Backup Reminders …

Last week I wrote “… technology is great when it works, but so frustrating when it doesn’t. For insurance, always back-up your computer and assorted devices ….” Over the years that I have been writing OnMouseClick, several have included advice on how to back up computer data. Since my husband and I are enjoying this week at Disney World with family, I thought it timely to revisit some of those past columns.

We don’t always think about our smartphones and tablets as computers, but that is what they are. In a 2014 column I wrote about backing up iOS and Android devices.  

• Backing up data — The most important component of any computer its stored data, and a smart phone (or tablet) is nothing more than a small sized computer. If your phone stops working for any reason, or is lost, a backup ensures that your data is safe and can be transferred to a replaced or repaired device. 
• iPhones can be backed by connecting to a computer or remotely to Apple’s iCloud service. To back up on your computer, plug the phone into the computer USB port with the iPhone cable and open iTunes, the free Apple software designed to store and play music as well as interface with iOS devices. Initially, when iTunes detects an iOS device a backup is started automatically. If you prefer, you can change the setting to manual, which will allow you to start backups with the touch of a button. You can also choose to back up your device to iCloud by changing the backup settings in iTunes. 
• Android smart phones are a bit more complicated to back up, as they do not come with a builtin backup procedure. There are several methods that can be used backup the data, and which method you choose will vary depending on the phone manufacturer. If your phone did not come with specific directions for making backups, I suggest a Google search for “Backing up Android Phones.” 

A year earlier I outlined a backup plan for desktop and laptop computers which is still relevant today:

I am a strong proponent of making frequent backups, and I practice what I preach, but even when you backup religiously, things can go wrong. If you have a large amount image files, as I do, one backup location is not enough. I have images scattered across many different drives, and each of those drive needs to be backed up. What follows are some practices you might want to consider to avoid having a similar disaster.

1. Perform backups of your computer hard drive on a regular basis — daily, or at least weekly, depending on how often you make changes to important files.
2. If you keep your financial records on your computer, using Quicken or a similar financial record keeping program, consider backing up just those files to a USB flash drive every time you make changes.
3. One backup copy of your hard drive, or important files is never enough. If you back up your internal drive to an external drive, consider subscribing to a cloud (online) backup service as well.
4. Keep backups of important information in more than location (see number 3, above). If you keep all your backups in your house, and there is a disaster of some kind, you lose everything. 

I hear my granddaughters calling, which brings this week’s column to an end. Next week I will cover updated specifics on how to go about making essential backups of all your data. 

It’s not always me … or you.

A few things happened recently that reminded me how electronic devices can be both extremely sensitive and extremely annoying. As readers of this column know, we recently “cut the cable TV cord”, relying on internet streaming service for our television viewing. On Super Bowl Sunday we had just settled down to watch the game, when there was a momentary power outage. After about a minute, the lights came back on but not the television. Our modem showed power, but DSL and internet lights were out. My immediate thought was that the Centurylink, the service provider, experienced an outage. My husband suggested something more obvious, that the power spike had damaged our modem. I disagreed, insisting that the router could not be the problem since it was powered on. Sure that the problem was with the provider, I contacted Centurylink customer service and spent a very frustrating twenty minutes with an agent who, after asking innumerable questions for security purposes, finally told me there were no reported outages in our area.

Whenever something goes wrong with one of our electronic devices, I try to troubleshoot the cause. The problem with my usual way of thinking is that I rarely follow the sage, philosophical advice of Occam’s razor – the simplest solution is most often the best one. In this case, my husband was right, the problem was with the modem. 

We had replaced our Centurylink modem just after Christmas, because the internet was very slow, even for a DSL connection. The new Netgear modem provided a much faster connection — until Super Bowl Sunday. After the frustrating phone call to Centurylink, I heeded my husband’s suggestion and disconnected the Netgear modem and replaced it with our original modem. Sure enough, we were back online and able watched the rest of the game. Before giving up on our Netgear modem, I tried a hard reset, which returns a device to its original factory settings, and surprisingly that resolved the issue. The modem was not broken, but the power outage must have cause something inside the modem to disconnect.

