April 2020
Better living through technology
Face
VALUE
Text passwords are so old-school. What’s next in digital identification
COVID-19 Working from home? Tips to stay productive, sane Stay in and check out this new streaming content PLUS: Stop accidentally waking your smart speaker
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April 2020
FROM THE EDITOR
Will outbreak bring more reliance on tech?
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’m writing this column from home, the way many are working right now. And I know I’m lucky. Even though many in the tech, media and financial industries have urged employees to stay away from the office, only 29% of U.S. workers under normal circumstances have the option to work remotely, according to Labor Department data. I’m starting to worry about them, the clerks at the grocery store, teachers, police and those who work at airports, bus stations, hotels. Did the guy who made my pizza last week contaminate it? If quarantine happens can I still get Amazon deliveries? Is this the start of when tech takes over? We will see after this pandemic is over just how far we’re willing to hand over human contact to technology. It might be the start of a revolution — the best brains in the world coming together not only on cures for viruses, but on safety and protection for humans. Or it could be the impetus to get more robots up and running. Why go to school when you can learn online? Why pay a person to deliver things when drones or automated vehicles can? Why should people risk disease and leave their homes — let the robots do it. Bill Gates, in an introduction for the March/April 2019 MIT Technology Review issue on 10 breakthrough technologies that year, said, “If we could look even further out — let’s say the list 20 years from now — I would hope to see technologies that center almost entirely on well-being ... because it would mean that we’ve successfully fought back disease (and dealt with climate change).” We may not be there yet. In the meantime, listen to the professionals, wash your hands and please take care.
Editor LISA GLOWINSKI Copy Editor MICHAEL TOESET Designer MICHELLE LAUZON Vice President, Content Innovation & Development STEVE DORSEY Vice President, Marketing LORI CATRON Ad Sales GERRY JOYCE Cover photo: Bigstock © GANNETT CO., INC. 2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
JOIN US
Are you an expert in this stuff? Contact Lisa at ion@gatehouse media.com
Until next month,
WHAT IS ION?
Lisa Glowinski Director, More Content Now Gannett
STAFF
Technology is all around us. How can we use it to make life easier, not more complicated? ION’s mission is to help readers understand technology in order to use it to improve their lives. Find us on Facebook at /ionnewsmag and monthly in this newspaper.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing. ION Magazine and Gannett Co. Inc. buy all rights to contributions, text and images, unless previously agreed to in writing. While every effort has been made to ensure that information is correct at the time of going to print, Gannett cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any action or decision based on the information contained in this publication. ION is a premium edition of Gannett. Due to the size and value of premium editions there will be up to a $9 surcharge on each date of publication. Rather than assess an extra charge for premium editions, we will adjust the length of your subscription, which accelerates its expiration when you receive these premium editions. There will be no more than two (2) premium editions published each month during the subscription term.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE: HEALTHIEST FOOD TASTIEST TREATS GREATEST GIFTS www.tailsandtoys.com
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April 2020
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DO YOU HAVE A TECH QUESTION?
It’s Geek to Me
Let one of our experts find the answer for you. Send it to ion@gatehousemedia.com.
Finding competent computer service Q: I’m looking for advice on how to find a trustworthy, reliable computer person to help me with my desktop iMac and a PC. I’m wanting to trade out the Mac for the newer PC. I know places like Best Buy and Office Depot have tech desks — I’m just wondering if that’s my best option? — Jayne W., Austin, Texas A: If I may suggest, Jayne, I don’t think you are necessarily looking for a computer “person” but rather an established business that specializes in performing computer maintenance and repairs. You mentioned two big-box stores in your question, but there are likely dozens of other, more-specialized shops in your area. I suggest
you begin at the same place you would when you are seeking just about any information: your favorite search engine. The quality of your results will depend largely on the way you form your query. To narrow things to local businesses, you should include your ZIP code or city and state in the search. For example, “computer repair shops in Austin Texas.” You might even try using the words “near me,” as most search engines these days have a pretty good idea of your location. Using a search engine in this manner will not only find potential businesses, it will serve up ratings and reviews that will help you to gauge the quality of the work they perform. That way, you can draw your own conclusions about reliability and trustworthiness to help you make your selection. Before you begin your search, I want to make sure you understand the magnitude of putting your computer into the hands of a stranger. You’re giving full access to the contents of your machine to the servicing tech. That includes all
non-password-protected personal records it contains (financial, medical, etc.), stored emails, photos and even the web browsing history of every member of your family who uses the machine. I would hope that reputable companies wouldn’t go poking through all your files, but one never knows, and that’s a tremendous amount of faith you’re investing in them. So, be certain you choose a provider that you’re comfortable with. And for these reasons and more, don’t try and recruit someone from your pool of friends, neighbors, computer clubs or the local high school computer lab. Stick with businesses that have built a reputation for providing services to satisfied customers. Good luck, and happy computing! Jeff Werner writes It’s Geek to Me, a weekly column on tech questions and answers that runs in the Northwest Florida Daily News. To view additional content, comment on articles or submit a question of your own, visit ItsGeekToMe.co (not .com!)
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APRIL 2020
In this issue
adaptation WORKING FROM HOME
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More companies are advising people to work from home because of COVID-19 concerns. What to consider for your tech and your health
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RECOMMENDATIONS What to watch, read and download this month
GO GO GADGETS
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POD PEOPLE
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Know your history
Tech that could replace your �ym membership COLUMN
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Tracy Beckerman: Lost in translation apps
instruction DEEP DIVE
GO WITH THE FLOW
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How to set up an Echo Dot 3
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HOW DO I ... ?
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Stop accidentally waking up a smart speaker
Imagine a password-less future COLUMN
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Dr. Janice Presser: The tech I take
HOW DO I ... ? Avoid identity theft ALL PHOTOS STOCK UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
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RECOMMENDATIONS
What to watch,
read and
download this month
This April, it’s time to be counted, get organized and get a look at a new streaming service.
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S U N D AY
M O N D AY
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T U E S D AY
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6 NEW BOOKS Our favorite organizing guru is back. Marie Kondo’s “Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life” is available in print and digital forms today.
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21 NEW BOOKS “A Wrinkle in Time” fans rejoice: A short story collection from Madeleine L’Engle, who died in 2007, is out today, titled “The Moment of Tenderness.”
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W E D N E S D AY
T H U R S D AY
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CENSUS BEGINS
For the first time, the census form can be filled out online (as well as via mail and phone), Follow the instructions on the invitation you received in the mail. If you didn’t get a form or have other questions, go to 2020census.gov.
F R I D AY
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PASSOVER BEGINS Also today, Best Picture winner “Parasite” will begin streaming exclusively on Hulu.
NEW TO STREAM Today another streaming service enters the mix, at least for Comcast customers. They’ll be able to access Peacock, which will feature NBC favorites including “Will & Grace,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” and “30 Rock,” plus movies and originals including a reboot of “Saved By The Bell.” Non-Comcast users will get a first look at Peacock July 15. According to peacocktv.com, the service will be available for free or upgradable to a Premium plan for $4.99 a month. (No word yet on what that gets you.)
ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY and EARTH DAY
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S AT U R D AY
3 NEW PODCAST This month the podcast “Talking Sopranos” launches, with Michael Imperioli (who played Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO hit) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri). The show “will follow The Sopranos series episode by episode providing inside info, behind the scenes stories and little-known facts that could only come from those on the inside. The close friends will also share candid conversations about working in the entertainment industry,” according to a release. Look for it at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and talkingsopranos.simplecast.com.
