Month: June 2021

Tech Tuesday: Incognito Mode

Posted on by Mr John

Tech Tuesday – Incognito Mode

By John Carter

Hi Net Neighbors! Welcome back to Tech Tuesday, where we do deep dives into the technology powering our lives. Today we look at something you may have never heard of but can be a powerful tool for keeping yourself safe online. Although called several different things depending on the browser, today we are going to stick with Incognito Mode. While the name may sound ominous, it really isn’t. In fact, it could save you a great deal of headaches down the road.

Also, sorry about the lateness of this.

Okay, so what is Incognito Mode?

As we discussed in a previous post, your Browser—Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari—can be thought of as a car driving down the road that is the Internet. Well as you are moving through the Internet you are seen by every site you visit and your Browser keeps records of everywhere you go, in case you want to quickly get back. Your Browser will even remember your passwords and log-in information if you let it. All of this is handy when you are talking about your own computer, most people would love to not be required to remember their password. But what about a friend’s computer? Or when you’re at the library? You probably don’t want those computers remembering you. That’s where Incognito Mode comes in

When you are using your Browser’s Incognito Mode the Browser behaves as if no one had ever used it. Sites you go to will ask for your passwords and will require any additional proof of identity you may normally bypass on your home machine. What’s great about this lack of remembrance on the Browser’s part is it also protects the normal user of that computer from you accessing their information. Even better news is that, when you are done with Incognito Mode and you close the Browser window it will forget everything you typed inside, so your accounts are not compromised.

Wow, that sounds amazing, but where do I find Incognito Mode?

Good question, humble readers. If you are using Chrome then you will find Incognito Mode by clicking on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. When you do so it should be the third option down from the top.

That’s great for Chrome but I don’t use it, does that mean I don’t have Incognito Mode?

You probably have it, it might just be called something different. Some alternative names for Incognito Mode are Edge’s InPrivate Window, Firefox’s Private Window, and Safari’s Private Browsing. No matter the name though, you can still use this valuable feature and keep yourself safe on the internet.

Now what?

Now, it’s time to take the internet into your own hands and make the most out of this valuable tool. We did mention something important in here, Cookies, and with websites always mentioning that they are using Cookies we should probably have a discussion about them. That is for next time though.

Until then, have fun, find adventure, and stay safe.

   

Posted on by Mr John

Tech Tuesday – Search Engines

By John Carter

Hi Net Neighbors! Welcome back to this, another Tech Tuesday. If you remember last week, we talked about Address Bars in our browsers, a key way to search for information and go directly to websites as needed. Now on that Tech Tuesday we discussed searching only in the broadest strokes. Why don’t we add some detail to those strokes, eh? So today we are going to look at how you search for things on the internet and for that we are going to look at Search Engines.

What are Search Engines?

At its broadest definition, a Search Engine is a tool you can use to find information in a database. Ever look for a word in a dictionary? If so, at that moment you were the Search Engine, and the dictionary was the database you were accessing. Computer-based ones do the same thing, looking through a large set of information for keywords and phrases. Only the size of these dictionaries is so unfathomably huge I cannot properly put them into words.

You say ‘Engines’, how many are there?

There are more out there than you may thing. In fact, there are so many it can be very hard to keep track of them all. Here are a few you may have heard of: AOL, Yahoo, Bing, and Google. Google is THE premier name when it comes to searching for information on the internet, so much so that the act of searching is now called googling it. Now just because Google has placed themselves at center-stage does not mean it is the best, it is just the most well-known. The others mentioned have their pluses and minuses depending on you the user. For me, if I am searching for high-quality, high-resolution, images I will often go to Microsoft’s Bing because I find their selection slightly better. That being said, I often will just stick with Google since its overall database has been used more and is slightly more robust.

If you don’t want to have your information used for tracking and advertising you can use a Search Engine called DuckDuckGo.

Tracking? What is tracking me?

