safely on a flat rate as opposed to the data charges associated with cellphone traffic.

Home Networks

At a growing level, computers are becoming more integrated with household operations. As smart homes become more popular, personal computers act more as household operations centers than workstations. At the top of home computer usage, we see home computer networks such as the following.

Home Network Applications

As technology advances, more and more household devices are becoming 'SMART' which means they use wireless connectivity to perform many operations. Many of these devices charge a fee for Value Added Services, which can range from monitoring to reactive operations or notifications, and they charge a monthly fee to provide that service. It's here to stay, the Subscription business, and unless you use your own computer to manage your own network, you will be paying it for the rest of your life.

How can a computer manage my home network?

Most of these devices communicate over your wireless network to your modem, and home to their service provider. For many of these services, you can operate the devices through your home computer with no outside communication, which may save you money by avoiding the paid service.

Typical smart-home computer connections

• Printer - shared across all computers/devices on the net.
• NAS - Network Attached Storage as master storage and backup for all devices.
• UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply - battery backup in case of power failure.
• Router - master controller for sharing a single internet connection by many devices.
• Computers - one or more computers that can share data between them or access the net.
• Entertainment Center - your photos, movies, sound or other media selectable from your players.
• Gaming - where the more power you have, the better your experience.
• Security - connect to cameras, motion sensors, or monitors from remote locations through your phone.

If you have not yet considered a home computer, there has never been a better time to dive in and get started. Most of the software for home and office management, internet communications, mail, and many other applications is available at no charge to you (Open Source).

I'll be covering more specific topics in the future. For now, I'm organizing the scope and coverage of the topics I intend to focus on. Check back soon; new content is constantly being developed.

to their service provider network which your computer is a paYour content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Who Needs a TI-nspire CX II?

In the simplest terms, if you spend time doing calculations, either professionally or as a student, and you aren't using one, you are wasting your time. The CX II is the most sophisticated math tool available. It has become so ingrained in science and engineering that many higher-education courses integrate it into the classroom and allow it on exams. Using a calculator is no longer cheating, its how things are done.

A Quick Overview

If you asked an accountant which calculator was their favorite, you would get a very different answer than an engineer. Would it surprise you to learn that recently educated physicists, chemists, biologists, and even mathematicians might all give the same answer?

This reflects a shift in attitudes toward using calculators in school. For many post-secondary courses, a calculator is required, and for many of those, a TI-nspire CX II is suggested. This is because math is changing, not before your eyes, but subtly in the background; schools have realized that math is a tool for academic research more than a separate topic of research.

Being a mathematician is not as joyful as it used to be. Now even the simplest calculators can do in seconds, without errors, what mathematicians might take days to complete. This is not bad news; it’s good news. Now learning math is much easier because all you have to learn are the principles without having to memorize tables, formulas, and special cases.

Why I Chose The TI-nspire CX II CAS

The features that most stand out about the TI-nspire CX II CAS var4e:

• Algebraic notation: concise and readable
• Python programming: UI libraries
• USB Port: for Computer Connectivity
• Large display: 320 x 240 pixels (3.2” diagonal)
• Color: 125DPI, 16-bit color

The key feature for me is that the calculator is programmable; in simple terms, you can train it to execute complex sequences of operations with a single keypress.

The fact that you can program it in Python is the icing on the cake. With Python, you can prompt for input, format output, interface with real devices, and present results on a colour display.

Further articles on installation, setup, and operation will be posted as available.

Divi 5 - The Fight for CMS Supremacy Is Over

Web developers are no longer anticipating what the next generation of web design tools will look like. Since the release of Divi 5, developers and designers alike are experiencing it firsthand as they update Divi 4 modules and build new modules to take full advantage of Divi 5's latest features.
New web designs built with Divi 5 are superior in every way not only to its forerunner Divi 4, but to every other web design tool available. While CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and PHP have evolved, other CMS systems have made patchwork fixes along the way, leaving them in a constant state of catch-up. In its boldest move ever, Elegant Themes said, "enough is enough," and took on the challenge of a complete redesign, including a totally new modern user interface and integration of virtually every modern web design standard.

AI Integration

From Font and Colour Management, through Page Design and Layout, to Content Creation, Divi 5 incorporates AI at every level to make stunning page designs easier than ever.

Tools For Web Creators

Divi 5 bridges the gap between technical expertise and creative design, with tools that satisfy everyone from the most tech-savvy hard coders to the most creative architects of page design.

Over 2,000 Pre-Designed Layouts

With over 2,000 page designs to choose from, including complete websites, you are never out of ideas. When the creative juices aren't flowing, Divi's AI takes over, inspiring you and maintaining momentum.