On Computers

A reader asked me how he might safely donate a computer to a local refurbishing group. “Our son-in-law takes the hard drive out and destroys it with a hammer,” he said. “Is that the best way?” Unless you have business secrets or a celebrity past, you probably don’t need to destroy or remove perfectly good equipment. Instead, try the free Windows program “Eraser,” which uses Department of Defense-level data destruction algorithms to get rid of files permanently. For Macs, there’s “Clean My MacX Shredder,” $40. Both are highly recommended by TechRadar. But for most people, a factory reset is enough. Even for an expert, it would take specialized software to restore your files after a reset, which often doesn’t work. […]

Read more

Filed under: 3D Printing, AI, apps, art, career, printer, robots, science, security, text messaging, trends, voice recognition | Comments Off on GIVING AWAY OLD COMPUTERS

Have you ever received a printed card a day before Christmas or Hanukkah, too late to respond? I have. Electronic greetings to the rescue. I’ve just been trying out Ashampoo’s new PhotoCard 3, $22 for Windows. To start, choose a design, then click an empty space to upload your photos, or snap a picture from a webcam connected to your computer. Next click “create” to share it on Facebook, by email or by printing it out. For more elaborate, multi-page cards, I like Punchbowl e-greetings for $45 a year. They allow you to add a short video recorded live as well as a gift card from many stores. Jacquie Lawson cards are also gorgeous and less expensive than Punchbowl. Their […]

Read more

Filed under: Amazon, apps, crytpocurrency, games, science | Comments Off on LAST MINUTE GREETINGS

Just before I close my eyes for the night, I ask Alexa to remind me of something the next day. In the past, this was frustrating because the next day, I’d be in another room and couldn’t hear her. But here’s a trick. Since I have two devices with Alexa inside, all I have to do is tell my Echo Dot in the bedroom to let my Echo Show answer me in the living room. To test it, I closed the door to the bedroom so the Alexa in the living room couldn’t hear me. Then I said to Dot:  “Alexa, remind me on the Echo Show.” “What’s the reminder?” she said. “helicopter,” I said. “What time?” she said. “9 […]

Read more

Filed under: AI, DVD, Internet, Internuts, robots, science, TV | Comments Off on ALEXA HAS TRICKS UP BOTH SLEEVES

There’s a new social network in town. It’s called “Stimulus.” They had me with “cash giveaways.” So far, Stimulus has given out over $100,000. In their welcome message, a middle-aged guy with a strong Italian accent says: “You’re like me. You’re tired of all the fake accounts that spoil all the fun. Stimulus is a happy social network where brands and generous people give away money to earn attention. Brands need attention to grow, people need money to live. Stimulus helps both.” I was sold. I clicked on a post saying “don’t forget your lima beans,” and was immediately entered into a $500 giveaway. Winners will be announced in three days. Next, I clicked on 10 more giveaways. Each one […]

Read more

Filed under: apps, Internuts, kids, Kindle, photos, science, social networks, Windows | Comments Off on A NEW STIMULUS

A new top-of-the line Chromebook, coming out in mid-October, reminds me how much better Chromebooks are compared to Windows or Macs, if you mostly work online or use Android apps. For $500, you can get the Acer “Vero 514” Chromebook. It’s powerful, has a great display, and should last many years. It has a 12th-generation Intel Core processor and charges to 50 percent in 30 minutes. Much of it is made from “ocean-bound” or recycled plastic. It has standard screws, so you can easily open the device to upgrade it instead of buying a new one. If you compare a Chromebook with a Windows PC that shares the same specs, you’ll find the Chromebook loads websites quicker. For example, the […]

Read more

Filed under: computers, Internuts, photos, science, security | Comments Off on CHROMEBOOKS CONTINUE TO AMAZE

Would it bug you if there were ads right there on your phone’s lock screen? Get ready. They’re coming. When your iPhone updates to version 16 in September, you’ll get ads, along with links to apps and news every time you look down, without tapping anything, according to TheVerge. Some Android phones will get ads as soon as next month, delivered by a lock screen company called Glance. You’ll see news, videos, games, photos, quizzes and commercials, all without tapping. The average person glances at their phone 65 times a day. There’s gold in them there hills. Fire Tablet Is Best For Watching Movies on a Plane “I recently flew for the first time in 20 years, and I must […]

Read more

Filed under: Amazon, Internuts, science, search, tablet | Comments Off on ADS ON YOUR PHONE’S LOCK SCREEN

I ignore Facebook friend requests from strangers unless I’m sure they’re faithful readers of this column. But some are tricky. An apparent captain of an enormous shipping line requested a connection. I thought for a minute it was a legitimate request. One of my friends, a savvy public speaker, was Facebook friends with him. I decided to investigate, in hopes of warning her if he turned out to be a fake. His Facebook photo, profile and name matched that of the captain he claimed to be, which I found on LinkedIn and on the shipping company’s website. So I accepted his request. Minutes later, I decided it was a risky experiment, so I unfriended and blocked him. That didn’t prevent […]

Read more

Filed under: books, facebook, gadgets, photos, science, social networks, TV | Comments Off on FAUX FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK

Several readers followed up on our review of the Amazon Fire tablet. Their comments led us to discover some features we didn’t know about. One reader was confused when he first tapped the “Books” tab on the home screen of his Fire. It looked like he had to join “Kindle Unlimited” to get books. But you don’t. It’s free for 30 days, then it’s $10 a month. Kindle Unlimited gives you a rotating library of ten books, audio books, magazines or some combination of all three. We noticed they have the Economist magazine, which is normally $189 a year. If we let our subscription drop, we could get it for $120 a year plus nine other magazines or books.You can […]

Read more

Filed under: Amazon, apps, photos, science | Comments Off on PLAYING WITH FIRE

From The Guardian, a British newspaper, we learn that one minute on the Internet looks like this: 156 million emails, 29 million text messages. Wait, we’re still not through. One point five million Spotify songs, four million Google searches, two million minutes of Skype calls, 350,000 tweets, 243,000 photos posted on Facebook, 87,000 hours of Netflix, 65,000 pictures put on Instagram, 25,000 posts on Tumblr, 18,000 matches on Tinder, and 400 hours of video uploaded to YouTube. If you take just the online video watched on websites, YouTube, Netflix and webcams, you have 77% of the world’s internet traffic. Whew! The Readers Bite Back We recently wrote that there’s no reason to have a terabyte drive if you don’t have […]

Read more

Filed under: Google, health, how-to, Internet, photos, science | Comments Off on ONE MINUTE ON THE INTERNET

So we went to the drugstore to pick up Bob’s post heart-attack prescriptions and the pharmacy clerk said she looked around and knocked $135 off the price. That cut the bill in half. She should go on our Christmas list. What she did was look at our prescription list and then went to her phone to check that against an app called “Good RX.” This must be pretty new stuff because we just heard of it last week. We heard of it but we’re not as sharp as the gal at the pharmacy and we didn’t install it on our phone. We thought: come on, how much could this save you? Good RX gives you coupons for lots of pharmacies, […]

Read more

Filed under: books, education, games, health, science | Comments Off on THE BIG DISCOUNT