Got an iPhone or an iPad? This is for you! iOS 14! Jonathan and Sam will be discussing the new stuff coming plus the upcoming changes to Macs while LD chimes in with his opinions. Ready? https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/06/apple-takes-the-wraps-off-ios-14-at-wwdc-2020/ https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ios-14/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/06/apple-reimagines-the-iphone-experience-with-ios-14/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/06/ipados-14-introduces-new-features-designed-specifically-for-ipad/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/06/apple-announces-mac-transition-to-apple-silicon/
Are you Authentic(ated)? (6/13/20 Part 2)
2FA ought be a part of your digital life. Authenticate This! Yes, it is annoying. But, its not as annoying as someone accessing your account after stealing, hacking, or figuring out your login! Many sites and services offer 2FA via text message, but unfortunately that is the weakest form of it. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/do-you-use-sms-for-two-factor-authentication-heres-why-you-shouldnt/ https://www.protectimus.com/blog/sms-authentication/ So, tell me about some of them… Much like sports teams, the overall landscape does change from year to year, so what’s “best” this year might not be next year. This is a good thing, though. https://gizmodo.com/the-best-authenticator-apps-for-protecting-your-account-1840711013 https://www.pcworld.com/article/3225913/what-is-two-factor-authentication-and-which-2fa-apps-are-best.html
Recycling and eCycling! Its time to clean up responsibly! (5/9/20 Part 1)
Are you cleaning up the house or office and finding lots of old stuff! Well, ecycling is open! Jonathan called! Saturdays and Tuesdays! E-Cycling’s Back! Can you spare some time to go looking for old computers, electronics, etc? Can it still be used? Can you clean it up and give it to someone? Can you clean it up and SELL it to someone? Are there parts that are still good? Can those be cleaned up and given/sold to someone? This has a LOT of “what about” and“if” questions , plus is a lot of work. Time to Recycle! https://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling https://www.energizer.com/responsibility/battery-recycling/where-to-recycle-batteries https://interstatebatteries.com/recycling https://www.mauicounty.gov/BusinessDirectoryII.aspx?lngBusinessCategoryID=136
Batteries 101! (5/9/20 Part 2)
A tech reporter from Ananadtech did research finding that one smartphone company’s fast-recharge tech ages your battery prematurely. Wowzers! How do you keep your laptop, phone, and tablet batteries going for a long time? The Battery Episode Taking care of your laptop batteries! https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-care-for-your-laptops-battery/ Laptop batteries have a lifespan of X-many power cycles (0%-100%). Going from 100% to 0% is one power cycle. Going from 100% to 50% is half a power cycle. Cycles are like mileage. As the battery gets older and has more cycles, it starts holding less charge per cycle. Using your laptop’s more power efficient settings will help you get more mileage out of each charge. Windows Battery Saver – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/component-guidelines/battery-saver Windows Power Slider – https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/windows-10-give-power-slider-optimize-speed-battery Mac Energy Saver – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202824 Shutting down programs or suspending services (like cloud services), wifi, etc., when not in use will help extend battery life. Reducing screen brightness will help as well. Nickel-Metal hydride (NiMH) versus Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) Old NiMH batteries used to develop “memories,” where they would not fully charge. This was a problem with the tech at the time. Li-Ion doesn’t have this problem. You do NOT have to completely discharge the battery before recharging a Li-Ion. Best practice is currently getting down to maybe 20% or so before recharging. You CAN keep Li-Ion batteries plugged in as power management is better now, and the device should stop charging once it hits 100%. Keeping it comfortable. Batteries do not like to get hot! If you’re doing resource heavy work, be sure to give your …
Zoom! It’s wildly popular with growing pains! (4/4/20 Part 1)
Zoom.us provides an increasingly popular web-conferencing service that people are using in this time of working from home and social distancing. But, like any good thing, this overnight growth spurt has some growing pains! This previously professional service is now being used for social connection by seemingly everyone, meaning the jerks have come along too. Zoom! Security – Part 1 Join Jonathan, LD, and Sam as we talk about some of the problems Zoom is having!
