Is Online Banking Safe?

Some people simply won’t do online banking based on an unsupported fear that their bank account will be compromised by a hacker who discovers their password. And some people will not allow any password to be saved “online” with something like a password manager. (Keychain Access uses iCloud to share passwords between devices. Password managers like 1Password can use iCloud or Dropbox.) These people have a false phobia about how insecure cloud storage is.

News of one or more businesses or websites being compromised is NOT evidence of an insecure cloud storage for passwords. This is a real hot point for me.

Password managers that store passwords in the cloud are safe. But this safety is completely dependent on the password used to access the password manager and the passwords stored in the password manager.

The password manager website and data storage can be hacked, but accessing the stored password list and the passwords themselves cannot then be unencrypted UNLESS the password for accessing the password manager is insecure and the stored passwords themselves are insecure. If you let the password manager choose a secure password for you (a jumble of 20 characters would do), then you are fully protected. And you never have to remember it or write it down anywhere. Just be sure that the password to access the password manager is very secure. It’s the one password you never want to forget - besides the one you use to access the computer.

Using two-factor authentication is a pain, but it is also the very best way to prevent anyone from changing a password or accessing personal or financial information. Using a security key (e.g., Yubico’s YubiKey) to access a computer is more secure than using a password, although a strong password is still required.

So the only real threat to one’s privacy and financial security is a person's laziness, gullibility, or inability to do the research to discover how best to protect themselves. You can’t change a person who lives with blinders on, and they are the ones that hackers are depending on to take the bait.

My name is John Carter, and I’ve been doing online banking for over 10 years. My password manager of choice is Keychain Access and it keeps my passwords safe in iCloud.

Hope to Choose the Best VPN Plan

Using a VPN, especially with regard to sensitive material, is highly recommended IF you plan on using your iPhone or iPad, and you will be accessing that sensitive material when not at home.There is a VPN button included in the iPhone under Settings. This does nothing more than to ensure that you can connect to your IKEv1 or VPN server. You have to subscribe to a VPN server to make this work. I cannot recommend or suggest a VPN server. There are so many. The only advice I can offer is that the cheapest may not be the best. You have to review all the features of every service and decide which features are important to you. Start here: https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/choose-best-vpn/  Some people want a VPN just to make their browsing experience anonymous. That is a very poor excuse to pay for VPN service—unless you are dealing with illegal or illicit information, or you really do need to be anonymous. VPN is mostly about security—protecting you and the information that you put out on the Internet. Don’t confuse private browsing with VPN. All modern browsers now have a feature to go into a Private mode, but all that does is wipe out the history of the places you have been browsing and removes all the cookies that were placed in the browser when you close the browser. That way, revisiting any site won’t know you have been there before. Reference: https://www.howtogeek.com/117776/htg-explains-how-private-browsing-works-and-why-it-doesnt-offer-complete-privacy/

John R Carter Sr

Apple Expands in Austin

Apple announced they will be building a new, non-manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, which Apple is calling a 'campus': https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/11/apple-expands-in-austin/ Initially it will have up to 5,000 employees, but not production-type employees. The Mac Pro is assembled nearby by a separate company. I wonder if any of these employees will be transferred from California, where the cost of living is so high?

Quite a growth story for Apple.

Jim Hamm

Are You a Macaholic?

Do you have an Apple device like a Mac, iPad, or iPhone? Like to read? Got lots of time to nose around? Well, you're in luck. This article lists 28 websites relating to Apple devices that you can peruse at your leisure:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/20-websites-every-apple-fan-must-bookmark/

And I'll add one more: Six Colors: https://sixcolors.com/ . Now, all this can be a bit overwhelming and time-consuming, so proceed cautiously.

Jim Hamm

iPhone Tip

Occasionally I've used the camera on my iPhone to take a picture of a document and then email the picture to a recipient. This has worked reasonably well, but also one can use the Notes App to do the same, plus a few more options. You can use your built-in Notes App to scan documents, save as a PDF file, or AirDrop the document to your  computer.  Although I haven't tried it yet, I suspect this tip would work on your iPad as well.

