Google Wants To Surround You With Invisible Assistants

Nov 3, 2019 | Amazon, Android, Apple, Echo, Google, Google Home, hardware, home assistants, photos, Privacy, web_services

Part 1: Ambient Computing – Buzzwords That Are Changing Your World You don’t notice an automatic door when it opens. Google, Amazon, and Apple want to make it so natural to interact with their devices that you don’t even notice that you’re...

Ambient Computing: Buzzwords That Are Changing Your World

Oct 28, 2019 | Amazon, Android, Apple, Echo, Google, Google Home, hardware, home assistants, phone, web_services

(Sonoma County fires: we have evacuated to a safe place and our house is not threatened. All of our thoughts and best wishes go out to those in danger or suffering losses.) Hey Google . . . What time is my flight today? How long will it take to drive to Oakland...

How To Set Up A New Windows 10 PC Without A Microsoft Account

Oct 9, 2019 | Apple, domains, Google, Microsoft, Privacy, security, web_services, Windows tips, Windows10

There are good reasons to set up a new Windows 10 PC without a Microsoft account, even if you intend to link it to a Microsoft account eventually. The bad news is that Microsoft is pushing its own agenda and using deception to hide the option of setting up a local...

Dark Patterns Are Evil – And They’re Everywhere

Oct 6, 2019 | business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Privacy, spam, web_services, Windows10

I hate to interrupt the steady flow of happiness and joy in the news, but I want to call your attention to a small way that our civilization is degrading into a dystopian hell. Once I describe it, you’ll notice it everywhere. The web is filled with dark patterns...

Security Tip: Use Authy For Two-Factor Authentication

Sep 19, 2019 | Android, Apple, backup, LastPass, phone, security, web_services

I want to talk to you about two-factor authentication and why you should use Authy to generate codes on your phone. Oh, come on! Don’t give me that look. I know you don’t want to think about this stuff. It’s roughly like having an insurance...

Your Office 365 Mailbox Is Not Backed Up (But It’s . . . Wait, Is That Okay?)

Aug 25, 2019 | backup, mail, Microsoft, Office 365, Outlook, web_services

If your small or midsize business uses Office 365, there is probably no backup of your mailboxes. A backup – long-term retention of a copy of your mailbox in a separate place – requires a third-party service at startling expense. It’s starting to be...