Blog: Tech News & Tips

All of a sudden, I am noticing a lot of devices with a USB C cable. In fact, two devices I’ve purchased in the past year have come with a USB–C charging cable. One is a Verizon hotspot and the other is a magnetic charging platform for my phone. What is a Type C USB?

I’ve also noticed that many of the new computers our customers are ordering come with a USB-C charging cable instead of the standard clunky charging brick.

What is a USB?

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and the technology has been around since the 1990s. It was developed by several different companies including HP, Intel, AMD, and Microsoft. They worked in collaboration so that consumers would have a standard device for charging mobile devices. USBs are designed to work with devices that can be connected and disconnected at any time. The connected device will identify itself to the computer and automatically get and connect the right driver with the device.

What is USB-C and how is it different from other standard USB cables?

USB–C technology is relatively new. It was developed in 2013-2014, also in collaboration between competitive companies, this time including Apple and Google.

Most of the other USB cables only provide power and data. USB-C has all that, plus provides more power for faster charging, faster data for the capability for crisp video, and faster backups.

USB C cables are part of the reason why Thunderbolt docking stations are so popular. You can connect just one cable from the dock to your laptop and get fast powerful charging and all the data and video you could want.

Most Important Feature?

In my opinion, one of the best features of USB-C is that it is symetrical and omnidirectional! Like a Lightning cable, it will always work. No matter how many times you try to plug it in, it will always go in the correct way. For me, it’s the little things with good design that bring the most pleasure.

Chris says the best thing about USB-C is that it is fast-charging and delivers data (video, etc.) much faster.  It’s all about speed with the Geek!

What are some problems with a USB-C?

The biggest problem with a USB-C connector is that it is new and most people will need an adapter in order to get it to work with an older computer. However, when you use a standard USB plug, you won’t get the same charging speed or video speed.

Conclusion:

If you’ve been wondering why you can’t use your old cables to charge your new devices, now you know! Soon just about every portable device will use USB-C for charging (including iPhones in  Europe).

And keep on the lookout for a Geek For Hire review. I’ve ordered several USB-C cables to test out. I’ll report on those results in the near future.

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a free report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. He’s the geek for you! Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More Tips Here:

• Thinking about getting a new Mac?
• Ready for the DSTime change?
• Has your email been hacked?
• And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

When you’re looking for the best Cyber Monday or Black Friday tech deals, it can all get a little overwhelming. There are so many choices, and so many different stores to check out! That’s why we recommend doing a whole bunch of pre-planning in the weeks leading up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the whole holiday shopping season.

Just so you know, if you purchase anything from the links on this page we may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Six Steps to make Black Friday shopping less stressful:

First, Set up some Ground Rules:

• Make a list of some of the things you’ve wanted, but have been waiting for a good deal. Add the minimum features you want and the maximum price you’re willing to pay for each item. For example: Ultrawide Curved Monitor $450 to $500
• Resolve not to make any impulse purchases. (Or to limit impulse buys to a set dollar amount.)
• Set a firm budget for each item.
• If you’re looking for the best things to buy on Black Friday, there isn’t a pre-set list. It’s whatever is already on your list. If you’re happy with your phone, you don’t even need to look at the ATT Black Friday deals!

Comparison shop ahead of time

• Take your list and check out prices on various website
• If you’re looking for Black Friday PC deals or other Tech deals, check out Dell, Best Buy, Staples, and Amazon. Remember to review our PC buying guide first.
• You can also set up a Google alert to monitor Black Friday deals for the tech items you are interested in.

Even if you don’t shop on Amazon you can still check out their reviews:

• On Amazon, search for a specific product. For example “soundbar deals” or “printer deals”. Or you can target Black Friday TV deals.
• Refine the results to only look at items rated 4 stars or higher.
• If you’re a Prime member, click the Prime button near the top left.
• If you have a favorite brand, click those buttons as well.
• Look at the number of ratings. A product with 1000 reviews and 4.8 stars gets more credence than a product with two reviews and 5 stars.
• Finally, look at the 1-star reviews. Are any of those are deal-breakers?

