Twin Wolf Technology Group

Some of my clients have upgraded to Windows 10 and still long for the old familiar start menu layout. An excellent free download called Classic Shell is available at http://www.classicshell.net The program works well for those with Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10. It is ad-free and gives the user the ability to completely customize the look and feel to match various older versions of Windows.

For those that do not follow the latest security scams and tricks being used to compromise your smartphone, here is the latest to be aware of: A new scam using WhatsApp is trying to infect smartphones with a nasty virus. Users of the mobile app are being warned about the scam which is affecting Android devices. They are being sent 'secret' messages, which offer an exclusive version of the app called WhatsApp Gold, with enhanced features "used by celebrities." But it is just being used as a sneaky way of installing malware onto users' smartphones. Officials from WhatsApp said it will never send users a message asking them to upgrade or download another app, and this is a scam by criminals trying to steal information.

I will also chime in here as well. With regards to any operating system upgrade the first question should always be: What am I gaining that I do not have now and what will I lose. As business that provides support for all versions of Microsoft's operating systems, I have used Windows 10 since its release. With that experience my advice has remained the same. If you currently have Windows 8 or 8.1, the upgrade is very benficial. It fixes and enhances many features. If you currently have Windows 7 then my question becomes why do you want to upgrade? If the answer to that question is because it is free, then I go back to the original question of what will you gain that you do not have now. I find very few people can give a good reason. Given the average life of a laptop is 3-4 years, most people will get the latest operating system when they replace their current computer. The fear generated by telling the public they will need to pay for Windows 10 in the future assumes there will be no future versions and your current equipment will last a lifetime. Neither is likely to be true. For the curious, for the techies, for those that feel they need to have the absolute latest - Windows 10 works well. For the general public at large... keep Win 7, upgrade Win 8 and know your current laptop will probably last 4 years on average. Maybe just in time for Windows 11. Just my advice based on the wide range of users and businesses I support. Thanks to Hil for bringing this timely topic up.

Yes Judy. I offered it here as a download on CL back in December 2015. It is the simplest and best way to take care of the problem. In my opinion, the advice of deleting certain Microsoft Updates is just not smart unless you have a full understanding of what each update does and all the various ramifications. Future updates will be added that may depend on an update that was manually deleted. Microsoft has already moved some of these updates from optional to recommended and thereby forcing most users to get them without their knowledge, so they reappear. Windows 7 users should use the GWX Control Panel program to avoid the WIndows 10 upgrade issues. It is what I use with all my clients.

It is not only the hotel business that has been hit by an oversupply. Many hotels took the opportunity to add a casino to their property. To do so and to obtain the gaming license, it required the hotel have more than the 300 rooms. This meant building even bigger hotels. Under a very different government this appeared to be an excellent opportunity. Comparatively, the current government is not casino friendly which only adds to the over-supply/under-demand problem. Currently, there is an oversupply of casinos as well as hotel rooms. Some of the larger, new hotel properties cancelled plans to add a casino at the last minute. The RUI is one such property. Other have decided to stick it out and are virtually empty such as the Hilton. The ripple effect is sad as it touches everyone. I would like to see this government doing more to fill both those rooms and casinos. It provides jobs and boosts the economy. Instead this government, looking for money, implemented an additional 5.5% tax on every chip-to-cash transaction. The result is the tourists feel cheated, the local workers lose 5.5% of any tips they make and this depresses an already depressed, over-supplied market.

For most people, if Windows 10 was installed, automatically or by selecting the upgrade, you get 30 days to roll it back to the Windows 7 or 8.1 that it was before. The option is easy, you do not have to be a tech guy to do it. At the start menu select settings. Next, click Update & Security. Select Recovery You should see a “Go back to Windows 7” or “Go back to Windows 8.1” option. Click the Get Started button to get rid of Windows 10 and restore your previous Windows install. If it has been more than 30 days since the upgrade or if the upgrade was done as a clean install, then the option to go back to the previous version of windows will not appear.

