Data Doctors Tech Tips

Most of us continue to get many e-mail messages that end with things like 'Sent from my iPad' or 'Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8'.and#160; These default 'signatures' on most mobile devices are designed to advertise for the manufacturer of your device without your input.and#160; They know that many of you won't bother to change the defaults and they end up with millions of free mini-ads.and#160; With the number of messages that we still see using these free mini-ads at the end, it's pretty obvious that this approach is working for them.and#160; Proclaiming that you've sent a message from your mobile device can in some cases be a minor security risk, so we should all take a minute and update our smartphones email messaging signature today.and#160; For business users, an updated signature is a great way to send contact info with every message and help recipients become aware of your company's blog, website or other important marketing tools.and#160; We have posted the links to provide step by step instructions for iPhone, Android and even Blackberry devices to stop you from being a pawn for smartphone companies.and#160; iOS and Android: https://www.pcworld.com/article/2052156/how-to-change-your-email-signature-on-your-smartphone.htmland#160; Blackberry: http://helpblog.blackberry.com/2013/07/blackberry-10-how-to-set-up-an-email-signatureand#160;

When you are trying to decide on watching new movies, TV shows, or listening to new music, respected critics are one source of information.and#160; But often times, don't you find that you'll love a movie that a famous critic hated?and#160; Unless your tastes are exactly the same as any critic, you really should be looking to see what a number of them are saying to get a consensus.and#160; Many websites have ratings from several critics, but if you want to really tap into the wisdom of the crowds, visit https://metacritic.com The Metacritic website will combine the opinions of the most respected critics into a single number that they call their 'metascore'.and#160; The algorithm they claim is unique takes the averages of well-known critics so you can avoid having to click around to a bunch of sites to see what the critics are saying.and#160; Metacritic.com quickly shows you all the movies that are showing in the theaters, available on DVD or are coming soon along with the consensus of the critics.and#160; This resource is also a great way to discover new music as well, which is why we think this is a worthy bookmark site.

Did you all know that carrots were actually purple in the beginning or that Abe Lincoln formed the Secret Service on the day he was shot? The web is loaded with useless information that not going to change your life, but will make you say, huh!and#160; Most of us learn about these interesting factoids by chance or randomly from a social media post but why allow this type of knowledge to come to you by chance?and#160; Anyone that loves factoids as much as I do should checkout a website called NowIKnow and subscribe to their daily emails.and#160; Every day, you will receive an interesting email message with something that will most likely make you say "huh" or in some cases make you a bit smarter.and#160; With NowIKnow.com, you'll learn something new daily such as the world's shortest war lasted 40 minutes and how the turkey actually got its name. http://nowiknow.com

If you have been wanting to learn how to speed read, but not bad enough to pay for a course, there's an Internet site that you may want to check out.and#160; It's called Spreeder.com and it's an online speed reading tool that can help you improve your reading speed as well as comprehension.and#160; According to the site, it's an art of silencing subvocalization, which is just another way of saying your inner voice that most of us hear when we're reading.and#160; The online app helps you improve the way that you read so you aren't held back by your slower inner voice.and#160; Reading skills are typically developed when we're young and taught to verbalize all the words.and#160; Spreeder allows you to break away from that learned approach by exercising your mind in a completely new way and it is free to use, so give it a try for yourself. https://www.spreeder.com/app.php

Anyone that works on their computer at night on a regular basis may find it hard to get to sleep afterwards.and#160; That blueish light coming from the computer screen especially at night has been shown to keep people from getting to sleep afterwards.and#160; Anyone experiencing this sleeping after use problem or anyone wanting to reduce the potential for eye strain from your computer screen should checkout a free app called 'Flux'.and#160; The Flux download will automatically warm up the computer screen at sunset and returns it to normal after sunrise because it will know the time zone of your computer.and#160; It lets you adjust the warmth of the display at night or manually turn it off whenever you're doing color sensitive work.and#160; It may take a bit to get used to, but once you see the brightness of the normal setting on your display, you will understand why this change can help.and#160; Flux is free and available for Windows and Mac users at Justgetflux.comand#160; http://justgetflux.com

