Data Doctors Tech Tips

Getting a new computer is really exciting until you realize all the time you're going to have to spend installing the basic necessities the computer will need. Think about all of the utilities, browsers and work programs that are needed to make the computer a functioning tool. With numerous programs and utilities to install, the amount of time to get it all done can turn into a week's worth of work. Today's tip is for the next time you get a new computer and want to shorten the time to get it in functioning condition. We've shouted out about our favorite setup website for Windows users known as Ninite.com and those using the macOS will find a similar tool at GetNMacApps.com. These tools are an incredibly efficient way to set up one or many new computers, especially helpful if you are in charge of getting things set up at a business. Both of these sites are bookmark worthy for everyone as it's just a matter of time before you get a new computer.

If you use your printer much at all, you'll likely end up in that aggravating situation where you're out of ink right when you need it the most. Ounce for ounce, printer ink is some of the most expensive liquid on the planet based on how it's sold these days. That left an opening for a printer company called Epson to think differently and use innovation to solve this common problem with their EcoTank technology. They got rid of the expensive and tiny ink cartridges and developed larger ink tanks that hold exponentially more ink. Unless you print a large volume every day, most home users can get a year or more before having to refill the ink. The best part is that you simply buy ink in bottles that you replenish the tanks with, so it's a lot less expensive. You can expect to pay a little more for the printer compared to the direct competitors, but if you print a lot, you'll save money and irritation over the long haul. It's a breath of fresh air in printer technology; check it out atand#160;https://epson.com/ecotank

One of the common irritations we all deal with is watching a computer take forever to shut down or restart. Being impatient and using the power button to force the shutdown prematurely will create some hidden issues for your computer. The longer you've gone between restarts or shutdowns, the longer it can take for the computer to get rid of all of the items the temporary files that it was using. This automatic cleanup occurs during a shutdown, so when you cut the power, you don't allow it to get rid of the junk files. This buildup of unnecessary files can eat up valuable empty disk space, which your computer needs to operate properly. For any Windows users that know they are guilty of this no-no, the Disk Cleanup program will get rid of the junk. And this advice is not Windows-specific as all operating systems have a similar cleanup process, so always be patient!

For those that have enabled two-factor authentication (2FA) and also tend to use public wifi or travel on a regular basis, today's tip is for you.and#8232;and#8232; The whole point of 2FA is to use your smartphone to authorize a connection via text messaging, but that might not be possible in certain situations. and#8232;A great example is when you board a flight and connect to the in-flight wifi; when you try to log in, the text message with the special code isn't going to make it to your phone.and#8232; Just about every service that allows 2FA also has special codes that you can use to get in when your phone doesn't have a cellular connection.and#8232; The best place to learn where these special codes exist is the same place that you set up the 2FA for each account.and#8232;and#8232; Google, for instance, generates 10 one-time use codes that you can use for these situations.and#8232;and#8232; Keeping a copy of these codes on your phone, in your laptop bag on a sticky note or however you can safely store these codes is a great tip for road warriors. Here are some example instructions:and#8232;and#8232; Google:and#160;https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1187538?hl=enand#8232;and#8232; Facebook:and#160;https://www.facebook.com/help/148104135383285and#8232;and#8232; Or you can try searching for "2-factor backup codes for XXXX" in a Google search with the XXXX representing the service that you are using.

Project management can get pretty complicated, which is what expensive PM software is designed to help with. While we all tend to have projects that involve others in our day-to-day lives, those expensive software solutions aren't a good fit. This is why a simple project management solution called Trello was developed; for the rest of us. Think of their system as a replacement for the cork-board organization system on your smartphone or computer. Their free drag and drop interaction makes it a much easier platform to master and keep track of just about anything you are trying to accomplish. Despite its ease of us, there are many powerful options that can be used to enhance your tracking. Trello is perfect for anyone looking for a way to get better organized personally or professionally: https://trello.com

When you have a large quantity of data to present that stretches over a period of time, there's no better way to do it than a timeline. Creating a timeline can get to be a lot of work, which is why we suggest the Timetoast website for anyone that's interesting in creating one. It's a free web-based tool that eliminates the need to download and install special software to create a timeline. While you are working on it or when you're done and want others to view it, your masterpiece can be viewed as a timeline or a list. Simply copy and paste the link to your timeline on social media, email or private messages to show off your work. Some folks like using timelines to show off their family history, but students and those in business may also find lots of uses for it. If you're looking to give life to a large time-based data set, head on over to Timetoast to get started! and#160;https://timetoast.com

That space bar that you take for granted actually has some hidden tricks up its sleeve. Us tech guys sometimes forget that many of the shortcuts and tricks we use aren't very well known by the general public. One of those hidden keystroke options comes courtesy of the humble space bar. On both computers and smartphones, the space bar can make some common tasks much quicker. On your computer, you can simply tap the space bar whenever you want to page down on a website, which allows you to keep your hands on the keyboard instead of having to use your mouse. One tap auto scrolls the page down and holding the shift key and tapping the bar will roll it back up. On your smartphone, tapping the space bar twice at the end of a sentence automatically adds a period and gets you ready for your next sentence. Now you can fully utilize the space bar with these tips!

Unless you're new to email, you're probably much more careful to avoid being tricked by a phishing scam or clever spam messages. That same level of caution should be used when you're reading through comments in social media or on a discussion website. The use of placing malicious links on popular forums has been around for a while and it's likely going to get more intense as time goes on. It's easy to see the junk comments that claim to have made a fortune by working from home, but not all the tricks are out of context type comments. Fast-moving stories on news sites can generate a lot of commenting activity all over the Internet and social media. Whenever you see a link for any sort in the comments section of a website or social media post, don't click on it, no matter how legitimate it may seem. A better way to see the information is to search for the information yourself using various keywords in the posted link. If it's a legitimate website, it will have been indexed by Google. Malicious sites purposefully avoid having their pages indexed by Google.

If you're in business, you're most likely using a number of the tools offered by Google, but there's one tool unknown to many that's one of my favorites called Trends. The Trends tool is essentially a web interface into Google's massively informative database of search terms and how popular they are. No matter what form of digital marketing that you might be trying to use, understanding the keywords that your customer's most likely use to find your product or service is step one, which is why this tool is so valuable. Trends allows you to drill down to a specific region or timeframe and see if the popularity is increasing or decreasing as time goes on. In many cases, keywords can be very seasonal, meaning more people search for it at specific times of year - a perfect way to know when to launch a campaign. I always start just about any project by diving into the data that Google offers, so if this is news to you, jump in atand#160;https://Google.com/trendsand#160;learn more.

One of the recurring tasks that we all face every week, shopping for our groceries, can turn into a bit of a logistics game. Most of us start with what's been depleted and work from there, but the methods for tracking what needs to be added to the next run to the store come from all angles. If your household has lots of people, the complications in keeping track of who needed what and when further complicates the process. Anyone with a large family should check out the Capitan grocery app. The app learns what's on the regular rotation for your crew, organizes the items similar to the way grocery stores are laid out and has some great notification options. The best notifications are to all of the rest of the family that someone just arrived at the store, so last minute requests are made easy. If you haven't figured out a smooth way to manage the weekly grocery list process, try the Capitan app: https://www.getcapitan.com