Tech Talk #145 – Dec. 19, 2020 Browsers are the tools we use to get on the internet. Whether we click on the orange Firefox icon, the swirly blue Edge icon, the compass-y looking Safari icon, or the red "O" of Opera, the thing that opens is called a browser. And a browser is the thing we use on our computer or phone or tablet, that takes us to the internet to check our mail,
Tech Talk #144 – Dec. 5, 2020 Along with wills, revocable living trusts, financial power of attorney, and the rest of the paperwork don’t forget your digital life when planning your estate. Your email accounts, social media accounts, PayPal, Venmo, or other digital payment accounts, any websites you own, as well as digital currencies are all considered digital assets and need to be part of your estate. What? Do you think you’re too young to
Tech Talk #143 – Nov 21, 2020 Turn off your notifications Whether it’s your phone, tablet, or computer, notifications can cause a constant stream of beeps, boops, and ringtones at all times of the day. By default, notifications are on for built-in apps and anything you download from the App Store or Google Play. Think about it. Do you want or need your device (phone, tablet, or computer) continually letting you know that someone somewhere
Tech Talk #142 – Nov 7, 2020 Before USB drives (also called thumb drives, USB sticks, and other less family-friendly names), most people backed up their computers and photos on CDs or DVDs. The U.S. Library of Congress and the Canadian Conservation Institute have each published a study estimating the useful life of data stored on CDs/DVDs at two to 100 years, depending on the disc's storage conditions. Ideal conditions were room temperature, 50% humidity,
Tech Talk #141 – Oct 24, 2020 In its widespread non-technical use, a cache (pronounced cash) is a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place. In the technical world, a cache is either specialized hardware or a specific software location that stores recently used data. Programs can access cached data quickly the next time the data is needed. Clearing your caches can help with troubleshooting computer issues, free
Tech Talk #140 – Oct 10, 2020 Whether it's water, soda, wine, or coffee, liquids and laptops don't mix. At least, not successfully. If you spill some liquid on your laptop, the first thing to do is turn it off by holding down the power button for at least 10 seconds and unplugging it from the wall. If you can remove the battery from your laptop, do that. Now, open the computer and put it
Tech Talk #139 – Sep 26, 2020 Remember when we were young and innocent, and the only thing we had to be on our guard about was phishing emails? You know, the emails from scammers trying to get your login credentials, social security number, credit card info, or some other personal information? Did you ever wonder why it’s called phishing or spelled that way? Way back in the 90s (that’s the 1990s, not the 1890s),
Tech Talk #138 – Sep 12, 2020 For years, it's seemed that when we went bought the latest, fastest computer or phone, as soon as we got it all set up and working, there was suddenly something newer and faster than what we just bought. It happens with smart speakers, too. When you get a new computer or phone, you need to remove all your personal information from your computer or phone before you sell,
Tech Talk #137 – August 29, 2020 Remember Internet Explorer? There were eleven versions of Internet Explorer from 1995 to 2013. Since it was the default internet browser in the most popular computer operating system, Internet Explorer was the most used browser in the world for many years. Eventually, Internet Explorer had competition, first from Mozilla's Firefox browser and then from Google's Chrome browser. Both Firefox and Chrome supported new web standards that Internet Explorer
Tech Talk #136 – August 15, 2020 Do you need (or want) a new Windows computer but don’t want to spend a bunch of money? If you mostly use your computer to check email, do some shopping, and stream videos, you don’t need a whiz-bang computer that’s capable of landing a man on the moon. Mainstream computer manufacturers like Dell, HP, ASUS, Acer, and the rest all make Windows computers for under $500. But what