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The Computer Tutor — Software How-To
The Computer Tutor

Computer repair, personal computer instruction in Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Tampa, St Pete

Latest Episodes:

Word Captions — How to move captions with pictures in MS Word Dec 25, 2017
Show notes

If you use Word and sometimes put pictures and captions in your documents, you will probably find today’s tip helpful. Sometimes when you have a picture and a caption in Word, and you try to move the picture, the caption doesn’t get moved like you would expect it to. Here’s how to fix that (and thanks to reader Marloes for suggesting this as a tip).

Here’s a little background, if you’re not familiar with this.

Let’s say I have a blank Word document, and I put in a picture of my dog, Fenway:

I can right-click on the picture to get a menu, and you can see that one of the options is that I can “Insert Caption”:

So I do that and type in his name, and now my picture has a caption:

But here’s the problem. If I decide later on, maybe after I’ve typed up 10 pages in this document, that I want to move that picture to a different spot, it doesn’t work properly. I can drag that picture wherever I want it to go, but the caption still stays back in its original place. Why is that? That’s a good question to ask Microsoft, since they designed Word to work this way. I cannot think of any logical reason for it. Obviously if you made a caption for a picture, the caption should move with the picture. But it doesn’t.

But here’s the fix.

Before inserting the picture, you just insert a 1×1 table:

Then, you put the cursor inside the table and insert the picture there.

Then you add the caption.

By default, the table’s borders will be visible in the document. If you don’t want that, you can right click on the table and choose Table Properties – Borders and Shading and choose “none”. When you do that, anyone reading the document would not even know a table is there – they will just see the picture and the caption.

So now you have a table, with your picture inside the table, and the caption under the picture. If you want to move the picture somewhere else in the document, you don’t move the picture – you move the table. And whatever is inside the table (the picture AND the caption) just comes right along with it!

It’s unfortunate that we have to create workarounds like this just to make a Word document appear like we want it to appear, but that’s the way it is. At least this particular problem is solved.

The post How to move captions with pictures in MS Word first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Word captions — How to move captions with pictures in MS Word Dec 25, 2017
Show notes

If you use Word and sometimes put pictures and captions in your documents, you will probably find today’s tip helpful. Sometimes when you have a picture and a caption in Word, and you try to move the picture, the caption doesn’t get moved like you would expect it to. Here’s how to fix that (and thanks to reader Marloes for suggesting this as a tip).

Here’s a little background, if you’re not familiar with this.

Let’s say I have a blank Word document, and I put in a picture of my dog, Fenway:

I can right-click on the picture to get a menu, and you can see that one of the options is that I can “Insert Caption”:

So I do that and type in his name, and now my picture has a caption:

But here’s the problem. If I decide later on, maybe after I’ve typed up 10 pages in this document, that I want to move that picture to a different spot, it doesn’t work properly. I can drag that picture wherever I want it to go, but the caption still stays back in its original place. Why is that? That’s a good question to ask Microsoft, since they designed Word to work this way. I cannot think of any logical reason for it. Obviously if you made a caption for a picture, the caption should move with the picture. But it doesn’t.

But here’s the fix.

Before inserting the picture, you just insert a 1×1 table:

Then, you put the cursor inside the table and insert the picture there.

Then you add the caption.

By default, the table’s borders will be visible in the document. If you don’t want that, you can right click on the table and choose Table Properties – Borders and Shading and choose “none”. When you do that, anyone reading the document would not even know a table is there – they will just see the picture and the caption.

So now you have a table, with your picture inside the table, and the caption under the picture. If you want to move the picture somewhere else in the document, you don’t move the picture – you move the table. And whatever is inside the table (the picture AND the caption) just comes right along with it!

It’s unfortunate that we have to create workarounds like this just to make a Word document appear like we want it to appear, but that’s the way it is. At least this particular problem is solved.

The post How to move captions with pictures in MS Word first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

view fonts — How to display all your font samples in one place Dec 18, 2017
Show notes

Today’s tip comes from a question I got recently:

Is there a simple way to type a single word and have it list the font name and display the word, so you have a sample of all your font styles? Thanks – Stephen

Yes, Stephen, that is possible!

A few years ago I did this in MS Word, the hard way. I typed out the alphabet and the numbers 0 through 9 in a Word document, then copied and pasted it so I had that same set of characters displayed like 60 times. Each one was on its own line.

Then I went back to the first one, highlighted it, and changed the font to the first font in the list. Then I went to the second one and changed that one to the second font in the list. I went through that process for every line, so that I could see all of my fonts displayed in the same place. What a pain that was! But I only had to do it once, then I printed that multi-page document and kept it around for handy reference.

I don’t need to go through that time-consuming process any more, and neither do you. Let your computer do this work for you, like it’s supposed to!

You do this through a little piece of software called FontViewOK. You can download it free, here. When you are at that page, be sure to click on this link to download it:

If you’re not using an ad blocker (and why aren’t you??) you’ll see a few fake “download” buttons and links so be careful.

When you have the .zip file downloaded, double click to open it. When you see the file inside called “FontViewOK.exe”, just click and drag that to your desktop. That’s it – there’s nothing to install.

Now you have this icon on your desktop:

Just double click that to run it. When the window opens, you can type the alphabet or anything you want into this field:

You also have the option of formatting the text like italic, bold, etc. You can also control the size of the font being displayed, but it defaults at 48 and I thought that was a pretty good size.

The end result is that you have a scrollable list of all your fonts showing whatever text you typed in the sample box:

And it’s handy to have the actual name of the font right under the words in that font.

If you click “FontViewOK” at the top of the window, you’ll see you also have the option to print that whole thing.

For mine, I have 208 installed fonts so it would have been a 19 page printed document. I declined to do that, but you might want to have a printed copy for easy reference.

And why would this program have an option at the top that says “Coffee”? Because it’s free for you to use. But if you get some use from it and want to thank the software developer, a man named Nenad in Germany. You can click the “Coffee” button and it will take you to a purchase page where you can send a few dollars to buy Nenad a cup of coffee.

Nenad and his son

Nenad has actually created quite a few cool little Windows programs like this one. You can see all of them listed at the home page of his website: http://www.softwareok.com/

The post How to display all your font samples in one place first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

FontView OK download — How to display all your font samples in one place Dec 18, 2017
Show notes

Today’s tip comes from a question I got recently:

Is there a simple way to type a single word and have it list the font name and display the word, so you have a sample of all your font styles? Thanks – Stephen

Yes, Stephen, that is possible!

A few years ago I did this in MS Word, the hard way. I typed out the alphabet and the numbers 0 through 9 in a Word document, then copied and pasted it so I had that same set of characters displayed like 60 times. Each one was on its own line.

Then I went back to the first one, highlighted it, and changed the font to the first font in the list. Then I went to the second one and changed that one to the second font in the list. I went through that process for every line, so that I could see all of my fonts displayed in the same place. What a pain that was! But I only had to do it once, then I printed that multi-page document and kept it around for handy reference.

I don’t need to go through that time-consuming process any more, and neither do you. Let your computer do this work for you, like it’s supposed to!

You do this through a little piece of software called FontViewOK. You can download it free, here. When you are at that page, be sure to click on this link to download it:

If you’re not using an ad blocker (and why aren’t you??) you’ll see a few fake “download” buttons and links so be careful.

When you have the .zip file downloaded, double click to open it. When you see the file inside called “FontViewOK.exe”, just click and drag that to your desktop. That’s it – there’s nothing to install.

