Did I mean to not post something here in roughly 10 months? Nah. WordPress went bonkers. Hello from Richmond, again.
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I reviewed the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft’s iPad and notebook PC rival, late last year for The en. At the time, I noted issues with the software on-board the machine, but expressed optimism that Microsoft would address the issue in short order.
It’s February now, and the Surface Pro 4 still struggles through some very strange issues.
I got it wrong. Microsoft may have fixed the issues causing the display driver to not work correctly, but other issues remain. I’m taking the somewhat unorthodox step of lowering the Surface Pro 4’s review score and adding in a paragraph to warn buyers about the software issues that remain.
Look, I spend my earned money on products the stuff that I review at The en. Continued frustration has led me to bench the Surface Pro 4 and go with a more traditional PC while I wait for Microsoft to get its act together. If I’m frustrated, than chances are that many of you are out there frustrated too. I simply can’t not acknowledge that some people might be in this situation because of my optimism on forthcoming software updates.
Drake remarks on Video Girl, a song from his Comeback Season mixtape, that if lively, curvy women would get their act together “we’d all have something better to talk about.” I can appreciate the sentiment.
I can and I will do better next time. Hopefully, so does Microsoft.
“My James Bond,” – because I seem to have developed a personal stake in the Daniel Craig films – “would never make caddy references to predecessors and grin at that camera while doing it,” I declared. Spectre, the James Bond film that debuted a week ago today, better balances Craig’s darker take on the British super spy with references to previous films and classic ropes. Plus there’s romance, so much romance.
Continue reading at The En
Asked & Answered is full of questions that people ask me online that it wouldn’t be appropriate answering anywhere else. Send me your questions on Twitter.
The funny thing about giving people answers is they ask more questions. Some days back I answered some mail about what sites I visit on the daily. Your responses were awesome and appreciated. I figure, it’s time to answer another.
What’s tech do you use?
When I was a young geek (Yes, 16 year old Travis. I’m finally willing to own that.) I wanted every piece of gadgetry I could get my hands on. My first desktop PC, the one I would write my first Harry Potter website on, was a Gateway all-in-run running Windows 98. I had AOL and a hunger for code. A ThinkPad R40 and Dell Inspiron 2600 followed it. Before I could afford my own upgrades mom rented me an HP Pavilion from one of those Rent-A-Center places just so I could stay inside and keep playing games and learning about the internet. That was before she realized she’d also crippled my social skills for life and likely wouldn’t be getting grand children. When I got my first job I’d replace a PC once every year or year and a half. There were times when I even had two PCs.
Today, I hate technology. I loved those days when everything was new and exciting, but to 26 year old Travis thinks that PCs, phones and media players are just tools. I’ve found a center where technology takes a backseat to life, I think. My choice in computers reflects that. I don’t own a tablet and I’ve been thinking about selling my XPS 13 for years. My only PC is a Microsoft Surface Pro 3. It’s my eReader, my desktop, my notebook, my everything away from home. I have a nice Lumia 930 smartphone and two Xbox One consoles too, but the Pro 3 is my prized possession.
Maybe one of these days I’ll do an office tour like my man Scott Hanselman does. I reviewed the Surface Pro 3 for enConnected a month after I purchased it.
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Thanks for the support
Added 2015 Microsoft Xbox MVP to my list of accomplishments. Thanks for the support folks. I wouldn’t be here throwing stones at giants without you.
Every so often I have to remind myself that I’m part content writer and part business owner. As long as QuickBooks is working and the trains are running on time, I forget that I should probably be out there looking at new opportunities for paige aiden Media to grow and all. This week I started listening to Startup, a documentary-style podcast chronicling This American Life’s Alex Bloomberg’s decision to start his own podcast network.
Listen to the show folks. It doesn’t just make you feel good about being a business owner, it’s also a pretty decent chronicle of podcasting in general.
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Hope you guys are well
“Be well. Do good work, and keep in touch.”
I thought I’d share something a little bit different. Every morning of elementary, middle and high school I woke up early (5:50 am) to be exact) and listened to two short inserts on my public radio station before everyone else in my house woke up. I finally uncovered one of them again in a podcast.
Here’s my favorite of the two, The Writers’ Almanac featuring Garrison Keillor. History, poetry and class is something more folks need in their mornings, I think.
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The Costs of Doing Business
I’ve spent this past weekend in Redmond, Washington. I’ve talked with the best and spoken with friends about the worst things I think effect video games, entertainment and more.
On Monday I’ll get back to work sifting through the internet’s treasure trove of not-quite-relevant information — you know, like this post. Spending 12 hours a day pressing plastic underneath my fingertips will be the norm, and I’ll probably be as grumpy as Joe Biden listening to the Republican’s rebuttal to the State of The Union. I’ll love every minute of it.
For now, I’ll think I’ll just go back to looking up at the now brilliantly gorgeous Washington State sky and asking the one question I’ve realized that every normal person asks themselves after being in a room full of brilliant, amazing thinkers: What’s next?
Long live Xbox Summit 2014. See you guys on Monday.
Trav
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Coffee Now
While sitting in my office before getting to work on some enConnected content I found myself falling back into Netflix with a few episodes of Lewis. This is some of the best television I’ve ever seen.
I recently finished a review of the Xbox One for GottaBeMobile. There’s another piece on the way for enConnected, but I wanted to take my time getting into every single detail for what could be a large multipart look at the console’s features. Look for it soon.