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Practical Computer Advice
from Martin Kadansky
Volume 10 Issue 12
 December 2016
Fun and Useful Web Sites



To read this issue on my web site, please visit:
http://kadansky.com/files/newsletters/2016/2016_12_30.html

Every few years I share some fun, interesting, and useful web sites. Enjoy!

Humor
Photography
Utility
  • http://m-w.com or http://www.merriam-webster.com - An online dictionary and thesaurus that also finds clever and engaging ways to be interesting and relevant, with lots of articles about the history and usage of popular and interesting words
  • http://speedof.me - Measures your internet speed without using Adobe Flash (unlike my other favorite http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest which requires Flash); click the "Start Test..." button at the lower left to begin
  • http://whenisgood.net - Lets you privately offer your available dates and times to other people (in an easy-to-use graphical display) so you can schedule an appointment or event without having to put your entire calendar online (almost all other scheduling systems require that you use an online service like Google Calendar); turn on the "Use timezones" option if you are coordinating with people who are farther away, which helps eliminate confusion by displaying all scheduling choices in each person's local time
  • http://www.worldtimebuddy.com - The best web site I have found for comparing times across timezones, very visual and interactive; click "Features" to learn more about how to use it; for locations that observe Daylight Savings (most of the US except Arizona, Hawaii and some other areas) it displays very helpful advance warnings - To see an example, click the little "calendar" icon and go to the 2nd Sunday in March or the 1st Sunday in November
  • http://brokenlinkcheck.com - Checks for "broken links" on any web site you choose; if you have your own web site, it's a good idea to use a tool like this periodically
Security
  • http://HaveIBeenPwned.com - Checks if your email address is among those that have been stolen in a known corporate security breach, such as when hackers broke into Dropbox, LinkedIn, Adobe, Snapchat, MySpace, etc. and stole millions of account records; click "Who's been pwned" for a current list of companies in their database; "pwn" (pronounced "own") is internet gaming slang for defeating ("owning") an opponent, originating from someone mistyping the word "own"
  • http://blog.malwarebytes.com/author/treed - Thomas Reed's excellent Macintosh security blog (formerly http://www.thesafemac.com)
  • http://blog.malwarebytes.com - Windows security blog from the widely-respected developers of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware
Where to go from here
How to contact me:
email: martin@kadansky.com
phone: (617) 484-6657
web: http://www.kadansky.com

On a regular basis I write about real issues faced by typical computer users. To subscribe to this newsletter, please send an email to martin@kadansky.com and I'll add you to the list, or visit http://www.kadansky.com/newsletter

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Copyright (C) 2016 Kadansky Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved.

I love helping people learn how to use their computers better! Like a "computer driving instructor," I work 1-on-1 with small business owners and individuals to help them find a more productive and successful relationship with their computers and other high-tech gadgets.