Your internet connection, web sites and services.
Internet and Web
Do I really need Java?
Episode 965
Brian wants to know if he really needs to have java on his computer. Leo says probably not. Java is a programming language that allows a program to run on any platform. It was the flavor of the month in the mid 90s and has been around ever since. However, Java has security flaws that have been exploited, including three last month. So now Leo recommends turning it off in the browser.
Why am I having trouble connecting to the internet?
Episode 965
Jeffrey has been on a dating website and now he's having trouble connecting to the internet. He has been getting notified that his cookies were disabled. Leo says it's DNS malware that has redirected traffic through the DNS servers to control what he sees. It could have impacted his computer, or his network's router. Since Jeffrey has only seen it on his computer, that's an easier thing to repair. He should backup his data, and then format his hard drive and reinstall his OS from a known, good source.
'Dongle' Jokes At Tech Conference Result In Firings and Sexism Debates
Episode 964
Dongle Jokes, Tweets End With Firings, Sexism in Tech Debate…
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2416945,00.asp
How can I retrieve the images from Google Contacts?
Episode 964
Bill wants to get his contact images back from Google. Leo says that Google has a data take out option via Google Take Out. He can get anything archived that he's posted to Google. Also check out DataLiberation.org on how to get stuff out of Google.
How can I get unbanned from the TWiT chat room?
Episode 963
Danny recently got banned from TWiT chat because of something his kid wrote. Leo says that TWiT bans offending users according to IP addresses. They are very careful to keep the chatroom family friendly and there's some specific rules. Generally, though, the ban is temporary, so just be patient. There really isn't an appeal, either.
How can I run a free email service?
Episode 963
Tony recently bought a domain name and he wants to start a free email service on his shared web server. Leo says that may be tough because server companies are concerned with spam. He can use a virtual server setup as long as the server company knows what he's doing. Leo recommends SoftLayer. Another option is RackSpace. For software, Leo uses SquirrelMail.
How can I download Yahoo Mail with Outlook?
Episode 963
Winn has been having trouble downloading his Yahoo Mail with Outlook 2010. Leo says to delete the account completely from Outlook and re-enter it. It may also be that Winn has to buy the Yahoo pro account to have Pop3 access. Leo suggests dumping Yahoo and using Gmail instead. Gmail can collect all email for him and keep it central. It's also better at fighting spam.
Johnny Jet
Episode 963
Johnny Jet says that American Airlines is testing a new boarding procedure which lets people on without carry on luggage right after first class and families board. Johnny Jet tweeted it and now everyone knows about it. Southwest, Alaska and Frontier are doing it as well.
How can I do my video podcast without YouTube?
Episode 962
Adam started a movie video podcast with his daughter called Piper's Picks TV and they've been doing it for years. They're moving to YouTube because they can monetize it, but YouTube is starting to take down videos because of complaints from others.
Why isn't my email staying on the server after accessing it with PoP3?
Episode 962
Jerry has multiple computers accessing the same email via Pop3, but he's missing emails. Leo says that's what PoP does -- it downloads the email and then deletes it from the server. Better to use IMAP instead because it leaves the email on the servers.
A better option is to create his own GMail account and then use GMail to retrieve his Pop3 email. Then it stays on GMail until he wants to delete it.
