Sometimes buying a new device isn't our best option Buying a new device vs. making what we have work. I think about this dilemma a lot. Why? Number one, I want to make sure my clients have the best setup for their particular situation. Number two, I like to save people money. Number three, our society has a rapidly-growing problem of electronic waste ("e-waste"), and I want to add as little to the pile as possible. What is e-waste anyway? From one of my previous posts, you may have read about how the phones, computers, printers, TVs, and cords we throw out contribute toxic materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, and beryllium into the ground in our landfills. Additionally, these devices don't disappear. They're not biodegradable so they just continue to pile up. According to the Global e-Waste Monitor Report, 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste was generated worldwide in 2019. To put that into something visible for comparison, it's roughly the same weight as 535 aircraft carriers. What can we do when our shiny-new tech becomes our faded-old tech? When that smartphone starts to lose its ability to hold a charge after a few years, you can try replacing the battery instead of buying a new one. A new battery can usually be replaced in a few minutes, and it certainly costs less than a new phone. Likewise, if your computer is annoyingly slow, or is running out of storage, all it may need is new memory cards or a new hard drive. These are easily installable. There are many places around Ann Arbor that offer such services. What's the hidden impact of buying a new device? Perhaps even more important than saving money, is keeping your device out of the mountain of e-waste that's piling up. Moreover, the carbon footprint of making something new is probably higher than you ever imagined. For example, according to Apple, making a brand new iPhone 11 Pro 512 GB creates 83.52 kg (184.16 lbs) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2e). This is roughly the same amount of C02e as a Delta flight from Detroit to Chicago. Why is the environmental impact so high? In order to make a new device, raw materials must be sourced, mined, processed, etc. Those materials then go to a manufacturing plant to make the device. The device is then packaged and shipped multiple times (to the company's warehouse, to the store or another warehouse, and often to the consumer). Here's a graphic that shows the life cycle of the aforementioned iPhone 11 (note that using the phone only accounts for 13% of the CO2 emissions): So why is this tech guy sounding so preachy?
My goal is always to make sure that each of my clients has the best setup. This includes providing and teaching about exactly what each individual needs–including saving money. As a rule of thumb, I say to people, keep fixing and upgrading your device until it doesn't do what you need it to do, or it no longer works. Then, if you need to buy something new, I'll help you find what's right for you. If we can't fix it, then let's recycle it. If it still works, but you'd rather have the latest version, then let's donate your old device so someone else can use it. Saving money is nice. Saving the environment is also nice. In this case, we can do both.
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Have you been receiving a slew of text messages recently–the kind not sent from your friends and family? You're not the only one. The sheer number of text messages that companies are sending is skyrocketing. The text bombardment is due in part to a Supreme Court Ruling (Facebook v. Duguid), and the fact that brick and mortar stores are trying to compete with online retail by texting ads to people (which turns out to be very cheap and effective). So what has changed that's allowing this deluge? Last spring, the Supremes ruled in favor of Facebook's robotexting practice of sending messages to its users.* Unfortunately for all of us, this ruling gave the green light to any company to use its list of phone numbers to send text messages to consumers. The other reason that we're seeing a large increase in text messages is that companies have discovered how well texts work in getting customers to buy. It only costs a fraction of one cent to send a text message, so marketers only need a very small percentage of people to click on the text's call-to-action in order for the campaign to be successful. Many text messages we receive, however, have nothing to do with advertising. Many are simply messages that our food at Frida Batidos is ready, or our Delta flight has been delayed. While helpful, they still add to the pile of messages we must scroll through. What can I do to stop them? While some of these texts are ones that we've signed up for, many are not. We may want CVS to let us know when it's time to renew our prescription, but we may not want daily announcements from Bed Bath & Beyond about a sale on towels. Everyone's preference for which messages to keep receiving is different. For the ones you don't care to get anymore, simply text back the word, STOP. Legitimate companies have to remove you from their texting list. Otherwise, they are in