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3 days ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
By Leslie Meredith - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Jun 25, 2025 Photo supplied Leslie Meredith If you remember the first wave of smart glasses from the early 2010s, you probably recall something clunky, geeky and a little embarrassing to wear in public. Maybe you even tried Google’s infamous “cardboard” VR viewers, which were fun but hardly practical. Fast forward to 2025, and the world of smart glasses has changed dramatically. Today’s models are sleek, stylish and, in many cases,...
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1 week ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
By Leslie Meredith - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Jun 18, 2025 Photo supplied Leslie Meredith Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is always packed with announcements about new features and improvements, and this year’s event included several important updates focused on security and privacy. With the next iOS release, users will see a range of new tools designed to help protect personal data, manage family device use and guard against digital threats. Let’s start with expanded...
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2 weeks ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
Father’s Day is right around the corner and if you haven’t yet found the perfect gift for Dad, I have some ideas for you. If you’ve already done your shopping, save this list for upcoming birthdays and holidays for dads, moms and just about anyone who enjoys digital gadgets. Let’s start with something useful, fun and under $100. Echo Buds, Amazon’s wireless earbuds, are on sale for $34.99. They offer surprisingly good sound, a snug fit and hands-free Alexa.
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3 weeks ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with freight forwarders from all over the world at a conference in Marrakech. Most of these people handled containerized goods — not a cargo I typically report on — so I wanted to know about tariffs. Specifically, I wanted to know how the duties were being handled from foreign businesses shipping to consumers in the U.S. Yes, I had you in mind.
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1 month ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
By Leslie Meredith - Special to the Standard-Examiner | May 28, 2025 Photo suppliedLeslie Meredith Graduation season is here, but for the class of 2025, the traditional path into the workforce looks increasingly uncertain.
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1 month ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
If you’ve ever struggled to remember a password or gotten frustrated by constant password resets, you’re not alone. Microsoft is making a big change that could make those headaches a thing of the past. For new Microsoft accounts, passwords are now officially optional — they’re not offered by default anymore. Instead, Microsoft is encouraging users to sign in without passwords, using passkeys, a physical security key or SMS codes.
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1 month ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
Scammers never take a break, and their tricks keep evolving. Lately, there are three scams making the rounds that you should be aware of: one targeting Social Security numbers, another impersonating Gmail alerts and a third aimed at Mac users through a fake driver update. I’ll explain what each scam is, how to spot it and what you should do if you encounter it. Plus, these scams highlight why relying on passwords alone just isn’t enough anymore. I’ll cover better alternatives next week.
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2 months ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
By Leslie Meredith - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Apr 29, 2025 Photo supplied Leslie Meredith It is not often that my two careers converge but in the case of bringing semiconductor manufacturing to the U.S., that’s where I find myself. As the editor of Breakbulk Magazine, a trade publication for the industrial project supply chain – think energy and infrastructure projects, shipping and logistics for the enormous components used in those developments, as well as the people responsible...
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2 months ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
By Leslie Meredith - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Apr 23, 2025 Photo supplied Leslie Meredith An unknown number of rental car customers, including those who had used Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar services, earlier this month received notifications that their personal data — and a lot of it — had been compromised through a data breach. While Hertz, the company that owns the three rental car companies, has not disclosed how many people were affected, the timeline is clear. It’s useful to take...
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2 months ago | 
standard.net | Leslie Meredith
My dad vividly recalls the day he got a phone call from someone impersonating one of his grandsons. The connection wasn’t clear, but he got the gist of the message: Jack was calling from overseas, he was hurt and needed his grandpa to wire him money right away. Dad may not be the most computer-savvy senior, but he knows a scam when he hears one. He asked the caller to give him his home address, the imposter evaded the question and Dad got the verification he needed — and hung up.
