{"id":18723,"date":"2024-01-04T03:52:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T22:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/5-smart-simple-tech-changes-to-make-2024-better\/"},"modified":"2024-01-04T03:52:36","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T22:22:36","slug":"5-smart-simple-tech-changes-to-make-2024-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/5-smart-simple-tech-changes-to-make-2024-better\/","title":{"rendered":"5 smart, simple tech changes to make 2024 better"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"speakable\">New year, same you. And that\u2019s OK! You don\u2019t need to makeover your entire life to have a good 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">But I can tell you firsthand it\u2019s <i>totally<\/i> worth it to spend a few minutes cleaning up your tech life. Keep reading for steps to banish junk mail, make your phone less annoying and improve your cybersecurity. You got this!<\/p>\n<p><i>I share tips like this every day in my free newsletter, The Current.\u00a0<\/i><i>Join 500K smart people who read it.<\/i><i> You\u2019ll be glad you did!<\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong>TWO MINUTE TECH TRICKS: START THE YEAR WITH A CLEAN INBOX<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Automate a no-brainer security step<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You forget to lock your computer when you get up. Welcome to the club. Be smart and tell your Windows or Mac to do it for you! You can set your computer to auto-lock if you\u2019ve been inactive for a certain amount of time.<\/p>\n<p>On Windows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open <strong>Settings\u00a0<\/strong>and go to <strong>Personalization<\/strong>, then <strong>Lock Screen<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Screen saver settings<\/strong> and select any option (except &#8220;None&#8221;) from the <strong>Screen saver dropdown menu<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Set a time for Windows to wait before locking. Check the box<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>for <strong>On resume, display logon screen<\/strong>. Hit <strong>OK<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On a Mac:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Click the <strong>Apple menu<\/strong> &gt; <strong>System Preferences\u00a0<\/strong>&gt;<strong> Desktop &amp; Screen Save<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Screen Saver<\/strong>. Use the <strong>slider\u00a0<\/strong>to choose a time.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Show All\u00a0<\/strong>to go back to the main System Preferences window.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Security<\/strong>, then <strong>Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/343\/192\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/686\/384\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/672\/378\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1344\/756\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/931\/523\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1862\/1046\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/720\/405\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1440\/810\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1200\/675\/2-MAN-ON-COMPUTER.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Man on his laptop\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Man looks onto his computer<\/span> <span>(Cyberguy.com)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>You can also\u00a0set up your PC to lock based on where your phone is. Think about it: If your phone\u2019s nearby, so are you \u2014 and so your computer stays open. You walk away, it locks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Say goodbye to group chats that drive you up the wall<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Group chats are fun when you\u2019re happy to be there and awful when you don\u2019t care about the convo. The adult move is to ask whoever added you to remove you \u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Or do the ol\u2019 Irish exit if you have an iPhone. Tap the thread, then select the group icon at the top. Scroll and tap <strong>Leave this Conversation<\/strong>. Save this for when you\u2019re desperate.<\/li>\n<li>You can also go the subtle route and mute the convo. (This is what I usually do.) Tap the group text message, select the group icon at the top of the thread, then scroll and toggle on <strong>Hide Alerts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>YOUR SMART ASSISTANT IS LISTENING, BUT DOES THAT IMPACT THE ADS YOU SEE?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On Android, muting is your best option \u2014 unless you\u2019re up to telling Aunt Kathy you\u2019re out.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you use Google Messages, open the group text, then tap the <strong>three-dot menu<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Group Details<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Notifications<\/strong>. Select <strong>Silent<\/strong>. Ahh, better.<\/li>\n<li>For other Android apps, look through your messaging menu options for an option to mute the conversation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>3. Fix the home security mistake even I was making<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Back in the day, I turned off all my home security alerts because they were annoying \u2014 bad move. What you want to do is adjust your camera\u2019s sensitivity (or upgrade to better cams) if yours are always going off accidentally.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/343\/192\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/686\/384\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/672\/378\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1344\/756\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/931\/523\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1862\/1046\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/720\/405\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1440\/810\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1200\/675\/1-ring_driveway_cam.