Month: September 2020

Computer Glasses

On a topic slightly out of my expertise areas but well developed in my experience. Optics (glasses) for working at a computer. This is an area where I am somewhat spoiled; yes, I have specially made glasses just for working on my computers. And, yes, I feel they make a huge difference.

Last time I had my eyes checked and a new prescription for distance viewing, I also had my optometrist write me a prescription for computer glasses. We discussed the distance from my eyes to the surface of the monitor and she (my optometrist) set up a set of test lenses for that exact distance and we tried a few options and picked the best possible correction for me at that distance.

With this prescription in hand, I ordered my computer glasses including a blue light filter, the latest in UVA and UVB filtering, a non-reflective coating, and a dust resisting and water-repelling coating. Even the latest LED screens cause ionization of particles and tend to cause glasses to pick up dust far faster than normal; this new coating (Crizal is one choice, , Zinni Optical has another “brand”) really does make a difference.

My last pair of glasses I had added polarization on top of all the other features and found the polarization to cause some trouble (tilt your head and the screen appears to go dark); so, since I use them exclusively indoors, I did not add polarization or any form of darkening this time and, I admit, I am happier with this for computer glasses.

Spend some time talking with your Optometrist regarding your specific needs and desires for any common work spaces you utilize. There are so many wonderful tweaks that can be managed to improve your vision in specific environments and the cost of most of them is very reasonable. Task specific optics often run just $40-$60.

Out Of Box Experience, the Microsoft OOBE

OOBE, Microsoft’s promise to provide a smooth, rewarding and quick Out Of Box Experience has died a long and drawn out death. At the root of this mess is a combination of licensing issues, standardization of windows itself (1 disk can load any version of Windows 10), and strong-arm attempts by Microsoft to get everyone to have a Microsoft account and use it to start up their computer. In order to “tie” any given copy of windows to a specific machine and to a specific client account, significant interaction is necessary and this takes time no matter how fast the computer.

Frustrating as it is to wade through the process of establishing your right to use a copy of Windows, Microsoft has compounded the problem by starting the process of updating your copy (which may have been manufactured several months and thus several large updates in the past) half way through the OOBE and continuing it for many hours after you get your first glimpse of the Windows desktop. As a result, the machine will feel slow and balky until all of this updating is completed, several necessary reboots included.

But, you have a brand new computer, you want to load your documents, photos and get productive with it. It is bad enough that it may take a few hours to load the programs or Apps that you use; but, because mandatory updates are loading, your install speed is greatly reduced and installs from the internet are likely to stall or error out. Never mind them being interrupted by a need to reboot for Windows to finish an update.

So, how long does all of this take and how long does it tie you, the new owner, up? The new OOBE experience needs user interaction for 30 minutes to an hour, then the update process runs for anywhere from 5 minutes to 48 hours with occasional user interventions (to trigger or finish reboots). Much depends on the performance of the computer, speed of the internet connection, and most importantly, how long the computer sat in the warehouse waiting to be sold.

In the end, you are granted limited permission to use Microsoft Software, not ownership and you have little choice but to agree to their terms. I have found that keeping the computer disconnected from the internet can greatly speed up this OOBE and delay the inevitable update sequences until you are ready.