violation of the law. One more step you can take to prevent getting spam texts (from legitimate companies) is not give them your phone number in the first place. We usually let them know our phone number when we sign up or register for something with the entity. Often, it's a promotion where this happens. Sometimes, it's unavoidable, and we have to give them our phone number, but we can look to see if there's a box to check (or uncheck) so we don't receive marketing info from the company or its associates. But what if the company isn't legitimate? What if it's a scammer pretending to be a well-known brand? In this case, do NOT reply. Simply delete the text. Clicking on the link, or calling the number, will likely take you to a website or person where you'll be asked for personal or financial information that they're looking to steal. If you feel like reporting it, you can forward the text to 7726, which AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon use for such instances. Additionally, if you have an iPhone, you can go to Messages in your Settings and turn on Filter Unknown Senders. This will put messages from people who are not in your Contacts into a separate list. If you have an Android phone, you can go into the Messages app, enter the Spam Messages setting, and set it to "Block Unknown Senders." Of course, both types of phones have the ability to block specific numbers, but this may not stop bad actors, who regularly send from a different number each time. Sometimes it's very tricky to see if a text is legitimate or not. They can look so real. In this case, go through a checklist: •Does the message offer you something that sounds too good to be true? •Does the message cause you to be afraid that you have to "act now" or something bad will happen? •Are there misspelled words or bad grammar? •Does the website they want you to go to have a strange web address? •When in doubt, delete it. Take a deep breath Be smart: slow down before clicking on something. Take the time to look at the message closely. If it's legitimate, but you don't want future texts from that sender, type STOP back to them. It can be a slow process, but in time, you'll be able to whittle down the number of messages you receive. Then you'll be able to focus on the real important messages–like the ones your daughter sends with her Wordle score. *At issue was whether Facebook was using an automatic telephone dialing system–something prohibited by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (a law created before the first text was ever sent). The court ruled that an autodialing system has to have a random number generator that makes the calls. Since Facebook was sending messages from its subscriber list, and not randomly generating numbers, it was free to continue. Leia checks out the Sonos Move speaker on its charging stand. What's good for the gooseOn a regular basis, I work hard to make sure other people's audio and visual systems are up-to-date, easy to use, and well organized. Last week, I hired myself and cleaned out my own audio/visual cabinet in the family room. I would have been embarrassed if any of my clients had seen how cluttered mine had become over the years. Yes, I'm using the latest technology for listening to music and watching TV, but the remnants of old devices and cords had become a rat's nest. Among the chaos, a discoveryAs I decluttered the cabinet, liberating the space of a 1989 cassette tape deck, unconnected coaxial cables, leftover power cords from who knows what, and a few dust bunnies, I discovered something I had forgotten. Emerging from a hole in the wall were two gray coils of speaker wire that ultimately led to our outdoor 3-season porch. I hadn't used or seen them in a couple of years. The wires weren't connected to anything in this cabinet--not to my audio receiver or TV or anything else. My mind began racing. What should I do with the wires? The speakers are still there on the porch. Surely I should connect them to something! When you realize you have to let goI was feeling guilty about not having used these porch speakers lately. Then I thought about WHY I haven't been using them. It was a simple reason: I haven't needed them. Yes, I still listen to music on the porch (it's a great place to relax on a summer evening). But I've been using my wireless, portable Sonos Move speakers to listen to music there–and in the family room–and in my study–and in the kitchen–and in the yard–and, well you get the point. The new technology of the Sonos speakers was all I needed. It was time to let go of my old speakers that were no longer useful. For your listening pleasureMy Sonos speakers do everything I need them to do. They can play all of my music library from iTunes, Spotify, local radio stations, and more. The speakers work with both Bluetooth and our WiFi network–which means that I can control what each speaker is playing using the Sonos app on my phone. When I'm using the WiFi, I don't have to worry about keeping my phone close to the speakers, either. To top it all off, the sound quality of my Sonos Move speakers are much better than the older porch speakers I have hard-wired to the wall.
