Data Doctors Tech Tips

If you love using Google's online tools like Docs, Sheets and Forms, I've got a useful add-on you might want to try. It's called Save As Doc and it lets you easily take a spreadsheet and turn it into a document. It's especially handy when you are incorporating a portion of a spreadsheet into a report especially when the contents from your spreadsheet is too big to display. You can either save an entire worksheet or select specific cells that you'll be able to edit as a document file. The add-on is really helpful when working with the spreadsheet results of a Google Forms questionnaire. You no longer have to deal with formatting problems when you copy/paste numbers from a spreadsheet into a document. You can also force page breaks after each row of numbers, making the results of your report much easier to keep organized. Save As Doc is a free add-on and only works with Google Chrome. I've got the download link posted at DataDoctors.com/radio http://goo.gl/H0ed2B

Your passwords are most likely to be the weakest link in your security arsenal and you've heard me repeatedly warn against using the same password on all your online accounts. There are lots of options for password management tools, but for some, it's still just too much to manage. If you can't find a tool that works for you, I have an easy low tech method of keeping track of your passwords; just write them all down! I don't mean attaching a sticky note on the from of your monitor with your passwords written on them, I mean jot them down electronically and store them somewhere safe, like in an inconspicuous place on your smartphone. Don't use the word "password" anywhere in the document of file name and create your own form of encryption in the event someone gains access to the file. For example, use 4 random numbers or characters at the beginning of the actual password, so you'll be the only one that will know to ignore those characters. Frankly, if your choices are to use the same password everywhere or write down unique passwords, then write them down to avoid becoming a victimized on all your accounts from a single data breach.

Those free apps on your smartphone can be really great, especially when they're used every day because they're so useful. But if you are on a limited data plan or you're running out of battery power on a daily basis, those free-ad driven apps could be a bad idea. They can cost you dearly by eating up your battery power and limited data plan. A report by researchers at USC and several other schools revealed that those ads in many free apps use up to 79% more of your precious data plan than apps that don't have regular ads in them. The report went on to state that they can drain 16% more of your power and use up to 22% more of your phone's memory in order to routinely deliver new ads . If your smartphone is sluggish and always seems to be running out of batter power, those free games could be a big reason why. There's also a privacy component as well, because free apps often request more permissions generally for advertising purposes. So the next time you're choosing an app to download, ask the question: To pay or not to pay...

Back in the day, shopping for a TV was really pretty easy, because you only had a few sizes to choose from and the difference in price was pretty substantial as the screen size got bigger. With all of today's opt, you can buy displays that range from 26 to 90 inches with very small price differences even as you go bigger. These ultra-high Def screens eliminate the worry about being too close and seeing the actual pixels, so bigger is usually always better. As a general rule, I recommend that you measure the distance in inches between where you'll sit and the front of the TV screen, then divide by 2 to determine your minimum screen size. For example, if your viewing distance will be 7 feet, that's converts to 84 inches. Divide 84 by 2 and you're recommended minimum screen size will be 42 inches. If you can afford a bigger display, getting a larger screen will provide a more immersive viewing experience. If you decide to go with a 4K display, the resolution will be so crisp that you'll be able to double the screen size and still not be too close.!

I'm a huge music fan and as such, I'm constantly searching for that next great song, old or new. I like revisiting older bands by searching for their greatest hits for both discovery and rediscovery. While searching around last week, I found a website that I had never hear of called TheTopTens.com. Unlike traditional top ten lists that are put together by a single person, TheTopTens uses the wisdom of the crowds to compile the top ten lists. Not only will you find music, you'll find a wide variety of lists like the best nail polish or the best holiday gifts. And if you want to be part of the crowned and put your two cents in, you can vote on any list and you don't have to sign up for anything, you just click to vote! Even better, you can start your own top ten list to see what the crowd thinks about anything you're passionate about. So the next time you're looking for a new band, new songs or just doing research for just about anything, http://TheTopTens.com is website worth checking out!