Now you have this icon on your desktop:

Just double click that to run it. When the window opens, you can type the alphabet or anything you want into this field:

You also have the option of formatting the text like italic, bold, etc. You can also control the size of the font being displayed, but it defaults at 48 and I thought that was a pretty good size.

The end result is that you have a scrollable list of all your fonts showing whatever text you typed in the sample box:

And it’s handy to have the actual name of the font right under the words in that font.

If you click “FontViewOK” at the top of the window, you’ll see you also have the option to print that whole thing.

For mine, I have 208 installed fonts so it would have been a 19 page printed document. I declined to do that, but you might want to have a printed copy for easy reference.

And why would this program have an option at the top that says “Coffee”? Because it’s free for you to use. But if you get some use from it and want to thank the software developer, a man named Nenad in Germany. You can click the “Coffee” button and it will take you to a purchase page where you can send a few dollars to buy Nenad a cup of coffee.

Nenad and his son

Nenad has actually created quite a few cool little Windows programs like this one. You can see all of them listed at the home page of his website: http://www.softwareok.com/

The post How to display all your font samples in one place first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Bitcoin — How to get started with Bitcoin Dec 11, 2017
Show notes

In my podcast a couple of weeks ago I mentioned Bitcoin just in passing, and I had some listener inquiries about it. Obviously it’s been in the news quite a bit recently, and some people are asking about what it is, how it works, and how someone can actually purchase it. So today I’ll provide on overview, and some resources you might find helpful.

First things first: This post is not being offered as investment advice. I am not an investment or cryptocurrency expert and this article is presented without any legal or financial recommendation or advice. All investments have a certain level of risk, and you can lose money.

As you might imagine, a discussion about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency has the potential to get VERY technical. That’s not what I do here and it’s not my intention. The idea with today’s blog post and podcast is to present the basics and answer the most common questions, then if you want to pursue more in-depth research I’ll provide some resources for that.

Interesting story: If you had purchased $10 worth of Bitcoin back in July 2010, and kept it until today, do you know what it would be worth now? $2.1 million. That’s over two million US dollars that you would have right now, for a $10 investment. You know what they say, hindsight is 20/20.

What is Bitcoin?

In simple terminology, Bitcoin is currency that is digital rather than physical. It is decentralized, so transactions can take place using Bitcoin without the need for a bank, and without the need for a government and politicians to create and regulate the money.

Here’s a video that gives a simple explanation in 3 minutes:

https://youtu.be/gi_AbgkCYfc

How do I get Bitcoin?

That’s the big question. Bitcoin is obviously very popular now, so everyone is asking, “How can I get some?”. Basically there are 3 ways you can get Bitcoin:

You can buy it from a person, or by creating an account with an online exchange. Create your account and connect a credit card or a checking account, and you can purchase Bitcoin using US dollars or whatever your local currency is.

You can earn it. If you’re a business, you could tell your customer base that they can now pay you for your products and services in Bitcoin, rather than your traditional local currency.

You can “mine” it. This means you can set up a computer that’s dedicated to solving complex cryptographic problems and finding bitcoins that way. With lots of people now doing this, and some people or companies set up dozens or hundreds of computers for this purpose, this can still be profitable but requires a little more technical expertise. It is doable though (if you’re interested in mining, I invite you to join my Facebook group “Custom Mining Rigs” here).

There are actually even Bitcoin ATMs located in certain areas. You put in cash, you get Bitcoins in return.

Interesting story: In the early days, Bitcoin had very little value and only a very few people had even heard of it. It was kind of a “geek” thing. So there was this computer programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz who owned some Bitcoins, and on May 22, 2010 he purchased two Papa John’s pizzas from a fellow programmer for 10,000 of them. At the time, that translated into about $25 US dollars. Today, it would be around $110 million – making those two pizzas probably the most expensive pizzas in history. And May 22 is still known as “Bitcoin Pizza Day”.

Is it risky?

Yes. It is risky. There are people saying that the Bitcoin bubble is about to burst. And others are saying Bitcoin will continue to increase in value, with the value of a single Bitcoin hitting $50k or $100k within the next year or two (it’s currently around $12,000). The truth is, no one really knows. As with any purchase, don’t risk more than you can afford to lose. But the returns so far have been incredible.

There are people that play the ups and downs and try to time their purchases to buy Bitcoin when it dips slightly, then sell when it skyrockets. To me, that’s a very high-stress method. Those guys spend every minute of the day watching graphs go up and down and hoping they guess correctly.

Then there are others who just buy and hold. Just purchase a certain amount on a regular basis, on the assumption that it will continue to go up over time. This strategy has made some people Bitcoin millionaires. Again, whatever method you choose, understand the risks involved.

Interesting story: James Howells is another name that is significant in the history of Bitcoin. He was one of the people who used his computer to “mine” Bitcoin. Remember, since Bitcoin is digital, you can actually store it on your computer’s hard drive. But if that drive dies or gets destroyed, the Bitcoins are gone. Howells mined about 7500 coins, and eventually stopped because his girlfriend at the time didn’t like the constant sound of the computer running. He pulled the hard drive out of that computer and put it in a drawer and kind of forgot about it. A few years later, he mistakenly threw it into a general waste bin at his local landfill. That was in 2013, so that hard drive is still there, but with more than 4 years of trash that’s been dumped on top of it. If that hard drive ever gets found, it’s currently worth over $100 million.

How do I get started?

The easiest way to get started with Bitcoin is to open an account at an exchange called Coinbase (here). This is the service that I use, and it’s the only one I know of that actually has your funds insured. That link is an affiliate/bonus link, which means that when you buy or sell $100 worth of a Bitcoin, you and I each get $10 worth of Bitcoin as a bonus.

Set up your account, and then at least connect a credit card to it to provide the funding. You’ll start with a fairly low daily transactions limit, like $250 or $500 maybe. That’s fine for getting started. If you want to connect your regular checking account with your Coinbase account, your trading limit will be higher from the start.

Once that is in place, buy some Bitcoin. $100, $200 worth, or whatever you’re comfortable with. You’ll see that Coinbase has a couple of other currencies available to purchase – Ethereum and Litecoin. I own some of those too, and they have also had great returns just like Bitcoin has. So you can buy just one or all three if you want, and watch as they change value each day. It’s kind of fun to watch, as long as you aren’t betting your rent money or something stupid like that.

Is Bitcoin really legitimate?

You’ll have to decide that for yourself. But more and more major companies are adopting Bitcoin as one of the payment options to purchase goods and services. Here are some:

Wikipedia (donations)

Intuit (Quickbooks)

Dish Network

Subway (some locations)

Newegg (online retailer)

Etsy (some sellers)

Square (point of sale company)

Express VPN

PureVPN

Expedia (travel)

CheapAir (travel)

Virgin Galactic (space travel)

Overstock

eGifter (gift cards)

Mint.com (online budgeting tool)

Harvard and MIT campus stores

Evermore Health (health and fitness)

Microsoft (you’ve probably heard of them)

And I will also accept Bitcoin as payment for my own computer services.

What are some good resources to learn more?

One thing to keep in mind – there’s a lot of good information out there, and a lot of really bad information. And a lot of scams. It seems like the nature of cryptocurrency just invites in the scammers. Do your research and stay safe.

Coinbase – This is a user-friendly site to purchase Bitcoin using your local currency such as US dollars.

Binance (affiliate link) – This is the site I use to purchase other cryptocurrency besides Bitcoin. If you want to diversify, or you want to try making some quick money by trading, this is a good site to use.

Custom Mining Rigs – this is the Facebook group I just started for people interested in mining for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

My Crypto Guide – This is a great site for a more in-depth discussion of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and how they work. Starts with an overview, then goes into all of the specific topics. I particularly like chapter 4, where the author describes several of the most popular coins, and the pros and cons of each one.