Call it spring cleaning, call it self-evaluation, or whatever, but the exercise I just went through was cathartic. I decluttered my cabinet, and I decluttered some nagging thoughts in the back of my mind that I was supposed to be using some old audio equipment that I really don't have a use for anymore. What I use now to listen to music is sleek and adaptable. It's also easier to set up, and easier to use than my old system. As a result, I use it more frequently, which means that I am able to enjoy my music more often. If you'd like more details about a Sonos (or equivalent) sound system, or help with setting one up, please let me know. You'll wonder why you waited so long. So you've gotten your booster shot, and now you're tired of staying cooped up at home. You want to go to a movie, or a sporting event. Many places require proof of that vaccine. You'll need to show your vaccination card at the door to get in. Funny that they've made these all-important cards out of paper. They can get destroyed or lost so easily. So what's the best way to show your proof and still keep your document safe? You don't want to lose your vaccination card, or ruin it accidentally, so I would recommend keeping it home in a safe place. Before putting it in a secure location, though, take a picture of it with your phone. This is the most basic step you can take to show your proof of inoculation. Depending on what you're looking to do when leaving the house, you may need to upload that picture to a specific app. For instance, traveling to Canada requires you to download and use their ArriveCan app in order to enter the country. Hawaii has a different app for entry, called AlohaSafe Alert. In New York City, they require you to show your vaccination card for entry into everything from museums to restaurants. Many people in the city use the NYC Covid Safe app. I downloaded this convenient little app on my phone before visiting family in Manhatten. It was very easy to add the photo I had already taken of my card. The app also has a spot to upload and show your driver's license and an optional recent negative Covid test. Interestingly, upon returning to Ann Arbor, I found myself still using the NYC Covid Safe app. One of the biggest reasons is that it helps me locate my vaccination card photo quickly. Without the app, I'd be reliant on my phone's photo app. When you take a picture with your phone, it goes into your photos app in chronological order. That means I might have to scroll way back through all of my pics to find it again--especially if I've taken a lot of photos since. If I use the NYC app, though, all I have to do is tap on the app, and I immediately see a picture of my card! Now, I can go to a movie at the Michigan Theater, or a U of M Basketball game at Crisler Arena and show proof of my vaccination to get in--without struggling to find my card or risking its destruction. You might like to try it, too. Or, you might find a different app that does the same thing. Whichever you choose, I highly recommend taking advantage of your phone's capabilities and leaving your original card at home. This holiday season, many of us will get new devices. A new iPhone under the tree, an upgraded laptop, a faster router, a larger TV, etc. New gadgets are great, but what do we do with the old ones we’re replacing? THE BAD NEWS
THE GOOD NEWS
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
THE EVEN BETTER NEWS It’s a little more work than simply tossing our electronics in the garbage can, but proper disposal is worth it. We finally have a place to take that ancient iPhone 4 with the cracked screen. We can now get rid of that slow, dusty PC running Windows 98. And even more exciting—we can now clear out that drawer with the rat’s nest of unusable, obsolete charging cords! To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade?That is the question. That is always the question when it comes to software. Some people can’t wait to get the latest upgrade, going so far as to download the beta (development) version—bugs and all. Some, don’t really know how to get the new versions, so they hardly ever upgrade. Others, don’t really trust any new versions, so they never upgrade. In general, I always say to keep your devices as updated as possible. Updates to apps and system software are important for security patches and overall performance improvements. There are exceptions to this, however. Here’s what you need to know At the end of October, both Microsoft and Apple released new operating systems. For Microsoft it's the first major upgrade to Windows in six years: Windows 11. This new software contains updated features and a more streamlined look and feel. Some say it has a more “Mac-like” design. To see if your PC is compatible with Windows 11, type “check for updates” in the Windows search box. Your PC will then let you know if it has the capability to run Windows 11. Note: even if you can download the update, Microsoft may not let you at first. The company is rolling out the availability over time, letting a fixed amount of users download each month, with plans to finish by mid-2022. Around the same time as Microsoft released Windows 11, Apple also launched its new operating system, OS 12 Monterey. This update contains new features, for both productivity and security. Check for updates under System Preferences to see if your Mac is suitable for Monterey. Unlike Microsoft’s new operating system, all compatible Macs can download the software immediately. How Update Versions Work So, should you download these new operating systems? When it comes to the major upgrades, I prefer to wait for at least one to two subsequent bug fixes to come out. For instance, Monterey is called OS 12 or 12.0. The number shows the version. As with any new release, users and developers discover bugs, or problems, with the system. Software engineers for the company then quickly fix the bugs with a minor update and name it 12.0.1. The next one will be 12.0.2, and so on. Waiting patiently for a couple of these fixes to be implemented can save you potential headaches. For example, Business Insider reported that some users couldn’t get their computers to start up again after installing Monterey. Note: the first general release of Monterey to the public was version 12.0.1, so even the first bug update didn’t include a fix for these users yet. Bottom Line My advice with both the new Windows and Mac operating systems is to wait a good couple of months. Then take advantage of the great features these two platforms have to offer. In the meantime, though, let other people be the Guinnea pigs! We all know we should do it. Backing up our computers, our tablets, and our phones. At least we’ve heard about it and thought, “Is that something I should be doing?” While the answer is YES, there are a couple of reasons and various ways to back up our data. Let’s start with the reasons:
