First, thanks for reading the first post on Tech For Non-Techies. The world of tech is rapidly changing and can be overwhelming. The goal of this site is to present tech in a way that makes sense to everyone while becoming the reference of choice for those of us who want to keep it simple. This site will make navigating your way into the tech world more pleasant and enjoyable.
Where did the idea for this site come from?
The idea for the blog came from something that happened on a social media platform called nextdoor.com. We will discuss it, along with other forms of social media in a future post. Someone wrote a post looking for help installing an HD antenna. You would do this to pick up TV stations over the air, and it is part of a larger topic of “cord-cutting” that we will be exploring in-depth in future posts. If you remember the old bunny ear antennas, then you know what I’m talking about. Of course, the modern antennas look much better, but they serve the same purpose.
Installation of the HD antenna consists of plugging in the coaxial cable from the antenna and tightening the connector. Some antennas are powered and might have an additional step of plugging in the power cable. Then you would program the local channels on your television. I would add a few other steps to make sure the cords are hidden and that the installation looked good, but that’s really all there is to it.
I responded to the post and ended up sending a number of private messages (similar to an email, but sent through a specific app) with someone who also had questions about a type of set-top box that allows you to install apps to view a video. She had heard it was a way to save money on her cable bill. We discussed the pros and cons and there will be a post about those details in the future.
What is our goal?
For now, the important part of the cord-cutting story is that at some point during this exchange it clicked with me that there is no really good place to get information like this. Sure there are a number of sites or blogs that are informative, but they assume you already have a good base of technical knowledge. I want this site to be a place to get technical knowledge without having to go do research on your research.
There will be many future posts on cord cutting. We will also discuss social media, smart homes, computers, phones and tablets, privacy issues and many, many other topics. Leave a comment if there is a particular subject you would like to see covered.