Apple Fitness Plus Review

If you're thinking about trying a new fitness program, you won't want to miss the well-rounded, multi-perspective review on episode 355 of Geekiest Show Ever! We discuss Elisa's Apple Fitness Plus experience. Listener Scott shares his thoughts, too. Melissa has a tip for redeeming Apple Gift Card codes. 

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Listener Feedback & Recommendations

Scott recommends a book called "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - 25th Anniversary Edition"

 

Apple Gift Cards

When you've been gifted an Apple Gift Card in a digital format like an email from a friend or from a third party like the one Apple uses for its Trade-In program, follow the instructions found on Apple's Help Topic page: Redeem your Apple Gift Card. In the case of Apple's current Trade-In processor, Phobio, they email you a "PIN" which a series of numbers containing spaces. Simply copy this "PIN" to a new note in your Notes app then delete the spaces between the numbers. Copy the modified "PIN" number into the text field where you're redeeming the code and the "Redeem" button text will now be accessible.

Uncomfortable, but Do-able is My New Mantra

Passwords for kids — this has been one area where I’ve had to compromise & it’s been uncomfortable, but do-able. It’s part of my job to teach cyber security to people, yet schools insist —and subsist— on using terrible passwords, but I get it. I don’t like it and I don’t agree with it, but I get it and I accept it even though I’ve worked very hard to teach my family the value of digital security and password hygiene.

When they have to use a site or platform that doesn’t allow for password changes, I remind them that it’s not how we do things, but for the type of educational service and limitations, we can compromise.

My kids have been using a password manager app since they were very little. But when it comes to using school laptops where personal apps can’t be installed, and for when they were too young to have their own smartphone to use as a look-up tool, we devised a plan. 

Normally, I advise against re-using passwords, but as in this case of compromise, I allow it to a degree. For each child, we come up with a password that is something unique, hard to guess, but easy for them to remember and develop muscle memory for typing. Once we’ve picked & practiced the base password, for each new site or platform they register, we use an abbreviation or short name for the service or product and tack it into the end.

Example:

MyGr8password becomes: MyGr8passwordGoog

MyGr8passwordScoolgy

MyGr8passwordIC

MyGr8passwordOffice

MyGr8passwordCanv

I still have them keep these logged into their password managers then, when necessary, we can print out a screenshot instead of hand-writing them each time to save on guessing whether someone wrote a 1, l, i, 0 or O. A spreadsheet or word processed document could work too, if that’s an accessible tool for parents. Be sure to choose a font that makes letters and numbers distinguishable from each other. Courier font is a good choice.

Here are some really terrific tips I love to share from Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise. If you haven’t read her book already, I highly recommend it!

 

It's The Great Sale Sporting Event

I obsess when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales because I save and research all year long for these days to come! My sister is the hard-core brick and mortar in-store shopper and I'm the caffeine dosing all-nighter online shopper. Both of us treat this time of year like it's a goddamn sporting event!

Well, I thought I'd share my findings here on my blog in hopes that some of you could benefit from it. Sharing is caring :)

It's iPad Stylus Comparison Time!
Did you get in on the Black Friday sale on a new iPad yet?

These newer iPads work with Apple Pencil, but those things are really, really pricey, so I set out to look at alternatives. 🤑

Lots of styluses are on sale now and choice paralysis is setting in. Maybe these considerations could help YOU decide so have a look:

✏️Compared to the Adonit Note, the Crayon can make thick and thin lines because it supports tilt, but I'm still not yet sure if that means you can make shading in sketches happen or not. None of the sub-$50 stylus models seem to support pressure sensitivity, so you'll need to pick and choose from their other features. Reviewers on Amazon for the Adonit Note report a better on/off/connection experience compared to the Adonit Crayon. Both have nibs that wear out over time and need to be replaced, but they are soft on the iPad's glass and don't scratch. I still think it sucks that they don't come with replacement nibs. You'll need to factor in the replacement pricing towards the total cost over ownership.