If you're like me, you're using your smartphone to accomplish more productivity tasks that normally would have required you to wait until you sat down in front of your computer. Whenever I need to copy several things like a web address, pictures or chunks of text, the constant back and forth is laborious and terribly inefficient. If you're an Android user and want a better way to copy things on your phone, checkout an app called Copy Bubble. Once installed, Copy Bubble allows you to copy just about anything from just about anywhere. When you start to use it, you'll see an orange bubble with an item count as you go. Each copied item is compiled in chronological order and is available via your clipboard until you remove it. The orange bubble floats over any app, allowing you to paste any or all of the information that you've copied by tapping the bubble and selecting what you want. A cool feature when you copy a web address allows you to preview it in app before you paste it. Copy Bubble for Android devices is available in the Google Play Store and it's free!

If the stock market and the world of investing tend to be an intimidating and mysterious place, today's tip is for you! As with all things in life, knowledge is power but in this case, you don't need a degree from a prestigious university to understand how the markets work. A web resource called WallStreetSurvivor.com, which actually started out as a fantasy stock market simulator has became a great tool to demystify Wall Street. It turns out that gamification is a pretty good way to learn the ins and outs of investing and trading stock. Rather than just being told how to do things, you get to actually get involved in market trades without the risk of losing your money. Think of it as a virtual stock exchange combined with lots of tutorials, articles, courses, and videos. Not only can you learn the basics, you can setup a practice portfolio and engage in a league to compete with other virtual traders. If you're still confused about 'puts' and 'calls' or the value of stocks versus mutual funds, WallStreetSurvivor.com can help you get a solid understanding. It's a really great way to get your kids involved and learning about investing early as well.

Ever cut yourself trying to open one the many insanely difficult plastic packages that seem to be used on everything these days? Initially, it was expensive electronic items that are small that typically used those obnoxious clamshell containers that are nearly impossible to get open, but now just about any household item like light bulbs can be encased in this nightmarish packaging. Retailers like them because they help fight theft and make it a snap to hang them on display hooks. It's become such a plague to consumers that there's now a Wikipedia page dedicated to "wrap rage"! If you're weapon of choice is a knife or scissors to get the darn thing open, you know how dangerous it gets, especially as irritation grows. Even when you do get it open, it's rare to escape without getting nicked or scraped from the sharp edges of the packaging. Until we can get them to ban this type of packaging, there's a better and safer way to get them open: start using a can opener! Not only does it take a lot less strength to get through the plastic by running the can opener along the packages edges, it's also a lot safer.

Has this ever happened to you? You're on the road and get an email message asking you to fill out a form, sign it and return it via email ASAP. Getting the form printed out is pretty easy no matter where you are, but scanning the signed document and sending it back is a bit more of a challenge. When this happened to me years ago, I searched for a solution that would allow me to use my smartphone to take a picture of the forms and convert them to a PDF document that I could email. While many apps are available that offer this type of functionality, I've continue to use the CamScanner app for this need. CamScanner is free and really simple to use. Just snap a picture of the form, crop it if necessary and save it as a PDF file. You can also use the 'batch mode' icon if you need to scan a multiple page document. Once you scan the pages with your smartphone, you can change the order, rotate pages and add watermarks and annotations before emailing them back. CamScanner is available in the app stores for Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows phone users.

A great byproduct of the Information Superhighway is that it's become the world's greatest library of trivial knowledge at our fingertips. Don't we all reach for our smartphones during an argument over the most trivial of information these days? It's really great when we stumble on to some truly useful bits of information, especially when we weren't even looking for it, right? Well, if learning useful things on purpose is something you love, you should visit a website called Useful Science. It's an wonderful collection created by a group of Canadian grad students for all that love the useful trivia that exists online. For instance, did you know that a quick look at the color green before you start a creative task can increase your creativity? Or, did you know that tunes with heavy bass can make you feel more powerful? The passages aren't just random thoughts that someone came up with, they're directly related to research or reports with real context. If you're really into this kind of knowledge, you can submit your own articles and get useful science emails right to your Inbox if you subscribe to their newsletter. Check it out at http://Usefulscience.org