Chrome
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 protection against tech companies. Apple has made it the cornerstone of its marketing.
The European Union has enacted strict privacy laws for websites that obtain any kind of identifiable information about users. […] continued
Read moreSomething 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 only used by techies and high value targets in government and enterprises. The world has gotten more dangerous and two factor authentication has become easier to use. […] continued
Read moreSaving 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 of secure, as long as you take a couple of precautions that we’ll talk about below.
First, to be clear: everyone should use LastPass or another full-fledged password manager. […] continued
Read moreThese Shocking Facts About LastPass Will Make Your Jaw Drop
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 that relies on your memory. Once you have confidence in LastPass (or any password manager), you can use unique random passwords (the ones that look like this: g88*GZ&&HwRx) for every website. […] continued
Read moreSecurity 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 we didn’t have enough to worry about.
In the old days, we installed adware on our Windows computers when we clicked “yes” on the wrong website popup or as unwanted companions to “free” programs. […] continued
Read moreThe 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 chipmaker by revenue. Samsung sells more smartphones than any other manufacturer by a large margin.
(You think Apple is number two in smartphone sales, and you’re a bit surprised it’s not number one, right? […] continued
Read moreThe Google Ecosystem: You Will Be Assimilated
Google is an advertising company. Its incentives are all tied to maximizing engagement with places where you will see ads served up by Google’s ad network. But that has more depth than you realize, driven by Google’s desire to have those ads be more effective and tailored to you than anyone else’s ads, combined with a strong ethical culture and the sheer joy of technology. […] continued
Read moreTalk To Your Computer: Speech Recognition In Windows 10 And Office
Microsoft has quietly improved the speech recognition features in Windows 10 and in the Office programs. They’re still not great but you might want to give them a try if you haven’t talked to your computer in a while.
One fundamental truth has not changed: If you are serious about dictating on a computer, there is no alternative to the Dragon Naturally Speaking products. […] continued
Read moreDon’t Want To Live On The Edge? How To Change The Default PDF Viewer In Windows 10
The first thing everyone does with a new computer is install Google Chrome. That’s the last time we want to see Microsoft Edge, the uninspiring Windows 10 web browser.
At some point, though, you will click on a PDF and Edge will open up. You will wince and possibly scream involuntarily. […] continued
Read moreHow To Use Google To Change Your Image
If you’re looking for a picture to use in a project – a Powerpoint presentation, Word document, blog post, whatever – you probably do a Google image search. Google has made that a bit more difficult.
A few weeks ago Google removed a button that made it easy to save images from a web search. […] continued
Read moreGoogle Blocks Ads In Chrome, Kind Of
Google has updated Chrome so it will block ads on some websites if the ads violate standards established by the Coalition For Better Ads. Google and Facebook are members of the Coalition. Google and Facebook are also the two companies that profit the most from web advertising, controlling almost 75% of all digital advertising in the United States. […] continued
Read moreConnecting The Always Connected PCs
Previously: Looking Forward: Always Connected Computers
If you were paying attention during the previous lecture, you know that Microsoft is working with Qualcomm on “Always Connected PCs.” HP, Lenovo, Asus and other manufacturers will soon be selling laptops that are always on and always connected and offer long battery life. […] continued
Read moreLooking Forward: Always Connected Computers
Stretch your imagination.
Imagine that you pull your laptop out and pop the lid open and start using it right away. There’s no delay, no swirling circle – it’s just on, bang, every time. You put your finger on the fingerprint reader and you’re logged in immediately.
Now imagine that the computer is always online with a working internet connection. […] continued
Read moreThe 2017 Bruceb News Year In Review
A year ago I wrote this prediction: “The word of the year for 2017 is “chaos.” Write it down, seal it in an envelope, open it up a year from now and see if I got it right.”
I think I get full marks. (Although Dictionary.com chose “complicit” as the word of the year, which has a certain snarky charm.)
We are in a transitional time in technology, with a handful of very large companies – Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft – accumulating power and wealth and dominating the landscape. […] continued
Read moreHow To Set Up A Chromebook
Chromebook series
Why Your Next Laptop Might Be A Chromebook
Which Chromebook Should You Buy?
Setting up a Chromebook is easy. That’s the point of a Chromebook, right? Supply the credentials for your Google account, connect to wi-fi, and you’re able to start browsing a few seconds later. […] continued
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