iPhone/iPad Tip

Here's a tip on how to easily check the temp and air quality index (AQI) on your iPhone or iPad. I just tried it on my iPhone, and it's pretty slick, I must say. I didn't know this prior to reading the article. I opened Apple Maps and there in the lower right corner was the temp and AQI -- 109 and 41, respectively..

Jim Hamm

What To Do When Software Stops Working

The article in the following link is worth reading. As the author says, do not get carried away with the details of his specific problem. What is being shared is a process.
https://askleo.com/what-i-do-when-software-stops-working/

But what I see missing are the fundamental questions one should be asking themselves and others when a problem, any problem, arises.

  1. What can you see that causes you to think there's a problem?

  2. Where is it happening?

  3. How is it happening?

  4. When is it happening?

  5. With whom is it happening? (HINT: Don't jump to "Who is causing the problem?" When we're stressed, blaming is often one of our first reactions. To be an effective manager, you need to address issues more than people.)

  6. Why is it happening? (Now that’s an interesting question. If you knew, you might be able to solve the problem, right?)

  7. Write down a five-sentence description of the problem in terms of "The following should be happening, but isn't ..." or "The following is happening and should be: ..." As much as possible, be specific in your description, including what is happening, where, how, with whom and why. (It may be helpful at this point to use a variety of research methods.

To understand more about “Problem Solving and Decision Making,” see:

https://managementhelp.org/personalproductivity/problem-solving.htm

In addition, when asking others for help, the following information should be included:

  1. What I did (Include name of app: Finder, Safari, Mail, Notes, etc.)

  2. What happened

  3. What I expected to happen

  4. Error messages or a screenshot

  5. Current OS version

  6. Current app version

  7. Computer make/model

  8. Installed memory size

  9. Available storage space and type of storage (HD or SSD)


That information is especially important when asking Apple Support for help. And they will also want to know the serial number of your computer.


In some cases, it might require a detailed step-by-step notation of the actions involved, such as when attempting a complex set of actions that then results in the error condition. If you can successfully repeat the steps and always get the same result, then someone else should also be able to reproduce the problem.

John R. Carter, Sr.

ACR (Automatic Content Recognition)

Regarding “smart TVs,” they come from the factory with ACR (automatic content recognition) which collects viewing information for more targeted ads.

Here’s how to opt out:
https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features/

Here’s another similar article.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-keep-your-smart-tv-from-spying-on-you/

The best way to prevent this is to disable the smart TV features entirely - or don’t get a smart TV. Why pay extra to be part of some marketing scheme? And watch out for those streaming devices like Roku, Firestick, and Chromecast, because they do the same thing.


John R Carter Sr



An Un-hackable Computer?

Here is quite an article discussing a computer processor that thwarts hackers by randomly changing its microarchitecture every few milliseconds. Read about the testing it went through against potential hackers, and successfully. The one downside, it appears, is this process slows the processing down about 10%, which seems to be a small price to pay. Let’s see what develops out of this.

Jim Hamm

https://newatlas.com/computers/morpheus-processor-secure-darpa-hackers/

Google Photos

If you use Google Photos to store your photos, their free, unlimited storage ends at the end of May. This article discusses some alternatives you might consider. If you're already an Amazon Prime subscriber, it looks like this is a great alternative, but other options are available.

Jim Hamm

MeVe vs FaceBook


MeWe is a secure alternative to Facebook. No ads - no spyware - your life isn’t 4-sale.

So they say.

One review compares FaceBook with the older MySpace - for the older generation only. And further suggests that MeWe is the younger generation replacement for FaceBook, with the hopes that the older generation won’t take it over, while ignoring the fact that the younger generation always becomes the next older generation.

Another review simply declares MeWe as the clear winner over FaceBook for being secure and having no ads and not stomping on your posts. Something like what Parler is touted to be as a replacement for Twitter.

So if you want to be part of the “don’t tread on me” group, then MeWe might be what you are looking for. And be prepared for flame wars.


John Carter Sr.

