Technology
TECH TIPS: 5 useful tricks you’ll wish someone told you sooner
Within the picture, a person makes use of his Iphone and laptop computer laptop at his desk.
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On the earth of tech, there’s a slew of recent options and hidden methods hiding in your on a regular basis gadgets.
Ever marvel what the key white dot within the iPhone climate app means? I noticed it in my every day forecast and thought, “What on this planet is that?” Faucet or click on right here to unravel this tech thriller.
Typically “hidden” isn’t a very good factor. Take the hidden map in Google Images that reveals you all over the place you’ve been — and each picture you took there. Faucet or click on right here to cease this monitoring.
I’ve a ton of tech methods up my sleeve. We’ll begin with a typical drawback: Getting a stranger to answer a chilly e-mail.
1. Get a whole stranger to learn your e-mail
Chilly-calling is hard. Nobody solutions their telephone anymore. Chilly-emailing is simpler, however how do you not find yourself within the trash folder?
All of it begins with the topic line. Get the recipient’s consideration with the primary 5 phrases within the topic line. Make the topic private through the use of “Referred to you by” or “Fast query” with the individual’s identify.
Within the physique of the e-mail itself, get to the purpose. You probably have a mutual acquaintance, embrace that individual’s identify within the first sentence. Write such as you’re speaking to the individual. Keep away from corporate-speak like “synergy” or “paradigms.”
You should definitely inform the individual what you need, and be particular. And don’t neglect to proofread earlier than you hit ship.
Questioning whether or not somebody learn your e-mail? Faucet or click on right here for strategies to inform should you’re nonetheless sitting in unread.
Man composes e-mail on smartphone.
(iStock)
2. Purchase present playing cards at a reduction (or promote ones you don’t need)
If you’re shopping for present playing cards on-line, you may go on to the location you need to store at — however right here’s the key. There are specialty websites that promote present playing cards at a reduction. Professional-tip: Don’t Google low cost present playing cards. You’ll most likely find yourself at a rip-off web site.
Two respectable websites that promote discounted present playing cards are CardCash.com and Increase.com. Now, in fact, there’s a threat that scammers could have entry to the present card numbers. For those who purchase any discounted present playing cards on-line, make certain you redeem the quantity as quickly as doable. And when you’ve got present playing cards you’re not utilizing, these websites will purchase your unused present playing cards, too.
Procuring on Amazon? I put collectively a listing of fast and straightforward methods to economize. It is a must-read!
Girl utilizing telephone whereas holding bank card.
(iStock)
3. Enhance your TV’s image
Hidden deep in your TV’s settings menu is an possibility referred to as movement smoothing. It sounds good, however you need to disable this function.
Movement smoothing artificially provides frames to no matter you’re watching. It’s typically referred to as the cleaning soap opera impact if that helps you think about how this appears. Movement smoothing will be useful if you’re watching sports activities or enjoying video video games.
Quick-moving content material is rather a lot clearer, however there’s a draw back. A soccer shifting quick throughout the display screen appears faux as extra frames are added. With video video games, movement smoothing provides lag.
Faucet or click on right here for instructions to show this setting off on a Samsung, Roku TV, LG, Panasonic, Android TV, or Vizio. And whilst you’re in there tweaking issues, you’ll most likely like cinema or film mode greatest for no matter you’re watching.
Modify the settings in your TV to enhance the image.
(iStock)
4. Cease questioning who can see your previous posts
For those who’re on Fb, you may need years and years of posts and pictures seen to anybody on the web. Relying on what you’ve posted, that’s troubling.
Take a second to ensure your previous Fb posts aren’t seen to simply any one that comes throughout your profile. Right here’s how.
- In your Fb account settings, go to Privateness Instruments and Settings.
- Underneath Your Exercise, discover the part that claims, Restrict the Viewers for Outdated Posts on Your Timeline.
Right here, Fb will change something you share publicly or with buddies of buddies to accessible solely to your pals. With all of the scammers and trolls on-line, it’s a sensible transfer to minimize your digital footprint.
Fb has a shiny new Privateness Middle that will help you hold tabs on what it collects and is aware of about you. Faucet or click on right here for tricks to navigate it.