Service appears to have been restored about 8pm

People reporting Mas Movil cell service outage from Boquete to David since about 6pm May 15

Ning has come back online as of 2pm local time. Good observation Bonnie. Without any local sponsors there does not appear to be any revenue stream to help sustain it. It will be interesting to see what the future holds. It was nice to have additional social networks, such as Chiriqui Life, in place. When one network fails, as Ning did today, people depending on a particular social network need information and answers. Given the very large size of the Ning platform and company they did a poor job of updating their clients as to the outage. In my opinion they could have quickly confirmed the outage and notified their clients using both Twitter and Facebook. My last thought on the subject is this - as a client of a particular social network provider, you are dependent on that provider for their service. If the service goes down do you have a backup of all the valuable data that has been posted? All too often a tech company suddenly goes out of business and the clients are left with nothing. It is just as important to backup the valuable data from your social network as it is your own personal data in case of disaster.

Ning has posted the following to their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Ning

Yes the entire Ning network (not just boquete.ning) is down with no updates to their Facebook page

I must be the odd man out. I have been here for seven and half years. I have lived in more than a dozen places in and around the Boquete area as well as in Panama City. Everyone of them dramatically different even tho they are all within the same community. I have been amazed at the differences a mere few hundred feet down the road much less a half mile or mile away. After all of the moves and all of the various micro-climates, not to mention services available or not available in a given area - I have finally found the right spot. It took about two and half years to find it but it fits me perfect. Personally, I would never buy without being here for a least a year. Seasons are dramatically different as are how they effect everything surrounding you. If you were to come during the rainy season and find a home close to a school or fair grounds you would be in for an ugly surprise that come the dry season when the noise from celebrations can last until 4am making sleeping impossible. There are things that happen only during a certain month that can greatly impact your life here. I am a gambling man by nature and I fell in love with this area. I got lucky to find this area but I did a great deal of searching locally before putting down roots. I chose to rent and move around to get to know the area first. Then again others have gotten lucky and found just the right spot on their first visit. The ability to adapt, accept and change is as important as finding that perfect spot. You have already found a great resource with the wide variety of people here at Chiriqui Life. I wish you and hope to see you posting here more as you begin your exploration of Panama.

If that ended up being a problem, making the videos available for a fee would solve it. I know that there are people that would like to see and hear the Tuesday talks but for one reason or another simply can not come to Boquete every Tuesday. I am one of those people. I think adding them as a podcast here would be a wonderful community service, even if it required a very small donation to access the download area for those podcasts. The donation could go directly to the BCP.

John & Susan - I am sorry to hear of your loss and I know how painful it must be. A few years ago the topic of home veterinary care for dogs was posted on Ning. Among the discussion was a book called "The Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook". I have attached a copy of that book here as a PDF. It is a 658 page book covering just about everything. The first chapter is 50 pages of various emergencies, including various snakebites. It is not meant as a replacement to your vet but the information contained within would certainly help a person who suddenly has an emergency with their dog and does not know what to do. Being prepared is the key. Giving this book a read will help. DOG OWNERS HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK.pdf

Eliecer Vargas at Servitechnics has requested that customers start using a slightly updated address for all packages being delivered to Boquete. This should help assist locating your package in case the sender forgets to include your name when addressing your package. PTY 26054 Servitechnics / Your Name 7270 NW 35th Terrace Miami, FL 33122 Servitechnics is located next to Sr. Gyros and Chox in Boquete.

Most likely it needs some malware/virus cleanup and updating. I would be happy to look at it for you - either remotely or with an in home visit.

