The Propeller - Propelling you into the new week! Tips, Newsbites, and Wisdom covering Life, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Finance, and the Internet

The Propeller – If Your Like Water, You Already like 72% of Me – 1-2-2024

One Week In…

We are one week into 2024, and I know many of you have made New Year resolutions.  Hopefully you haven’t given up on them yet.  Many times in January, the weather can be dreary – especially here in Ohio –  but you can ditch the January blues and unleash the financial beast and tech titan within! In 2024, imagine your bank account, not as a dusty ledger, but as a rocket fuel tank, each deposit a blast-off toward your dreams. That dusty laptop? See it as a launchpad for coding mastery skills or to start an online business. Embrace the tiny tweaks in your budget apps.  Remember, tiny ripples of action build financial tsunamis of freedom and tech tornados of skill. So, sharpen your spreadsheets, polish your keyboard, and conquer these resolutions with the fiery gusto of a budget samurai and the laser focus of a coding ninja. This year, your goals aren’t resolutions, they’re revolutions! Onward, champions, and paint your own masterpiece of a year, byte by glorious byte, dollar by triumphant dollar!

Tech: Set up a passkey for your Google account 

Google celebrated World Password Day last May by announcing support for passkeys, which could one day kill passwords.

As a refresher, passkeys let users sign in to apps and sites using a fingerprint, a face scan, a PIN, or a hardware security key. It’s meant to be a safer alternative to passwords. With passkeys, you won’t have to type your password when accessing your Google account on your various devices.

To try it out, go to g.co/passkeys and sign in. It’s best to do this on your iPhone or Android phone, though it also works in desktop browsers. Passkeys are automatically created for Android users. Press “Use passkeys” to activate.

iPhone users can make one by pressing “Create a passkey” and hitting Continue. This adds one to that device and saves it in the iCloud Keychain. After that, you’ll use Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone to log in.

Tech: Clean out the Dust!

Let’s talk about a common enemy lurking in the shadows of our digital lives: dust.

Those fluffy little tumbleweeds might seem harmless, but trust me, they’re the gremlins of the tech world, silently wreaking havoc on your precious computers, phones, and other electronics. Don’t believe me? Let me paint a picture:

Imagine this: Your laptop is chugging slower than a molasses truck uphill. The fan sounds like a jet engine taking off, and the screen flickers like a disco ball on overdrive. You blame the software, the internet, even the cat for walking across the keyboard (guilty as charged, maybe?). But the real culprit? Dust bunnies clogging up the vents and smothering the delicate internal components.

Or this: Your phone, once your trusty digital companion, becomes sluggish and unresponsive. Apps crash, the battery drains faster than a politician’s promise, and the heat radiating from it could roast a marshmallow. Again, you suspect gremlins, aliens, or maybe that rogue avocado emoji you accidentally texted your grandma. But the real culprit? Dust clogging up the charging port, speaker grills, and that tiny little air vent you never knew existed.

The horror! But fear not, my friends! With a little TLC (that’s “tender loving cleaning”), you can banish the dust bunnies and keep your electronics running like well-oiled machines. Here’s how:

For desktops: 

  • Power down and unplug everything! You wouldn’t poke a hornet’s nest with a fork while plugged into a live outlet, would you?
  • Open the case (consult your manual if you’re unsure).
  • Grab your trusty dust-busting arsenal: compressed air, a soft microfiber cloth, and maybe some cotton swabs for those hard-to-reach nooks.
  • Give it a gentle puff with the compressed air, then follow up with the cloth to capture the dislodged dust. Be careful not to over-blast delicate components!
  • Clean those fans! A build-up of dust can make them work harder, leading to overheating and noise.
  • Don’t forget the vents! They’re the lungs of your computer, so keep them clear for smooth breathing.
  • Put it all back together and power up! Enjoy the sweet, sweet hum of a dust-free machine.

For laptops and other electronics: 

  • Power down and unplug. Safety first!
  • Use a microfiber cloth (or a special electronics cleaning wipe) to gently wipe down the exterior. Don’t forget the screen!
  • For ports and vents, compressed air is your friend. Just a quick burst to loosen the dust, then follow up with a cotton swab or toothpick (gently!) to remove any stubborn bits.
  • Avoid harsh chemicals or liquids. They can damage your electronics, so stick to gentle cleaning methods.
  • Bonus tip: Regularly vacuum around your electronics to prevent dust buildup in the first place. Think of it as preventive maintenance for your tech!

Do similar cleaning on all your electronic devices including, gaming systems, TVs, DVD players, Tablets, Routers, WiFi access points, etc.  Dust can hurt all these devices and make them run much hotter and less efficiently – shortening their lifespan.

So there you have it, folks! A little dust-busting goes a long way in keeping your electronics happy and healthy. Remember, a clean machine is a happy machine (and a happy machine means less tech support calls for yours truly!). Now go forth and conquer those dust bunnies! Your electronics will thank you.

P.S. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure about cleaning your electronics, don’t hesitate to call in a professional (like, ahem, your friendly neighborhood tech guy). We’re always happy to help!

Happy cleaning!

Tech: Blocking Scam/Spam Calls

Sometimes it’s not possible to ignore the incessant spam calls, like offers to refinance your nonexistent house. That’s when it’s time to block ’em.  Note that many of these spam/scam callers user “spoofed” caller ID – meaning they fake the number that shows up when they call.  Each call they change this number so it becomes very hard to block them since they “call” from a different number each time.

On an iPhone, go to:

Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers 

Just know, it will block any caller not in your contacts, which could include legit incoming numbers like your dentist office.

Most newer Android phones can also block spam calls in their phone settings:

Phone app > More options > Settings > Spam and Call Screen (The nice thing about the Android Call Screen is that it will give you a “screen call” button when an unknown number calls you.)

Check to see if your carrier offers a spam-blocking and/or filtering app. These services block calls they believe are from scammers and let others through. Verizon’s got Call FilterAT&T has AT&T ActiveArmor, and T-Mobile Scam Shield.

Quote of the Week

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
— Albert Einstein
 

It always takes more than one try to solve the most important problems. Just stick with it and keep thinking. Try different angles, different assumptions, and different ways of processing the available information. With enough persistence, a solution always reveals itself eventually!

 

One byte at a time…

This is re-published from the weekly email sent by Leonard Mack entitled The Propeller. To subscribe, visit https://www.LeonardMack.com/subscribe and read it every Sunday evening.

This intellectual nourishment is intended for informational purposes only. One should not construe anything herein as being legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

My rule is this – I have no advice to give, only experience to share. I have no interest in being a guru or telling people what they should do. Rather, I share my own experience because there is no right or wrong. Your mileage may vary.