Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How do I make a video file smaller?

Watch David from Los Angeles, CA Comments

David wants to upload videos to Facebook, but the files are too big. How can he make them smaller? Leo says that all video is compressed, and it's just a matter of increasing the compression to make the file smaller to play back on the internet. He can use a codec to do that. He'll want to upload the best quality that Facebook will take. Here are Facebook's requirements.

Then, Leo recommends using Handbrake to do the compression.

How can I connect my flip phone to the internet?

Watch Robert from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Robert has a cheap phone and wants to know how to use tethering to connect to the internet. Leo says hotspotting is the current way to wirelessly connect, but for Robert's phone, he may need to tether it with a cable. One thing is to know that he may need to pay extra for tethering. He'll also have data limits as well. It may be better for him to get an iPod Touch which will wirelessly connect to his internet. Or a Chromebook.

Robert wants to know how the Chromebook is to use. Leo says it's a lovely thing — a laptop that only works online as it only has a browser. Most modern Chromebooks actually support Android apps. He can also get one that has built-in LTE, which he would pay a monthly data fee for. It's cheaper than a smartphone. Leo's favorite is the Samsung Chromebook Plus with LTE.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Is there a small computer that I can connect to a monitor?

Watch Fiona from Calabasas, CA Comments

Fiona's computer died and she wants to know if she can buy a computer without a monitor or keyboard. Leo says yes. The Mac Mini is a great option for that. There's also Chromeboxes and NUCs. All three do all the work as a regular computer, but could save her a lot of money. But with a Chromebox, she'll need internet access to use it. She can get an Asus ChromeBox 3 for around $460. Mac Minis are more expensive, but she can get one refurbished from Apple and save some money.

How can I use a YubiKey authenticator without NFC?

Watch Cheryl from Palmdale, CA Comments

Cheryl has a Motorola Moto G6, and she wants to use a YubiKey for password security. But her phone doesn't have NFC. What can she do? Leo says that she can get a Bluetooth authenticator key like YubiKey that works with Google's Authenticator app. The Google Titan Security Key is the one to get. It's $50. There's a USB and Bluetooth key for one price. So it'll work with her laptop too.

How can I prevent popup ads when I visit websites?

Watch John from Los Angeles, CA Comments

John is finding that when he goes to a website, he gets an additional window open with an advertisement. Leo says that's called a browser hijack and it's usually caused by an extension he doesn't recognize. John should look in his browser settings and extensions, and then see if there's anything in there he doesn't recognize. Chances are, there is.

How about password managers? Which is good and secure? Leo says LastPass is his favorite, but there's also 1Password and Dashlane. But if he's an Apple user, then Apple's Keychain security is really good and it comes with the OS.

(Disclaimer: LastPass is a sponsor)

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I use less space on iCloud?

Watch Tony from Lynnwood, PA Comments

Tony has used up 4.9GB of his iCloud storage and he doesn't know how he's used all that. Leo says it's likely his phone backup. He can go to iCloud.com and login and see what's there. Chances are, if it isn't a phone backup, then it's likely all of his photos, which get automatically uploaded to the cloud. But he's wondering why it saves all his text messages and deleted email. Leo says he can probably change the mail settings to use less space. He should look in his email settings and choose things like "don't save attachments", etc. Or he can just buy more space. It's only $12 a year for 50GB. 200GB costs less than $25 a year. The chatroom says that in Gmail, there is a setting to control how much is saved on the Mac. Other programs like MailMate will also do that.

Do noise canceling headphones really work?

Watch Paul from Eerie, PA Comments

Paul is interested in Noise Canceling headphones. Are they like earplugs? Leo says not exactly. It uses "anti sound" to cancel out the noise around him. But it doesn't work perfectly. It's great for low rumbling constant noise, but for sudden, brief noise, it can be lacking. For that, Leo recommends in ear monitors.

How can I print from my Chromebook?

Watch DeLois from Torrance, CA Comments

DeLois wants to know how she can print using her Chromebook. Leo says that Google uses Cloud Printing, which will enable her to print wirelessly from anywhere in the world. Her printer just needs to support Wi-Fi.

DeLois also says that she can't play her DVDs on her TV. Leo says that most TVs support HDMI, and her DVD player needs to support that as well. If she's trying to do this with red, white and yellow cables, chances are, that's not going to do it. She'll want a digital connection that the HDMI affords. Or she can use Component, which is red, green, and blue. She can also get a new DVD player for less than $50. They're dirt cheap.

How can I recover my Google account?

Watch John from Dana Point, CA Comments

John can't find his phone, and he can't see it through Google's location service. He also can't get into his account because he's lost the recovery codes. Leo also recommends going to the Google "I'm Having Trouble Logging in Page" and answer all the challenge questions. Then he'll be able to recover his account and get a new code.

Should I get a smartphone?

Watch Mark from Irvine, CA Comments

Mark uses a flip phone. It's just easy to use. But his friends are trying to get him to adopt a smartphone. He finds them complicated, though. Leo says smartphones are more computers that can make a call, not a phone that can get online. Leo says that since Mark likes the reliability of a flip phone, he should just keep it, and then get a tablet like an iPad to connect online. That's the simple solution.