Data Doctors Tech Tips

Another new type of pop-up security scam is catching a lot of people off guard because of their authentic looking warning screens. You will get a pop-up screen that tries to lock down your browser, then warn you that you have been massively infected and that you should call the toll free number posted immediately so a security expert can assist you. Mac users should know that this type of scam is not limited to Windows, as Mac versions of the scam are also being planted around the Internet. The scam-artists encode malicious links and post them via hijacked social media accounts, compromised email accounts and as spam in the comments section of many popular websites. Here's something to remember; none of the legitimate Internet security companies will ever post any toll-free numbers as your first course of action, because none of them want you to ever call them if they can avoid it. Solid security programs should be able to block known attacks and malicious websites and limit infection detection to scheduled or manual scanning processes. None of them will ever pop-up their toll-free number so now you know it's always a huge red flag.

Any parent of an infant may be asking themselves: 'to iPad, or not to iPad, that is THE question'. Many older parents have anecdotal advice for newer parents as it pertains to when and where to introduce tech, but personal biases aren't the best lessons to learn. If you're looking for something a little more data driven, the American Academy of Pediatricians says that iPads are OK for young children. In their opinion, television, smartphones and tablets are just fine for infants and small children but with a lot of caveats. They continue to recommend against screen time for children under the age of 2 and limiting time for children over 2 to 2 hours. These recommendations have been updated to include the impact of the digital age that surrounds our kids. Knowing the difference between passive media like TV and interactive media like apps on mobile devices and when to introduce them to your child is a very keen parenting skill these days. The complete overview for anyone raising a digital native is posted at DataDoctors.com/radio http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/36/10/54.full

Gathering with a group to discuss ideas often results in lots of good info on a whiteboard or chalkboard which then requires someone in the group to take down separate notes afterwards. If you ever become the one that ends up having to spend the time taking down the whiteboard notes after a meeting, there's actually an app for that! It's called Office Lens and it'll save you a ton of time. This Microsoft app makes it super easy to snap a picture of any document, whiteboard or chalkboard and then turn it into a PDF, Word document or Powerpoint deck. Not only does it digitize all your notes it will fix the distortion if you had to shoot it from an angle. Every time you capture notes from an off angle, you'll love how well this app gets it done. Once you have the image, the app lets you save and share it to various Microsoft platforms that include OneNote and OneDrive or you can simply save it as a document or picture. Another great use of the app is to capture and organize business cards. The Office Lens app is free and available for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone users.

Social networks are such an integral part of our lives that when a loved one passes away, one of the first places we'll likely go is Facebook. The popularity of the network allows us to connect with grieving friends and family while allowing others to post memories of the departed. But if you happen to be part of the family of the deceased that didn't have the username and password for their page, Facebook eventually converts it to a memorialized account which basically freezes it in time. But Facebook has made it possible for a family member to become a sort of executor of your account with a feature called Legacy Contact. Instead of having no way to update your page or keep it going, anyone who assigns a legacy contact will pass on control in the event something happen. It's easy to set it up by going to the Settings menu, clicking on the Security tab and then on the option labeled Legacy Contact. I know it isn't something we like to think about, but if you take a minute to pick a Legacy Contact, your family and friends will appreciate it!

In all my years of assisting people with their technology, one very consistent issue has existed; every user knows that they should back up their personal data, but they just never get around to doing it. If you are one of those that have been meaning to get this critical task done, but can't seem to get around to making it happen, here's another reason you should. The growing threat of ransomware, which allows sophisticated hackers to gain access to your computer and hold your data hostage, including any backup drive that's connected is getting worse. The current versions are able to spread themselves in ways we have never seen before. If you become a victim of ransomware and don't have an off-site backup, your choices will be to either lose everything or pay hundred or thousands of dollars to get your critical files back. Online backup services such as Carbonite are among the best ways to sidestep having to pay the ransom, because it isn't directly connected to your computer when you are attacked. If you don't have a secure backup in place, consider the your wakeup call!