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NEW TO STREAM “Defending Jacob” premieres on Apple TV+, based on the 2012 best seller about a father whose 14-year-old son becomes a murder suspect. The limited series stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell. On Netflix, original action-thriller “Extraction” begins streaming, starring Chris Hemsworth.
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POD PEOPLE
Know your
history
By Matthew Girard | ION magazine
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inston Churchill famously said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” To help you avoid that, here are four podcasts you can listen to right now.
The History Chicks Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider don’t want their show to feel like a history class with an exam at the end. So their semiweekly show dives deep into the life of a female historical figure to shine a light on some people’s legacies American education may have dampened. A recent two-parter highlighted black suffragette Mary Church Terrell, and their website features historic photos of the woman they feature, as well as a reading list of books to learn more — some even include suggestions for young readers. Find it: thehistorychicks.com Suggested listening if: You love to geek out on history.
Revisionist History Five-time New York Times bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell doesn’t see history as cut-and-dried as you may have read in a textbook. Throughout each of the show’s 40 episodes (over four seasons), Gladwell heads back in time to a historical figure or event and tries to see it in a new light in an attempt to get closer to the emotional truth of the subject. Find it: revisionisthistory.com Suggested listening if: You’re a Malcolm Gladwell fan.
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30 for 30 History shouldn’t only pertain to wars and politicians; the sports junkie needs a podcast dedicated to their own legacies. 30 for 30, an extension of the documentary series made famous on ESPN, produces original sports audio documentaries. Sports are a wide-ranging topic, though, so the show covers everything from social issues to esports. Recent episodes from Season 6 spotlight the Louisiana Superdome’s complicated past, a world-class biathlete who was kidnapped while out on a run, and a shadowy benefactor of Russia’s pro women’s basketball team, which has included WNBA stars. Find it: 30for30podcasts.com Suggested listening if: You love the real-life drama of the sports world.
The Cine-Files Much of our history has been preserved through the use of film. On this show, hosts Steve Morris and John Rocha take the plunge into a classic film to explore its themes and the bigger picture it’s trying to present. Recent episodes include looks at “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” and Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.” Find it: cine-files.net Suggested listening if: You enjoy the classics.
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April 2020
GO GO GADGETS
Tech that could replace your gym membership
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By Cassidy Olsen Reviewed.com
f you haven’t already re-upped your gym membership or committed to new fitness goals this year, you’ve certainly been inundated with ads telling you why, where and how you should. But some of us like to work out on our own terms, and CES introduced some incredibly cool home fitness options for us to peruse. As we learned from testing this mirror with a built-in trainer and the best fitness trackers on the market, the workout of the future is a smart one. From sleek smartwatches to internet-connected boxing gyms and energy-producing treadmills, these are some of the biggest high-tech fitness products you’ll want to use this year.
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1. A DO-IT-ALL KETTLEBELL THAT HELPS YOU TRACK AND IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE At a CES filled with smart gym equipment, nothing was quite as simple and versatile as the KettlebellConnect from JaxJox. What looks like a single sleek kettlebell is actually a unit housing six different stackable weights, ranging from 12 to 42 pounds, that can be added and removed at will. The KettlebellConnect is also equipped with sensors that can track when and how you work out, help you improve your performance, and keep you motivated over time. Oh, and the app is loaded with workout videos. If you can spare $350 (about a fifth the price of a Peloton) for home fitness, this kettlebell might be worth the investment. jaxjox.com/product/kettlebell-connect
2. A SMART AT-HOME BOXING GYM Designed for experienced heavyweights and novice boxers alike, FightCamp is designed to give you a full boxing or kickboxing workout at home — and train you over time. Along with a free-standing punch bag, hand wraps, gloves and workout mat, the FightCamp home gym comes with smart-connected punch trackers that give real-time feedback and live punch stats through the FightCamp app, which itself is loaded with guided training programs and workout videos. The whole package is $995 and available now, with a $39 per month membership fee to the app. While it’s a steep price, it’s competitive with one year’s membership at a real boxing gym. Already have a punching bag and gloves? You can purchase the smart trackers and wraps separately for $399. joinfightcamp.com/shop
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diversion 3. A VIRTUAL PERSONAL TRAINER THAT CAN GUIDE YOUR ELLIPTICAL WORKOUTS Bowflex just got a lot more sophisticated with Bowflex Max Intelligence, an artificial intelligence platform that will be compatible with their new M6 and M8 machines. With personalized fitness assessments, predictive analytics and spoken instructions, this platform turns “Max” into a personal trainer that can actually guide you through workouts — and tell you what you need to focus on when you return for another round. So if you feel like you only need to go to a real gym for the accountability, Bowflex has you covered at home. The Max Intelligence app costs $15 per month, and the machines it operates on — the M6 and M8 — cost $1,699 and $2,299, respectively. bowflex.com/max-trainer/max-digital.html
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4. A RUNNER’S WATCH WITH LTE TO KEEP YOUR CONNECTED SANS PHONE Garmin’s first LTE-enabled smartwatch, the Vivoactive 3 Music, allows runners to leave their phones at home while enjoying music, text alerts and GPS. Garmin also added some great safety features that take advantage of the new data capabilities. If a runner is feeling unsafe, they can push on the watch button for five seconds and an alert (with realtime GPS data) is sent to their emergency contacts. There’s also an automatic “incident detection” that sends those same alerts if an impact or fall is detected. The LTE service will only be available through Verizon. Current customers can add the watch as a new device to their plan, and new customers can create accounts just for the watch. The watch itself is $249.99, plus $50 for Verizon connectivity.
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5. A TREADMILL THAT ACTUALLY PRODUCES ENERGY TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT If you need another reason to work out, how about saving the planet? The team at SportsArt has developed the world’s first energy-producing treadmill, the SportsArt Verde, which has already saved gyms thousands in energy costs and helped reduce their carbon footprint. While the Verde and SportsArt’s other energy-producing equipment isn’t being marketed for home gyms just yet, you may get the chance to run on one of these green treadmills soon. gosportsart.com/verde
buy.garmin.com/en-US/ US/p/602068
6. AN AFFORDABLE FITNESS TRACKER WITH CLASSIC STYLE There is no shortage of fitness trackers, but there’s something uniquely refreshing about the approach that Withings has always pursued. The company has managed to design trackers that walk a fine line between high tech and traditional watch aesthetic. The new Withings Move tracks all the activities that most of its competitors do: walking, running, sleeping, swimming, etc. But the novelty is its decidedly analog watch face. Without a screen to power, the Move’s battery lasts an astonishing 18 months. Plus, it’s sharp-looking and only $69.95. withings.com/us/en/withings-move
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GO WITH THE FLOW
How to set up an Echo Dot 3 By Rachel Murphy and Yael Grauer Reviewed.com
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f you’ve recently acquired an Echo Dot (third generation) and aren’t sure how to set it up, you’ve come to the right place. Setting up your new speaker doesn’t take long at all, but there are a few steps you need to follow.
1. DOWNLOAD THE APP Install the Amazon Alexa app to your iOS or Android device. If you already have the app installed, check to make sure you’re running the latest version of it.
4. CONNECT THE ECHO TO WI-FI
Place the Echo Dot 3 in an area of your home where it will get the most use. Amazon recommends placing the smart speaker at least 8 inches away from any walls, like on your kitchen counter or living room end table. Plug the power adapter (included with your purchase) into the backside of the Echo Dot and then plug the speaker into a nearby electrical outlet. The ring surrounding the top of the Echo Dot will begin flashing blue for about 60 seconds.