✏️Then there are the lesser-known (or not really known at all) brands like FoJoJo — which is just fun to say. Styli made by these makers all seem to be knock-offs of each other and it's difficult to tell from the reviews how well these models will hold up over time or if they'll be supported with new firmware down the road when needed. (Hello, FiftyThree Pencil, anyone? :(

✏️The thing that frustrates me about the "carbon fiber" nibs is that I can't seem to determine whether or not they can or will scratch the iPad's glass. The details are sketchy at best. (See what I did there?) In some of the product details they recommend that you put a screen protector on your iPad, but they don't want to admit it's because their nib could potentially scratch the glass like some buyers reported. It says on other product details that the nib is smooth and won't scratch, so which is it?! They all seem to provide replacement nibs, which is handy. but compared to the cost of having to get a screen protector, we're then back to factoring in yet another add-on to the total cost. There is a 5-minute auto-shut off feature which, at first I thought was cool, but then I thought about how frequently I get distracted by interruptions and then I imagined that it would feel like it was constantly losing the connection, so now I'm not so sure if that will be a good feature. One last thing to consider is power button placement. Some look like they would get pressed by accident while others are a tap on the top which might be better.

🛍Either way, these are all great alternatives to the pricier Apple Pencil if you don't need the additional bells and whistles. If you can keep your expectations reasonable for whether or not the money you save is worth the lack of longevity and future support, then one of these might get you creating more with your fancy new iPad!

Here are the three I've been comparing: (The Adonit went on sale again while I was writing this!)
✍️Logotech Crayon:


✍️Adonit Note:


✍️FoJoJo:


Go Clean Your...Mac!
You've heard me brag about how much space I save on my Mac by using Mac Cleaner X, right?
Wait...NO? Sheesh! You're worse than my kids!! Go check out this Sale on the MacPaw Store


(Thank you kindly if you've considered clicking my affiliate links in this post.) 🙏

Right at Home with iPhone 11 Using AR

They finally listened to me! The iPhone 11 has a purple finish available!

Want to see something really cool? You can use the AR feature on Apple’s website to place the iPhone as an object on a surface nearby. I tried it out this morning while eating breakfast. The beautiful lilac color of the iPhone 11’s purple finish compliments my purple Ello water bottle nicely.

Go here: https://www.apple.com/iphone-11/

Then scroll down to here:

Next, tap the AR symbol.

When the page opens up, use one or two fingers to pinch and push onto the image to turn it around and enlarge it. The detail is amazing. Next, tap the AR button.


It will place the iPhone object on a surface.


You can manipulate the object in the space to swivel and enlarge. I couldn’t figure out how to get it to rotate from the bottom or top, only the sides, but you get the idea.




Tap in the center of the screen and you’ll see the options to snap a photo or share.


Because who wouldn’t love a ginormous iPhone 11 in their living room on a coffee table?!

CleanMyMac X Has A New Space Lens Feature

I am really looking forward to trying this new feature out on all my external hard drives! MacPaw makes some of the most beautifully designed interfaces on the planet and I'm thankful for the opportunity to review this version of CleanMyMac X.

Here is a peek at new feature called Space Lens.

One of the toughest parts of my job is trying to help my clients move their data around and optimize it so they can access it. So many times they have external hard drives loaded with stuff and they don't know what's on them. I'm going to scan a bunch of my own drives with this new tool.

I'll report back with new features as I discover them, but two features that look really interesting are the built in malware detection scan and the Menu Bar status. (It's a bit like iStat Menus.)

Download a free trial and check it out for your Mac.

