It’s summertime! For many of us that means vacation time, whether road trips nearby or flights far away. Chris calls me a “road warrior” and I’ve picked up some essential travel apps along the way for my summer travel.  Most of these apps are free for basic info. Some have a monthly or annual fee with additional features. Bookmark this post so you can refer to the proper app when  you need it.

Weather

Wherever you are, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Here are the apps I use at home, for summer travel, and on road trips:

• General: WeatherUnderground. Hands down. There’s a plethora of information for each location, including Air Quality Index which is helpful if I’m in an area with wildfire smoke. Apple Android
• Just for fun: WTForecast gives you the weather and provides sage/humorous advice. My forecast the other day was “Go outside. It’s f…g sunny. And take the trash out while you’re there.” Apple Android

Storms & Bad Weather

There’s weather, and then there is bad weather!

• Lightning: I’ve bookmarked the LightningMaps.org site. I use it when I want to know how far away that last strike was, or if it’s safe to go swimming.
• Wind: One of my favorite apps is available from Nullschool Technologies. The developer created the Earth app “to pursue my passion of blending software and art to make Earth science accessible to everyone.” This is a beautiful app! Play with the options. You can see Waves, Particulates, and Space/ Auroras.
• Aurora/Northern Lights: I use “My Aurora Forecast & Alerts”. This app shows me the KP index for my location as well as the percentage chance of seeing the Aurora in the next hour. I’ve turned alerts on and I’ll sometimes get an alert tone in the middle of the night! I like that it shows the intensity of the aurora in my area, and what the cloud cover is like. Apple Android
• Wildfires and Smoke: While wildfire haze provides great sunset photos, it’s nice to not travel to an area that is already burning. I use InciWeb to track fires and AirNow to track smoke in the US. These are both US Government sites, so neither of them tracks wildfires out side of the US. (It also appears that neither is tracking fires in Alaska at this time. If you’re traveling to Alaska, use this site.) Here’s info for Canada, and I’ve found this map which tracks fires, earthquakes, and volcanoes worldwide.
• Hurricanes: I like the NOAA site.  It tracks hurricanes in the North Atlantic, Central Pacific (Hawaii), and Eastern Pacific (California & Mexico coasts).
• YouTube weather channel: If you’ve heard about a big storm coming in the US, check out the Ryan Hall Y’All channel.

Travel

However you’re traveling, there’s an app for that:

• Plane: When will your favorite aunt land? Is her flight on time? I use FlightRadar24 to track flights. This app works whether you have the exact flight number or just know where the plane is flying from and to. If I’ve got a loud plane or helicopter overhead, I’ll check that out too.  You can actually see all the air traffic, even weather balloons traveling at an altitude of 57,000 feet! Apple Android
• Roads: I’ve been using Waze to plan my road trips. I can see my speed, the local speed limit, all kinds of hazards – debris, a big pothole, construction, accidents, slow traffic, or potential speed traps. It calculates the tolls along the route and gives options for toll-free roads. (Note: Waze is owned by Google and collects my data – and yours, but I think it’s the best app for road trips.) Apple Android
• Outdoors: The Gaia GPS app is great for hiking. You can drop a pin at your favorite overlook, see elevation gains, and record your trail. The National Park Service app shows all the activities available at our National Parks. Want to see wildlife? Look at the stars? Want to see all the National Parks located in your state? This is where you go. Remember, that many National Parks now require a reservation to enter, so plan ahead!
• Elevation: Many people already have an altimeter built into their SmartWatch. If you don’t have a SmartWatch and you’re already paying for AllTrails.com, Strava.com, or another running/biking app, use that. (I can’t find a good free alternative.)
• Indigenous People Worldwide: If you’ve ever wondered who originally lived where you’re wandering today, download the Native Lands app. You can see the extent of their Territory and what language they spoke. Apple Android

Miscellaneous iPhone Utilities:

• Language translation: I’ve been using the Apple “Translate” app. Select the two languages, and then you can either type or speak the word or phrase. It will show the translation, and you can click the “play” button to hear it. Chris was on a bus once where the driver didn’t speak English. There was bad weather, the road was closed, and they had to take a detour. The driver had the Translate app and was able to provide information to the passengers.
• Currency translation: The Apple calculator gives you an easy way to translate dollars into many other currencies. Click on the image of a calculator on the bottom left of the Calculator app and slide the “Convert” tab to “on”. Then select the two currencies.
• Location: My kids do a lot of backcountry hiking, and I’m happy they’ve turned on their location in the “Find My” app. I can see where their phones are and when they’re back from their hike. This is something you can turn on and off if you don’t want to share your location 24/7.