Before you start asking your newest Alexa-enabled device questions, you need to connect it to your home’s Wi-Fi. This can be done by following the on-screen instructions in the Amazon Alexa app that appear during setup. (You can update the Wi-Fi settings in the Amazon Alexa app by navigating to Settings > Device Settings and choosing the device you’d like to update.) Once you’ve successfully connected your Echo speaker to the internet, we recommend performing a quick test to make sure your Echo speaker is working as it should. You can say something as simple as “Alexa, hello,” and she will respond back with a greeting.
3. ADD YOUR ECHO TO THE APP
5. GETTING TO KNOW YOUR ECHO DOT 3
Then, open the Amazon Alexa app. Navigate to the Settings Menu in the upper left-hand corner of the app and select Add Device. Under All Devices, click on Amazon Echo > Echo Dot. Then, click the option to set up the third-generation Echo. By now, the spinning light should have changed from blue to orange, indicating that the Echo Dot is in setup mode. The Amazon Alexa app will scan for the Echo Dot speaker. Once it appears, click on the device name within the app to finish the setup process.
There are more than 100,000 Alexa skills that can help you control your smart home. But, you can also have fun with Alexa using the Echo Dot 3 to create a playlist and listen to music, entertain your kids, and even help you celebrate holidays like Halloween and track Santa on Christmas Eve. She can also help make your life easier by ordering you an Uber, finding your phone and more. However, before you can begin using any of these skills, you will need to enable them using the Amazon Alexa app or Amazon Alexa Skills website.
2. PLUG IT IN
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April 2020
TROUBLESHOOTING
Having trouble setting up the Echo Dot? First, make sure that the speaker is plugged into the wall. Second, check your Wi-Fi connection to make sure it’s operating as normal. You may need to unplug your router for 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Thirdly, if your Dot is still not working, you may try restoring the device to its factory settings and repeating the setup process. To do so, press and hold the Action button (the one with a white dot) on the top of the Echo Dot for about 25 seconds or until the light ring turns orange. From here, you can restart the setup process. Still no dice? Reach out to Amazon’s customer service department to further troubleshoot the issue, 888-280-4331 or amazon.com/gp/help/customer/contact-us.
SEE STEP 3
THE ECHO DOT 3 AND PRIVACY
Privacy might seem like a thing of the past, as everywhere you go, there’s some computer watching or listening. But in your own home, you can do a few things to protect yourself, even from naturally invasive smart home devices. You can stop your Dot from listening for (and possibly mishearing) your wake word by turning off your mic via the mute button on the top of the device. Or turn on audible alerts within Settings in the Alexa app to know when your Echo is listening beyond just the indicator light. Bloomberg recently reported that Amazon employs workers to manually review voice recordings. You can opt out of having your voice recordings included in the review process by going to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Alexa Data, then toggling off the setting that says Use Voice Recordings to Improve Amazon Services. In these privacy settings, you can also delete voice recordings, which are accessible to anyone you share the app with. You can even set up auto-deletion every three or 18 months.
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HOW DO I ... ?
Stop accidentally waking up a smart speaker
By Jennifer Jolly Special to USA TODAY
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April 2020
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ne in every four adults in America owns a voice-activated smart speaker. Though we love the convenience of ordering a gadget to play music, make calls and such, most of us get a little creeped out when they “wake up” when they’re not supposed to. I often trigger Siri when saying “seriously” or “Suli” — the name of my parents’ dog. My friend says his Alexa-connected device “gets triggered by my daughter saying ‘actually.’” Familiar anecdotes aside, researchers at Northeastern University and the Imperial College of London spent the past six months streaming 125 hours of popular Netflix TV shows to a handful of voice-activated smart speakers. Their goal, which you can read about at moniotrlab.ccis.neu.edu/ smart-speakers-study, was to figure out what words accidentally activate smart voice assistants the most and what implications it might have on our privacy.
FOR THE STUDY, RESEARCHERS BUILT A CUSTOM CUBICLE AND TESTED FIVE TYPES OF SPEAKERS: • A first-generation Google Home Mini (wake up word: OK/Hey/Hi Google) • A first-generation Apple HomePod (wake up word: Hey, Siri) • Microsoft’s Harman Kardon Invoke (wake up word: Cortana) • A second-generation Amazon Echo Dot (wake up words: Alexa, Amazon, Echo, Computer) • A third-generation Amazon Echo Dot (wake up words: Alexa, Amazon, Echo, Computer)
For the experiment, they binge-played TV shows including “Gilmore Girls,” “The Office,” “Dear White People” and “Narcos.” They used a camera to detect when the speakers lit up, a microphone to monitor what audio the speakers played, such as responses to commands, and a
MONIOTRLAB.CCIS.NEU.EDU/SMART-SPEAKERS-STUDY
wireless access point to record “all network traffic between the devices and the Internet.” “We want to find out what exactly these systems are recording and where it’s going,” David Choffnes, an assistant professor involved in the study at Northeastern, told me over the phone. “People fear that these devices are constantly listening and recording you. They’re not. But they do wake up and record you at times when they shouldn’t.”
HEY, GOOGLE: GOOD AND BAD NEWS
In short, you’re not crazy. The smart speakers accidentally activated as many as 19 times a day and stayed awake — potentially recording and/or exposing private conversations unbeknownst to users. About half of the accidental activations lasted less than six seconds. The other half recorded for as long as 43 seconds of audio each time: “We have found several cases of long activations. Echo Dot 2nd Generation and Harmon Kardon Invoke devices have the longest activations (20-43 seconds). For the Homepod and the majority of Echo devices, more than half of the activations last six seconds or more.” Choffnes pointed out they found no evidence that these accidental recordings are used in any nefarious way. “We haven’t found this to be a major privacy issue,” he said. “But we have a lot more work to do. We want to know how many activations lead to audio recordings being sent to the cloud vs. processed only on the smart speaker and whether cloud providers correctly show all cases of audio recording to users.”
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Researchers said the biggest non-wake word culprits caused activations that were five seconds or longer and included: • Google Home Mini: Words rhyming with “hey” (such as the letter “A” or “they”), followed by something that starts with hard “G,” or that contains “ol” such as “cold” and “told.” Examples include “A-P girl,” “OK, and what,” “I can work,” “What kind of,” “OK, but not,” “I can spare,” “I don’t like the cold.” • Apple Homepod: Words rhyming with “hi” or “hey,” followed by something that starts with S+vowel, or when a word includes a syllable that rhymes with “ri.” Examples include “He clearly,” “They very,” “Hey sorry,” “OK, yeah,” “And seriously,” “Hi, Mrs.,” “Faith’s funeral,” “Historians,” “I see,” “I’m sorry,” “They say.” • Amazon devices: Words that contain “k” and sound similar to “Alexa,” such as “exclamation,” “Kevin’s car,” “congresswoman.” When using the “Echo” wake word, there were activations from words containing a vowel plus “k” or “g” sounds. Examples include “pickle,” “that cool,” “back to,” “a ghost.” When using the “computer” wake word, there were activations from words containing “co” or “go,” followed by a nasal sound, such as “cotton,” “got my GED,” “cash transfers.” Finally, when using the “Amazon” wake word, there were activations from words containing combinations of “I’m” / “my” or “az.” Examples include: “I’m saying,” “my pants on,” “I was on,” “he wasn’t.” • Invoke (powered by Cortana): Words starting with “co,” such as “Colorado,” “consider,” “coming up.”
CONVENIENCE VS. PRIVACY
There’s a growing sense that when it comes to many of our modern gadgets, we can have privacy or convenience but not both. A Pew Research Center survey reported that more than half of smart speaker owners are at least somewhat concerned about the amount of data collected by these devices.
