Category Archives: Technology

What to Do About Your Java Blues

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Java

You know, I love java. A good, hot cup of it gives me that mental boost that I like to have when doing blog posts like this one.

On the other hand, Java (with a capital J), is giving me and many other people a headache right now. That’s because hackers are having a field day with it.

I pity the makers of Java right now.

In mid-January of this year, Homeland Security recommended that everyone disable Java unless you absolutely need it. I personally am taking that recommendation seriously. That unfortunately can cause a problem with some aspects of my teens’ online school. Their online class sessions, for example, use Blackboard which requires Java.

Hmm…what to do.

Well, let’s take a look at what Java is and a possible solution to this situation. Continue reading →

On the 2nd Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me…a USB Headset

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USB Headset

So, on the 2nd day of Christmas I’m hoping to get a headset.

A headset is useful for both my kids and myself. My kids can use it for their online class sessions and foreign language classes. I can use it for parent-teacher conferences. We can all use it for chatting with teachers and other people online via VOIP services like Skype, Google Talk, and Google Voice.

I think that’s a pretty useful Christmas present, don’t you?

And it can’t be just any headset. It’s got to be a headset with a USB port.

Why USB you ask? (You did ask that, right?) Continue reading →

How to See Those Secretly Hidden Facebook Posts

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woman at computer

Did you know that you may not be seeing all the current Facebook posts from Pages you have liked on your News Feed?

That’s because Facebook changed their algorithm recently.

An algorithm, by the way, is a set of rules that computers use. Just thought I’d share that with you first.

This new algorithm may be preventing as much as half the posts from Pages you have “liked” from showing up in your News Feed. That means that Facebook is keeping you in the dark on some posts from Pages without your permission.

Not nice.

But that’s okay. I forgive you, Facebook, because now you are adding a new feature that will hopefully rectify that situation. This new option will allow people to receive notifications from specific Pages they have liked.

Hmmm. Sounds like it has possibilities. Let’s see how to set it up. Continue reading →

How to Use Remote Desktop to Monitor Your Kids’ Computer Activity

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Monitor Your Teen's Online Activity

If you are like most parents who use an online learning program, you probably find that there are times when you can’t be near your child while he is working on the computer. You might have an appointment to go to. You could be a working parent. You may have multiple computers in different rooms. Or you might need to do something really important…like make dinner. For whatever reason, you just can’t always be at your child’s side to monitor his online activity.

So what do you do?

Enter in…remote desktop…a gift from above.

Remote desktop will enable you to keep an eye on your child’s computer from another computer or device like a mobile phone or iPad.

So when you are making supper, you can have your laptop logged into your kid’s computer via remote desktop to make sure that he’s working as he should. Very convenient.

Let’s learn more about how to use remote desktop to torture…er…I mean…monitor your little dumplings. Continue reading →

How to Access an Online School and Flash on iPad

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Flash on iPad

I love my iPad, but I find it frustrating when I can’t do important things on it that require Adobe Flash Player. One of those important things is accessing my teens’ online school.

Instead of throwing my iPad out the window, I decided to find a solution. After all, there’s almost always a way to get around a problem with technology. You just have to know how to convince, coerce, threaten, manipulate, pressure, trick, bribe, or force your gadget into doing what you want.

Sounds like a job for Superman.

Well, thanks to the help of some Supermen and Superwomen, I figured out how to operate an online school and Flash on iPad. Here’s what I learned. Continue reading →