Cord Cutting

I have gotten asked several times about cord cutting and streaming.

The usual streaming services: Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon are highly recommended.  Each has their strengths and you can choose based on what you like to watch. I would also like to suggest three other alternatives that you may or may not want to consider.

Kodi (otherwise known as XMBC)  – This open source software allows you to create a home theater using a computer of your choice. If you have ever seen advertisements trying to sell you a “stream everything” type box, this is what they are selling. It is a lot like a Roku style box but you can create one of these yourself and because it is open source. The companies that sell Kodi boxes as “stream everything” consoles are using add-ons that allow for illegal streaming. If you make one yourself you can limit it to legal services and you can create one inexpensively. A Raspberry Pi , old Desktop, or old laptop could be used for as your device. This webpage has a step by step guide to creating a Kodi box otherwise known as an XBMC (Xbox Media Center) http://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-set-up-a-home-media-center-with-kodi-xbmc/ Here is the Kodi website to learn more about the software or download it: https://kodi.tv/

Playstation Vue – this service allows for local and cable channels to be streamed on any device. You can use your computer, mobile device, or a Kodi enabled box. The plans range from $29.99 a month for 55 channels to $44.99 for 100 channels. It is month to month so you can cancel at any time. To learn more, visit:  https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/

Sling TV – similar to Playstation Vue Sling TV has been in the streaming business longer and you can use it on pretty much every device. They have offered some great deals and promotions in the past. Their service allows users the ability to record programs like a DVR (digital video recorder) to save programs so that they can easily watch on multiple devices. Their pricing right now starts at $20 for 25 channels all the way to $40 for 100+ channels.  Learn more here: https://www.sling.com/

If you want to use a computer that wirelessly streams your Kodi system you can use a Chromecast https://goo.gl/tKCRFg

If you want to see a video review of Kodi and Playstation Vue, you can watch here: https://goo.gl/HDsPGx

Let me know any ideas for reviews / articles.

Pact App

I thought that I would do an in-depth app review about an app that I have mentioned a couple times in the past because I know that there are a lot of people trying to live healthier. This app is called “Pact” and you can make a small amount of money each week if you do health activities that you promise to do. The downside is that if you don’t do them the penalty is a lot higher than the money you make. The average reward for a week if you participate in all three pacts is between $1.75 and $2.25 the penalty per item missed is $5.00. You can see how it might be possible to lose a lot of money on this. I have made an average of about $2.00 a week for over a year.

Here is a look at the app’s menu. It has a nice “Tutorial” area that explains how “Pact” works and how you record your activities. There are three pacts: exercise, food logging, and veggie. Each pact has certain rules / limitations. For instance, with the exercise pact you have to do 30 minutes of activity. The exercise can be tracked with step counting, motion tracking, or gym check-in. You can only count exercise once a day. So this means you cannot make up for a missed day by going to the gym twice on another day or doing an hour of activity.

For "food logging pact" you have to use a partner app. The one that I use is “My Fitness Pal” and like the exercise pact there are certain rules and limitations. You have to log all your food the day you ate it also known as “the pact day”, there must be three “meals”, and you have a minimum of 1200 calories and a maximum of 1450 for it to be a successfully logged day.

The “veggie pact” is the easiest and the name is deceiving. You can eat or drink fruit or vegetables. You need to take a picture that gives evidence that you are consuming it and that it is a full serving of fruit or vegetable. Users take a picture and the community of Pact users determines whether they feel it fits the definition of fruit or vegetable. In my opinion they are very lenient because I have seen fruit juice, smoothies, and a handful of dried fruit counted.

Each “pact” has a different reward value. If you participate, at the end of the week they send you a “rundown” with a record of what you completed and how much money you earned or owe. If you want to retrieve your rewards you can request a preloaded debit card or you can connect your PayPal account (which is what I did). The minimum amount that can be transferred depends on which you method of payment you choose. I believe it is $20 for the card and $10 for PayPal. The way I think about it is that “Pact” helps me pay my monthly gym membership fee. The app is available for Android https://goo.gl/FzK9gi and iPhone https://goo.gl/olXIC7

Kids Device Management

With children going back to school I wanted to review something that would be related in some way. I decided on managing your child’s device. How can parents limit the time their children spend on their mobile device and restrict what do on that device. What I learned is that the more control that you want the more expensive the solution.

First, I’d like to say that if you have an Android device for your child you should check out this video podcast Android App Arena episode on “Kids Device Management” https://twit.tv/shows/android-app-arena/episodes/101 The host does a good job of showing users that have a Jellybean or more recent Android device how to set it up for kids.

