Data Doctors Tech Tips

Anyone that has to take multiple medication, especially those that have to do so multiple times during the day knows the potential for confusion. An app that can both assist in the scheduling and reminders of pill taking as well as save its users from bad interactions is available called Mango Health. Knowing what you can or can't eat or drink around pill taking time is another cool feature of this free app. It's extremely easy to get setup and use, because all you do is generate your schedule based on your current prescriptions and the app does its magic. Because most of us can easily forget to take a pill that helps us to improve our memory, but seem to always remember to have our phones with us, this app is such a great tool for pill takers: https://www.mangohealth.com

Have you ever noticed that the citizens of lots of other countries typically speak multiple languages? Isn't it about time we stepped up our bi-lingual game too? Technology has made it much easier to translate small segments of a foreign language, but it's far from actually learning that language. If you'd like to try learning a new language in a more interactive and engaging manner, checkout the options at Duolingo.com By connecting you to your friends that are also interested in learning a new language, you can encourage each other through gamification. Their approach is to take the boredom out of learning a new language, so if you can commit a couple of minutes every day, you may be surprised how quickly you progress. Download the app or start using this totally free, but powerful service online at https://www.duolingo.com

If you own or manage a business, do you know what your customers are saying about you online? Most customers make buying decisions based on reviews, so knowing what people are saying and responding to them is an essential process to manage your online reputation. A clear first step is use a free but powerful tool from Google called Google Alerts, which will automatically send you an email alert whenever your business is mentioned anywhere online that Google includes in their search results. It's quick and easy to start getting alerts just by putting your name in the alert. Be sure to use quotation marks if your business name has multiple words in it, so you don't get a bunch of meaningless alerts. Remember, you can't fix a customer problem that you aren't aware of, so don't look at negative reviews as something you should ignore. It's actually a great way to show the world that you care when you respond to someone that posts a less than glowing review of their experience with you. No business is perfect, so stepping up when something goes wrong is a solid approach in today's online reputation game.

How often do you wonder whether you have the best cellular service where you live and work? Do your friends have better service than you or is it the other way around? The reality is that where you spend most of your time day and night will have the biggest impact on which providers is best suited to your needs. Whenever you're trying to figure out if it's time to switch carriers, instead of asking your friends and family, use the real-world coverage map data that's available at http://rootmetrics.com It's based on actual users on a cell-by-cell basis, so you can actually track the specific areas around your place of work and where you live. You can get a generalized score for your entire city as well, so you get the best coverage around town. If you download their app and use it around town, you will be contributing to the communities data, so others that are trying to make a decision can do so based on current measurement data that you helped provide!

Do you have friends or family that just can't remember that Google has the answers for most of what they keep asking you? If you're the one that's always being asked questions that are simply available by asking any of the search engines, today's tip is for you.and#160; Start amusing yourself when asked those simple questions by making use of Let Me Google That For You or http://lmgtfy.com You just type in the simple question that they could have typed themselves and the website does the rest. You simply copy the link that the site generates based on your question and send it to the person that could use a gentle nudge to start using Google themselves. When they click on the link that you send, not only does it show them to go to Google, it shows them step-by-step in an animated way what they could have done for themselves. Not only can it help you educate your friends and family, it's a ton of fun at the same time!

Did you know that you can find inexpensive or even free alternatives to those expensive programs that you thought you had to use? It's still a lesser known fact that there are lots of programs referred to as 'open source' that can provide the utility that all the well known brand-name programs have even offering. Because of the open source movement, programmers from around the world contribute to improving software that can them be used by anyone that wants to try it. Our go-to resource for finding these alternatives to mainstream software is at https://alternativeto.net It's really easy to find any alternatives for a software program that you don't want to spend big bucks on when you use the search function at the website. The programs listed as alternatives work with just about every major operating system you are using. This is another obvious bookmark opportunity so you can quickly find a cheap alternative the next time you need one!

If you have noticed that popping around the Internet has become a bit slower, you're probably not imagining things, especially if you like opening a lot of different pages at the same time. it's really great that we can have lots of different web pages open at the same time, but that can come at a cost. Separate tabs are great because it makes it easy to go from one unrelated page to another. The problem with this helpful option is that it will consume lots of working memory with each new tab that you open. The best approach to this awesome capability is to not get overly generous with the number of tabs you open. The reason that you should pay attention to how many websites you open at the same time is that it can reduce the speed of everything you do on your computer. For those that have a chronic problem with too many tabs, there's an add-on for that if you use Google's browser.and#160; Instead of piling up the open websites, the OneTab add-on will consolidate all of the background tabs into one page. By doing so, it frees up lots of wasted memory so your computer can run more efficiently even though you are a tab-o-holic! Get this cool add-on at https://www.one-tab.com

It's the 4th of July and that means that we're all going to be watching the sky light up with fireworks. Anyone that's struggled to get a decent picture of the light show in the sky, should listen closely to today's tip. If you don't understand what it takes to be successful, it's nearly impossible to get that perfect shot as the flashes pop above you. With just a few quick adjustments to what you've been doing can easily improve your results. Keeping your camera perfectly still is critical, so start by getting a tripod that will make it possible. The flash is useless, so turn it off and look for either a night or better yet, a fireworks setting. For even better results, look for a 'burst' mode, which take a lot of pictures in succession. Try to setup at a place where you aren't shooting straight up, but rather from a far enough distance that the show is more in front of you. For those with cameras that offer manual setting options, a more detailed list of suggestions is posted https://www.datadoctors.com/help/columns/21938-Tips-for-Photographing-Fireworks

Today's tip will help keep you from missing shows from your favorite bands that come to your area. Rather than having to track your favorite bands individually via social media or a fan website, here's a way to track them all in one place. Start by visiting the https://www.bandsintown.com website, where you can get the app for your smartphone and connect your Facebook profile for a much easier way to track show for your favorite groups. Once you've get it all setup, you'll get a notice every time one of your favs is set to play in your town as well as provide options of similar bands. The real power of this app is how it cultivates the lists of the bands you love so you don't miss their next gig. It does it by scanning the various music apps on your smartphone along with the songs that you listen to a lot and the bands that you like on Facebook. With Bands in Town you can let technology do all the work so you can catch your favorite artists when they come to your town!

The single most important security protection you have is your passwords and it's critical that you avoid using the same one everywhere. There are many free password management tools available including one of our favorites called LastPass, but we also understand that apps may become overwhelming. As much as I love technology solutions for common problems, there's a non-technical option that you can use: just write them down. Don't display them in plain sight, but rather keep them written down in a safe place like a file on your computer or smartphone. Avoid making it obvious that it's a password list and use a way to mislead anyone that happens to find the file. Create your own special encryption like add four or five random characters in front or after your real password so only you will know what the actual password is. Remember that a single company that you have an account with will expose the password you're using everywhere, so instead write them down so they're all different.