Every week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products, and all things digital.
Sometimes picking the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job.
This week, I received questions about viral pop-ups, Google smartwatches, photo forensics, and more.
Do you have any question you want to ask me?
kill robocalls
Q: I am very impressed by dacoits. Can I do something to stop annoying calls?
A: I’m just going to say this: Robocalls are an invention of lazy cowards. Lazy, because robocalls are very easy to generate. Coward, because no one can tell the recorded voice.
It’s hard to believe, but old-fashioned telemarketers look almost as cute and noble as robbers, especially now that we’re entering election season.
So how do you stop them from happening at all?
stay away from people searches
Q: Is it possible to remove your personal information from people search sites? It’s just scary.
A: People-search sites can be more annoying than your Facebook or Instagram account.
Friends and strangers may pay a company to learn personal information about you, and this information is almost always collected in a fair and legal manner.
So what if you don’t want people to peep into your business? Requesting a deletion can be tricky and even tedious, but there are several ways to scavenge your dossier from their database.
Stop Dangerous Pop-ups
Q: The video pop-up window drives me crazy when I’m viewing a site. can i stop them?
A: Most media companies now use ads to be displayed on the actual website; It hovers there for a moment, and then disappears, allowing you to continue reviewing the content.
An actual pop-up window can interrupt the flow of your browsing, especially videos.
Even worse, these pop-ups may be designed to infect your computer with malware, which makes them more than just unpleasant – they are actively trying to harm your network.
apple watch competitor
Q: Apple has a watch. Will Google ever have a watch?
A: For the past few years, Google has been developing its own wearable interface, the Google Pixel.
Google Hardware is moving fast with its home virtual assistant and the ultra-affordable Pixelbooks. Unconfirmed rumors are rife, but I think the new Google Watch will give Apple a run for its money.
It was only a matter of time.
pinpoint photo data
Q: I definitely need to know where and when a particular photo was taken. Is this possible?
A: When you dig into a digital photo’s metadata, you can find a whole lot of story hidden out there: the size of the file, the number of pixels, when it was created, and even more about the camera. Information too.
Many pictures will tell you where in the world the picture was shot. All this embedded information says a lot about a simple jpg, especially when the photo is freely circulated over the internet.
Once you start mastering “EXIF” files, you can understand even more about images and their origins.
This information can be beneficial if you want to track the origin of an image, and they can also leave the photographer vulnerable as cybercriminals are also adept at analyzing this kind of data.
What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call my national radio show and click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to The Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet or computer. Click here for my free podcast, from buying advice to digital life issues.
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