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“I think we should have regulations in place to protecting personal data,” Choffnes said. In February in San Francisco at the RSA conference on cybersecurity, one of the topics was how to prepare for the potential dangers of more devices having access to your private conversations. If you want to know what your devices might have heard, each of the companies involved gives you a way to see, hear and potentially delete old recordings from your devices and the cloud: • Amazon’s Alexa/Echo: Accessing your Amazon recordings is fairly simple in the Alexa app. Go to the settings menu, select Settings then Alexa Privacy, then select an entry or review a specific date range. You can delete anything there and opt out of having your audio recordings reviewed by people (working to make the devices more accurate). • Google Home: Google lets you review and delete your recordings, and it won’t let people review your interactions unless you approve it. Google said it might use recordings to deliver targeted ads to your device. Go to your Google Account. On the left navigation panel, click Data & personalization. In the Activity controls panel, click Web & App Activity Manage Activity. On this page, you can: View a list of your past activity. Items with the audio icon include a recording. • Apple’s Siri: In your device settings, you can opt out of having Apple store or review any of your voice interactions with Siri. You can delete any recordings. • Microsoft’s Cortana: Use Microsoft’s privacy dashboard to delete your voice data from the service.
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HOW DO I ... ?
Avoid R identity theft
By Jefferson Graham | USA TODAY ecent data breach news is terrible, as usual. A company that works with many law enforcement agencies to track billions of photos through facial recognition got hacked really badly. It had its client list stolen. A judge on ABC’s “Shark Tank” is out nearly $400,000 after her assistant fell victim to a “phishing” scam. PayPal, the payment app used by millions, was discovered to have a bug that led to (now fixed)
unauthorized transactions. And on and on it went. Meanwhile, I spent two days in February talking to security professionals at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, where much of the activity focused on how to avoid getting hacked. In response, I came up with my own 11-point plan to better protect myself against identity theft. Will it work? Who knows. Is it better than doing nothing? Absolutely.
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1. NO HOTEL, COFFEE SHOP, AIRPORT WI-FI That’s a given, right? We know how easy it is to hack into them. If you’re looking up the price of a hotel room or reading the latest news from USA TODAY, then obviously free Wi-Fi is OK, but not for important stuff like banking. Unless you add in option No. 3. (See below.)
2. CHECK FOR HTTPS Trusted websites now feature an HTTPS protocol as the root address of the website, which basically means the website is encrypted. You’ll know you’re not at an HTTPS site because Google Chrome will trumpet for you that it’s “Not secure” at the top of the page. So what to do, say, if you want to read the news on the Drudge Report or check out the offerings at UCLA.edu?
3. GET A VPN That stands for virtual private network, and it encrypts your data and makes it somewhat private, making it safer to surf, even in free Wi-Fi zones. (You’re on the internet, after all.) VPNs charge monthly to use their services. ExpressVPN, which Tom’s Guide selected as its top pick, is $13 monthly unless you commit to a year. Do so, and the charge is $6.67 monthly.
4. USE PASSWORD MANAGERS These programs, from companies like Dashlane, LastPass and 1Password, keep track of your many passwords and also provide software for you to store your credit cards. Say you are in a free Wi-Fi zone and have ignored my recommendations. Normally, I’d say ditch typing in your credit card information here because someone could pick up the keystrokes. But with the Dashlane app, the numbers are transmitted electronically, without any typing. Additionally, Dashlane now comes with built-in VPN, and rates start at $4.99 monthly.
5. USE TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION Speaking of passwords, one thing we’re told to do often is to move to two-factor authentication, to input two passwords instead of one as a more effective way to keep hackers away. But the fact is, most of us refuse to do it because it’s hard enough typing in one
password. Who wants to wait for a code to show up and have to do it again? Google has a good solution in prompts. Instead of making you type in a code, it simply sends you a message and asks if you want to sign in. You confirm, and you’re in.
6. UPDATE SOFTWARE You hear it all the time. Accept every software update. They are issued to keep your system more robust and up to date. It’s not just the operating system on your computer and phone that need to be updated. It’s everything, says Robert Lipovsky, a senior malware researcher for security firm ESET. So don’t leave out your network router and internet devices at home like the Ring doorbell and Nest thermostat.
7. DON’T SIGN IN WITH FACEBOOK Many of us hate the log-in and password process so much that we take the lazy way out. Meaning when the website asks us if we’d like to sign in with our Facebook credentials instead, we eagerly say yes. Don’t do it. According to a study by Princeton, you’re giving up a lot. Third-party trackers can pick up tons of personal information when you do this, which is not something you signed up for.
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8. SKIP VENMO The popular digital payment app also sends your geographic location and associations to a data-mining firm called Braze. I’ve switched to PayPal, which ironically, owns Venmo, yet operates in a less grabby fashion.
9. BE WARY OF EMAIL LINKS You get an email, it looks authentic, and in it is a request to click a link to confirm your account. Before you do this (please don’t) check the email address to see if it was really written by the company it claims to be. Usually, it’s not the case. And in the case of “Shark Tank’s” Barbara Corcoran, her bookkeeper got hoodwinked by a bogus email that looked like it was from Corcoran’s assistant. “Think before you click,” says Lipovsky.
10. BEWARE FAKE VOICE CALLS I learned at RSA that phishing emails are still the No. 1 way to try to steal your identity but that growing is fake audio. The boss appears to call and demands you wire money immediately to a vendor. Call the boss back before you do anything. “This is a threat that’s waiting to happen,” says says Vijay Balasubramaniyan, CEO of Pindrop, a company that offers biometric authentication for businesses. “It’s a very small number now, but it’s very real.”
11. FILL OUT CONTACT LISTS ON YOUR PHONE So when the boss does call, the correct number will match the name. Additionally, if you have a good, robust contact list, you’ll only answer calls from known contacts and be able to skip robocalls. Apple has a new feature in the iOS13 software that sends all non-contact calls directly to voicemail. How sweet is that? Follow USA TODAY’s Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter, listen to the daily Talking Tech podcast on Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to the newsletter: technewsletter.usatoday.com
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DEEP DIVE
* * * * * * * * Passwords — what are they good for? (absolutely nothing)
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By Jessica Guynn | USA TODAY
o you hate remembering passwords? Soon, you may be able to forget them for good. For years, we’ve relied on a secret we share with a computer to prove we are who we say we are. But passwords are easily compromised through a phishing scam or malware, data breach or some simple social engineering. Once in the wrong hands, these flimsy strings of characters can be used to impersonate us all over the internet. Slowly, we’re kicking the password habit. With data breaches costing billions, the pressure is on to find more foolproof ways to verify someone’s identity. “We are moving into a world which we’re calling passwordless, which is the ability for our applications, devices and computers to recognize us by something other than the old-fashioned password,” says Wolfgang Goerlich, advisory chief information security officer for Cisco-owned security firm Duo. Newer forms of identification are
harder to imitate: something we are (such as the contours of our face or the ridges of our thumb) or something we have (physical objects such as security keys). Intuit, for example, lets users sign into its mobile apps with a fingerprint or facial recognition or their phone’s passcode instead of a password. Your fingerprint or screen lock can access some Google services on Pixel and Android 7+ devices. Goerlich estimates that within five years, we could be logging into most of our online accounts the same way we unlock our phones. And then we will be able to finally break up with passwords for good. What will replace them? That’s a bit more complicated. Any system that depends on a single factor isn’t secure enough, according to Vijay Balasubramaniyan, CEO of Pindrop, a voice authentication and security company. Biometric information such as an iris scan or a fingerprint can be stolen, too, and you can’t change those.