EARN IT? More like BURN IT! (3/14/20 Part 2)
The EFF has brought to our attention some BAAAAD legislation that’s being drafted. Even worse, its actually bi-partisan, coming from Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). They go into a LOT of depth, and we’ll be going over this. S.3398 – EARN IT Act of 2020 If you’re afraid of government over-reach, unintended consequences, the safety and security of your online life, and freedom of speech? This is a show for you! This’s podcast is brought to you by Audible – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/MauiOnline . Over 180,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.
Be secure on your phone! (2/22/20 Part 1)
Got a smart phone? Did you know its pretty much a computer? You probably take security seriously on your computer, so you should take it seriously there too! Mobile Security! So, tips and links to help you out! Use a PIN, Pattern, or Fingerprint reader. PINS and Patterns (android) are nice because you can change them, let other people know them if you need them to get into your phone, and you can change them. Fingerprints and biometrics are convenient, but aren’t foolproof. Also, whether or not they’re protected by the 4th and 5th Amendments is unclear right now. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/01/feds-forcing-mass-fingerprint-unlocks-is-an-abuse-of-power-judge-rules/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/01/court-rules-against-man-who-was-forced-to-fingerprint-unlock-his-phone/ Encrypt your phone. Its an easy way to protect your data, photos, contacts, and more. It doesn’t incur much performance hit these days. If you want to sell your phone, just resetting it doesn’t make your data unrecoverable. Encrypt THEN reset. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-reasons-encrypt-smartphone-data/ https://gizmodo.com/why-you-should-be-encrypting-your-devices-and-how-to-ea-1798698901 Don’t jailbreak/root your phone. This is often done to add customizations or run pirated apps. You can break the security of an iPhone doing this, leaving you with little or no protection. Pirated apps from outside the official stores run significant risk of having malware. If you use wifi a lot or travel a lot, get a VPN service. https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-a-vpn-and-why-you-need-one
Looking a little more at Web Email! (2/15/20 Part 1)
So, webmail. Webmail – A comparison Its easy to get, easy to use, but is there more to consider about it? Do you have to move a lot? Are you getting ready to change ISP? Do you have special features you need? Yeah, there’s lots to think of! https://itsfoss.com/secure-private-email-services/ https://thatoneprivacysite.net/email-comparison/ http://blogs.mdaemon.com/index.php/2017/02/09/email-safety-tips-for-end-users/
Can you hear me? Can you hear me now? (8/17/19 Part 1)
Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and Hey Google are all great voice assistants. This is a good thing, and a very useful feature of modern computers, smartphone, and more! However, your voice doesn’t stop with you. It goes from your device to the internet and onto a cloud server somewhere “out there,” only to return back with instructions the device understands and executes. Listening Up! Oh, and sometimes people listen. Computers can’t figure us humans out entirely. How to stop Alexa, Siri, and Google: https://slate.com/technology/2019/08/how-to-stop-alexa-google-siri-recording-human-review.html (thanks Alert Internet Surfer Perry!) How to stop Cortana: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-configure-windows-10-to-protect-your-privacy-1716204024
But do you own it? DRM and you 101 (7/13/19 Part 1)
When you buy something digitally, do you actually own it? Are you sure about that? Do You Own It? Wouldn’t it be a shame if it went up in a puff of smoke? Many digital things you buy can get Digital Rights Management (DRM), be it eBooks, music, software/apps, movies and more. While its understandable for renting or borrowing, what about something you’re buying? We talk about this and offer our thoughts on the matter! https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/ultraviolet-is-shutting-down/ https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3k3wkk/microsoft-ebooks-will-stop-working-because-its-shutting-down-a-drm-server https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/12/cant-stream-that-christmas-movie-you-bought-on-amazon-blame-disney/ https://io9.gizmodo.com/amazon-secretly-removes-1984-from-the-kindle-5317703