The answer to another recent problem proved an easier fix. The email software on my computer stopped receiving new mail, even though I could receive email on my iPad. I tried reopening the mail program, and when that didn’t work, I restarted the computer, and once again I was receiving email. I don’t know what  caused the problem, but a restart was the fix.

The third problem we encountered was the most unsettling. My husband’s PC is protected from computer viruses and malware by BitDefender, a program that has been very effective. The other morning the program quit and a message flashed on his screen saying that BitDefender Security Services encountered a critical error. After restarting the computer the message reappeared, and we were concerned about leaving sensitive data unprotected. We visited the BitDefender website, which was not working correctly. I clicked on the HELP link, but it did not go anywhere, Chat was “unavailable,” and the listed phone numbers went unanswered. BitDefender itself appeared to be experiencing a major problem, and we were unsure what to do. The next morning, while my husband worked on activating Microsoft’s built-in firewall and virus protection, I decided to try contacting BitDefender one more time. Sure enough the website displayed a message that an update to the program had gone wrong, affecting users all over the world — followed by directions on how to fix the problem. A few minutes later my husbands computer was once again protected.

The moral of this tale is when a problem exists, try the simplest solutions first. If a piece of software stops working, close it and then open it again. If that doesn’t work, try restarting the device or computer, and as a last resort reset the device to factory settings. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone, technology is great when it works, but so frustrating when it doesn’t. For insurance, you always back-up your computer and assorted devices, a topic I will revisit in next week’s column. 

Constant Connections …

I begin today’s column with some cautionary thoughts on how we use our smartphones. Do you ever recognize an actor on a television show and say, “She is so familiar, what did we see her in?” When that happens at our house, I grab my iPhone, open the IMDb app to look up the show or movie and easily find the answer. I often have the same thoughts when in a movie theater, however I never follow through on that urge. In many ways smartphones have made our lives richer, but they can be both a blessing and a curse, and we should be mindful of how using them affects those around us. 

We recently attended a concert at the Ruth Eckert Concert Hall in Clearwater. At the start of the concert, there were the usual announcements about not taking photographs and videos during the performance, but some members of the audience were not to be deterred. They held their phones up high to get the best view of the stage, marring the view of everyone sitting behind them. What surprised me even more was that none of the ushers appeared to take notice.  

Before the concert began, I noticed numerous people sitting with their heads down looking at their phones and ignoring everyone around them. When we go out to eat, I am amazed at how many diners pay more attention to their phones than to each other — and it’s not just young people who seem to prefer phones to the company of their companions. We have observed many couples our age engrossed in their phones while sitting across from each other at a restaurant, and I often wonder what can be so important that it cannot wait until after dinner? 

At the core of every smartphone is a telephone, and people tend to make calls just about everywhere. I do not enjoy standing on line at the grocery store listening to the loud, one-sided conversation of the person behind me, nor I suspect does the grocery clerk like listening to personal conversations while ringing up orders. My take away from these thoughts is that we all need to pay attention to how and when we use our smartphones, and to make certain we take the time to appreciate and interact with the real life people around us.

While I don’t appreciate being a party to other people’s personal telephone conversations,  I am not opposed to obtaining “crowd sourced” information on my smartphone. “Crowd sourcing” is loosely defined as a form of online activity in which a group of unconnected individuals undertake a task, the most common of which is posting reviews of businesses online. I have found my iPhone invaluable when we are away from home and I turn to the cloud sourced apps to help us find a place to eat.

My go-to “find everything” app is YELP. Crowd sourced Yelp reviews of restaurants tell me what others think of the food and service, often with recommendation on the best items to order. After reading the reviews on Yelp, I often choose to check one or more other apps, such as  TripAdvisior (featuring reviews of restaurants, hotels and airlines) and OpenTable (restaurant reviews only) to confirm my results. I figure that if there are good reviews on more than one app, it is likely to be a good place to eat, and we have enjoyed some very good meals as a result of these searches.

It is worth noting that the premise behind Yelp and similar apps is to post unbiased reviews. In the recent past Yelp was criticized for too many biased reviews posted by friends, relatives and employees of businesses, or even paid reviewers. They have since revamped their policy and cracked down on businesses suspected of unethical behavior. As the popularity of crowd-sourced reviews increased, many business’s have  learned not to do anything that would limit their prospective customer base. 