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“We are moving into a world which we’re calling passwordless, which is the ability for our applications, devices and computers to recognize us by something other than the old-fashioned password.”
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Balasubramaniyan predicts several pieces of information will be used to verify identity. Machines will analyze our speech patterns or scan our fingerprints. We’ll also be identified by something we have (our mobile devices, computers, key cards, fobs or tokens) and something we do (our movements and location, our behavior and habits, even how we type). If that seems more invasive than sharing some random bits of knowledge such as our mother’s maiden name or a PIN number, it is. But Balasubramaniyan argues these trade-offs are necessary to shield our personal information in a hyper-connected world. “It’s going to be scary,” he says, but, “it’s time for consumers to demand a higher level of privacy and security.”
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PASSWORD OVERLOAD
Secret words to tell friend from foe have been around since ancient times and, in the early days of the internet, they made a lot of sense. We started out with just a handful of passwords to access our email, a few e-commerce sites, maybe an online subscription or two. But soon, we were transferring our entire existence into the cloud, storing our medical and financial information, photos of our kids and our innermost musings there. And every time we clicked a link or downloaded an app, we had to come up with another password. As even more devices connected to the internet, from home surveillance systems to thermostats, we hit password overload.
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Today, people have an average of 85 passwords to keep track of, according to password manager LastPass. Our brains just aren’t wired to squirrel away unique passwords for so many online accounts. So we reuse and share them. We jot them down on Post-Its or in Word documents. We sign in with Facebook or Google. We shell out a few bucks for a digital password manager. But data breaches keep proliferating. So we’re told to conjure up stronger passwords, the longer and more random the better (use special characters!). We’re prodded to enable two-factor authentication. And we grumble so much about it all, our collective frustration has turned into a popular internet meme: “Sorry your password must contain a capital letter, two numbers, a symbol, an inspiring message, a spell, a gang sign, a hieroglyph and the blood of a virgin.” Turns out the only fans of passwords are hackers and identity thieves. Even researcher Fernando Corbató, who helped create the first computer password in the early 1960s, was a detractor before he died. Corbató told the Wall Street Journal in 2014 that he used to keep dozens of his passwords on three typed pages. He called the current state of password security “kind of a nightmare.” “Passwords are a 60-year-old solution built on a 5,000-year-old idea,” says Jonah Stein, co-founder of UNSProject, which allows you to access your accounts using the camera on your phone. “Daily life demands that we create and remember a new password for almost every single thing we do – reading the news, paying bills or simply ordering a pizza. The promise of online convenience has been broken by antiquated authentication solutions with unrealistic security best practices.”
ARE WE REALLY OVER PASSWORDS?
So will passwords finally go the way of the eight-track tape? For years, reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated. Tech leaders have dangled but never delivered on promises to eliminate passwords. “There is no doubt that, over time, people are going to rely less and less on passwords,” Microsoft’s billionaire founder Bill Gates told the RSA conference in 2004. “People use the same password on different systems, they write them down and they just don’t meet the challenge for anything you really want to secure.” So what’s taking so long? Too many options being floated and too little consensus on what will work best. Companies, eager for our eyeballs and our business, are holding out for solutions that strike a balance between convenience and security. With security costs skyrocketing and consumer trust flailing, the industry is under growing pressure to lock down our
accounts, security experts say. By 2023, 30% of organizations will use at least one form of authentication that does not involve a password, a significant increase from the 5% today, according to research firm Gartner. One of the major proponents of a password-free world is the FIDO Alliance, which stands for Fast Identity Online. The consortium of heavyweights from Google to Microsoft is developing technical standards to verify identity. Apple recently joined the FIDO Alliance, giving the group even more clout. We can’t ditch passwords overnight, but, according to Andrew Shikiar, executive director of the FIDO Alliance, “the imperative is there now.” “Businesses are feeling these pain points and they are being pushed to come up with solutions that are not dependent on the old ways of authenticating,” he says. That the industry is working arm in arm on solutions is “really unprecedented,” Shikiar says. “This sort of collaboration is a very good sign that, not only is there a way to go past passwords, there is a will.”
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COLUMN
JAN I C E P R ESSER Dr. Janice Presser is the founder of Teaming Science, the author of seven books on teaming and a consultant to executives. See her work at TeamingScience.com and DrJanicePresser.com. Contact her on Twitter @DrJanice, at DrJanice@TeamingScience.com or at LinkedIn.com/in/drjanice.
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The tech I take
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love to travel, for pleasure as well as business, and I love my tech. So what does a woman on the go need? Hint: It depends on where — and how — I’m going. So let’s break this down in a logical way.
FLYING
My organizing factors for quick, solo plane trips are size and weight, since I might be limited to little more than a medium-size tote or backpack with a purse that absolutely has to fit in the tote. That means no laptop unless it’s specifically a business necessity for the trip. It also means I’m really happy to have a smart phone I can read on, as long as I’ve remembered to download what I want before I leave. When every ounce counts, even the small tablet has to stay home ... right next to my favorite earphones, the portable speaker, and all their assorted plugs and cables. Another thing I don’t take is a bag with a built-in charger, since they need to be detached before you bring them aboard, and that’s just too much interruption for me when I’m hoofing it to the gate. One charging cable and plug for the phone — that’s it. And it works well since I’ve trained myself to check the battery level before getting on board.
CRUISING
Cruising is another story entirely, and by cruising, don’t think I’m leaving you out if you get seasick. Trains and buses are close enough, though not nearly as comfortable. The basic idea is that someone else is driving, and you get a bit more baggage allowance, so go ahead and take that laptop. Just remember if it’s an ocean cruise, internet may be less than luxurious, so download some movies or bring along a thumb drive or two with your preferred entertainment, and don’t forget the laptop’s power cord. One of my favorite items for romantic cruising is a tiny device that lets two people plug headphones or earbuds into the same port. A portable speaker can achieve the same loudness, but it won’t block extraneous noise and it will create extra noise, which your neighboring cruisers are unlikely to appreciate.
DRIVING
Driving is the tech collector’s best mode of transportation. Let loose and take whatever fits. If you’re traveling with children, give them each their own bag and drill them in emptying and refilling theirs so they’re less likely to leave something behind.
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One exciting aspect of driving is that if you suddenly feel the need for tech you don’t have on hand, you can usually find a store that sells it. One vinyl-collecting friend found some treasures at a roadside stand and followed that up with the purchase of a new turntable!
BONUS TIP
If you’re going to be sightseeing or strolling in crowds, a pickpocket-proof purse can help you safeguard your precious tech, as well as your credit cards. My favorite shoulder bag has a slash-proof strap and RFID-blocking pockets for cards that at least make it harder for your numbers to be cloned, as well as hidden hooks that even master pickpockets find clumsy to navigate. So take that tech and happy trails!
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COVER STORY
Home work
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ou may have worked from home before, but if you have a laptop and work for a large company, you’ve probably recently been given this “perk.”
And we say it in quotes because working from home
can be hard. Don’t get us wrong: It can be easy — no dress code, no set hours, seeing more of the family or the pets. But it can be hard — no dress code, no set hours ... you get the idea. So because technology is allowing us to cloister at home and generally avoid human contact until COVID-19 is under control, we have some tips on your tech, your health and your new working status. And of course, the CDC’s top tip is about as low-tech as you can get: Wash your hands. A lot. Thoroughly.
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INSIDE 32 N ew to working from home?
