Windows – Tech Savvy Life

How to Use Bionic Reading in Chrome

We are all constantly absorbing information online. Bionic Reading is an approach to reading that can help you read faster, retain more information, and boost your productivity in your favorite web browser, like Chrome.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
June 6, 2023

This is for desktops using Chrome or other browsers. Screenshots are from Windows 10

We are all constantly absorbing information online. Bionic Reading is an approach to reading that can help you read faster, retain more information, and boost your productivity in your favorite web browser, like Chrome.

Bionic Reading Explained

Bionic reading is a method of reading that combines traditional reading with technology-assisted tools. This helps readers increase their reading speed, improve their comprehension and retention, and ultimately become more productive in their reading activities.

Was the above paragraph easier and quicker to read? If you said yes, then you have just experienced some of the benefits of Bionic Reading. Now, imagine that but for a whole article, essay, or book.

Your brain does not always read every letter of every word. It only intakes enough information for you to understand a word, and then it moves on to the next one. The bolding of the first half of each word lets your mind fast-track through paragraphs.

The bolding aspect is the most notable factor in Bionic Reading, but there’s more as well. A lot of apps and extensions also remove colors from images and change white or black backgrounds to gray. These changes help your eyes focus on the text.

Why Use Bionic Reading

Using Bionic Reading in Chrome, or any other web browser, can offer several benefits.

It can help you read faster and more efficiently, which allows you to cover more material in less time.

Bionic Reading can also help you retain more information by training your brain to focus on the most important parts of any text.

As a result of the two above-mentioned benefits, it can improve your productivity by allowing you to process information more effectively. This can be particularly useful in academic or work-related settings.

Bionic Reading in any browser can be a valuable tool for anyone looking to optimize their online reading experience.

Think of Bionic Reading as akin to Speed Reading but they are different in their approach. Speed Reading is the process of rapidly recognizing and absorbing phrases or sentences on a page all at once, rather than identifying individual words.

How Bionic Reading Helps You

Bionic Reading helps you read faster and more efficiently with techniques including skimming, scanning, chunking, and altering images to be easier on the eye. Refer to the below image:

Bionic Reader 1 — Bionic Reading example from Chrome Web Store

For example, when you skim a text, you quickly glance through it to get a general idea of the content without reading every word. Similarly, when you scan a text, you search for specific keywords or phrases that are relevant to your reading goals.

By using these techniques, you can save time and energy. Bionic Reading tools like web browser extensions or apps can help automate some of these techniques.

Bionic Reading Trains Your Brain to Retain Information

By using Bionic Reading, you can begin to retain more information by training your brain to focus on the most crucial parts of any text, such as key concepts, arguments, or evidence.

Through using techniques like skimming or scanning (as mentioned above), you can quickly identify the main points of the text and decide what information is relevant to your reading goals. In turn, this uses less mental energy.

By consistently applying these techniques, you can train your brain to become more efficient at processing and retaining information. Studying, researching, and editing your own work can become easier as a result.

Bionic Reading Improves Your Productivity

Before we go into how Bionic Reading increases your productivity, you need a frame of reference for how your productivity can suffer through everyday means.

Using your eyes takes up about 50% of your brain power. That’s more than any of your other senses. We, as humans, heavily rely on our vision for pretty much everything we do.

As your brain becomes able to retain more information, you will need to re-read the same text less often.

Reading faster and more efficiently drastically cuts down on the stress your eyes and brain suffer while researching, writing, and doing similar work, especially when you are mentally digesting new information.

To summarize, by improving your reading efficiency and training your brain to better retain information, your productivity should increase.

Bionic Reading Chrome Extension

You can get the Bionic Reading extension for Chrome on the Chrome Web Store. See the below image:

Bionic Reader 2 — Adding Bionic Reading Chrome extension

At the top of a Chrome window, click the Menu icon (the 3 dots) to open the Menu. Now, click More Tools > Extensions to view the extension. See the following image:

Bionic Reader 3 — Bionic Reading Chrome extension

After installing it, you can manage the Bionic Reading extension through the Extensions menu at the top-right of your window (click the little jigsaw piece icon). Refer to the below image:

Bionic Reader 4 — Activate Bionic Reading

You are now ready to begin using the Bionic Reading extension! When you want to activate it on any given webpage, all you need to do is click the jigsaw piece icon at the top-right of your window and then click the Bionic Reading icon. To turn Bionic Reading off, do the same thing again. See the below image:

Bionic Reader 5 — Bionic Reading example

Everything is removed from the web page but the text. That’s all there is to it! Start saving your energy for tougher tasks by letting Bionic Reading do the heavy visual lifting.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.
Elon Musk

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

Using a Keyboard Shortcut to Clear Your Browser History

Want to clear your browser history quickly? There’s a keyboard shortcut for that. It works in any browser, including Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox (on both Windows PCs and Macs.)

