Ron Baker
School
Furman University, University Of South Carolina
Expertise
Heterodox Models Of Homebuilding, Home Automation, Mechanical And Electrical Engineering
- Ron sold his first article to a national computer magazine around age 15, soon thereafter was the News Editor for the USC student newspaper, then paused his writing career to wander all over the I.T. industry map, eventually running web services for a regional publisher.
- Mostly working only with his wife, Teresa, he built his family's home, employing various IoT technologies for critical, prudent, and unobtrusive automations.
- Ron is trying to reinvent his family's home, economic, and creative lives, augmenting his kids' stubbornly analog childhood with digital tools. Tech, prudent automations, and digital workflows enhance without defining the family's hobby farm/homestead, their freestanding 750-square-foot greenhouse, backyard recording studio, and workshop/video studio.
Experience
Ron's career is a roadmap to the intersection of off-beat home construction, writing, technology, media, and creativity. As a multimedia producer for a large staffing firm in the late nineties, he developed interactive media for national marketing campaigns and served on a small, invitation-only advisory panel for Adobe's Authorware platform. The focus on media continued during his brief ownership of an Atlanta-area media agency, and in 2001 he became the web services manager for Tillman Allen Greer, a metro Atlanta marketing firm. Returning to his writing roots, he later took the position of Managing Editor of Gwinnett Magazine, a regional print and online publication owned by Tillman Allen Greer. Pandemic layoffs led him to refocus on creativity, and he has hand-built his family's home to facilitate creativity in writing, data-oriented product evaluations, and audio engineering centered around his wife's singing talents and his kids' need to make a racket.
Education
Ron studied English at Furman University, then transferred to the University of South Carolina to focus more directly on journalism, completing the coursework in 1993.
SlashGear's content hails from a group of experienced technology and automotive editors and a wide-ranging team of writers, engineers, enthusiasts, and experts across consumer tech and transportation. Our goal is to provide up-to-the-minute breaking news coverage as well as original and engaging opinion and editorial content that serves as the ultimate resource for those who want to stay up to date on the latest and greatest the industry has to offer.
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Stories By Ron Baker
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The affordability and innovation that comes packed in Raspberry Pi computers changed the game for technophobes. Here's how to turn one into a media center.
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The versatile Raspberry Pi can be configured to serve many functions. This includes creating an extender for your wi-fi network to cover dead spots.
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From helping identify plants to solving math equations, Lens has the potential to do a lot. Here are a near dozen ways it can do more for you.
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Unlike what they show in the movies, you won't see a 'phone hacked' screen if someone takes over. Real-life hacks are a lot more insidious.
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While the advancement of technology has given us wonders we previously didn't think possible, in some cases, decades-old inventions are serving us just fine.
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If you already have an Android smartphone, these companion picks are a great boon to your fledgling smart home.
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Adobe's generative AI tools are some of the first positioned towards enterprise organizations. Here is what they can do, what they can't do, and how they work.
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The difference between digital and analog signals may seem straightforward, but there is a ton of nuance that defines the characteristics of the two systems.
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3D printers are powerful devices — and with the right upgrades, you can make yours more powerful and easier to use than ever before.
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Setting up a generator for your house can seem like overkill — until the power goes out. Here is our guide to picking the right generator from your home.
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Any oil filter will do in getting your car from point A to point B, but a sub-par filter can shorten its life. These are the 11 best oil filter brands, ranked.
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Usually devices run slowly because of CPU overuse, but there are other ways popular apps can slow down your phone. Here's what you can do to speed things up.
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It's possible to build a decent facsimile of an expensive mic for under $200. Check out these 10 studio-quality DIY microphones that could save you thousands.
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Implementing a system to back up your critical data is an important part of data safety. Here are the best ways to get your data backed up properly.
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The Raspberry Pi a platform you can customize to do exactly what you need it to. Here are the best Raspberry Pi accessories that will enhance your next project.
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The Raspberry Pi is among the most useful and versatile additions to your home coding or computing setup, and one of the most affordable.
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When assembled with care, Google Assistant's routines can do a lot of the basic work in our lives. Here are 7 Google Assistant routines to organize your life.
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It's remarkable how many people continue to create interesting projects for these single-board computers. Here are the best new Raspberry Pi projects.
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We evaluated 199 brands closely, and narrowed our list to 22 that fit the description of "major headphone brands," give or take.
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These Android keyboard shortcuts will make your life easier when typing, gaming, scrolling, or simply setting up your phone's general flow.
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There are exciting signs that launchers are making a comeback. For Android users, these are the best launchers to change your Android phone for the better.
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Which Amazon-owned smart security camera system is better, Ring or Blink? If you absolutely need to choose one, and not some other brand, we've got your answer.
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If Batman can get superpowers just by buying cool stuff, so can you. Find out how to outfit yourself with an array of wonderful toys that will stop criminals.
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The Nissan 240SX is a platform that lends itself to being one of the most tuneable drift cars of all time — and one that fans wish would make a comeback.
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Given the delicate and important nature of implementing new solutions in healthcare, the importance of each medical tech invention cannot be understated.
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When you decide to connect yourself with a new payment system like Apple Pay, are you making it easier for you to make bad decisions with digital cash?
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Not all batteries are the same, despite how they might be advertised. Have you been using batteries from the best battery brands in the world, or the worst?