Terry White's Tech Blog

June 1, 2021May 31, 2021

Don’t Use an Apple AirTag as a Pet Tracker – Use a Whistle Instead!

Apple introduced their AirTag (a Tile competitor) for those looking for an easy way to keep track of things like keys, purses, wallets, etc. However, many have been tempted to use them on their pets too. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with this thought process, but it really depends on your situation and where your pet may go missing.

How do AirTags work?

With an AirTag there is no subscription fee, no WiFi, and no GPS. It works with Ultra Wideband technology to show itself to the Find My app on your iOS devices. In order for your lost/misplaced/stolen object to show up on the Find My network it would have to be within range of another Apple device such as an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Let’s say you left your backpack with an AirTag attached to it/in it, in the library and you drove home. Now you’re miles away from your backpack.

You are way out of the range of bluetooth or even the 800 foot range of Ultra Wideband technology. However, if someone else is in the library near your backpack with an iPhone, iPad or Mac your backpack AirTag would automatically be picked up by the Find My network and show its location in the Find My app on your iOS device. Luckily the people near your backpack don’t need to do anything special. There’s nothing they need to install or activate. It all happens in the background. Your AirTag in your backpack would privately be detected and shown on the Find My network just being near another Apple device. Cool!

This is not ideal for pets depending on where they may get lost

May 10, 2021May 12, 2021

23 Products That Make Up My Ultimate Smart Home

I’ve been building out my smart home since 2016. I use all three leading smart home platforms: Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Home and while each one has its advantages, Apple HomeKit is my platform of choice as it does the most. While just about any device can be controlled via an app, what makes a smart home really smart is when you can control multiple devices with a single voice command, scene or automation. With HomeKit I have automations setup like “Going Upstairs” which locks the entry doors, turns off the patio fans, turns off the family room lights and fan, turns on the hallway lights, changes colors of the Hue lights in the bedroom, makes sure the garage doors are closed, arms the alarm “home”, closes the blinds and turns off the TV downstairs. There is no other platform besides HomeKit that would let me do all of those things using devices from so many different manufacturers, with one command.

I wanted to create this video last year and then the pandemic hit and I decided to postpone it. I finally sat down to create it and here it is:

Although I put the links to everything in the video description, there is a character limit and I couldn’t go into much detail. Therefore I’ve also put the descriptions and links to each product below:

WiFi Router

May 4, 2021May 3, 2021

My Live Streaming Studio Setup – 2021

As we look to the end of the pandemic I’m happy with the prospect of traveling again for business and pleasure. However, live streaming will still be a big part of my day job. I live stream multiple times per week as part of my job at Adobe. I stream live Adobe tutorials regularly to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Behance as well. Since this is what I do for a living I’m always looking to improve my production values.

I have been tweaking my dedicated live streaming studio since 2016. Being a photographer I’ve set up a few photography studios and no matter how you equip your studio you can always find more gear that you want and ways to improve it. I’ve been building out this live streaming studio since May 2016. I have everything I “need” to do my streams, but I’m always looking out for ways to improve upon what I have or make it easier to do my streams.

As with a photography studio, your streaming setup can be very basic or very elaborate

Continue reading “My Live Streaming Studio Setup – 2021”

April 14, 2021April 13, 2021

My New M1 MacBook Air

I’m fortunate that I get to use great Macs and PCs for work. Usually, the longest I have to wait for a work upgrade is three years unless there is a compelling case to upgrade sooner. Also, companies like HP will often even send me a new laptop to show off the latest capabilities with our latest apps at work. That’s all fine and good for my work systems, but what about my “personal computer?”

My personal computer choice is a MacBook Air

I’ve always liked the MacBook Air for my personal needs, mainly because of its size and weight (or lack thereof). When I do personal travel, I want to take a computer that weighs next to nothing but still gets the job done. My last MacBook Air was the 2012 Core i7 model with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. While this system still works nine years later, it’s starting to show its age when you put the latest operating system on it and the latest applications. I knew it was time to upgrade, and luckily Apple had just introduced Macs with Apple’s new chips. The M1 chip is Apple’s first microprocessor to power a Mac.

