I hear from many people who are grumpy about all the personal information that Google and Microsoft are collecting. And I won’t deny that those companies are making money off of your web searches and use of their software. But I want to challenge you to think in a different direction. Did you know that … Read more
Most searches on the internet are carried out through Google Search. But not everyone wants to use Google, Bing or the other big search engines. These companies usually track you through your searches, and use that information to better advertise to you. If you’re looking for a search engine that respects your privacy more or … Read more
I’ve written before about a Lowes scam on Facebook, and the latest Dollar General scam is taken from the same playbook. If you see this post, claiming to offer free $30 vouchers from DG, know that it is a scam. Please don’t trust it or share it. If possible, report it to Facebook. How do to … Read more
If your ISP requires you to have a modem, then you may have an important choice to make. ISP Equipment: Rent Vs. Own — it’s worth thinking about! Some people rent or buy their equipment (modem, WiFi router or combo device) from the ISP. Others go out to a store to buy something they like. … Read more
Many of my clientele are in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the home territory of an ISP named Shentel. And like many ISPs, Shentel provides free, courtesy email addresses to its subscribers. It’s like a mint on your pillow, except this mint needs some extra warnings on its wrapper and may give you some indigestion… … Read more
You can call it misinformation, false news, alternative facts or misleading journalism. The internet is home to countless lies & fraudulent stories, promoted by real people and bot accounts, alike. It’s awful out there, folks. And it’s not just the news. Forwarded emails of photos and videos dupe people into believing inaccurate science. Ads and … Read more
In past decades, Internet Service Providers would sell DSL service with the requirement that you also purchase phone service. One service was linked to the other, and you were required to buy both if you wanted either. Nowadays, ISPs have mostly discontinued this practice. You may now buy “Naked DSL” from your ISP and abstain … Read more
At least, not with some copy-and-paste wodge of text. So if you see this kind of post, don’t bother with it: It is not harmful to post this sort of thing. And you may truly see more posts from long-lost FB Friends afterwards. But that’s because Facebook shows you more of the people you interact … Read more
Amazon is rolling out a new feature in their Alexa-enabled devices on June 8. It’s named Amazon Sidewalk, and it’s getting a lot of attention. More and more people are writing to me to ask about it, and the concern in their questions is quite apparent. Why? Well, in short, because Amazon is adding Sidewalk … Read more
Too Much Info Recently I commented on YouTube that we should be very careful about what we share on social media. Specifically, I mentioned that we should avoid posting personal or sensitive facts about ourselves. Consider this ubiquitous example: I see this post repeated all over Facebook, sometimes with over 500,000 comments. My jaw drops … Read more