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Internet and Web
Johnny Jet on Travel
Episode 1385
Johnny Jet is fresh from a trip back east to attend the travel related "Freddy Awards." Alaska Airlines received top honors as the best airline. Meanwhile, United settled with Doctor Dow after they beat him and dragged him off the airplane. The settlement is undisclosed, but Johnny Jet guesses it was at least $10 million. The incident also prompted changes in their policies to bump passengers, including offering up to $10,000 to get you to give up your seat.
Hackers Break Into Netflix, Release Orange is the New Black
Episode 1385
A hacker by the name of "The Dark Overlord" broke into Netflix' servers and released the new season of "Orange is the New Black," after demanding payment not to. According to TDA, he also has shows from ABC, IFC, and other channels. Leo says that is a childish act that probably was perpetrated by an ambitious teenager and Netflix did the right thing by refusing to pay up.
Is my banking information safe?
Episode 1384
Mike from
Mike is worried that Google has all of his banking information. Leo says it's not to worry about. They don't have it. If anything, his browser has that information and that's much more dangerous. It may be a good idea to reset his browser to get rid of all that. Then turn on second factor authentication to make sure that any attempt to change his password or access his account will be stopped. Mike shouldn't worry about Google, though. They're quite secure, and Chrome is a secure browser.
How can I get started with social media?
Episode 1384
Doctor Mom from
Doctor Mom has been drafted into running the social media for a medical journal group she's a part of. How can she get started? Leo says that social media is of great value, but to be effective, it needs to be staffed because it takes a lot of time. Doctor Mom seems to be it, though. She also has to do a podcast aimed at who they want to reach. How can she get her podcast on TuneIn? Leo says that everyone listens to podcasts on their phone these days and most will use the app they already have. Leo says it could be an uphill battle to get on TuneIn.
Should I advertise online?
Episode 1384
Steve from
Steve has a new advertising budget to expand clientele, focusing on 30-50 year olds in Southern California. The budget includes SEO, pay per click and other advertising. Leo says that SEO or search engine optimization, is largely snake oil. It can help him, but it doesn't make a huge difference. Leo would advise separating that out of his advertising budget. As for advertising on Bing, he should check the market share. That may not be a good place to put it.
Tech Companies Report Quarterly Earnings
Episode 1384
Quarterly earnings came out this week and Microsoft, Google, and Amazon all posted record earnings in cloud services. Leo says that sadly, hardware earnings fell short for Microsoft whose tablets and laptops fell short. Leo says that's unfortunate because they make some nice hardware these days.
Leo also says that Google made a lot of money, up 49%, on their Pixel Android phone and their Google Home devices. Google's advertising revenue was also up 29% with nearly $2 billion a month in profit.
What's a good alternative to Outlook?
Episode 1383
Carlo from
Karlo has a cookie business, and when people order cookies and pay by Paypal, he has to use Outlook to get notifications. Leo says that Go Daddy's interface will support other email interfaces, regardless of what they may say. Outlook itself is a modern system and would work, but it's not the only game in town. He can also use Gmail. There's also Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail, and the Apple Mail app on Mac.
Has my browser been hijacked?
Episode 1383
Doug from
Doug's in laws are getting popups in Chrome using Facebook that malware is on their machine asking them to download something. Leo says that is a fishing scam trying to get them to download and install something. Leo suspects that there is a malicious extension in Chrome that is causing it. Leo suggests resetting Chrome to wipe out everything. They'll have to reinstall the extensions, but it's the only way to be sure. They should go to Settings and search for Reset. That'll make it go away.
Why can't I log into my email?
Episode 1382
Howard got a used computer from work and he's getting a popup when he checks into his email asking for his user name and password on Gmail. If he replies, it doesn't take it and he gets a note from Google someone has his password.
Leo says that two factor authentication could solve this, but he should clear out all his settings. There may be an Exchange server still attached for the email settings in Outlook. Leo also says to check his date and time. It's possible that the time and date is not accurate since it's an older computer and that's causing an issue.
What is considered fast internet?
Episode 1382
Vladimir from
Vladimir is thinking of renting an office and his ISP is offering 1 Mbps. Leo says that won't work, it's too slow. He'll want at least 10-15 Mbps, which is a typical internet speed. He also may be stuck with bandwidth caps and that could add up, so he should look in the rental agreement. He may be better off using his cellphone internet in hotspot mode. It'll be faster, especially with unlimited data plans that are now popular, and overages are much cheaper. He can also use a MiFi card, which will enable him to connect up to five devices to it.
