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
Free! Free! But is it? (5/18/19 Part 1)
Its been said, “if you’re not paying for it, you’re the product.” Its also been said, “the first one is free!” How Free Is it? When things are free or even cheap, is there a price you’re not seeing up front? How are they making their money? What’s the real cost? We talk about that this hour! https://www.forbes.com/sites/sujanpatel/2015/04/29/7-examples-of-freemium-products-done-right/#59c610646f15 https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/mobile-privacy-apps NOTE: Due to a tech glitch, part of the show is missing. Hey, they even happen to us, sometimes!
Lock boxes and Gambling… uhm… (5/18/19 Part 2)
So, your friend plays a game. And in that game there are these boxes that show up. And they’re just a dollar (or so) to open. You could win some cool stuff if you’re lucky! No big deal, right? Loot! Well, it turns out they’re big money. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/05/senator-hawley-announces-bill-banning-loot-boxes-pay-to-win-mechanics/ https://massivelyop.com/2018/09/17/international-regulators-co-sign-declaration-to-investigate-lockboxes-and-skin-gambling/ https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/7/18534431/fortnite-rare-default-skins-bullying-harassment
Picking out your perfect match! No, not for dating… (4/27/19 Part 2)
Its love at first sight. Smart, beautiful,and right there looking back at you. Do you make the move? Which Fits? – Part 2 Okay, okay, so maybe buying a new computing device isn’t quite a romantic comedy. But like signing up for a dating site, there’s some questions you should ask yourself about your perfect match! And we get into that. Windows? Mac? Chromebook? Tablet or Smartphone?
Updates! Keep’em Running! (3/9/19 Part 2)
When you’ve got a car, be it brand new, used, or a hand-me-down, one of the first things you learn about is the humble oil change. Later, its new tires. Brakes. There’s a bit of upkeep to keeping your car running! Computers 101 – Updating! Your computer and devices are the same. The operating system plus programs and even hardware get updates from time to time. Some are fixing problems, some improve performance, others add features. But, how do you do it?
Email 101! We talk email! (1/12/19 Part 2)
Email! We pretty much all have and use it, but have you ever wanted to know what could be done to make it better? Or what the deal with it is? Or have that one relative who simply won’t change their internet provider because of their email? Computers 101: E-mail! This is the show for you!
Viewer Mail Show! (12/22/18 Part 1)
Its our listener mail show, and we’re giving away an awesome TP-Link AC3150 Router. Its the traffic cop you want for home or work, managing your wireless network and getting the best bang for the buck out of your internet service! Viewer Mail, Winter 2018 – Part 1 We take you letters mailed to MauiOnline@q-a.net over the past few months and read them on-air, answering your questions as we do so. News, stories, and advice, all here!
Computers 101: Home Computing Peripherals (12/15/18 Part 1)
Desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets all great! You can go online, do work, play games, and generally do whatever you want. But, their capabilities can all be expanded by using PERIPHERALS! Really, Mostly Printers… A peripheral can be anything from a printer, external storage, streaming-to-TV, or even something fun like a game controller! Jonathan, LD, and Sam talk about these and more!
Are you ready for BLACK FRIDAY? (11/17/18 Part 1)
Are you ready for the holiday shopping season? No? Well too bad! It is upon us! Black Friday 2018 But, the trick with sales is sometimes they’re tricky. Is it really a deal? Is it what it says it is? Oh goodness, what a pain! The holidays are a great time for research as well! https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm https://www.tomshardware.com/ https://www.newegg.com/ https://blackfriday.com/ https://www.bbb.org/