Tag Archive for phone

Your Phone May Be Stalking You

October 29, 2019 Comments Off on Your Phone May Be Stalking You

You may have a stalker and not know it lurking on your phone, following you physically or through your data. You may have downloaded the app, or someone with access to your phone could have. They’re sold as legal ways to monitor your kids or employees, but they don’t stop abusers from tracking you on line or physically.

The FTC is cracking down on them. The first three they’ve officially banned are these: Phonesheriff, Teenshield, and Mobilespy. If you see one of these in your list of apps, delete it. Don’t depend on the icon, because someone with access to your phone could download it then just delete the icon but leave the program running in the background.

Keep a look-out, too. If you have a stalker who knows specific information about you, or you see unexplained charges on your phone bill, or even if you have trouble turning off your phone, you may be a victim. Be safe.

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Improve Efficiency and Communication

July 23, 2019 Comments Off on Improve Efficiency and Communication

At most meetings today, cell phones are in people’s hands or on the table in front of them. A few companies (and our last President) had a great idea. That is, a person must put his name on a sticky note and attach it to his phone—then leave it outside the room.  Now there’s a small thing that can really count when it comes to meeting-efficiency by fostering clear, undivided attention and communication!

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A Cure for Peek-itis

April 30, 2019 Comments Off on A Cure for Peek-itis

This cartoon struck me as funny–AND a good idea!

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Protect Our Veterans

February 22, 2019 Comments Off on Protect Our Veterans

Life is hard for veterans, who may come back to face loss of jobs, family, friends, life-focus, homes, physical disability, emotional hurdles. So much so that many resort to suicide. It’s up to us, the people they defended, to protect them. Keep this phone number handy to pass on to a vulnerable vet. In fact, loan the vet your cell phone and be with them while they make the call. It’s the least we can do.

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Screen Time–Report

December 17, 2018 Comments Off on Screen Time–Report

People (especially parents and their kids) go back and forth on how much screen time (including phones) is healthy for kids. The National Institute of Health followed 11,000 subjects age 9/10 into adulthood. It was a landmark study, costing $300 million and spanning many years.  Here is some of what they reported:

When the child has spent 7 or more hours a day of screen time, their cerebral cortex, which is the area of the brain that processes sensory information, shows premature thinning. With 2 or more hours a day they were less successful on thinking and language tests. In other words, it seems that screen time is changing our children’s brains.

Granted, this is only a preliminary study. They’re doing more research to determine a solid cause/effect relationship, if there is one, as data seems to indicate right now. Even so, I think it makes sense for us to be aware of it and be on the safe side by following guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Academy suggests no screen time at all for 18 – 24 months. Then, for age 2 – 5, no more than an hour a day, but of high quality programming that you watch with your child. Sounds like a reasonable precaution to me.

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Hope for Defeating Robo-Calls

October 2, 2018 Comments Off on Hope for Defeating Robo-Calls

Next year, plan on half your phone calls being from robo-callers. That’s according to a recent report.

There’s a solution to this–maybe. A program called Stir/Shaken lets your phone company verify the number of your caller, identifying if it’s a valid number or from a robo-caller, then block it. It’s to be larger and more effective than NoMoRobo, which has been great for me. Sounds good.

Not right now, though. It’s supposed to kick in next year. The problem is, nobody knows who will pay for it. Will we have to subscribe to it and pay a big fee, or will the phone companies incorporate it into our current service? And which phone companies will actually choose to use it?

I’m going to contact my phone company and tell them I expect them to add this to my service but not to my bill. I suggest you do the same.

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Save on Car and Plane Trips

December 9, 2017 Comments Off on Save on Car and Plane Trips

Unneeded items in your suitcase add extra weight which affects your car’s gas mileage (and your plane-ticket price).  There’s an iPhone/iPad app that facilitates smart packing for your family’s long or short trip.  See  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/packing-pro/id312266675?mt=8. It will help you save money and help the Earth at the same time.

 

[For more easy, money-saving, Earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

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Lurking in your Phone….

November 7, 2017 Comments Off on Lurking in your Phone….

This is about Androids, BUT it can apply to any phone. There are doppelgangers waiting to invade your phone. Those are apps that look like the real thing (similar to ones you know and trust) but are fake ones trying to ensnare you.  For example, doesn’t “Lovely Wallpaper” sound safe and innocent? NOT! Once you download these things they can do all sorts of stuffs, even when you aren’t on your phone: steal your passwords, user names, and credit card and banking information; send texts that look like they’re coming from you; track you as you wander about; even take pictures of you.

Once you’ve downloaded one of these demons it’s too late simply to change your password–they’re already in. You have to delete the app, then wipe your phone.

Be careful, then, of the apps you download.  First check out the company and make sure it’s reputable, legitimate, and trustworthy. Don’t assume that, since you found it in the Google store, it’s okay.Google is busy trying to clean out their store from these things, and keep it clean–a huge task.

It’s disgusting that there are people out there who profit from our carelessness. Let’s not give them the chance.

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Are We Both Jerks?

July 14, 2017 Comments Off on Are We Both Jerks?

July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month.  (Yes, there’s a Month for just about anything.)  Anyone who has been rudely interrupted by people on their phones or been run into by a walker  (or driver!) chatting on a phone or…well, you know…will appreciate this month.

But, wait.  Maybe I’ve been guilty of being a cell-phone jerk, too.  Have you?  Probably, since we’re all human.

Anyway, the founder (in 2002) of this Month, Jacqueline Whitmore, has 7 simple ways for us to take ourselves out of such jerk-dom.  Take a look.

I pledge to be better at this.

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Our Kids: Our Top Priority

February 7, 2017 Comments Off on Our Kids: Our Top Priority

This is for some parents who haven’t seen this news story yet.  You aren’t bad parents, just a product of our times.  With work and friends and things to do, we’re glued to our phones.  They’ve become so much a part of us that we don’t even notice when we’re on them

But our kids do.  Especially when they’ve been at daycare, school, or otherwise away from us all day.  They love us and miss us.  And they feel unimportant to us when we ignore them in favor of our phone.  Usually, we can finish up that business call before greeting them or ignore an incoming call for awhile–long enough for some kisses and hugs and what-did-you-do-todays on the way home.

Here’s the sign that a Houston TX daycare put on their door.  It’s a good reminder that our kids are top priority in our lives.

 

get off your phone daycare message to parents

 

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