Cacophony inside Tak's head

As we head into Thanksgiving, I have a lot of things to be thankful for this year. I regained my hearing after being deaf for almost 18 months, thanks to the University Hospitals team led by Dr. Rivas who handled my cochlear implant surgery.

Our non-profit, Center for Aging in the Digital World, after five years has a permanent home to offer the "Discover Digital Literacy!" programs, thanks to the in-kind gift from Advent Episcopal Church in Westlake. By having the use of their facilities, the organization will continue to help seniors in our communities discover the 21st-century life skill of digital literacy in 2022 without worrying about finding a teaching space every quarter.

Despite getting ready to finish 2021 strongly, I have a personal conundrum that I probably should consult fellow WBVO columnist Mr. Jeff Bing as it pertains to professional sports. My buddy Dave already tried to help me with my quest to find an "affordable" streaming service that will enable me to stream one thing, and one thing only, at a reasonable price: Cleveland Cavaliers games.

Up until two seasons ago, I had this down pat. As the family geek-in-residence, I had chosen a cost effective streaming service years ago. Most importantly, the streaming service included multiple ESPN channels and the TNT channel to satiate my son's cravings for Cavs games and college football games.

What the streaming service didn't offer, i.e. Cleveland affiliates of network channels (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS), we received over-the-air (OTA) so we could watch some Guardians, err Indians back then, games and of course the Browns.

When I "cut the cord" more than a decade ago, it was mostly a financial decision as my family's lack of TV viewership didn't make any sense to have cable TV bundled with internet services; so we unbundled and kept only the internet service. Although I still believe that cutting the cord provides financial incentive for our family's limited entertainment budget, I have observed a worrisome trend over the last couple years where streaming package prices are creeping up. Only time will tell if streaming package pricing will rival that of cable TV!

Although rife with warning language that ends with "your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates" if you install Windows 11 on a computer that doesn't meet minimum requirements, Microsoft has recently outlined alternative installation methods to do just that. Popular media, especially in the digital world, have been quick to spawn articles that, if not read in its entirety, can give a false impression that minimum requirements can be circumvented. My recommendation is to wait for Windows Update to tell you yea/nay or install the "PC Health CheckUp" application from microsoft.com.

As for me, I'm sticking with Windows 10 on my aging laptop until the planned demise on Oct. 14, 2025. After all, it's not like Windows 11 will do my windows (pun intended) and it's too early to tell if it's a must-have or a turkey!

Tak Sato

Strategist and technologist with over 30 years of experience in the private sector. Holds Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Science and Executive MBA from Cleveland State University.

As Founder of the Center for Aging in the Digital World, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit empowering seniors with digital literacy, Tak connects the dots to help people utilize appropriate technology in their personal and professional lives while using digital literacy as a tool for seniors to avoid loneliness and social isolation

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Volume 13, Issue 22, Posted 10:15 AM, 11.16.2021