Data Doctors Tech Tips

In all my time helping people with technology, one consistent problem seems to always pop up - everyone knows about the importance of backing up their important files, but most people never can seem to make it important enough to get it setup. If this most important task is still on your 'to do' list and you're looking for the motivation to make it a priority, see if this helps: The awful reality of being hit by ransomware, which will lock you out of your own files, including any backup device that's connected, is getting worse. The current attacks can even spread by themselves, often using methods that we have not seen before. Anyone that's a victim of this scan that doesn't have an off-site copy of their files data will either have to lose everything or pay hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars in order to regain access to their files. Secure on-line backup services like Carbonite's unlimited package are the best tool for avoiding ever having to pay, because those backed up files aren't accessible via your computer when you're attacked. This is a wake up call for anyone that's still using the old way of backing up their files! Home Products: http://partners.carbonite.com/datadoctors?product=Home Office Products: http://partners.carbonite.com/datadoctors?product=Office

If you're like me, you constantly bop between various computers and your smartphone, so having an easy way to push info between them would be great, wouldn't it? For those times when you'd like to push something from your computer to your smartphone, or vice versa, there's a free app called Pushbullet that can do just that! The Pushbullet system is the combination of a Google Chrome web app and a mobile app for Android or iPhone that makes sending just about anything between your devices really simple. Everything from your notes, useful web urls, addresses, lists, pictures or just about any kind of file can be sent between your daily devices. Unlike the steps required by online services such as DropBox and Google Drive, Pushbullet allows you to share without having to download files or open a special app. You can also use Pushbullet to send items to other people like your friends, family or co-workers. Android users can also mirror their smartphone notifications on their computers. Here are the links to get started: Web App: https://www.pushbullet.com Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pushbullet.android iPhone App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pushbullet/id810352052

We've all seen those reality shows that use some form of a 'make over' as their theme, but most of us have no interest in becoming a national spectacle during the process. Anyone that's ever thought of some minor or major hairdo change, a change of which makeup they use or is just curious what they'd look like with say blue contacts, today's tip is for you. A website called https://Taaz.com has a pretty impressive online makeover system that is really easy to use and creates useful results in minutes. You start by uploading your picture then experiment with various elements like your skin, lips, eyes, hair and finish with accessories. Anyone thinking of emulating various celebrities can incorporate their look on your picture with a simple couple of clicks of the mouse. The site also offers Halloween ideas which allows you to see what you'd look like as the Mad Hatter or an Avatar character or the various Lady Gaga options you might want. This tool is more suited to assist women that are trying to decide on various brands of makeup, us guys can still use it for a basic makeover as well.

Social networks have become a vital communication tool, both personally and professionally for most of us. If you are in business, keeping your LinkedIn profile updated is vital for what I call "the business networking on steroids". But new users of the network can get confused about the best way to handle requests to connect from others that you don't know. Don't treat it like Facebook; LinkedIn is best suited to help you meet people you may not know at all, which allows you to grow your network of contacts. If you were at a real-world business event, turning down someone's business card just because you didn't know them would be strange behavior, right? Well, that's how i think of LinkedIn. With just a few exceptions, I generally give their profile a quick check and accept any connection request if it looks like a real profile. Profiles that don't have a picture, have very few connections or have little to no info about the person are my exceptions. Keep in mind, you can always delete someone if you feel like they're abusing the connection. If you need the steps for kicking someone from your LinkedIn network, here they are: http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/49/kw/remove%20a%20connection

Today's tip is based on our need to put a lot of space in your noggin. Techies that use their tech every day often assume that everyone knows of all the shortcuts available on their devices. On occasion, someone that sees me doing something quick will remind me that shortcuts are not as commonly known as we assume. Let's use the space bar for example. It does way more for you than just adding spaces between words as you are typing. Checkout this tip for when you are browsing the Internet on a computer and you want to scroll the page down that doesn't require your mouse. Simply tap the space bar and it will scroll your web page down exactly one screen. To scroll back up, you can hold the 'Shift' key and tap your space bar to scroll on screen up. While typing on your mobile devices and you come to the end a sentence, try tapping your spacebar twice in a row to end with a period. It is much faster than searching around for the period key!

