Posts Tagged: ‘Miscellaneous’

Using Google Services (2024-09)

September 1, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve had my Google e‑mail account since February 11, 2011.  Other than receipts from the Play Store, I estimate that I’ve received about twenty important communications.  The only other mail I get is e-mail from a club member who for some reason doesn’t use my club e-mail address.  I also get test mailings that I send to myself when I set up new e‑mail accounts.

Although I have side loaded a few applications, I almost solely use the Play Store to install apps on my phone.  I occasionally use Google Search when Bing or Duck Duck Go doesn’t give me satisfactory results.  I have the Chrome browser installed on all of my devices, but I usually only use it for checking Gmail, accessing the Play Store, watching You Tube videos or testing code on my web site(s).

Is this because I’m wary of the company tracking me so they can advertise?  Not really.  All companies do this.  Many are much more nefarious.  Is it because I don’t like Google?  Not at all.  They have some fine services and most of them work very well.

So why don’t I rely on Google for many of my day to day needs?  The answer is simple.  The service might not be available in the future.  Am I concerned about nothing?  Probably not, but lets take a look at some Google services that are no longer available:

• Inbox by Gmail was an email service developed by Google.  It was officially released to the public on May 28, 2015.  Inbox was shut down by Google on April 2, 2019.
• Google+ was an Internet‑based social network that was launched on June 28, 2011.  This was Google’s fourth foray into social networking and it experienced strong growth in its initial years.  The service was discontinued on April 2, 2019.
• Picasa was an image organizer and viewer for organizing and editing digital photos.  There was an integrated photo sharing website.  It was originally created by a company named Lifescape.  In July 2004, Google acquired Picasa and began offering it as freeware.  It was discontinued on arch 15, 2016.  Picasa Web Albums, a companion service, was closed on May 1, 2016.
• Google Goggles was an image recognition mobile app developed by Google.  It was used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices.  It was discontinued on August 20, 2018.
• iGoogle was a customizable Ajax based start page or personal web portal launched by Google in May 2005.  It was discontinued on November 1, 2013.
• Google Reader was a RSS feed aggregator operated by Google.  It was created in early 2005 and launched on October 7, 2005.  Google Reader grew in popularity to support a number of programs which used it as a platform for serving news and information to people.  Google closed Google Reader on July 1, 2013.
• Google Health was a personal health information centralization service (sometimes known as personal health record services) by Google.  It was introduced in 2008 and discontinued in 2011.
• Google Cloud Print allowed users to print from web, desktop, or mobile to any Google Cloud Print-connected printer.  It was more than ten years old.
• Google Podcasts was a podcast hosting platform and a podcast listening app.  After less than six years, it was discontinued just six months ago.

This short list is only a few of the more popular Google services and programs that have been discontinued in the past.  There are hundreds of others, including web authoring, news readers, social networks, messaging applications, web analytic programs, etc.  I wasn’t able to find any sites with an exact total of how many were discontinued.  A web search will find links to several sites that list the Google services and applications that are no longer available.

Almost without fail, every time Google kills something you will find a lot of articles on how important it was.  There are always many suggestions on what to replace the Google product with.  They seem to forget that Google is a business and offered the services in exchange for user information which can be sold.  When the service is no longer profitable, it gets shut down, no matter how popular it is.  That is the main reason why I don’t use Google for things that are important to me.  What if someday Google G‑mail is no longer profitable?

That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading.

Questions I Get Asked (2024-05)

May 12, 2024 Posted by Tiny

One of the drawbacks about being a computer hobbyist is that family and friends think of you as tech support.  Over the years, I’ve been asked lots of questions about technology.  This month, I thought I’d share some of them with you.

The most asked question I get about Android phones is “Why does my screen go dark so quick?”  The answer is because the default ‘Screen Timeout’ is 15 seconds.  If you don’t touch the screen within that period, it goes to sleep.  This is done simply to conserve battery power.  To change, open Settings, do a search for timeout and change it to whatever you like.  Some phones have other features to stop the timeout.

