Posts

Free-ish TV

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 Something that always drops my jaw when talking with patrons is how much they spend each month on their cable television. Some spend as much as a car payment on TV. You need to have an honest discussion with your budget about the cost of television. Is it worth paying $100 each month for those images on the screen? $200? $300? The highest I think I've heard somebody paying is over $300 all-in with their Internet, phone and television. Absolutely crazy to throw away that much money every month on what amounts to nothing at all. Especially for seniors on tight, fixed incomes. Getting an antenna and trying to pick up a local signal is an option for some but not for anyone around where I live. There are no broadcasts within range. Before going any further understand that how you access TV and what is available to you will be drastically different from how it all works when you're paying $100 or more a month for cable. What's more important to you, saving hundreds of dollars a...
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No, (other thing) Isn't Easier

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 How many of us have complained about our phone or computer to a friend or family member who then offered the not-so-sage advice: "you should try (other phone or computer) because it's easier to use." Spoiler alert: it's not. There are two reasons for anyone to suggest that using another phone or computer would be easier for you to use: they think it's easier simply because they've been using it for years or they're having just as hard of a time as you but figure if you have the same gadget you can help each other. Would it make sense for a piano player to suggest his student buy a different brand piano because it would be easier to play? Of course not. The only way to better play a piano is to practice playing the piano. The only way to learn your phone or computer is to use your phone or computer. Once you've adequately learned your phone or computer you'll be able to find your way around any phone or computer regardless of the operating system (...
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Master Your Phone in 4 Easy Steps

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 Your phone, every phone whether it's an iPhone or an Android phone recognizes four main gestures: 1.Touch 2.Touch and Hold 3.Swipe 4.Pinch Touching your screen opens apps, presses letters on the on-screen keyboard and initiates other actions. Touching and HOLDING will activate alternative actions like opening up a little menu or selecting an app for removal. Swiping your finger across the screen is used to flip through your pages of apps or to answer and ignore calls or to scroll up and down on pages that don't fit your screen like a website. Pinching your screen zooms in and out on most apps acting like a magnifier.  With these four motions you can accomplish anything on your phone or tablet. Try them out in different spots and in different apps to see what they do. Pay attention as you try them and say out loud what you do like when you get a call and the little phone icon shows up on the screen say out loud as you answer the call: "touch, hold and swipe" as you pe...
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Take Ctrl (or Command) with Keyboard Shortcuts

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Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+X to cut and Ctrl+V to paste. Cut, Copy and Paste. You've heard those words before. Maybe you've done them before.  Did you right-click your mouse? Did you use the Ctrl key? (Command key if on an Apple) Like most tasks with a computer there are several ways to accomplish a Cut, Copy or Paste. First, what is Cut, Copy and Paste? Well, they're just what they sound like: "Cut" removes an object, usually text, from its place. "Copy" makes a copy of an object, again usually text. "Paste" places that object you just "Cut" or "Copied" into place. You can't "Paste" without first using "Cut" or "Copy." The first step in a "Cut" or "Copy" is to select the object you wish to "Cut" or "Copy." For example, say I just read something on a website that I'd like to put into an email for a friend of mine. Maybe it's a recipe, an event coming...
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Man in the Middle Attack and How to Avoid It

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 Man in the Middle (MitM) Attack This is exactly what it sounds like. Somebody gets between you and whatever it is you're trying to access. Some common ways this can happen:
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VPNs

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By now I'm sure we've all seen commercials on TV for VPN's. NordVPN and Norton360 offered through LifeLock seem to be the most common. So what is a VPN and do you need one? VPN's disguise or obfuscate your Internet usage from nosey entities. When you connect to the Internet your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can see every page you visit. They cannot see everything you do on every page like when you're checking your bank statements or medical test results but they do know that you are on your banks or healthcare providers website. Generally any website you have to log into is invisible to outside watchers the moment you log in. If you were using a VPN your ISP would not know what websites you are on. To justify any security concerns here we would have to assume that your ISP is not to be trusted and yet assume that the VPN provider you are using is to be trusted. Neither of these should be accepted as wholly true or untrue.  The reality is only three entities care ...
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F1 - F12 What do They do?

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 Every keyboard you've touched has had these keys across the top: F1-F12, known as Function keys. What do they do? Well, they do a lot and they do a little. Usually they do nothing at all and you can go your entire life without ever knowing what any of them do and live perfectly well. If you were wondering what they do here is an answer. Not the answer but an answer. 
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