​I’m sorry, What did you say?
 
By Brian Bondy

I recently got new hearing aids, from Hear.com. I’m happy with them. That’s all I’ll say for now. Apple, recently, came out with some air pods that are FDA approved to be used as hearing aids. There are some qualifications for that, but I am including a great article from CNET on that subject HERE. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-airpods-pro-hearing-aid-feature-authorized-by-fda-heres-how-itll-work/

For several years I used hearing amplifiers from Amazon. They started out costing $50 each and then became $50 for a pair. You can’t get any cheaper than that. As I broke several way more expensive hearing aids, I decided to go with some cheap amplifiers and they were great for a long time.

Hearing amplifiers are just that, they amplify all sounds. No frills here, just amplifiers with a volume control. I liked the rechargeable variety over the battery ones. They work fine but they amplify everything. For me, I was having a hard time on certain frequencies, voice being the main one. Sometimes, the amplifiers were too loud, depending on what was making sounds.
Carol appreciated the amplifiers though, as she thought I was ignoring her. I still couldn’t hear some things, like the alarm on the refrigerator door, the timer on the stove, or the cricket in our bedroom. The cricket actually worked out for me, but not for Carol, who couldn’t sleep.

Finally I tried out the Hear.com hearing aids by Horizon. They do a virtual appointment over a computer they send you, along with headphones and a pair of hearing aids. They have you do a test, and the audiologist connects to the hearing aids and adjust them to your specific needs. After a couple of weeks we ‘met’ again for another tweek. After a couple more weeks we had another session for tweeking, but I was happy with them. I can hear the crickets outside, the timer on the stove, and the alarm on the fridge.

My hearing isn’t perfect but it’s way better. There is an app so I can alter some things as needed, and my phone connects to them which is HUGE. I love that feature. 

By Rick Rouse
I particularly like this one.   Abiquiunews.com is a website but like a book its filled with many pages.   Be sure to click around on the navigation at the top.

Question from Martina:  I have an Internet question for you, Rick.
I keep hearing the terms "website" and "web page" and I find them a little confusing. Is there a difference between the two or do they both mean the same thing?

Rick's answer:  Martina, the terms "website" and "web page" are closely related but they in fact refer to two different things. Some people use them interchangeably, but that isn’t really accurate.

A web page is a single "page" of information that's located at a specific URL (i.e. web address) on a web server.

A website is a collection of web pages that fall under a common domain name.
To use a simple analogy, a web page is similar to a single page in a book. You can open a book to any specific page and read that page independently of all the other pages that are contained within that book.

​A website on the other hand is similar to an entire book. This is because a website is a collection all the web pages that are contained within it.

A typical website will have all of its associated web pages accessible via the same domain name, but each individual page will be located at its own individual URL within that domain.
Just as you can pick up a book and open it to any page and start reading that page, you can visit a specific page on a website without having to visit the home page first.

Here are just a few of the ways you could end up with a web page displayed in your browser:
1 - By selecting a search result for a query you perform on a search engine
2 - By clicking a link to the page on another website
3 - By typing the URL of the page directly into your browser's address bar
4 - By clicking on an online ad
5 - By taking one of numerous other possible actions that result in you viewing a web page in your browser
​
Lets take my tech blog as an example (a blog is actually nothing more than a special type of website). The URL for the home page of my blog is:
https://www.ricksdailytips.com
The ricksdailytips.com part of the URL is the actual domain name, and every page on the blog will have ricksdailytips.com in the root section of the URL.
The following URLs refer to individual web pages contained within the overall Rick’s Daily Tips website:

• My "About Rick" page:   https://www.ricksdailytips.com/about-rick/
• My "Contact Me" page:   https://www.ricksdailytips.com/contact/
• A typical post page:   https://www.ricksdailytips.com/skipping-the-clicking/

I hope this clears it up for you, Martina. Thanks for asking such a great question.

It’s not always easy to tell from my desk, but it really does help to keep things tidy. As a windows user since the mid 80’s, I can tell you that Windows is full of clutter. Apple is quite a bit tidier, but browsers, in general, are the worst.
 
I like CCleaner as a cleanup tool on PC’s and Mac’s. You can do it manually but CCleaner is a handy tool that does a fine job and has plenty of options.
 
On your phone, powering it off is a good place to start. A power cycle is often a good cure for a phones simpler quirky problems. Cleaning your browser’s history and cache are also good. Cache, in particular, can mess with a browser over time. Clearing it occasionally is a good idea.

On your iPhone, a good instructional link for that is HERE.
For Android, look HERE.
Sent from my iPhone

By Rick Rouse
Rick's Daily Tips

If you're like most folks you probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about what will happen after you pass away.

After all, that isn't the most pleasant of topics.

But taking a few minutes to prepare now can make things a lot easier on your loved ones when that sad day finally arrives.

And arrive it will since no one lives forever.

Chances are you've already made a few preparations such a writing a will and purchasing life insurance, but it's also important to prepare your "digital life" for that fateful day. 

Think about this for a moment...
After you pass away, will the executor of your will (or your heirs) be able to properly manage all of your open online accounts in accordance with your wishes?

Will they even know which accounts you have, and how many?

Most people have one or more bank accounts, insurance policies, investment funds and such.
While your executor will probably be able to find most of those accounts simply by going through your paperwork, what about accounts that only exist online, with no paper trail to follow?

And what about your email account, which is the virtual back door to most of your other accounts?

And of course there are your various social media accounts...

You definitely don't want to simply abandon any of your accounts when you pass on because hackers and scammers would then be able to hijack them and cause all kinds of problems for your heirs and descendants.

This is what I recommend:
1 - Make a list of all of your online accounts, regardless of how insignificant some of those accounts might seem to be.

Record the URL to each account's login screen along with the the email address and phone number that's associated with each account. And of course record the usernames and passwords as well.

After the list is complete, store it in a fireproof and waterproof lock box or some other safe place.

Make sure at least two members of your family that you trust completely know about the list and where to find it.

Why at least two? Because there's always a chance the person you choose could pass away prematurely, or in a worst-case scenario, at the same time as you.

2 - Sign into every one of your online accounts and check the "Security" section of the site to see if there are any tools available for managing the disposal of the account after you pass away.
For example, Facebook has multiple ways for you to ensure that your Facebook account is handled according to your wishes upon your passing.

Bottom line...
I know your own passing isn't the most pleasant thing to think about, but it's very important to prepare for it nonetheless.

Take a few moments to put yourself into the shoes of the people who will be tasked with managing your affairs after you pass on...

What will they need to know? Which accounts will they need to deal with? How do you want them to do it?

Make sure you include every aspect your "digital life" to ensure that everything can be easily (and quickly) handled in accordance with your wishes after you've "logged out" down here for the final time.

If you find this newsletter useful, please consider sharing it with your friends.
Share