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
May 30, 2023

This is for popular browsers on a PC or Mac

Want to clear your browser history quickly? There’s a keyboard shortcut for that. It works in any browser, including Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox (on both Windows PCs and Macs.)

Depending on your web browser of choice, you can speed things up in the future by activating the Clear button with a few keystrokes. You may have to tab through the interface to select the Clear button before hitting Enter.

Here’s how it works on a few popular browsers on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC:

Google Chrome: Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete and press Enter.
Mozilla Firefox: Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete and press Enter.
Microsoft Edge: Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete and press Enter.

You can now configure exactly what you want to delete. Your browser will remember the settings you pick here, so you will only have to set this up once.

You can pick a time range, or history from a time period like the last hour, last 24 hours, last week, or from all time. You can also pick the types of data: browsing history, download history, cookies, cached files, and more.

When you are done, click the Clear data or Clear now button. Refer to the below image for Chrome:

Clear Chrome 1 — Selecting to Clear data in Chrome

Incognito Mode

In the future, you can eliminate the need to clear your browser history by browsing in a private-browsing mode, like Incognito Mode in Chrome. You will just have to close the private-browsing window, and your browser will immediately forget the history associated with your private browsing.

You can use keyboard shortcuts to open and close a private-browsing mode window, too.

Google Chrome: Press Ctrl+Shift+N
Mozilla Firefox: Press Ctrl+Shift+P
Safari or Chrome on a Mac: Press Command instead of Ctrl; for example, press Shift+Command+N.

When you are done, press Ctrl+W to close a single tab or Ctrl+Shift+W to close an entire window. (On a Mac, press Command instead of Ctrl.)

Just remember that Incognito Mode does not offer complete privacy online. It only prevents your web browser from storing your browsing history locally. You may want to combine it with a VPN to boost your online privacy.

Disclaimer

Quote For the Day

Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.
Anton Chekhov

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Amazon RxPass for Your Prescriptions

Hot on the heels of shutting down the AmazonSmile charity platform, a new add-on to Amazon Prime has been revealed. It aims to fill prescriptions for generic medications for one low monthly price.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
May 11, 2023

Hot on the heels of shutting down the AmazonSmile charity platform, a new add-on to Amazon Prime has been revealed. It aims to fill prescriptions for generic medications for one low monthly price.

This is for devices using Amazon

Amazon already runs a pharmacy through its online store, bolstered by the purchase of PillPack in 2018, but now the company is going a step further. Instead of buying each drug individually, Amazon is launching an optional subscription called RxPass, priced at $5 per month in the United States. No health insurance is required, but most (if not all) of the medications are controlled substances that require a prescription from a doctor.

RxPass does not cover every drug Amazon sells, but it does provide access to “commonly prescribed generic medications that treat more than 80 common health conditions.” There’s a full list on the RxPass website (scroll down to see the list), which includes anti-inflammatory drugs like Piroxicam and Naproxen, nine medications for high blood pressure and cardiac dysrhythmias, and even some drugs for treating Parkinson’s disease.

The new subscription could potentially save some people a lot of money, but there is a darker side to RxPass. CNN reports the subscription is almost certainly a loss leader for Amazon, meaning it’s intended to maintain subscriptions to Amazon Prime rather than be self-sustaining. You are probably going to be less likely to cancel Amazon Prime on the next price hike if it’s responsible for your access to critical medication, and Amazon’s FAQ page says canceling Prime will also cancel RxPass.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing, and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
Carl Sagan

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Disable Windows 11 or 10 Firewall

For troubleshooting, testing, or other similar purposes, you may need to turn off your Windows 11 or Windows 10’s firewall. It’s easy to disable this feature on your PC.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
March 7, 2023

For troubleshooting, testing, or other similar purposes, you may need to turn off your Windows 11 or Windows 10’s firewall. It’s easy to disable this feature on your PC. Let’s explore this feature.