CoinDesk – This is a pretty good news site, with probably all relevant news you’ll need to keep up with what’s going on in the crypto world. Very visual. Kind of reminds me of MSN but without the overwhelming ads and idiotic celebrity news. I guess I can’t comment about the ads since I use an ad blocker and wouldn’t see them anyway.

Crypto 101 podcast – This podcast just started this past July but has already made a good name for itself as a place to learn the basics. You might want to go back and listen to some of the earlier episodes for some good “starting out” information.

There are lots of other good ones, but these are the ones I like the best.

And one other thing. As you read some of these online sites and maybe join some Bitcoin Facebook groups, you might notice something that doesn’t seem to make sense. In general, there are two types of investors. Those who like to trade a lot and try to grab profits, and those that like to just buy and hold for the long term. But what you’ll see are people saying they are planning to “buy and HODL” (an intentional misspelling).

A few years ago, someone posted a message in a Bitcoin forum and said he was going to “buy and hodl”, then he saw the typo and re-typed it and made the same typo again. So he just left it. For some reason, people found it humorous so now a lot of people in the Bitcoin world type “hodl”. Personally, I think it’s just stupid. I mean, it wasn’t even amusing the first time so how can it be funny when you see it hundreds of times? But everyone’s different and some people still seem to get a kick out of it, so whatever.

So that’s hopefully enough information to get you started down the road to investing in Bitcoin or other coins, if that’s a journey you want to take. Who knows, maybe we’ll be millionaires in cryptocurrency someday!

The post How to get started with Bitcoin first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

listen to my podcast in iTunes — How to get started with Bitcoin Dec 11, 2017
Show notes

In my podcast a couple of weeks ago I mentioned Bitcoin just in passing, and I had some listener inquiries about it. Obviously it’s been in the news quite a bit recently, and some people are asking about what it is, how it works, and how someone can actually purchase it. So today I’ll provide on overview, and some resources you might find helpful.

First things first: This post is not being offered as investment advice. I am not an investment or cryptocurrency expert and this article is presented without any legal or financial recommendation or advice. All investments have a certain level of risk, and you can lose money.

As you might imagine, a discussion about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency has the potential to get VERY technical. That’s not what I do here and it’s not my intention. The idea with today’s blog post and podcast is to present the basics and answer the most common questions, then if you want to pursue more in-depth research I’ll provide some resources for that.

Interesting story: If you had purchased $10 worth of Bitcoin back in July 2010, and kept it until today, do you know what it would be worth now? $2.1 million. That’s over two million US dollars that you would have right now, for a $10 investment. You know what they say, hindsight is 20/20.

What is Bitcoin?

In simple terminology, Bitcoin is currency that is digital rather than physical. It is decentralized, so transactions can take place using Bitcoin without the need for a bank, and without the need for a government and politicians to create and regulate the money.

Here’s a video that gives a simple explanation in 3 minutes:

https://youtu.be/gi_AbgkCYfc

How do I get Bitcoin?

That’s the big question. Bitcoin is obviously very popular now, so everyone is asking, “How can I get some?”. Basically there are 3 ways you can get Bitcoin:

You can buy it from a person, or by creating an account with an online exchange. Create your account and connect a credit card or a checking account, and you can purchase Bitcoin using US dollars or whatever your local currency is.

You can earn it. If you’re a business, you could tell your customer base that they can now pay you for your products and services in Bitcoin, rather than your traditional local currency.

You can “mine” it. This means you can set up a computer that’s dedicated to solving complex cryptographic problems and finding bitcoins that way. With lots of people now doing this, and some people or companies set up dozens or hundreds of computers for this purpose, this can still be profitable but requires a little more technical expertise. It is doable though (if you’re interested in mining, I invite you to join my Facebook group “Custom Mining Rigs” here).

There are actually even Bitcoin ATMs located in certain areas. You put in cash, you get Bitcoins in return.

Interesting story: In the early days, Bitcoin had very little value and only a very few people had even heard of it. It was kind of a “geek” thing. So there was this computer programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz who owned some Bitcoins, and on May 22, 2010 he purchased two Papa John’s pizzas from a fellow programmer for 10,000 of them. At the time, that translated into about $25 US dollars. Today, it would be around $110 million – making those two pizzas probably the most expensive pizzas in history. And May 22 is still known as “Bitcoin Pizza Day”.

Is it risky?

Yes. It is risky. There are people saying that the Bitcoin bubble is about to burst. And others are saying Bitcoin will continue to increase in value, with the value of a single Bitcoin hitting $50k or $100k within the next year or two (it’s currently around $12,000). The truth is, no one really knows. As with any purchase, don’t risk more than you can afford to lose. But the returns so far have been incredible.

There are people that play the ups and downs and try to time their purchases to buy Bitcoin when it dips slightly, then sell when it skyrockets. To me, that’s a very high-stress method. Those guys spend every minute of the day watching graphs go up and down and hoping they guess correctly.

Then there are others who just buy and hold. Just purchase a certain amount on a regular basis, on the assumption that it will continue to go up over time. This strategy has made some people Bitcoin millionaires. Again, whatever method you choose, understand the risks involved.

Interesting story: James Howells is another name that is significant in the history of Bitcoin. He was one of the people who used his computer to “mine” Bitcoin. Remember, since Bitcoin is digital, you can actually store it on your computer’s hard drive. But if that drive dies or gets destroyed, the Bitcoins are gone. Howells mined about 7500 coins, and eventually stopped because his girlfriend at the time didn’t like the constant sound of the computer running. He pulled the hard drive out of that computer and put it in a drawer and kind of forgot about it. A few years later, he mistakenly threw it into a general waste bin at his local landfill. That was in 2013, so that hard drive is still there, but with more than 4 years of trash that’s been dumped on top of it. If that hard drive ever gets found, it’s currently worth over $100 million.

How do I get started?

The easiest way to get started with Bitcoin is to open an account at an exchange called Coinbase (here). This is the service that I use, and it’s the only one I know of that actually has your funds insured. That link is an affiliate/bonus link, which means that when you buy or sell $100 worth of a Bitcoin, you and I each get $10 worth of Bitcoin as a bonus.

Set up your account, and then at least connect a credit card to it to provide the funding. You’ll start with a fairly low daily transactions limit, like $250 or $500 maybe. That’s fine for getting started. If you want to connect your regular checking account with your Coinbase account, your trading limit will be higher from the start.

Once that is in place, buy some Bitcoin. $100, $200 worth, or whatever you’re comfortable with. You’ll see that Coinbase has a couple of other currencies available to purchase – Ethereum and Litecoin. I own some of those too, and they have also had great returns just like Bitcoin has. So you can buy just one or all three if you want, and watch as they change value each day. It’s kind of fun to watch, as long as you aren’t betting your rent money or something stupid like that.

Is Bitcoin really legitimate?

You’ll have to decide that for yourself. But more and more major companies are adopting Bitcoin as one of the payment options to purchase goods and services. Here are some:

Wikipedia (donations)

Intuit (Quickbooks)

Dish Network

Subway (some locations)

Newegg (online retailer)

Etsy (some sellers)

Square (point of sale company)

Express VPN

PureVPN

Expedia (travel)

CheapAir (travel)

Virgin Galactic (space travel)

Overstock

eGifter (gift cards)

Mint.com (online budgeting tool)

Harvard and MIT campus stores

Evermore Health (health and fitness)

Microsoft (you’ve probably heard of them)

And I will also accept Bitcoin as payment for my own computer services.

