PUSH Articles - May 2019

Security Tips - February by David Shulman (Approx. 411 words). Facebook and Android users, Amazon Alexa, biometric security measure and more are included in this article.

Security Tips - March by David Shulman (Approx. 472 words). Smart home security and more in this article.

Smart Homes by Dan Douglas (Approx. 826 words). The most common starting point for setting up a smart home is to select a hub or main control point/device. Dan wrote this article after experiencing a lightning strike near his home.

Smart Phone Purchase by Andrew Cummings (Approx. 416 words). Recently, Andrew spent some time looking at new phones. There are many new features being introduced to phones, Andrew's article has a few points you should look for when buying a new phone.

Square Off Chessboard by George Harding (Approx. 227 words). For those of you that play chess, this is a product you will want to get.

To Discern the Truth by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1579 words). I have received my share of phishing emails and think I can spot them in most cases. I know enough to be suspicious and never click on links or open files sent to me, unless I am expecting them or have verified their authenticity. This month, however, I was part of a fake email scheme that I had not seen before. I was not the target; the fake emails were sent to others I have corresponded with. Fortunately, these were savvy tech users and it does not appear anyone was taken in by the scam.

Traveling with Electronics by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1123 words). When preparing for a trip, think carefully about what you really need. Every piece of gear you add is more weight to carry, another thing to protect, and another distraction from visiting or sightseeing.

Traveling With Your Devices (Computers) by Jim Cerny (Approx. 718 words). You are probably used to using your computer devices at home, but what about traveling?

Wi-Fi Security - Protect your communications; don't leave your Wi-Fi Open by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 836 words). Wi-Fi is all around us. In homes, libraries, airports, shopping centers, recreational places, houses of worship, just about everywhere. Wi-Fi is the first step in the complex way we get to the Internet.

Windows 10 May Update, Coming Soon to Your PC by Tom Burt (Approx. 754 words). The technical pundits are in full rhapsody over the upcoming release of the "first-half"� 2019 release of Windows 10 (1902). Tom has included several links to 1903 articles.

Windows 10 Screen Capture Tools by Nancy DeMarte (Approx. 629 words). The ability to capture an image of a whole computer screen or window has been around since the 1960's. From the Snipping Tool to Screen shot and Snip ad Sketch, Nancy has how-to's for all of them.

Add a Display! by Dorothy Fitch (Approx. 378 words). If you spend a lot of time at your computer like Dorothy does, you might want to consider having two separate monitors. She loves her two displays and her article makes interesting reading on how to set up two monitors and what happened when one of her monitors failed.

A Great Photoshop Alternative by Sheila Swaikowski (Approx. 574 words). A nice review of Gimp, a great free image manipulation program much like Photoshop. She includes a link to a YouTube video she found very helpful.

Audacity and digital audio noise reduction by John Krout (Approx. 2813 words). This article describes the use of a feature of Audacity, the popular digital audio editor application, called noise reduction.

Build a Wall? by Greg Skalka (Approx. 1563 words). Walls can keep things out. Walls can keep things in. Walls that do these well usually aren�t so good at also letting some things pass from one side to the other. Our modern tech communication systems have given us the ability to easily exchange information instantly and at low cost with anyone on the planet. Unfortunately, we must erect barriers to protect ourselves from offensive information and interactions, while still allowing us to send and receive information.

Brain Dead in San Diego by Art Gresham (Approx. 702 words). A cautionary tale about backing up.

CES 2019 by George Harding (Approx. 649 words). A short review on CES 2019.

Clean Your Computer! by David Kretchmar (Approx. 1131 words). Windows 10 does a fine job of maintaining your system, but over time users will tend to accumulate bits of data and programs that serve no purpose other than cluttering up your hard drive. David has several ideas on how to get improved performance.

Consider the Risks of Helping Friends with PC Problems by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1291 words). If you are known as a computer enthusiast, your less-experienced friends probably come to you for help when they run into problems. However, you should consider the risks before you agree.

Cord Cutting or How I Love to Pay Less to Get More of What I Think I Need by Jan Lann (Approx. 464 words). I may have just stumbled on, for me, the Holey (sic) Grail of news: For years, I have been attempting to get entire news shows from the Internet, but only gleaned news clips, necessitating watching a few minute snippets and then having to click on another snippet and another� With a little experimentation, he's found the answer.

Encrypting a Drive by Dan Douglas (Approx. 632 words). Last month I described a BIOS password problem that I had to solve. This month we'll look at other password locks such as those used for protecting hard drive data.

Firewalls by Dick Maybach (Approx. 1171 words). A firewall is a program that monitors traffic on a network and rejects any data that violate its security rules. Dick's article covers two types of networks..

Great Entertainment from Planet Coaster by Jim Cerny (Approx. 354 words). Games and entertainment are big uses for a computer. Recently, John found a game called "Planet Coaster" where he has enjoyed watching videos of roller coasters, parks, rides, and more all created by others who have been enjoying the tremendous creativity possible with this game. He doesn't own it yet but is planning on it.

HDMI Device Connections by Jim Cerny (Approx. 528 words). HDMI means High-Definition Multimedia Interface and it is the current popular way to connect devices with a cable. Over the more recent years of increasing technology improvement (and increasing confusion for most of us), the HDMI cables have been improving as well.

In Defense of Apple Maps, by Frank Petrie (Approx. 941 words). The big troika of smartphone navigation apps are Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps. Frank believes that recently Apple has brought its maps app up to parity and then some.

Interesting Internet Finds for February by Steve Costello (Approx. 414 words)

Interesting Internet Finds for April by Steve Costello (Approx. 428 words)

Interesting Internet Finds for March by Steve Costello (Approx. 529 words)

Luci by MPOWERD by George Harding (Approx. 383 words). Luci is a light powered by the sun. It has a solar cell on top that accumulates charge sufficient to power the light. There is enough light to brighten a small room or allow you to read a book.

Mistakes we Make When Buying a Computer by David Kretchmar (Approx. 1363 words). For many of us, computers have become an integral part of our daily lives. Computers have become almost as important as a car to some of us. David's first computer system, 20 years ago, cost $3000). For the less tech-savvy, buying a computer can be difficult. There is a lot of tech jargon flying around, and all of it is competing to get your money.

My Meshed-Up Wi-Fi by Greg Skalka (Approx. 2047 words). Our modern electronic devices are all about connectedness. It seems everything we have now is connected, and that connection is integral to the capabilities that are provided for us. Greg takes us through setting up his mesh network and why he's loving it.

Partially Locked Laptop by Dan Douglas (Approx. 620 words).This month, Dan looks at an interesting situation of a partially locked PC that he picked up at a recent auction. One of the features that all PCs share is the ability to set a supervisor, master or boot PC Password.

Personalize your Desktop - with Pictures and/or Slideshows by Phil Sorrentino (Approx. 1333 words). All desktops are not created equal. Just look at the differences the next time you go to a class where you bring and use your own laptop.

Phishing Expeditions by Dorothy Fitch (Approx. 534 words). A "phishing"� email is one that attempts to obtain your personal account information to use for unauthorized purposes. She has recently received two phishing emails.

Samsung Galaxy smart phones and the Inductor by John Krout (Approx. 1529 words). Samsung has made some very innovative uses of a type of electronic device called an inductor, which is a coil of wire. Samsung decided as of the Samsung Galaxy 6 phone to include a large flat inductor coil across much of the back of the phone. It's used as a transmitter and receiver of high-power magnetic fields.

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