Some tips for your health and sanity
38 Y our gadgets are filthy anyway. How to clean them
40 D eal with it: Your new routine is phone, laptop, phone, iPad or TV, repeat. Blue-light-blocking glasses could help
44 Sunday gatherings? Only
online: Some churches go digital
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Beginner
TIPS By Jefferson Graham USA TODAY
Many companies are recommending working at home for their staff in the wake of the coronavirus. New to telecommuting? We have some ideas of what you’ll need to re-create the office experience at home.
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1. GOOD INTERNET CONNECTION
You’ll get nowhere if you can’t get online. A tip: Work near the router to get the best signal, or splurge on a “mesh” system like Amazon’s Eero ($99 for one device, $249 for three) or Google’s Nest Wi-Fi ($149 for one, $269 for two) which help evenly distribute the Wi-Fi signal and make it stronger in the home. If you don’t want to spend and have poor internet, there’s always the last resort: hot spot. The wireless companies make it possible for you to connect your computer to your phone for Internet, by going into Settings, but only for a finite period of time. For instance, my T-Mobile plan offers 200 gigabytes of data and then slows you to a crawl once you’ve used it all. How much is 200 GB? Who knows. They don’t tell you. But in my experience, it all goes fast, within a day or two.
2. DEDICATED SPACE
Your home is likely to be quieter and less congested than what you have at work. Still, a dedicated, private space, no matter how small, is a good start. “Put yourself in a place where you won’t get distracted by personal stuff (laundry, kids, making dinner, etc.). It can become a slippery slope,” notes San Francisco-based publicist Kat Eller Murray. That can be the kitchen table, the couch, somewhere that’s comfortable and comes with a place to sit for an extended period. “A good supportive office chair at the right height. Ergonomics is important!” notes Los Angeles area photographer Kathy Carson Newman.
3. TAKE STEPS TO NOT BE INTERRUPTED
That could mean a Post-It on the door during calls/meetings, or “asking people not to knock or ring the doorbell,” notes musician Michael Gallant. “And turning down the volume on intercom buzzers if you live in an apartment building.” Additionally, notify friends and family, “as some feel that ‘work from home’ means you are on a break,” notes Melissa Hourigan, a Denver-based publicist.
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“If you’re doing video conferences, find a place with a non-distracting background and good lighting.” — MICHAEL GALLANT
4. MEETINGS, PART 1
Your office co-workers may like to do meetings, or potential clients may want to see your face and communicate with you. That’s never been easier, thanks to a multitude of free meeting programs. But first, you’ll need a webcam, if your computer doesn’t have one built in. You can pick up an inexpensive model for under $75, or use your smartphone cameras instead.
5. MEETINGS, PART 2
To communicate with others, there are scores of free programs for easy one-on-one conversations, like Apple’s FaceTime, Skype, Facebook’s Messenger and Google Hangouts. Many will let you bring in other users as well. Zoom is the new go-to program for companies and is free for individuals. Meetings max out at 40 minutes, but Zoom calls are endto-end encrypted, something Messenger and Hangout calls are not. (Facebook says it looks to bring encryption to Messenger calls but hasn’t rolled it out yet.) Gallant adds a pro video composition tip: “If you’re doing video conferences, find a place with a non-distracting background and good lighting.” That could be as simple as not sitting with the window behind you, because the brightness will cause the camera to expose for the window and not your face, thus turning you into a silhouette. Instead, turn around, and be lit by the window.
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6. PRO INSTANT MESSAGING TOOLS
Sure, you can use Facebook’s Messenger, WhatsApp or Apple iMessages to keep in touch in real-time, and help tame the ever-growing email inbox, but many companies prefer dedicated networks designed for business. The top two both start at free: Microsoft Teams has a starter plan with limited file storage, or $5 monthly for the pro version, while Slack is free and charges if you make phone or video calls, $6.67 monthly.
7. HEADPHONES
You’ll want a good pair of ear buds to talk on the phone hands-free. Many swear by Apple’s AirPods ($169) and the new AirPods Pro ($249), which stay in the ear easier. A cheaper alternative is Amazon’s Echo Buds, which sell for $129. Michael Oldenburg, a manager at drone maker DJI, likes them for meetings, “or just to block out noise.”
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8. CALENDARS
Share what you’re doing with co-workers with a shared calendar. Free options include Google Calendar and Zoho.
9. SECURITY
At home, as at work, your phone will ring, your email will chime, and within the legit communication attempts will be spoofs and scams. Be on your toes at home as you would be at work. “Hackers never let a good crisis go to waste,” says Colin Bastable, CEO of awareness training firm Lucy Security. “People working from home get easily distracted, especially if they are normally used to working in the office, and they will mix work with personal email and web browsing. This increases the risks that they can introduce to their employers and colleagues, by clicking on malware links.”
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10. LITTLE THINGS
A phone stand will take the device out of your hands and let you continue to work hands-free. It’s a great place to park your phone as you talk on meetings, and have the device charging as you speak. You can pick one up for under $10. A power strip will help you tremendously, as a place to plug in the laptop, phone and headphone charger and more. We picked up a 12-outlet Belkin power strip with surge protector for $22 and don’t have to hunt for an available outlet anymore.
11. SECOND SCREEN
Our colleague Kelly Tyko swears by having a second monitor to expand her laptop. She can, for instance, have USA TODAY publication software on one screen, and Microsoft Teams on the other. “It takes some getting used to, but I have a hard time not using extra monitors,” she says. “So I bought the portable for times when I have to travel.” She likes the Asus MB168B, a 15-inch monitor that looks like a stand-alone iPad, and sells for just over $125.
12. FREE PHONE CALLS: HOW TO DO INTERNATIONAL
You may have to make a call internationally, without access to the office phone system. Skype will let you do Skype-to-Skype calls for free, as will Facebook’s Messenger, Apple’s FaceTime and others. If you need to dial a phone number, Skype charges $5.50 for 220 minutes of time. The Japanese app Line will let you make international calls for free, if you watch an ad first.
13. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY
“The willpower not to wash the dishes ... and eat all day long instead of working,” notes Boston area writer Josh Bernoff. “It also helps to use social networks to interact with other humans but NOT WHEN YOU NEED TO CONCENTRATE.” And don’t forget to dress for work, even if you’re at home. “Get ready as if you were still going to the office,” says Hourigan. “Don’t get caught in your PJs when a video conference pops up.”
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Clean your tech L By Amanda Tarlton | Reviewed.com
ike most people, I’m addicted to my phone. However, not counting the occasional swipe with a Kleenex, I have cleaned my phone a total of zero times in my life. And when you think about all the places my phone has been (public restrooms, the Starbucks counter, the gym floor) — it’s disgusting. According to studies, not only is your phone much dirtier than you think, it can also be covered in potentially harmful bacteria. Here’s exactly what’s lurking on your phone and how to clean it the right way.
THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN YOUR PHONE
WHY YOU SHOULD CLEAN YOUR PHONE REGULARLY
IS IT WORTH BUYING A PHONE SANITIZER?
Your phone touches your fingers, your face and all sorts of surfaces throughout the day, so it’s no surprise that it’s a magnet for oil, grime, dead skin cells and bacteria. Even more alarming, an unclean phone can also be a haven for dangerous germs like E. coli, streptococcus, and those that cause staph infections or the flu. In fact, one study found that the average high schooler’s phone has 17,000 different types of bacteria, making it 10 times dirtier than a typical toilet seat. Yikes.
HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD CLEAN YOUR PHONE
Our senior scientist and germ guru, Julia MacDougall, says once a week is a good rule of thumb. However, she notes that the more you use your phone, the more frequently you should clean it. “If you have kids or multiple people handling your phone, I’d recommend cleaning it more than once a week,” she says, adding, “It’s when people share your phone that you have to start worrying about germs spreading.”