Open the Notes App from your home screen. Open a new note, tap the write button, then tap the camera button located at the bottom of the screen. Tap Scan Documents (if that's what you want) from the list of options that pops up.


The camera will open, which you should aim at the document you want to scan. The app will highlight the document in yellow, then it will either automatically capture the image or you can tap the white button to take a photo. You'll be given the option to adjust the margins or edit as needed. Save the document and then it can be sent as a message, email, or used in a PDF. Or you can use AirDrop to send it to your computer, which I just tried and it worked fine. It goes into your downloads folder.

Jim Hamm

AirPods Pro

If you might have an interest in learning a bit more about the new iPods Pro, the following article has a couple of short videos describing the features. The video by Justine is very good, I thought, and really explains the features, which I think are quite impressive.

These are early, quick reviews, and there will be more in-depth reviews in the future after people have had time to wear the Pods for awhile.

Jim Hamm

https://www.idownloadblog.com/2019/10/29/airpods-pro-early-impressions-roundup/

New In-Ear AirPods Unveiled by Apple for $249

I take a walk every morning, and I see many people wearing Apple's AirPods as they walk, jog, or bike. I have a pair of these AirPods but don't like them and don't use them -- they just don't stay in my ears. Zee uses them often, and likes them. Now Apple is coming out with a new version that has a noise-cancelling feature and rubber tips that, in theory, will make them fit better and stay in one's ears.

If you read the following article, you'll be amazed at all the electronics incorporated in these new AirPods. Wow! I'll be interested in reading the reviews and blogs about these new AirPods before deciding to try them again.

Jim Hamm

https://9to5mac.com/2019/10/28/apple-unveils-new-in-ear-airpods-pro-coming-october-30-for-249/

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iOS 13 Tips

If you have upgraded to the new release of iOS 13, there are several new features to try out. Tech blogger David Pogue discusses them in the following article. As I read through his article, to learn all the new new features might be a bit overwhelming. But, as Pogue points out, you have a whole year to learn them before Apple changes them again with a new release of iOS.

Jim Hamm

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/smarter-living/16-useful-gems-in-apples-new-ios-13.html

iOS 13 and macOS Catalina

There have been lots of blogs about Apple's two new OS releases being "buggy", with Apple issuing corrective updates. Although I've upgraded to both OSes, I've been fortunate and haven't experienced any major issues. Why the "bugs", you might ask? The author of the following article was a software engineer at Apple for 18 years and offers his opinions on this question. Makes for an interesting read, should this be of interest to you.

Jim Hamm

https://tidbits.com/2019/10/21/six-reasons-why-ios-13-and-catalina-are-so-buggy/

How to Edit a Video

No matter what video you want to edit, the format matters for the editor that you use.

Even though VLC claims to be able to convert from one format to another, I have been unsuccessful in trying to convert a MPG file to a MOV format. It saves the converted file with the same filename and extension (overwriting the original unless you choose a different folder) and it appears to be corrupted.

If you have a DVD movie that you want to edit, you’ll first have to use an app like Handbrake or Wondershare to rip the movie into a single video file that can then be edited.

Handbrake: https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

Wondershare: https://videoconverter.wondershare.net/ad/wondershare-dvd-converter-ultimate.html

You can convert any video format to any other video format online for free:

https://www.files-conversion.com/

Select MOV as the file type to convert to, and select the highest quality to ensure that the video will not look funny when viewed.Once the file is converted, you have to view the file. While viewing the file, right click on it to save the file to your computer (save to the same folder as the original).

QuickTime Player is for quick trimming, splitting, and combining video clips. It might be faster to trim the movie in QuickTime before doing more advanced editing in iMovie. Macmost has a good tutorial using QuickTime to edit a video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7NrlhZin4M

iMovie lets you control more aspects of the video, such as sound, transitions, overlays, picture-in-picture and much more. Here’s a great tutorial for using iMovie in iOS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7sjT_BySf8

But be sure to check out the new features in iMovie in iOS 13 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm6PAPeZaWg

John R Carter, Sr.

