"Want to play around with a new browser? You might give Vivaldi a try," says Jim Hamm. "I've been using it for awhile, and it seems OK. But nothing special, at least so far. Just something to try and play around with.
"Why Vivaldi? See here to find out." http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/hands-on-with-vivaldi-the-new-web-browser-for-power-users/?utm_source=howtogeek&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
What''s the Life of a Thumb Drive?
The earlier post from Jim Hamm's email piqued our interest. What's the life of a thumb drive? we asked. Two shakes later his reply flew through the air: "A long time. See here: http://www.getusb.info/what-is-the-life-cycle-of-a-usb-flash-drive./ "
We Need Better Batteries
Jim Hamm asks an interesting question: "Although Apple's new MacBook is really thin and small, the big hangup now is the battery -- how to get it smaller?
"Look at the inside of the new MacBook and see how small the computing stuff is (especially after getting rid of a spinning hard drive and optical drive), and all the room left for a battery. Although the running hours before recharging have improved by about 50% for a computer battery, the improvement isn't as impressive as for all the electronic stuff."
And Jim declares, "Way down the road, Graphene may be the answer for a significant improvement in batteries." Take a look at the link he sends: http://thenextweb.com/opinion/2015/03/11/apples-new-macbook-reiterates-how-desperately-we-need-battery-innovation/
SSDs Last Far Longer Than Rated
"If you were worried about the life of the SSD in your computer, worry no more. Just
like the famous bunny rabbit, they take a lickin' and keep on tickin' -- or something like that...(grin)…" Jim Hamm informs us.
SSD, you’ll remember, is solid-state drive, not an actual disk, nor a drive motor to spin a disk. You could read the whole description and history of SSDs at Wikipedia.
"Freak" Bug Update
John Carter passes along some VERY important info. "Both Microsoft and Apple have announced that they have released a patch for the FREAK bug. See full article here.
"In this article, it explains a lot more about the 'Freak' bug and what you can do to find out if your browser is safe to use and even if a website you want to visit is safe to use. The article is written for Mac users, but the method for determining if your browser is safe is essentially the same."
John continues, "For all users, check this site to determine if the website you want to visit is secure. The sad news is that your favorite website may fail. It could be only because the site does not have an updated security certificate, or it may be vulnerable to an attack by some issue other than FREAK, so you’re just going to have to take your chances if you insist on going there. For example, my personal website is vulnerable because the hosting service is vulnerable.
"I have tested the latest Safari browser and have determined that it is safe to use - and this was confirmed after the latest Apple security updates have been installed. I have also just updated Windows 8.1 and tested MSIE and found it to be safe.
"The Win 10 Beta with the latest updates is secure for MSIE, Firefox, and Chrome.
"However, Windows 7, even with the latest update, still has the vulnerable MSIE, and this also applies to both the latest Firefox and Chrome browsers on Win 7. Please continue to monitor your Windows 7 update for updates.
"It is still recommended that Firefox be the browser to use (instead of MSIE or Safari)."
John concludes with this, "In addition, Apple has just release iOS 8.2 for the iPhone and iPad, and this release fixes the FREAK bug for those devices. See full article here."
Do You NEED an Apple Watch?
Here's something from Jim Hamm to think about: "Although the upcoming Apple smart watch may not be in your future, you may enjoy reading this article discussing how Apple wants to convince people to wear a watch again, after the iPhone helped convince people they didn't really need to wear a watch at all if they have a smartphone. The article was written by a watch aficionado, who writes a blog about watches, and he makes some good points
on how Apple will convince people they need to wear a watch again.
Jim closes with, "As I said previously, it will be interesting to see how well Apple's new watch is received in the marketplace."
Is iOS 8.2 Killing Your Battery Life?
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About That New Connection
"If you're into the Mac world of computers, USB-C may be coming your way. What, you very well ask, in the world is a USB-C? A good question, and the following article attempts to explain what it is, and why Apple is doing this.
"It can be a big confusing, to be sure, and change is frequently painful. But change is inevitable, so take a read on the article," says Jim Hamm. http://www.macworld.com/article/2894423/thunderbolted-usb-c-is-our-new-connection-overlord-get-used-to-it.html
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."
First Look: Apple Watch May Be All It's Clocked Up To Be
"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
Search Privacy
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."
Adware is Coming
"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.
Are You at Risk From This?
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."
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."
With Our Heartfelt Regards
We've just found out that David Passell's wife, Betty, has passed away. David has served PMUG in a variety of positions and is currently treasurer. Give him an encouraging smile or pat on the back when you see him.
Hurry! Save $ on Computer Courses
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."
Problem Solved: Trash!
How to empty the Trash? Delete or Secure Delete? What if “you don’t have permission”? How to delete “locked” files? Frustration?
Take a deep breath and read this https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201583 then happily fix that problem. The report was last modified 2-12-15.
Improving Photo Lighting
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."
Why Your Smartphone Records Everything You Say to It
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.
How to Configure Safari
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. #
Avoid IRS Phishing Scams
'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