If you’re buying on Amazon – additional things to look for

• Is the item available as a Prime item with free shipping or other benefits?
• Can you buy a product from more than one seller?
• Look at the seller’s ratings. Do they have any one-star ratings? Has anyone complained about not receiving an item, or about their customer service?
• Make sure you compare the total price plus shipping for the item.
• Make sure you double-check the “Arrives By” date.
• Read the Bad reviews.

Bookmark sites that have your favorite Black Friday tech deals:

Most browsers use CTRL+D to set up a new bookmark. Then you can quickly check prices on different sites for Black Friday printer deals or the best Black Friday video game deals.

Set up a separate email ahead of time for shopping

You should use a separate email that is only used for shopping. Make sure your password is super secure. That means 12 or more characters with a good mix of lower and uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters. The password on this account should be changed at least once every month. When I want a new email account I head over to Gmail.

Support Local Businesses:

Black Friday is also “Buy Nothing Day” and the day before “Small Business Saturday”. If you can, think about supporting the small businesses in your town or neighborhood, even if they don’t have a special deal going on. Small, local businesses have had a tough time the last year and a half. This holiday season is a great time to help them out!

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a free report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. He’s the geek for you! Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More Tips Here:

• White Elephant gift ideas
• Thinking about getting a new Mac?
• Has your email been hacked?
• And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

Whether you know it or not, you are a spam risk.

It’s that time of year to be more aware of all the monsters out there. I wish I was just talking about the cute kids in a Frankenstein costume. I’m talking about the scary tech monsters, the phishers, the scammers, the spoofers, and the hackers. And, unfortunately, they don’t just confine themselves to making their mischief around Halloween. These are year-round monsters!

Some of the ways they can attack you include emails, text messages, phone calls, and social media. We’re talking about the Chase text scam, the Publisher’s Clearing House email scam, the Paypal email scam, and the Wells Fargo email scam, just to name a few. These all add up to more spam risk in your inbox.

But first, let’s define some terms:

Tech Terms Defined:

Scam:

“…an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust.” (from Wikipedia)

Hacking

Hacking is when someone uses social engineering to obtain information from you or installs a virus onto your computer or phone. Here is Wiki’s formal definition of a hacker:

“A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term hacker has become associated in popular culture with a security hacker – someone who utilizes their technical know-how of bugs or exploits to break into computer systems and access data which would otherwise be unavailable to them – hacking can also be utilized by legitimate figures in legal situations. For example, law enforcement agencies sometimes use hacking techniques in order to collect evidence on criminals and other malicious actors. This could include using anonymity tools (such as a VPN, or the dark web) to mask their identities online, posing as criminals themselves.” (from Wikipedia)

Spoofing:

“Email spoofing is the creation of email messages with a forged sender address.” (from Wikipedia)

“Caller ID spoofing is the practice of causing the telephone network to indicate to the receiver of a call that the originator of the call is a station other than the true originating station. This can lead to a caller ID display showing a phone number different from that of the telephone from which the call was placed.” (from Wikipedia)

For example, I got phone calls from a Denver physician and “Account Services” last week. When I answered, the recorded voice wanted to sign me up for an extended warranty for my car.

Also, when you get a spammy email “from” yourself, someone has spoofed the message to make it appear that it is coming from you.

We’ve also seen emails from CustomerService@Amazan.com. This is not technically spoofing, but at first glance, you do think the email is coming from Amazon.

Phishing:

“Phishing is a type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent (“spoofed”) message designed to trick a human victim into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious software on the victim’s infrastructure like ransomware.”  (from Wikipedia)

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it.

SpearPhishing:

“Spear phishing involves an attacker directly targeting a specific organization or person with tailored phishing emails. This is essentially the creation and sending of emails to a particular person to make the person think the email is legitimate. In contrast to bulk phishing, spear phishing attackers often gather and use personal information about their target to increase their probability of success of the attack.”  (from Wikipedia)

How Can You Protect Yourself?

