Technically Trying

 The week of the inauguration brought a lot of emotional turmoil for many of our American citizens. Some good emotions, some bad. But at the same time, a popular social media platform, Tik Tok, was warning its users that there was a ban coming and they would no longer have access to their content. During this short ban of just a few hours the Sunday before the inauguration, users were unable to reach their content and were very frustrated and decided to seek their content elsewhere. Here's where Deepseek came into play. Deepseek is an AI alternative that allows users to interact with a platform like Tik Tok but with the communication like ChatGPT. Its very smart and a whole lot cheaper to run than the usual AI chatbots we have access to here in America. Deepseek has been around for a while but during the time frame of the TikTok ban and leading up to that point, there was a burst of downloads for the app. This creates a huge security issue for users. There is fear that the Chinese ...

 If you've ever had a virus on your computer, you know how frustrating it is to try and save your personal files and also get rid of the virus. Sometimes it costs money to get rid of the virus because you couldn't quite figure it out yourself, or you had to completely reformat and reinstall your operating system, losing everything in the process. Your personal devices are no different. They need protection just like your tablets, computers, and home network. You have a firewall for your network, you have an antivirus program for your computer, you need protection for your hand held devices as well! Malwarebytes is an excellent tool to use to help protect your system against attacks while browsing the internet, downloading apps, or listening to your favorite podcast. (or white noise while you sleep, you do you!) They have created a mobile app that you can get for Android or iPhone through your App store. You can use the service for free to simply scan your phone manually for iss...

 Using Gmail for home or business is an easy way to gain access across all your devices to your family, friends, or work. Gmail is adaptable and can be on a smart phone or computer or even a smart TV. When you make a new Gmail account, you also gain what is called Google Drive. This drive is a cloud based storage system that is free with every Gmail account. You can keep videos, pictures, articles, spreadsheets, and so much more inside this free space hosted by Google. All Google account holders have access to Drive, Photos, Gmail, Maps and Calendar. But today, we are talking about Drive. To get to your drive, simply open your web browser and click on the 9 dots by your photo. You'll see the Drive icon looks like a triangle with the traditional Google colors.  You'll land on what Google calls "My Drive" or "Home". Either of those options are good to begin with. Inside this drive you can click around and create folders to store your things, share drive items ...

 The Christmas bustle is over, all the gifts are open, and now you're staring at a pile of technology that seems to grab your child and never let go. And you're thinking 'What have I done?'  but don't worry! There is a great way to start this year off right for your entire family! I've talked a lot about setting up parental controls and having open conversations with your child about their technology use. I've also talked about how to set the example with your own technology use and making sure you practice what you preach .  So here's some links as a reminder: Never Too Late! Become Tech Savvy Build Better Families I also recommend sitting down with your child and engaging with them on that new technology. Did they get a new Chromebook? Ask them how they navigate on it, what they usually do to entertain themselves, and allow them to show you how they play paper.io or some other browser based game they are obsessed with. What about a new Nintendo switch?...

  All of us are probably feeling the "get ready for Christmas" rush now that December is here. We have lists to complete, gifts to buy, families to visit, and kids to entertain. In the heart of all of the busy times this month brings, is technology. In order to enjoy the holiday and also stay safe online, here are a few shopping tips: 1) Only use trusted websites:     * If a website is advertising to you through Facebook or in a text message, or maybe it was an ad you saw on YouTube, don't click on their link! Go to your browser and type it in. Even better, if you don't recognize the business, don't use their website. There will be a lot of phishing style websites out there just to hook you into entering personal data that could end badly for you! Keep your personal information safe! 2) Flash sales are fun, until they're not:     * Those eye catching ads on social media are only meant for clicks and likes. Don't be fooled into thinking that the "flash...

 A lot of us are familiar with Google Sheets. Or maybe you're used to using Excel on your desktop. Either way, when you're using a spreadsheet program, you have an endless amount of tricks that you can use to manipulate your data. Whether you're making a spreadsheet to keep track of finances, a checklist that helps you remember your grocery list, or something that shows data from a Google form that live updates as users fill out the form and creates a beautiful graph for you, there are a ton of possibilities in Google Sheets. Lets start with the basics: What is Google Sheets? Sheets is the Google equivalent of Microsoft's Excel program. It is a lighter version that is based in the cloud and can be shared and edited in real time with a huge amount of users or collaborators. You can have up to 100 editors going at the same time! However, having that many edits occurring simultaneously may cause the program to jump around too much so I don't recommend it! Lets look at ...