This is for Windows 11/10. Screenshots are from Windows 10

Note! The Dilbert comic will be suspended until further notice. Due to racists remarks by the creater of Dilbert, Scott Adams on a talk show, Dilbert has been removed from the Internet and newspapers. We have been following Dilbert for three decades and we thought the comic titted in with the theme of these posts.

Disable Your Firewall Only If You Have To

Turning off Windows’ firewall allows unauthorized network access on your PC. So unless you have a strong reason to disable the feature, you must keep the firewall turned on at all times.

The only times you may need to disable your firewall are when you are troubleshooting an issue, testing an app, or using a third-party firewall on your computer. Even then, if you are disabling the firewall to let an app through your network, add that app to the Firewall Exception list instead of turning the entire feature off.

When you are finished with your task, remember to turn the firewall back on to stay secure.

Turn Off Firewall

On both Windows 11 and 10, you will use the built-in Windows Security app to disable and enable the firewall.

First, launch Windows Security on your PC. Do this by opening the Start menu, searching for Windows Security, then click the app in the search results. Refer to the below image:

Next, in the window that opens, click Firewall & network protection. See the below image:

Firewall 2 — Launch Firewall & Network Protection option

Now, on the Firewall & network protection page, select your network profile. To disable the firewall for your current profile, you will see Active next to that profile, so click that option. See the following image:

Firewall 3 — Launch the Private Network (Active) option

Next, in the Microsoft Defender Firewall section, toggle OFF the option. Later, to re-enable the firewall, toggle ON the option. Refer to the below image:

Now, select Yes in the User Account Control prompt, and your Windows firewall is now disabled. You may now continue your troubleshooting, testing, or other similar tasks.

Remember to turn the firewall back on when you are finished.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing and rarely is static for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

Communication tools don’t get socially interesting until they get technologically boring.
Clay Shirky

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Remove Annoying Ads on Windows 10

Microsoft continues to double down on its most annoying feature by keeping advertisements inside Windows 10 (and adding even more to Windows 11). Let’s explore how to remove

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
February 21, 2023

Microsoft continues to double down on its most annoying feature by keeping advertisements inside Windows 10 (and adding even more to Windows 11). Let’s explore how to remove these ads.

Thankfully, most of these ads have a Settings menu. (The same goes for the ads in Windows 11).

This is for devices running Windows 10. Screenshots are from Windows 10

Dilbert and New Years — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

You may have to check Settings from time to time to ensure everything is still how you want it as Windows updates add more ads. The steps below may not remove everything but should tone things down to some extent.

Remove Ads from Start Menu

First, you can turn these ads off if you head to the:

Settings > Personalization > Start

and toggle OFF the Show suggestions occasionally in the Start option. Refer to the below image:

Next, if you have a problem with any of the Live Tiles on your Start screen, some of which are pre-installed junk or trials, you can right-click on the one that’s bugging you, Just hover over the More option, and choose turn Live Tile to OFF. That way, it will merely act as a shortcut to the app. Or you can right-click on it to choose Uninstall to remove the app entirely.

Block Tips and suggestions From Lock Screen

First, to remove these tips and suggestions, head to

Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen

and set your background to Picture or Slideshow. Here, you can then toggle OFF for Get fun facts, tips, and more… See the below image:

Remove Ads From Taskbar and Action Center

First, you can get rid of these ads by going to

Settings > System > Notifications & Actions

and unchecking Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows.

Next, you may also want to untick the Show me the Windows welcome experience… option here, which shows those annoying tours after you update Windows, as well as the Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device…

Now, toggle OFF any manufacturer-installed apps that may be sending them, such as Lenovo Vantage on Lenovo ThinkPads. (You could also uninstall them entirely; just make sure they do not provide some useful features you want, (like updating certain drivers.) See the following image:

Ads 3 — Remove Taskbar and Action Center ads

Remove Ads From File Explorer

First, you can get rid of these space-wasting suggestions by clicking

View > Options in File Explorer, then click the View tab in the window that appears.

Next, scroll. down to Show sync provider notifications and uncheck that box. That should prevent ads from showing up in File Explorer again. Refer to the below image:

Remove Targeted Advertising

Windows gives you an Advertising ID that it uses to track your interests and serve you more relevant ads within apps. While you are turning OFF all of Windows’ built-in ads, you may want to turn this setting OFF as well.