Conclusion:

Wherever your summer travel take you, use these travel apps to plan your road trips and stay aware of your surroundings. Enjoy the summertime! (And if you need remote PC support while traveling, give us a call!)

Recommended Messaging Apps

We’ve had several customers ask us about secure messaging recently. Last year it was disclosed that text messages between Apple and Android don’t use End-to-End Encryption (E2EE). This means (theoretically) that a message your iPhone sends to your friend’s Android could be compromised and read by others. Almost everyone we text with has an iPhone, but there are a few people who don’t.

With Facebook/ Meta tracking and retaining almost everything about its users, we need to look elsewhere for secure messaging.  Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp (owned by Facebook/Meta) are not recommended. Many people use WhatsApp to communicate with relatives and friends overseas. It may be time to look for a more secure channel. Facebook/Meta accesses and stores a lot of data about you. They then use this data to target ads, and sell your information to advertisers and other companies.* Some of this information includes:

• Name
• Email
• Phone
• Message content
• Photos & videos
• Browsing History
• Political Views
• Sexual Orientation
• Health Information
• Location
• Contacts

It’s time for a deep dive into Secure Messaging apps.

Messaging Apps:

Besides Messenger and WhatsApp, some of the other Messaging Apps you may have heard of include Briar, Element, Matrix, Session, Telegram, Threema, Tox, Wire, and Signal. I’ll look at each with the following criteria in mind:

Criteria:

• has End-to-End-Encryption (E2EE)
• is free to sign up and use
• has Two Factor Authentication (2FA)
• allows texting, phone calls, and video calls.
• Only collects and stores a minimum of personal data.
• Works with Apple and Android
• Ease of use – can you convince your non-techy friends to use it too?

Summary of each Secure Messaging App:

Briar:

Briar only works with Android.

Element:

Element has 2FA, is free for most users, works with Apple and Android, has decentralized servers, and works with Apple and Android. Why are we not recommending it? Everything I’m reading indicates that it is difficult to set up. That will turn a lot of my friends off.

Matrix:

Although Matrix.org ticks all the security boxes, it’s a bloated, slow app, and it doesn’t appear you can easily message others.

Session:

Session doesn’t use true 2FA for authentication. I’ve also seen reports that Session texting is slow.

Telegram:

This app requires access to your Contact list and does not have full E2EE.

Threema:

Based on my research, everything else being equal, I would recommend Threema over other apps EXCEPT for 2 things. First, it’s not free ($4), so you’ll have a hard time getting your contacts to convert. Second, it’s not widely used, except in Germany. As Chris says about adopting new technology: “Cutting edge is good. Bleeding edge is not.”

Tox:

Tox does not use true 2FA.

Wire:

Wire does not have 2FA.

Signal:

Signal is the app that we recommend. It’s got E2EE, works with Apple and Android, and only collects your phone number. I started using it a few months ago and have convinced many of my non-technical friends to also make the switch. The one downside is that it uses centralized servers. For reasons that I don’t understand, decentralized servers are better. (Chris explained it to me, but it didn’t stick!) Signal allows audio and video calls in addition to texting.

Recent news about Signal doesn’t concern me. The reasons this was a problem are a) The person setting up the group chat included several people they shouldn’t have included, and b) US law states that government communications of this type must be preserved indefinitely. This chat was set up to delete all messages within a few weeks. There were other reasons, but those are the biggies. This was more “user error” than a flaw in the app.

Signal also allows audio and video calls. Audio calls work great, I haven’t tested video calls yet.

Secure Messaging – Conclusion: 

Download the Signal app and start asking your friends & family to use it too. One friend is already using Signal to communicate with family overseas. Setting it up gives you the choice of having people find you by phone number. I clicked the “NO” button there. I’ve recommended Signal in the past. Here’s an article about Signal from 2018, about the time I stopped using Facebook Messenger.