I often get asked why Microsoft makes it so hard to keep track of the where the cursor is.  It is even harder to find if you use more than one monitor.  There are two things you can do to help with this.  Open Mouse Settings and then click Advance Settings.  Look for the check box to enable “Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key”.  Enabling will allow the mouse location to be highlighted whenever you touch the Ctrl key.  In Advanced Options, you can also adjust the size of the cursor.  Most mouse manufacturers have settings where you can select mouse colors.  I like the setting where the cursor color changes to contrast with the screen background.

People often complain to me that their Windows machine starts really slow.  I always suggest that it is because they have a lot of programs that load on a Windows boot.  This is usually why it seems slow.  The easiest way to solve the problem is to open the Windows Task Manager.  Click on the Startup Tab and then disable programs that don’t need to be running all the time.

I forgot my password is a problem that is often unsolvable.  There are several programs you can buy to “crack” your missing password.  The problem is that they often do not work.  Nir Sofer is a software developer who has created hundreds of free utilities.  More than twenty of these are password recovery utilities.   If it is a website, there are usually options for recovering a password.  In most cases, you are out of luck.

I’m always asked, “What is the best web browser, password manager, graphics program, anti‑virus, word processor, etc.”  I usually respond by asking what is the best car to drive or where is the best place to buy a cheeseburger.  The real answer is that I don’t know.  Whats best for me isn’t necessarily best for anyone else.  I can only tell what I use and why.  My recommendation is to try the various programs until you find one you like.

Another frequently asked question is “Why do they call you Tiny?”  Unfortunately, I’m running out of column space and can’t answer it here.

Thanks for reading.

April Fool’s Goodbye (2024-04)

March 31, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve heard it said that all good things must come to an end.  Unfortunately, sometimes it is true.  It is with great sadness that I must announce that I will soon be leaving Louisiana.  In 2005, when I relocated to Lake Charles, I planned to never move again.  After more than twenty years in the Navy, I lived in a lot of places.

Fast forward to 2018.  The grandsons had relocated to Livingston.  The wife wanted to be closer to them, so we moved.  I planned never to move again.

Another fast forward to 2023.  Those darn kids have up and resettled again.  They’ve moved to Rexburg, Idaho.  Other than being somewhere in Yankee land, I’m not sure where that is.  Circumstances are forcing me to relocate once more.  The Mrs. wants to move again.

Over the years, I’ve been in a lot of computer clubs.  The Cajun Clickers has definitely been one of my favorites.  The people are friendly, knowledgeable and put up with my idiosyncrasies.  What else could an old man ask for?

I guess I could make a really long commute every month, but that just doesn’t seem feasible.  Maybe I could be a “remote” member.  I could Zoom into the meetings and keep up with everyone by their articles that they write for the club newsletter.

I will be more than happy to continue writing articles for the newsletter should someone continue to edit the thing.  I won’t be leaving for a few months so there will be plenty of time to turn over my club Newsletter, Website and other duties to someone new.

This announcement will probably be the shortest Clicker article I’ve ever submitted to the Newsletter.  I hope that it will still be going strong next year in April.

Thanks for reading my April Fools article.

Your Computer Club (2023-10)

October 1, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Are you getting the most out of the Cajun Clickers (or any computer club)?  Over the years I’ve been a member of several computer clubs.  The biggest change is that these days, it isn’t just about computers.  We also learn about cell phones, cameras, smart homes and much more.  Just a few months ago I learned about how we use electronics to predict and track our weather.  There are many reasons that I keep joining them.

The most important thing about computer user groups (clubs) is that they are full of people who meet to share information and to learn from each other.  All of them are informal groups with a common purpose of learning more about how electronics operate and can be used to better our lives.

