It is your responsibility to keep yourself safe online, and education is your best defense!
Hackers are working 24/7 to "steal" names, addresses, email addresses and passwords. Why? Profits are to be made by selling this information on the dark web.
What can you do about it?
1) Become informed. Use Breach Report regularly to check your email address(es). It is free to use and a service that is regularly monitoring the dark web for compromised data. It not only shows you when your data was breached but also the company or website and the password that was being used by you at that time. Breach Report continually monitors the dark web to provide this information. Definitely worth checking out!
2) Have good password management: use unique passwords for each account and consider using a password manager (like Last Pass)
3) Use 2-Factor Authentication whenever possible (in addition to your email and password, an additional piece of information is required for logins).
4) Use a decoy email address (created in Gmail) to use when you're not sure about giving out your "real" address
The internet is such an integral part of our lives that it is imperative we do all that we can to keep ourselves safe online. Starting today.
Have a terrific Tech Tuesday wherever this may find you - in the sunshine, heat or maybe even where it is cool on this late spring day.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Quickly digitize old photos, negatives and slides
Does the thought of scanning in old photos, negatives and slides give you a headache? It just seems overwhelming to me. Until now.
John has gone through most of our old photos (pre-digital) and organized them the last several months, but our question throughout the process has been "how can we best keep them" for the future. Should we scan them ourselves or have a company do that for us? What should we do with the negatives? What about slides (from the dark ages)? :-)
This 8 minute video - "How to Quickly Digitize Photos, Slides and Negatives" just popped up this morning on my feed and it may be the answer! Using your phone along with setting up a little jig allows you to scan photos at a fairly rapid rate using an app called Photomyne. There is a cost associated with using it, but you could pay for one month just to try it out OR to scan like crazy and get all your photos scanned!
Two additional apps you may want or need:
Filmbox for negatives
SlideScan for slides
For several years, I've been using Google PhotoScan which is a GREAT free photo scanning app for your phone if you just need to scan in an occasional photo. It's a great tool, but just not as quick as PhotoMyne and it doesn't do negatives and slides.
Happy scanning!
John has gone through most of our old photos (pre-digital) and organized them the last several months, but our question throughout the process has been "how can we best keep them" for the future. Should we scan them ourselves or have a company do that for us? What should we do with the negatives? What about slides (from the dark ages)? :-)
This 8 minute video - "How to Quickly Digitize Photos, Slides and Negatives" just popped up this morning on my feed and it may be the answer! Using your phone along with setting up a little jig allows you to scan photos at a fairly rapid rate using an app called Photomyne. There is a cost associated with using it, but you could pay for one month just to try it out OR to scan like crazy and get all your photos scanned!
Two additional apps you may want or need:
Filmbox for negatives
SlideScan for slides
For several years, I've been using Google PhotoScan which is a GREAT free photo scanning app for your phone if you just need to scan in an occasional photo. It's a great tool, but just not as quick as PhotoMyne and it doesn't do negatives and slides.
Happy scanning!
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Charge your mobile devices more quickly
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.
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 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
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Voice recorder
Have you ever wished you could review a conversation with your doctor? Or your lawyer? Or your financial adviser? Or......? A smartphone can easily record those conversations or meeting for future review.
What apps should you use?
On an iPhone, use Voice Memos; the app is already on your phone, but it may be hidden;
On an Android device - Voice Recorder, available from the Google Play Store.
How does it work?
1) If you are in the office of your doctor, lawyer, etc. simply touch the app to begin recording. Even long meetings do not take up a large amount of storage on your device.
2) If you want to record a phone conversation, Voice Memos /Voice Recorder will need to be installed/run on a second device. The call will need to be completed on speakerphone, then the second device (another smartphone or tablet) will record the conversation. You can not record on the phone you are using for the conversation.
We have found these recordings to be valuable when reviewing hour-long meetings and appointments at a later date. These voice recordings have also made it easy for me to share information with my brother after some of my mom's appointments. This morning friends of ours who were having a videoconference with an oncologist were able to record the audio to share with their children.
The hardest thing about recording: REMEMBERING to turn on the app when the meeting/conversation begins! :-)
What apps should you use?
On an iPhone, use Voice Memos; the app is already on your phone, but it may be hidden;
On an Android device - Voice Recorder, available from the Google Play Store.
How does it work?
1) If you are in the office of your doctor, lawyer, etc. simply touch the app to begin recording. Even long meetings do not take up a large amount of storage on your device.
2) If you want to record a phone conversation, Voice Memos /Voice Recorder will need to be installed/run on a second device. The call will need to be completed on speakerphone, then the second device (another smartphone or tablet) will record the conversation. You can not record on the phone you are using for the conversation.
We have found these recordings to be valuable when reviewing hour-long meetings and appointments at a later date. These voice recordings have also made it easy for me to share information with my brother after some of my mom's appointments. This morning friends of ours who were having a videoconference with an oncologist were able to record the audio to share with their children.
The hardest thing about recording: REMEMBERING to turn on the app when the meeting/conversation begins! :-)
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