* (Twitter does the same thing, but it isn’t generally used as a messaging app.)

I don’t know about you, but when I think “Spring Cleaning”, I’m thinking about dust bunnies, not my technology. What about you? Do you think about Spring Cleaning your tech? Here are some tips for you:

Spring Cleaning Your Tech – aka Computer Maintenance:

FIRST – ANTI-VIRUS:

Take a minute every month or so to scan your computer for viruses. Many of our customers use ESET, which Chris has recommended for years. It’s easy to do. Just open the ESET/NOD32 app and click on “Scan Your Computer”. It will run in the background while you continue working. When it’s done, it will tell you and let you know if it has found anything suspicious.

SECOND – BACKUPS:

Back up your computer regularly, especially if you have precious data on it. I use Dropbox, which backs up everything automatically. Also, the Dropbox app is on my phone so that I can access files from anywhere. The “Starred” folder is where I keep my frequently used files. These come up first, so I don’t have to search for them. I keep insurance documents and other essential papers and frequently accessed Word and Excel files in that folder.

THIRD – PHOTOS:

Purchase several thumb drives and make a copy of the photo albums you have stored on your computer. (I like this one with dual USB-C and USB-A for convenience.)  Keep one and give the rest as gifts to your kids, parents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc.

FOURTH – PASSWORDS:

There have been several significant data breaches recently, and the hackers have lists of birthdays, SS numbers, addresses, and associated passwords! Change your passwords for financial accounts now, and set a reminder to change it every month! That includes your checking, savings, and investment accounts. Don’t forget about any app or website where you’ve saved credit card information, like eBay, PayPal, Amazon, etc.

FIFTH – 2FA:

While you’re at it, please change the password on ALL of your social media accounts. This is especially true if you have a business account. Set up two-factor-authorization (2FA) at the same time. We’re getting a lot of requests about hacked Facebook or Instagram accounts. I haven’t heard any success stories here. Once your Facebook account is out of your control, there really isn’t a way to get it back.

Conclusion: 

Today is a great day to run your virus scanner, change passwords, and back up your data!

I don’t know about you, but when I think “Spring Cleaning”, I’m thinking about dust bunnies, dog nose art, and getting the sleeveless shirts from the back of the closet. (Fun trick: Turn hangers backward for your clothes at the start of a new season. At the end of the season, anything you haven’t worn, donate!)

Please note: We often recommend products, parts, and resources that we like.  Some of these are affiliate links, and we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

When I hear “Spring Cleaning”, I’m not thinking about my technology. What about you? Do you think about Spring Cleaning Your Tech? Here are some tips for you:

Spring Cleaning Your Tech – aka Computer Maintenance:

1. Take a minute every month or so to scan your computer for viruses. Many of our customers use ESET, which Chris has recommended for years. It’s easy to do. Just open the ESET/NOD32 app and click on “Scan Your Computer”. It will run in the background while you continue working. When it’s done, it will tell you and let you know if it has found anything suspicious.
2. Back up your computer regularly, especially if you have precious data on it. I use Dropbox which backs up everything automatically. I have the Dropbox app on my phone as well, so I can access files from anywhere. Plus, if my computer is down for any reason, I can head to the Library, log onto Dropbox, and pull up the file I need to work on from there.
3. Purchase several thumb drives and make a copy of the photo albums you have stored on your computer. Keep one and give the rest as gifts to your kids, parents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc.
4. Change your passwords for financial accounts at least monthly. That includes your checking, saving, and investment accounts. Don’t forget about any app or website where you’ve saved credit card information, like eBay, PayPal, Amazon, etc.
5. While you’re at it, please change the password on ALL of your social media accounts. Do it right now! And set up two-factor-authorization (2FA) at the same time. We’re getting between two and five requests every single day about a hacked Facebook or Instagram account. I haven’t heard any success stories here.

Dropbox:

Keep your frequently used files in the “Starred” folder. These come up first, so you won’t have to search for them. I keep insurance documents and other important papers, as well as frequently accessed Word and Excel files, in that folder.

More Tips:

Insurance Cards: Do you ever get to the DMV to renew your registration and they want to see your insurance card, but you haven’t brought it inside with you? Me too! Now, whenever the new cards arrive, I take a photo with my phone and put it in my “Favorites” album. Then if the DMV asks for it, I can bring it up quickly.

