Winter in Fort Lauderdale

We've been parked the whole month at our home park of Paradise Island RV in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  We'd rather be traveling, but must admit it's a pretty nice place to be in February!

Women in ECommerce
Chris has been named one of the Top #100Women in Ecommerce for 2012 by WE magazine.  Check it out.

We are still busy presenting our seminars to Computer User Groups in Florida.  We expect to present to a couple of computer user groups in New York during our summer tour.  The RV Rallies on our tour include The Rally in Louisville, KY; FMCA area rally in Vermont, FMCA convention in Indianapolis, Escapade in Missouri, Gypsy Gathering in Ohio.

Visit our Upcoming Events page for more details.

Geeks On Tour

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Register Now for the Techno-Geek Learning Rally
April 22-28 in Bushnell, FL

Come to the Techno-Geek Learning Rally and learn about Computer Maps, Digital Photography and Staying Connected as you Travel. Small groups, Windows, Macs,  and Smartphones. 6 days of relaxed learning, hands-on assignments and lots of food and fun!

Rally registration is $165 for Geeks on Tour Members, $199 for non-members.  You can come in your RV and stay onsite, or you can drive in for the day if you're not in an RV.  A 12 hour hands-on Computer Boot Camp will be held after the rally for an extra $45 fee or $120 if you're not attending the rally.  Campsites are $25/day.

Read more, and register here.

The Ultimate Personal Computer for Travelers

We've been teaching seminars lately on Smartphones.  We use our Droid phones to demonstrate all the cool stuff we can do with them.  The excitement over Smartphones reminds me of when the Personal Computer first came out.  Back in 1983 I started teaching 'Introduction to Personal Computers.'  People were thrilled with word-processing, spreadsheets, and databases.  As, 'personal' computers became all about business, they tied us to the office and got kind of boring.

Now, nearly 30 years later, computers are getting personal again in the form of Smartphones.  They fit in our pocket and work without any kind of cord or cable.  They handle all our email, take pictures, and use GPS to tell us how to get to anywhere we want to go.  They can scan bar codes at the store and tell us where to find the same product at a better price.  They can even translate our English into Spanish, French, or Chinese and speak the results for us.  Oh ... and they also make phone calls!

The picture above (taken with Jim's Droid of course) is of me visiting our storage unit where we keep relics like my very first laptop. It's an IBM and I used it in the early 90s. No mouse, no hard drive, I used a 1200 baud modem to connect to the Internet. There was no World Wide Web, but there was CompuServe! The Droid smartphone I'm holding in my left hand does SOO much more than the laptop ever did. Things that were never even dreamed of back in 1992!

If you've been on the fence about getting a Smartphone (Android or iPhone), we encourage you jump in!  Even the most computer-averse person I know, quickly fell in love with her smartphone.  Especially if you don't have an office, or you do a lot of traveling, you may find the smartphone is the only computer you'll need.

For our members, we have started a series of Tutorial Videos on using the Droid.  A free sample video on Email to Navigation is available on our Youtube channel.

Better yet, register for our Techno-Geek Learning Rally April 22-28 in Bushnell, Florida and you'll get lots of lessons, even small group, hands-on lessons with Smartphones.  Our co-hosts from TechnoRV use iPhones, and other Apple products too so it won't just be the Geeks with their Droids

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Public Wi-Fi is Unsecure, Just like the US Mail

We keep telling people that it's OK to use public Wi-Fi hotspots to do your banking online, but are we fighting a losing battle?  People hear that a Public Wi-Fi Hotspot is not secure, so they won't use it ... period.  We say, it's true - a Public Wi-Fi Hotspot is not secure.  So what?  Neither is the US Mail, yet you trust it with very important and private information.  Thinking that the Internet connection provides your security is like thinking that an on-ramp to the Interstate can ensure your safety while driving to your destination.  It's nonsense.

