Data Doctors Tech Tips

In on a never ending quest for technology that enhances our lives and one of my favorites is a website called If This Then That or IFTTT for short. This amazing resource can help you put the Internet to work by creating something referred to as 'recipes' that will leverage various parts of your online accounts in a powerful way. For instance, you can leverage the recipe that automatically creates reminders on your phone when you star a message on Gmail or text your significant other when you are leaving your workplace. IFTTT can integrate with over 160 online services with an amazing library of recipes that were created by others members of the community. IFTTT also has apps for your mobile devices that allow you to use or create their recipes on the road. Anyone that's never heard about http://IFTTT.com should add it to their to-do list of useful sites to help them be more productive!

If you're like most people, you're watching a lot more video on the Internet these days. YouTube has over 6 billion hours of video being watched every month and is far and away to leader in the space. These days both businesses and individuals have found that having their own YouTube channel is a good thing to do. Businesses use video content to attract new customers every day and families can can use their channel both publicly and privately to share videos of those special moments captured in daily life. Unless you're tech savvy, getting started is often a bit intimidating, but in reality, it's pretty easy to get started. Google has put compiled a great resource that they're calling the YouTube Creator Academy to educate novices and viral video stars alike. You can be taught everything from getting started to '10 fundamentals' for creating a strategy for your business just by spending a few minutes a day when you can. The direct link is: https"//www.youtube.com/creatoracademy

Many people have a built in alarm clock that can wake them up every morning with no trouble while many others struggle waking up no matter what they do. Anyone struggling should consider an alternative to the old-school snooze button to get you up in the morning. Several apps for your smartphone are available that allow you to turn off the alarm only after you have solved a puzzle or answered a mathematics question. The concept is to wake your cognitive skills to get involved in the process instead of simple motor skills that allow you to tap the snooze button. These puzzle alarm apps include the standard options of any alarm app which allows you to wake up to music or set multiple alarms or turn on the option of having to solve a puzzle in order to get the alarm to stop. iPhone users can try a free app called 'Morning Worm' which make that claim that 'you'll wake up the first time, every time'. Android users can try an app called Puzzle Alarm Clock, also free in the Google Play Store. If you're struggling to start your day on time, the links are: iPhone: http://www.morningworm.com Android: http://wroclawstudio.com/alarm

If you regularly travel for business or pleasure, you know about the hundreds of websites and apps that are attempting to guide you to your decisions. Virtually all of them are price driven sites with reviews from the general public, so they often may no reflect your preferred way to travel. One of my favorite goofy travel reviews was from a lady that complained about all the stairs to climb in a seaside European hill town! Clearly this lady wasn't very detail oriented with her travel planning. If you'd prefer travel tips and recommendations from people that think like you, visit https://GoGoBot.com. Of course it contains all of the standard info on hotels, BnB rentals, restaurants along with things to do, but what makes it different is their use of Tribes. Tribes are groups of people with similar travel styles, so business travelers, thrill seekers, foodies or those on a budget will get feedback, suggestions and reviews from like-minded travelers. It's like hanging out with thousands of other avid travelers for their best tips and recommendations. GoGoBot.com also has mobile apps to provide location-based tips when you're on the road.

If you're a fan of the Android operating system on smartphones or tablets, you're probably the type of user that's interested in the tweaks and utilities that Android offers. If you're a tech savvy hands-on type of technical user that's familiar with the Windows file manager, there's a great app for you. The ES File Explorer app is one of the most popular Android utilities with millions of users that have downloaded it. ES File Explorer provides much of the functionality you're probably used to in Windows, including folders that can be cut, copied, pasted, moved, deleted, renamed and even 'multiple select' for much faster management. As with any tool on any operating system, when you don't know what something is, you should never delete it! ES File Explorer also integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive Sugarsync and some other well known online storage services, so transferring your files to the cloud is much simpler. The app also lets you manage applications, kill background tasks and delete junk files and also manages files on SD expansion cards. If you love tinkering with your Android smartphone, this app's for you. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.popandhl=en

