Tech Talk #194–December 31, 2022 Have you ever received an email that looked like it came from you, but you didn’t send it? Self-spam is happening a lot now, and it’s usually tied to a blackmail or shaming scheme. Forging or faking an email address is called spoofing. And it’s easy. Most email systems don’t have security checks to ensure the person in the email’s “From” line is who they say they are—with billions of
Tech Talk #193–December 17, 2022 Guest-friendly Wi-Fi You’re all set: you’ve updated your Wi-Fi router’s firmware, changed your router’s default password, and added all your computers, printers, phones, and tablets to your new, secure Wi-Fi. Here’s how to make it easy for your friends and family to connect to and use your home Wi-Fi network: Wi-Fi If you haven’t already, make your Wi-Fi network name easy to pick out from your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks and
Tech Talk #192–December 3, 2022 We all use devices (smartphones, tablets, or computers) that contain information we don’t want strangers or thieves to access. Therefore, we lock them with a username/password combination to protect our privacy. However, since we will unlock our device 5, 10, 15, 20 times a day, we use fingerprints, faces, passcodes, PINs, or lock screen patterns to unlock our device instead of our username/password. But what if you’ve got bandages on
Tech Talk #191–November 12, 2022 Are you tired of getting spam and scam calls on your cell phone? You know, those calls about elections, solar panels, IRS problems, dubious charity donations, energy retrofits, health insurance, and all the rest. Current cell phone technology offers ways to block these calls. But, of course, the spammers know this and have adapted. Almost all scammers and robocallers use “number spoofing” to make it hard to block them. Just
Tech Talk #190–October 29, 2022 Browser password checkup Every time we hear about a data breach, we know that a new bunch of usernames and passwords were just stolen and are about to be used against us. Somehow, and by somebody. But how do you tell if they stole YOUR email address and or password? You can always check by going to https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and entering your info, but wouldn't it be handy to have something
Tech Talk #189–October 1, 2022 The first versions of Windows didn’t support playing music or watching videos. Of course, we’re talking Windows 1.0x and 2.0x here. Those early versions of Windows were Microsoft’s early attempts at implementing a computer graphical interface, first shown off at a COMDEX show in 1982 and even earlier at Xerox PARC. The early versions of Windows were not commercial successes, and it wasn’t until the 1990 release of Windows 3.0
Tech Talk #188–September 17, 2022 We know that computers, phones, and tablets store files and folders on your device, but what ARE files and folders? Is it like in the movie Zoolander where Owen Wilson's character learns that the files he needs are IN the computer, so he drops it off a balcony and sorts through the debris, looking for the files he needs? Well, no. In an office, a paper file stores related documents
Tech Talk #187–September 3, 2022 In most cases, when suddenly your password won't work with a website or email address, there is a "Forgot password" link, and this is where it can get scary. The site may want to send you a code to your phone or your recovery email address, or you'll get asked for answers to your security questions. What if the site has an old phone number for you? Or is your
Tech Talk #186–August 20, 2022 Okay, I get it. I had hoped the whole selfie thing would be over by now. But it's turned out to be an excellent way to get yourself into your pictures. Now that your smartphone has a zillion megapixels, night modes, light and depth sensors, and even solar panels, for all we know, you can take some excellent selfies. Here's how. Background Since you're taking a picture of yourself, or
Tech Talk #185–August 6, 2022 Multiple web browsers Modern computers have built-in web browsers, Microsoft Edge for PCs and Safari for Macs. And it’s just fine to use the Edge or Safari browser to spend time on the internet. But here are some reasons for you to have another browser on your computer, too. The people that develop websites have a pretty tough job these days. A website needs to work on any browser, any