Whenever you receive a text, email, or phone call, take a minute to think before responding. Here are our suggestions to protect yourself from spam risk:

Email Scam:

If you’re like me, you receive multiple emails every day asking you to do something. How to tell if an email is fake? There are several steps that you should follow:

• First, make sure the message is actually from the person or organization that it says it is from. Look at the email address to make sure it is correct and not subtly different. (For example: Amazan instead of Amazon, or J0hn instead of John. In one case I exchanged an “a” for  the letter “o”, in the second case I exchanged the number “0” for the letter “0”.)
• If you reply, you should also scrutinize the “To” address. If your friend’s email has been hacked, the “To” address may go somewhere totally different.
• Don’t click on any links in an email. If it is a company telling you that you need to contact them by clicking this link, call or email them using information that you already have. If it’s from a friend, ask them to confirm that they have actually sent you something.
• Never click on short links like bit.ly, TinyURL, ow.ly, etc. It is too easy to hide malware in a link that appears to come from a legitimate source. (More about URL shorteners.)
• Do check your spam folder in your email every week to 10 days to make sure a friend’s email didn’t get sent there by accident.

Phishing Text Scam:

Text messages have become a more common way for scammers to attack. Sometimes they’ll send it just to you, and sometimes it will be a group text. When you look at those group texts, you might notice that they all have a similar phone number to you. Here is just one of the spam risk text messages I’ve received. Remember that the phone company is not going to reward you for paying your bill:

Here’s an image of the Wells Fargo text scam. It’s my favorite scam text:

 

I haven’t received a scam message from a known contact yet. I’m sure that more sophisticated text scams are coming. Just be careful before replying to any text message.

Bogus Phone Calls:

Phone calls are where we are seeing the most issues. You receive a phone call and the person on the other end sounds legit. They create an urgency about a virus on your machine or an unauthorized charge on your bank card. Whatever it is, they’ve convinced you that you need their help RIGHT NOW! So you confirm your date of birth or give them access to your computer.

I’ve found that the best thing to do is to never answer phone calls from someone I don’t know. If it’s a real person, they’ll leave a voice mail. Even if it’s not a real person and they leave a voicemail, I can tell it’s not someone I want to call back.

If you do answer a call like this and don’t realize right away that it is a scam, the best policy is to never provide personal information or allow them access to your computer.

Studies have shown that older people are more trusting in general, and tend to get hacked more frequently. (Malwarebytes 9/2021 Report, LexisNexis 7/2021 Report) So, if you’re “of a certain age”, be extra careful about providing information to someone you don’t know.

• If they say they are from your bank, tell them that you’ll call your bank on the number you already have in your contacts to confirm what they’re telling you.
• If it’s “Microsoft” or “Apple” or “Dell” calling to tell you that there is a virus on your computer, thank them and hang up. Then run your virus scanner just to be on the safe side. You’ll get a call from a friend saying you’ve been hacked before a major corporation will let you know!

Social Media:

I’ve written several articles about hacked Facebook (and Social Media in general). Check them out here, here, and here.

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More Tips Here:

• Thinking about buying a personal computer?
• … or about getting a new Mac?
• Ready for the DSTime change?
• Has your email been hacked?
• And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

When you were a kid, did you ever lay down on your grandparent’s floor flipping through the pages of the Encyclopedia Britannica? Who cared that the book was 20 or 50 years old? The information was just so interesting! That’s how I feel reading Women In Science by Rachel Ignotofsky.

If you follow me on social media, you know that I love to celebrate women in the Science and Technology fields. (Women in STEM rock!) I was brought up by strong women – my mom (the Professor) started a Masters in Science program from scratch, and my stepmother was the first woman Stockbroker in the state of New Jersey. I didn’t really have a choice but to always be learning! Ms. Ignotofsky has streamlined the process of learning about interesting scientific women by researching 50 of them from 350AD to the present day.

Just so you know, if you purchase anything from the links on this page we may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

What I loved:

• She provided little snippets of information that float around her creative illustrations. (See the image below of a sample page from the book.)
• She thoroughly researched each woman and captured the most important details in a one-page overview. Who influenced each person? What was their education? What obstacles did they need to overcome?
• In addition to the 50 women, she included a brief acknowledgment of 14 other women scientists.
• She has several pages dedicated to additional information about Lab Tools, STEM statistics, and a great glossary. (The glossary includes more of her illustrations!)
• Ms. Ignotofsky created a general Timeline with dates of interest from Hypatia (a mathematician living in Alexandria around 400AD) to today. The timeline includes the first women to reach different milestones, along with different US laws which are aimed at reversing discrimination towards women in various forms.

