"The hackers are getting very creative — particularly when it comes to ATM machines. Take a read on this article," warns Jim Hamm.
WPA2 Security Cracked
" Here is an article describing a vulnerability found in WPA2 wireless security. After reading the article I suspect most homeowners needn't be unduly concerned. This vulnerability might be a bit more of a concern for commercial WiFi users, though." Thanks to Jim Hamm for this notification.
Gmail Messages Will Now Be Encrypted
"If you use Gmail, the following is some good news for you," Jim Hamm declares. The article from Gizmodo says, "Good news, security lovers. Google just announced that Gmail will be encrypted all the time." Read the article here.
Changes With Dropbox
Changes with Dropbox came to David Passell's attention. He says, "I think this mainly applies to people who pay a yearly fee for Dropbox. It might be of interest to some of the more legally minded among us." See http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=183. Read details here: https://blog.dropbox.com/2014/02/updating-our-terms-of-service/
News About Comcast and TWC
"Here's an interesting article about the possible purchase of Time Warner Cable (TWC) by Comcast. I don't use either service, but the author thinks, if the deal goes through, the consolidation will have a significant impact (not necessarily favorable for consumers) not only on TV, but the internet as well," remarks Jim Hamm.
About Your Router
A news article about routers, "Five Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Your Router," prompted a response from John Carter. Instead of just a few comments, John gets into his instructional mode, and it's something helpful to read. Mary Ann Clark, webmaster of the PMUG site, www.pmug.us has posted it. Go to Benefits, and under that, Tips 'n' Tricks.
Google Docs Phishing Scam
Another big time warning from Jim Hamm: "Here is yet another variation of a phishing scam using Google Docs. As always, exercise caution when clicking a link in an email. The hackers are getting ever more sophisticated in their nefarious endeavors."
Learning More, Doing More
Our speaker for the PMUG March meeting yesterday was Ryan Ridge who moved to Prescott from Alaska last year. Ryan demonstrated iMovie, and answered questions. Here’s Ryan’s website. http://www.designpt.com/2013/02/prescott-here-we-come/ And here’s his company blog where you’ll read posts from his business partners: http://www.designpt.com/blog/
Clip Art, Photos, Recent Discoveries
What a clever picture. It grabbed my attention and I just had to read what the article said. Ever said that?
Google to the rescue. Well, first I emailed John Carter to ask where he’d found the photo he posted to the pmug.us website.
Watch for More Info About XP Troubles
An article here anticipating trouble with Microsoft XP with ATMs, health records, and credit card risks came to Jim Hamm's attention. His comment, ". . . there's been quite a few articles about XP in the past months. The vulnerability on ATMs is particularly troubling."
Google Drive Cuts Your Costs
"Like to store your 'stuff' in the Cloud? Google Drive has just cut their Cloud storage costs. Here's the article," Jim Hamm says.
Smart Phone Used in Medical Treatment
An 8-minute video illustrates what Jim Hamm says, "Here is an interesting story on how a smart phone can be used in medical treatment. One of the features covered is where, say, a diabetic needs to monitor his or her blood glucose frequently. So easy to do with a smart phone and sensor.
"Smart phones have already had a significant impact on our lives, with more to come, it seems." Look here.
Apple Users to Get Free In-flight Entertainment on United
This quick little notice from Jim Hamm, "Will you be flying United Airlines in the future? Well, if so, and you carry an iPhone or iPad with you, you can watch free movies or TV shows. Here's the article with more details."
Antivirus Program Described
"Some might question whether an AV program is needed on a Mac. Rather than ponder this philosophical question, I just go ahead and use Avast. I see no downside to doing this, and a possibility of an upside."
Amazon Prime Going to Cost More
Here's an advance notice from Jim Hamm, "If you're an Amazon Prime member, renew now — the price is going up $20 on April 17 according to the Verge." Look here.
Practical Privacy
"Here is an interesting article on browser privacy mode," remarks David Passell. "A use that really stood out for me was the way to circumvent the NY times 10 article/month limit. I will have to try that since I used to get a lot of news from NY Times site before they began charging. Now I use the freely available BBC news site." Look here.
If you're using Safari and have clicked Block Cookies Always, and are continually aggravated at the number of Cookies noted, you might see if Private Browsing works for you.
Ideas and Shortcuts
Jim Hamm presented some helpful tips to the AMUG Senior SIG today, and shares these links with us.
Video Walkthrough of iOS 7.1 Changes
"Here’s an article that summarizes the improvements in the newly released iOS 7.1," Prez Art Gorski announces. "There’s also a link to Apple’s page on this update and a video showing the new features. Even better, iOS 7.1 is much faster on iPhone 4 and older iPads." Take a look at the 9 minute video here.
iOS 7.1: Shift Key Explained
"The subject upgrade has changed the appearance of the keyboard on the iPhone or iPad. It can be a bit confusing to quickly determine if you're in lower or upper case, or all caps. Here is an explanation that will help," Jim Hamm notifies us.