Joshua Lowcock sometimes blogs on non-work-related topics, most of which are posted below. For the more technically-skewed posts, you can find a list of those here. Separate from the blog, there is also a list of handy websites, lifehacks, and other useful tips here. For tips specific to macOS, you can find macOS tips here.
Joshua previously published a weekly email, called Last Week in Digital Media. The newsletter summarizes the latest news in digital media, marketing, and technology of the week. The email newsletter was published for several years and was available as both a (limited) free or paid subscription. The archive is still available.
If you’re after thought leadership pieces by Joshua, you can find them here.
Need something less serious? Go here for some fun!
Recent Blog Posts
Guide: Home Assistant Upgrade System Not Healthy Fix (Works!)
I run Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi to manage my IoT devices. It's a great way to have a single dashboard and app to manage everything all in one place, especially if you use multiple IoT systems (HomeKit, Google, etc.) If you get an error during an upgrade "home assistant not healthy" which stops you from upgrading to a new version of Home Assistant, it's an easy 1-minute fix. Fixing this error means you will be able to upgrade to the new Core, etc. You just need to run this command on your Home Assistant: ha supervisor restart This ...
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Acer Nitro 5 (AN517-55-5354) Memory Upgrade Guide (2023)
I finally treated myself to a new gaming laptop, the Acer Nitro 5 17" (AN517-55-5354). I love it, it has a full-color RGB keyboard, and the 12th core i5 is amazing, Acer shipped my laptop with fast NVMe, and the RTX 3050 is icing on the cake. As a total package, it's fast. The only limitation is mine shipped with only 8GB of memory. Here's what worked for me as a compatible memory upgrade on the Acer Nitro 5 (2022). Acer Nitro 5 (AN517-55-5354) Compatible Memory I upgraded to 32GB (2x16GB) 3200Mhz Laptop Memory on my Acer Nitro with this ...
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GL.iNet Travel Router Hotel WiFi Troubleshooting (GL-SFT1200)
If you're troubleshooting your GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 travel router hotel WiFi connection and connecting to WiFi but have no internet, the fix is easy. This fix works if the hotel requires you to log in to access WiFi e.g. Lastname and Room Number. This login experience is technically called a "Captive Portal" and the user experience is that pop-up window you experience when you first try to browse a website. If that's how your hotel connects you to WiFi, this will work. For what it's worth, I own the GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 travel router, specifically the Opal, or to get very specific, ...
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Lifehack: Marcus Savings Referral Bonus (2023) – Expired
Sorry, my Marcus Bonus Savings referral code has expired. Marcus ended my access to the bonus offer. If things change, I will update this post. Sorry. Looking for more great deals? DOSH US cashback app that requires you to link your credit card. Get the BEST sign-up bonus with JOSHUAL270 Yotta Invite Code Another great way to save and win prizes! The best Yotta Invite Code for 2022 is JOSHUA3779 ...
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Guide: Flipper Zero Case and Custom Firmware Install Guide
If you know, you know... but for those that don't the Flipper Zero is a portable multi-tool for geeks. A category I probably fit into. If you don't have one already, it's worth getting as they are fun. If you're into using Raspberry Pi devices, then you will really enjoy the Flipper Zero. If you are non-technical and are looking for something that's like the hacking tool in the video game "Watch Dogs" then you're going to be disappointed and you probably fell for one of the cringe-worthy TikTok videos that over hyper the device. I thought I would write ...
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Guide: Remove Duplicate OpenWith Menu Items in macOS (Works!)
It's easy to remove duplicate menu items from the "Open With" menu in macOS Finder. This "Open With" duplicate fix works on macOS 12.5 (Monterey) on my Apple Silicon MacBook Air. The list of programs for "Open With" is maintained in the Launch Services database. If the list contains duplicates then the database needs to be rebuilt. Just run this command in macOS Terminal to rebuild the Launch Services database. /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain user -domain local -domain system killall Finder This fix takes under a minute and doesn't require you to download or install any 3rd party apps. You ...
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Guide: Fix macOS Missing Desktop Icons (Works!)
If you are having an issue on macOS where Desktop Icons are missing (network drives, screenshots, etc) it's easy to fix and takes under a minute. Just start the macOS Terminal and run this command. defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true; killall Finder This resets macOS Finder and rebuilds the macOS desktop. It fixed it for me on my MacBook Air on macOS 12.5. Hope this helps you! ...
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Fix: Stop macOS Finder Opening at Startup (Works!)
If you are finding that on macOS Monterey (12.5) or other versions that macOS Finder is launching on startup and showing your drive contents, like below, there is an easy fix. No need for terminal commands or other nonsense. Read on! The issue is a mapped network drive folder. Remove the shortcut or alias and the problem will be solved. Unfortunately, I have already deleted the mapped drive on my computer in the screenshot above but there was a 5th folder icon to the right of "Users" and the culprit was an alias link to Microsoft One Drive. If you're ...
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