MacDougall recommends this simple DIY method: “Dilute isopropyl alcohol with water, then spray it on your phone and wipe it dry with a soft microfiber cloth.” (FYI: Isopropyl alcohol is just a fancy word for good old-fashioned rubbing alcohol.) Avoid using regular paper towels or other rough materials that could scratch or damage your phone’s screen and, if possible, use distilled water, which is less likely to leave mineral deposits or streaks.
You’ve probably seen UV phone sanitizers that promise to eliminate 99.999% of the bacteria on your phone. “UV light is often used to kill bacteria because specific wavelengths of UV light are ‘germicidal,’ in the sense that they can cause the bonds to break between molecules within the bacteria’s DNA, rendering the bacteria damaged or dead,” MacDougall explains. But do they actually work? She tried three different sanitizers to find out. The popular PhoneSoap, which has thousands of glowing reviews online, successfully killed most (and occasionally all) of the bacteria on the phone. The Carebox was a close second, leaving behind a single minor speck of bacteria. PhoneSoap devices start at $79.95 at phonesoap.com but are on backorder. Carebox devices in March were on sale at easycare.tech/product/ carebox for as low as $30.90, usually retailing around $44. Note that these products can also sanitize items like jewelry and watches, cosmetics brushes, headsets and earphones, toothbrushes and eyeglasses if they can fit inside.
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Can glasses that block blue light
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By Julia MacDougall and Jessica Kasparian | Reviewed.com
et’s face the technological facts: Many of us spend all day in front of a computer screen for work or school, only to spend our free time staring at a TV, smartphone or tablet. According to The Vision Council, a nonprofit trade association of manufacturers and suppliers in the optical industry, 80 percent of American adults report using digital devices for more than two hours per day and 59% report suffering from “digital eye strain.” But are blue-light blocking (or “filtering”) glasses actually a solution, as some manufacturers claim? We tested in our labs in November to find out whether these lenses indeed filter out blue light, and talked to experts to learn whether they’re are a viable fix that’s worth you spending your money on.
WHAT IS BLUE LIGHT?
Every visible color on the light spectrum has a different wavelength and corresponding amount of energy. The shorter the wavelength, the more energy a color ray contains, according to All About Vision, an editorial site owned by ophthalmic lens giant EssilorLuxottica. Of the light our eyes can see, blue rays have the shortest wavelength and the most energy. Before the invention of artificial light — and as humans are diurnal (rather than nocturnal) creatures — our brains took cues from the sun’s spectrum to regulate sleep cycles. In particular, the sun’s energetic blue waves signaled that we should be awake during the day, and the lack of that light after sunset meant it was time for sleep. In our modern lives, we’re exposed to a lot more blue light for a lot more hours of the day and night, thanks especially to digital screens and fluorescent lights.
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Blue light is responsible for boosting our attention and our moods. When our eyes take in blue light, our brains get the signal to be awake and energized.
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April 2020 JACKSON RUCKAR / REVIEWED.COM
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH EFFECTS?
Blue light is responsible for boosting our attention and our moods. When our eyes take in blue light, our brains get the signal to be awake and energized. Blue light exposure also suppresses the secretion of melatonin — the hormone responsible for regulating the body’s circadian rhythm — more than other light wavelengths. That’s why late-in-the-day exposure is counterproductive to sleep and why sleep experts advise us to put our phones away before bed. The effect that blue light has on eye strain, however, is less well known, despite the claims made by the manufacturers of blue light-blocking glasses. The American Optometric Association cites a host of reasons someone might suffer from digital eye strain, including poor lighting, glare on a digital screen, improper viewing distances, poor sitting posture, uncorrected
vision problems or a combination of these factors — without any mention of blue light.
HOW DO BLUE-LIGHT-BLOCKING GLASSES CLAIM TO WORK?
Blue light scatters within the eye, explains Christopher Taylor, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at New England College of Optometry. And as it’s not easily focused, it causes a “noise” in the eyes, according to All About Vision. These glasses have special lenses that “absorb” or “block the penetration” of blue light before it reaches our eyes. Some glasses use yellow-tinted lenses to counteract the blue, while other proprietary lenses modify light’s color temperature by other means. The net effect: Less blue light reaches the brain. That is, if they work.
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DO THEY WORK?
Reviewed’s senior scientist, Julia MacDougall, analyzed a few pairs of the most popular glasses from Felix Gray, Gunnar and Pixel to find out if they worked. “Testing the blue-light glasses took a little bit of ingenuity on our part, especially because it took us a while to figure out what blue-light glasses actually do,” she says. First we set up a very basic test using a bright laptop screen in a dark room. We aimed an instrument that we usually use in TV testing to record light color and luminance, the Konica Minolta CS-200, at the laptop screen. Then we took light readings of the screen both with and without the blue-light glasses. We thought this test would be revealing because blue-light glasses claim to remove blue light; in taking screen readings through the lenses, we should’ve seen a change in the level of blue light recorded, right? Wrong. To our surprise, while the glasses reduced the amount of light coming through (to be expected, since that’s essentially what polarized lenses do), we observed little to no difference in the color of the screen’s light with and without the glasses. That proved to be a head-scratcher at first. But talking with one of our staff photographers gave us another clue: He pointed out that the glasses claim that they could maintain the blue color fidelity; that is, wearing the blue-light glasses should not affect your perception of the exact color shade of a blue object, whether it’s on a screen or not. This is the crux of the issue: How can blue-light glasses claim to remove blue light without changing the shade of blue you see? Imagine you’re painting with acrylic paints. If you mix white, red, and blue in equal amounts, you’re going to end up with a light purple. However, if you add less blue, or no blue at all, you end up with a color that’s closer to pink. By definition, filtering blue light means that you reduce or remove some shades of blue and leave behind others; this alters the final color
of a blue object. But it doesn’t, in the case of these glasses. A little puzzled at the contradiction, we decided to investigate how wearing these glasses affected our perception of blue light specifically, as opposed to the white light of a laptop screen. We once again took light readings with the CS-200, but this time, the targets were five LED lights that have contain very specific shades of blue: cyan (wavelength of 472 nm), azure (wavelength of 462 nm), palatinate blue (wavelength of 430 nm) and two shades of purple (wavelengths of 400 nm and 385 nm). The last two LEDs verge on the ultraviolet part of the visible spectrum, which means that it’s difficult for the human eye to detect the light coming from those LEDs, similar to how it’s tough to see the light coming from UV lamps unless you’re looking at the UV light shining on a white object. The results were, ahem, enlightening. When pointed at the three blue LEDs, the glasses reduced the amount of light coming through (as they do for all light sources), but they didn’t alter the shade of blue recorded by the CS-200. However, for the two UV LEDs, both the amount of light and the color content changed when we put the blue-light glasses between the light meter and the LEDs. This is when the (metaphorical) light bulb went off: In addition to reducing the total amount of light (both blue and not) that goes into your eye, blue-light glasses remove or reduce the type of blue light that you have difficulty seeing anyway. This is how the brands that make blue-light glasses can make claims about both maintaining blue color fidelity and removing potentially harmful blue light.
WHAT ARE BLUE-LIGHT GLASSES USEFUL FOR?
Given MacDougall’s outcome in the lab, we feel confident saying that these glasses do block some blue light, and therefore might help to keep your sleep cycle on track, even if you’re up late on your computer or watching TV. Still, the expert advice is to shut down your screens at least an hour before bedtime, as eliminating the source of blue light entirely is the absolute best way to ensure better shut-eye. However, even though our lab concluded that blue-light glasses work at filtering light, there remains no scientific evidence to back up that these help with your headache-inducing eye strain, despite any claims the manufacturers make.
