Author: Bill Scobie
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Windows Tips, Text Mistakes
I love how Facebook researchers find the darnedest things. The latest out of their labs (actually an internal study from 2018) is that they found that using Facebook increased loneliness more than other activities its researchers surveyed, including video games and watching TV. As more people “discover” Windows 11, they find things like dark mode…
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Gmail Changes; Saving Space
Did you finally get used to the last round of changes to Gmail’s website? More changes are coming, slowly rolling out, primarily to better incorporate Google Chat (to compete with Slack) and Google Meet (to compete with Zoom.) There will be another sidebar with these options, and Google has said that by summer 2022 this…
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Chrome, Cold, Crypto and More
Chrome 97 can now delete all the data that sites have stored on your device, not just cookies. Make sure you have this version. To get it, click the three dots in your toolbar, hover over Help, then choose About Google Chrome. Once you have this version, go to Settings > Security and Privacy >…
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Starting Your Year Securely
If you’re hearing security tips this time of year, it’s good to realize what you do and don’t have to do. You don’t have to change your passwords frequently, as it often leads to similar passwords. You are allowed to write down your passwords; just don’t put them near or on your computer. Two-factor authentication…
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Google Security, Adobe Alts
If you use Gmail, you might want to get more comfortable with Google’s 2-factor authentication. If you have ever gotten code numbers texted to you as part of logging into a bank or credit card site (along with typing in a password), you have experienced 2-factor authentication. Google is going to roll this out to…
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Has Your Data Been Exposed?
Chrome is rolling out a new desktop browser feature, Live Captions, to auto-transcribe audio to text for nearly any streaming audio, even if the audio is muted. It seems like a wonderful way to “watch” a video while “listening” to one more video meeting. In all seriousness, it is a great accessibility feature for hearing…
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Zoom Solutions
Researchers at Stanford have found some simple fixes for four common Zoom fatigue problems. Close-up eye contact is intense and tiring, so put the view mode to tile and take Zoom out of full-screen mode to make all the faces smaller. Seeing yourself is fatiguing, so learn how to “hide yourself” with a right-click on…
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Old Games, Updates and Slow Videos
In case you really need to play those old Flash games, the ones that Adobe killed at the end of 2020, you should try Ruffle, a Flash player emulator (www.ruffle.rs). Though it might require a little work to get web-based Flash games working with the relevant browser extension, it will let you play those games…
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Gone Phishing
JustGetMyData.com is a site where you can easily find out how to get a copy of your data from many of the more popular websites. The site uses a stoplight coloring system to give you a quick idea of how easy it is to get data from each site, with directions on how to proceed.…
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New Year’s Security Checkup
T he new year is a great time to look at your security and computer disaster readiness. Here are a few steps to take to make your online experience safer. • You likely know it, but it is time to make all passwords unique and not based on any personally identifiable information. If your passwords…
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Check Your Privacy Settings
After recent operating system upgrades, it’s time to check your smartphone’s privacy settings. On an iPhone, go to Settings, then Privacy; on an Android, if you are running system 11, go to Privacy (but your phone vendor may have modified this location). If you find Permission Manager, you’ll find everything bundled together there. Decide whether…
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When to Repair and When to Replace
When deciding between repairing a broken computer and buying a new one, you should consider the age of your computer, the repair cost, the cost of the replacement, and the cost of the new software that you might have to buy. Generally, if the computer is more than five years old, the repair costs may…