What are some good resources to learn more?

One thing to keep in mind – there’s a lot of good information out there, and a lot of really bad information. And a lot of scams. It seems like the nature of cryptocurrency just invites in the scammers. Do your research and stay safe.

Coinbase – This is a user-friendly site to purchase Bitcoin using your local currency such as US dollars.

Binance (affiliate link) – This is the site I use to purchase other cryptocurrency besides Bitcoin. If you want to diversify, or you want to try making some quick money by trading, this is a good site to use.

Custom Mining Rigs – this is the Facebook group I just started for people interested in mining for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

My Crypto Guide – This is a great site for a more in-depth discussion of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and how they work. Starts with an overview, then goes into all of the specific topics. I particularly like chapter 4, where the author describes several of the most popular coins, and the pros and cons of each one.

CoinDesk – This is a pretty good news site, with probably all relevant news you’ll need to keep up with what’s going on in the crypto world. Very visual. Kind of reminds me of MSN but without the overwhelming ads and idiotic celebrity news. I guess I can’t comment about the ads since I use an ad blocker and wouldn’t see them anyway.

Crypto 101 podcast – This podcast just started this past July but has already made a good name for itself as a place to learn the basics. You might want to go back and listen to some of the earlier episodes for some good “starting out” information.

There are lots of other good ones, but these are the ones I like the best.

And one other thing. As you read some of these online sites and maybe join some Bitcoin Facebook groups, you might notice something that doesn’t seem to make sense. In general, there are two types of investors. Those who like to trade a lot and try to grab profits, and those that like to just buy and hold for the long term. But what you’ll see are people saying they are planning to “buy and HODL” (an intentional misspelling).

A few years ago, someone posted a message in a Bitcoin forum and said he was going to “buy and hodl”, then he saw the typo and re-typed it and made the same typo again. So he just left it. For some reason, people found it humorous so now a lot of people in the Bitcoin world type “hodl”. Personally, I think it’s just stupid. I mean, it wasn’t even amusing the first time so how can it be funny when you see it hundreds of times? But everyone’s different and some people still seem to get a kick out of it, so whatever.

So that’s hopefully enough information to get you started down the road to investing in Bitcoin or other coins, if that’s a journey you want to take. Who knows, maybe we’ll be millionaires in cryptocurrency someday!

The post How to get started with Bitcoin first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

chrome font size — How to change the font size when viewing websites Dec 04, 2017
Show notes

It’s the weirdest thing – as I get older, a lot of websites have decided to make their print size smaller and more difficult to read. So rude of them! But in Chrome (and Firefox), I have the option to make the words bigger.

I get this request fairly often from clients. Sometimes they think they’ve figured out how to do it themselves. But that’s only temporary.

They’ll open Chrome, click on the 3 dots, and spot the menu item that says “Zoom” with a percentage next to it. They’ll adjust it to 125% or 150% which makes everything on the page larger (including any images), and it all looks great. Problem solved, right? No – it only changes the appearance of that one website. When a different website is opened, it will be reset back to the standard 100% and everything is back to small size again.

But you CAN adjust the size of what you see on the screen, and have it stay that way for every website you open with Chrome. You just have to get into the Settings section.

So you need to click on the 3 dots in the top right, then click on Settings.

Scroll down a little to the “Appearance” section and you’ll see a couple of places where you can make this adjustment:

If you want, you can change just the font size. The options are:

very small

small

medium

large

very large

So you can experiment with it, and see which one you like the best. For some people, this is the only adjustment needed. If you’re reading a blog, or an online article, or your Facebook news feed, you might only need for the text itself to be larger. This will solve that problem.

The other option you can see listed is page zoom. You can zoom out (meaning everything on the web page gets smaller) or you can zoom in (everything gets larger). Again, this is something you can experiment with to see how you like it. You have options ranging from 25% of the normal size, all the way up to 500%.

Once you have these things set to your preference, just close the Settings tab (there’s no “Save” button to lock in your choices). Now you can close Chrome, or even restart your computer, and when you come back you will still have those Font Size and Page Zoom settings the way you like them.

And what if you’re using Firefox and need to make these adjustments? You have the option there as well, although it works a little differently.

For page zoom, you can click on the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner, and in the menu that drops down you’ll see Page Zoom percentage options. You can change the settings here, but you can only change this on a page-by-page basis. So if you want to adjust Page Zoom on a different website, you’ll have to go to that website and make the same adjustment.

For font size, you can make that change and have it in effect for ANY websites you visit. Just click the 3 horizontal lines, then click Options. Scroll down to the “Language and Appearance” section and choose the font size you want:

For both Chrome and Firefox, you also have the option to change the actual font (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.). I wouldn’t recommend this in most cases, unless the font being used by the website makes the text too difficult to read.

The post How to change the font size when viewing websites first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Chrome font size — How to change the font size when viewing websites Dec 04, 2017
Show notes

It’s the weirdest thing – as I get older, a lot of websites have decided to make their print size smaller and more difficult to read. So rude of them! But in Chrome (and Firefox), I have the option to make the words bigger.

I get this request fairly often from clients. Sometimes they think they’ve figured out how to do it themselves. But that’s only temporary.

They’ll open Chrome, click on the 3 dots, and spot the menu item that says “Zoom” with a percentage next to it. They’ll adjust it to 125% or 150% which makes everything on the page larger (including any images), and it all looks great. Problem solved, right? No – it only changes the appearance of that one website. When a different website is opened, it will be reset back to the standard 100% and everything is back to small size again.

But you CAN adjust the size of what you see on the screen, and have it stay that way for every website you open with Chrome. You just have to get into the Settings section.

So you need to click on the 3 dots in the top right, then click on Settings.

Scroll down a little to the “Appearance” section and you’ll see a couple of places where you can make this adjustment:

If you want, you can change just the font size. The options are:

very small

small

medium

large

very large

So you can experiment with it, and see which one you like the best. For some people, this is the only adjustment needed. If you’re reading a blog, or an online article, or your Facebook news feed, you might only need for the text itself to be larger. This will solve that problem.

The other option you can see listed is page zoom. You can zoom out (meaning everything on the web page gets smaller) or you can zoom in (everything gets larger). Again, this is something you can experiment with to see how you like it. You have options ranging from 25% of the normal size, all the way up to 500%.

Once you have these things set to your preference, just close the Settings tab (there’s no “Save” button to lock in your choices). Now you can close Chrome, or even restart your computer, and when you come back you will still have those Font Size and Page Zoom settings the way you like them.

And what if you’re using Firefox and need to make these adjustments? You have the option there as well, although it works a little differently.

For page zoom, you can click on the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner, and in the menu that drops down you’ll see Page Zoom percentage options. You can change the settings here, but you can only change this on a page-by-page basis. So if you want to adjust Page Zoom on a different website, you’ll have to go to that website and make the same adjustment.

For font size, you can make that change and have it in effect for ANY websites you visit. Just click the 3 horizontal lines, then click Options. Scroll down to the “Language and Appearance” section and choose the font size you want:

For both Chrome and Firefox, you also have the option to change the actual font (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.). I wouldn’t recommend this in most cases, unless the font being used by the website makes the text too difficult to read.

The post How to change the font size when viewing websites first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Firefox Quantum — The new Firefox – better than Chrome? Nov 27, 2017
Show notes

For quite a while, Firefox was my default browser. I’ve been using Chrome as my default for several years now and I really like it. But the new super-fast version of Firefox might be tempting.

When your Firefox gets upgraded to the new version (version 57) this is the message you’ll get on the screen from Chris Beard (CEO of Mozilla, the company that creates and distributes Firefox);

What are the pros and cons for using the new Firefox?

