Mobile device users:
Do you ever need your phone to charge more quickly? Maybe you forgot to charge it overnight and now you are going to be gone all day?
Put it in Airplane Mode when charging; you may notice a marked difference in how quickly your phone/device returns to full charge.
Airplane Mode can also save battery life if you are out and about and afraid your phone/tablet will not make it through the day. It can also be a safeguard if you hand your phone to a child to play games or watch videos. They will be prevented from accidentally sending messages or making purchases.
Don't know how to put your phone in Airplane Mode?
**Android users - https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/android-airplane-mode/
**iPhone users - Open the Control Center and tap the airplane icon or go to Settings and tape Airplane mode. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204234
What does Airplane Mode do? It turns off all wireless connections - WiFi, Bluetooth and cellular meaning you won't receive text messages, phone calls, and emails. It was designed for use when flying to keep cellphone signals from interfering with FAA communications, although that is widely disputed today.
We also love our portable charger; it has removed the fear of running out of power when traveling in areas that drain our phones rather quickly.
Note on last week's Tech Tip about sharing YouTube videos starting at a certain point: it does not appear to be available yet on phones and tablets, just on laptops and desktops. Sorry.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Share a YouTube video at a precise point
YouTube plays an important role in our lives whether it is helping us fix items, learn new skills or simply enjoy some entertainment. But, you may not always need or want to watch a YouTube video in its entirety. Maybe you want to share a certain point in a performance with a friend or maybe you'd like to save a certain point in a video to reference when doing maintenance on a household item. Today's tip helps you do that.
If you see something in a YouTube video that you want to share or save at a particular point, you can get a link that opens directly to that moment:
1) Stop the video at the point you want to share with others or save in your Bookmarks.
2) Click the Share button below the video. Look for a checkbox below the link. It will automatically display the time at which you currently have the video stopped.
3) Click on Copy and then Paste it into an email or message to a friend. When someone clicks on your link, it will take them directly to point you wish them to view.
If you would like to bookmark the YouTube video for yourself and have it always open to a certain point in the video, follow the above procedure, but instead of pasting the link in an email or message, paste it into the URL box of your browser. Then add your bookmark to the browser.
Here's a short 1-minute screencast video I made to help explain: http://somup.com/cYhqlVjayd
If you see something in a YouTube video that you want to share or save at a particular point, you can get a link that opens directly to that moment:
1) Stop the video at the point you want to share with others or save in your Bookmarks.
2) Click the Share button below the video. Look for a checkbox below the link. It will automatically display the time at which you currently have the video stopped.
3) Click on Copy and then Paste it into an email or message to a friend. When someone clicks on your link, it will take them directly to point you wish them to view.
If you would like to bookmark the YouTube video for yourself and have it always open to a certain point in the video, follow the above procedure, but instead of pasting the link in an email or message, paste it into the URL box of your browser. Then add your bookmark to the browser.
Here's a short 1-minute screencast video I made to help explain: http://somup.com/cYhqlVjayd
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Insert a USB plug correctly the first time
Am I the only one who didn't know this or had never paid attention: A person can always plug in a USB connection correctly the first time if they remember this:
1) Look at the Flash Drive or USB cable in your hand.
2) The side with the logo or symbol or words ALWAYS goes up when inserting it into a device horizontally. If inserted vertically the logo or symbol should be facing you.
Do you know how many times I have tried more than once to insert a USB device unsuccessfully?????? Duh......
Feel free to share things with me that I should have been aware of long before now, and have a great Tech Tuesday!
1) Look at the Flash Drive or USB cable in your hand.
2) The side with the logo or symbol or words ALWAYS goes up when inserting it into a device horizontally. If inserted vertically the logo or symbol should be facing you.
Do you know how many times I have tried more than once to insert a USB device unsuccessfully?????? Duh......
Feel free to share things with me that I should have been aware of long before now, and have a great Tech Tuesday!
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Passwords, Passwords, Passwords
I just wrote about creating strong passwords on the last day of 2019, and ended with the words, "May 2020 be your most safe, secure online year ever!!" I had no idea at that point in time how crucial those words would be for us. As more people have spent more time online these past two months, the activity of hackers and scammers has also GREATLY increased. So, it's time to review these two tips today:
1) Create an email account with Gmail that you only use to sign up for accounts online, ones you don't need to monitor; think of it as your "junk email" account. Use it whenever you don't need to have regular interaction with a company or online offer.
2) Create a good strong password when creating an online account OR begin now changing your passwords you already have. Do not use the same password for each account.Yes, your device will be glad to supply a strong password, and you can somewhat safely do that. But, I like being able to remember my password, so I use the method detailed below. Once your base password is created, it is easy to make a unique password for each of your online accounts.
a) Think of an easy phrase to remember - e.g., my favorite bird is a cardinal
b) Remove the spaces in the phrase: myfavoritebirdisacardinal
c) Capitalize the first letter of the second word: myFavoritebirdisacardinal
d) Replace the letter "a" (all or some) with the @ symbol: myF@voritebirdis@c@rdinal
e) Replace the letter "s" with the $ symbol: myF@voritebirdi$@c@rdinal
f) Use that password as your base and then add on the first three letters of the website or account to make each password unique. For example, if I was using the above password for Facebook, it would look like this: myF@voritebirdi$@c@rdinalfac and for Gmail it would look like this: myF@voritebirdi$@c@rdinalgma
At first, you may be slow entering all of the characters, but with practice, it should become automatic and much easier.
Enjoy your time online; the ability to stay in touch with friends, family, church family and others has been invaluable. But, please do everything you can to protect your personal data, including passwords, online.
Enjoy this beautiful day (at least here in Kansas it will be beautiful!)
Jeline
All previous weekly tips are located here: http://tuesdaytechtidbit.blogspot.com
If you have a friend who wants to subscribe, feel free to share this link: https://bit.ly/tuesdaytechtip2020
1) Create an email account with Gmail that you only use to sign up for accounts online, ones you don't need to monitor; think of it as your "junk email" account. Use it whenever you don't need to have regular interaction with a company or online offer.
2) Create a good strong password when creating an online account OR begin now changing your passwords you already have. Do not use the same password for each account.Yes, your device will be glad to supply a strong password, and you can somewhat safely do that. But, I like being able to remember my password, so I use the method detailed below. Once your base password is created, it is easy to make a unique password for each of your online accounts.
a) Think of an easy phrase to remember - e.g., my favorite bird is a cardinal
b) Remove the spaces in the phrase: myfavoritebirdisacardinal
c) Capitalize the first letter of the second word: myFavoritebirdisacardinal
d) Replace the letter "a" (all or some) with the @ symbol: myF@voritebirdis@c@rdinal
e) Replace the letter "s" with the $ symbol: myF@voritebirdi$@c@rdinal
f) Use that password as your base and then add on the first three letters of the website or account to make each password unique. For example, if I was using the above password for Facebook, it would look like this: myF@voritebirdi$@c@rdinalfac and for Gmail it would look like this: myF@voritebirdi$@c@rdinalgma
At first, you may be slow entering all of the characters, but with practice, it should become automatic and much easier.
Enjoy your time online; the ability to stay in touch with friends, family, church family and others has been invaluable. But, please do everything you can to protect your personal data, including passwords, online.
Enjoy this beautiful day (at least here in Kansas it will be beautiful!)
Jeline
All previous weekly tips are located here: http://tuesdaytechtidbit.blogspot.com
If you have a friend who wants to subscribe, feel free to share this link: https://bit.ly/tuesdaytechtip2020