For most of us, using text messaging is a critical daily method of communication with just about everyone we know and when something happens to our smartphones, we're completely out of sorts.and#160; Whether we leave our phones somewhere or it get's broken or stolen, it's bound to happen to all of us. Did you know that you can log into carrier's your online account which will allow you to send and receive texts from any computer as if it's coming from your phone? I'd highly recommend you figure how it works before you're next crisis! For those that don't know their account info or just haven't ever had a need to use their online text option, get it figured out before you're in dire need.and#160; If your carrier doesn't support online texting from your phone number or you're in urgent need to send a text, checkout this free online texting option at https://Textem.net One downside of this service is that you'll need to choose which cellular provider your recipient is using or it won't work. Texting from something other than your smartphone is vital when your phone goes missing or is broken, so don't wait until you need it to learn how to do it!

Anyone that's been on what we call the 'Facebook cruise ship' for any period of time will have accumulated some 'Facebook barnacles' in their profile. We refer to Facebook barnacles as apps that have gained access to your profile because you tried a new app or played a silly game once and forgot all about. Even though you no longer use those old apps, the company behind it still has access to your profile. You may be surprised by how many apps you have given this type of permission to that still have access to your profile. It's time for clean up so take a few minutes and review that list of apps that you have allowed into your profile. Just tap the gear icon in the upper right corner of Facebook, then the Account settings to access the Apps section. When you see the list of apps, just click the X next to any app you no longer want or need, which should make you feel much better! The link to the instructions is located at: https://www.facebook.com/help/170585223002660

The upcoming summer travel season can often lead to road trips complete with lots of unexpected memories - sometimes they're good, sometimes not.and#160; I enjoy discovering quirky and 'off the beaten path' and places when I travel, but a lot of the really good stuff only comes from locals.and#160; If you want help discovering the fun and unusual places on your next road trip, checkout a website called Roadtrippers. You begin the planning by typing in your start and end which allows you to start searching various attractions, accommodations, entertainment, food, drink, history, nature or lots of other interesting options.and#160; You can add items along the way to determine how much longer it'll take and how much gas you might use to complete your trip.and#160; After you've created your itinerary, you can sync it to your phone using their mobile apps which include turn-by-turn directions to each destination.and#160; If that all sounds like too much work, there are pre-existing itineraries available that you can modify to your taste.and#160; https://RoadTrippers.com

It's pretty common for us all to provide our e-mail addresses while interacting with most websites, but so often, it leads to an onslaught of marketing messages. Anyone that uses the same email address for every online interaction will find that it is very difficult to figure out who's responsible for sending the which unwanted message. A great way to avoid this common problem is to use an alternative e-mail address, especially for non-essential situations. If you are a Gmail user, you may not know that you can easily create something called ' liases' for all of your accounts. In Gmail, for instance, you can create an alias for eBay when your primary address is 'name'@gmail.com by using [email protected] as your alias. Once you do this, it allows you to setup filters which will auto-sort messages sent to each alias which will skip the Inbox and send it to Trash or apply a star or automatically forward the messages to another account. There are no limits to the number of aliases you can create and it's great way to track every message from any given site you're sent whenever you buy or sign up for anything. Managing your incoming messages can make things so much easier to deal with!

Any parent of teenagers is familiar with the ongoing challenge of getting them to start doing their own laundry. The number one excuse is generally 'I don't know how', so for tech savvy teens, there's an app for that! The 'Complete Laundry Care' app for iOS devices provides the instructions for everything from washing, drying, folding, ironing and it even shows a chart that explains the 'machine wash symbols' on most tags. This app provides step-by-step instructions that starts with sorting to setting timers for washing and drying while providing alert timers to keep your distracted teen from forgetting their chore at hand. It's a good way to help new college students from destroying their wardrobe in their first semester; no more of the 'throw it all in together' approach to laundry. This useful laundry care app could be for anyone no matter what age they are that hasn't quite gotten the hang of the whole laundry process. It can save them thousands of dollars over their life if they get it right! Complete Laundry Care App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/complete-laundry-care/id833637165