PROS:

First, it’s just faster. I have not run any scientific side-by-side tests comparing the speed to older versions of Firefox, but it’s clear to me that the new Quantum is absolutely, noticeably faster. I have Firefox set to open a certain set of websites (11 sites, each one in its own tab). Until now, I’ve waited for all those pages to load each time so I know about how long it takes. Now, it takes much less time. You’ll notice the difference.

Second, it uses less memory. This means if you’re running Firefox with a bunch of tabs open, it won’t slow down the other programs running on your computer. The developers claim that Firefox Quantum uses 30% less memory than Chrome uses (I have not verified that claim).

Third, it just looks cool. The new Firefox has a new design that leans toward “minimalistic” which I like. But it’s more than just a change in the appearance. With the newer displays using high-resolution, this Firefox works better and appears “crisper” on the screen.

CONS:

Some extensions might not work. I have a client who loves an extension that puts her bookmarks in 3 rows right there at the top of the screen. With the new Firefox, that no longer works. On the other hand, some extensions that did not work previously with Firefox might work with the new version.

I recently wrote about QClean, a browser extension that blocks Facebook ads (such as Sponsored Posts). At the time, that extension worked fine in Chrome but not in Firefox. But it works in the new Firefox. And a lot of developers are working on getting their extensions updated so they too will work going forward with Firefox.

There are other changes that add new benefits (such as the new “Library” feature, and the built-in ability to take screenshots) which add to the allure of Firefox Quantum. Are these changes enough to lure me away from Chrome and change my default browser to Firefox? The jury is still out on that, but I definitely like these new changes.

You can get Firefox (free of course) here: getfirefox.com

The post The new Firefox – better than Chrome? first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Firefox Quantum — The new Firefox – better than Chrome? Nov 27, 2017
Show notes

For quite a while, Firefox was my default browser. I’ve been using Chrome as my default for several years now and I really like it. But the new super-fast version of Firefox might be tempting.

When your Firefox gets upgraded to the new version (version 57) this is the message you’ll get on the screen from Chris Beard (CEO of Mozilla, the company that creates and distributes Firefox);

What are the pros and cons for using the new Firefox?

PROS:

First, it’s just faster. I have not run any scientific side-by-side tests comparing the speed to older versions of Firefox, but it’s clear to me that the new Quantum is absolutely, noticeably faster. I have Firefox set to open a certain set of websites (11 sites, each one in its own tab). Until now, I’ve waited for all those pages to load each time so I know about how long it takes. Now, it takes much less time. You’ll notice the difference.

Second, it uses less memory. This means if you’re running Firefox with a bunch of tabs open, it won’t slow down the other programs running on your computer. The developers claim that Firefox Quantum uses 30% less memory than Chrome uses (I have not verified that claim).

Third, it just looks cool. The new Firefox has a new design that leans toward “minimalistic” which I like. But it’s more than just a change in the appearance. With the newer displays using high-resolution, this Firefox works better and appears “crisper” on the screen.

CONS:

Some extensions might not work. I have a client who loves an extension that puts her bookmarks in 3 rows right there at the top of the screen. With the new Firefox, that no longer works. On the other hand, some extensions that did not work previously with Firefox might work with the new version.

I recently wrote about QClean, a browser extension that blocks Facebook ads (such as Sponsored Posts). At the time, that extension worked fine in Chrome but not in Firefox. But it works in the new Firefox. And a lot of developers are working on getting their extensions updated so they too will work going forward with Firefox.

There are other changes that add new benefits (such as the new “Library” feature, and the built-in ability to take screenshots) which add to the allure of Firefox Quantum. Are these changes enough to lure me away from Chrome and change my default browser to Firefox? The jury is still out on that, but I definitely like these new changes.

You can get Firefox (free of course) here: getfirefox.com

The post The new Firefox – better than Chrome? first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Western Union — Scam victims can get some of their money back Nov 20, 2017
Show notes

I write about scams fairly frequently on this blog. Sometimes it’s because of a new one I’ve just heard about, and I want to warn my readers to be aware of it and not get taken. In some cases, it’s because I’ve just had to deal with a client who has become the most recent victim and lost money or had their computer compromised or infected. Those stories don’t usually have a happy ending. But today, I’m writing with some good news.

With a lot of scams, there is one common element: Western Union. When a scammer wants you to send money, there are a lot of different reasons they come up with but usually only one method, which is Western Union. When you send money to someone via Western Union, it’s pretty much the same as handing over cash. There is no identity tracking to determine who got the money, so after you pay the money and then later on realize you’ve been scammed, you have no recourse to try to get your money back. It’s just gone.

Until now.

It appears that Western Union was at least partially at fault. They received “hundreds of thousands” of complaints about money transfers related to fraudulent lottery schemes, fake family emergencies, advance-fee loans, online dating and other scams. In spite of being aware of these things, they failed to act. They also failed to discipline problem agents, and they failed to have effective anti-fraud policies. In the face of all that evidence, Western Union has settled with the Federal Trade Commission and agreed to pay $586 million to victims that file a claim.

Here’s a summary of how the claim process works:

So if you were a victim of a scam and lost money by using Western Union, be sure to file your claim. You start this process at FTC.gov/WU and just follow the instructions there. Don’t procrastinate, because your claim must be filed by February 12, 2018.

Some people are asking, “What if I don’t have any documentation proving I was scammed?” This would not necessarily be that unusual, since the scammers don’t typically provide a lot of paperwork for a trail. And the scam may have happened years ago, so you might not still have copies of those old emails that went back and forth. File your claim anyway, and provide as many details as you possibly can. Even without documentation, the Department of Justice will try to verify your claim, and if they do, you could get some money back.

Now here’s an interesting little twist. This settlement will probably result in a NEW scam. Obviously, anyone filing a claim in this situation, by definition is someone that has been scammed before. The scammers know this and will be counting on the possibility that those people are still susceptible to being scammed again – so these crooks will be offering to “help” in the claim process by filing the claim on the behalf of the victim – for a fee, of course. Don’t pay anyone to file the claim for you! Filing your claim is free and it’s not difficult, so don’t get scammed a second time.

You might not get back ALL the money you lost, and the money you do get back could take a year before you actually see a check. But it’s worth taking a minute to put in your claim. And hopefully Western Union will get its act together so this stops happening so frequently.

The post Scam victims can get some of their money back first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Western Union claims — Scam victims can get some of their money back Nov 20, 2017
Show notes

I write about scams fairly frequently on this blog. Sometimes it’s because of a new one I’ve just heard about, and I want to warn my readers to be aware of it and not get taken. In some cases, it’s because I’ve just had to deal with a client who has become the most recent victim and lost money or had their computer compromised or infected. Those stories don’t usually have a happy ending. But today, I’m writing with some good news.

With a lot of scams, there is one common element: Western Union. When a scammer wants you to send money, there are a lot of different reasons they come up with but usually only one method, which is Western Union. When you send money to someone via Western Union, it’s pretty much the same as handing over cash. There is no identity tracking to determine who got the money, so after you pay the money and then later on realize you’ve been scammed, you have no recourse to try to get your money back. It’s just gone.

Until now.

It appears that Western Union was at least partially at fault. They received “hundreds of thousands” of complaints about money transfers related to fraudulent lottery schemes, fake family emergencies, advance-fee loans, online dating and other scams. In spite of being aware of these things, they failed to act. They also failed to discipline problem agents, and they failed to have effective anti-fraud policies. In the face of all that evidence, Western Union has settled with the Federal Trade Commission and agreed to pay $586 million to victims that file a claim.

