Tech Talk | The Apheus Blog

21Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Problems Online? You’re Not Alone.

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the internet is a fragile place. I don't know how the internet even works. It's just magical. I may jest, but there's a hint of truth to how I feel. The last week gave me a couple of good reasons to feel that way. Two major incidents occurred that really shows how one small problem can quickly escalate into a global crisis. Outlook Update Cripples Users As I explained in a blog post last week, Microsoft pushed out an update that crippled their own Outlook app. This was a major headache for me, especially since there weren't any immediate clues as to what was happening. Thankfully, Microsoft's own forums ...

15Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Is TikTok Really All That Dangerous?

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you that you haven't heard of the TikTok app... at least until recently. TikTok has made plenty of news lately as the United States government has put the social media app in its cross hairs. TikTok is owned by a company called ByteDance, which is based in China. Over the last year or so, TikTok has taken the social media landscape by storm. It's extremely popular with young people and the app has been downloaded more than 2 billion times. There's always been some controversy swirling around TikTok because of its younger user base and the fact that the parent company is based in China. Citing national security,...

Fact-Checking Stuff You Find on Social Media

2Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Fact-Checking Stuff You Find on Social Media

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. If you're on social media, I'm sure you've seen plenty of posts that might, or at least should, raise an eyebrow. It's OK to question what you see, especially if you're unfamiliar with the source. Or even if you are familiar with the source, you should take a moment to ponder if the information you're seeing is biased. Whether it's a meme, a pseudo-news article, or a video, you should spend a little bit of time researching the subject. Don't just share it and assume the information you're sharing is accurate. In many cases, there may be a hint of truth to the post in an effort to get you to believe it. That's been the basis of Russian interfe...

23Jun

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Computers, Tech Talk

The May 2020 Update for Windows 10 is Causing All Sorts of Problems, At Least for Some People

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 23, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. The latest major update for Windows 10 came out on May 27, 2020, and a number of issues have been reported since then. While I have heard rumors and seen the after-effects, I have yet to see any of these problems as described first-hand. Here's a run-down of some the problems people are experiencing: Unable to fully install the update. The update loads to around 90% and simply stops. It appears that there's no real reason for this, although some users are eluding that the Windows registry could be the culprit.The user gets logged out of apps. For some reason, user credentials are lost after a reboot in Chrome and One Drive. Which is odd, s...

16Jun

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Should You Be Concerned About Online Privacy?

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. When I talk to people about online privacy, they're usually shocked to hear that they are the product. This usually leads to the question, "What do you mean that I'm a product?" There are tons of free services available online. The most common are ones you've already heard of and are probably using right now - Google and Facebook. These services are free to use. But you have to question yourself this question - how do these companies make money if they're free? The answer is simple. You are the product. These companies make money by collecting personal information about your digital life. They collect everything they can about you - your geographic ...

9Jun

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Dealing with Unruly Email and How to Declutter Your Inbox

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. Email is a great thing, right? Well, probably not if you're dealing with a huge amount of email subscriptions, junk, and spam. Your inbox can quickly become a repository of unwanted emails, but there are ways to prevent this from happening. And if it does happen, there are ways to fix the problem. Don't Subscribe One of the easiest ways to keep your in box free and clear of clutter is to simply not subscribe to mailing lists. Carefully read any online forms before you fill them out. Most of the time, there will be a box or other notification that will tell you if you will be subscribed to a particular mailing list. If you don't want to get on a mailing l...

3Jun

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Computers, Tech Talk

Troubleshooting a Computer Problem Isn’t Always Successful

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. One of the sad truths about computer repair is that we can't fix every problem. Sometimes we fail to even identify the problem. It can be frustrating for the end user, but can be even more frustrating for the IT guy. We're not infallible and we are quite human. Most experienced computer gurus have a set of tools and procedures that we utilize to troubleshoot a computer hardware problem. Some arsenals are quite extravagant, while others (like myself) utilize a pretty basic set of tools. The procedures we use for diagnosing a problem change depending upon the situation (or at least they should). I'm going to highlight a few of the common things ...

26May

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Computers, Tech Talk

Protect Yourself from Data Loss with the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. The 3-2-1 backup strategy has been around forever. It's a simple and effective method to keep your data safe. It works to protect data loss from fire, flood, tornado, ransomware, hard drive failure, or a multitude of other problems. So let's break down what the 3-2-1 strategy actually is and how it can be applied to home users and small businesses. By the way, this strategy is endorsed by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Three copies of your data. So in a typical home or small business environment, you're going to have one copy of your data on your computer. Follow this up with two ba...

19May

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Computers, Tech Talk

Keep Your Computer Cool and Clean this Summer with Proper Airflow

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. Airflow. It is one of the most important things to remember about your computer. Your password is essential, too, but if your computer is dead, you won't have to worry about remembering your password. Proper airflow is crucial because it helps keep the components inside of your computer nice and cool. Maybe not ice-cube cool (install a liquid-cooled system for that), but relatively cool to the touch. The problem comes when the components inside of your computer begin to overheat. While there are mechanisms inside the computer to prevent a meltdown, it can still suffer serious damage. It doesn't matter if you have a laptop or a desktop; both types of sys...

12May

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Debunking 5G Conspiracy Theories and How 5G Will Actually Benefit Users

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. There are a number of conspiracy theories floating around the internet these days. A year ago, people were claiming that 5G causes cancer, even though the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) have determined that there is no connection between brain cancer and mobile phone usage. Of course that won't stop the conspiracy theorists from making that claim. In fact, some people are so terrified of 5G towers in the United Kingdom, that they've actually starting setting them on fire. The fear comes from yet another conspiracy theory linking 5G technology with the spread of the coronavirus. Again, that claim is ...