If you are like most drinkers of beer or wine, you probably stick to bottles that you know, especially if you're unadventurous. Even the adventurous crowd has a tough time picking something new from a wall of options that they don't recognize. If you're looking for help, checkout an app called NextGlass. NextGlass offers to combine science and technology to help predict how much you might like that "next bottle" because of what you've told it you already liked. After you create your own taste profile, you can scan bottle labels to get a predictive score whenever you're looking for something new to try. They also offer a Glass Match feature which shows you beer and wine that tastes similar to your existing favorites. The app can also tell you what is inside the bottle, like sugar content, calories and alcohol levels. Anyone looking for help to figure out what to try next, should give the Next Glass app a try. It's like having a personal expert that knows your taste hiding in your smartphone. The free app is available for Android and iPhone users; Cheers! http://nextglass.co

Chances are pretty high that you'll acquire some type of electronic gadget this holiday season, which often means that you'll have older tech that you no longer need. Remember, anything that has a power button, plugs into the wall or uses rechargeable batteries contains toxic electronic waste, so don't ever throw your old electronics in the trash. First, check with local charities to see if they have a program to reuse your old tech. Even though you may not be able to use it anymore doesn't mean that someone else can't. If it turns out to be too old, then recycling it responsibly through a proper e-waste recycling program is your best bet. All your electronic gadgets contain toxins like arsenic, lead, mercury and a long list of other chemicals that will wreak havoc on our landfills and groundwater if you just toss it in the trash. As a nation, 75% of the over 3-million tons of e-waste we generate is still being thrown in trash cans, which end up in our landfills because there's so little awareness of the problem. Please be sure to do you part and properly dispose of all your electronics and educate your friends so they do the same!

No matter how much you love technology, IMHO nothing compares to curling up to a good book on a porch swing on a lazy afternoon. No matter what topics you prefer; business, self-help, history, science or fiction, learning about great books from others is always a good way to make decisions. While Amazon can be a great at recommending new books based on what you've already read, a website called GoodReads.com offers another way to discover new books. Not only do you get great suggestions because of what you've read, you can also connect with your bookworm friends to learn what they don't like and more importantly what they do like. It's kind of like a virtual library that makes discovering great books much easier than wandering the aisles of a traditional bookstore. The site lets you create queues of the books you've read, the ones you're currently reading and the an book that you want to read. Goodreads works really well if you can get a group of avid readers to join in as sort of a virtual but private book club. Hardcore bookworms you can also start or join discussion groups that can be private or public. Learn more at https://GoodReads.com

A friend recently asked me if I knew of any apps that allowed him to record phone conversations while using his Android smartphone. He primarily wanted to record calls for training purposes he said. My first piece of advice was to be sure he didn't violate any wiretapping laws because they varied from state to state. The best way to make sure you're not violating any laws is to notify everyone on the calls that it is being recorded as he began. After I tested a handful of apps out, I found an app called Call Recorder that was free and did the job quite well. Once it was installed, a small red dot appeared in the upper left-hand corner whenever the phone was making or receiving a call. Whenever you want to record a call, you just tap the red dot to start and then again when you are done. The app will log the caller ID, date, time and duration of the call automatically and then allows you to share the file in various ways. Call Recorder from Boldbeast can be downloaded from the Google Play store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nll.acrandhl=en

Anyone with a security webcam setup in the home or business, will want to pay particular attention to today's tip. There are numerous websites that show live feeds from thousand of compromised webcams from around the world mad possible by a simple but common error made by the webcam's owners. They didn't change the default password on the device. Not only do these sites show the brand as well as the default username, password and live stream of the web cameras, they often include the approximate location too. Most of these sites claim that they're doing this to educate the public on this common mistake. You should know that every hacker knows the default username and password for any device you own in your home or business, so leaving them at the default increases your chances of being compromised. Keep in mind, any device that you can access from outside your home is potentially accessible by unauthorized users especially when you make easy for them. If you don't have a clue which devices may be at risk or how to make the changes to the settings, get some help. It's just too important to ignore this one.