Now this will sound a little scary, but most of the internet is, in some way, tracking you. This tracking is used to learn more about you. Knowing you have searched for a certain brand of shoes, or for a cool vacation allows the companies running the Search Engine to sell the fact that you searched for those things to companies who can advertise to you. Now this can be a good thing and it can be a bad one too depending on your point of view. Thankfully, more companies are realizing customers do not appreciate their advertising practices and are changing their tactics and allowing you to opt out of their targeted advertising. Not all are, however, hence DuckDuckGo, which does not track you at all. Ads with them are based off what you searched for, as if you were at a store and staff suggested a purchase based on what you just grabbed.

Wait, my Search Engine just changed, what’s up?

Hopefully you will never encounter this, but sometimes your Search Engine will change without warning. There are a few reasons why this could happen so let’s take a look at them.

You live with someone else.

If you live with someone else, they might have changed the Search Engine on your computer. As with anything else, the choice of Search Engines can become almost cult-like. People have been known to change someone else’s Search Engine just because it was not the one they preferred. If that happens to you, simply turn it back in your browser’s settings.

You updated something.

While this does not happen as much anymore, sometimes when you update Windows or your browser some of the settings will be returned to factory standard. One common item to be reset is your browser’s Search Engine. Microsoft-branded browsers, Internet Explorer and Edge, can switch from Google or Yahoo back to Bing. While Google-made Chrome is likely to change back to Google. This is annoying to be sure but, as with the above, just change it in your browser’s settings.

Your browser has been hijacked.

This option is, unfortunately, as ominous as it sounds. If someone in your home hasn’t changed your Search Engine and your update hasn’t either, then a virus or malware has taken control of your browser and has switched it. When this happens, you will need to run an anti-virus and an anti-malware scan on your computer. You may have to do it multiple times depending on the infection. You will also have to remove any virus-installed products from the machine through your computer’s Uninstall Programs area and remove the rogue Search Engines from your browser.

Well that was spooky, anything else?

Well there is Incognito Mode but that doesn’t have anything to do with Search Engines and we will talk more about it at a later date. So, for right now, not really. We’ve talked about Search Engines and their uses. Now it’s up to you to use them and learn more. More about Search Engines and more about the world around you.

Until then, have fun, find adventure, and stay safe.

 

 

Tech Tuesday: Address Bar

Posted on by Mr John

Tech Tuesday – The Address Bar

By John Carter

Hi Net Neighbors! Welcome to another wonderful installment of Tech Tuesday, where we take deep dives into the technology issues plaguing you. Last time we talked a bit about internet browsers but there was still a lot left to be discussed. Today I would like to pick up where I left off by introducing you to the Address Bar. But before we get started, I want to remind you of the metaphor we used last time to talk about browsers. That they are cars on a road that is the internet.

What is the Address Bar?

I’m glad you asked. The Address Bar is a critical part of any browser, it is also the part most people miss when they first open a browser. You are probably reading this in a browser right now, if so look at the top of the screen.  See that long bar with hinetneighbor.com followed by what seems like a stream of nonsense? That’s the Address Bar.

What do I do with it?

The Address Bar is used, in modern browsers, for two separate tasks: direct navigation and searching. Let’s take a look at both.

Direct Navigation

When we speak of direct navigation, we are talking about actively visiting a site. You directly navigate to web sites all the time. Ever type in a web address such as Coke.com or NASA.gov? If you have, then you have directly visited a site using your address bar. When we want to go to these locations directly we simply click in the Address Bar and type the address followed by the ENTER key. As soon as you do, you’re there. It might take a minute, it might be an instant, but as soon as you hit that fabled key your computer does the rest, navigating the ‘roads’ of the internet to reach your destination.

Searching

Sometimes though, you don’t know a site’s address, or you don’t know there is even a site for your topic. In those cases, the Address Bar can still be a real asset. Remember how I said under Direct Navigation that, if you know an address you just click on the Address Bar and type it? Well, the same is true for when you are searching for something.

