Data Doctors Tech Tips

One of the most challenging things to learning a new language is figuring out how to properly pronounce all the strange new words. After all, speaking a foreign language in a way that won't be understood by those that know the language is kind of useless. Hearing how someone that knows the language pronounces things will exponentially improve your confidence in using these words, which is where today's tip comes in. A huge database of pre-recorded words lives at a website called Forvo. Not only can you listen to how specific words are pronounced, but you can also download the audio files so you can access them when you aren't connected to the Internet. Using Google Translate to provide a word you want to learn how to pronounce in another language is a great way to combine the two language tools. Even if you're just curious about other languages, and#160;https://forvo.com is a great place to start any international language journey!

Keeping on top of your medication, especially if you are taking several at various times of the day can get complicated. Today's tip is for anyone you know that has a complex pill-taking schedule. The Mango Health app takes advantage of your smartphone to no only help you stay on schedule with your pills, but learn about foods and liquids that could be a problem with what you are taking. It's more than just a calendar reminder app, as it can help you create a proper schedule based on the medication you are taking. Let's face it, one of the few things we don't forget to take with us these days is our smartphones, so why not take advantage of this reality to make sure you keep your medication routine in check? Learn all about this free app at: https://www.mangohealth.com

If you're a parent, it's inevitable that at some point, you'll be helping your child with their math and science homework. The older they get, the more complex the assignments, which is where today's tip comes in! One of our favorite online tools is located at https://www.wolframalpha.com which is an extraordinary computational knowledge database that can help with any number of difficult math and science subjects. Instead of searching the web for answers, Wolfram Alpha uses data and algorithms along with a dynamic computational interface. It's great for double-checking complex math questions and to see how the answer is derived, which is much better than simply providing the correct answer. It's also an awesome comparison database to compare two people, places, or things. If you've never spent time on https://www.wolframalpha.com, whether you are a parent or not, it's an amazing web tool that can provide incredible amounts of information like no other!

One of the big red flags we've warned you about for years is when you find a popular item for sale online that is substantially less than anywhere else, be suspicious. Whenever you are about to do business with a website for the first time, there are some easy to use web tools you can use to help you validate the site. Your first stop should be to Scam Advisor https://www.scamadviser.com which can quickly analyze the site and provide you with a safety rating. The second tool we think everyone should check out is from Web of Trust https://www.mywot.com, which offers a browser add-on that can actively warn you of sketchy websites in search results, on social media or when you try to land on one. Even after you do the research and decide to try the new online store out, never use your debit card as it's a direct link to your checking account. Even though the banks offer the same type of protection as they do with credit cards, the amount in dispute gets tied up, some times for weeks, which could cause you to bounce other checks.

Learning how to write code may seem overwhelming for those that have never done it, but there's an important thing to keep in mind: every skilled programmer started from the same point of knowing absolutely nothing. Today's tip is for anyone that has thought about getting started in the area of learning how to write code. A website called Code Academy was created as a DIY learning space for those interested in developing their code writing skills. It's a self-paced easy to follow set of courses that can work for anyone no matter what their background. Lots of people have thought about checking into this world, so if you know anyone, send them to https://www.codecademy.com No matter how young or old you may be, learning how to write code isn't as challenging as it may seem when you start with simple lessons and go from there!

Craigslist, eBay and Amazon are among the most popular websites for purchasing merchandise, especially if they are hard to find items. The problem can become the amount of time it takes to search through each of these sites for the item you seek, no to mention the specific areas that are required in a manual search on Craigslist. A website called https://www.searchtempest.com has eliminated the need to manually search on each website for your merchandise. The tool lets you use keywords, categories and most importantly a radius around your zip code from 25 miles to unlimited distances, so searching for something in the entire country is much more efficient. They also provide lots of filtering options, which makes it even easier to drill down to your best options and prices for exactly what you are looking for... this one is bookmark worthy!

Every remodeling project starts with an idea that needs to be worked out via drawings and layouts. Thanks to the Internet, you no longer have to pay big bucks to have someone with an expensive software program create drawings that will bring your ideas to life. A web tool called Home Styler has a nice set of free tools that you can use to create the drawings you need yourself. Simply measure your spaces and start with a floorplan of what you plan to do. From there, you can add a large number of items to flesh it all out. It's a virtual tool that can make it easy to play around with 'what if' thoughts you may have without a lot of work. You can play with designs on your computer or your smartphone via their app, which allows you to take a picture of your space and work with it from there. Learn more at https://www.homestyler.com

Most of us are more capable of absorbing information when it's presented in a visually pleasing way, which is why infographics have become all the rage. Spreadsheet nerds may prefer huge datasets in columns and rows, but for the rest of us, images and graphs are more appealing. We've all seen these clever graphics on news sites and social media, but did you know that anyone can easily create their own infographics? A web resource called Easilly has hundreds of templates that make creating infographics much simpler. It's a drag and drop web interface that also allows you to use your images and graphics if you'd like. If you ready to make that next presentation of data to your peers much more dynamic, check out the low-cost options available at: https://www.easel.ly

If you actively use any type of social media, you know how it becomes a sounding board any time any kind of earthquake is felt. This very natural activity on social media has actually become a measuring and detecting system developed by some clever researchers. These researchers decided to try to leverage the technology built into our smartphones that can help detect the activity based on location and movement. The desired outcome is to create a very accurate warning system that can alert people near the center of the seismic activity in a way that hasn't been possible so far. The more people that volunteer their smartphones to thisand#160;project, the more accurate the data will become, so let you friends and family in these areas in on the process: https://myshake.berkeley.edu

The rate at which most of us make purchases online has gone up exponentially, so here's a way to make sure you are getting the best deals possible. Coupons of various types are commonly available for a large number of online retailers, but you have to know where to get them or explore sites like RetailMeNot.com to dig for a specific coupon. The good news is that there's a much easier way to be alerted to potential money-saving deals and coupons and it's called Honey. Once you install the plug-in, which works with all the major browsers, the tool goes to work automatically every time you land on an e-commerce site. Instead of having to go to another tab to spend a bunch of time trying coupons that are mostly expired, Honey just alerts you with their logo when it turns orange in your browser toolbar. A green number will tell you how many offers are available for the page that you are on, so all you have to do is click the Honey icon and start saving! Get started at https://www.joinhoney.com