Data Doctors Tech Tips

I written in the past on the riskiness of using images you find online on your website or blog and it continues to generate quite a bit of feedback. It's clear to me that many of you didn't realize that they were infringing on a copyright when they simply posted an image on their website. If you don't want avoid getting tangled up in an expensive legal situation, take some time soon to review all the images you've used on your website or blog. If you have no idea where they came from, I'd strongly recommend you delete them and look for images to replace them that won't put you in harm's way. Getty Images, for instance, opened up a large library in the recent past with images that you can embed on your site free of charge as long as you follow their instructions and posted guidelines. You can also look for images that fall under a 'Creative Commons' license which means that the owners of the images will allow you to use them for free under certain conditions and uses. If you want to play it really safe, your best bet is to purchase images at sites like BigStockPhoto.com for a couple of dollars each. Taking this for granted can cost you several thousand dollars per image, so it should not be taken lightly...the link to all my advice on legal image usage is posted at DataDoctors.com/radio http://www.datadoctors.com/help/columns/21988

Is there anything as frustrating as searching high and low for a special remote control for your streaming box; it's especially common if you have lots of younger users in the house. I told you yesterday how you can setup an alternative remote control for an Apple TV box and today, it's time to help Roku users. With Roku devices, you have a couple of alternative remote options for controlling them that include your smartphone, tablet or any computer on the same Wi-Fi network With any of those options, you simply go to http://remoku.tv, that's R E M O K U.TV and a virtual remote will pop up on your screen. You just click on the 'Settings' button to start a scan of your Wi-Fi network so it can find your Roku device automatically. Once it's located, you just tap the controls displayed on the screen of your smartphone or tablet or you click them with your mouse if you're using a computer. If you're a big time multitasked, you can install the add-on for Google Chrome on your computer, which allows you to pop up an on-screen remote anytime you're using your browser. I've got links to both of these options posted at DataDoctors.com/radio http://remoku.tv Chrome Add-on: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/remoku/kmbcoebcjaiiejopnadjlknjhifadnlg

Apple TV is an awesome media streaming device for cord cutters, but I have a bone to pick with you Apple. The remote is too small and sleek so it's constantly disappearing. Whether it disappears under a pile of magazines on an end table or it ends up between the couch cushions of the couch, the question is always the same: has anyone seen the Apple TV remote. Well, there's a cure for anyone else that has a house full of suffering users; just re-program your TV remote to control the Apple TV box as well. Most users may not know about an option in the Settings of the device that allows you to make use of an unused input on your TV or cable universal remote to control it. Since most of us don't use a VCR anymore, that input is usually a good choice. It only takes a few minutes to get setup and it can change the world in your house. The link to the instructions is posted at DataDoctors.com/radio. Tomorrow, I'll help owners of the Roku Box with a similar tip https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201856

When you are packing for a trip, remembering to grab the right items is critical. It's frustrating to get to your destination and discover that you've forgotten essential things, like your bathing suit or an umbrella. Well an app called PackPoint offers a solid way to reduce the forgotten items travel trauma, because it helps you pack based on what you are doing and where you are going. You start by answering questions about your gender, destination, number of travel days and what you are planning to do. It also gathers weather information for your destination and puts together a suggested packing list based on all the parameters. Once the list is generated, you just scroll down and check the items that are important to you to create your own list, including reminders to take your mobile chargers, business cards and things like a VPN key-fob if it's a business trip. When the list is completed, you can share it via e-mail or copy and paste the items to any other program if needed. PackPoint is available for both iPhone and Android smartphone users and it's free! http://www.packpnt.com

Fitness monitors have become all the rage in fitness, but with prices that can range from $100-$300, they can get a bit pricey. But obviously, paying for a wrist mounted device you wear all day has to be more accurate than just loading a free app on your smartphone, right? Wrong! An enlightening study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association claims that a free app on your phone can be just as accurate as those fancy fitness wearables when it came to step and activity tracking. These tests were performed on treadmills so they may not necessarily reflect your real life situation where you forget to take your smartphone with you, but if you're looking for fitness motivation through the tracking of your daily activities, you don't have to pony up a bunch of cash. There are lots of great free apps for your smartphone like the Moves app or Argus app for your iPhone or the Runtastic Pedometer app which is available for both Android or iPhone users. Let's face it; any app that keeps you motivated to exercise every day is a good thing, so don't think you have to wait to get an expensive gadget to get started!

