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BJ Levitt
Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who might appreciate it.
As a client of MicroWorks you have an easy and direct way to get answers to all your technology questions.
Just email me at bj@microworksfl.com
and I'll respond as soon as possible. MicroWorks doesn't charge clients for email support.
I look forward to your questions and comments.
BJ Levitt
MicroWorks Consulting |
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So many Apps.
So little time. | |
If the GPS function on your smartphone can track your every move, you may as well take advantage of it. Here are some iPhone Apps that let you do just that.
(Click on App name for a quick link.)
RunKeeper
If you run, bike, or just walk the dog, this terrific App gives you all the information you need to keep track of how far you go, how long it takes, how many calories you're burning, and even a map of your route. Easy to use, great graphics, audio feedback and it maintains a history of your activity. Try it and you'll be hooked!
Take Me To My Car
You know the feeling. You've parked your car at a mall, or a stadium, or an airport and when you go to find it, you draw a blank. A Senior Moment? Maybe. But this App sure beats tying a ribbon on your antenna. You just tap the icon when you park, and it directs you back to that spot unerringly. Especially useful with rental cars when you're not even sure what the car looks like!
Golf Link
This is a website that recommends the best golf GPS Apps. If you've been on a course with me, you know that Tiger won't be calling me to caddy anytime soon.But these Apps are amazing. They know your course, pinpoint where you are, locate hazards, give you exact distance to green, keep score for the foursome, calculate side bets ... pretty much everything but strike the ball. That's what I'm waiting for.
Note: All GPS Apps require you to give permission to track your location. That remains active until you turn it off, even after leaving the App. (Go to Settings and tap Location Services). This is important because GPS tracking is a battery drainer!
Philly Pro Baseball 2011
Got a birthday gift of Philly Pro Baseball 2011 for my iPad. As a true Phanatic, I love it. And I love the idea of gifting Apps. It's easy to do. Go to the App Store, and you'll find the option to recommend or gift any App you search. Just be sure the recipient has an iPhone or iPad. They'll get an email from Apple telling them what to do. It's a good idea to follow up to make sure their spam filter didn't delete the email.
Please feel free to share this newsletter.
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If you have questions or comments, email, call or text me at:
bj@microworksfl.com
561-880-5566 |
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SHHH ... Can we have a private little conversation here?
Uh . . . NO! Privacy is just not an option on the internet. That includes your emails, your social network sites, your comments on other sites, any photos you post anywhere, your Google, Bing or Yahoo searches, your online purchases, even the voicemails you leave and receive. In fact, every time you turn on your computer, tablet, or smartphone or use your credit or debit card -- you can be located and traced. It's the price we pay for being connected. Big Brother IS watching, listening, cataloging, and targeting your every move and keystroke.
Unless you are a terrorist or someone of concern to law enforcement (or maybe Rupert Murdoch!) this should not necessarily keep you awake at night. The vast majority of information being gathered is processed as statistical information for marketing purposes. You're just a drop in the ocean of data being mined so that advertisers can reach their ideal demographic. As my favorite tech guru, Leo LaPorte, says: If something is free on the internet, YOU are the product.
The old media sold space or time based on the cost per thousand to reach 18-34 year old males or high-income families or Happy Meal eating children. The new media, including Google, Facebook, Pandora, Living Social, etc. are doing the same thing -- only better. The more they know about you, the more valuable you are as a potential consumer. The same dynamic that gave us free radio and television, and newspapers and magazines delivered well below the cost of printing -- now provides a world of electronic marvels direct to your computer, phone or tablet. But, as always, there really are no free lunches. |
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Can you protect yourself from hackers, eavesdroppers and evil-doers? | | |
Yes. And no.
The judicious use of passwords can make it more difficult for amateur busybodies to access your personal information. It can also make you a difficult target for the phishers and scam artists looking for easy prey. But make no mistake, a professional determined to unlock your secrets will most likely succeed.
The password catch 22: If it's easy to remember, it's easy to hack.
Password management software solves this problem. It can save time and keep your online interactions and personal information more secure. It stores your usernames and automatically logs you in with sophisticated, difficult-to-guess passwords. Encryption methods secure your information in a database. All you need to remember is one master password. That password, by the way, should be relatively long and include letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.
Two top-rated programs are Sticky Password and RoboForm Pro. Both cost about $30. Click here for more information. |
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If something is potentially embarrassing,
don't post it. | |
This is especially true of anything you post on a social network like Facebook.
Item: According to the New York Times, many companies have added social media background checks to the screening of job applicants. Everything a prospective employee has said or done online for up to seven years is added to a dossier including: racist remarks; references to drugs and alcohol; sexually explicit photos; text messages and videos; and displays of weapons or violent activity. A search firm reported that about a third of the data surfaced from major social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, but a lot of negative information comes from deep Web searches that find comments on blogs and posts on e-commerce sites, bulletin boards, and even Craigslist. Inappropriate photos and videos tagged on YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and other sharing sites often cause the most trouble. 75% of recruiters are required by their companies to do online research of candidates. And 70% of recruiters in the United States report that they have rejected candidates because of online information.
Please be careful what you share online. And please advise your children and grandchildren that nothing is private and what seems funny today may be troublesome years from now. |
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Life without cable? Imagine that! |
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My Dad had cable tv before he had me -- and I'm 48 years old! When he and Mom were undergraduates at Penn State in the early 60's, Happy Valley had an unhappy problem. The valley couldn't get decent television reception. A man named Milton Shapp, who later became governor of Pennsylvania, figured out that he could build an antenna on one of the surrounding mountains, run cable from it into State College, and offer New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Johnstown, and Altoona broadcasts for a monthly hook-up fee. His company, Jerrold Electronics, became one of the first cable systems in the country and my parents-to-be were among the first subscribers. Ralph Roberts was a young salesman for Jerrold, and he later started a company called Comcast!
When I was a teenager in Philadelphia, Dad's advertising agency worked for Comcast. We lived in Chestnut Hill, and our neighborhood had not yet been cabled. I remember the day he came home from a client meeting and told me that Comcast was going to run a cable just to our house so he could better advise their marketing department. Within a week, we had cable, while our neighbors waited another year to get hooked up. I was duly impressed!
It's against this background, that I found myself a bit surprised, when he asked me recently about alternatives to the $150+ monthly Comcast fee he was now paying. I mentioned that I use Direct TV, but he said it wasn't the mode of delivery, but rather the paucity of programming that bothered him (yep, he sometimes talks like that). It seems that, ever since I set him up with Netflix streaming on his Apple TV and iPad, he's been watching the cable channels less and less. Was it really worth it to be paying for a service that too often left him with hundreds of mediocre, uninteresting or simply bad choices? After 50 years, it seemed the thrill of so many channels to choose from, was gone.
If you're also starting to wonder whether subscription tv is worth it to you, my suggestion is to invest about $100 in an Apple TV or a Roku. Both are small devices that work with virtually any television, are very easy to plug in, and allow
you to stream high-definition programming using the WiFi connection you currently have. The Apple portal handles Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, and syncs seamlessly with iTunes movies and music. Roku won't let you view the iTunes library, but it will give you access to Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon Streaming Video and music channels like Pandora.
My father decided, to stay with Comcast for the time being, mostly for cable news channels and sports. But he did cancel HBO and Showtime, saving some money and taking a step in the direction of ultimately cutting the cord. Is he the canary in the mine? Will cable television someday be thought of nostalgically, as we now think of rabbit ears, turntables, drive-in movies and phone booths?
Stay tuned. 
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