The Lökwest "Digital Life" - May 2020
Here we are in another month of the "new normal"! We hope this e-mail finds you well and sane (relatively) 🙂 While it appears things are starting to level off and open up again, we're still not out of the woods. Stay home - stay safe - save others who may be more vulnerable!
In this issue, we've got some updates on where to find credible news sources during this time. Remember, whenever something happens that garners a lot of attention, scammers follow! Don't be the consumer or propagator of "fake news". We've also got information about the new "contact tracing" apps being proposed.
Technology-wise, there is a new mid price iPhone available and it might be a great option if you don't want to spend $1000 on a new phone. We've included some Alexa tips tech too, and some ways to stay entertained at home.
Lastly, don't miss the latest in bathroom technology.......as you ponder the programmer who had to train the algorithms.......😂😂
See you next month, when white pants and sandals are officially back in season - virus or not!
P.S. We're helping a lot of people remotely, but still aren't taking in person reservations - we'll keep you posted as official guidelines are adjusted.
What you need to know
The Top-Rated Media Outlets on COVID-19 — ow.ly
U.S. media outlets publish over 1,500 articles a day on COVID-19, but whose coverage is the most credible? The Factual analyzes thousands of articles a day for bias, sourcing, and credibility. Check out your next article here to get all the perspectives on the issue.
Speaking of The Factual, you can now copy and paste a URL to check its credibility. Search 100,000 news articles in the last week, or paste any URL of a news article to see its rating.
How smartphone apps can help 'contact trace' the new coronavirus — ow.ly
A global race is on to develop smartphone apps and other types of mobile phone surveillance systems to track and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Learn a little more here on how it works, and how the proposed system seems to be relatively private. The question is, will a critical mass of people download the app?
Worldometer - real time world statistics — ow.ly
Let's put it into perspective. Bring up this page to see a real time counter of all types of things happening in the world right now. You'd be surprised, for example, of how many people are going to die from hunger alone today. 🙁
Yes - you can get cold meds and sanitizer - Cabinet — ow.ly
It's impossible to buy cold medicine or hand sanitizer (at least in California). Cabinet has you covered, with FDA approved generics that are IN STOCK. We placed an order and it's already on the way!
Restaurants Deliver: Home Meals for Seniors — ow.ly
Know a senior in California struggling to get meals and afraid to go out. We know a few ourselves. The state of California has partnered with restaurants to deliver seniors 3 meals a day - up to $66 worth of food daily. Check out this website with more information and the phone number to call for inquiries.
Technology updates
Apple announces the new $399 iPhone SE for 2020 — ow.ly
New processor, new camera, same iPhone 8 design. It's basically a refresh of the iPhone 8 with brand new guts. If you can skimp on some of the fancy camera features and a metal body, this may be the new iPhone for you. (Although some people still would have preferred a smaller model)
4 ways to fix Alexa's problem communications skills on your Amazon Echo — ow.ly
Here are a few settings tweaks you can make in the Alexa app to make your life easier. We've implemented most of them. Read on to see why, and adjust a few of the settings to your own liking!
Are you bored?
How to Help Librarians and Archivists From Your Living Room — ow.ly
If you're cooped-up and curious, use your free time to decipher handwriting, tag images, and more. The Newberry Library in Chicago has a ton of old letters and the like that AI can't read. If you like history and want to peer into someone's life from 100 years ago, check this out!
Fender Play | Guitar Lessons by Fender — ow.ly
Fender, the guitar maker, also has one of the best apps to learn how to play. For a limited time, take lessons for THREE FREE MONTHS. Learn to play guitar, bass, or ukulele with lessons from Fender Play, featuring instructional videos, hands-on exercises and learning paths based on your skills & preferences.
Sesame Street and Headspace join forces to teach kids about mindfulness — ow.ly
If you or someone you know has kids, they probably spent a lot of time last month trying to calm them down. Sesame Street to the rescue! They've created a series of monster based videos to teach your kids how to be mindful. Hey, maybe even some of us adults could use a little Cookie Monster meditation.....🙂
Tech you didn't know you needed
This smart toilet offers advanced poop analysis and analprinting — ow.ly
This hit the web last month - the most advanced health-based toilet in the world. In addition to all the standard gizmos to wash and dry the nether regions, it analyzes your "business" and records the results to the cloud. So, how do you tell family members apart when the do their business? An analprint.....of course! Now, those of us in the programming world wonder who had the job of training AI on thousands of pictures of butt holes. And you thought you had a bad day.......
Zoom tech talk - May 7th
Exploring technology this month is virtual. I'll be hosting a live Zoom based talk on May 7th, 10 AM. Check out the San Clemente Village's website for more information or to register.
You worked hard to protect yourself against the virus outside. Don't let the wrong click let a virus onto your electronics. Learn about how to search for things, browse the Internet, and communicate safely.