Here’s a summary of how the claim process works:

So if you were a victim of a scam and lost money by using Western Union, be sure to file your claim. You start this process at FTC.gov/WU and just follow the instructions there. Don’t procrastinate, because your claim must be filed by February 12, 2018.

Some people are asking, “What if I don’t have any documentation proving I was scammed?” This would not necessarily be that unusual, since the scammers don’t typically provide a lot of paperwork for a trail. And the scam may have happened years ago, so you might not still have copies of those old emails that went back and forth. File your claim anyway, and provide as many details as you possibly can. Even without documentation, the Department of Justice will try to verify your claim, and if they do, you could get some money back.

Now here’s an interesting little twist. This settlement will probably result in a NEW scam. Obviously, anyone filing a claim in this situation, by definition is someone that has been scammed before. The scammers know this and will be counting on the possibility that those people are still susceptible to being scammed again – so these crooks will be offering to “help” in the claim process by filing the claim on the behalf of the victim – for a fee, of course. Don’t pay anyone to file the claim for you! Filing your claim is free and it’s not difficult, so don’t get scammed a second time.

You might not get back ALL the money you lost, and the money you do get back could take a year before you actually see a check. But it’s worth taking a minute to put in your claim. And hopefully Western Union will get its act together so this stops happening so frequently.

The post Scam victims can get some of their money back first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

download facebook videos — How to easily download Facebook videos to your computer Nov 13, 2017
Show notes

Lots of people are posting videos on Facebook these days. Videos tend to catch a little more attention than a static photo, and a LOT more attention than a simple text post. What if you want to download someone’s video from Facebook and save it to your computer? In the past it was not very easy to do that, but now there’s a really easy way.

I’ve been downloading Facebook videos for a long time. In fact, that’s how I ended up with a video going viral a couple of years ago (seriously viral – way over 50 million views), which netted me over 14,000 followers on my Facebook profile page. That might be a good case study story for a future blog post (if it’s of interest, email me and let me know).

But back then, downloading a video from Facebook to your computer was complicated. You had to get the actual URL for the video, then change the URL so that it displayed the “mobile” view, then save the video to your computer. Not very intuitive.

Now you can get a video from Facebook much more easily, just by using a Chrome extension called “Facebook Video Downloader – Save FB Video”. At least that’s what I think it’s called (more on that in a minute).

Here’s how you do it. Using the Chrome browser, go to this website: https://fbvideodownload.space

Up in the top right corner of the page, click to add the Chrome extension:

Then you’ll see a little pop-up window to confirm, and you’ll click on the “Add extension” button.

Now if you look up in the top right corner, you have a new icon on your Chrome toolbar. It’s a blue circle:

What confuses me a little is that the creators of the extension seem like they couldn’t really decide what to call it. In the Chrome store, it’s called Facebook Video Downloader – Save FB Video. On the website, the title at the top of the page says Online Facebook Video Downloader. And if you just mouse-over that new icon on the Chrome toolbar, you’ll see Social Video Downloader. I guess they just don’t know about the concept of consistent branding.

Anyway, now you’re ready to download a video from Facebook. When you see a video on a friend’s page, nothing will look different – until you move your mouse over the video. When you do that, you’ll see a little “Download” button in the top right corner:

When you click that button, you’ll be taken back to the website where you got the extension, and you’ll see the name of the video. And just to the right of that, you’ll see a big green button that says “Download video in SD”:

So you just click that to download the video to your computer. NOTE: if you’re not using an ad blocker (and why in the world wouldn’t you be using an ad blocker??), be very careful because there will be ads that have a big green “Download” button. These are designed to trick you into clicking on that ad, rather than the actual Download button for the video.

As with all downloads in Chrome, it will show up in the bottom left corner of the browser window. You can open it there, or open the folder where it’s stored and move it to where you want it.

This particular extension does not have a version for Firefox (at least not that I could see). I’m pretty sure there is a similar extension for Firefox that would download videos though. There are others that work in Chrome as well, but this one works fine and is pretty easy to use so this is the one I’m sticking with (until it stops working anyway).

The post How to easily download Facebook videos to your computer first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Facebook videos extension — How to easily download Facebook videos to your computer Nov 13, 2017
Show notes

Lots of people are posting videos on Facebook these days. Videos tend to catch a little more attention than a static photo, and a LOT more attention than a simple text post. What if you want to download someone’s video from Facebook and save it to your computer? In the past it was not very easy to do that, but now there’s a really easy way.

I’ve been downloading Facebook videos for a long time. In fact, that’s how I ended up with a video going viral a couple of years ago (seriously viral – way over 50 million views), which netted me over 14,000 followers on my Facebook profile page. That might be a good case study story for a future blog post (if it’s of interest, email me and let me know).

But back then, downloading a video from Facebook to your computer was complicated. You had to get the actual URL for the video, then change the URL so that it displayed the “mobile” view, then save the video to your computer. Not very intuitive.

Now you can get a video from Facebook much more easily, just by using a Chrome extension called “Facebook Video Downloader – Save FB Video”. At least that’s what I think it’s called (more on that in a minute).

Here’s how you do it. Using the Chrome browser, go to this website: https://fbvideodownload.space

Up in the top right corner of the page, click to add the Chrome extension:

Then you’ll see a little pop-up window to confirm, and you’ll click on the “Add extension” button.

Now if you look up in the top right corner, you have a new icon on your Chrome toolbar. It’s a blue circle:

What confuses me a little is that the creators of the extension seem like they couldn’t really decide what to call it. In the Chrome store, it’s called Facebook Video Downloader – Save FB Video. On the website, the title at the top of the page says Online Facebook Video Downloader. And if you just mouse-over that new icon on the Chrome toolbar, you’ll see Social Video Downloader. I guess they just don’t know about the concept of consistent branding.

Anyway, now you’re ready to download a video from Facebook. When you see a video on a friend’s page, nothing will look different – until you move your mouse over the video. When you do that, you’ll see a little “Download” button in the top right corner:

When you click that button, you’ll be taken back to the website where you got the extension, and you’ll see the name of the video. And just to the right of that, you’ll see a big green button that says “Download video in SD”:

So you just click that to download the video to your computer. NOTE: if you’re not using an ad blocker (and why in the world wouldn’t you be using an ad blocker??), be very careful because there will be ads that have a big green “Download” button. These are designed to trick you into clicking on that ad, rather than the actual Download button for the video.

As with all downloads in Chrome, it will show up in the bottom left corner of the browser window. You can open it there, or open the folder where it’s stored and move it to where you want it.

This particular extension does not have a version for Firefox (at least not that I could see). I’m pretty sure there is a similar extension for Firefox that would download videos though. There are others that work in Chrome as well, but this one works fine and is pretty easy to use so this is the one I’m sticking with (until it stops working anyway).

The post How to easily download Facebook videos to your computer first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

cool websites — Some more cool websites you might like Nov 06, 2017
Show notes

It’s that time again – today we’re featuring some websites I’ve come across recently that I think you might find useful or entertaining.

Fotoforensics
http://fotoforensics.com/

These days, you can’t really say for sure if a photo you’re looking at is the real thing, or if it’s been “doctored” with Photoshop or some other photo editing software. Well, at least you can’t be sure with just your human eyes. At the Fotoforensics website, you can upload a photo and have it analyzed for editing. Personally, I’m not really convinced of its accuracy. You be the judge.

