Faster: 100 Ways to Improve your Digital Life
Page 17
KeePass and the KeePass logo are registered trademarks of Dominik Reichl, used with permission.
Once you start using KeePass, you need to enter the master password into the app to access the saved passwords. However, for users who want an additional layer of security on their saved passwords, KeePass also allows the use of something known as a Key File. A Key File is a special encryption key that can be stored in a pen drive or a CD by a user, without which the saved passwords cannot be accessed. This means that without the pen drive or CD physically being connected to a system, it will be impossible to open the saved password database, even if the master password is entered correctly. To enable the use of the Key File facility along with the master password, you need to simply enable the Use Master Password and Key File option in KeePass.
KeePass and the KeePass logo are registered trademarks of Dominik Reichl, used with permission.
Once you have added the passwords for all your different accounts to KeePass, it offers you various convenient options to log in to your accounts with these passwords. For this example, I am going to assume that you want to log in to your Facebook account using a password stored in KeePass.
Option 1
Open your browser > Connect to Facebook.com and type in your Username > Launch KeePass > Enter Master Password > Right-click on the Facebook Password entry > Select the Copy Password option > Paste it in the Password field on Facebook.com.
Option 2
Open your browser > Connect to Facebook.com and type your Username > Click in the Password field on Facebook.com > Launch KeePass > Enter Master Password > Right-click on the Facebook Password entry > Select the Perform Auto Type option and the password will automatically be typed in the selected field in your browser.
KeePass and the KeePass logo are registered trademarks of Dominik Reichl, used with permission.
If you use multiple computers to access your accounts, I would recommend downloading the portable version of KeePass. This portable version can be taken in a pen drive with you wherever you go, along with your saved passwords and key file, and can be run directly without any installation.
Some other similar programs are:
Clipperz
LastPass
82. How to trace an email back to the internet service provider
< 180 Seconds
Have you ever received an unpleasant email sent from a fake email account created by supplying false contact information? Do not worry, it is possible for you to trace the email back and find out the IP address, location (city and country) and Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the sender. You might be able to deduce the identity of the sender with this information.
To trace an email back to its sender, begin with opening the headers of the email that you wish to trace back. If you are using Gmail, open the email, click on the down arrow button located in the top right corner of the screen, and then click on the Show Original option to view the email headers. If you are using Yahoo, simply open the email, click on Settings and Full Header. If you are using an email client, right-click on the email and click on Properties, to view the email headers.
Now download the eMailTrackerPro application from www.emailtrackerpro.com, so that you can analyse the email headers and trace them back to the sender. Copy-paste the email headers to eMailTrackerPro and it will trace the email back to the sender and show you much other information about the sender. In the following example, eMailTrackerPro has displayed the sender’s IP address, geographical location on a world map and also his ISP network information.
emailTrackerPro and the emailTrackerPro logo are registered trademarks of Visualware Inc., used with permission.
83. How to trace your lost or stolen Android phone
< 120 Seconds
In an earlier tip, we saw how easy it is to install the Lookout app on your mobile phone, so that you can trace it back in case it gets lost or stolen. However, how do you trace an Android mobile device that has already been lost or stolen and does not have a tracking software installed on it? Fortunately, for Android users only, there is a wonderful app called Plan B which allows you to trace a missing mobile phone by itself.
As soon as you discover that your Android phone is missing, use any computer to go to the Google Play App Store and download and install Plan B. Make sure you are logged in to the same Google account that you normally use to download apps on your missing Android phone.
Plan B and the Plan B logo are registered trademarks of Lookout Inc., used with permission.
Google Play will now ask you whether you wish to remotely send the Plan B app to your lost Android phone. Make sure the correct phone model and network provider are mentioned on the screen. Click on the Install button to continue.
The great part about Plan B is that you don’t require physical access to the missing device to remotely install the program on it. Moreover, during installation, no prompt will show up on the screen of your missing phone either. It is only on your computer that you will see a confirmation message, saying Plan B will soon be downloaded to your missing mobile phone.
Plan B and the Plan B logo are registered trademarks of Lookout Inc., used with permission.
Plan B and the Plan B logo are registered trademarks of Lookout Inc., used with permission.
If Plan B manages to connect to your phone, you will soon receive an email at your Gmail account, containing a map with the exact location of your phone pinpointed. Now, all you need to do is to physically retrieve the phone for yourself.
Plan B and the Plan B logo are registered trademarks of Lookout Inc., used with permission.
