Data Doctors Tech Tips

For the most part, we've come to rely on critics to a certain extend when it comes to choosing a movie or binging a tv series. This isn't to say that what a critic likes is what you'll like and vice versa as we've all disagreed with them many times. Rather than guessing whether a specific critic has the same tastes in creative work as you, wouldn't it be nice to get more reviews from a group of critics? That's exactly what you will find at a website called MetaCritic! It combines the ratings from a number of well-known critics and creates a single score based on them all called a metascore. It's much more sophisticated than a simple thumbs up or down or even your basic star rating system. This score is prominently displayed on movies, tv show and music throughout the site, so it's a really quick way to find highly reviewed content. Make good decision quicker from now on using the scores at https://www.metacritic.com

Plastic containers dominate the retail landscape and those really thick, hard to open ones can also be a hazard to your fingers! The more expensive the item being packaged, the more likely it's using a large, very hard to open plastic container to prevent theft and to make it easier to hang on some retail display. How bad has this problem become? Bad enough to deserve it's own rage wiki page railing against the use of it! It's impossible to get into the package without using scissors or a sharp knife, both of which can cause various injuries of their own. When you finally get a portion of the package opened, you can't help but try to pry the rest of the package apart with your hands, which can get easily cut or nicked as a result. This type of packaging isn't likely to go away any time soon, so here's a suggestion that can make it less of a risk... .try a can opener! Not only is it safer, but it's also so much easier to open packages because of the leverage that the can opener provides. Give it a try the next time you're facing down a big ugly plastic clam shell package!

There's a potential connection between the extended use of a computer screen at night and struggling to go to sleep afterward. It's been shown that the bright light with the blueish tint can actually cause people to have trouble going to sleep after staring at the screen. If you want to reduce the chances of this happening to you or just want to reduce the eye strain common when using a computer in a dark room, check out a free app called Flux. It's a simple utility that can automatically adjust your display at sunset to a warmer tint that's easier on the eyes. It does this based on the clock in your computer and where you live. You can adjust the level of warmth or turn it off if you need to see colors properly. At first use, you'll likely not be all that interested in continuing with this strange hue, but over time, you'll see how it can help cut down on the effects of a bright display. You can download the Flux utility for Windows or Mac computers at: and#8232;https://justgetflux.com

Streaming music service like Spotify and Pandora are an excellent way to learn about new music groups or solo artists, but it's either put up with commercials or pay a monthly subscription. For anyone that loves to discover lesser-known bands and wants to do so for free without having to listen to commercials, there's an alternative to the majors called EarBits. Their approach is to spotlight independent artists from around the world that you aren't going to hear on the radio every 30 minutes. The apps and the website has tons of playlists or genres to choose from, so it's easy to find a bunch of new artists that fit your preferred type of music. I really love the Festival Guides they have because most of my best discoveries have been on smaller stages at big music festivals. Earbits makes it much easier to learn about all the great musicians that are working their way up the popularity ladder. Just search your app store for 'Earbits Music Discovery' or visit their web option at: https://earbits.com

If the 'middle of the week doldrums' has got you in its clutches, break out of it with this fun app! The 'Chatterpix' app will allow you to turn anything in your pictures into a talking animation. The way it works is you simply choose an image from your phone or iPad, drag your finger where you want the mouth to be, then record what you want your image to say. From there you can accentuate the image with filters, stickers and frames before you post it to social media or text it to someone. There is also a young child version called Chatterpix Kids that removes the sharing capabilities for kids from 5-12 years old. The apps are all free but only available for iOS devices. The company that makes the app, DuckDuckMoose has a number of kid-friendly apps that can also be educational, so check them all out at: http://www.duckduckmoose.com

No matter what age you are, it's likely that you have fond memories of comics and comic books. Most of us are not so immersed in the comic culture that we'll get dressed up and go to Comic-Con, but you can re-ignite the nostalgia with the Comic Studio app from Seedlings. This iPhone app makes it really simple to make yourself, your children or your friends and family the hero in their very own comic book.. It can use any picture you already have on your phone to get things started by removing the background and adding costumes and props to the story. Just like in the comics, you use thought or speech bubbles along with words like POW and KABAAAM to create action effects. To complete the story, you add a cool background and the legend is born! You don't have to be a comic book fanatic to enjoy this app, as it's great for communicating lots of things in a really amusing fashion. Check it out atand#160;https://www.seedling.com/comic

There are so many electronic devices that can take a picture these days, but they aren't the same as a regular camera in so many ways, such as the flash. Despite what most people think, using your flash is not limited to low light situations. Light is one of the most important elements in picture taking and too much light in the wrong places can make people in your pictures appear to be overexposed. There are actually times when using your flash, especially if you have a stronger flash on a point and shoot camera can save the day. Smartphone flash strength is pretty low, so they tend to only have any impact if you are close to your subject, especially in daylight. The worse setup is when you have your subjects in direct sunlight, causing them to squint and be overexposed. Moving them to a shaded area can fix both problems! Using your flash indoors can also cause images to be overexposed, especially since most newer smartphones have low light sensitivity capabilities. As with most electronic devices, playing around with the settings well before you need them to work properly is the key. Spend some time experimenting with your cameras for the best results!

Your smartphone is still pretty safe from malicious apps as long as you haven't tampered with the built-in protection and stick to getting your apps from the associated app stores. The tampering is known as jailbreaking or rooting your phone because it opens the device up to load anything from anywhere. In the past, those users were the only ones that needed to be extremely careful about loading apps, but now everyone should. There are lots of scams that can appear as compelling text messages or emails that include a link to get the app the message is talking about. Those that fall for these clever messages, that may even be from people you trust, clicking the link can lead to trouble. That someone you trust could easily have been compromised so the bad guys can trick their friends and family. Just remember to only install apps that you specifically went looking for and not from links on websites, emails or texts. For some additional protection, you can download the free personal version of Lookout to watch over you as well: and#160;https://www.lookout.com/products/personal

For those of us that spend a lot of time in nature away from any type of signal, the traditional mapping options aren't nearly as useful. In most cases, it's not that important, but when it is, there's an option for iPhone users that is much more useful called Anchor Pointer. It's an app that takes full advantage of the GPS in your iPhone to provide much more detailed navigation options. One of the coolest features is the ability to create 'anchors' which are the same as waypoints in a traditional expensive GPS device. It's great for marking points of interest for future hikes or to make sure you know how to get back to your starting point. It's a really great way to make sure you know how far you are from the nearest anchor, which can take all the stress out of being in an unfamiliar and unmarked area. If your friends also have the app on their iPhones, you can make it easy to meet up at a specific point. Learn all about the capabilities of this $4 app at: https://apple.co/2VKlB14

Are you someone that seems to be more productive when you hang out at a busy coffee shop? Well, it's most likely not the coffee but the shop that is creating an environment that improves your output. There's actually been research that shows that it can make a difference as a totally quiet or extremely noisy surroundings has shown to be distracting for many. It turns out that the low hum of activity in a coffee shop may be just right. No need to go to a coffee shop to test this approach for yourself with the sounds available to you at https://coffitivity.com There are some basic soundtracks you can test that will replicate the sounds like those found on college campuses and coffee shops where lots of people tend to get work done. Once you've tested and found the sounds useful via their website, you can take it with you via their iPhone app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/coffitivity/id669576390 It may be one way to survive the working from home change that so many of you are struggling with!