How to Block Your Caller ID

Today I helped a client who needed assistance disputing a charge on their credit card. They were duped into purchasing a piece of software considered to be malware. (More on that later.) During the process, the credit card customer service representative instructed my client to call the phone number listed on the transaction. They said the rules are that the customer has to make an attempt to contact the solicitor to cancel the charge. I told the rep that I did not think it was a good idea for my client to call the number and risk having her number added to yet another robo call list. The rep was resourceful and looked up the instructions for blocking caller ID. I have not had this need so I wasn't familiar with the process, but I was happy to learn about it.

Dial *67

We first tested it out by having my client use their landline to dial *67 and then my phone number. I showed them my screen so they could see what it looked like. Once we were confident it worked, we dialed the toll free number of the malware company. I really did not like this part, but the credit card rep told us that it was a standard protocol that needed to be followed in order to dispute the transaction and that this happens a lot. They said they see this a lot and don't expect there to be a live human on the other end. Sure enough, it was only a recording when we called it. Now, if ever it would need to be investigated again, there is a record of the steps taken to dispute the charge.

I hope this helps should you find yourself in this scenario.

Geekiest Show Ever - Episode 300

Over on Geekiest Show Ever we celebrated our 300th episode! No, I haven't been on that many of the recordings, but I have been podcasting with this crew for quite a long time.






Have a listen to the audio file for "Geekiest Show Ever 300 – How did we get here?" and we shall regale you with stories of how the show came to be.

Show notes for apps and stuff we talked about are here: Geekiest Show Ever 300 – How did we get here?

Road to Macstock 2017

Source: MacVoices #17142: Road to Macstock: Melissa Davis and Jodi Spangler On Delivering Remote Support

#SeniorMoments

I'm Speaking at Macstock!

I'm speaking at Macstock this coming July! I am so excited. I'm giving a joint presentation with Jodi Spangler and then we are doing a Deeper Dive to go over more details. The name of our talk is called "Senior Moments. It will be about working with senior citizens and some of the challenges we all face when helping one another.

Look! They even put me on their website! Go check out the speakers page here: http://macstockconferenceandexpo.com scroll down to see the list of all the awesome people I'll be sharing a stage with at the conference. I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends and I hope you can join us!

Celebrating With Friends On The Mac Observer's Mac Geek Gab Episode 500

It was such an honor to join the panel for this episode of one of my favorite podcasts with some of my best buds in the Mac and Podcasting Community. Here's to 500 more!

Check out their original show notes here:
"MGG 500: Geeks and Listeners Celebrate The Last Nine Years"

This podcast was hosted by Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun
Panel: Barry Fulk, Brian Monroe, Allison Sheridan and Cory Imdieke

Tap or click the play button in this player to listen to their show and then subscribe in iTunes.

I Have The Power!

While at Macworld/iWorld this year, I visited the Powerocks booth and they gave me some of their awesome products to review for you here on my site. I'm very excited to tell you more about them!

So hey, do you remember SheRa? She had the power and now I do too because thanks to Powerocks, I no longer worry about being without power for any of my gadgets. It's like an anxiety chill-pill! Let's just say, whenever I reach into my bag, I now feel like this:

Image Credit: The amazingly talented Zephyri http://zephyri.deviantart.com

I've been using these Powerocks over the past week or so now, showing them off to clients and bragging to friends and family about them. They are slick-looking, practical and PURPLE! Of course, you can get them in several other colors, they have something for everyone. Mother's day is coming up so it might be fun to get a pink one for your mom or grandma! The colors are nice and bright so they're easy to spot when you're digging for one inside your bag. They come in a wide range of sizes and capacities.

Flash Magic Stick
The Flash Magic Stick is a 3000 mAh capacity charger. It's about the size of a lipstick tube and it has a built-in flashlight. I love, love, love that it gives me feedback on how much charge it has with its blue indicator lights on the side. The Powerocks designers are so smart because they made it so that you must press the button twice in order to turn on the light and twice again repeatedly to cycle through the different features: solid, blinking and strobe lights. It drives me nuts when products are designed with loose buttons that easily power on and waste energy for who knows how long inside your bag that by the time you need to use it, it's drained! Not so with the Flash Magic Stick. It's a bright design in more ways than one!