The Hemingway Editor
http://hemingwayapp.com/

Great tool for writers. Helps you avoid bad sentence structure, weak phrases, mixed use of passive and active voices, etc. The site actually has a desktop app you can download so that it runs directly from your computer. From the site:

Family Watchdog
http://www.familywatchdog.us/Default.asp

Ever wonder about your neighbors? Maybe not your next door or across-the-street neighbors, but what about those that are in your neighborhood but you don’t really know? If you’re concerned about where the registered sex offenders are living in your city, this is the site to check on. And believe me, when you put in your address or zip code, you’ll be surprised to see how many of them are living right there in your area.

Go Remote jobs
https://goremotejobs.com/

This site helps you find work that you can do from anywhere, simply because it is all digital. Think about it – no commute, flexible working hours, and you can live anywhere in the world you want to! Working remotely is not for everyone. You have to treat the business hours the same as if you were working for an employer. But if you have a skill that’s appropriate for it, you should consider doing it.

Soapbox for video creation
https://wistia.com/soapbox

Soapbox is a great little tool if you want to make “talking head” videos that look professional. You just install it as an extension for Chrome (it’s free). Record your video using the webcam built in to your laptop, edit it, and upload it to share with anyone who needs to see it. Watch the video on the home page of the site to get an overview of how it works.

Online Solitaire
http://www.solitairebliss.com/

Nothing too amazing here, but if you find yourself with an internet connection and some time to kill, this site offers you the Solitaire you are craving.

Awkward family photos
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

Every family has them. The one photo, that when you’re looking back at it, makes you think “What were we thinking?”. This website is full of these awkward photos – some intentional, some not. Here’s one that the family thought was so funny they used it as a Christmas card.

Legal documents
https://www.wonder.legal/us/

What if you need a simple legal document, but you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars having an attorney draft it for you? That’s the idea behind this site. The document templates here actually WERE created by attorneys and legal experts (the website’s FAQ claims). You just answer the questions that need to be included in the document to make it specific to your use. It’s not a free service – the documents range in price from $1.99 to $19.99. Is this a substitute for a lawyer? No. But for some people and some situations it might be sufficient (and a lot less expensive).

Hacker Typer
http://hackertyper.com/

This one’s fun. Just go there and start typing. You’ll see.

The post Some more cool websites you might like first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

fotoforensics — Some more cool websites you might like Nov 06, 2017
Show notes

It’s that time again – today we’re featuring some websites I’ve come across recently that I think you might find useful or entertaining.

Fotoforensics
http://fotoforensics.com/

These days, you can’t really say for sure if a photo you’re looking at is the real thing, or if it’s been “doctored” with Photoshop or some other photo editing software. Well, at least you can’t be sure with just your human eyes. At the Fotoforensics website, you can upload a photo and have it analyzed for editing. Personally, I’m not really convinced of its accuracy. You be the judge.

The Hemingway Editor
http://hemingwayapp.com/

Great tool for writers. Helps you avoid bad sentence structure, weak phrases, mixed use of passive and active voices, etc. The site actually has a desktop app you can download so that it runs directly from your computer. From the site:

Family Watchdog
http://www.familywatchdog.us/Default.asp

Ever wonder about your neighbors? Maybe not your next door or across-the-street neighbors, but what about those that are in your neighborhood but you don’t really know? If you’re concerned about where the registered sex offenders are living in your city, this is the site to check on. And believe me, when you put in your address or zip code, you’ll be surprised to see how many of them are living right there in your area.

Go Remote jobs
https://goremotejobs.com/

This site helps you find work that you can do from anywhere, simply because it is all digital. Think about it – no commute, flexible working hours, and you can live anywhere in the world you want to! Working remotely is not for everyone. You have to treat the business hours the same as if you were working for an employer. But if you have a skill that’s appropriate for it, you should consider doing it.

Soapbox for video creation
https://wistia.com/soapbox

Soapbox is a great little tool if you want to make “talking head” videos that look professional. You just install it as an extension for Chrome (it’s free). Record your video using the webcam built in to your laptop, edit it, and upload it to share with anyone who needs to see it. Watch the video on the home page of the site to get an overview of how it works.

Online Solitaire
http://www.solitairebliss.com/

Nothing too amazing here, but if you find yourself with an internet connection and some time to kill, this site offers you the Solitaire you are craving.

Awkward family photos
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

Every family has them. The one photo, that when you’re looking back at it, makes you think “What were we thinking?”. This website is full of these awkward photos – some intentional, some not. Here’s one that the family thought was so funny they used it as a Christmas card.

Legal documents
https://www.wonder.legal/us/

What if you need a simple legal document, but you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars having an attorney draft it for you? That’s the idea behind this site. The document templates here actually WERE created by attorneys and legal experts (the website’s FAQ claims). You just answer the questions that need to be included in the document to make it specific to your use. It’s not a free service – the documents range in price from $1.99 to $19.99. Is this a substitute for a lawyer? No. But for some people and some situations it might be sufficient (and a lot less expensive).

Hacker Typer
http://hackertyper.com/

This one’s fun. Just go there and start typing. You’ll see.

The post Some more cool websites you might like first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

offerup — This classified ads service is better than Craigslist Oct 30, 2017
Show notes

Everyone knows Craigslist as “the” online classified ads site. It’s been around forever. But now there are other options so we’re not stuck with the limitations of Craigslist anymore. The site I really like is called OfferUp.

You can use OfferUp from your computer (just go to offerup.com) but it’s really designed to be used from your phone. That’s what makes it so incredibly easy and fast to use, whenever you want to sell something.

From your phone (Android or iPhone) get the OfferUp app, then just follow these steps in the app:

Click on Post

Choose a picture to display (you can use up to 5 pictures). You can either take a picture with your phone right then and use it, or select from pictures that are already on your phone.

Write the title, like “full size mattress, great condition”

Write the description and selling price

Click “Post” and your ad is live

So simple!

And a lot better (in my opinion anyway) than Craigslist. Here’s why I say that:

– OfferUp has a much more modern user interface. If you look at the Craigslist website, you’ll see that it is using the same boring format that was there when it was originally created.

– When you post on OfferUp, the item for sale is immediately live. With Craigslist, it’s usually at least 15 minutes before it shows up in searches. And sometimes when Craigslist “ghosts” your ad, it NEVER shows up. And they don’t contact you to tell you that.

– OfferUp has user ratings. This is one of my pet peeves about Craigslist – when I set a time to meet someone who is either selling something, or buying something from me, at least half the time the other person just doesn’t show up. Even people that email and say “I’m on my way now” somehow never make it to the meeting spot and don’t call or email to say they won’t be there. With OfferUp, if someone does that, you can include that information in the rating/review so that other people will know about it before they decide to deal with this person. When someone knows their reputation is at stake, they are probably going to act more responsibly. Craigslist has no user rating system and both parties can remain anonymous if they want to).

– OfferUp has it’s own messaging system, built right into the app. This is very convenient. Craigslist still relies on its antiquated “anonymous email” process.

– With Craigslist you cannot repost or “bump” an item for sale more than once every 48 hours. OfferUp gives you the option to do this more often (at a cost of $1.99). This just means your item goes back to the top of the list, so that users who are browsing are more likely to see it.

– OfferUp gives you a real-time display of how many people have viewed your item’s listing. This is nice to know. With Craigslist, you can add some code and display a counter in the listing itself I think (or at least you used to be able to) but it’s not a part of Craigslist’s process and it’s definitely not as easy.

I think the only advantage for Craigslist is the fact that it has been around longer, so more people are aware of it. However, OfferUp has become a dominate player in this game so when you list something, it will be seen by a lot of people. I recently did list a mattress on OfferUp, like I mentioned in the example above. This was late one afternoon. It ended up getting 82 views, and someone came and purchased it the next morning. Can’t complain about that.