A computer club offers a lot of knowledge and experience.  It’s almost like having tech support with a native English speaking support staff.  No matter what problem you may have, someone usually knows how to solve it.  If they don’t know the answer, they almost always know where to go to find out.

I’ve noticed that a lot of benefits of our club are not used by many of the members.  There hasn’t been a question asked on our Ask The Experts Google Group since October of 2022.  The General Discussion Group hasn’t fared much better.  There has been one posting in the last year.  The club also has a YouTube Channel and a Facebook Group.

Most of the monthly meetings have an attendance of around thirty members.  This is less than one quarter of the total membership.  There are usually empty seats at the club workshops.

Our computer group has a monthly newsletter.  I’ll admit that I like to run my mouth and the newsletter gives me a chance to write articles like this.  It also gives me a chance to learn about many other things by reading the the monthly columns.

Another under utilized club benefit are the many workshops offered on Zoom by the APCUG.  These cover a wide array of topics on most Operating Systems.  Some sample topics are Your Health and Technology, Cross-Platform Software, Backing Up with pCloud, Smart TVs, the Frugal Genealogist, and many more.

Computer user groups are a fun place to meet new people.  Since I’ve joined the Clickers, I’ve learned from a professional photographer, a tax accountant, a Better Business Bureau professional, a local television meteorologist, several writers, programmers, web authors, and more.

Where else can you get all of this and more for only $4.58 or less a month?  The annual membership fee is less than you would pay for one computer class almost anywhere else.

Thanks for reading.

Will Artificial Intelligence End the World? (2023-08)

July 30, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Oh No!  The world as we know it is coming to an end!  At least that is what many people have been telling me.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here.  People are going to lose their jobs.  Deep fakes will be found everywhere.  We will not have any privacy.  We’re all going to be manipulated by algorithms.  I just hope that all this bad stuff doesn’t happen before I finish writing this column.

How many people will lose their jobs?  My guess is zero.  As with past technological advances, many jobs were created to replace those that were no longer needed.  The automobile caused the lost of much “horse work” employment.  We didn’t need blacksmiths, hostlers, saddle makers and many more.  There are hundreds of examples of this.  How many companies still make typewriters?  Try going to a store and buying a record album.  The list goes on and on.

Are fake objects going to be everywhere?  Probably.  If there is something of value, there will be a counterfeit of it.  Sometimes the fakes are even better than the originals.

We’re all going to lose our privacy.  I remember when I was a young boy growing up in a small town.  If I did something naughty, my parents would usually know about it fairly soon.  That darn telephone just took away all of my privacy.  The biggest difference now is that private information can be retrieved much faster than when Hoover’s FBI kept files on us.

Are we going to be manipulated by algorithms?  Aren’t we already?  Google maps tells what routes to take.  My writing program fills in many of my words after I type two or three letters.  Almost all of the things we watch, read or search for are recorded so that we can be advertised to.  The richest person in the world has so much privacy that no one knows who it is.

There have been so many other “end of the world” scares.  Remember Y2K?  That didn’t happen either.  I can tell you now that it was me that saved the world.  I changed the clock on my network time so that all of my electronics never did change to the year 2000.  After two years, when the scare was over, I finally allowed my clocks to update.

The decade of the 1980’s was going to be the end of the world several times.  It seems like everyone from Pat Robertson to the Jehovah’s Witnesses had proof positive that the “rapture” would be here soon.  Is it a coincidence that is the same era that personal computers started to become popular?  I can’t remember what George Orwell thought about it.

Wikipedia has a big list of dates that the world was or is going to end.  I’m not going to worry about the end of the world for a while yet.  Nostradamus made a detailed list of future predictions.  His prophecies end abruptly in the year 3797.  That’s when I’m going to worry.

Thanks for reading.

Deciding on a Topic (2023-07)

July 2, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve spent the past two hours trying to decide what I should write about this month.  At first, I thought I’d remind everyone that schools have been dismissed for the summer and remind them to drive safely.  Then I remembered that when school started last year, everyone was reminded to drive safely.  I decided that wouldn’t be a good subject because some idiot would surely think that meant we didn’t have to drive safely the rest of the time.

