Google Meet is another option for videoconferencing, and is now free for *all* to use. https://meet.google.com/ All you need to use it is a Google account. To start a meeting, visit the site and click the big meeting button, and click Continue. Underneath “Meeting ready” is a URL for your meeting — share that with … Read more
OK, I really have to let out a gripe, and it’s about the Doonesbury comics. Every weekend, I pick up my dead tree edition of the newspaper and work my way through it to get to the crossword and comics. And week after week, the Doonesbury strip keeps tweaking me. I can’t stand it. Mr. … Read more
This scam from 2 years ago is making a comeback right now, keep your eyes out for: An email states that someone has tracked your activity on an adult website. For the right price, they will not release video obtained from your computer’s webcam. Supposedly, if you give them money/Bitcoin/giftcards, they will not embarrass you … Read more
Whichever browser you choose, make sure it is syncing your bookmarks. This is useful for two reasons. The first is that if you are syncing to multiple devices, your browser will show you the same bookmarks, from computer to phone to tablet. Add or delete a bookmark, and that change hops to all of your … Read more
The time is ripe for scammers. Right now, everyone is stressed out over COVID-19, loss of work, healthcare, daycare, finances and receiving government aid. And criminals know that stressed people are more vulnerable to their tactics. Hence, the rise in coronavirus-related scams right now. There has been a surge of emails, texts, robocalls, live calls … Read more
Are you a fan of flight simulators? You should know that there is one hidden in Google Earth. Just download *Google Earth Pro on Desktop* and install it to your computer. This is 100% free, by the way! You’ll be able to open the Google Earth program. The Google Flight Simulator is hiding on the … Read more
Bitdefender Trafficlight is a free extension for your browser, that will help you when you use a search engine. Scammers exploit search engine results. When you search the internet for something, the bad guys are trying to predict what you’re looking for. If they can game the system well enough, they rise to the top … Read more
Internet ads are not only annoying, but dangerous. Blocking ads to protect your computer just makes sense. Nowadays, I consider an ad-blocker as your second layer of protection, after your antivirus. AdblockPlus is a good, free option for this. There are many ad-blocking extensions out there, but things work best if you install only one … Read more
I’ve always preferred Google Chrome, but nowadays, there’s a lot of secure browsers to choose from. Most browsers are now Chromium-based, meaning they’re running the same engine and code as Google Chrome. So broadly, you’re going to be just fine using Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, Brave or Opera. Mozilla Firefox is one browser that stands apart … Read more
Open-Shell is a free program that replaces the Windows Start Menu. It covers up some of the Microsoft ads and new-fangled layouts with a more classic menu. It looks very much like Windows 7’s Start Menu, if you can remember that. The garish boxes (for apps and games that you never asked for) are hidden … Read more