This little charger came in über-handy while I was at Cirque du Mac this year because my friend Barry was running out of juice on his iPhone. I had this handy Magic Stick in my pocket which charged my iPhone so I lent it to him for his ride home because Friends Don't Let Friends Power Down! The Flash Magic Stick came in so handy and I'm very pleased with this product. I think they will make fantastic gifts!

Next up is the big boy — The Magic Cub 2 — at 12000 mAh this mighty little brick packs a ridiculous amount of power!! I won't lie, it has a little bit of weight to it, but it's not overwhelmingly heavy. I love, love, love, how they think of everything. When you pop off the cover to reveal the ports, does it get lost? Nope! There's a string that keeps it attached! Brilliant! There are multiple charging cables built right in with a USB port to plug in your Apple devices requiring a bring-your-own Lightning cable. They tell me future designs will incorporate a Lightning cable built in, so check back for that, but in the meantime, this isn't really a big deal, because I always keep an extra USB to Lightning cable in my bag along with this bad-boy. This Powerock will be awesome for camping trips or long flights. I'll definitely be taking it with us when we travel out east to visit family because it's great for charging multiple devices — power for the whole family!

Here is a video showing my friend Michael Portis and I reviewing our Powerocks among other products in action during our Macworld/iWorld 2014 Wrap-Up.

Check out Powerocks and Go ahead, Get lost!

Fancy Finances with iBank

Well, it's April and you know what that means! Tax preparation hell time! You know what would make it easier, and maybe even a little more fun? Use iBank to manage your finances on your Mac, iPad and iPhone. I've posted about this app in the past but I feel like I just have to repeat it because the fine folks over at Igg Software and makers of iBank just keep raising the bar on the features and design of their products. Like a shiny penny, they just keep polishing it. Yes, they gave me a review license, but trust me, I would still endorse this app because I have seen the horror that is that other software that shall not be named for the Mac and iBank is the just the way to go. My CPA loves how organized I am come tax time, thanks to iBank.

Here is a link to their latest press release so you can read up on the newest improvements and enhancements.

As always, you can try before you buy which is extremely handy when it comes to learning a new personal finance tool.

Watch these handy-dandy tutorials, I mean, can they make it any easier?

iBank is the personal finance product I recommend to my clients when they want to learn how to manage their finances digitally or become more comfortable with online banking.

When you're ready to upgrade or purchase, click these affiliate links because that helps support my efforts to bring you reviews and hand-picked endorsements here on my site.


iBank is available on your iPad and iPhone too!
Click here for iPad

Click here for iPhone

Macworld iWorld 2014 Wrap-Up

Join Michael Portis and I in our Macworld/iWorld 2014 Wrap-Up discussing what and who caught our eye at the Expo this year.


Products Reviewed
Square Jellyfish
PoweRocks
Pocket Tripod
Contact Patch
Studio Neat

and a BIG personal thank you to:
Michael Rose
Jack Hollingsworth

If you would like to join our community, please visit http://smartphone-photographers.com/ 

Interviewed for Chit Chat Across The Pond - Show 462 of NosillaCast Mac Podcast

Have a listen to yours truly interviewed by Allister Jenks discussing the topic of Teaching Technology to The Young and Old on this week's Chit Chat Across The Pond segment for Allison Sheridan's NosillaCast Mac Podcast show "#462 Watershot underwater iPhone case, IcyDock EZ-Dock, AnyFont, teaching technology to the young and old"

Of course you should listen to the whole episode because ya might learn somethin! (Click the link above to see the entire post for the full show content.)

Click on this audio player to listen to NosillaCast Mac Podcast

This is my written contribution to the show:

CCATP — Melissa Davis on Teaching Technology to The Young and Old: Hard or Just Scary?

