Tools Toys and Technology

About the Tools You Use and the Toys That Make Life Interesting

Tools Toys and Technology - About the Tools You Use and the Toys That Make Life Interesting

Category Archives: Articles

Securing Your Passwords

Copyright © 2012 Richard Beaty

Last month, Yahoo became the latest big time victim to be hacked, resulting in 450,000 email addresses WITH PASSWORDS being pilfered and PUBLISHED. Do you have a Yahoo email address? If so, yours may be one of the ones that has been compromised? If you’ve been around the Internet very long, chances are you’ve known someone whose email address has been stolen, possibly even your own.

Email addresses are bad enough, but there are worse things that you can have hacked: like your online banking or credit card account, for instance; or maybe your Amazon or Ebay account, where you have payment preferences saved; or any number of other Websites containing sensitive, personal information.

So, how do the bad guys get access to your online accounts and what can you do to stop it?

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Internet TV Revisited

Copyright © 2012 Richard Beaty

I’ve got some updated news on Internet TV this month. So, let’s call this issue: Internet TV Revisited.

Paid YouTube Subscriptions? It Could Happen.

YouTube has been in business for less than 8 years. It seems like a lot longer than that, doesn’t it? In that time, they’ve created a video streaming juggernaut. They currently stream over 4 billion – that’s BILLION with a “B” – videos daily. Think about it … 4 billion today, 4 billion tomorrow, 4 billion the day after that. Try to imagine the Internet band width they have to have.

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High Speed Internet in SaddleBrooke PLUS New Tablets

Copyright © 2012 Richard Beaty

I’ve got a couple of things for you today, including great news about high speed Internet in SaddleBrooke. I’ll also have something to say about those tablet thingies (technical word) you see all over the place.

Remember, you can read all current and past Two’s News articles right here on this Website by clicking “Two’s News Articles” at the top of the page. You can also select “Timely Updates” under the topics heading to read about things that come up between articles.

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Free Online TV

Copyright © 2012 Richard Beaty

We’re just about to wrap up our series on Internet TV, but I’ve got one more topic to cover first.

Review:

  1. I started out this series by discussing the hardware and infrastructure you need to deliver Internet TV to your big screen. [Internet TV – an Introduction]
  2. Then I followed up with a discussion of subscription programming services, including Netflix and Hulu Plus. [Netflix, Hulu & Hulu Plus]
  3. In my last article, I concluded subscription programming options by introducing you to Amazon Instant Video; and I reviewed my favorite Roku channels. [Amazon Instant Video and My Favorite Roku Channels]

This time I will review totally free online TV that you can access with your computer on the Internet. I’ll also show you how to connect your computer to your TV for viewing those free videos on your big screen.

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Netflix, Hulu and Hulu Plus

Copyright © 2012 Richard Beaty

In last month’s Tools, Toys & Technology, I started a series on Internet TV. That article discussed the hardware and infrastructure you need to stream TV programming to your big screen. This month, we start discussing programming sources, starting with an online “one-two punch” to your expensive, traditional cable/satellite provider. The combination of Netflix and Hulu will have you giving serious consideration to “cutting the cord,” firing your cable or satellite company and saving $100 a month.

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Internet TV – An Introduction

Copyright © 2012 Richard Beaty

I know it’s probably not a revelation to you that you can now receive television over the Internet. But I thought I should, at least, review it before digging into the nuts and bolts.

Video on Websites became commonplace several years ago. And the quality has gotten better and better as the technology behind video streaming gets more sophisticated and Internet speeds get faster and faster. Technology has gone from allowing us to view a few minutes of fuzzy video on Youtube with our computers, to being able to watch full length feature films in HD streamed over the Internet to our 50+ inch wide screen living room TVs.

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