5. Channel James Bond and discuss secretly
You need to change texts and footage with one other individual, and also you don’t need any random one that picks up your telephone to see them. There are completely harmless causes for this, like snoopy roommates or children who all the time choose up your telephone. There are just a few methods to do that with out downloading any shady apps.
One possibility is to make use of a Google Doc. Be sure you each have entry to the Doc, however delve into the Share Settings menu. Right here, you may disallow the opposite individual from downloading, printing, copying, or sharing it.
You probably have an iPhone, use the Notes app. Underneath Share Choices, select Can Make Modifications. Ship your observe by textual content or e-mail. The individual you have added to the observe could make modifications, as are you able to. You possibly can talk privately, and it will not present up in your textual content messages.
In search of different methods to maintain your conversations non-public? Faucet or click on for strategies to encrypt your emails and messages.
Bonus Tip: A unbelievable story about hackers hitting a hospital up for ransomware
Ransomware hackers just lately hit a hospital, and the whole lot from the cardiac machines to IV pumps stopped working. Medical doctors and nurses had to make use of pen and paper. There have been no digital affected person information. However what occurred when the hackers came upon it was a hospital will undoubtedly shock you.
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Hearken to the podcast right here or wherever you get your podcasts. Simply seek for my final identify, “Komando.”
What digital life-style questions do you could have? Name Kim’s nationwide radio present and faucet or click on right here to search out it in your native radio station. You possibly can hearken to or watch The Kim Komando Present in your telephone, pill, tv, or laptop. Or faucet or click on right here for Kim’s free podcasts.
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Study all the most recent expertise on The Kim Komando Present, the nation’s largest weekend radio discuss present. Kim takes calls and dispenses recommendation on at present’s digital life-style, from smartphones and tablets to on-line privateness and information hacks. For her every day suggestions, free newsletters, and extra, go to her web site at Komando.com.
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Samsung has launched a new demand response program for its SmartThings smart home platform. Flex Connect allows your SmartThings connected appliances to communicate with the grid and automatically reduce energy use when there’s a spike in demand, which could help avoid blackouts. While demand response programs have made for some scary headlines, many experts believe connecting our smart homes to the grid is critical for managing the strain on our energy network.
Flex Connect is available in New York and California and works with SmartThings Energy — an energy management solution. It taps into SmartThings’ AI Energy Mode to automate how smart appliances and connected devices like lights and thermostats respond to demand response events.
AI Energy Mode, which Samsung says can save up to 70 percent of energy consumption when using Samsung products, is a smart program that learns your household’s routines and automatically adjusts appliances and devices’ energy use to save energy based on targets you set in the app.
According to Samsung, when a demand response signal is received from your utility company, Flex Connect can automatically turn on the AI Energy Mode to save extra energy use in supported appliances, automatically power off devices — including third-party lights and plugs — and automatically adjust supported thermostats to lower their energy use.
If you don’t have any supported appliances, you can still use the SmartThings Energy feature to receive alerts when an event is triggered. This way, you can know to adjust your thermostat or not run your dryer.
The Flex Connect program is optional, and you can choose which devices you want to enroll, as well as change them at any time. Any appliance or device that works with SmartThings Energy can be connected to Flex Connect. While the compatible devices list is dominated by Samsung appliances, several third-party plugs, lights, and thermostats are supported. Some notable brands include Wemo, TP-Link, Aeotec, Ecobee, Sengled, and Resideo (Honeywell Home). There’s also support for Tesla products, including the Powerwall and Loop EV chargers.
Samsung hasn’t provided specific details on how utilities will work with the program, if there are plans to expand to more states, or when Flex Connect will go live. We’ll update this post with more information when we receive it.
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“We’re making a new Resident Evil,” Nakanishi said during the show. “It was really difficult to figure out what to do after 7. But I found it, and to be honest it feels substantial. I can’t share any details just yet but I hope you’re excited for the day I can.”
That’s admittedly not much to go on, but I get the sense he’s hinting that this new game is the next major entry in the franchise. If that’s the case, we’ll have to see if Capcom calls it Resident Evil 9 or finds some sort of clever subtitle, like it did with the logo for Resident Evil Village.