84. How to block inappropriate websites and content from your kids
< 420 Seconds
Are you worried about your kids visiting websites they shouldn’t be? It is obviously not possible to constantly monitor everything that your kids do on the Internet. However, there are some simple things that you can do on your computer to block websites with objectionable content and prevent your kids from accessing them.
If there are specific websites that you want to block, you can access a specific file called ‘hosts’ in your Windows computer. To open the ‘hosts’ file on your computer, make sure you are logged in as the administrator, then launch the Notepad app, click on File > Open and open the following location: C:Windowssystem32driversetchosts.
Go to a new line at the bottom of the file and enter the following text:
127.0.0.1 www.WebsiteToBlock.com
127.0.0.1 www.AnotherWebsiteToBlock.com
For example, if you want to block Facebook, you need to type the following into the hosts file:
Although this blocking technique is quite effective, it has its own limitations. For example, it is quite difficult for you to manually block each of the possible inappropriate websites that you don’t want your kids to access. For more comprehensive protection, I would recommend professional parental control software like Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com).
Although Net Nanny is not free, it comes with a comprehensive list of built-in security and safety measures that will protect your kids from inappropriate websites and content on the Internet, including:
1. Blocking pornography
2. Blocking vulgar and profane language
3. Monitoring your kids’ interactions on social media websites like Facebook and chat softwares
4. Implementing restrictions on how much and for how long your kids can use the Internet.
It is also recommended that you enable the SafeSearch filter on Google, which prevents explicit and inappropriate content from showing up in the Google Search results when your kids are searching for something. To enable this, log in to a Google account using the computer that your kids usually use and then go to http://www.google.com/preferences and then enable the Filter explicit results option.
Google SafeSearch and the Google logo are the registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission
To prevent anyone from being able to disable the
SafeSearch filter, you should click on the Lock SafeSearch option.
With these simple solutions, you can prevent your kids from being able to access inappropriate content and websites on the Internet.
FUN STUFF!
85. How to convert your computer into a photo booth
< 60 Seconds
Photo booths are normally found in shopping malls, airports and office complexes, and have automatic cameras that can take a series of fun photos you and your friends. Before taking each photo, the photo booth displays a flash notification or countdown, informing you that a photo is going to be taken, so that you can prepare to pose. Photo booths can be a lot of fun, since they allow you to add funky special effects to all the photos that you take there. Typically, these booths require a credit card or cash to operate. Why pay for using photo booths, when you could convert the webcam in your computer into a photo booth for free?
Webcam Toy and the Webcam Toy logo are registered trademarks of Neave Interactive Ltd, used with permission.
Webcam Toy
(http://webcamtoy.com) is a free website that allows you to take photo-booth quality pictures and add more than seventy special effects and filters to them right from the webcam on your computer! To start using this website, open your browser to www.webcamtoy.com and click on the Ready? Smile! button. Webcam Toy will ask for your permission to access the webcam on your computer. Click on the Use my camera! button to continue.
Choose from any of the over seventy different special effects and filters available on this website. Make sure that you and your friends have struck a pose in front of your webcam, and then click on the Camera button. The app will do a countdown from 3 to 1, click a picture from your webcam, and then automatically add to it the special effects that you chose.
Webcam Toy and the Webcam Toy logo are registered trademarks of Neave Interactive Ltd, used with permission.
After that, you will have the option to either save the photo on your computer or instantly share it with your friends using Twitter or Facebook.
86. How to discover new music by creating playlists in YouTube
< 180 Seconds
Listening to good music can really relax the body, mind and soul. And, if you are like me, being able to listen to music free of cost probably relaxes you even more. YouTube.com is one of the most popular websites that allows you to listen to music free of cost. However, the biggest problem with YouTube is that you can’t really create a playlist—the moment a video stops playing, you have to interrupt your work, go to the YouTube window and select the next video to play.
This is where YouTube’s Music Discovery Project comes into the picture. This feature of YouTube can accessed at http://www.youtube.com/disco, and allows you to create playlists of songs of your favourite artist, so that there is no interruption in your musical experience. Simply open this web page and type in the name of any artist in the space provided. In this example, I am going to type ‘DJ Tiesto’ and then click on the Disco! button.
YouTube Music Discovery and the YouTube Music Discovery logo are registered trademarks of YouTube LLC, used with permission.
YouTube will now automatically create me a playlist containing the top songs of DJ Tiesto. Instead of choosing a specific artist, you can also click on the Play top 100 link to create a playlist containing the hundred most popular songs from YouTube.