Then I thought that maybe I could give some hints on how to use your computer more efficiently or how to use one of my favorite programs.  I immediately realized that I already try to do that in the various workshops I do both at the club and on Zoom.

I almost started to write things about computing that make me mad or don’t seem to be quite as they should be.  Then I wrote a paragraph about companies that make changes that make their product worse.  A second paragraph addressed the question of why we need so many file formats.  After starting to write about lousy tech name choices, I realized I was probably going to end up with an article about six pages long.

I finally decided on what to write about this month.  I’m going to take a few minutes and ask everyone to help make our computer club a little better.  How can you assist?

Why not contribute an article to this newsletter?  Do you have a favorite program that you think would be useful to other computer users?  Take a few minutes and tell everyone about it.  Did you get some new hardware?  An article reviewing the equipment would be beneficial to everyone.

Have you found a great website that everyone should know about?  Heard a funny story that you can’t wait to tell everyone?  Why not share it with the entire club.  All you have to do is click the link on page two and send it to the editor.  I know him and that he will gladly use your submission.

Why not bring a friend to one of our monthly meetings?  You can impress them with how smart you are by being a member of our club.  They just might decide to join the club.  Then we could all benefit.

When he wasn’t busy helping me invent the internet, Vice President Al Gore said, “Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.”  I think that means this would be a good time for me to shut up.

Thanks for reading.

ChatGPT (2023-02)

February 12, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

If you have followed any tech news at all, I’m sure that you’ve heard about ChatGPT.  This is one of the latest attempts by OpenAI, a company that describes itself as research and deployment.  Their mission is to ensure that AI (artificial intelligence) benefits all of humanity.

I’ve been wondering if ChatGPT would be useful for a computer club.  The software is easy to use if you want to give it a try, go to the log in page. Although it says to create an account, it isn’t necessary.  Clicking “Log in with your OpenAI account to continue” will open another page.  You can then log in with a Google or Microsoft account.  Using ChatGPT is free, although I would guess that in the future it will probably have a cost.

ChatGPT is a powerful language model that can be used in a variety of applications, including for a computer club.  Here are a few reasons why ChatGPT could be a valuable asset for a computer club:
1.  Generating code snippets: ChatGPT can be used to generate code snippets for a variety of programming languages, making it a useful tool for teaching coding to members of a computer club.
2.  Answering technical questions: ChatGPT can be trained on a specific domain, such as computer science or programming, making it an effective tool for answering technical questions that members of a computer club may have.
3.  Enhancing communication: ChatGPT can be used to generate clear, concise explanations of technical concepts, making it a valuable tool for improving communication within the computer club.
4.  Creating tutorials: ChatGPT can be used to generate step-by-step tutorials for various programming languages and technologies, making it a useful resource for members of a computer club who are looking to learn new skills.
5.  Personalized assistance: With chatGPT, computer club members can receive personalized assistance with their projects and questions, which can help them to learn more effectively and efficiently.

Overall, ChatGPT’s natural language processing capabilities and ability to be trained on specific domains make it a valuable tool for a computer club.  It can assist in teaching coding, answering technical questions, enhancing communication, creating tutorials and providing personalized assistance to members of a computer club.

Did I mention that except for the first two paragraphs, this article was written by ChatGPT?
Thanks for reading.

Troubleshooting a Medical Problem (2023-01)

January 23, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

For the past year, I’ve had a severe medical problem that the doctors are having a hard time curing.  I’m not going to bore you with all the details.  I’ll just mention that I’ve had to make five different trips to the Emergency Room.  Two of them resulted in a hospital stay of a week.  I’ve spent a lot of time at home recovering from various procedures.  Luckily, I have good insurance and my out-of-pocket cost was zero.

