Data Doctors Tech Tips

When we get a new computer during the holidays, the first step is getting all your programs and utilities installed which can take quite a bit of time. Installing various browsers, web tools, file managers, productivity tools, media players and an endless list of utilities are just the beginning of what it takes to get your computer setup. You probably won't realize how many steps it takes to get your new computer fully functional until you go through this normally arduous process. The next time you're faced with this common situation, there's a much faster solution for both Mac and Windows users. In the past, we have told Windows users that a website called NiNite (that's N I N I T E.com) allows you to quickly generate one neat little automatic package from everything you need. For those setting up a brand new Mac, I suggest you checkout GetMacApps.com to do the same thing. If you're the IT person at a business, both of these sites can be a huge time saver when trying to get all your computers setup exactly the same way. http://getmacapps.com and http://ninite.com

If you have young children or grandchildren that you spend time with at bedtime, this tip is for you! Wouldn't it be when bedtime story hour came around that you could read a story that stars your child? Well, a website called Storybots allows you to do just that by customizing children's stories starring your child with just a few mouse clicks. You start by uploading a picture of your child to generate their character, then pick one of the many books that cover themes that any child would love and they become the star of the bedtime story. There is even an option to create 'Starring You Videos' which are learning videos and activity sheets to extend the fun. The apps can be used on your computer via the web or on an iPhone or iPad, which makes it perfect for bedtime! Storybots is a kid safe ad-free resource with no in-app purchases and no unsafe links on any of their tools. The basic resources are free, but if you want unlimited access to all that they offer, you can become a member for $3 to $5 a month at http://StoryBots.com

In both business and personal situatuions, you may find yourself in need of some basic graphic design work, but it isn't important enough to hire a professional. The next time this happens whether you are design challenged or just don't have the software that can get it done, check out a free web tool called Canva...spelled like canvas without the s. Canva is a really simple, template driven tool that is also web-based, so there's no need to install anything in order to get started. Should you need anything from a flyer to a poster, business card, graphic images for your website or blog, properly formatted Facebook Cover images or any of the many social media related graphics, Canva is about as easy as it gets. Just select a design style, then an associated template and get to work modifying the text to fit your needs. If you need images, you can use your own or purchase professional images from their huge library for as little as a dollar each. It is so easy to learn, easy to use, cheap and it produces professional looking results in minutes...it's a design challenged persons dream. So if you don't have the vision, money, software, skills or patience necessary to create graphics, checkout Canva.com...that's C A N V A.com

It has always been very risky to plug a USB drive into your computer if you don't know anything about it, but it's now downright dangerous. Strange USB drives have always had the potential of spreading malware and viruses but general speaking, an updated security program should detect and block any threats. But a recent exploit demonstrated at the annual Black Hat Security Conference showed a way for hackers to modify the firmware on USB devices that allows malware to hide. This type of exploit is undetectable by general security programs and it's virtually un-patchable, meaning there is no easy way to fix the design flaw that allows this to be used. With this in mind, it is imperative that you avoid using any USB drive that you don't own and you should never plug in a USB drive that someone else may have lost. If you take a minute to think like a hacker, dropping infected USB drives around college campuses or high target businesses can make it easy to gain access inside secured systems. The fact that this undetectable exploit exists, requires all of us to be very suspicious of any USB drive, especially if it's origins are unknown. Businesses should especially be aware and warn their employees about strange USB drive usage.

We've all had to deal with flight delays, cancellations and over bookings when traveling by air. When they happen, it can completely ruin your day; make you very late for an important gathering or worse yet, miss something altogether. If you're lucky, you could end up with a simple meal voucher or a free drink, but that is because the companies that fly you around know that you are most likely clueless about your actual rights. This most common occurrence caused a number of frequent international travelers to get together and take action by creating a service called AirHelp. AirHelp is both a website and an app that's designed to quickly act as your flight advocate when things go wrong. It takes just three minutes for the system to check if you're eligible for some form of compensation, so you are more informed before making a decision to accept something from the gate agents. Getting financially compensated won't happen immediately, but if the AirHelp service can get you compensation, they'll keep 25% to pay for the leg work the system does on your behalf. Even if your nightmare flight happened within the last three years and you weren't compensated, you may still have eligible for compensation, especially you were on an international flight. Learn more at http://GetAirHelp.com

