You know how passionate I am about the joys of technology.
Well, this will make your heart sing.
What was life like before YouTube?
Let’s Dance!
This week I’ve worked with two clients who have had their Internet Explorer web browser hijacked. That means that a web page has been installed as their home page and they couldn’t get rid of it. It was very confusing and frustrating for them.
The solution is to download and use either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome instead. If you are not good at downloading and installing updates, I suggest you use Chrome, because it will install the updates in the background and you won’t have to do anything. It also gives you convenient access to gmail, contacts, calendar and docs. (Did you know you can use Google Docs for free and you won’t need Microsoft Office Suite?)
If you have any questions or need help, just let me know.
Lately, I’ve been helping a lot of people with photo management and storage. One of the most common questions is how best to store them.
The rule of thumb for ultimate security is that you have three different kinds of backups with one being off sight. Then if something happens to your house, you still have a back up. On “the Cloud,” means on someone else’s server. Some of the most popular are iCloud (for apple products) Carbonite, iDrive, Amazon, Google. The iPhoto and Picasa applications make it really easy to store and share your photos on the Cloud. These services give you from 2 to 4 gigabytes for free and then you pay a nominal fee for more storage.
Most DVDs hold 4.7 gigabytes of data, or around 1,000 photos. It could be more or less depending on the image quality. Once you burn a DVD, however, you can’t modify the files.
A flash drive is better if you want to edit the files later. Some flash drives hold as much as 128 GB – about 20,000 photos. If you need more storage than that, look into portable hard drives.
I love using the “Like” button but I’ve noticed that I start getting ads from places I liked and I’m not so sure I like that. I see now that when we like and un-like various pages and products, we are giving Facebook more and more information about us that it shares with advertisers. Also, I’ve noticed that Facebook shows other people who have liked sites.
If you want to opt out, here is the procedure. Log into Facebook and click the upside down triangle in the upper right corner. Go to Privacy settings>>Ads, Apps and Websites>>Ads. Click Edit Social Ads Settings and choose No One in the drop down menu. Your name won’t be linked to any ads, even for pages you’ve liked.
Go back to the Ads, Apps and Websites menu and select “How people bring your info to apps they use.” You’ll see a list of check boxes. Any box that is checked is something that could appear on a third-party site.
You’ll see everything from your current city, photos and the things you like. Deselect each box. That way, Facebook and advertisers won’t be able to use your information for marketing.
I haven’t done this yet, because I’m not that worried about it, and I like to watch how it plays out. But I know some of you are concerned and would want to know how to take control of the situation. I might do it later.
In Joy,
Mardi
Restoring peace and joy to your life through computer tutoring.
My daughter sent me a notice from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) that there have been instances of travelers’ laptops being infected with malicious software while using hotel Internet connections. In these instances, the traveler was attempting to setup the hotel room Internet connection and was presented with a pop-up window notifying the user to update a widely-used software product. If the user clicked to accept and install the update, malicious software was installed on the laptop. The pop-up window appeared to be offering a routine update to a legitimate software product for which updates are frequently available.
The FBI recommends that when you travel abroad take extra caution before updating software products on your hotel Internet connection. You can check the author or digital certificate of any prompted update to see if it corresponds to the software vendor, but it might be easier for you to just perform software updates on laptops immediately before traveling. If updates are necessary while you are abroad, download software updates directly from the software vendor’s Web site.
Anyone who believes they have been a target of this type of attack should immediately contact their local FBI office, and promptly report it to the IC3’s website at www.IC3.gov. The IC3’s complaint database links complaints together to refer them to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration. The complaint information is also used to identify emerging trends and patterns.
One of my clients needs a new computer and wanted to know if she should wait for Windows 8, so I did a little research and found a good article from Computerworld:
There is a new tablet, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, with a gorgeous 10.1-inch screen, Android 4.0 operating system and lightning fast processor and it is causing quite a stir in the tech world.
Many are hailing the Transformer Prime ($500 for 32GB) as the new king of the Android mountain. In some ways, the Transformer Prime is equal to, or better than, the iPad 2 ($600 for 32GB).
However, the tech world expects Apple to release the next version of the iPad on March 7. It may have a faster processor, better cameras, a higher resolution display and, possibly, built-in 4G cellular.
This may all be Greek to you…but the important part is that, when the new iPad debuts, the iPad2 will probably drop in price to compete with the lower-cost Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. So, you might want to wait on your tablet purchase for a few more weeks.
I know….the changes just keep coming….but it’s all good. Really! And I’m always here for you—and your loved ones—whenever you need help. I’m patient, fun, understandable and affordable.
I have always loved Kim Komando’s work. This video is a hoot. I think her comments are even funnier.
Enjoy!
Predicting the future is tricky business. Many past predictions seem ridiculous today. Take a moment to learn about some predictions that never came true. They’ll have you laughing.
Happy New Year!
I celebrate the joy of knowing you and working with you.
I’m always delighted to help you when you need it.
I just made photo albums of my holiday pictures and emailed them to my relatives with thank you notes. You’d be surprised how quick and easy it is to do. Yes, Really! Let me show you. You’ll love it and your family will be so-o-o-o impressed…and grateful.
Anyway, I wish you perfect health, abundant wealth, peace, joy and much love.
All the best to you in the new year…and always. Click the link below to see my New Year’s Message for You.
http://www.bluemountain.com/view.pd?i=262581850&m=4885&future=y&source=bma992&c=embm63459
The Desert Computer Tutor 