As I read your explanation, I do not think it is sour grapes. Realizing of course, that there are two sides to every story, I will make several comments. 1. The 30 day notice is both a money grab on an outgoing client as well as a minor protection to the service itself. Internet Service Providers buy their bandwidth from an upstream provider. In other words they get the route to the Internet from someone else and need to pay for it. The 30 day notice gives them a chance to adjust the amount of bandwidth they are buying otherwise they get stuck paying for more than they have sold. It is a balancing act and they likely buy bandwidth by the month as well. Bandwidth is something that cost the same whether it is used or not used. When a client says they didn't use it, it is not like the provider can then sell it to someone else. The provider still has the same expense and still pays for it even when you do not use it. On the other hand, they are getting a month and half of payment and notice, not just 30 days. That is not fair nor the spirit of the contract. 2. It is perfectly reasonable to think that you are a long time customer that purchased a large amount of bandwidth thereby giving them a very nice profit. The day you give notice, you are no longer a great customer and many companies treat you as if you are less than a loyal client. That is just the sad state of doing business with many companies. They fail to realize the bad press they get by doing so and that appreciation they had ends the moment you give notice. Your either a great customer or a SOB that went to the competition. 3. I have publicly written about Planet Telecom, both in glowing terms of their service as well as the disappointment of their very high cost ... their service is the most expensive in this area. Both are wireless services, not cable. Cable Onda Wireless Internet is currently around $11 per meg ($45/4 megs) and Planet Telecom is around $83 per meg ($125/1.5 megs). It varies a little depending on how much bandwidth you purchase but the difference is shocking given you are comparing like services. I had hoped by this time we would have seen a price drop from Planet Telecom. I do not understand how they plan to stay competitive when they are charging more than 7 times as much for the exact same service. Word is quickly spreading about the Cable Onda wireless service and how it is so much more reasonably priced. In one part of my business in the US, I sold dedicated bandwidth to clients. The longer the client had service, the more of a discount they got. In other words, they got rewarded for not switching. It stopped people jumping back and forth as competitors dropped their price and made my clients loyal.

Where can I buy Lavender Essential Oils in David?

LOL - no strip poker tournaments but I have "lost my shirt" a time or two. We have a Texas Hold'em poker game here in Boquete twice a week (Tuesday & Friday) with both men and women. One night we play a spread limit game and the other night we play a no limit game. Anyone interested in joining our group should send me a message and I can give you all the latest details as well as the upcoming game location.

Yes both quantity and packaging are important. If the item(s) look like you could be selling them (or reselling them), you could run into an issue. I had an issue bring in 24 decks of playing cards because of both quantity and the fact they were all still in the wrapper. Anything that gets x-rayed as a solid mass is sure to get extra attention as well. Personal electronics are common and should not be a worry as long as it looks like something you use and it not still in the cellophane wrapper or box.

Sounds like a good deal. My friend and I visited Baru the other day for a quick snack. We had a plate of french fries and 6 chicken wings - no drinks - the bill was $20 !!! That is double what would be reasonable. When asked for the bill the waiter told us the amount but held the paper bill back. I asked to see the actual printed bill - and as I suspected a tip was already included on the bill. I won't be back and I now remember why it had been so long since my last visit.

Bud - With prices being all over the board around here, what can I expect to pay at Parmigiano? I am not eligible for any discounts.

I love your approach. Here are my thoughts for what it is worth... I think that there is a huge focus on people coming, visiting or moving here. Those things get written about a great deal. It would be hard to offer something new and to stay interesting if that was your theme. A blog is great when the reader can get a feeling of being with the writer. It is not about cold facts, it is about the reader experiencing things through the eyes of the writer. I followed a blog of a gal who was travelling through Colombia. In her travels she had found the city Medellin to be a great spot to write about. She wrote about a wide variety of things, not just the local restaurants or night clubs. It was about travelling out to the surrounding area and discovering the countryside as well as the city itself. Sadly she ended her blog because she found the love of her life and got married. Her blog is now about married life and not the travel and discovery she wrote about so beautifully. Something like that could be very useful here for both the new visitor as well as us "long-timers". I love finding and hearing about places outside of Boquete. They can be restaurants, recreations spots, little hidden gems, unique stores and even interesting people out in the countryside. I recently heard from a friend about a couple of waterfalls and swimming area out past Caldera - not the hot springs where most of the tourists go but something much further out of town. A blog about discovering those hidden gems and unique spots out in the countryside would be my vote for an interesting and informative blog. I look forward to reading something new and interesting...

I always like to have choice but I am skeptical that Panama will accept Uber in the long run. I understand why Uber is such a great success in the US but Panama is very different. In a place where taxis do not use meters and where getting a taxi is not difficult, I wonder how Uber could have enough appeal to make an impact. Taxi rates are very low, generally most places around the city for $5 or less. Maybe they will have an appeal for transportation to and from the airport but again I for one am skeptical.

Penny, I have the first two items. You will not find a VGA to USB cable. I would be happy to loan them to you. I can bring them to you on Monday if you like.