Ever wonder how some people on social media or email are able to post those weird series of characters in their messages? There is nothing on your keyboard that allows you to generate the characters but if you hold down the Alt key and tap on some of the numbers, you'll start to see how they're doing it. For example, holding down the 'Alt' key and the number 2 will generate the classic trademark symbol. There are actually 255 various combinations that you can use, but trying to commit to memory which keys correspond to which number combination is a bit of a stretch. There are many online resources that have charted each character's number keyboard combo, but there's a much easier way to make use of special characters. Just go to this site: CopyPasteCharacter.com and you'll see all of the special characters and then all you'll need to do is click on any of them to copy them. Then you can simply paste them into a Facebook or Twitter post or into an e-mail message or into any just about any program that allows characters. They even offer their iPhone if you want to use it on the go at http://copypastecharacter.com

All of the major cellular carriers are engaged in a heated battle to try to get your business with some really attractive offers these days. But when it comes to cell service, a good deal doesn't mean much if the quality of the service in your specific areas is weak, so before you make the decision to hop from one provider to another, you need to do some homework. A useful resource that will allow you to review how Verizon, ATandT, T-Mobile and Sprint perform in your specific area is posted at http://rootmetrics.com. You can start with your city to get an overall rating of the performance that includes reliability and speed when it comes to data, call and text so you can evaluate the strengths of each network where you live. One of the coolest features of Rootmetrics.com is in the CoverageMap section. You can bring up a detailed map of where call quality is solid or spotty, where data speeds are fast or slow and whether you can get true 4G LTE service where you need it the most. They also have a mobile app that will allow you to generate reports of your own as you travel around and add the findings to their database. I've posted the links to the useful Rootmetrics resources at DataDoctors.com/radio Find your city reports: http://www.rootmetrics.com/us/rsr/usa-metros?z=united-states Explore the Coverage Map: http://webcoveragemap.rootmetrics.com/us Mobile apps: http://www.rootmetrics.com/us/products/coveragemap-mobile-app

Most of us love our pets so much that we often treat them like humans, but when they're sick, they can't tell us what's wrong because their not actually human. Taking your dog or cat to the vet is an obvious first move, but sometimes that's not possible. When you're in that situation, PetMD.com might be worth checking out. PetMD is a very comprehensive pet health, nutrition, care and feeding online resource that I've ever seen. The resources range from symptom checkers to a complete health library to a robust dictionary of veterinary terms. If your pet is experiencing strange behaviors, click on their extensive emergency section to help determine what might be the cause of your pet's discomfort. The website is a lot more than just urgent health issues, it's full of solid info on breeds, proper care and feeding and they can even assist in finding a name for your newest pet. If you've ever wondered why dogs eat grass or what you should do when you find a lump on your pet, checkout PetMD.com. Best of all PetMD isn't just for lovers of dogs and cats. If you have a pet of any kind, it's a great resource to have in your web favorites.

Smartphones have pretty much been safe from infected apps as long as you made sure to get your apps from one of the official app stores and you didn't jailbreak or root your device. Jailbreaking or rooting a smartphone allows the user to bypass the factory controls put in place by the device manufacturer and generally, it's only done by tech savvy users. But, unfortunately there's a new scam that's in circulation that will sneak a malicious app onto your device, even for users that haven't bypassed the controls on their smartphones. It generally starts with a cleverly crafted e-mail or text message that includes a link to an app download. If you click on the link, it will exploit regular non-jailbroken iPhones or unrooted Android users. This once again emphasizes the importance of my long standing rule: If you didn't go looking for it, do not install it. Malicious app creators have generated some very convincing messages that appear as if they're from trusted resources through hacked accounts of your friends, so stay alert. If you want extra smartphone protection, checkout the free security apps at https://www.lookout.com/products/personal

Not too long ago, shopping for a TV was pretty simple because you only had a few sizes to choose from and the price increase as you went bigger got to be pretty substantial. With today's displays, you can select screens that range from 26 to 90 inches with very minimal price increases as you go bigger. And with today's UHD 4K displays, you don't have to be concerned about being too close and see the actual pixels, so going bigger can be better. As a general rule of thumb, if you simply measure the distance between where you'll be sitting and the TV in inches then divide by 2, you'll have the minimum size for your room. For example, let's say your measured distance is 7 feet. That would translate to 84 inches, which divided by two would give you 42 inches as your minimum screen size. If your new TV budget has room so you can go larger, doing so will help you create a much more immersive viewing experience. If your budget allows you to opt for a 4K display, the increased resolution will be high enough that you can double the size of the screen and still not be too close!