You'll be paid just for taking surveys! You've likely seen these email and social media posts from unknown companies proclaiming that you will be rewarded just for sharing your opinion.and#160; While some can be legitimate, most should be considered scams, so unless you have done your research, you should always be skeptical.and#160; But what if there really was a legitimate company that was truly willing to reward you for taking surveys on your Android smartphone?and#160; Well the folks at Google created the Google Opinion Rewards app which will allow you to earn credits in the Play Store for taking those surveys.and#160; It's an easy system that will only show up once a week or so and every time you answer their simple questions, credits are added to your account so you can purchase apps, movies, books or music in their store.and#160; Sample questions include "which logo is best" or "what was on your TV last night". The app will notify you whenever a new survey is available.and#160; Search for Google's 'Opinion Rewards' app in the Google Play store.and#160; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.paidtasksand#160;

The Android OS is the most popular mobile platform on the planet, but along with that leadership comes the bad news: it's also the most targeted mobile OS on the planet. Infected apps are most commonly posted on sites outside of Google Play, so only downloading your apps from Google's store is a solid strategy. But even with all the security Google has in place, it's still possible for an occasional malicious apps to sneak by, which is why having a second layer of protection, like the free Malwarebytes app is a prudent step in security. The app will scan your smartphone for anything questionable that's already installed and scan every app you download in the future to provide you with a report automatically. It also runs background scans regularly to ensure infected files did not sneak in and includes a privacy scanner to show you what an app will access to on your device. Malwarebytes has been an excellent tool for Windows users for along time and now their method of fighting malware is available for Android users... for free! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.malwarebytes.antimalware

We're all becoming more focused on the importance of eating a balanced diet, but for most , 1/3 of your caloric-intake comes when we eat away from home. Until recently, there just wasn't that much info readily available that would help diners make the best choices, but thankfully we can find nutritional information for many restaurants online, as long as you are willing to take the time to find it. A website that is making it a lot easier to find is called 'MenuStat' because they've created a database of nutritional info that can make it much easier to analyze what you are interested in ordering. This free nutritional database has over thirty five thousand items served by many of the country's largest restaurant chains which it has aggregated from nutritional info posted on websites going back to 2012. Hungry for some Kung Pao chicken or a chicken caesar salad with an acceptable calorie count? Just type the items into the Quick Search menu to see your options. If you want to dig deeper into the dishes that are still using high portions of trans fat, cholesterol or sodium, just search for it. MenuStat.org can help you avoid something that is listed as gluten free, but that loaded with calories for instance. This resource is very bookmark worthy: http://menustat.org

Anyone that is a regular business traveler has a well tested routine along with timelines to minimize delays and travel hickups. But even if you are a seasoned road warrior, there is one thing that has always been a variable in the airport: security checkpoint lines. Those that travel the same basic routes regularly might have a good idea of what to expect, but anyone can do much better than simple gut feel with the WhatsBusy website. WhatsBusy shows you how long you can expect to stand in a security line at most major airports based on when you are arriving at the airport. Just pick an airport, the day you'll be traveling and what time you plan on getting to the airport and It will analyze the historical data from the TSA and give you an estimate of the security wait times. It will break the info down by terminal, the various gates and in half hour increments, which allows you to see if you should consider getting there a earlier or a little later to avoid long lines. WhatsBusy is available as a web-based service on any computer or mobile device http://www.whatsbusy.com/airport

Most of us have some form of 'bucket list' of things we want to do before we pass on. A site called 'BucketListly' is an online community for bucket list fans that wants to help inspire users to leave a mark on this world. Bucketlistly aims to assist anyone unlock achievements in the real world and inspire others to follow in those footsteps via their interactive community. You begin by compiling your own bucket list by posting all the goals you want to achieve. This beings your community discussions and helps you get advice, tips and tricks from others that have already done your bucket list items. You can even join others online that share your same goasl to encourage each other to help make it happen. No matter what you want to do, learn to surf, hike the Himalayas or meet with the Dalai Lama, there are members of the community on the site that have likely 'been there and done that' and they are willing to share how they made it happen! Get a jump on your bucket list today at: http://www.bucketlistly.com