News - Part 3

Which Apps Gather Your Gmail and Facebook Data, and How To Disconnect Them?

If you’ve been using Gmail or Facebook for a while, chances are good you’ve purposely or inadvertently granted at least a few apps permission to connect to those accounts, “Login with Facebook” or “Login with Gmail”, and if that’s true, you’ve also granted them permission to gather certain data from you. Here’s how to find out which apps gather your Gmail and Facebook data, and how to disconnect them.   How To See Which Apps Are Connected To Your Gmail & Disconnect Them Go to the Google Security Page for your account. Click the link for Connected apps and sites (it’s in the left-hand sidebar, as of this writing). All apps and services you’ve granted permission to link to or access your account will be shown. Click on each app to see what permissions it has, and if desired, to disconnect it.

Movie Monday: Fun Movie Musicals That Are Perfect For The Season

Welcome to DMM’s 5/1/17 Movie Monday, where I’ll help you tackle movie night with brief reviews of movies and videos you may have missed that are worth the rental or purchase. It’s springtime, and that’s the perfect time to enjoy some fun movie musicals. These feel-good fantasies may be a little silly at times, but with their bright colors and foot-tapping songs, their cheerful enthusiasm is hard to resist. Xanadu (PG) The Greek muses incarnate themselves on Earth to inspire men to achieve. One of them, incarnated as a girl named Kira, encounters an artist named Sonny Malone. With the help of Danny McGuire, a man Kira had inspired forty years earlier, Sonny builds a huge disco roller rink. – IMDB, Written by Randy Goldberg This one aims to be a throwback to the glamorous, big-budget musicals of the 1940s. With a musical score and songs written by Jeff Lynne and…

DMM’s 4/28/17 Freebie Friday: Audiobook Shorts

Welcome To DMM’s 4/28/17 Freebie Friday Today I’ve got two shorts from Audible: nonfiction dealing with the Bernie Madoff scandal and a horror story. First up, it’s Ponzi Supernova. Ponzi Supernova is an original audio series that profiles Bernie Madoff, the Wall Street financier sent to prison for orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history. The series, hosted by journalist Steve Fishman, includes hours of unheard conversations with Madoff behind bars, as well as interviews with law enforcement and the victims. In a review, Lulu Miller, of NPR’s Invisibila, wrote: “At times alluring, at times disgusting, it’s the push and pull that makes the magic of this series. You experience non-consensual bouts of empathy for Bernie, and moments later find yourself repulsed by his seeming lack of remorse for his victims, not just their financial ruin, but even their deaths. This is a needed listen for anyone curious about what actually…

4/24/17 Movie Monday: Future Shock

Welcome to DMM’s 4/24/17 Movie Monday, where I’ll help you tackle movie night with brief reviews of movies and videos you may have missed that are worth the rental or purchase. This week, the spotlight is on futuristic thrillers. These movies imagine future worlds in which humanity has found different methods to conquer death and disease—each sinister in its own way. Vanilla Sky (R) A successful publisher finds his life taking a turn for the surreal after a car accident with a jaded lover. This is the type of film with a third act twist that makes you re-evaluate everything that came before. Multiple viewings are rewarding not only for the sake of connecting the dots that lead up to the big reveal, but because the script raises interesting questions about identity and what it means to live a fulfilling life. Tom Cruise does a self-aware take on his own ultra-rich,…

4/21/17 Freebie Friday: Android Apps

Welcome to DMM’s 4/21/17 Freebie Friday! Here are ten of the most downloaded AND highest-rated apps (4/5 stars or better) from Amazon’s Android App Store as of this writing. Remember that free apps may include in-app purchase (IAP) options or be ad-supported, but given that these apps have been given very high ratings by MANY consumers, where IAP links or ads are present they must be pretty unobtrusive. Descriptions below are from the apps’ product pages. Two Dots – CONNECT one Dot to another, sink anchors, make a line, create bombs, extinguish flames, and much more. Tetris Blitz – The Tetris® game you know and love, is now lightning fast, bite-sized fun for today’s players. Alice in the Mirrors of Albion – Get ready for a Lewis Carroll inspired hidden object game that takes you to a mystical Victorian-era London known as Albion, fraught with intrigue, crime, and danger. Rummy 500 – Challenge yourself…

DMM’s 4/14/17 Freebie Friday: New Age and Alternative Music

Welcome To DMM’s 4/14/17 Freebie Friday! I’ve got two digital albums to share today: a HUGE collection of indie music award winners, and the other an album for lovers of New Age. First up is Message, by Vyking. 11 tracks of instrumental New Age, with a good mix of upbeat electronic numbers and more contemplative pieces where a piano takes center stage. A nice backing track for any setting or activity where you’d like some music that’s pleasant, but not too distracting. Currently rated 5/5 stars.

Facebookery: How To Get Background Color In Your Online Facebook Posts

By now you’ve probably started noticing this thing on the Facebook website, where some people’s posts appear in boldface print on a colored background. And maybe you’ve wondered how they do it. If so, read on to learn how to get background color in your Facebook posts. First, a caveat. You may also have noticed that all the FB posts with boldface text on a background color are pretty short. There is definitely a character limit: 130 characters, including spaces. As soon as you enter character #131, the post will revert to regular old black and white. Second, a note about the Facebook mobile app. The colored background option now comes up by default in the most recent version of the Facebook mobile app. As soon as you tap to start a status update, either in the Home screen or on your own timeline, the color selection options are there….

4/10/17 Movie Monday: Shakespeare Adaptations

Welcome to DMM’s 4/10/17 Movie Monday, where I’ll help you tackle movie night with brief reviews of movies and videos you may have missed that are worth the rental or purchase. This week, I’m shining the spotlight on Shakespeare adaptations. These adaptations put Shakespeare’s original dialogue into a more modern context. This can make the material much easier to understand and relate to, particularly for students who are struggling to follow the Old English plays. Romeo + Juliet (PG-13) Shakespeare’s famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the doomed, star-crossed lovers, this Baz Luhrmann production is colorful, clever, and filled with top-flight talent. The contemporary setting substitutes Sword brand guns for the actual swords in the original play, and re-envisions the Montagues and Capulets as powerful families in control of megaconglomerates with mafioso overtones. It’s…

Don’t Fall For This Apple iCloud Phishing Attack

The days when Apple users didn’t have to worry about hacks and phishing attacks are over. Most of us remember the iCloud breach of a little over a year ago, when lots of celebrities’ personal photos were accessed and leaked online, and a more recent incident of the same type has recently affected stars like Emma Watson. Last week, reports of a new threat surfaced: hackers are exploiting iCloud users’ worries about these stories to mount a phishing attack. The hackers call iCloud users claiming to be from Apple tech support, telling the user their iCloud account has been compromised. Then they ask the user to grant them remote access to resolve the problem. But of course there is no problem. This is simply a trick to get users to willingly log the hackers into the users’ iCloud accounts.

4/3/17 Movie Monday: Flight of the Conchords

Welcome to DMM’s 4/3/17 Movie Monday, where I’ll help you tackle movie night with brief reviews of movies and videos you may have missed. This week, I’m spotlighting the work of New Zealand musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords. Everything featured here is currently rated 4.5/5 stars; these guys are good! Most people here in the U.S. got their first exposure to this musical comedy team in HBO’s One Night Stand: Flight of the Conchords (NR). This clip from YouTube captures their quirky style far better than any description could.