Category Archives: Make Tech Easier

Essentials, Google, Make Tech Easier, More

Search the Internet without wasting time

This article will get you started searching the internet, and keep you from wasting time while doing it – assuming you don’t WANT to waste time! It is NOT going to be exhaustive, and will not show even HALF the techniques that MDStech knows. It will, however, get you started.

The Goal:

Find the information you seek in ONE attempt.

First, WHY?

You search the ‘net quite often for information. You actually search a lot more than you think, because EVERY time you look for something – whether its on Amazon, or eBay, Instagram, Facebook, Tunblr, Twitter, or a search engine – you can use these principles EVERYWHERE you search.

Imagine the time you can save.

Second, WHAT?

Let’s stick with Search Engines. Most people use 1 or at most 2. There are literally hundreds of search engines out there – and NONE of them cover the entire internet. [Not even Google].

To keep things simple, let’s group search engines into 2 categories:

  1. Regular
  2. Meta

 

1. Regular search engines – like Google or Bing – take the words you type into the search box [the “keywords”] and try to find webpages that they previously discovered [“crawled”] that matches your words.

They don’t really understand the meaning of words, though – which is why you will get a mixture of results ranging from crossing a river to a car manufacturer if you search for the word “ford”.

2. Meta engines – Click here for a list – search other search engines and combine the results into one list. The advantage of Meta engines is that each of the “regular” engines knows about different parts of the internet. Thus, by searching several engines at the same time, you can cover MORE of the internet to find your information.

Third – HOW? part 1

And,

Or,

Not.

Those three words can be very powerful, and can help you find your info in ONE try – when combined with the tips in part 2, below.

You can tell your search engine to search for

first word AND second word AND third word

This would make the engine look for web pages that HAVE to contain all three words.

You can tell your search engine to search for

first word OR second word OR third word

This would make the engine look web pages that HAVE to contain only ONE of the words

You can tell your search engine to search for

first word NOT second word

This would tell the engine to list any webpages that contain the first word, but only if they do NOT contain the second word.

Examples:

ford and chevy and honda
The results HAVE to have all three car brands

ford OR chevy OR honda
The results must have only ONE of the three words
To be honest, this one is not used much at all

ford NOT car NOT truck NOT vehicle
The results will have the word “ford” in it, but hopefully you won’t get any results relating to Ford Motor Company.

HOW you tell the engine to do this depends on the engine. Check the engine’s help pages.

[Often, just typing the keywords gets you an AND search. Putting a minus sign in front of a keyboard means NOT. Try it and see if it works.]

Fourth – HOW? Part 2

How do you come up with the words to type in that search box? Ah, THERE’s the secret sauce to search.

Step One: The Question

Phrase your search in the form of a question. Write it down until you get the hang of this.

HINT: The more specific the question, the better the chance you’ll get this done in one try.

 

Step Two: Underline

Underline the important words.

Step Three: Keywords

Those underlined words are your keywords. Type them into the search engine.

Step Four: READ the results.

Actually look at the descriptions to see what will LIKELY give you the answer you seek. Doublecheck the web address to see if it looks like a legit source [Hint: Facebook.com probably isn’t a good choice.]

Step Five: Go to Page Two.

Sometimes the answers you seek are on page two or three.

Step Six: Synonyms

If you haven’t found the results, look at your keywords. Is there another way to phrase it? Are there any synonyms you could use?

For example, instead of “rain”, you could use “downpour”, “weather”, “inclement weather”, “precipitation”

HINT:
You have a Thesaurus on your iPad.

AN EXAMPLE

You look at your shoe, and see the shoelace has this little thing on the end of it, and start wondering if that thing has a name,

Step 1: Phrase it in the form of a question.

What is that thing on the end of my shoelace called?

Step 2: Underline the important words

What is that thing on the end of my shoelace called?

Step 3: Type those underlined words into your search engine of choice.

If that doesn’t work, make sure to check page 2 and 3 of the results. Or you could try using a synonym – “name” instead of “called”, for example.

Make Tech Easier

“Can I block site XYZ at the house?”

SCROLL DOWN FOR ADDITIONAL IDEAS, posted March 2020

The iPad Guy has had several parents ask if such-and-such a site can blocked at home for the iPads.

That is indeed doable, but only on the network at the house. It is not something the school can do for you.

You need a wireless router that includes a feature that is usually called “parental controls” or similar. [Here’s an Amazon Link]. Usually the network cable that comes from the wall plugs into a cable modem [or other box provided by your service provider], and then the wireless router plugs into the network jack on that box.

You’ll have some configuring to do – the routers all work somewhat differently. I suggest doing a Web Search for your router model plus “how setup parental controls”. [LIKE THIS, for example].