This is not the first time Apple has switched Mac processor suppliers.

March 29, 2021March 29, 2021

Arkon’s NEW Clamp Stand for DSLR Cameras

Tech Image Shot with the Arkon Clamp Stand

Photographing a subject straight down from the camera’s point of view can be harder than it sounds. Tripods and ballheads are designed to allow you a capture nice steady shot in either portrait or landscape view. With a ballhead you can easily swivel the attached camera 360° while tilting it up, down and sideways. Even if your ballhead allows you to point the camera straight down you’re likely to see the legs of the tripod in your shot.

Arkon solved this problem for DSLRs, Mirrorless, Smartphones and Tablets

My Nikon D850 is the heaviest body I own. I have my 28-70mm f/2.8 lens attached with an optional Oden Ballhead

The NEW Clamp Stand for DSLR Camera, Tablet, or Phone is an arm that attaches to a table or desk and let’s you shoot straight down without the actual stand being in your shot. Arkon has several mounts and arms for smartphones and tablets, but most of those aren’t suitable for bigger cameras due to the weight of a DSLR/Mirrorless and the attached lenses.

This new Clamp Stand for DSLRs is designed from the ground up to hold bigger devices. It extends up to 29.5″ tall (from the clamp on the table) and extends out to 27.75″. This gives you plenty of clearance to photograph your subject without the stand being in the way.

On the end of the arm there is a standard 1/4-20 screw/mount which is found on the bottom of just about all cameras. They also include a phone holder and tablet holder for mobile applications.

How well does it work?

March 24, 2021March 23, 2021

P.S.A. How to Find a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment in Your State

Terry White Getting the Covid-19 Vaccine

Hello everyone, I just wanted to take a moment and share an amazing site for finding COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments in Your State. I recently became eligible here in Georgia to get mine, but it seemed that every government site was either not up and running yet or all the appointments were always booked. My cousin turned me on to this amazing site and I was able to schedule my appointment immediately with a choice of locations.

P.S. If you’re against vaccines, just close this post/email now and have a nice day. I’m not here to debate you or hear about your reasons for not getting one. I’m simply here to help those that do want one.

Vaccine Spotter

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021

March 2021 Updates for Photographers and Photoshop Users

It’s been a busy month and I couldn’t let it end without sharing some updates to some of my favorite applications and technologies.

Adobe Camera Raw 13.2

The first update is to Adobe Camera Raw (13.2). Adobe Camera Raw is the technology accessed from either Photoshop or Adobe Bridge to allow you to process your raw images (and JPGs) non-destructively. Normally it would be just support for new cameras and lenses, but this time there’s more. Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) has gained a great new feature called “Super Resolution” that allows you to double the resolution of your photo without losing quality. Also for people shooting in Raw on the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will be happy to see the new “Apple ProRAW” Profile.

Check out these features here:

What’s New in Lightroom Classic and Lightroom?

There were a few minor, but important updates to both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom.

March 16, 2021March 15, 2022

I Cancelled My Gym Membership and Bought a Peloton Bike Instead!

I started to take my fitness and health more seriously by going to the gym multiple times a week. Then the pandemic hit and I thought it best to not go. Planet Fitness ultimately did the right thing and closed their locations for a while. Once they opened back up I still didn’t feel comfortable going back. I really missed my routine. I have an elliptical machine at home and I started doing daily walks in my neighborhood, but it just wasn’t enough. I decided to get a Peloton Bike in July 2020. There was a wait of just over a month. As you can imagine, I wasn’t the only one that decided to buy exercise equipment due to the pandemic and being home more. I got the Bike at the end of July and I was pretty much hooked.

Why is the Peloton Bike so different than any other piece of exercise equipment I’ve ever used?

February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

It’s Friday! Time for my Photography Masterclass

It’s Free! Today I will be in studio and doing a LIVE shoot to contribute images for sale on Adobe Stock. I’ll walk you through the steps from start to finish to get your images online for sale and to potentially make money from your photography while you sleep.

I will be live Friday, February 19, 2021 at 8AM PT/ 11AM ET. You can watch here for free:

If you want to catch up on previous episodes, here’s a playlist of every episode since day one.