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Episode 1780 March 20, 2021

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Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

I Got a Chromebook, and WOW!

Watch John from Gardenerville, CA Comments

John recently bought a new Chromebook, per Leo's recommendation. He got a 17" Acer, and John says wow, it's really fast. Leo says that for most people, the Chromebook is ideal. Faster, more secure, and more affordable. And if you don't have to do anything specific, like gaming or photo and video editing, a Chromebook is the ideal online computer.

Should I Update to the Latest Windows 10?

Watch Gloria from North Hollywood, CA Comments

Gloria wants to know if she should install the recent Windows 20H2 update. Leo says that Microsoft has really made things more difficult by changing the naming conventions for the updates. They used to use a numerical year and month, but that wasn't very clear because people thought it was a year. So they wouldn't update to 2004, even though that was the Spring 2020 update. So they changed it to the first half, second half. That means that 20H2 is the second-half update. The good news is that it's a feature update, and you can defer it. Eventually, Microsoft will require it. But until then, you can delay it. But then again, 20H2 fixes problems that came with 2004. So you may want to. And if you uninstalled 2004, then go ahead and install 20H2.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How Can I Tell if a Website Is Safe to Visit?

Watch Dwayne from Southern California Comments

Dwayne is concerned that he won't know if a website he visits is safe. What if it's been compromised by a hacker? How would you know until it's too late? Leo says that most of us aren't really the target of a hack unless it's a mass attack. And those are a lot easier to defend against. Website attacks are a very common attack, where a hacker will forge the look of a website in an attempt to get you to log into it and steal your login credentials. This happens with bogus bank links. So it's important to be very careful on the links you click on. 

Websites can also have certificates, which verify that the site is legit. So you can look at the certificate to be sure it's the website you should be at.

But even legitimate websites can be compromised and malware installed on them without anyone knowing. Your browser needs to be updated to combat it. So always make sure your browser is updated. Chrome, for instance, gets updated automatically. 

What New Mobile Phone Should I Buy?

Watch Ed from Valencia, CA Comments

Ed has a Motorola Moto G6 and wants to know why it's not as bright as the iPhone. Leo says that the iPhone uses an OLED screen, making it brighter versus an LCD screen like the Moto G6. Also the speakers aren't as loud.  Leo says that the recently Moto G9 has several updates. It's a very clean Android experience. It also has a headphone jack, which is becoming very scarce in mobile phone design. So check out the G9 Power. It's got the biggest battery in class, but it only has one speaker, so it isn't stereo. For that, you want to get the G8 Power. 

How Can I Get Help Booking a Vaccine if I Have Accessibility Issues?

Watch Julian from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Julian is TWIT's resident accessibility expert, and he's calling in because he heard Leo talk about accessibility with a previous caller. Some have had difficulties using the web for booking their vaccines. Julian says that VaccinateLA offers a phone booking at 833-540-0473. They'll ask several questions, but pressing 1-1-1-1 will get you to a phone operator who can search for you. It is a lot easier. AIRA.io offers a concierge service for making your accessibility life better, and the service offers 30 minutes free a day.

Check out Julian's website at techjv.com.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Is Free Internet Really Free?

Watch Santa Jeff from Knoxville, TN Comments

Santa Jeff wants to know about Muama Ryoko and its so-called free internet. Leo says that it's a terrible name, but it essentially harnesses cellular data to get internet everywhere. Leo guesses they have a deal with T-Mobile since they are everywhere. But it could be another carrier, and the website isn't really open as to what they use. Also, it isn't really free. After a small amount of free data, like 500MB, you will probably have to buy more data. Leo suggests not paying more than $10 per GB. You may be better off with a MiFi card from your cellular provider. It'll do the same thing. 

Leo doesn't know a lot about Muama Ryoko's wifi router. But it isn't unique. Leo uses the Skyroam Solis. But what he doesn't like about it is that most of the reviews don't mention pricing, other than the device cost and that most of their reviews are paid placement. And there's no mention of pricing at all.

Can I Use a Vpn to Mask My Activity and Movements?

Watch Wallace from Fredrick, MD Comments

Wallace wants to know if he needs a VPN or can authorities still track his activity and movements. Leo says that using a VPN will mask your activity unless your VPN keeps track of that activity. With a warrant, they would have to provide that data. As for movements, your cellphone has a GPS, and with a simple request (called a PIN Registry), the authorities can access your location at any given time for a fee. But that is changing as courts recognize that it is a violation of privacy and should require a warrant.

Is a Free Tablet Really Free?

Watch Christian from Calgary, Canada Comments

Christian got a free tablet from Caesar's Palace. Leo says it's possible that there's a gambling game on it that will pay for itself. So it's important to be "look a gift horse the mouth." There is no free lunch, and any device that gets on your network can "play with things." Even if all they are doing is selling your activity. So how legit can it really be? But Caesar's is a legitimate company, so it may just be worth it to send it to him. The more you play, the more money they will make. That's how gambling works.

You could wipe it and do a factory reset to get rid of the apps. Check out XDA-Developers.com.

Christian also wants his kids to learn how to code. How should he start? Leo says to check out Scratch from MIT.  It's designed like a game, so it's really easy to learn.

There's also CodeMonkey and CodeAKid.

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