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Photo of a mounted ring camera.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Ring cameras are used by most people to capture footage around their homes.<\/span> <span>(CyberGuy.com)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>You can usually find controls to adjust motion sensitivity in your security system app. Systems go by different names, so I\u2019ll cover the steps for two.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Adjust your camera sensitivity with SimpliSafe<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open the <strong>SimpliSafe app\u00a0<\/strong>and tap <strong>Cameras<\/strong> at the bottom of the screen.<\/li>\n<li>Tap the <strong>gear icon\u00a0<\/strong>at the top right of the screen.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the <strong>camera<\/strong> you would like to change.<\/li>\n<li>Choose <strong>Motion Detection<\/strong> and make your adjustments to the sensitivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>FIVE DUMB TECH SECURITY MISTAKES YOU&#8217;RE MAKING<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Adjust your camera sensitivity with Ring<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open the <strong>Ring app\u00a0<\/strong>and tap the <strong>gear icon<\/strong> for a camera.<\/li>\n<li>Tap <strong>Motion Settings<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Motion Sensitivity<\/strong>. Adjust the slider.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>4. Organize your cords and cables the way pros do<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When everything\u2019s jumbled up, it\u2019s impossible to tell what goes where. Try this super-smart trick.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get some stickers. These can be\u00a0labels you write on or\u00a0color-coded dots. One of my readers, Tony, suggests using colored\u00a0foil stars.<\/li>\n<li>Create a system that works for you. Write on the labels or use colors to represent the cord type (e.g., red for USB-C, blue for HDMI).<\/li>\n<li>Affix the same label or colored sticker to the cable and the port on the device. When you plug in the cord, simply match the cable\u2019s sticker to the port.<\/li>\n<li>Place the sticker in the same position on each cable. Try putting it on the top of the cord to quickly find the correct orientation into the port.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>5. Less junk mail to deal with<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Is your mailbox overflowing with unsolicited credit card and insurance offers? You can thank the big four credit reporting bureaus: Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Innovis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/343\/192\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/686\/384\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/672\/378\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1344\/756\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/931\/523\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1862\/1046\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/720\/405\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1440\/810\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1200\/675\/iStock-1271789190.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Closeup of two modern black and brown metal red flag mailboxes at single family home in residential suburbs with nobody and house in background\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Closeup of two modern black and brown metal red flag mailboxes at single family home in residential suburbs with nobody and house in background<\/span> <span>(iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Each bureau provides lists of consumers, based on specific criteria, to credit and insurance companies for prescreened offers. Yes, it&#8217;s completely legal. But don&#8217;t worry, there&#8217;s a solution: Opt Out Prescreen, a tool developed by these very credit bureaus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Visit\u00a0optoutprescreen.com. You can choose to opt out for five years or forever, then fill in the form.<\/li>\n<li>Opting out permanently? You\u2019ll have to use snail mail, but it\u2019s worth it. Print, sign and mail a confirmation form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Keep your tech-know going\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My popular podcast is called &#8220;Kim Komando Today.&#8221; It\u2019s a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PODCAST PICK:\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Billionaire doomsday preppers, p*rn copyright trolls &amp; nasty Amazon scam<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Plus, my 2024 tech resolutions and ways to have AI help you craft yours. California bans this ultra-weird product from Amazon \u2014 and yes, it involves donkeys. Peloton tablet goes obsolete, and I&#8217;ve got five tech road trip tips.<\/p>\n<p>Check out my podcast &#8220;Kim Komando Today&#8221; on\u00a0Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.<\/p>\n<p>Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, &#8220;Komando.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sound like a tech pro, even if you\u2019re not! Award-winning popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon.\u00a0Listen on 425+ radio stations or\u00a0get the podcast. And join over 400,000 people who get her\u00a0free 5-minute daily email newsletter.<\/p>\n<p><i>Copyright 2024, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p> <!----> <\/div>\n[ad_2]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] New year, same you. And that\u2019s OK! You don\u2019t need to makeover your entire life to have a good 2024. But I can tell you firsthand it\u2019s totally worth it to spend a few minutes cleaning up your tech life. Keep reading for steps to banish junk mail, make your phone less annoying and &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18723"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}