I love to compare 7 year-olds with 77 year-olds. I happen to be the parent of a 7 year old (and a 4 year old). I’ve worked with people of all different ages helping them or teaching them how to use Apple tech and most of my clients these days are in the 60 to 80 year old age group.

A person’s life experiences work to shape their personality and vice-versa. Most small children, who presumably haven’t had much exposure to computers, who haven’t yet developed much of a fear for anything, will use and embrace technology because they naturally explore things in their environment. Nowadays babies are born to parents who capture their very first moments with their smart phones. They’re accustomed to this thing their parents tote around – in addition to them – that glows and makes noise and constantly gets shoved in their little faces. Of course there are also parents who are careful to keep their babies away from the exposure to backlit displays for their own reasons. There are inconclusive studies out there that suggest backlit screen exposure can be harmful to developing eyes. I can not confirm or deny any of it at this point so I’m working off of experience with a healthy dose of caution and practice of moderation. Of course the nature vs nurture debate will come up here as well.

Let’s think about the type of exposure. This could be a void of technology exposure in the home and limited to school or vice-versa. It could be a third-world country. Think of the documentaries you’ve watched where film crews go to these countries to document the lives of the people there. Watch how some react to having people moving about with these large and small cameras and computers. Some are cautious, others are curious.

Think about a generation of workers in the 80s and 90s who were introduced to computers in the workplace. So many times you’ll hear people say, “I use a computer at work all day, the last thing I want to do is stare at a screen for longer than I have to.” That generation is skeptical of computers. They’ve been taught computers and devices are for work, not play and that work could never be much fun. Work is not something to enjoy. Their exposure to computers has been, “if I press any other buttons besides the ones I’ve been instructed to press, I might blow up the computer and my boss will fire me.” That kind of exposure breeds fear so no wonder some people in their 50s and 60s can be somewhat apprehensive to computers. They’re also the generation that believes Big Brother is out to get them. We’re seeing that again now with NSA. We’re all very cautious about using devices because of how they infringe upon our privacy or how we might get into trouble by using them.

Lots of people either forget or don’t understand that you can operate software without being connected to the Internet! There are fun things you can do with computerized devices that don’t involve being “online.” This is where I have to teach clients about using the Mail app versus Gmail.

People both young and old may see learning how to use computerized devices as a chore or a task they need to learn and want to get it out of the way so they can go do something else. You could have children in which you’re trying to teach them something specific, say word processing, and you’re getting into the nitty-gritty of how to format a paragraph of text for a report. They may be daydreaming about the video game they want to play while you’re trying to teach them something fundamental.

Older folks have short attention spans also. They get “fried” or “OD” pretty quickly. It’s no secret to us that time practically evaporates when we’re working on something technical whether it’s troubleshooting a problem (that time seems to go the quickest because you’re under stress to work some magic to fix it) or teaching someone how to do something.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can offer is that everyone learns things a little differently. When you’re working with someone you need to find out how they learn best and adapt your method of teaching them.

Consistency also is key and hard to stick to when your working in a field where everything changes so rapidly. How do you keep consistent? Many people crave consistency. One way I try to achieve this is by drawing parallels across different apps. This is one of many things I love about the Mac OS. I can say things like, "Remember this last lesson we talked about how to search for things within an application and I told you to look for the little magnifying glass? Well, what do you see right here? Notice how the symbol is the same?"

Another way to achieve consistency is by modifying the interface preferences — make everything look the same, enlarge the fonts, and if you customize the toolbar for them, try to put similar tools in the same spots to reinforce muscle memory.

What have you learned by teaching the old and young? 

• Relating analog to digital examples helps.

• Do not take little things for granted. I cringe every time someone says, “Yeah, ya just hit enter.” There are people that don’t understand what it means to “Hit a key” and they don’t even know you meant a key on the keyboard for starters. Do not assume everyone understands all jargon. Look through their eyes and start slow and basic, then drop it down one more level lower because chances are you’re not aiming low enough. Ask them about their experiences first and try to gauge what terminology to use. Explain how you're trying to strike a balance of not insulting their intelligence but also not going way over their head, too.