As an example, here is a detailed document that steps you through setting up Parental Controls on a TP-Link Archer router:  https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1155/

Some families would find it useful – especially if there is a home business involved – to have TWO wireless networks available – one for family, one for business, for example. Some wireless routers have that capability – some others can have a “guest” network that you can password protect that could be used for that purpose as well.

A last word about costs:

These kind of features are NOT found on the less expensive routers. You will probably pay over $100 for that feature set.

…and please use a good quality surge protector on the router – NOT a $10 one. You are protecting a critical part of your network, so it is worth spending more to make sure the thing KEEPS working!

Here is another option:

1.
Another options is to use OpenDNS [ https://signup.opendns.com/homefree/ ] on your network. Start with the free account, and then upgrade to the paid one if necessary.
Here is why this looks promising:
  • With over 50 customizable filtering categories, OpenDNS Web content filtering keeps parents in control of what websites children visit at home.
  • OpenDNS blocks phishing websites that try to steal your identity and login information by pretending to be a legitimate website. Surf the Web with confidence.
This will require changing some network settings to use them for DNS [think of it as an internet phonebook]. Do a web search for your router model and how set DNS” – you can often find detailed directions there.
Make Tech Easier, Students

Java applet problems

If you are on a webpage that is running a Java applet and the thing isn’t running [or just won’t work right!], these instructions from http://www.math.ucsd.edu/~crypto/fixjava.html may help.

 

How to Fix Java Applet Security Errors

Security Errors When Loading Java Applets

Did you get errors like the following when you tried to run a Java applet in the web browser?

Your Java version is out-of-date.
Application Blocked
Application Blocked by Security Settings
Your security settings have blocked an application from running with an out-of-date or expired version of Java.
Your security settings have blocked an untrusted application from running.

For security reasons, recent versions of Java may block unsigned Java applets from automatically running by default.

Solution #1

If you are allowed to install/upgrade software on your computer, please install the latest Java upgrade first, relaunch the web browser, and try again.

Solution #2

If you are unable to install/upgrade to the latest Java version, and you trust the unsigned Java applet to be safe, you can workaround this problem by adding an “exception site” or temporarily lowering the security level of the currently installed Java:

For Microsoft Windows:
  1. Click on the Windows “Start” menu in the lower-left corner of the screen –>
    “Control Panel” –>
    “Programs” –>
    “Java”.
  2. In the “Java Control Panel” window that appears –>
    Click the “Security” tab.
  3. If there is a “Exception Site List” section in this window, click on the “Edit Site List…” button –>
    Click the “Add” button –>
    Type in the web server location for the Java applet like “http://www.math.ucsd.edu/” –>
    Click the “OK” button –>
    Click the “OK” button.
  4. If there is no “Exception Site List” section in this window –>
    Slide the “Security Level” indicator from “High” down to “Medium” –>
    Click the “Apply” button –>
    Click the “OK” button.
  5. Close ALL of the open windows. You must completely QUIT the web browser or this workaround will fail.
  6. Re-launch the web browser.
  7. Go to the Java applet.
  8. When the “Security Warning” window asking “Do you want to run this application?” appears, if there is a “I accept the risk and want to run this app.” option, checkmark it ON first then –>
    Click the “Run” button.
  9. The Java applet should load OK now. You may need to click on it to start it.
  10. When you are done using the Java applet, you should change the Java “Security Level” back to “High” if you had lowered it down to “Medium” earlier.
For Mac OS X:
  1. Click on the “Apple” menu in the upper-left corner of the screen –>
    “System Preferences…” –> “Java”.
  2. In the “Java Control Panel” window that appears –>
    Click the “Security” tab.
  3. If there is a “Exception Site List” section in this window:
    click on the “Edit Site List…” button –>
    Click the “Add” button –>
    Type in the web server location for the Java applet like “http://www.math.ucsd.edu/” –>
    Click the “OK” button –>
    Click the “OK” button.
  4. If there is no “Exception Site List” section in this window –>
    Slide the “Security Level” indicator from “High” down to “Medium” –>
    Click the “Apply” button –>
    Click the “OK” button.
  5. Close ALL of the open windows. You must completely QUIT the web browser or this workaround will fail.
  6. Re-launch the web browser.
  7. Go to the Java applet.
  8. When the “Security Warning” window asking “Do you want to run this application?” appears, if there is a “I accept the risk and want to run this app.” option, checkmark it ON first then –> Click the “Run” button.
  9. The Java applet should load OK now. You may need to click on it to start it.
  10. When you are done using the Java applet, you should change the Java “Security Level” back to “High” if you had lowered it down to “Medium” earlier.