First, head to

Settings > Privacy > General

and toggle OFF the Let apps use advertising ID…, if you would rather have non-targeted ads. See the below image:

Disclaimer

Quote For the Day

People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.
Alan Kay

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How to Create a System Restore Point in Windows 11/10

System Restore lets you restore key Windows system files and Registry settings to a known-good state. Windows automatically creates them in certain situations, but you may want to manually create them before installing hardware drivers or making other major system changes. Let’s explore how to create a System Restore Point.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
February 16, 2023

System Restore lets you restore key Windows system files and Registry settings to a known-good state. Windows automatically creates them in certain situations, but you may want to manually create them before installing hardware drivers or making other major system changes. Let’s explore how to create a System Restore Point.

This is for devices running Windows 11 or 10. Screenshots are from Windows 10

Dilbert and Crypto — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

System Restore Point Explained

Windows 11 and 10 include a utility app called System Restore that can repair malfunctioning Windows installations by reverting certain system files and Windows Registry settings to a prior state. It does this by using restore points, which are snapshots of system files and the registry made either automatically or manually before problems arise.

Restore points are stored in a hidden folder called System Volume Information which is located at the root of each drive. Creating a restore point does not make any changes to your system, but restoring it later does. The instructions are the same in each Windows version.

Note: Windows will automatically create System Restore points in certain situations, so you may be able to restore to a previous system state even if you have never manually created one. However, you may want to manually create System Restore points before making major changes to your computer’s settings, installing drives, or installing large applications.

Manually Create a System Restore Point

First, open the Start Menu and type “Restore Point”. In the results that appear, select Create a Restore Point. Refer to the below image:

Restore 1 — Accessing the option to Create a Restore Point

Next, the System Properties window will open with the System Protection tab selected. This is the main interface for managing restore points within Windows. Click the Create button toward the bottom of the window. See the below image:

Restore 2 — Selecting to Create a Restore Point

Now, type in the name of the restore point. A good rule of thumb is to use a name that identifies why you are making the restore point, such as before a major installation or upgrade. For example “Before Drivers Update”, or “Before OneDrive Installation.”. When you are ready, click Create. See the following image:

Next, you will see a progress bar, then if all goes well, a message that says The restore point was created successfully. Just click Close. Refer to the below image:

After that, you are finished creating the restore point.

Automatically Create a System Restore Point

First, use the same System Protection tab in System Properties. Select the drive you would like to protect, then click Configure. In the window that opens, select Turn on System Protection, then click OK. See the below image:

Restore 4a — Enabling Create a Restore Point

When you are done, click OK or close the System Properties window.

Restore a System Restore Point

To restore a System Restore point in Windows 111/10, we will use the same System Protection tab in the instructions above. First, open the Start Menu and type “Restore Point”, then click Create a Restore Point in the results. See the following image:

Now, in the System Restore window that opens, click Next when you see the introductory information. On the following screen, you will see a list of system restore points available on your PC. Select the one you want to restore and click Next. Refer to the below image:

Note: On this same screen, you can select a restore point and click “Scan For Affected Programs” to see a list of installed apps that will be affected by the restore process. This might help you make a decision about which restore point to choose.

Restore 7 — Selecting a Restore Point to restore

Next, you will see a summary screen. Click Finish. See the below image:

Restore 8 — Finish creating a Restore Point

Warning: By clicking “Yes” in the next step, you are about to make a permanent change to your system that could make your apps not work properly. System restore replaces your system files with older versions, and that can potentially break things. Only use it if you are recovering from a serious error. Also, you will not be able to use your PC while the system restore process is taking place.

If you are ready to begin the system restore, click Yes on the final warning screen. See the following image:

Your system will restart and the restore process will begin. After it’s complete, if everything went well, you will be able to log into Windows and use your PC as normal.

Disclaimer

Quote For the Day

Communication tools don’t get socially interesting until they get technologically boring.
Clay Shirky

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Download/Save Images Using Google Image Search

Google’s Image Search results are sometimes so impressive that you want to save some of those images to your device.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
February 2, 2023

Google’s Image Search results are sometimes so impressive that you want to save some of those images to your device. If you have found yourself in this situation, let’s explore how to download those images from your search results.

