Reduce Computer Eyestrain with a Simple Program

If your day is anything like mine, you spend a lot of time looking at your computer screen, sometimes late into the night.  The glow from your monitor can make your eyes think that it is daytime, even at 10:00 at night.  This can make it more difficult to get to sleep when you do finally turn in for the night.

Fortunately, there is a program that can solve this problem. F.lux is a program that will adjust your monitor's brightness based on the current time.  After you enter your location, your monitor will gradually brighten throughout the morning, and then dim as the sun goes down in the evening.

The f.lux icon will sit in your taskbar so that it will be easy to disable it if you need to do color-sensitive work on your computer.  If you need to do photo or video editing, you can quickly disable it for one hour, or if you want to watch a movie, you can put it into movie mode, which disables it for 2 1/2 hours.  If you know you will be working on a project for a long time, you can also choose to disable it until the next day.

I can tell you from personal experience that this program works for those who use a monitor for long periods of time.  Since both of my jobs require heavy use of my eyes, I have had eyestrain problems for several years.  However, since installing f.lux, I have found that my eyestrain has decreased.

Get Free or Inexpensive eBooks

I used to say that I would never want to read an ebook:  I loved being able to hold the book in my hands and turn physical pages.  While that is still true with some books (I have my own reasons for that), I don't think I would be able to survive anymore without my smartphone's Kindle app.  This app is probably the number one reason why I can never seem to keep my phone's battery alive for more than a few hours.

If you like to read like I do, and you have an e-reader or an e-reader app on your device, then I have a great site for you:  BookBub.  Simply enter your email address, answer a few questions about the types of books you like to read and the devices you have, and then you will begin receiving a daily email with deals on ebooks for you.  Buy the ones that sound interesting and ignore the rest.  However, you may find that you don't even have to buy anything.  I have found that the free books I get from the list provide more than enough reading material.

Plus, you don't need an e-reader or smartphone to begin reading ebooks.  Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble have downloadable programs that will allow you to begin reading ebooks on your computer.

Two New Google Features

If you have an Android phone that is connected to a Google account, Google has introduced two new useful features.  (There may even be more; Google only announced the first one, but someone discovered the second one.)  Both of these features require that you be signed into your Google account on your computer and that your phone is connected to the same Google account.

1) Send Directions to Your Phone - If you are headed somewhere, type "Send directions" into a Google search.  You will then have options to select the starting and ending address and the device you want directions sent to.  Then, open that device to see Google maps open with directions on your phone.

2) Note to Self - If you want to send a reminder to your phone, type "Note to self" followed by the reminder into a search window and press Enter, then select the device you want the note sent to.  Select "Send note to phone", and your note should show up as a notification on your phone.

Four Steps to Maintain Your Privacy

Everywhere you look online, it seems that there's someone trying to track you.  Whether it is the government, private corporations, or even an individual who wants to learn more about you for whatever nefarious purpose, your privacy can seem threatened each time you go online.  Here are four simple ways to maintain your privacy:

1) Use a Private Search - Many search engines track your searches and activity; however, there are some that promise to maintain your privacy.  Sites like Startpage and DuckDuckGo will allow you to search the internet without being tracked.

2) Install HTTPS Everywhere - The HTTPS protocol will encrypt your data, making it unreadable to anyone trying to snoop on it.  HTTPS Everywhere will force websites to encrypt data if they are able to encrypt it.  (Some websites do not use encryption, and many more are capable but do not use it by default or only use it on certain parts of the site.)  HTTPS Everywhere is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.

3) Use Private Browsing Mode - All of the major browsers have a private mode.  This mode will keep any sites from appearing in your search history, but more importantly, it will block websites from installing cookies.  These cookies can monitor all your activity and transmit to other sites or use it to serve ads to you.  If you don't want to use private mode, then cleaning your browser history and cookies on a regular basis will have a similar effect.

4) Pay in Cash - Purchases made with your credit or debit card can be tracked back to you using the card number.  If the government wanted to track your purchases, they could track everything you have bought using your card numbers.  (While the government could not forcibly take a store's records without a warrant, there is nothing to prohibit collecting them from companies that voluntarily hand them over.)  If you want your purchases to stay private, pay in cash.

How to Disable Your Webcam

Webcams are wonderful tools for communication.  One of my friends has a husband who is currently in Afghanistan, and he is able to use his webcam and Skype to see his wife and kids from the other side of the world.  I have to use a webcam to verify my identity while I am taking tests for a certification I am working toward.

However, for every useful tool, someone will figure out how to use it against you.  This is certainly true of your webcam.  The FBI and NSA have both admitted that they know how to activate your computer's webcam or your phone's front-facing camera without any indicator lights.  Peeping Toms can use the same methods to see inside of your house.  In fact, software that could help someone gain access to a computer's webcam was available on the dark web last year for only $40.

Here are three ways to make sure that no one can spy on your webcam:

1) Unplug It - If you have an external webcam, no amount of software will plug it back in if you unplug it.  This is easily the best way to protect yourself with an external camera.  However, if you have a laptop with a built-in camera, this option is not available.

2) Disable It - You can disable your webcam in Windows if you are unable to unplug it.  This is a great solution if you do not plan to use it, but it can be a hassle if you regularly use your camera.  To disable your camera, search for "Device Manager" in the start menu or charms bar.  Your webcam should appear under "Imaging Devices".  Right-click on the webcam and select "Disable" if it is available.

3) Cover It - If you are unable to unplug or disable your webcam, you can always use this solution to maintain your privacy.  Cover up your webcam with a post-it note, a piece of opaque tape, or something else that will keep anyone from snooping through your camera.  I use a piece of post-it note tape to cover the webcam on my laptop, and then I remove it when I need to use the camera.  Even if someone gains access to my camera, they will be greeted by a piece of green tape instead of any picture.

Is Your Facebook Profile Secure?

Facebook is a huge part of life for many people.  When I first joined Facebook, it had space for one picture, some basic profile information, messaging, a wall for public messages, and of course, the poke button that seems to serve no purpose.  However, as Facebook grew, so did the interest in keeping the information on Facebook private.

Due to the interest in privacy, Facebook released a Privacy Basics page to help you understand how to keep your information secure.  Some of the topics are covered with videos, some are covered with slide shows, and some are even interactive, allowing you to practice adjustments to certain settings.

While I was already knew many of the privacy features available, I did learn a few new privacy tricks, so it is definitely worth checking out.

Click here to visit the Facebook Privacy Basics page.

Should You Update Your Device's Firmware?

Did you know that every gadget in your house is running software?  Even devices like your modem and router have a small amount of software stored on chips inside the device.  Even devices inside your computer, such as the hard drive, have software to control its operation.  This software, known as firmware, tells the device how to function and communicate with other devices.  Like any software, the firmware for your devices needs to be updated.  Firmware updates can be released to fix bugs that limit the device's capability or to patch security holes.

When should you update your firmware?  It is definitely necessary if a security vulnerability has been found in your device.  The Heartbleed bug discovered last year affected many routers, and firmware updates were necessary to fix the vulnerability.  It is also a good idea if a device is malfunctioning:  the problem might be a firmware issue that has already been fixed with an update.

If everything is working fine and you don't know about any security issues, then it is probably best to leave your firmware alone.  The main features of a device will have been tested extensively before the device is released, so it is likely that updates will fix bugs that only affect a small percentage of users.

If you think that a firmware update might be necessary, check the manufacturer's website for the latest firmware and instructions on how to update.  The process will be different for each type of device and even for each manufacturer.