There is another popular app that works similarly to OfferUp. It’s called LetGo. Pretty much the same process, but I just like OfferUp better. If you are really serious about selling something, probably the best strategy would be to OfferUp, LetGo, AND Craigslist. They’re all free, and the more eyeballs you can put on your item, the better, right?

Do you use an online selling service such as these, that I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments.
The post This classified ads service is better than Craigslist first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

Amazon scam — New Amazon scam to watch out for Oct 23, 2017
Show notes

Everyone knows to be careful of scammers when shopping on Craigslist (actually everyone doesn’t know that, but they should). And lots of people are aware of potential scams on eBay, since just about anyone can sign up as an eBay seller. But Amazon – now that’s a place with a great reputation for excellent customer service, so it must always be a safe place to shop, right? Not always.

There are a couple of things that most people assume when shopping on Amazon:

The product being offered for the stated price is a legitimate product that will be shipped to you after you purchase it.

If there are any problems or you are not satisfied, Amazon’s great customer service will immediately take care of the problem – usually with a refund.

And there’s a good reason why most people assume those two things; because that’s what usually happens. But there are some Amazon shoppers who are waking up to the surprising fact that things don’t always go that way.

In a lot of ways, Amazon is kind of like eBay. Anyone can sign up to be a seller on Amazon. Just like anyone can sign up to sell on eBay. And since anyone can do it, there are scammers that create Amazon seller accounts just for the purpose of defrauding buyers.

Here’s how it works:

Mr. Scammer signs up to be an Amazon seller. He creates a new listing page where he is selling iPhone 8 smartphones for $699. Personally, I don’t use an iPhone, but for anyone who’s shopping for a new iPhone, that’s an amazing bargain (if it were genuine). So someone shopping for a phone finds that deal and immediately plunk down a credit card and makes the purchase, thinking they just got the deal of a lifetime.

A day or two later, the buyer gets a notification from Amazon that the item has been delivered. But the buyer is confused, because nothing has been received. Check the front porch, check the mailbox, nothing there. But Amazon’s notice says it was delivered by Fedex – it even says someone signed for it. Huh?

So the buyer goes to the Fedex website, with the tracking number. Sure enough, Fedex says the package was delivered and signed for right on time. But when the buyer checks more closely, he sees that the package was in fact delivered – just to a different address in the same city. In fact, it went to a business address. So someone from that business signed for it.

And that’s what makes this scam work – when Fedex tells Amazon that the package has been delivered, they don’t tell Amazon what ADDRESS it was delivered to. All Amazon knows is that the package was shipped, and Fedex confirms that it was delivered.

But when the buyer contacts Amazon to explain the problem, Amazon will just immediately refund, correct? No, they probably won’t. From their standpoint, your purchase was delivered (even though they don’t know where it was actually delivered to). So the scammer keeps the money and you have nothing.

Some buyers who have been scammed this way have actually gone to the business where the package was delivered. Of course, the employees who work there are completely confused because Fedex brought them a package and had them sign for it, but the box was just empty with no contact information. So it doesn’t really help to go there to try to track it down.

This is a growing problem, so I’m sure Amazon will figure out a way to keep it from happening. One clue obviously is the address for the delivery, but another suspicious factor is the weight of the package. An iPhone and accessories should obviously weigh more than an empty box. But at the moment, Amazon is usually siding with the seller since it looks like everything went as planned, from their perspective.

How can you avoid this scam?

First, if an item is obviously WAY underpriced, that should raise a red flag. Yes, Amazon does have some bargains sometimes and items can be sale priced to clear out inventory from time to time. But the iPhone is one of the most in-demand products in the world, so seeing it priced substantially lower than the norm should tell you something.

Second, check on the seller. If the seller is brand new and has a bunch of products listed that are too-good-to-be-true bargains, just keep looking. It’s tempting to buy anyway even if you’re suspicious, but just know that you might be throwing money away. Don’t be a victim.

The post New Amazon scam to watch out for first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

listen to my podcast in iTunes — New Amazon scam to watch out for Oct 23, 2017
Show notes

Everyone knows to be careful of scammers when shopping on Craigslist (actually everyone doesn’t know that, but they should). And lots of people are aware of potential scams on eBay, since just about anyone can sign up as an eBay seller. But Amazon – now that’s a place with a great reputation for excellent customer service, so it must always be a safe place to shop, right? Not always.

There are a couple of things that most people assume when shopping on Amazon:

The product being offered for the stated price is a legitimate product that will be shipped to you after you purchase it.

If there are any problems or you are not satisfied, Amazon’s great customer service will immediately take care of the problem – usually with a refund.

And there’s a good reason why most people assume those two things; because that’s what usually happens. But there are some Amazon shoppers who are waking up to the surprising fact that things don’t always go that way.

In a lot of ways, Amazon is kind of like eBay. Anyone can sign up to be a seller on Amazon. Just like anyone can sign up to sell on eBay. And since anyone can do it, there are scammers that create Amazon seller accounts just for the purpose of defrauding buyers.

Here’s how it works:

Mr. Scammer signs up to be an Amazon seller. He creates a new listing page where he is selling iPhone 8 smartphones for $699. Personally, I don’t use an iPhone, but for anyone who’s shopping for a new iPhone, that’s an amazing bargain (if it were genuine). So someone shopping for a phone finds that deal and immediately plunk down a credit card and makes the purchase, thinking they just got the deal of a lifetime.

A day or two later, the buyer gets a notification from Amazon that the item has been delivered. But the buyer is confused, because nothing has been received. Check the front porch, check the mailbox, nothing there. But Amazon’s notice says it was delivered by Fedex – it even says someone signed for it. Huh?

So the buyer goes to the Fedex website, with the tracking number. Sure enough, Fedex says the package was delivered and signed for right on time. But when the buyer checks more closely, he sees that the package was in fact delivered – just to a different address in the same city. In fact, it went to a business address. So someone from that business signed for it.

And that’s what makes this scam work – when Fedex tells Amazon that the package has been delivered, they don’t tell Amazon what ADDRESS it was delivered to. All Amazon knows is that the package was shipped, and Fedex confirms that it was delivered.

But when the buyer contacts Amazon to explain the problem, Amazon will just immediately refund, correct? No, they probably won’t. From their standpoint, your purchase was delivered (even though they don’t know where it was actually delivered to). So the scammer keeps the money and you have nothing.

Some buyers who have been scammed this way have actually gone to the business where the package was delivered. Of course, the employees who work there are completely confused because Fedex brought them a package and had them sign for it, but the box was just empty with no contact information. So it doesn’t really help to go there to try to track it down.

This is a growing problem, so I’m sure Amazon will figure out a way to keep it from happening. One clue obviously is the address for the delivery, but another suspicious factor is the weight of the package. An iPhone and accessories should obviously weigh more than an empty box. But at the moment, Amazon is usually siding with the seller since it looks like everything went as planned, from their perspective.

How can you avoid this scam?

First, if an item is obviously WAY underpriced, that should raise a red flag. Yes, Amazon does have some bargains sometimes and items can be sale priced to clear out inventory from time to time. But the iPhone is one of the most in-demand products in the world, so seeing it priced substantially lower than the norm should tell you something.

Second, check on the seller. If the seller is brand new and has a bunch of products listed that are too-good-to-be-true bargains, just keep looking. It’s tempting to buy anyway even if you’re suspicious, but just know that you might be throwing money away. Don’t be a victim.

The post New Amazon scam to watch out for first appeared on The Computer Tutor.

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