What I didn’t love about Women In Science:

How can you choose just fifty women? What about Mileva Maric? She was a physicist who is said to have contributed enormously to Albert Einstein’s work. (Sarcasm alert: She was probably called Mrs. Albert Einstein.) How about Alexa Canady? She was the first black woman to become a Neurosurgeon. But in just a short 127-page book, there really wasn’t the space to include information about many more women.

Conclusion:

Even such a short book sparks the mind to go looking for more. Just type “First woman who…” into Google and see what turns up. What a wonderful rabbit hole to fall into!

 

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More Tips Here:

• Thinking about buying a personal computer?
• … or about getting a new Mac?
• Ready for the DSTime change?
• And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

For years I’ve been hearing about the “Right to Repair” movement and didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the issue. It seemed to primarily deal with farmers having issues with their tractors. Apparently, farmers were prohibited by some manufacturers from fixing their own tractors. If they did try to fix the tractor or to get an unauthorized mechanic to fix it, the manufacturer could send a signal through their internet software system to shut the tractor down entirely. Many farmers resorted to downloading Ukrainian software to get things working again. From an article in the Guardian:

“The majority of tractors today are internet-connected, and resolving errors requires special diagnostic tools that only manufacturers, such as John Deere, and authorized dealers have access to or are allowed to use. They often charge hundreds of dollars in call-out fees for repairs, which can take weeks to complete.”

Right to Repair your technology:

Fast forward to 2015 when customers started asking Chris to repair their iPhones. Because we’re not an authorized Apple dealer we couldn’t help them. If we even attempted to open the phone, the customer’s warranty would be voided! There have also been a few instances where Chris was repairing other Apple products and needed a replacement part. Apple refused to sell him the parts and Chris had to send the customer to the Apple store instead.

Luckily, it’s easier now to get replacement parts for MacBooks and iMacs, but we’re still not able to help with iPhones or iPads.

Another issue is repairability. When someone calls about a broken printer, I have to tell them they should just buy a new one. (Hardware problems. We can fix software and networking issues.) Printers are designed to be disposable. You can’t take a printer apart to fix it without breaking more components in the process. And if you’re careful enough to not break anything else, it will take hours to do. Sometimes even fixing a paper jam will fatally break a printer!

Some of the less-expensive laptops are like this too. They are put together with teeny, fragile, plastic micro-clips that are designed to break if you take the laptop apart.)  I have to tell our customers that it’s not very cost-effective to spend $300 to fix a $100 printer!

Medical Devices:

In doing a little more research into this issue, I read about hospitals that couldn’t get their equipment repaired in a timely manner during the past year. Hospitals had to go through the manufacturer who had huge backlogs. They couldn’t bring in a qualified but “unauthorized” repair person who could fix it more quickly and less expensively. Having access to repair manuals and parts would allow hospitals to repair the equipment themselves:

“Too many hospitals face long waits for authorized technicians to repair life-saving machines. In a survey published in July by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, almost one-third of biomedical repair technicians said some equipment at their facilities could not be used because repairs were unavailable. To be clear, it isn’t just equipment needed for coronavirus treatment that’s impacted—preventative maintenance on all kinds of devices has fallen behind because manufacturer-certified technicians were unavailable. Everything from imaging equipment like MRI, CT X-ray, and ultrasound machines, to anesthesia machines, heart-lung machines, and other surgical equipment were affected.”

Individuals:

The Right to Repair doesn’t only impact farmers, hospitals, and computer repair companies. It takes its toll on regular people too. I read about Rob Oliver in Pennsylvania, who is paralyzed from the chest down. When the footrest on his shower chair broke, he reached out to the manufacturer. The part cost only a couple of dollars, but they wouldn’t sell it to him. They told him to purchase a new $1500 chair instead. Recently, I received an update from Rob:

The manufacturer “actually sent a tech out to install the new part, twice! The problem was that the manufacturer had sent the wrong part. After getting it wrong those 2 times, they then decided that they were not going to try to get the right part anymore. (The manufacturer decided, not the service provider.)”

Thank goodness the US government finally understands how the inability to repair a product you’ve purchased is a problem for individuals and across many industries.

