Unbelievable headlines. Strange news stories. Can't-possibly-be-true Facebook posts. How do you know what to believe?
You've all probably heard cautions like: "If it sounds totally unbelievable, it probably is," or "It's too good to be true," or "consider the source." Those are all good tips and I'd encourage you to NEVER respond to something that seems questionable.
I'd also encourage you to consider the source before responding, sharing, or reposting something you read online. Recently, a previous student of mine shared a resource he uses when trying to decide if news is being accurately represented. The chart is created by a group that regularly analyzes published content and then categorizes those media sources.
The Media Bias Chart can be found here; it can be enlarged by clicking on the chart. For those of you who know much more about this than me, I'd be interested in your thoughts about this chart.
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Use your smartphone as a magnifier
Need a magnifying glass? Did you know your smartphone has that capability?
The easiest and quickest way to enlarge text or small items:
*Open the Camera.
*Spread two fingers apart on the screen to Zoom in.Quick and easy!
There are other ways to magnify using your phone:
1) Turn on Magnifier on your phone by accessing Settings - Accessibility - Magnifier on iPhones or Settings - Accessibility - Magnification on Android devices.
2) Explore Magnifier apps to install on your phone:
iOS: Over 40 Magnifier and Flashlight $1.99
Android: Magnificent Magnifier Free
I'm wishing the weather we are having today could be "magnified" many times over; it is absolutely beautiful this morning! Have a terrific Tuesday!
The easiest and quickest way to enlarge text or small items:
*Open the Camera.
*Spread two fingers apart on the screen to Zoom in.Quick and easy!
There are other ways to magnify using your phone:
1) Turn on Magnifier on your phone by accessing Settings - Accessibility - Magnifier on iPhones or Settings - Accessibility - Magnification on Android devices.
2) Explore Magnifier apps to install on your phone:
iOS: Over 40 Magnifier and Flashlight $1.99
Android: Magnificent Magnifier Free
I'm wishing the weather we are having today could be "magnified" many times over; it is absolutely beautiful this morning! Have a terrific Tuesday!
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Breach Report
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.
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 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!
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