MEMORIALIZING A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

A reader told me he can’t invite all loved ones to his neighbor’s memorial service because he can only find the guy’s Facebook friends. He wishes every senior would provide good contact information before they pass away. “We neighbors had been caring for him and making arrangements for his last days, which we knew would be soon,” he wrote. “However, he left no address book. He burned out on technology and had not used his cellphone in years.” At least Facebook was helpful. In fact, Facebook is so helpful, I’m tempted to let my late husband’s account go on forever. But this means his old friends will continue to get birthday reminders every year, and his name will still show […]

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SWIMMING TO THE BEAT

The first time I tried the OpenSwim headset from Shokz, I found myself wanting to swim longer and faster. It literally brought music to my ears. But I had a heck of a time getting it adjusted properly. First I jumped in the pool, then tried to stuff my ponytail and headset under my cap. It makes a kind of ring around the back of your head, using bone conduction technology to bring the sound to you.  But I kept adjusting not just the fit, but the volume. It seems louder underwater, though it had to compete with my splashes. The second time I tried the OpenSwim, I thought “phooey.” I just couldn’t get it adjusted right. Of course, it’s […]

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NEW PELOTON ROWER VS. OLD-FASHIONED KIND

You’ve probably heard of the Peloton exercise bike. Now there’s a Peloton rowing machine. But is it better than the inexpensive machine my mom bought when I was 15? The Peloton Row, at $3195, costs at least $3000 more than my rower. But it’s a lot fancier. It has a 24-inch high-definition display and a slew of videos with rowing instructors. Instructors can be great. At a rowing class in California, I raced six others indoors, looking up at a big screen to see who was ahead. The class was taught by Xeno Müller, an Olympic medalist. He made me work harder than I ever had before. Peloton says that with every stroke, you’re using 86 percent of your muscles. […]

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ARE 5G PHONES WORTH THE UPGRADE?

“Is 5G quicker than 4G?” a reader asked. “That would be my only incentive to upgrade.” It depends on the map. T-Mobile has the broadest coverage. Its 5G reaches 9,000 zip codes in over 3,000 cities, more than AT&T and Verizon combined, according to whistleout.com. If you’re in a dead zone, 5G wouldn’t matter. With good 5G, you can experience virtual reality, augmented reality and automated driving. You can download even a full 8K movie in seconds, at top speeds of 20 gigabits per second. With 4G, your best speed is only one tenth of one gigabyte per second. But even that’s fast. It’s enough to enjoy video chatting, movie and music streaming. Did you know that even so-called dumb […]

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A NEW STIMULUS

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 […]

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SHORTWAVE SOLVES THE GMAIL PROBLEM

I just whipped through my email in record time using “Shortwave” for Gmail. Shortwave was created by two guys from Google who figured out how to declutter everything. Ironically, Gmail is about to get even more cluttered. Take a look at the preview of the version rolling out this month. I love how Shortwave bundles similar emails together. That way, if the whole group looks like junk, I can sweep it off my plate in one fell swoop. This is stuff I normally would have looked at, wasted time on, been sorry I bothered. But when the subject line of a bundle gives me an instant idea of what’s inside, I have more will power. For example, in a subject […]

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GETTING A LYFT

The Lyft app often gets my pickup point wrong. Sometimes, I have to walk to a popular restaurant in order to be found. I had an awful time at the airport recently. When I put in the name, O’Hare International, the app should have prompted me to choose a specific pickup zone. It didn’t do that, so I typed in O’Hare’s address. What a mistake. The driver never came near to where I was standing. In the cold frosty air, I twiddled my frozen thumbs. I texted him repeatedly to say I was in “Green Zone D.” I also left a voicemail. When he called me back, I shouted “Green Zone D” over and over. The connection was faulty but […]

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THE NEW WINDOWS 11

What a bummer. My Windows 10 PC can’t handle the free upgrade to Windows 11. To find out if yours can, type “PC Health Check,” in the Windows search bar in the lower left of your screen. When the app comes up, click it. Though my PC sailed through every other requirement on the list, its Intel Core i7 processor didn’t make it. That’s odd, because there’s a whole bunch of Intel Core i3 and i5 processors that do meet Microsoft’s criteria, though they’re much slower than my i7. The higher the number, the faster the processor. But even if your PC qualifies for the free upgrade, you’ll still have to wait until 2022 —  unless you sign up for […]

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TWEAKING WINDOWS 10

I had no idea that there were so many things I should have turned off in Windows 10.  CNET gave me a list. The worst one is the ability of every app to run in the background, even when you don’t have it open. An app you don’t even care about could be installing updates and sending you notifications, among other actions, hogging your bandwidth and slowing down your computer. To turn it off, type “background apps” in the Windows search bar in the lower left of your screen. When it comes up, toggle the master switch to the off position.  Next on the list: Did you know you have a Microsoft ID, tied to your account, that is given […]

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FAUX FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK

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 […]

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