Listen Now

No matter how technical you may or may not be, there is one thing that everyone knows: backup the data files you care about

.Because we specialize in data recovery, we've seen virtually every scenario over the past 30 years when it comes to critical data that has been lost.Beyond equipment failure and traditional data loss, we all now need to be concerned with the growing instances of ransomware.

Just having a local external backup drive isn't enough these days because everything from ransomware to a fire or flood could render that local backup useless.

We recommend the 3-2-1 backup philosophy which means that you have 3 copies of your data on two physical storage devices with one copy that exists off-site, such as an online backup service like Carbonite.

That means that your primary copy lives on your computer's hard drive, the second copy lives on an external hard drive connected to your computer and a third copy is stored in the cloud.If you do this, it covers every possible data loss scenario that we are aware of at this point in time.

When it comes to the holidays, some of the most popular gifts are without a doubt electronics.This invariably leads to the disposal of our older tech, which if done improperly, can be a very bad thing.Unfortunately, most consumers have no idea just how many toxins are used to manufacture our gadgets, so they just throw them in the trash.To keep these toxins from polluting our ground water, consider repurposing your old tech as someone else may be able to use it.Charities, homeless shelters and local schools are just the beginning of possibilities for repurposing your old tech.If that's not an option, finding a responsible electronic recycling program in your area will be your next search.E-waste is generated by the hundreds of millions of tons each year, so we all need to do our part to keep it our of our landfills.

It's no secret that as the weather gets colder, the number of people that get sick increases as a result.Being exposed to those that are sick is how most of us become sick ourselves, so knowing where a large number of people are sick can be helpful.An app called SickWeather acts as a forecasting tool that shows you where lots of people are saying that they are experiencing symptoms.It does this by scanning social media posts and other data sources to gather signals of areas that show hot zones in your area.Knowing about these areas can be helpful so you can avoid them as this app serves as an early warning system for outbreaks.Their ability to predict outbreaks is pretty impressive based on the technology they've developed.Get the info and the apps: https://www.sickweather.com

With virtually every interaction we have online, there's a good chance that you'll be asked for an email address as part of the process.For those interactions where you only need to have a valid email address to get something you want, but won't need to interact with them ever again, there's a clever and free option.A website that calls itself '10 Minute Mail' provides random email addresses that are only good for ten minutes.Start by visiting https://10minutemail.com which will publish a generic email address and a counter that starts at 10 minutes.You stay on this page to also receive the intended message and if you need to extend the time that you use the account, simply tap the button to add another 10 minutes.Keep in mind, this is a really bad option if you'll ever need to reuse the email address because no matter what address you use, all messages are deleted after 10 minutes and you can't request the same one again.

The days of manually searching through classified ads in the physical world was disrupted by a website we all know as Craigslist.Searching for those one of kind or used items has gotten easier via the Internet, but today's tip will take it to another level.If you spend lots of time searching for items on Amazon, eBay or Craigslist, today's tip is for you.An awesome all-in-one search tool exists for all three sites at Search Tempest https://www.searchtempest.com 
Instead of having to go to each site to search for the same item, switch to Search Tempest to make it much more efficient and eliminate some of the geographic issues that exist on Craigslist.Bargain shoppers will find this to be a power tool because of all the awesome filtering options that make it more efficient to do extensive item searches.

Those wonderful apps have turned what was once simply a voice communication device into miniature marvels in the palms of our hands.On top of that, how wonderful is it that there are so many free apps to choose from?As it turns out, free is not always free when you consider the big picture of these apps.Both your cellular data usage and battery usage can be impacted by the use of free apps on the regular.Researchers have actually studied this issue and published real data on the consumption of power and data which can be significant.They can also chew up valuable memory with the ads they deliver, which can impact everything you do on your smartphone.An additional consideration is the privacy implications of 'free' apps since they can only make money from tracking your usage.The next time you have to choose between a free app and one that might cost a buck or two, it may be a very good return on investment.

Computer hardware is pretty useless without useful software programs, which can end up costing as much, if not more, than your computer.While the big-name programs are what most people end up buying, there are alternative programs that can perform the same function at a much lower cost.There are many software programs that are known as 'open source' options that are available to anyone that wants to try them out.A great tool for finding this type of inexpensive software is located at: https://alternativeto.netNot only can it help you discover these new options, but the website also provides feedback and comments from others that have already tried each program.Just type the name of the expensive program into the search bar at the site and you'll get a list of alternatives that could be just what you're looking for.

If you have a young child in your extended family, it's a pretty safe bet that they are enamored with mobile technology such as a smartphone or tablet.Tablets in particular can actually be used for educational purposes instead of just becoming a digital babysitter.A platform designed to turn tablets into more of an educational tool is from a company called Osmo.Instead of creating an addictive app that keeps the child's eyes solely on the screen, Oslo creates interaction via the tablet with physical items as well.It does this through a special stand and mirror system that allow the camera on the front to see what's directly below the tablet.Your child can be encouraged to draw on a piece of paper in front of the tablet through items displayed on the screen that they can trace.It's a really interesting approach that you can learn more about at: https://PlayOsmo.com

Malicious hackers have refined their techniques via social engineering to trick unsuspecting victims into clicking on things they normally wouldn't.Phishing scams are one of the more common traps they setup and getting victims to those phishing websites has also evolved beyond phishing email messages.They know that the comments section is a great place to try to draw victims to their boobytrapped websites.Typical out of context posts that are clearly someone spamming the comments are pretty easy to spot, it's the more devious methods that you'll need to stay aware of.Posting a link along with a comment that appears to be a legitimate response to a previous comment is pretty common and where the danger lies.Clicking the link in the comment can be every bit as dangerous as clicking on a link in email, so it's best to avoid them.One way to see if the information they are referring to is legit is by doing a Google search using the title of the link, which should come up in the search results if they are.

Isn't always the case that just when we need to get something really important printed out at home, the 'out of ink' message pops up.I'm not sure how we got to the point in time that the cost of an ounce of printer ink is like buying a precious metal.The industry took the sell cheap razors to sell razor blades approach years ago but one of the companies decided to buck the trend.Epson created a line of printers that focused on an economical way to refill the ink in our printers.Their EcoTank line of printers provides both large ink reservoirs and inexpensive liquid refills that comes in bottles that anyone can manage themselves.For those that print lots of documents, paying a little more for the printer so that the ongoing consumables are cost effective makes a lot of sense.Learn all about it here: https://epson.com/ecotank