• When you say “to your left” be prepared to say, “your other left.” People get nervous when they’re being instructed and fumble over basic things and it’s natural. Do not make fun of them for it. You’re no better!

• Don’t do it all for them, put them in the driver’s seat. If you always do it, they won’t learn it. Be gentle at times when you do need to do it first in order to understand it and tell them so. I explain, “In order for me to teach you this, let me do it first and then I’ll break it down for you.” Say things like, “Don’t feel pressured to remember this all at once. We will get there. I’ll go over it as many times as you need.”

• Explain as you go along – verbalize as much as you can while you're whizzing the pointer around the screen.

• Teach people to leave themselves a little breadcrumb along the way.

• Have a boat-load of patience and get used to repeating yourself, hearing the same stories and questions over and over.

Sometimes clients need to stop and tell you a story. It’s how they process information and deal with overload. It’s OK. They know the clock is ticking and you’re charging for it. It took me a while to learn this and I felt very guilty at first, but friendships develop at a deeper level and it’s incredibly important to for trust especially when you’re working with people who are showing you their online banking and other very personal information.

It’s all personal. Very personal. Emotional. This is the most true when teaching people how to work with digital photos or how to make a birthday card or calendar. Be sensitive to this.

FitBit Stride Length Calculator

Are you a FitBitter like me? Did you get one of these little gadgets for Christmas? There is also a wristband version called Fitbit Flex. I got a FitBit One for myself for my birthday last year so I've now had it for a few months. One thing I have learned since wearing this gadget is the importance of stride length. When I went to input the number though, I wanted to make sure I was doing it correctly. I found this cool calculator widget and I thought I'd share it with you. I hope you find this as helpful as I have. I believe wearable tech will grow to be a bigger hit in the coming years.

Are you hooked up yet?

Click this link if the hosted graphic doesn't load below: Stride Length Calculator

Smartphone Photographers Point and Shoot Weekend Edition for 11-23-2013

Check out this lively discussion on sharing your photos online. We discuss apps, services and philosophies along with tips for integrating them with your photo sharing needs.

Clumsy Ninja!

Yesss!! Clumsy Ninja is finally out! I have been looking forward to this game! Are you playing it yet? Download it FREE here!

Smartphone Photographers Community Hangout for November 21, 2013

This was another fun Hangout On Air with the Smartphone Photographers Community.
(That link will take you to the Google Plus page until there is a more official link which I'll update if that happens!)

If you click this link it will take you to the part where we discuss my "Butterfly Kiss" photo at the 36 minute mark. (Otherwise watch the show from the start below.) I had fun talking discussing this photo and the other suggestions that were made sound like another cool challenge for me to try! I really enjoyed learning about High-key photography technique from Michael Sweeney and I'm looking forward to trying out the effect.

An iPhone app called FX Photo Studio was discussed and I wanted to let you know it's on sale at the time of this posting so go grab it because it looks like a winner. I haven't yet had a chance to play with it, but it's got lots of recommendations so far. There is also an HD iPad version:


What do you think of smartphone photography? Come join us sometime.

Here is the "Butterfly Kisses" image I posted. I have several more eye images I'm working on and I'll post more once I process them. You have heard of a butterfly kiss, right?

Smartphone Photographers Point and Shoot for November 7, 2013

Join my comrades and I for an informative discussion on smartphone photography tips.

Siri Still Has A Sense of Humor

Either Siri still has a sense of humor or she's just been trained by many a parent who use her to play the "Bad Cop" in setting a timer for Time Out. By the looks of it, she's capable of assisting even Jeffrey's Mother.

Who remembers this (one of my all-time favorites) comedy skit by Bill Cosby?