CES, part 2

At last year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) many exhibiters featured some type of voice interaction with their products, primarily by interfacing with Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa.This year nearly every exhibitor infused their technology with voice assistants, both Alexa and the new Google Assistant, as well as AI, or artificial intelligence. If you could sum up CES 2018 in one word it would be “smart.” The show featured “smart” cars, “smart” appliances, “smart” clothing, and even “smart” toilets.

Last year at CES, LG introduced the Door-in-Door refrigerator, a line of “smart” refrigerators with Alexa voice integration. In January at CES 2018 LG debuted the InstaView ThinQ Smart Refrigerator, which includes a transparent LCD touch-screen that gives users the ability to look up recipes, keep track of food expiration dates, play music on the hidden Bluetooth speakers, and even show off family photos. Knock twice on the screen and it transforms into a transparent window for peeking inside the refrigerator without opening the door. Voice integration has been enhanced, transforming Alexa into a cook’s assistant. According to LG “…the intelligent refrigerator recommends delicious recipes based on what is on hand …,” and Alexa’s voice guides you through the steps of chosen recipes. Pricing and availability have not been announced.

Kohler, the maker of kitchen and bathroom fixtures, introduced Kohler Konnect, a technology that interfaces your shower, bathtub, toilet and mirror through a smart phone app and voice commands. You can tell the mirror to set the lighting level for applying makeup, set the shower to the temperature you prefer after a workout, command the toilet seat to heat up before you sit down and flush with the wave of a hand. The  fixtures are not-yet ready for the market, and pricing has not been announced.  

Several devices introduced at CES were designed to enhance our night’s sleep. The Philips company showcased the Philips Headband, a wearable mask designed to emit a tone promised to improve slow wave sleep. The Dreamlight Sleep Mask by Indiegogo covers eyes and ears, dims light to match breathing, plays ambient sounds to block out noise and promised to help alleviate jet lag. Somnox is a robot pillow for your chest, equipped with an accelerometer, audio and carbon dioxide sensors. The pillow aims to relax you while you are falling asleep by expanding and contracting as if it were breathing.The Philips Headband sells for $299, pricing for the Dreamlight was not available, and when the Somnox becomes available, it will sell for €589, or approximately $730.

Another device designed for the home, and winner of an CES Innovation award, was Sensio Air from WLab, Ltd. Sensio Air is an app for iOS and Android devices designed to monitor air quality, offer advice on reducing exposure to allergens and send alerts when the air quality degrades in the surrounding area. The free app currently reports the readings of air monitors in 200 cities around the world, but unfortunately the closest city to Travelers Rest is Miami. The company is also taking pre-orders on Sensio Home, an air monitor for the home. The football shaped device promises to constantly monitor the air in your home and warn you of problems that can affect your health. The promotional information for the device does not make any mention of purifying the air and eliminating the problems, which make the $999 price tag difficult to understand.

At least two products introduced at CES are designed specifically for the care of the elderly. Hip’Air from Helitie is a wearable airbag designed to activate and protect us from hip fractures in case of a fall. Developed in French nursing homes, the device is a fanny pack equipped with sensors and two lateral airbags. If the sensors detect a fall, the airbags deploy and hopefully prevent a serious injury. Not yet on the market, it will first sell in Europe for €650 or approximately $810. A date for North American availability has not been announced.

Another French company, E-vone, introduced Smart Shoes with a built-in medical alert feature. The shoes, which come in a variety of sneaker, hiking boot and work boot styles, are equipped with a GPS tracker and sensors in the soles to detect falling and abnormal movement. When a sensor is triggered, an alert message is automatically sent to the wear’s emergency contacts and/or emergency services. No information yet on pricing or when these shoes will be available for purchase.

If CES is truly a harbinger of our future, it won’t be long before we will be emulating the crew of Star Trek’s Enterprise “Computer on” to just about every object in our surroundings. However, sadly the possibility of “beam me up Scotty” is still just a movie prop.