Want to find out how to change a tire? Then type how do I change a tire and hit ENTER. Need to know where the nearest Thai place is, then type that. Gone are the days of complex Boolean logic-based searches, just ask. Ask it like you were asking someone where you might find the nearest gas station.

Is there anything I shouldn’t do with the Address Bar?

Don’t feed it to your cat, it is not that type of bar.

In all seriousness, the one thing you should never do is type your email address into the Address Bar. I know, it sounds counter intuitive. As we’ve previously discussed, an email address is a location on the internet. The reason you cannot use the Address Bar for your email is the same reason you cannot use tell someone your phone number when they ask for your address. Web addresses and email addresses are different things and need to be interacted with differently.

To help you remember the difference, remember this. If you are trying to type an address into the Address Bar and you use the @ sign then you are not typing the right thing. What you should be typing is what comes after the @, the domain. So instead of typing username@domain.com into your Address Bar just type domain.com.

Now what?

Well, if you are asking the Address Bar questions and going to websites then you are off to a great start. Once you get comfortable with that, we are going to talk about Search Engines, which are vital tools in the kit you are building.

Until then, have fun, find adventure, and stay safe.

 

 

Tech Tuesday – Browsers

Posted on by Mr John

Tech Tuesday – Browsers

By: John Carter

Hi Net Neighbors! Welcome back to Tech Tuesday where we do deep dives into the tech questions you may have. This week we are looking at a piece of tech you are using right now, your Browser. Now I am sure many of you know what a Browser is but I’ve had enough questions that a review is in order. So let’s take a look.

What the heck is a Browser?

There are a lot of Browsers out there – Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Dolphin, Opera, to name a few – regardless of what they are called though, all Browsers are programs or apps that let us access and navigate the internet from our computers, phones, and tablets. If it helps, think of a Browser in the same way you might think of a car driving down a road, with the road being the internet itself. When we open a Browser that is us getting into the car and starting the engine. Then, when we go somewhere on the internet that is us ‘driving’ to that location.

But what is the right Browser?

What is the right car? For some people the right car is a Mustang roaring down the street while others get by just fine with a little Nissan hatchback. Browsers are the same way; they will all get you to your destination some might be a little faster or have more buttons but there is no real ‘right’ one. Now there are two I can recommend but not because of how ‘right’ they are but because of their added-on benefits; Chrome and Firefox.

Chrome

Built by Google, Chrome is a very popular Browser. This is partly due to Chrome being installed on most Android phones and tablets by default. Chrome runs on the faster side and there are plenty of add-ons you can install to boost your interactions with it. What I find the most useful feature though is not the add-ons but the cloud syncing of bookmarks across all my devices. Remember we spoke before on the cloud, how it is an online storage place. Well one of the things you can store in the cloud is your bookmarks so you can save a page on your phone for later reading online. Since Chrome is a Google product just sign in your devices into Chrome with the same Gmail address and all your bookmarks are ready to go.

Firefox

If you don’t want big-brother Google watching everything you say and do online, then Firefox from Mozilla might be for you. Like Chrome, Firefox is free and easily downloadable. Firefox also allows you access to a robust number of add-ons. You can also sync your bookmarks across devices via a Firefox account, which is also free. Honestly, the major difference between Firefox and Chrome is that Chrome does track some things for Google that Firefox does not. If you don’t care about that though, use either the one you like.

Is there a wrong Browser?

Yes. Most assuredly yes. Unless you absolutely have to, never use Internet Explorer. For one thing, it is not a Browser. Another mark against it is Microsoft, the people who made it, advise against using Internet Explorer. Microsoft does not update Internet Explorer, leaving it and you vulnerable to attack. And many sites on the internet are no longer keeping IE in their wheelhouse, making it increasingly antiquated.

Now what?

Good question. For now, you know which Browsers there are and which to not use, that’s a big step in the right direction. There are other things you can learn about, Address Bars, Search Engines, Incognito Mode to name a few. Right now though you have a good base upon which to build. Stay tuned for more posts.

Until then, have fun, find adventure, and stay safe.