The news of a new Resident Evil followed updates for a few other games. The just-announced Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will be released on September 19th with improved graphics and some new quality-of-life upgrades. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, a new tower defense game in a setting inspired by Japanese mythology, is getting a demo today ahead of its July 19th release. (My colleague Ash Parrish was a big fan of the game at Summer Game Fest.) And Resident Evil 7 for iOS, which launches on July 2nd, will have an auto-fire feature to make the game easier to play with virtual controls.
You’ve heard the stories … A CEO was conned out of $233,000 when someone copied the voice of his parent company’s boss. A 75-year-old woman nearly lost $27,500, thinking her grandson was in trouble.
With as little as $4, anyone can copy a voice with super-cheap, super-powerful AI software. I’ve got the inside scoop on tricks these scammers use so you don’t fall for it.
I’m giving away $1,000 gift card to your favorite airline. Try my free tech newsletter to enter!
YOUR CAR IS A TARGET — DON’T GET HACKED OR DUPED
10 popular tactics
In the age of TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and YouTube, where we broadcast our lives (and voices) to the world, scammers are having a field day.
They’re extracting voice samples, feeding them into their AI machines and producing chillingly accurate voice clones. With that, the stage is set for a scam that’s as emotionally brutal as it is ingenious.
Pro tip: Unless you’re trying to make it as an influencer or you’re a public figure of some kind, set your social media profiles to private. You’re just giving too much away with a public account.
Setting your social media profiles to private, if you’re able, is an easy way to deter scammers seeking your personal information. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Kids’ summer camp upset: There’s been a gas leak and they need to evacuate immediately. The camp counselor wants you to pay for a hotel room and bus ride for your child.
Charity request: A voice you’ve definitely heard on TV called you, looking for cash to help disaster victims. What’s your credit card number?
Neighbor needs help: She’s crying that your dog was hit by a car and she took him to the vet. You’ll pay the bill now, right?
HOW TO SCORE CHEAP STUFF (TO KEEP OR RESELL)
Auto parts emergency: Your trusty mechanic calls with bad news: Don’t drive your car, because there’s been a major recall and you need to buy the parts now!
Urgent business expense: Your boss calls from an unknown number. They’re at a business conference and urgently need you to wire money for unexpected expenses. Can you handle it right away?
Medical emergency: A relative’s voice frantically tells you they’ve been in a serious accident and need money immediately to pay the hospital bill before they can be treated.
There are thousands of potential voice scams that can be used to target you. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Stuck in jail: Your child has been arrested and needs bail money immediately. They instruct you to send the money to a specific account before things get even worse.
Utility shutoff: A representative from the electric company, sounding exactly like someone you’ve spoken to before, says your service will be shut off unless you make an immediate payment.
School fundraiser: Your kid’s school principal calls, asking for donations to support a new project. They just need your credit card information to process the donation.
Travel trouble: A close friend calls from a vacation spot. They’ve lost their wallet and are stranded. Can you wire some money to cover their hotel bill and return flight?
These are just some examples. There are thousands more where these came from.
Checking caller ID is one of a few ways to gauge whether the call you’re receiving is from a potential scammer. (iStock)
Your plan of action
Before you consider selling the family silver or clearing your savings account, let’s talk strategy. You need to know about this now, before something scary happens, so you’re prepared.
- Check the caller ID: If the call’s coming from a number you don’t recognize or, even worse, a blocked or hidden number, that’s a big red flag. Even if it sounds like your kiddo or mom on the other end, hang up, then dial them on their cell.
- Verify with video: In high-profile cons like those involving a business, scammers have used AI video, too. But most low-budget cons won’t go that far.
- Buy time: If the voice on the other end claims they’re in a jam — say, an accident or they’ve been detained — tell them you’ll help but want to check things out first. Immediately try to reach that person through other means or contact someone who might know their whereabouts.
- Money talks: If someone demands a wire transfer or Bitcoin payment, your scam alert should be blaring. Authentic emergencies don’t come with specific, shady payment demands.
POLICE WARN HOMEOWNERS OF ‘OUT OF TOWN’ SCAMMERS TRYING TO SELL, RENT VACATION PROPERTIES THEY DON’T OWN
People fall for this stuff every day. Take care of the folks in your life by sharing this story. It could save someone’s financial future.
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