In my last tip, I explained why it's critical not to use the same password all over the Internet, but this invariably leads to a common question: How do I remember so many complicated passwords? The answer is simply 'you can't', which is why you should use some form of password manager so you can create long, secure passwords for each of your accounts. Password managers are all designed to create and manage your passwords for all your websites and devices in a very secure manner so all you have to remember is one password. They include password generators, auto form filling, encrypted storage, two-factor authentication and they easily integrate with your browsers and mobile devices. Password managers can be a bit complicated to get setup for non-techies, but once it is configured, they are easy to use. One of my favorites called LastPass which has a powerful free version. This security step is way too important to ignore, so if this is more than you can handle, get some help! https://lastpass.com/features_free.php

Data breaches are far from a new crime and actually pre-date computers; news articles from the late 1800's show thieves were stealing important records even back then. Where data exists, there are going to be thieves! It's critical that you understand that when any of your online accounts is breached, you can't ever use that password anywhere online ever again. This is because hackers started compiling huge databases of stolen passwords long ago, because they know how online users tend to use the same password all over the Internet. When going after a target, they don't bother starting with guesses, they just check to see if your password already exists in their stolen password database. If you aren't certain if any of your online accounts has ever been breached, there are couple of websites that I've posted at DataDoctors.com/radio that give you a quick way to check to see if your e-mail address or username is in the known breached database. https://haveibeenpwned.com https://shouldichangemypassword.com

Since it is the beginning of yet another new year, you're probably working on your new year's resolutions, which invariably includes eating better. Well, if "eating better" turns out to mean eating a better quality of food, like more delicious gourmet type meals, then this website can help with that type of resolution. The site is called 'Goldbely' and they have a team of food explorers that are on a mission to uncover all the delicious things they can find and share them with you. Their aim is to create a marketplace that will connect avid foodies with America's best gourmet food providers. We have all discovered those specialty food shops or local restaurants when we travel, that have 'that to die for' morsel we wish we could get when we return home. Well, you no longer have to buy a plane ticket to discover or buy those amazing delicacies. The site lets you search by region, food type or by you tastes and even when you don't buy anything, it's still fun to browse. They also have lots of gift ideas for those foodies in your life that are so hard to buy for at http://www.goldbely.com

It's no surprise that maintenance is a critical part of keeping things running smoothly, whether it's your car, swimming pool or your health. But for some reason, maintenance on a computer has never seemed to a thought with most users. Just imagine how incredibly expensive keeping your car running would be if you didn't bother to maintain anything on it. Hopefully, this tip will encourage all Windows users to take this simple step in regularly care for their computers by using the 'Disk Cleanup' program. The Windows Disk Cleanup tool does exactly what it implies. It will not only free up your valuable disk space, it can also help keep your computer running a little faster. You can locate the built-in tool by going to Programs then to Accessories and then System Tools or by using the Windows 10 search bar. If you have either never done this or it's been a while, have some patience as it can take a little time for the program to gather up all the unnecessary files. I would recommend that you get in the habit of doing this at least once a month!

Your home's wireless router is the primary defense against common hacker threats, because it keeps the bad guys from gaining access to your computer. If the default password on your router hasn't been changed, you are at risk for major security issue that can allow hackers to compromise everything in your home. Not your 'Wi-Fi' connection password; I'm referring to your admin account which allows anyone to take over your router. Every default passwords for every device made is posted on the web through sites like http://RouterPasswords.com which can the bad guys to attack you. Various security experts have discovered a type of attack that uses malicious e-mail messages that can allow thieves to sneak into the router when the default login credentials are still being used. Once they silently get in, there's not much they can't do because they can change the configuration which allows them to monitor all activity and grab passwords for your online accounts without you ever knowing it. This is a threat that no security software can ever protect you from when you click a malicious link. The simple, but effective way to protect yourself against this particular threat is just change the default password. if you don't know how to do it, get help!