Why do I mention this?  I’ve observed that many of the things doctors do is the same thing I do when trying to fix a problem with my electronic devices.  Like a medical illness, computer problems usually come on suddenly without any advance warning.

Diagnosing a computer problem is similar to diagnosing a medical problem in that it involves identifying the cause of the issue and determining a solution.  In both cases, the process typically involves gathering information about the problem, examining relevant data, and using diagnostic tools to help identify the root cause.

The first thing I do when I have a computer difficulty is research the internet to see if I can find an answer.  I’m pretty sure my doctor(s) didn’t do this, but I sure hope they checked their medical journals to search for a proper cure.  I try to diagnose my computer problem by using tools such as error logs, performance monitors, debugging tools, etc.  My doctor did the same thing using different tools like blood tests, imaging scans, and a myriad of other tests.

The next thing I attempt is to try different solutions to see if I can fix my ailing electronic device.  My doctor did the same thing.  I’ve been prescribed six different prescriptions to try to cure my problem.  Unfortunately, like many computer tests, none of them worked.

Computer problems can often only be repaired by opening up the case and checking the various components to check they are in proper working order.  This is almost exactly what my doctor finally ended up doing.  He called it exploratory surgery.  Thankfully, I was asleep and felt nothing.  You might almost compare me to an unplugged computer.

I’ve decided that both diagnosing a computer problem and a medical problem require critical thinking, problem solving skills, and the ability to gather and interpret information to identify the root cause of a problem to determine the appropriate course of action.  Unfortunately, sometimes those darn computers just can’t be fixed.

When that happens, I sometimes try again in a month or two.  Kind of like a follow‑up visit to my doctor.  Eventually, a computer gets to the point that it is irreparable.  I’m hoping that doesn’t happen to me for a while.

Thanks for reading.

Holiday Ranting (2022-11)

October 30, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Here they come again!  This is the time of the year when the Holiday idiots show their true colors to the rest of the world.  So many people at this time of year forget to stop and think.  Others remember to stop, but forget to think.

I’m writing this article in early October, but I’ll bet I can predict the news reports we’ll get on November 1.   Some poor kid will get either razor blades or poison in their candy.  Dentist’s will buy Halloween candy by the pound.  Convenience stores will get robbed by people in their Halloween costumes.  Someone will get run over by a drunken driver.

October and November is also when tech companies make all their new product announcements.  Do you think it has anything to do with the upcoming Christmas season?  So far, this years announcements haven’t been overly exciting.  Apple is making some changes in their watches.  You don’t hear much about the gold designer watch anymore.  Microsoft seems to be continuing its strategy of renaming everything.  With the new names, comes some higher prices.  Google seems to be trying things to make money besides advertising.  More stuff for the Google Graveyard.  The only thing I can’t figure out about big tech companies is why, if they can afford to sue each other for billions of dollars, can’t they lower their prices a little.

Halloween is followed by an even scarier holiday – Thanksgiving.  If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, your spouse has never taken you out for Black Friday Shopping.  I’m a fan of good shopping deals, but not if they come at the risk of life and limb.  The Thanksgiving news stories are also the same every year.  There will be at least one customer trampled to death when the doors are opened on Friday.  Isn’t it strange that it usually happens at a Walmart?  Is it because they are the biggest retailer?  Do they have the best deals?  Could it be that their customers are less intelligent?

Thankfully, Black Friday is starting to change.  Many retailers start earlier and spread the chaos over a longer time.  Many of the deals seem to be moving on‑line instead of in‑store.  Hopefully, this will ease the dangers of this pseudo holiday.

Other news stories for the holiday season will include the celebrities that are working in the soup lines.  Is it a publicity stunt, or do they do it year round without making headlines?  My personal favorites are the ones that have to do community service for drunken driving and then get the free publicity.  Lets not forget about all of the Turkey jokes we’ll see on the internet.  For some reason, I think a lot of them this year will have Sesame Streets Big Bird in the punch line.