Now let’s explore different ways to back up:
So which way should you go? External hard drive or cloud backup? My recommendation is to do at least one of them, if not both. They both have different strengths. For example, with an external hard drive, you can perform backups that will allow you to recover your data from any point in time. This is particularly helpful if a virus infects and corrupts your files. You can restore your system to a date before the infection. With a cloud backup, your data is synced among all of your devices, and it’s also stored off site. Meaning, should you have a fire at home that destroys your computer and external hard drive, you’ll still have a backup copy in the cloud server located in, say, California. Yes, we should all be backing up our computers and other devices. Setting it up can feel like a chore, though. You know it has to be done, but the idea of it seems a bit too daunting–like deciding you need to go through all of your cabinets in order to remodel the kitchen. If you feel like you’ve been procrastinating and need a nudge to get going, or you aren’t sure about how to do it, give me a call. I’ll be happy to help you through this crucial process! Let's find out what your Elf Name is. Pick which month you were born. That's your first name. Now look at your day of birth. That's your last name. Cute, right? This is a common quiz that we see on Facebook all the time. It asks you these questions, then tells you to share your answers so friends can have a good laugh, too. It's just like those other ones that ask you:
Which dog breed are you? Fill in your favorite color, your mother's maiden name, and your high school mascot to find out! So much fun. They seem so harmless, coming to you in your social media feed between posts from your Aunt Janet and her adorable kittens and your best friend's pics from Mackinac Island. They may be fun, but they are frequently quite dangerous when it comes to your safety. What do you notice about the questions above? Have you seen ones like them anywhere else? Yep, these are typical security questions you fill in when you create an online account, such as the one with your bank. Filling out quizzes like these on social media can lead to scammers stealing your identity, stealing your money, and impersonating you to your friends and family. Not all quizzes are bad, but you should be very cautious before taking one. Here are some tips to stay safe: 1. Be skeptical–try to find out who created the quiz. Is it a person or brand you trust? If not, don't proceed. 2. Don't give answers to common security questions–even answers to things that seem so innocuous, like favorite foods or the street you grew up on. 3. Remove personal details from your social media profile–don't publish your phone number or home address. 4. Check your social media account's privacy settings–be stingy about what info you share, and who gets to see it. 5. Monitor your friend requests–don't accept requests from people you don't know, and be wary of second requests from people you're already friends with. These may be imposters trying to get your data and list of friends. Unfortunately, social media can be a tricky and unsafe to place to be sometimes. However, knowing that there are risks and how to stay away from them can keep your time on there fun. As I always say, don't be scared. Just be vigilant. This way you can still enjoy those videos of Aunt Janet's 6 cats chasing her from the dinner table and eating her tuna casserole. If I had a nickel for every time I've thought of dropping our Xfinity and just going with streaming for our TV, I'd have...well, I'd have a lot of nickels. There's a reason, though, why I haven't "cut the cord" yet. It has to do with the discount I get with bundling my services through Xfinity. Because I get both my internet and TV service through Xfinity, I pay less than if I had subscribed to both individually. If I drop my TV service with them, then my internet cost would skyrocket, thus wiping out any savings I might have had by just using a streaming service. That doesn't mean, necessarily, that cutting the cord is a bad idea. You just have be careful. If you read last month's blog article on streaming, then you know that there are a ton of streaming services available. It's tempting to subscribe to all of them. It's also a fast way to spend a lot of money. My advice is to pick and choose those that feature most of the shows and movies you're interested in. Also, many streaming services will let you cancel whenever you want. Potentially, you could just subscribe to watch a particular series, then unsubscribe when finished. Being price conscious is only part of the equation, though. Here are some other things to consider when "cutting the cord": •Do you like to have DVR service to record shows? Then make sure you are comfortable with the streaming service's version of a digital recorder. For instance, some, like YouTube TV's "DVR," doesn't actually record–you simply access their content in the cloud. They then keep it for you in a virtual library for quick access. •Do you like to be up to date and see the latest show episodes when they first air on broadcast TV? Then make sure your streaming service carries the current season of the show–not just last year's. •Speaking of