Security Researcher recommends Against LastPass

A security researcher is recommending against LastPass password manager after detailing seven trackers found in the Android app, The Register reports. Although there is no suggestion that the trackers, which were analyzed by researcher Mike Kuketz, are transferring a user’s actual passwords or usernames, Kuketz says their presence is bad practice for a security-critical app handling such sensitive information.


https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/26/22302709/lastpass-android-app-trackers-security-research-privacy

Responding to the report, a spokesperson from LastPass says the company gathers limited data “about how LastPass is used” to help it “improve and optimize the product.” Importantly, LastPass tells The Register that “no sensitive personally identifiable user data or vault activity could be passed through these trackers.” They added that users can opt out of the analytics. On the LastPass web interface the option is located in the LastPass Privacy settings, accessible via “Account Settings > Show Advanced Settings > Privacy,” the spokesperson said.

LastPass was acquired by LogMeIn in October 2015. LogMeIn was sold in August 2020 to Francisco Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital Corp., which is a private equity affiliate of Elliot Management Corp, one of the largest activist funds in the world.

John Carter Sr.

What To Do If You Have Been Scammed

If you have been scammed, you need to report the incident to the local police. Hopefully you kept details on the incident, otherwise it makes no sense to report it to anyone.

Here is a list of government offices to contact:

AARP Fraud Watch Network: 877-908-3360 www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork

Internal Revenue Service: 800-829-1040 www.irs.gov

Medicare: 800-633-4227 www.medicare.gov/fraud

Social Securit Administration: 800-772-1213 www.ssa.gov

Federal Trade Commission: 202-326-2222 www.ftc.gov www.identifytheft.gov


In addition, your financial institution that was involved needs to be notified.

If your computer has been compromised, notify all of your financial institutions to have your accounts frozen and new credit cards issued.

If someone claimed to be representing a company, then that company needs to be notified as well.

When including any email content, it is best if you set the mail content to expose the raw content of the header information as this shows the path that the email went through to get to you. It might not reveal the sender’s actual location, but enough information like this could help the authorities to narrow down the location.

On the Mac with Apple Mail, to reveal the full header information, click on View in the Menu Bar of Mail, then click Message, then click “All Headers.” Clicking on “Raw Source” reveals every detail of even the content of the message, and that might not be necessary.

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Copying the full header information revealed like this to include in a report can be tricky, but it is better than forwarding an email or copying just the content of an email for a report. In fact, forwarding an email actually loses all traceable information about the sender of the email being forwarded.

Using the “Raw Source” option creates a text file containing every piece of information about the sender and the content. That information might only be useful to the FBI. So just in case, save all email that you get on possible scams that you want to report on for a couple of months - just to have it on hand if some authority wants more detailed information.

Some clues as to how people are being scammed:

  1. You get an email or phone call asking for money.

  2. You get an email or phone call claiming to be a friend or relative who needs some information or is in a desperate situation and needs money.

  3. You get an email or phone call claiming that you computer has been compromised. No one can possibly know this.

  4. You get an email or phone call claiming that you are being sued. If you are being sued, you will get a snail mail letter from a lawyer that you can turn over to your lawyer to handle. Never handle claims like this on your own.

  5. You get an email or phone call that asks you to provide some personal information to confirm that you are the recipient of some award or legacy. Never give out any personal information to someone or some company out of the blue like this. If it is a company that you have done business with, contact them by phone to confirm that the claim is real.

  6. You get an email or phone call claiming that you have won a prize, but you must pay something to get it.

  7. The IRS, Medicare, and Social Security will never ask you for any information out of the blue and will never call you for anything.

Use two factor authentication on all of your accounts to prevent scammers from accessing your accounts.

When sending and receiving email to and from a group list of people, if one of the persons in the list has a compromised computer that is collecting information, then that leads to everyone in that group list getting scam phone calls and email. Be sure that your computer is protected with the best anti-virus and malware protection available. Sophos Home, Avast, and Malwarebytes are options, but my recommendation is just for Sophos Home (the free or paid version). If you have the paid version of Sophos Home, you are also protected against being locked out of your computer (ransomware).

The two most favored methods of scammers are 1) preying on your sympathies, and 2) preying on your fears. Getting messages that evoke these feelings in you are clues that you are being scammed.

Security is your personal responsibility. Never trust a phone call or an email or a letter. If you suspect that there might be something real about the call or email, do what you can to confirm who is contacting you. Never send money or give out personal information without you verifying the authenticity of the caller. And NEVER let anyone whom you don’t know have remote access to your computer, especially anyone claiming that you have a problem that they can fix. If you don’t know that your computer has a problem, how can anyone else know?

If you suspect that you are being scammed, call the local police department and let them do the research for you.

John R Carter Sr