Secure = Encrypted

The first problem is that people hear the term 'Unsecure' and they go no further.  People think that Unsecure is Bad, therefore Secure must be good.  I challenge you to think this through.  That word, 'secure' in the context of Wi-Fi hotspots means 'encrypted.' If a Wi-Fi hotspot has the Encryption setting turned on, it means that all data traffic within the hotspot has been converted to code. It can't be read by humans. But, the Wi-Fi hotspot security setting is not the only way for your data transmissions to get encrypted.

Using HTTPS

When you send a postcard thru the mail, you know that hundreds of eyes will have the ability to read it as it gets processed thru to its final destination.  It is an unsecure system.  So, if you don't want your words to be visible, you put it in an envelope before mailing it.  The same is true of public, unsecured Wi-Fi.  Whatever data you send thru that Wi-Fi hotspot is readable to someone with 'sniffing' tools who is connected to the same hotspot.

Your bank is aware of this possibility so, their website provides you with the 'envelope' which encloses your data to and from the bank.  When you visit your bank's website, you should see the httpS: at the beginning of the address and probably a green lock icon.  The 's' stands for Secure and it means that anything you type or transmit is encrypted (turned into unreadable code) from your computer, thru the local Wi-Fi hotspot, thru dozens of hops along the wide area Internet, to your bank, and back.  The bank's website provides this envelope of security regardless of how you are connecting to the Internet.  If there were some bad guys sniffing the airways in the same unsecured hotspot where you're connecting, they would be able to see your transmissions, but it would be unreadable code.  Gobbledygook.  Secure.

Banks and shopping sites will obviously provide this security, but many other websites do so as well.  Gmail provides the option to use HTTPS for all your email sent and received.  Facebook also offers the HTTPS connection in your account security settings.  So, when you're connected to an Unsecure Internet connection, pay attention to the HTTPS - if it's not there, don't type or send anything you don't want seen.  Think of it like writing on postcards.

Even if you are connected to a secure, wired network for your initial Internet connection, realize that your data makes many stops and turns along the way.  At each stop, it is possible that there are 'bad guys' working there who could copy your data.  But if it was in the encrypted 'envelope' your data is still safe from their prying eyes.  I hope you're seeing how HTTPS is the real security for your data - not the method of connecting to the Internet.  And, it requires nothing of you other than to pay attention.   If the address starts with (httpS), and it's the correct address (not a spoof) - all is OK.  If not, limit your actions and words to not reveal anything private.

You Can't Afford Not to do your Banking Online

At the start of this article I mentioned how we have been fighting a losing battle in trying to get people to do their banking online even from a public Wi-Fi hotspot.  People will still say, "I just don't like the idea that the Wi-Fi is unsecured.  I can't afford to take the chance that my bank transaction is not secured."   We say you can't afford NOT to do your banking online with whatever connection you have available.  Credit card fraud is a common occurrence, but you're fully protected by most banks as long as you catch it in time.  So, log in to your bank account and check it.  You'll be in much better shape if you discover fraud within one week than if you wait till you get home and read your monthly paper statement.

One time when I logged on I discovered that our card had been charged twice at the gas pump the day before.  Sometimes we do have to pump twice to fill our motorhome's diesel tank, and sometimes it is even the same amount both times.  But, since I saw the transaction the next day, I remembered that we only pumped once this time.  I was able to call the truck stop in question and they reversed the charge.

Let's take the inflammatory word 'unsecure' out of it and instead use the more accurate word, unencrypted.  Now, let's repeat the statement above, "I just don't like the idea that the Wi-Fi is unencrypted.  I can't afford to take the chance that my bank transaction is not encrypted.  Aha!  But your bank transaction IS encrypted, right?  It is if you are using your bank's HTTPS website.

Securing your Computer is Your Job

An even worse consequence of believing the scary messages about Unsecured Wi-Fi being unsafe, is that you'll believe that any secured Wi-Fi IS safe. Safety is not the function of your Internet connection.  That's like saying that it's the highway's job to protect you from danger as you drive.  No - it's your job.  On the highway you're only safe if you are an alert, careful driver and your vehicle is properly maintained.  The same is true of computers.  It's up to you to be informed and not fall for scams, and it's up to you to keep your computer properly protected and maintained.