WHAT IS PROVEN TO REDUCE EYE STRAIN?
“The first thing to do for someone experiencing eye strain is to get a comprehensive eye exam,” Taylor says. He also recommends resting your eyes frequently during long bouts of computer use, reading or other activities that are strenuous on them. “Even a break as simple as looking into the distance for a few minutes can help,” he says. Increasing the font sizes on your devices or utilizing night mode could help reduce eye strain, as well.
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Streaming sermons By Dalvin Brown USA TODAY
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Churches are closing doors, live streaming sermons, taking digital tithes
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ith the number of coronavirus cases on the rise, Aaron Trank and his wife, Rachelle, held church at home March 8. Trank called on the family’s Amazon Echo to stream worship songs for their kids. The family also sang along to music on YouTube before praying together. Next, they’ll stream sermons online. “We’ve never done anything like this before,” Trank said. “We were trying to re-create the structure of a typical Sunday because it’s become part of our weekly cadence. Thankfully, technology has helped us to do so.” The Tranks are among many in pockets of America who had to modify religious plans in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 3,000 people and sickened many more globally. The family typically attends service at Reality SF in San Francisco, however, the church curtailed meeting after the city’s mayor called for a halt on nonessential large gatherings. In the past, before Facebook Live and digital payment apps, a bottleneck on church services would have been logistically and fiscally disruptive, religious leaders say. Today, it’s not much of an inconvenience. For years now, churches have bolstered their digital footprints by accepting offerings online, posting sermons on social media and hosting group meetings via video chat. So in the wake of coronavirus, when cities are shutting down and quarantine is spreading, clergy leaders are ramping up services that are usually an extension of a typical Sunday. “What was once only 20% of our ministry has become 100% of our ministry,” said pastor Kaloma Smith of University AME Zion Church in Palo Alto, California. The church, which is home to about 300 members, largely sat empty on March 8 due to coronavirus concerns. Smith and a handful of members went into the sanctuary to videotape a sermon over the weekend, and it was posted on Facebook for the larger congregation to watch from their homes. Eighty percent of the church’s donations are digital, so temporarily shutting down the building until coronavirus fears subside wasn’t difficult to do, Smith said. “We’re fortunate that a lot of our giving is online because it allows us this flexibility,” Smith said. Being online also cuts down on operating costs like heating and electricity. And pastors can use data to track which topics resonate with their parishioners based on engagement, views
and shares. Smith’s most recent sermon had about 150 views on Facebook, he said. Coronavirus is also shifting operations at megachurches with several locations and thousands of members. Churchome, which is the brainchild of celebrity pastors Judah and Chelsea Smith, shut down its arm in Seattle amid the city’s coronavirus crisis. Public health officials have recommended that people in the Seattle area remain home when possible. One Sunday, Churchome saw its online attendance double. “In this season, we are grateful for the emphasis and focus we’ve put on church not being limited to the four walls of a large building,” said David Kroll, CEO of Churchome. At the center of the megachurch is an app that lets congregants post, share and attend digital events. Both of the churches said it’s unclear how long the respiratory illness will impact operations. The spreading of the respiratory virus is also shifting behavior at places of worship that choose to keep doors open. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has temporarily suspended some member gatherings, including Sunday worship. The Archdiocese of Chicago issued a note to priests urging them to ensure that all vessels used at Mass are purified. The church governing body also said people should refrain from holding hands during prayer. Presbyterian Church of the Master in Omaha, Nebraska, held communion, a ceremony at which bread and wine are consecrated and shared. Instead of passing trays of bread around the aisles of the congregation, the pastor wore gloves and handed out the bread, piece by piece. “We wanted to make sure there wasn’t multiple person contact on any of the trays to minimize the chance of anyone getting infected off surfaces,” said Mike Osborn, 68, who works on the church’s worship committee. Attendees at the church in Nebraska were also apprehensive about touching one another, Osborn said: “Next week, we’re going to evaluate how we approach the collection plate and the money that’s been handled by God knows who.” The concerns surrounding coronavirus are valid. It’s possible that a person can get the virus by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own face, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization recently warned that cash might also be a vector for the outbreak to spread, though it primarily travels via respiratory droplets.
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COLUMN
Lost in translation apps
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T R ACY B EC K E R M AN Lost in Technology by Tracy Beckerman looks at the lighter side of figuring out how to use tech. Tracy has written a humor column, Lost in Suburbia, for GateHouse Media and Gannett since 2008. You can find her new weekly column about life as an empty-nester, along with her Lost in Suburbia Classics column, in most Gannett newspapers. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyBeckerman and on Facebook at Facebook.com/ LostInSuburbiaFanPage.
hen my husband was invited to speak at a conference in Paris, he was quick to ask me to join him. It wasn’t because Paris is the City of Love and he wanted us to have a romantic tryst together. It wasn’t because he wanted to have me experience the joys of warm pain au chocolat and an authentic croque monsieur sandwich with him. It was because I took French in seventh grade and he wanted a translator. I was flattered that he thought my junior high school French would take us all around Paris, when in truth, the only phrases I actually remembered were “How much does this cost” and “Where is the bathroom, please?” Truthfully, it is quite amazing how far you can get with those two phrases in a foreign country. But when the taxi driver picked us up at the airport and wanted to know where we were going, asking him “where is the bathroom,” surprisingly, didn’t seem like it was actually going to get us to the hotel. The conference invite had come up very suddenly so I didn’t have a chance to brush up on my French before we left. But then a friend told me about an app I could download onto my phone that could translate menus and signs, translate French to English and English to French, and even speak in French for you in the event that you had no idea whether “monsieur” was pronounced “miss-yuh,” or “mon-see-yur.” All this was very good in theory, except for the part where you had to tell the app what you wanted to say, and the app, being an app, took whatever you said literally. So, when I told the app I wanted to tell the taxi driver I was cold, hoping he would turn
The Beckermans outside the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre, a large artist community, high up in the district with fabulous views of the city.
up the heat in the car, the driver turned bright red, gave my husband a pitying look, and shook his head in horror. It was only later when I asked our French host that I found out I had said instead “I am frigid,” in a bedroom kind of way. My seventh grade French teacher would be so proud. Still, my French was better than my husband’s, who had never taken French in school and whose phrases were limited to “Bonjour” and a bawdy invitation he had learned from a song in the movie “Moulin Rouge.” Since I knew he wouldn’t be an as-
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set, I decided I could wing it on my own with my limited knowledge and my trusty translation app. Later that day my husband went to a meeting and I went to a café where I consulted my app and then ordered a glass of cow for my coffee. I then asked for extra cheese on my face with my sandwich. After lunch, they offered me a dessert menu and the app told me to say, “Merci, no. Je suis pleine,” which I thought meant, “No thank you, I’m full,” until the server congratulated me because apparently, I had told them that I was
pregnant. Now, because of me, all Parisians think we Americans drink cow slushies, wear cheese masks and can conceive well into our 50s. I managed to get by the rest of the week without doing too much damage to myself, my husband or my country. Rather than use the app, which was proving itself to be less helpful than we’d hoped, I did a lot of pointing and tried to have fewer conversations that involved dairy products. On our final evening in Paris, I accompanied
my husband to a work event and he consulted his translation app to introduce me as his date that night. What he ended up calling me was his prostitute. Which is even funnier, when you remember that I’m frigid. Outside our hotel in an area of Paris called Saint-Germain, in the 6th arrondissement on the Left Bank, just a few blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens. There are five corners and each one has an outdoor cafė and some of the best crêpes in Paris.
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