Parental Control Apps

Nova Laucher (Free / $4.99) Android only – This allows users to delete apps, widgets, and search bars from the home screen of an Android device. It isn’t a device control exactly instead it is a way to customize an Android device in a way that makes it more kid friendly. http://novalauncher.com/

DinnerTime Plus ($3.99 ) iOS, Android, Amazon – Parents have the ability to shut off the internet connection and access to apps either at the press of a button on their device or by setting up a schedule. http://www.dinnertimeapp.com/

Our Pact (Free) iOS, Android – Parents can do the same thing as the DinnerTime app for free. The only flaw that I saw was in the iOS app there are certain apps that children still have access to and unlike Android parents cannot download a launcher allowing them to get rid of Apple apps and search boxes (this may change in the iOS 10 options). http://ourpact.com/

Kidslox ($6.99) iOS, Android, Amazon, Windows, Mac –This app has the added benefit of reporting how long your child performed certain tasks on the device. It also has a “Kidlox mode” for parents that share a device with a child, basically restricting what they can do with the device. https://kidslox.com/en/#home-app-screen

More Control

Curbi ($6.99 monthly) This app allows parents the ability to filter certain apps, websites, categories, and the ability to make purchases (both app store and in-app). It has detailed reporting of your child’s activity. It has the ability to schedule use or revoke privileges at any time. http://www.curbi.com/

Net Sanity $6.95 monthly or $59.95 annual) A comprehensive digital management platform it allows parents the ability to filter and monitor use of all Internet enabled devices. It gives parents the ability to receive detailed reports and granular permission down to specific websites or actions. https://netsanity.net/

Circle ($99 device for computer, $9.95 monthly) The Circle device is a home device that allows the parent or administrator to control access per device. The user can shut off access to all devices (or place restrictions on them) or place restrictions on each device individually. Users can set-up permissions for guests that use their network (in case your child has friends over). This allows control of access to mobile devices, computers, and even set-top boxes like gaming consoles or TV streaming. The device can connect to your router using Wi-Fi or a network cable. It has a battery so it cannot be unplugged. They are a subsidiary of Disney so everything has a very polished design. There is also a monthly device management app for cellular enabled phones, tablets, etc. that parents want control and reporting abilities it is called myCircle. https://meetcircle.com/

Two Factor Authenication

Google Authenticator

Protecting Yourself against Cyber Threats

One of the things that I am most passionate about teaching people is how to keep themselves safe when it comes to using technology. As more and more of our personal and financial information are available digitally, we have to be extra cautious. One of the greatest ways to protect yourself is to know what to protect and how to protect it best. Recently I had someone try to hack me multiple ways and it prompted me to write about this week’s topic: two factor authentication.

Last Pass Authenticator

What is Two Factor Authentication

You may have seen the option to enable two factor authentication on a website that you log into but you may not have understood what that means or why they offer it. The idea is that you have two forms of identification.
Usually it is something you know, like a password or the answer to a question and something you have on you like your phone. Some people confuse two step authentication where they ask for two passwords or a password and a personal question. Unfortunately, these are two step systems are not much more secure than a simple password because hackers can use social engineering (researching your personal information) to figure these out. The most common two factor authentication is done by having an SMS (text) message sent to your phone. Other two factor options are random number generating authentication apps like Google Authenticator (Android https://goo.gl/sbBxn and iOS https://goo.gl/lvsE1 ) but there are others by LastPass http://goo.gl/P9P1nF and Duo Mobile http://goo.gl/TLVk3D , an automated phone call where the number is spoken; a number sent directly to your phone through a manufacturer push message, or what is known as a Yubikey which is a USB device that provides a unique long string of numbers https://www.yubico.com . While some have argued that SMS (text) as a factor can be broken it is difficult and expensive to do so.

Yubikey

Where You Should Use It
The simple answer would be everywhere it is offered but that can be tiresome. Your e-mail is the most important because if someone can get into your e-mail they can lock you out by changing the password and can also use the “Forgot My Password” on other websites to get in and wreak havoc. Then next important would be anything financial: bank, retirement, and 

social security. Last would be shopping and social media websites. Here is a full list of websites that you can use two factor authentication: https://twofactorauth.org/ You can usually turn it on in the settings portion of the website or in your account information area.

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If you are interested in knowing more:

Cutts, Matt. Please turn on two-factor authentication. 8/6/2012. https://www.mattcutts.com/blog/google-two-step-authentication/

Constantin, Lucian. 5 things you need to know about two-factor authentication. 3/31/2016. http://www.pcworld.com/article/3050358/security/5-things-you-should-know-about-two-factor-authentication.html

Franceschi-Biccierai, Lorenzo and Joseph Cox. The Motherboard Guide to Not Getting Hacked. 8/2/2016. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-motherboard-guide-to-not-getting-hacked