BRUCEB NEWS
The Return Of Bruceb News
I’m going to change what arrives in your mailbox in a very minor way. You don’t have to do anything except whitelist my emails when they get sent to junk mail. (Gmail sometimes sends them to “Promotions” for some reason.) Here’s the short version. I’m retired from...
Am I The Only One Who Didn’t Know That Surge Protectors Wear Out?
Surge protectors wear out. A few thunderstorms, or just day to day use for a couple of years, and they are completely useless for power surges. And you know how you can tell? You...
Vote 2018
To all my US readers: This is what history looks like when it’s happening. If you don’t get to the polls, or if you turn away because the line is long, you will regret it for the...
Google Knows So Much About You That It’s Creepy, But It Might Not Be An Invasion Of Privacy
The term “invasion of privacy” is distracting us from understanding important issues. Invasion of privacy is frequently thrown around as a core issue where consumers need...
Office Tip: How To Make Outlook Easier To Use On A Touchscreen
This tip is for anyone who uses the desktop version of Outlook on a laptop with a touchscreen. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, this is for you. If you’re not a...
The End Of New Product Announcements
In the last two months, there have been major announcements of new products by every computer and phone manufacturer on the planet. You don’t know about any of them, do you? On...
Store Your Files In The Server In The Sky
It’s time to move your files to the cloud. Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive now all have plans that support an important feature: You can store your files online and access them with...
Something You Know, Something You Have: Better Security With Two Factor Authentication
Two factor authentication adds an extra step to the process of logging into your accounts. It's inconvenient. It makes you safer. Until recently two factor authentication was...
Saving Passwords In Google Chrome Is Better Than Nothing (And That’s A Good Thing!)
Google has improved the password management built into the Chrome browser. It’s . . . okay! Not bad! Better than nothing, absolutely. Saving passwords in Chrome is easy and kind...
Why You Should Be Using LastPass
The most important thing you can do to improve your security is to use LastPass. It’s more convenient and more secure than a notebook in the desk drawer or any password system...
The Password Lecture
We have to talk about passwords. We're going to start exactly where you expect: with a lecture about your sloppy habits, as if you're a kid who's about to be sent to the corner....
OneDrive Can Automatically Back Up Your Documents, Pictures And Desktop Folders
Microsoft has made it easier to protect your Documents, Pictures and Desktop folders using OneDrive. OneDrive has become more reliable and many of you already have enough storage...
Logging In To A PC With A Microsoft Account Is Overrated
With the collapse of the Microsoft consumer ecosystem, there are fewer reasons all the time to sign into Windows 10 with a personal Microsoft account. I'm finding I frequently...
Security Alert: Chrome Extensions And Notifications Are Being Used For Adware
Adware has started to turn up again, using Chrome extensions and notifications as a way to display annoying ads and muck up the time we spend on our computers and phones – as if...
The Samsung Ecosystem: When Technology Is Driven By Jealousy
Samsung is a global electronics company with hundreds of thousands of employees. It is the world's largest information technology company, consumer electronics maker and...
The Microsoft Ecosystem: Evolution And Extinction
Microsoft does not have an ecosystem for consumers or small businesses in 2018. There is very little synergy between Microsoft products and almost nothing locks us into Microsoft...