Need AV on a Mac?

Does one need an antivirus program on a Mac? This question, and answers, have appeared many times in the past.

Here is an article with yet another review of this question. Short answer: no. But if it makes you feel more comfortable running an AV program on your Mac, as I do, I see no downside in doing so. Maybe one day the AV program will stop a virus from infecting my Mac. Even if this never occurs, great. Hasn't cost me anything for the additional piece of mind.

Following is the article, should you have an interest in the author's comments and opinions.


Jim Hamm

https://www.howtogeek.com/437846/do-you-need-an-antivirus-on-a-mac/

Text Gestures on iPad

If you've upgraded to iOS 13, apparently there's a slew of new gestures you can use on your iPhone and iPad.

This article explains the gestures, and you're probably gonna think, as I did, how am I going to remember these?

I am a fan of the iPad and its almost being a 'real' computer, but I've never liked using my finger on the screen to move the cursor to select or highlight items. Just awkward for me, and I hope the new gestures have improved this.

Anyway, read the article, and give 'em a try.

Jim Hamm

Made in the USA

Here's a short article about Apple and its decision to continue to manufacture the Mac Pro in the

USA: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apples-new-mac-pro-to-be-made-in-texas/

The article contains the following statement, which I found amazing, and nice:

"Apple is on track to fulfill its commitment to invest $350 billion in the US economy by 2023. Last year alone, the company spent over $60 billion with more than 9,000 domestic suppliers across the country, including at manufacturing locations in 36 states. Apple’s investment in innovation supports 24 million jobs in all 50 states, including 90,000 direct employees."

Unfortunately Apple -- and so many other companies -- does most of its manufacturing in China, but at least the Mac Pro helps bring some production to the U.S. Somewhat ancillary -- and very startling and disturbing -- recently there was a news segment on TV discussing the manufacture of drugs and other medications. About 80% come from China, and the U.S. doesn't have a single facility manufacturing vaccines! All our vaccines come from China, and here we are -- in a tariff tussle with China. What if China said, OK, we're imposing a 100% increase in tariffs on drugs and vaccines?

Not a pleasant scenario to think about.

Jim Hamm

iOS.13.1

iOS 13.1 is available, and I'm in the process of installing it. Presumably the bugs contained in iOS 13 have been corrected. If you decide to give iOS 13.1 a try, here's an article that might be helpful.

It must be a significant download as my iPhone says there's another hour to complete the download, and my iPad says two hours.

Jim Hamm

RBdigital Magazines

Here is a topic that might be of interest, especially if you enjoy reading magazines. Recently I learned of a new -- new to me, anyway -- program one could use to read library magazines online: RBdigital Magazines. Info here: https://www.rbdigital.com/help/magazines-faq

I tried it first through a browser, and it worked reasonably well, but it would take a couple of seconds for each page to load after I turned a page. I think all those pixels were being downloaded and one would need a fast internet connection to fill the pages quickly. Then Zee told me that an app is available from Apple's App Store. I downloaded the app to my iPad and started reading the current issue of National Geographic Magazine. There was an article I wanted to read about how climate change is affecting the far north -- not well, as I found out. An informative article worth reading.

The app worked great, and there was no lag time when I turned the page, after reading another article. I suppose all the pixels had been downloaded with the magazine. The magazine page was as large as my iPad, and the print was easy to read. There were three pages of magazine titles available to be read from the library, and each page must have had 20 or so magazines listed. A wonderful app, and highly recommended. The app is available for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire.

If your library doesn't have this program available, I understand one can get a Scottsdale Library card by visiting a Scottsdale Library, show them your drivers license, and then you can get a card. You might have to be a resident of Maricopa County, though. You can check with the library to find out, if this might be of interest.

Jim Hamm