Right to Repair Legislation:

It looks like all that may be coming to an end and consumers will soon have the right to repair any phone, car, washing machine, or shower chair that they purchase. The Federal Trade Commission issued a statement on July 21^st saying that they would “Ramp up Law Enforcement Against Illegal Repair Restrictions”. Here’s a link to the full statement.

“The FTC has concluded that manufacturers use a variety of methods—such as using adhesives that make parts difficult to replace, (we’ve seen this) limiting the availability of parts and tools, (we’ve seen this too.) or making diagnostic software unavailable—that have made consumer products harder to fix and maintain….  In addition, manufacturers and sellers may be restricting competition for repairs in a number of ways that might violate the law.”

I’m not sure how long it will take for the FTC to enforce “Right to Repair”, but this is good news for consumers and independent repair people everywhere.

Not surprisingly, Apple, Tesla, and other companies are opposed to consumer’s right to repair products that they have purchased. When Massachusetts added an initiative to their 2020 ballot, Tesla sent an email to voters asking them to vote against it:

“As you go to the polls this fall, Tesla asks that you vote no on Question 1 … goes well beyond what is necessary … it potentially jeopardizes vehicle and data security. The requirements, pushed by two national auto shop lobbying groups, would make vehicles more vulnerable to cyberattacks and would make successful attacks more harmful.”

Conclusion:

Steve Wozniak is all for the right to repair. The aptly named Repair Preservation Group recently interviewed Woz. He reminds us that:

“We wouldn’t have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world.”

 

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More Tips Here:

• Are VPNs worth it? More here.
• Are you interested in learning more about Extreme Privacy?
• We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
• And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

It’s Fall in Colorado, aka leaf-peeping season. Right now, there are a few yellow leaves here and there, but by mid-September, many of Colorado’s scenic byways will be blazing with color from our signature aspens and cottonwoods. And I’ll bet you’re wondering if there is an informative fall foliage map out there that will guide you to the best views.

I’m supposed to be writing about Tech Tips. So what do Leafers*, Fall Foliage Maps, and Peak Foliage have to do with technology? Well, there are websites and apps out there to help you find the best places and times to go for the tree color. Here are my favorites:

Predictive Peak Foliage Map:

I think this peak fall foliage map from the Smokey Mountains is the best one.

Even though the Smokeys are on the East coast, they’ve got an amazing predictive Fall Foliage Forecast map for the entire lower 48. David Angotti from SmokyMountains.com, who developed the map with his team says:

“The fall leaf map is intuitive and easy to use. When you visit the page, you will see a slider at the bottom. The slider will be set to the current week. You can slide the slider to the right to see the predicted progression of fall. The green indicates the trees in that area of the country have not begun to change colors. The brown color means that the leaves are past their peak. The remaining colors show a colorful depiction of the progression of fall.”

One big downside to this map is that you can’t zoom in to see your particular region or county.

Colorado Fall Foliage Map:

If you’re looking for a fall foliage map with only Colorado, I think the map from KDVR is spot on. It looks like the Peak to Peak region will peak mid-to-end of September.

Weather:

You can’t go leaf-peeping in the rain! Check the forecast a few days before, and then on the morning that you are setting out. If it looks like it’s going to rain or be very windy, see if you can rearrange your schedule to go leaf-peeping before the weather. I’ve got a couple of favorite weather sites. Simply enter the zip code or city name of where you’re going:

• National Weather Service
• Weather Underground

Driving tips:

• If you find a great view and want to take a photo, pull all the way off the road.
• If you notice someone driving up behind you really fast, they may have an emergency, or just need to get to work. Pull over and let them pass. Then you can continue taking in the view at your own pace.

Cell Service:

Several years ago, I published a guide to cell service along the Peak to Peak Highway. There has been some expansion of coverage, but it’s still fairly accurate.

Colorado Map:

I don’t know about you, but cell service isn’t always available. And I need to know where I am! I like this laminated folding map. (You should know that as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

Weird Definitions:

* Leafers? Yes, it’s a word. According to the Urban Dictionary:

“A leafer is any American who travels north to see the leaves change colour. Also known as a wanna-be Canadian. Hogs your bars and parking spots.”

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More Tips Here:

• Are VPNs worth it? More here.
• Are you interested in learning more about Extreme Privacy?
• We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
• And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!