Kibbles & Bytes #1008: Universal Clipboard Tips, Triple-Press the Home Button, Inductance Loops

If you've upgraded to macOS Sierra on your Mac, and iOS 10 on your iPhone or iPad, you've now got a feature titled "Universal Clipboard". The article in the following link explains what all has to transpire to be able to use this feature. Although it is a bit convoluted (it seems to me), perhaps you may find it useful. What I've done in the past, if I want to get, say, a link from one device to another, is simply email it to myself. Then I can either open or save what I've emailed. But, in the spirit of exploration, on my home wifi network I may just give this "Universal Clipboard" feature a try and see what I think about it.

Jim Hamm

http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/kb1008/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=kibbles-20161104

StartPage.com

You probably know if you use Google's search engine when you browse the net, Google maintains a record of where you've been. Although this doesn't particularly bother me, some people prefer more privacy. If you'd prefer more privacy when you browse, I just became aware of something you might try: StartPage by ixquick. Take a look here. And here is a video that explains more about how it works. Your searches go through StartPages' server, which strips out your IP address and any information about you, before it sends your request on to Google. It acts as an intermediary between you and Google.

Now, using StartPage will slow your search down a bit, but if you have a high-speed internet connection, it may not make much difference. It also looks like one can set up https (a secure, encrypted connection) for your searches. This may be helpful, say, when you're on public wifi and aren't using a VPN. I'm just in the process of trying it out, just to see what I think about it, and how it works.

If you like to experiment a bit, and do try StartPage.com, let me know what you think about it.

Jim Hamm

Popular Mechanics Articles

Elaine Hardt refers to the November issue of Popular Mechanics, (with cover that shows space drones).  An article on page 92 asks the question, What did I just agree to?  Each person needs to find out how it might apply to them. Also in this issue are short pieces: How to protect yourself from hackers, How much cloud do you need in your life, Is it safe? Why I hate the cloud, Why I love the cloud, What the heck is the cloud? Where does it all go? You already use the cloud, here’s how. Elaine Hardt

Apple's Siri

If you've upgraded to macOS Sierra, then you know you now can have Siri do your bidding on your Mac. You can activate Siri by clicking the icon in the menu bar or the icon in the Dock, or by holding the Command key and space bar together. But you can't activate Siri by voice unless you do a bit of work first. Here is an article that explains how to set up Siri voice activation on a Mac. Is it really worth the effort when it's easy to activate Siri by just tapping on an icon? Well, that's for you to decide after reading the article. If you've upgraded to iOS 10, then Siri is ready to do your bidding on your iPhone and iPad as well. Again, a little voice activation setup is required. Just go to Settings, scroll down to Siri and turn her on. The iPhone or iPad will tell you what to do next. Starting with the iPhone 6s and above you can voice activate Siri without being plugged into power. With the iPhone 6, though, which I have, it has to be plugged into power before Siri will respond to a voice. This is no big deal as Siri quickly responds just by holding the Home Button a bit.

Although I haven't used Siri extensively, she can be quite handy. Here is an article with 67 handy Siri tips you might try. For example, if you're flying somewhere and want to know the status of your flight, just ask Siri. I like that. Look at tip #16. All these tips should keep you busy for awhile with Siri.

Jim Hamm

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When traveling, my iPad is essential and my Mac is the add-on | Macworld

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Here is an article by Jason Snell (former editor of MacWorld magazine) wherein he explains how the iPad has almost -- but not quite -- replaced his Mac when he travels. I can identify with this article. I have both a Mac laptop and iPad, and find I tend to take my iPad with me when I travel. For several reasons: it's lighter; it has cellular capability (which I find very useful); and with a Zagg Bluetooth keyboard it makes typing so much easier (for me, anyway). Having said all this, though, overall I still prefer the greater capabilities of using my MacBook Pro at home.

Jim Hamm

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iOS 10 reviewed: There’s no reason not to update | Ars Technica

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If you've updated to iOS 10, or plan to, the following article is quite comprehensive about all the changes incorporated therein. Although complete, it is lengthy and you might feel as though you've started a course of learning that will take a semester to read and comprehend. Jim Hamm

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/09/ios-10-reviewed-theres-no-reason-not-to-update/7/

Upgrading to macOS Sierra

It won't be long before Mac users are faced with the decision on whether to upgrade to macOS Sierra. If you decide to do so, here is an article you will want to read to learn more about how to prepare for the update. Probably nothing will go wrong with the update, if you do it, but it's a great idea to have a bootable clone of your existing OS to fall back on if something should go wrong. The article mentions one such app, and I use Super Duper, although I've never had to try and use it to see if, in fact, it actually works.

Jim Hamm

Gmail Tips

If you use Gmail as your email client, here are many tips to help you get the most from this program. Often you may get a notice from a friend that they are going out of town for a few days and to please hold emails. What a pain to remember (for me, anyway). If they used Gmail they would never have to send out that notice again. Gmail can hold all your emails, and keeps them for a long time. Among other advantages, Gmail isn't tied to one OS or to one device or to one mail program. It can run on any browser, in any OS, and on practically any device. You don't even need to be connected to the internet to read your emails (see tip #65).

These tips are a little over a year old, so there may have been some changes in the interim. Anyway, you might read them just to see what's available in Gmail. A bit overwhelming, eh?.

Jim Hamm