Our smartphones have been relatively when it comes to malicious apps so long as we stick to downloading apps from the official app store and avoid jailbreaking your device. Jailbreaking an iPhone or rooting an Android phone bypasses the downloading controls that the manufacturer puts in place and should only be done by tech savvy users. But a new scam is changing all of the built-in protection by sneaking malicious apps onto your phone, even if you haven't broken the factory protection. It generally starts with a cleverly crafted e-mail or text message with a link to download an app. If you click or tap on the link and allow the download to complete, it will compromise your smartphone in a whole new way. This once again highlights the importance of my long standing advice: If you didn't go looking for it, don't install it. These clever cyber-criminals are creating many very persuasive messages that often look like they're from trusted sources through hacked accounts, so be on the watch. If you want help identifying malicious apps, checkout the free smartphone security apps at http://lookout.com

If you can relate to the old Tom Hanks movie called 'The Money Pit', you're most likely a homeowner. Even if your house isn't as big of a money pit as the one in the movie, it can seem an endless list of maintenance tasks is always waiting. One of the best methods of minimizing surprises is through a proactive process of maintenance for things that you know are going to need addressing. If you'd like a little help in learning and remembering to get your maintenance tasks done, checkout a web resource called BrightNest. BrightNest can provide you with customized tips and help you schedule tasks based on your home's actual needs because you tell it what kinds of appliances you have, what king of flooring and countertops are installed and whether you have a pool or not. Beyond just maintenance, there are a huge number of tips on cleaning, organizing and maintaining lots of common areas of you home. Their mobile app can even provide you with alerts and reminders and serves as a reference guide when you're at the hardware store. We can all a little help staying on top of those endless tasks of being a homeowner and BrightNest.com is free and waiting for you to use.

If you love science fiction and you love taking pictures with your iPhone, I have an out of this world tip for you today. If reality is just too mundane for your pictures and you're tired of all those mindless photo editing filters, let your imagination be sparked by the Alien Sky app. Why put up with boring colorization filters to make your images pop when you can take it to a whole other level with amazing space effects. The Alien Sky app lets you create futuristic pictures by adding high-res space objects and brilliant lens flares to any of your shots. How about adding space objects such as comets, moons, planets, bright suns, far away stars and entire galaxies to really catch your friends attention on social media posts. The app has over 150 effects, giving you complete control over these super effects in the sky, which can create futuristic visions and otherworldly images that will stop people in their tracks. Turn any ho hum picture into a conversation piece with this two dollar app. Checkout examples of what the Alien Sky app can do with the link that I've posted at DataDoctors.com/radio http://www.brainfevermedia.com/alienSky.html

It's the summer blockbuster movie season and popping into a cool theater with an icy drink is a great way to escape the summer heat. If you're a movie buff, I remind you of one of our favorite apps that will help you when that cold drink causes nature to call in the middle of the movie. The app is called RunPee and it's an awesome tool that tells yo the best times to run to the loo during those summer blockbusters. Instead of guessing when you should go, the RunPee app will vibrate your smartphone during any of the slow points so you can be strategic about restroom breaks. RunPee generally looks for three to five minute scenes that are unimportant to the story so you don't miss funny moments , exciting action or crucial plot twists. If you take younger kids to the show, RunPee allows you to be preemptive with your potty breaks so you don't miss anything important. The app even provides a synopsis of what happened while you were in the loo, so you don't have to have someone next to you whispering an update. The RunPee app is available on iPhone, Android or Windows Phones and the download links are at RunPee.com

One of great advantages of using expensive DSLR cameras is in the depth-of-field images that the lenses can produce. You've seen those amazing images where the item in the foreground is clearly in focus while everything that appears in the background is blurred, which creates visually stunning photographs. Well, if you're not ready to spend a pile of cash to get these professional looking pictures, you should consider using one of the background defocus apps on your smartphone. Some smartphones come with the blur option in the camera program, so you may already have this ability and not know it. If you don't, an app called AfterFocus which is available for both Android and iPhone smartphones provides just what it implies; the ability to change the focus after you take the shot. You just drag your finger over the foreground areas that you want to stay in focus then flip to the background layer to do the same on what you want to be blurred. This process doesn't take very long to master and you can even select multiple things to keep in focus for some really interesting pictures. http://appm1.com/afterfocus