broadcast TV, if you drop cable or satellite, make sure your streaming service has the local channels you want. (For instance, YouTubeTV and Hulu Plus Live TV have some local channels, but Netflix does not.) If none of your streaming services offers local broadcast channels, then installing an HD antenna would be a good option. The antenna costs money to buy, but the airwaves are free. •Do you like to watch sports on TV? Ending your cable or satellite agreement means you might not be able to watch all of the Michigan football games, or see the Red Wings lose, from the comfort of your couch. Be sure that your replacement streaming service has the sports channels you enjoy, like ESPN, Big Ten Network, and Bally Sports Detroit. Once you've factored in all of the variables–price, content, episode timing, channels, and convenience–then you can decide if cutting the cord is right for you. Making Sense of Streaming TVMany TV viewers have been turning to an ever-growing number of streaming services to get their entertainment, sports, and news. Some are adding streaming to enhance their satellite or cable service, and some are completely switching to streaming because they're "cutting the cord" from satellite and cable. Sometimes I feel like we are little islands in a river, and we have this abundance of services streaming by us. It's hard to know which ones to hook into. If we're not careful, we could wind up spending more money than if we had the most premium Xfinity pacakage. It can also be confusing to know the difference between, say, Netflix and Prime, or Apple TV and Apple TV+. Here's a short tutorial on what the various streaming services are and how to receive them. First, let's break down the terminology into two categories: streaming services and streaming devices. A streaming service is a "channel," such as Netflix, Hulu or Peacock that provide video on demand. A streaming device is a physical piece of hardware that allows you to watch a service on your TV. Each service offers it's own library of TV shows and movies, and most have a monthly or annual subscription fee. A service like Netflix will have shows and movies that it licenses from many different production studios. They will also have in-house TV series and movies that they (Netflix) produce. And some services, such as Peacock, will only have entertainment from their parent company (NBC in Peacock's case). In addition to those I just mentioned, here are a few more examples of popular services and what type of content they have to offer: Prime Video: Owned by Amazon, this service is a lot like Netflix. When you sign up for Amazon Prime to get that great free shipping on Amazon's shopping website, you also get Prime Video. Disney+: Owned by Disney (obviously), this service has nearly all Disney movies and shows from Walt Disney Studios and the Disney Channel going back since the days of Walt. It also includes the different holdings that Disney owns today, such as Marvel, Jim Henson's Muppets, and Star Wars. Hulu: This service is also much like Netflix with it's broad range of entertainment from many sources. They also offer a live TV streaming option (called Hulu + Live TV). You get many of the same channels you would get with a cable or satellite subscription, plus local channels and sports networks. Hulu + Live TV is attractive to many cord cutters, due to the available channels and sports content. YouTube TV: Owned by Google, YouTube TV is a direct competitor to Hulu's live service. You get many of the same channels you would get with a cable or satellite subscription, plus local channels and sports networks. HBO Max: Hold on to your hats– this is where it gets crazy. It is different than plain old HBO that you might get with your cable or satellite provider. HBO Max is a streaming service that lets you stream HBO, plus even more movies, TV favorites, as well as new HBO Max original content. You can also stream just HBO by itself. That service used to be called HBO Now and HBO Go. Just to confuse everyone. Now they simply call it HBO. Apple TV+: This is Apple's on-demand video streaming service, featuring content that it has purchased or has had produced. Apple TV+ is NOT the same thing as Apple TV. Again, just to confuse everyone. Apple TV is a streaming device. It is a physical, little box that you can buy at the mall or online. It plugs into your TV and connects to your internet. When you turn it on, you can then select and subscribe to your various streaming services, like Netflix or Apple TV+. Apple TVs also integrate seamlessly with any other Apple products you may own. Another popular streaming device is Roku. like an Apple TV, it is also a physical box that works the same way. Amazon is into the game, as well, with their Fire HD device. They also offer a tiny yet powerful version called the Fire Stick. And, of course, Google is in on the action with its Chromecast TV device. Any of these devices will get most of your streaming services. Those services that aren't preloaded are usually available by download to your device. The last type of device I'd like to share with you is the "Smart TV." This simply means that, if your TV has this designation, then it can connect directly to the internet and act as a streaming device. However, do your research. Not all brands of smart TVs get all streaming services. All TVs made today are considered "smart." If you have an older model at home, though, look to see if it's a smart TV. That way you'll know if you can use your TV for streaming, or if you'll have to purchase an external device like an Apple TV. There are many different streaming devices and even more streaming services that I don't have the space to mention. It's best to do your research on the cost of the device and the cost of the subscriptions. You should also think about which services have the type of content you want to watch. If you're not careful, those $9.99/month subscriptions can add up fast! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to help you navigate these waters and get you the exact device and services that are right for you. |