Tag: internet

You Don’t Need An iPod To Listen To Podcasts

I guess it sorta makes sense that many people think podcasts are only for iPods, since it’s got “pod” right there in the name, but it’s not true. A podcast is just a regular ‘ol MP3 audio file, just the same as an MP3 song or album, and that means any device that’s capable of playing MP3s can play podcasts. If A Podcast Is Just An MP3, Why’s It Called A Podcast? Okay, fair question. Podcasting got its start as a way for people to host and share their own radio programs on the internet. I say “radio programs” because even though, for the most part, these were not programs that ever played across radio waves, their format followed what you’d typically hear on a radio program: either interviews and commentary, like you’d hear on talk radio stations, or more of a music radio show format, with music, host commentary…

Disney Movies Anywhere: Link All Your Digital Video Accounts To Access ALL Your Disney Digital Editions From ANY Of Your Linked Video Libraries

Got Some Disney Digital Copies Gathering Virtual Dust In Various Accounts? If you’ve redeemed some of those “free digital copy” codes that came with Disney movies you purchased on disc, whether they’re in iTunes, Vudu (which also includes Ultraviolet now), Google Play or Microsoft Digital, it’s now possible to link up all those accounts via a free Disney Movies Anywhere account (if you already have a Disney Movie Rewards account, you can login using that username and password). While the codes for free digital copies were never redeemable on Amazon Instant Video, you can link your Amazon Instant Video account too—and you should do so, if you use Amazon Instant digital services. Here’s why: Every digital video account you link under Disney Movies Anywhere is granted access to all the digital Disney movies you own in any other linked account. Copies bearing the blue “Disney Movies Anywhere” stripe (red arrow below –…

Fire Tablet Keyboard Now Includes Full-Color Emoji

A recent software update has brought full-color Emoji icons to the Fire tablet and Fire phone keyboards! Note that I haven’t tested this feature on all Fire tablets, so it may not be supported in first- and second-generation models. I’ll let the pictures tell the story (tap or click on images to view an enlarged version in a new tab or window). Begin by opening your Fire keyboard. Tap the lower left-hand key (red arrow below) to open the numbers and symbols keyboard. On the numbers and symbols keyboard, tap the smiley face key (red arrow below) to open the Emoji keyboard. By default, the Emoji keyboard opens on the ‘most recently used’ tab (red arrow below), where your most recently-used Emoji will be available for your convenience. Each of the other colored arrows below points to a category of Emoji, and as you can see, there are a LOT! The selected…

Gmail’s Last Account Activity Feature Shows Who’s Been Accessing Your Account

* * * Today’s post is brought to you by ESET Smart Security, the tech security product I’ve used and trusted for many years. Advertisers make it possible for Digital Media Mom to bring you great content each day for free, so thanks for your support. * * * Worried Someone’s Been Mucking About In Your Gmail Account? Whether your concern is over a potential hack or a snooping partner or family member, if you use Gmail there’s an easy way to tell if anyone other than you has been accessing your email: Last Account Activity. To access this amazingly wonderful and helpful Gmail feature, scroll to the bottom of your inbox and look for the Last Account Activity Details link (tap or click on images to view an enlarged version in a new browser tab or window). When you click on that link, you’re shown a listing of the times…

Top Five Venmo Security Problems – Does Your Digital Payment Service Have Them, Too?

* * * Today’s post is brought to you by yet another unannounced $6.99 sale on SD Amazon Instant Videos, featuring many Oscar winners and box office hits. Advertisers make it possible for Digital Media Mom to bring you great content each day for free, so thanks for your support. * * * Venmo is the hip new electronic payments service owned and operated by PayPal, which in turn is owned and operated by eBay. Venmo has been generating buzz and gaining in popularity ever since it launched, but the convenience of being able to use the Venmo mobile app to instantly transfer funds to pretty much anyone with an email address or phone number may not be worth the risks. Last July the California Department of Business Oversight ordered Venmo to address twenty different security and operational problems. Here are the top five that are of most concern to consumers. 1….

DMM Mailbag: When You Google Someone, Will They Know?

* * * Today’s post is brought to you by the Zmodo PKD-DK0855-500GB 8-Channel DVR Security System with 8 CMOS IR Cameras, 500 GB Hard Drive and Remote Web/Mobile Access, a terrific home or office suveillance / recording system that’s currently on sale at 46% off its usual price. Advertisers make it possible for Digital Media Mom to bring you great content each day for free, so thanks for your support. * * * What Does Googling Get You? You can “Google”, or do a web search, on anyone. It’s not illegal, and in my opinion there’s nothing wrong with it. After all, when we’re talking about ordinary people (as opposed to famous people, whose private stuff becomes unexpectedly public in hacks all the time) the only results you’ll get are for pages, photos, text and records that are already available to the public, and things the person him- or herself…

Facebook Emoticons, Facebook Emoji

* * * the Kindle Paperwhite, the absolute top-of-the-line—yet affordable at $119—ereader for folks who only need a device for reading. Advertisers make it possible for Digital Media Mom to bring you great content each day for free, so thanks for your support. * * * Today’s post is one that Facebook users* will want to share—or not, if you want to keep the secret to yourself! Today I’m going to show you how to insert emoticons and emoji into your Facebook status updates. Note that if you do want to share this on Facebook, you can just click the little Facebook icon above, or if you’re viewing this post on the front page of the site, use the little pull-down sharing menu at the bottom of the post. *The information provided here is for Facebook users who are accessing Facebook on a computer, NOT through an app, and NOT just the…

All The Free Short Stories You Can Read On East Of The Web

the current ThinkGeek.com sale (up to 50% off!) on clothing and outdoor items, running through 3/2/14. Advertisers make it possible for Digital Media Mom to keep bringing you great content for free, so thanks for your support! * * * Next time you’re looking for something short to read, head on over to East of the Web’s Short Stories portal. There, you can find thousands of short stories to suit every taste—all for free! Each listing includes a brief description, an average review rating, a recommended minimum reader age rating, and even the story’s length in pages. The stories can be read online or printed out in hard copy. Kindle / Paperwhite / Kindle Fire owner tip: If you have a pdf converter program, you can click on the ‘printable view’ link for any story, print to pdf format from your browser, and then transfer the story to your Kindle, Paperwhite or Fire…

Where Did My Download Go?

When you download something off the internet, it’s not always obvious where your computer decided to stash the file. Even when the browser prompts you to specify a location to save the file to, sometimes the computer just goes ahead and saves that file to some other mystery spot among your files and folders, and you’re stuck having to hunt it down. My Dad ran into this problem when I sent him a redemption code for a digital video I’d bought him, and he had to redeem that code right on the performer’s website. He thought he’d downloaded the video, but when he went to check his My Videos folder, he couldn’t find it. Here are some tips and tricks for finding those pesky, missing downloads. Going On A Download Hunt Downloaded files don’t always go where you assume they should.

What Is Twitter Good For, Anyway?

Take it from the Digital Media Mom, Twitter is not the colossal waste of time you’ve been led to believe it is. True, many celebrities and teenagers have used it only for purposes of wasting their own and others’ time, but that’s not Twitter’s fault. Hard though it may be for you to believe, Twitter can be an amazingly powerful tool and resource you may soon find yourself using on a daily basis. Twitter Basics Twitter is one example of “social media”, which is really just a jargon-y way of saying “tool that facilitates communication between individuals and groups”. Blogs, online discussion groups, message boards and newsletters (whether online or the old fashioned, real-world type), group emails and even phone trees could all be classified as social media, depending on how they’re being used.