On Computers

Does it bug you to see errors in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia? It bugs me. But for the site’s 20th anniversary, they’ve just launched a new mentorship program to help you make corrections. According to a group of German researchers quoted by ZME Science, Wikipedia is 99.5 percent accurate. It’s that other .5 percent that’s so annoying. I’ve tried editing various articles by clicking their pencil icon. But my fixes did not last. Wikipedia articles rely on references from newspapers, magazines and other popular media. Your next door neighbor could be the world’s greatest hero, but if there’s never been an article about him, you can’t add him to Wikipedia. For corrections you make to existing articles, you need references. […]

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Filed under: apps, email, gadgets, Internuts, security, trends | Comments Off on HOW TO FIX WIKIPEDIA ERRORS

California just approved a new kind of license plate. It uses e-ink to display messages, like: “This car has been stolen.”  It could be the beginning of a trend. With the “RPlate,” by Reviver, you control your license plate’s messages from an app on your phone. Compared to a personalized license plate, the RPlate can display much more info, such as your business’s website and phone number. The new plate uses a monochrome e-ink screen protected by a cover six times stronger than glass. Its battery lasts five years, and it works with Bluetooth, allowing the plate to join the “Internet of Things.” The cost is $20 a month or around $215 for four years. A wired version for fleets […]

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Filed under: Amazon, Android, apps, cameras, Internuts, printer, trends | Comments Off on E-INK LICENSE PLATES FOR CARS

I like to highlight passages in my ebooks. But if I get Amazon’s “Kindle Scribe,” I can also add my handwriting to the margins or even all over the page. The new tablet’s 10.2-inch screen, like the Kindle Paperwhite, mimics natural writing on paper. It doesn’t have the bright colors of other tablets, but is great for reading and writing. A basic digital pen is included, and there’s a premium pen for an extra $30. The premium pen has a digital eraser at the top and a customizable shortcut button. Neither one uses batteries. Besides adding handwritten notes to the book you’re reading, with the Scribe you can handwrite your memoir, sign documents, make shopping lists or create art. Your […]

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Filed under: Amazon, environment, Internuts, Kindle, trends, YouTube | Comments Off on KINDLE SCRIBE LETS YOU SCRIBBLE ON EBOOKS

I have friends who buy new iPads when theirs run out of storage space. But here’s an easy way to free up space: Offload apps you’re not using. It’s nearly automatic. Tap “Settings,” then “General,” then “Storage.” You’ll see a list of apps. Choose one and tap “offload.” You won’t lose any data associated with it. Besides, you can always tap it again to bring it back. I just saved more than half a gigabyte by offloading iMovie, which I’d only used once. Another way to go is to send photos to your computer. In Windows, when I plugged my iPhone SE into a USB port on my computer, Windows popped up with a message asking me what I wanted […]

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Filed under: cameras, gadgets, Google, Internuts, iPad, iPhone, spam, trends | Comments Off on STORAGE TRICK FOR IPHONES AND IPADS

I was stranded. No cell phone signal, no WiFi. I blame you Tracfone.  When I got finally got back home, I checked my Tracfone app. It showed a $125 payment in December for a year’s worth of service, but my credit card statement did not. The Tracfone’s website said my number now started with “143.” That’s a scammer’s prefix, according to a telephony expert at Quora.com. I wanted out. I went back and forth with Tracfone via the chat bot on their website. They told me to use the phone or an advanced chat. When I phoned, a robot answered, saying: “Your number is being ported.” When I tried the advanced chat, it wouldn’t accept my real number. Nuts! Tracfone […]

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Filed under: cheap calls, crytpocurrency, environment, Internuts, phones, trends | Comments Off on TRACFONE FAILS TO DELIVER

“Do you know of any free, easy-to-use blog-type websites?” my niece asked, before heading for Costa Rica. “Google Slides,” I said. That may sound like a funny choice. Google Slides is typically used for PowerPoint-type presentations. But there’s no reason it can’t also be used for travel blogs. The recommended blog-creation tools, even the “kid-friendly” ones, are far more complicated than they need to be. My niece agreed. “I know Google Slides,” she said, “but I didn’t think to use it as a travel blog. That’s a good idea.” On a computer, go to slides.google.com and click on the blank presentation at the top, or on the “photo album” template. If you choose the photo album, you’ll get a traditional […]

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Filed under: blogs, gadgets, PowerPoint, presentation, trends | Comments Off on GOOGLE SLIDES CREATES THE PERFECT TRAVEL BLOG

Are spam calls getting worse? No, but they’re still a nuisance. There were around 54 billion robocalls last year. Fifty-two billion are expected this year. The reduction may be due to recent changes by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC started requiring carriers to verify all incoming and outgoing calls.  Even so, spam calls can be hard to recognize. I once got a call from a guy pretending to represent a local theater group. I should have hung up and called the theater instead of donating. Later I learned I’d been scammed. So the next time someone wants a donation and I’m inclined to give, I’ll hang up and call the organization myself. Here are a couple more tips I […]

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Filed under: gadgets, spam, trends | Comments Off on AVOIDING SPAM CALLS

A reader wrote: “Two days ago my wife was nearly in tears after falling for a scam email that looked exactly like it was from the SAS Shoe site.” She was out $45 bucks. Others are being scammed by phony vaccine surveys. One reader said he was nearly taken in by a fake Pfizer survey, but hovered over the return email, which revealed sketchy-looking characters. If you do a Google search on “PSA post vaccine survey scam,” the US government at ICE.gov will show you exactly what the scammer’s email looks like. Don’t worry if you’ve already opened one. Just don’t click anywhere or open any attachments. There’s still time to panic. Google Pay and Mint Track Your Spending  Sometimes, […]

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Filed under: business, cheap calls, search, trends, virus, web | Comments Off on AVOIDING SCAMS

I never dreamt it would be possible to read the time and room temperature on my ceiling. Then a friend gave me a gadget for doing just that. The Ambient Weather “RC 84-27 Clearview Radio-Controlled Projection Clock,” $15 on Amazon, has a miniature radio receiver that gets the world’s most accurate time from the official U.S. atomic clock in Fort Collins, Colorado. It even turns daylight savings time off or on. The best part is the mini projector inside. That’s what beams both the time and the room temperature up high. Works great in the dark. When I’m wondering if it’s time to get up, or if it’s warm enough to get out from under the covers, I can glance […]

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Filed under: Amazon, business, gadgets, health, trends, troubleshooting | Comments Off on PROJECTING TIME AND WEATHER ON THE CEILING

My friend Nancy just bought her first smartphone. But when I tried to help her transfer her number to Consumer Cellular, AT&T gave us the complete runaround. The trouble started because an AT&T guy had pasted a yellow sticker on her router with the wrong network name and password. It got worse from there. When Nancy told AT&T she wanted to transfer her service, they asked for her account number. But after she logged onto their website, she got a different one than the one they wanted. That was just the beginning. Over the next 90 minutes, AT&T asked for a four-digit passcode, a four-digit PIN and a six-digit number. We had difficulty finding all of those. AT&T also asked […]

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Filed under: gadgets, music, trends, virus | Comments Off on AT&T RUNAROUND