After we struggle through the Thanksgiving holiday, we can look forward to being bombarded with advertising for all kinds of technology to put under the Christmas tree.  It’s a shame that most of it is so overpriced.  Do you suppose that might account for the increasing crime rate that seems to occur around the end of the year?

Once again, we get to read about the celebrities feeding the downtrodden.  At Christmas time, we seem to get more politicians manning the ladles.  I can never figure out why that is.  The elections are over for the year.  The only thing I really like about this holiday is the after holiday sales.

When I was younger, I used to really worry about meeting a drunken driver on the highway.  The holidays were a reason for extra anxiety, but thanks to technology, we don’t have to worry about getting killed by a drunk.  If you get in an accident, it will most surely be due to someone sending a text on their telephone.

I suppose by now you’re getting tired of my ranting and raving about the holidays.  I’d continue on and tell you about New Years Day, but I’ll save that for next year.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

It’s The Holidays Again! (2021-11)

July 24, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Here they come again!  This is the time of the year when the Holiday idiots show their true colors to the rest of the world.  So many people at this time of year forget to stop and think.  Others remember to stop, but forget to think.

I’m writing this article in October, but I’ll bet I can predict the news reports we’ll get on November 1.  Some poor kid will get either razor blades or poison in their candy.  Dentist’s will buy Halloween candy by the pound.  Convenience stores will get robbed by people in their Halloween costumes.  Someone will get run over by a drunken driver.

October and November is also when tech companies make their new product announcements.  Do you think it has anything to do with the upcoming Christmas season?  So far, this years announcements have been a lot less exciting.  Apple announced a new MacBook Pro.  I noticed that they are replacing their touch bar thingy with function keys.  There is also going to be a “notch”?  Microsoft is extending their foray into the hardware business.  They didn’t do well making Windows phones.  Do you think an Android foldable phone will succeed?  Google is increasing the pressure on both software and hardware rivals.  The new Pixel phone seems to have pretty decent specifications.  I’m looking forward to using Android 12.  The only thing I can’t figure out is why, if all the big tech companies can afford to sue each other for billions of dollars, can’t they lower their prices a little.

Halloween is followed by an even scarier holiday – Thanksgiving.  If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, your spouse has never taken you out for Black Friday Shopping.  I’m a fan of good shopping deals, but not if they come at the risk of life and limb.  The Thanksgiving news stories are also the same every year.  There will be at least one customer trampled to death when the doors are opened on Friday.  Isn’t it strange that it usually happens at a Walmart?  Is it because they are the biggest retailer?  Do they have the best deals?  Could it be that their customers are less intelligent?

Other news stories for this holiday will include the celebrities that are working in the soup lines.  Is it a publicity stunt, or do they do it year around without making headlines?  My personal favorites are the people that have to do community service for drunken driving and then get the free publicity.  Let’s not forget about all of the Turkey jokes we’ll see on the internet.  For some reason, I think a lot of them this year will have either President Biden or another unnamed past President in the punch line.

After we struggle through the Thanksgiving holiday, we can look forward to being bombarded with advertising for all kinds of technology to put under the Christmas tree.  It’s a shame that most of it is so overpriced.  Do you suppose that might account for the increasing crime rate that seems to occur around the end of the year?
Once again, we get to read about the celebrities feeding the downtrodden.  At Christmas time, we seem to get more politicians manning the ladles.  I can never figure out why that is.  The elections are over for the year.  The only thing I really like about this holiday is the after holiday sales.

When I was younger, I used to really worry about meeting a drunken driver on the highway.  The holidays were a reason for extra anxiety, but thanks to technology, we don’t have to worry about getting killed by a drunk.  If you get in an accident, it will most surely be due to someone sending a text on their telephone.

I suppose by now you’re getting tired of my ranting and raving about the holidays.  I’d continue on and tell you about New Years Day, but I’ll save that for next year.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.