Once you start playing the videos, there will be a playlist navigation bar below the video, which gives you full control over various aspects of the playlist. You can easily switch to a specific song of your choice from anywhere in the playlist with a single click of the mouse button. You can even choose to switch on the Shuffle option.
This YouTube feature gives you the power of an uninterrupted musical experience, and also helps you discover new songs and artists.
87. How to control music on your phone with a wave of your hand
< 120 Seconds
Have you been in a situation where your hands were dirty or you were holding something in both hands, and you couldn’t change the song you were listening to on your phone? For these times, wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to control the music playback on your mobile phone without having to actually touch the phone?
Wave Control is a free app available for both Android and iPhone devices that allows you to control the music playback functions on your phone by simply waving your hands in front of the screen. It makes use of the proximity sensor in your mobile phone (usually located next to the earpiece) to control various media functions on your phone. With Wave Control, you can simply wave your hand in certain specific gestures to control various playback options related to music or video on your phone.
Download, install and launch the Wave Control app on your Android or iPhone device. On the home screen, you will be able to manage the configuration settings related to your mobile phone. For example, you can choose to start Wave Control automatically whenever any other media app is launched You can also choose to exit the app automatically as soon as the headphones are unplugged from your mobile phone. In this example, I have selected to start Wave Control automatically whenever I start the Poweramp app.
Wave Control Pro and the Wave Control Pro logo are registered trademarks of MarksThinkTank, used with permission.
Press the MAIN tab to link specific media functions to specific hand gestures made in front of the mobile phone screen. In this example, I have configured the following hand-wave gesture functions:
Hand Wave Gesture
Function
Hover
Play / Pause
1 Wave
Next song or video
2 Waves
Previous song or video
3 Waves
Enable/Disable control
A more advanced version of Wave Control is called Wave Control Pro, which comes for a nominal fee. Let us now put Wave Control Pro to test. Imagine that my hands are occupied and I am listening to music in Poweramp on my Android phone. I want to control the music functions in Poweramp without touching my mobile phone. I try these following pre-configured hand-wave gestures in front of the mobile screen:
Wave Control Pro and the Wave Control Pro logo are registered trademarks of MarksThinkTank, used with permission.
1. No Hand Gesture
Wave Control Pro: No Last Action.
Poweramp: The song ‘Cocktail’ is not playing.
Wave Control Pro and the Wave Control Pro logo are registered trademarks of MarksThinkTank, used with permission.
2. After Hover Hand Gesture
Wave Control Pro: Last Action recorded is Play/Pause.
Poweramp: The song ‘Cocktail’ has started playing.
Wave Control Pro and the Wave Control Pro logo are registered trademarks of MarksThinkTank, used with permission.
The best thing about Wave Control on Android is the fact that you can run it in the background, lock your screen, and the hand-wave gestures will still work. Wave Control works almost in the same manner on an iPhone—the only difference being that the Wave Control app must be open and the screen should be switched on. There are more configuration options available on Android as compared to the iPhone.
88. How to convert your phone into a remote control for your computer
< 300 Seconds
Have you ever wanted to remotely control your computer from your mobile phone, so that you don’t need to take the trouble of going close to it? Imagine you are hosting a party at home and want to be able to mingle with the guests, while simultaneously playing DJ and controlling the music playing from your laptop. You could do this if you have the Unified Remote app.
Unified Remote comes in two parts—the Unified Remote server that needs to be installed on the computer you wish to remotely control, and the Unified Remote app that needs to be installed on your Android phone. First, install the Unified Remote server from http://www.unifiedremote.com on your computer and make sure that the Windows firewall is not blocking it. Once you have installed t
he server on your computer, you should download and install Unified Remote from the Google Play App Store on your Android phone.
Unified Remote and the Unified Remote logo are registered trademarks of Unified Intents AB, used with permission.
As soon as you launch Unified Remote on your Android phone, it will ask you whether you want it to automatically scan for the corresponding Unified Remote server or whether you want to add it manually. I recommend that you manually add the server.
Unified Remote and the Unified Remote logo are registered trademarks of Unified Intents AB, used with permission.
If your computer is connected to the Internet through a router, you need to enable Port Forwarding on it so that Unified Remote on your Android phone is able to connect to your computer. My computer is connected to the Internet through a Wi-Fi router, so I use the browser on my computer to connect to my Wi-Fi router and change its settings to enable Port Forwarding. You can get detailed instructions on how to enable Port Forwarding on your Wi-Fi router by visiting www.portforward.com.
The key thing to remember is to enter the following values when you are enabling port forwarding on your Wi-Fi router: