Author: Rick

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GrandPerspective for Mac, WinDirStat for Windows – Visualizing Disk Usage

If you’ve ever wondered “Where did all my disk space go?”, a visual disk usage tool can answer that question in minutes.

On macOS, GrandPerspective has been a go-to for years. It scans your drive and displays a colorful treemap—each rectangle represents a file, sized by how much space it takes. Big blocks reveal large files instantly, whether it’s a forgotten video export or a massive cache folder.

On Windows, the closest match is WinDirStat. It works the same way: scan a drive, see a treemap, and drill down into directories. It also adds a handy file-type legend and a directory tree so you can clean up directly from the interface.

Both tools are free, open source, and lightweight. For moderately technical users, they’re faster and more insightful than manually poking through folders—and they make the “what’s eating my disk?” problem almost fun to solve.

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AI Goes Local: Run Powerful Models Right on Your Computer

Ollama and DiffusionBee

The AI revolution just got more personal. While most of us have grown accustomed to typing prompts into ChatGPT or Claude through our browsers, a new wave of tools is bringing that same AI power directly to your desktop—no internet required, no monthly subscriptions, and complete privacy.

Two standout applications are making local AI accessible to regular users: Ollama for text generation and DiffusionBee for creating images. Both represent a significant shift toward democratizing AI technology.

Ollama: Your Personal ChatGPT

Ollama recently launched a partnership with OpenAI and released a new GUI application for macOS and Windows, transforming what was once a command-line tool into something anyone can use. The app lets you download and chat with various AI models, including OpenAI’s new open-source gpt-oss models available in 20B and 120B parameter sizes.

This is significantly more user friendly than it used to be. The new interface supports file drag-and-drop, letting you upload PDFs or documents and have conversations about their contents. It even includes built-in web search capabilities, though you’ll need to enable that feature.

The performance trade-off is real but workable. The smaller 20B model can run on systems with just 16GB of memory, though more RAM certainly helps. On my M4 Mac with 32GB, responses often have a delay of a minute or so, but then come faster than I can read them. This is noticeably slower than the cloud-based services we’re used to. The key difference is that everything happens on your machine, with complete privacy.

DiffusionBee: AI Art Without the Cloud

For image generation, DiffusionBee brings Stable Diffusion to your desktop with remarkable ease. This completely free application runs locally on your computer with a one-click installer and no technical knowledge required.

The app includes text-to-image generation, image-to-image transformation, inpainting, and upscaling features—essentially everything you’d find in premium online services. Your prompts, models, and generated images never leave your device, addressing privacy concerns that many professionals in the DC area have about cloud-based AI tools.

The quality won’t match the latest offerings from Midjourney or DALL-E, but for many use cases—creating presentation graphics, brainstorming visual concepts, or just experimenting with AI art—it’s more than sufficient.

Why This Matters Now

This shift toward local AI addresses several concerns that have limited adoption in professional settings. Government contractors, lawyers, and consultants who handle sensitive information can now experiment with AI without worrying about data leaving their systems. Small businesses can access powerful AI capabilities without ongoing subscription costs.

The models available today are roughly equivalent to GPT-3.5 or early GPT-4 performance levels—a step behind the cutting edge, but still remarkably capable for most tasks. And unlike cloud services, there are no usage limits, rate limits, or monthly bills.

Both applications install in minutes and start working immediately. Ollama downloads models as needed (expect several gigabytes per model), while DiffusionBee includes everything required to start generating images.

The local AI movement represents more than just an alternative to cloud services—it’s about putting powerful technology directly into users’ hands. For the DC community, where data privacy and independence matter, these tools offer a compelling glimpse of AI’s more distributed future.

Download Ollama at ollama.com and DiffusionBee at diffusionbee.com. Both are free and work best on modern computers with at least 16GB of RAM.

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Behind the Scenes: My Professional IT Certifications

Some people have asked me what certifications I have for technical support. While certifications are not as important for lawyers, accountants, or doctors, there are a couple that I have that demonstrate my commitment to professional standards and ongoing education in the field.

CompTIA Network+ ce Certification badge image. Issued by CompTIA

Network+ by CompTIA in particular ensures that people understand networking fundamentals that are essential for troubleshooting connectivity issues, setting up secure home networks, and resolving the kinds of problems that affect both home and office environments. This certification covers everything from TCP/IP protocols and wireless standards to network security and troubleshooting methodologies. When I’m helping a client figure out why their home WiFi is slow in certain rooms or why their office computers can’t connect to shared resources, this foundational knowledge guides my approach to systematically diagnosing and resolving the problem.

ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) focuses on IT service management best practices and establishing efficient processes for delivering technical support. I received this certification from my background setting up Help Desks, where I learned how to structure support workflows, manage incident responses, and ensure consistent service delivery. While ITIL might seem more relevant to large enterprise environments, its principles of clear communication, proper documentation, and systematic problem-solving are just as valuable when providing personalized tech support to individual clients and small businesses.

While I appreciate having these certifications, I have mainly learned these skills from hands-on experience. Technology changes rapidly, and staying current requires continuous learning beyond formal certifications. What matters most is being able to listen to your specific needs, diagnose problems accurately, and explain solutions in plain English – whether you’re dealing with a complex network setup or simply need help organizing your digital life.

If you have questions about my background or how I can help with your particular tech challenges, feel free to reach out.

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Your Home Wi-Fi Could Get Slower: Senate Bill Targets Key Frequencies

UPDATE July 3, 2025: The 6GHz WiFi concerns are resolved – the final bill exempts the 5.925-7.125 GHz band from auction. Your home WiFi speeds are safe.

UPDATE July 1. 2025: The Senate passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and the final version still removes protections for the 6 GHz Wi-Fi band that could slow home internet speeds. The bill now heads back to the House, meaning the threat to Wi-Fi spectrum is closer to becoming law.

If you’ve noticed your Wi-Fi getting faster over the past few years, you can thank the 6 GHz band – a chunk of wireless spectrum that delivers faster speeds than older 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. But a provision buried in the Senate’s budget bill could change that. (See more detail at: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/06/senate-gop-budget-bill-has-little-noticed-provision-that-could-hurt-your-wi-fi/) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has a plan for spectrum auctions that could take frequencies away from Wi-Fi and reallocate them for the exclusive use of wireless carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

When the House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” it excluded all of the frequencies between 5.925 and 7.125 gigahertz from the planned spectrum auctions. But Cruz’s version of the budget reconciliation bill, which is moving quickly toward a final vote, removed the 6 GHz band’s protection from spectrum auctions. This would directly impact how well your home internet works.

For everyone with home WiFi, aka everyone, this matters. The 6 GHz band has been crucial for reducing Wi-Fi congestion, especially in apartment buildings where dozens of networks compete for the same airwaves. If these frequencies get auctioned off to cellular carriers, your router may struggle to maintain the fast, reliable connections you’ve come to expect.

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Must-read for DC tech policy folks: “Apple in China” by Patrick McGee

Book recommendation:
Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company” by Patrick McGee

Understanding Apple’s China entanglement is essential for anyone working on tech competition, export controls, or supply chain policy. Patrick McGee does an amazing job explaining how Apple and China got to this point in time.

Apple’s China investments exceeded the Marshall Plan, creating unprecedented supply chain interdependence. Now Apple trained 28M+ workers who power competitors like Huawei.

China played the long game—used Apple (and Tesla) partnerships to systematically upgrade domestic tech capabilities.