Good day loyal readers. I’m seven months cancer-free, and today I feel wonderful and so alive. My next cancer-free check-up is in October with my wonderful Dr. Morrison.
Two weeks ago we received a visit by the delightful four-year-old Audrey Rose and her fast-paced one-and-a-half-year-old brother Benjamin. Knowing that I only had three minutes before they would be bored with the camera, I pulled out my trusty Nikon and started shooting. My setup: Nikon flash, ISO 800, RAW (not JPG), aperture f5, shutter speed 1/60, 70mm lens, producing 20 MB files.
FYI, I am now a true blue, dyed-in-the-wool Mac Mountain Lion user (not that I wasn’t before). I sold my only Windows laptop, an HP with Windows 7 and assorted software on it, two weeks ago; therefore no more Windows for me.
Well, no more Windows until I have to teach or explain it.
As for teaching I will be a hosting a series of free, one-hour mini-info sessions starting in September at our local Port Alberni Library. Interested? Contact the library and they will tell you time, place, and subject of the day. I will try to cover such topics as computer security, using Apple computers, digital cameras—buying and using, possibly MS Word, as well as Photoshop Elements.
I did try to get the library to serve some yummy French pastries along with café lattes for all that attended, but evidently it was not in the budget.
By now I am sure that you know that the federal government has Google, Facebook and your cell phone records. Who else is tracking you? Here are a few tips to leave a small footprint. For your search engine instead of Google or Yahoo use Duck Duck Go—they do not share your information. Their website is duckduckgo.com.
To protect your privacy online and block trackers, use Ghostery or Abine’s Do Not Track Me (the website address to download DoNotTrackMe is https://www.abine.com).
The latter can be used in Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer.
I can vouch for DoNotTrackMe as I use it on my Mac and have installed it on my wife’s Windows laptop.
Facebook has announced that they are getting in bed with four of the largest data brokers.
They want to target you and “ad” you to death. The companies are Datalogix, Epsilon, Axciom, and BlueKai. So now go to Facebook, click on the little gear on the top right of the page (settings). Select Privacy Settings from the drop-down menu, then choose Security ( second from top on the left side of the page).
On the right side of the page where it says Security Settings, make sure that “Secure Browsing” and “Login Notifications” are enabled.
Doing this will not stop them but slow them down a bit. Protect your privacy, don’t be a victim.
Any questions? E-mail me at nsilverstone@telus.net or see me online at www.silverstonephotos.com.
Norman Silverstone teaches photography through North Island College and Eldercollege in Port
Alberni.