Speaking of important information, it’s not a bad idea to take a photo of everything you keep in your wallet in case you misplace it. Keep all those photos in a password-protected folder on your Mac or PC.

Conclusion: 

Today is a great day to run your virus scanner, change passwords, and back up your data!

Between the extreme wind, heavy snow, and very cold temperatures, we’ve had a lot of power outages. I got tired of resetting all of the clocks plugged into shore power (see what I did there vanlifers?!), so I decided to get a few battery-powered atomic clocks. That way the clocks keep the time during power outages AND reset themselves when Daylight Savings Time (DST) begins and ends. Double win!

I ended up getting four different atomic clocks that sync with the WWVB broadcast from NIST.  (Bad joke: What tim eis it? It’s NisTime!) Two of the four I like. The others I am returning as soon as the driveway is shoveled and I can get into town!

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When DST begins and ends, I get so confused. Did I lose an hour? What is the true time? Will I get an extra hour of sleep? Did I spring ahead or is it time for turning back the clock? I just know that I hate Daylight Savings and it is time for a permanent daylight savings. Or permanent standard time. Either one is okay with me.

But today is not the day for those issues. Today is the day to find the best atomic clock. Here are the ones I purchased to review for you:

WallerGe Digital Atomic Wall Clock:

The first one to arrive was the WallerGe Atomic Clock:

This one is on the wall in our family room. The numbers are big enough to read from the couch, and I can see the temperature in the room at a glance. I give it a solid 3.8 out of 4 stars. It came with the batteries and quickly acquired the correct time and date from the official atomic clock at www.time.gov, aka NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) in Boulder, CO.  I love that it will automatically update the time when Daylight Savings Time (DST) kicks in. Why not four stars? It doesn’t light up in the dark which I didn’t realize I wanted until this one was on the wall. At the time I purchased it, the WallerGe clock was $28

Marathon Atomic Clock:

Once I realized I wanted a clock that would light up at night I ordered the Marathon clock which was about $40.

I really like this one. It came with batteries so I set it up right out of the box. I clicked the button to get the atomic time reading from NIST and it updated right away. I put it in the bedroom and when I wake up in the middle of the night I can easily read the time, even without my glasses.

There are three settings for the light; off, high, and low. There is a little sensor on the front that can tell if it’s dark or not. When it’s dark, the light turns on.

It’s got six times zones to choose from, so it works anywhere from Newfoundland to the west coast – all of Canada, Mexico, and most of the continental US. (Sorry, Alaska and Hawaii. You’ll need a different clock!)

October 2021 Update: The Marathon Clock is by far my favorite!

Sharp Atomic Clock:

An analog atomic clock is like a unicorn. This NIST clock from Sharp is perfect for just above the sink in the kitchen. It reminds me of a classroom clock. (I loved school!) I really wanted to like this one, but it wasn’t totally silent, and the time was sometimes off by a few minutes.

LaCrosse Technology Atomic Clock:

The last one we tried out was the LaCrosse Atomic Clock, and it was the worst.

I got this atomic alarm clock because the digits are large and I thought it might be hard to read the Marathon clock in the dark. Wrong.

• You actually need to push a button to turn on the light. Having it across the bedroom and expecting to read it while still in the dark is unrealistic. The light on this one is either on or off. If it’s on, it is extra bright, even with the low setting. If the light is off, it’s unreadable in the dark.
• In addition, it came with the alarm pre-set to midnight and turned on. So the first night we tried it, we were blasted awake at midnight!
• Third, it didn’t come with batteries, so I had to dig around for a while before I found the right ones.
• Then, it took its sweet time (55 minutes!) to get the time signal from NIST. After the first 20 minutes, I realized that it was no longer searching for the signal so I needed to push the button again. (And again and again every five minutes after that until it finally captured the signal.)
• This clock was around $24. Since the Daylight Savings Time (DST) is tomorrow I’ll get a chance to see if it updates automatically before I return it. (It did.)

Conclusion: 

Now is a great time to get an atomic clock that you don’t have to reset after every power outage or Daylight Savings Time (DST) change. And, just for fun, here is a link to a daylight savings meme or two.