We have other articles and videos on this topic, and there will be more.  Better yet, register for our Techno-Geek Learning Rally April 22-28 in Bushnell, Florida and you'll get lots of lessons, even small group, hands-on lessons on computer security.

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Facebook vs. Google+

I use Facebook a lot.  I frequently post pictures and little snippets about my life on Facebook.  My Droid smartphone has a Facebook app that allows me to upload the pictures I take with my phone with just a couple of taps.  I love the new timeline feature where I can see my life laid out by year and month.  Most of my friends are on Facebook.  I like being able to keep up with their lives all at once when I open Facebook and see my newsfeed.  I've been using Facebook since 2008, I've studied it in depth so I can teach it. I understand Facebook

Can Google+ Beat Facebook?

Google+ is a Social Network like Facebook.  Google+ was just launched in 2011.  We don't know how many people are on it, but it has a long way to go to catch up with Facebook.  I'm trying to get to know Google+ and I'm not having an easy time of it.  Not because it's more difficult than Facebook but just because it is different, and I already know Facebook.  Understanding Facebook does not directly translate to Google+.  With 850 million people on Facebook, I view it as a directory - the white pages - for the people of the world.  I don't think there's a place for two such directories.

That said, Google+ does have some cool features.

• Google Hangout gives you an instant, easy way to video chat with a group of people.  You can also share your screen, or watch a YouTube video together. 
• Since Picasa is also owned by Google, you can expect more and more of Picasa's features to be showing up in Google+.  They've already taken what used to be Picnik and put the basic editing features right in with the online pictures.  Google+ accounts allow you to upload an unlimited number of pictures.  With Picasa Web Albums, you were limited to 1GB.
• I have installed the Google+ app on my Smartphone and now, any picture I take with my phone gets uploaded automatically.  They start out as private, but you can then share them with whoever you want.  Nothing to think about ... I took a picture with my phone - I can look at it on my computer.
• When I write a Blog post with Blogger (owned by Google) I can automatically share that to my Google+ profile

The biggest problem with Google+ as a social network is that all my friends are on Facebook!  Some have migrated to Google+ but, just like me, they keep going back to Facebook because that's where their friends are!  That's a big obstacle for Google+ to overcome.

We had a question in our Forum this month from a member who was unhappy that her Picasa Upload button had turned into a 'Share with Google+' button.  She didn't want to share with Google+ because she likes the specific features in Picasa Web Albums.  In the forum thread we discussed the procedure to remove Google+ so she could continue with Picasa Web Albums as before.  Check out the forum question and answer if you're wondering the same.

Better yet, register for our Techno-Geek Learning Rally April 22-28 in Bushnell, Florida.  We'll be having lots of seminars as well as hands-on classes with Picasa.  We'll be able to compare notes on Google+, Facebook, and Picasa Web Albums. Our co-hosts from TechnoRV use Macintosh and iPhoto.  This will be a valuable assembly of computer knowledge for travelers - and don't worry, we're known for being best with beginners.

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More Tips this Month

• Reorganizing Pictures in Picasa
  Many People are muddled about Folders, Albums, Flat View and Tree View.  Chris tries to clear it up in this Forum post.  Click for the Rest ...
• Picasa Tip: Resizing a Picture's Height and Width
  The website instructions were clear, the image needed to be 960 pixels wide and 280 pixels high.  How can that be accomplished with Picasa? Read the Full Article ...
• Picasa Tip: Resize a Batch of Pictures
  So you tried uploading your pictures to eBay and they were rejected for being too large.  Picasa makes it easy to resize them all at once. Read the Full Article ...
• Why do I have to Pay for This?
  With all the free help available on the Internet today, why would you pay us?. Chris clarifies what is free and what requires a paid membership in answer to this FAQ.
  Click for the Rest ...