Author: Jeff Fleming

10 Tricks to Search Google Faster

Posted on by Jeff Fleming

google search tips

Almost everyone surfs the Internet today using Google or other popular search engines like Yahoo, Bing and many others. Have you ever considered how to Google to find the information you are looking for a lot faster without multiple searches? It is not really that big of a deal unless you really think about it. If we could find relevant information faster, it could get us to our search results more quickly; however it is more to it than just using the right keyword or term typed in.

So without further ado, let’s loo at a few of these simple and effective tricks to Google a lot faster from now on. PS: You might also have to learn to forgo the initial instinct of just typing away questions and learn to use these tricks daily.

1. Weather

google weather

Often we want to look for weather updates (so that we could know what to wear) and if you are not using a weather app already, the simplest trick is typing in the search “weather New York”, “weather California”, etc. The syntax is simple, first type weather followed by the desired location.

2. Exclude or include specific terms/words

If you want to search for something and you want to add more detail, you can use the “+” and/or “-” sign. The simple syntax would look like: password management software + autofill. So add more details to your search with a plus or a minus sign.

3. Phone number search

google phone number

In case you’ve noticed an unknown number in your teen’s call history, just put the term “phonebook” and the number in the Google search box. It will look something like this: “phonebook: 914 338 8184″. This will bring the location details for that unknown number.

4. Specific term or name search

google specific term

If you want to search for a specific term like “country music”, put the term in quotations so it will look like: “WeBuySoft”. This will bring search results with the specific term in it.

5. Search a site

search site

Let’s say you want to search cnet.com for an iPhone XR, then put site: cnet.com iPhone XR. Or you want to browse T-Mobile for iPhone. The syntax or the operator will be “site: t-mobile.com iPhone”.

6. Converting currency, units and number

google currency converter

Quickly convert currencies and numbers. For example: 100 dollars in Euros or 10 centimeters in inches. You can also put a mathematical equation and let Google solve it for you.

7. Related words

Use the tilde (~) operator for related words. If you want to search for vacation and happiness both, then use the “~” operator like this: “vacation ~ happiness”.

8. Search for time ranges

Say you want to search for football during a certain time period. Use this simple syntax like: “football 2005..2018″.

9. Search specific document types

google ppt

Kids especially in school are asked to work on different things like word documents, power point presentations and spreadsheets. You can search for specific document files by using this syntax: “PPT: Most Popular Passwords”.

10. Calculate and define words

google define

When you want to find a meaning of a word with a single search result then use the syntax: “define computer”. Likewise ask Google to do calculations for you like this: “5900*92″.

We hope that these Google search tricks will help you get to the information you need a lot faster. PS: Don’t worry about lower case usage, just go ahead and smartly search anything on Google with the above techniques.

Password Management Software

Posted on by Jeff Fleming

Recently, we published an article about weak passwords with a few quick recommendations for users; now, we’re taking it one step further. Creating and continuing to use weak login passwords is extremely easy, but most users will be surprised to know that managing multiple passwords for different sites is just as easy and a lot more secure.

Today, passwords have become as important as house keys or a wallet (to some people), and keeping them safe from falling into the wrong hands is an everyday struggle. Many experts recommend the use of a password management software to assist with keeping up with all passwords and keeping those passwords safe and secure as well.

password management software

Below is a quick look at some types of password managers (these are sometimes combined):

  • Web-Based: An online manager where login credentials are viewed/copied to a specific websites.
  • Cloud-Based: An online manager where passwords are stored on a provider’s cloud internet server (passwords are still handled by management software).
  • Desktop: Passwords are store on computer’s hard drive using desktop/laptop software.
  • Portable: Stores passwords on small portable devices such as smartphones or thumb drives for mobile use.
  • Token: Login credentials can be protected several different ways such as smart card, PIN number, password or fingerprint scanner.

Here are some ideas of some great password managers to use: LastPass, Dashlane, RoboForm, Keeper, KeePass, 1Password and the list goes on.

Password management software can differ in some ways, but they have one thing in common; they typically require users to remember one password to gain access. Password Manager doesn’t protect you from keyloggers or spy software that may be installed on your PC. For users who do use a management software that requires using a “master” password, it is recommended to change that password every few months or so.

While there are many password managers that are offered to users for free, there are others who do charge a fee for their “premium” service. For those using multiple computers or mobile devices with different operating systems to log into different websites, using a web/cloud based manager may work out best and many of these are free to use; some even come with a mobile manager app for smartphones for a small charge.

Password management software come with some great features to assist users such as an “autofill” feature to automatically enter login information on each saved site, setting periods for all passwords to expire, multi-browser support, back-up options and much more.

autofill
Autofill forms in one click with Dashlane.

Another cool feature that some password management software offer is a random password generator. With this users can choose options such as use of letters/special characters/numbers, password length, and can even select to make the random generated password pronounceable or not.

random password generator
Create a secure password using LastPass Password Generator

If you are not using a password manager software to keep your passwords safe and secure, it is highly recommended that you start sooner than later. They are not very expensive and the benefits hugely outweigh the costs.

The 25 Most Popular (and Worst) Passwords of 2017

Posted on by Jeff Fleming

If I told you “123456″ was the most commonly used password of 2017, would you be surprised? Well, don’t be! Recently mobile security company SplashData released their annual list of the 25 most common passwords found on the internet in 2017, their main source for the survey being the cyber attack in October that hit Adobe targeting almost 38 million users. The list of 25 revealed some shocking results of passwords that some would think are extremely too obvious to ever be used including ones like “qwerty”, “abc123″, and even #2 on the list, “password”.

worst passwords
This is a list of the most common passwords of 2017, according to Wikipedia

“Why would anyone ever use a password that easy”, you might be asking. Well, on one hand it is slightly understandable if you think about it; almost every website you go to nowadays asks you to sign-up and/or sign-in when using the site. Many people have a difficult time remembering all these passwords (especially to sites they don’t use on a regular basis), so they opt for something quick and easy to remember. However, adopting a strong password is highly encouraged to all internet users to lower the security risk of someone accessing their personal information.

The list of 25 is also a little surprising due to the fact that many websites themselves have adopted stronger password creating policies. Now on many websites when creating a password, users are required to use a minimum of eight characters, must use a combination of letters, numbers and special character(s), and some sites even have an indicator to inform users how weak/strong the password they’re trying to create actually is.

Quick Tip

Security experts recommend using random letter/number/character combinations as passwords. Though these can sometimes be difficult to remember, experts also recommend the use of phrase passwords, a combination of words that can stick out in memory such as “ballfootbasket”. It is also recommended not to use the same passwords and usernames for multiple websites.

RELATED: How to Create a Strong Password

For some strange reason, many internet users are either not aware of how weak their passwords are, or simply do not believe there is any risk in having a weak one. With more and more of our everyday lives taking place online, this is not very wise and can be detrimental down the line.