Apple Watch! Info! Pictures!

        "Here is an in-depth article, with many pictures, of Apple's new watch."  Jim Hamm goes on to comment,  "I suspect it will be a hit with the younger crowd, and it will be interesting to see how well it sells. At the Apple stores, where the watches will be displayed, I suppose people will be able to pick them up and look and handle them. I'm sure they will be well-secured somehow."

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First Look: Apple Watch May Be All It's Clocked Up To Be

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        "Although an Apple watch isn't my future (I prefer the older, mechanical, auto-wind watches), perhaps someone in PMUG will buy one and give a presentation on it," says Jim Hamm.  
        Check out this article from USA TODAY:
        First look: Apple Watch may be all it is clocked up to be
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2015/03/09/first-look-baig-apple-watch-ticks-closer/24665289/
        "I've heard that one of our active and geeky members (hint: John C) has money he hasn't spent yet, so maybe...(grin)….."  Jim

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Search Privacy

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        Here's some input from Jim Hays,   "In a recent posting David Passell mentioned using "duck duck go" to ensure search privacy. Another option is Startpage (https://startpage.com/) which claims to be 'the only third-party certified search engine in the world that does not record your IP address or track your searches.' 
        "StartPage is compatible with a broad range of browsers including Firefox, Safari and Chrome. StartPage can also be used to visit third-party websites with total privacy by using the StartPage Proxy."

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Adware is Coming

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        "Here is a link to the story about adware on the Mac," David Passell writes.   "I have noticed the 'Ask...' banner for search. I use Mozilla and i can select search engine. I use 'duck duck go.' 
        "I haven't used Safari for some time. I wonder if it defaults to the search engine and browser described in the article."  Take a look and see how it affects you. 
http://www.zdnet.com/article/oracle-extends-its-adware-bundling-to-include-java-for-macs/ tag=nl.e539&s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61
        As always, keep aware and keep alert. 

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Are You at Risk From This?

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        A very serious warning comes from John Carter.  "GIGAOAM, CNN Money, BBC News, and others have released a notice that there is a bug called 'Freak' that was found in software used to encrypt data passing between web servers and web users. 
        "Browsers so far noted to be affected are Safari, Google Chrome, and Windows Internet Explorer. Initially, the flaw was thought only to affect some users of Android and Blackberry phones and Apple’s web browser. For sure, every version of Internet Explorer is at risk.

        "What is at risk is personal and financial data open to attackers. This bug only allows attackers to capture data, but that includes passwords which then opens up the possibility of the attacker stealing all your money and your identity.
        "The horror part of the story is that this bug is the result of the government insisting on 'weak' encryption so that it could break in wherever it wanted."
        Of course you will want to read the full story yourself.  See  here, here and here.
        John closes with these final remarks, "It might be wise to limit Internet browsing using only Firefox until things settle down.  The news broke as early as March 4, 2015."
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Hurry! Save $ on Computer Courses

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        This is just in from Jim Hays, "Udemy (http://tinyurl.com/mxwz7jk) offers its top 300 courses for $10 each via coupon code 'FEB1010.'  Alternately, take 75% off site-wide via coupon code '775LEARN.' 
        "The offer expires March 10, 2015. 
        "Udemy offers courses in web development, iOS development, photography, Excel, programming (Java, Javascript, VBA, Python, Ruby, Swift, etc.) as well as many other topics."

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Improving Photo Lighting

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        Today John Carter writes, "I needed to get a really good photo of my office this morning, but the lighting was fairly poor with one side in near shadows and bright windows on the other side, and the room was bathed in white LED lights. I looked to see what was possible with Photoshop CS6, and sure enough, right here is a published review and tutorial on how to get the best results using three bracketed photos.  I am really happy with the result." 

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Why Your Smartphone Records Everything You Say to It

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        A friend sent this to us, and it deserves our attention.  The article starts out, "After controversy earlier this month over televisions recording owners and sending the clips to third parties, smartphone owners are now discovering that companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft are also recording voice commands and storing them for up to two years."  This article from the UK dated 2-25-15 also declares, ". . . and you agreed to it via the terms and conditions."
See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11434754/Why-your-smartphone-records-everything-you-say-to-it.html   and notice the comments that are posted.  

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How to Configure Safari

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          Here's something that might be helpful.  John Carter sends us this: 

How do you configure Safari to have a specific search engine as the default?
        Start by clearing any text the Address Bar. Then click on the spotlight.
A menu pops up. Then click on the search engine you want to be default:  
To specify the default search engine in Firefox, click on the spotlight in the Search Bar:  


Then click on Change Search Engine Settings. A whole new window opens with many options to choose from.
        Toolbar is the name of the top portion of any application. It usually contains icons of functions. Here is the Toolbar of Safari:
Here is the Toolbar of Firefox:
Based on that alone, Safari leaves a tiny bit more space for a website than Firefox does.
        Notice that the Tab Bar in Safari is below the Favorites Bar. With Firefox, it is above the Address Bar. The position of the Tab Bar is configurable. When looking at a single page, the Tab Bar can be hidden.
        With Firefox, you add many more rows of stuff in the Toolbar (additional search engines and toolbars) and that takes away even more space from a web page. So don’t add additional search engines or toolbars. And if you have them, remove them. You only need the default.
        Bookmarks are only found in a browser (or in iBooks, but that’s a totally different kind).
There are two types of bookmarks. In the Toolbar, you’ll find your Favorites just under the Address Bar. That’s a list of bookmarks for quick reference (without having to open the full list). The other type of bookmarks is the full list. For Safari, you click on the  symbol in the Toolbar, then click on the
symbol in the sidebar:
It's different for Firefox. Click on the 
symbol in the Toolbar to access the Bookmarks.
        There are some websites that you will have to use Firefox to make it display properly, so if something doesn’t work with Safari, try Firefox.
        For more tips on how to use Safari, I recommend the NoteBoom tutorials here.   # 
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Avoid IRS Phishing Scams

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  'Tis the season to be concerned about taxes, filing papers, paying.  An email purporting to be from the Urban Institute had links to open to change your password on tax forms.  Before you click to give anyone any such information see what the IRS has to say: IRS Completes the "Dirty Dozen" Tax Scams for 2015  and see http://www.irs.gov/uac/Report-Phishing  

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Take Control Book Sale

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         Quoting from their info forwarded to us by John Carter,  "Faced with rising snowdrifts and falling temperatures here at Take Control HQ, we’ve decided to liven up the season with a sale — it beats shoveling the driveway again! No matter what your weather, now’s the time to add any number of our books to your Take Control library for 50% off, through February 25th. All our titles are DRM-free and available in PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket (Kindle) formats, so you can access the real-world Mac and iOS advice you need wherever, whenever, and on whatever device you like." Order now at http://tid.bl.it/50-percent-off-feb-2015-sale-mug

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See the Earth for FREE

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Here's that special word, "FREE."  Thanks to Jim Hays for the following info:  "Google now offers downloads of its Google Earth Pro for Windows and Mac for free at: http://www.google.com/earth/explore/products/desktop.html.        "Google Earth Pro is described as a '3D interactive globe that can be used to aid planning, analysis and decision making.' It's also an effective way to traverse the globe without leaving your house." 

John Carter noted that on of 3-25-2016, the Mac download of Google Earth Pro did not validate when attempting to install the package. This does not mean it won't work for you, so keep trying. In addition, the app is totally free to everyone now. So says the website.