This is for mobile and desktop devices. Screenshots are from Windows 10 and iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+

Dilbert and Batteries — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Save Images On Desktop

To download an image on a desktop, you just pick your image, click an option, and your image is saved to your computer.

First, launch your favorite web browser on your computer and open Google Image Search. There, find the image you want to save to your machine. Refer to the below image:

Google Image Search 1 — Search Google Images

Next, on the search results page, access the image that you want to download. See the below image:

Now, right-click your image, and from the menu that opens, choose to Save image as. See the following image:

Google Image Search 3 — Check the option to save your image

Next, your browser will open your computer’s standard Save As window. Here, select a folder to save your image in, type your image name in the File Name field, then click Save. Refer to the below image:

Now, you have successfully downloaded your favorite image from your Image Search results. If you are not sure exactly where the image file went, check your Downloads folder from File Explorer.

If your downloaded file is of low resolution, then try downloading that image directly from the source site. To do that, on the Image Search results page, click the link, beneath the image, and not the image, to be taken to the image site. There, right-click the image and choose Save image as.

Download Images On Mobile

On your mobile phone, you can download images from Google’s Image Search results using Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Microsoft Edge. Mozilla Firefox does not offer the option to save images.

To start, first, open your web browser (we are using Safari) and launch Google Image Search or type into the search box “images.google.com”. Find the image you would like to save to your phone.

Next, on the search results page, tap the image to download. See the below image:

Google Image Search 5 — Tap an image you want to download

Now, on your image full-screen page, tap and hold the image. See the following image:

Google Image Search 6 — Press and hold your image

Next, on iPhone or iPad, from the menu that opens in Safari, tap Save to Photos. Refer to the below image:

Google Image Search 7 — Select the option to save your image

Your iPhone will download and save the image on your local storage or in our example using Safari, your Photos app. See the below image:

Disclaimer

Quote For the Day

The technology you use impresses no one. The experience you create with it is everything.
Sean Cerety

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Enable Google Chrome Dark Mode

Google Chrome has had a built-in dark theme like Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge since Chrome 74. You can even apply a dark theme to every web page you visit using third-party themes or an extension.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
January 26, 2023

Google Chrome has had a built-in dark theme like Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge since Chrome 74. You can even apply a dark theme to every web page you visit using third-party themes or an extension. Let’s explore this dark mode feature.

This is for devices running Windows 11 or 10. Screenshots are from Windows 10

Dilbert and Robot — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Chrome offers a built-in dark mode on Windows 11 and Windows 10. It even makes all of Chrome’s context menus dark, too.

Dark Mode for Windows 11

First, open the Settings app and navigate to:

Personalization > Color

Next, click the drop-down menu to the right of Choose Your Mode and select Dark. Refer to the below image:

Dark Mode 1 — Setting Dark Mode for Windows 11

Next, close out the Settings app and launch Google Chrome. Unless you have manually set Chrome’s theme, it will match your system.

Dark Mode for Windows 10

First, head to:

Settings > Personalization > Colors

and select Dark under Choose your default app mode. See the below image:

Dark Mode 2 — Setting Dark Mode for Windows 10

Apply a Dark Theme

Chrome supports user-created themes, which you can download from the Chrome Web Store. To give Chrome a dark interface, all you have to do is install a dark theme. Google even provides a helpful collection of editor-selected dark themes. This will give your Chrome browser a dark mode on Windows 7, Linux, Chrome OS, and any operating system without a native dark theme.

Note! Google now offers some official Chrome browser themes, including a “Just Black” dark mode theme. You may want to give that a try.

We recommend Morpheon Dark, which is the most popular dark theme in the Store. Unlike some other dark themes, it provides a decent amount of contrast between your active tab, which is a bit lighter, and your inactive tabs, which are darker.

This theme turns darkens the Tab Bar, Title Bar, Toolbar, and New Tab page. That’s all you can theme in Chrome. You can not make Chrome’s Context Menus or Settings page dark, for example. See the following image:

If you ever want to switch back to Chrome’s default theme you can. Head to:

Menu > Settings

Look for the Themes option under Appearance and then click Reset to Default. Refer to the below image:

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing, and rarely is their static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

Even the technology that promises to unite us, divides us. Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone.
Dan Brown

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Add Copyright, Trademark, and Registered Symbol to a Document on Windows

You can insert special symbols on Windows by pressing its Alt Code on a numeric keypad. Or, press Windows+. to use the emoji keyboard.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
January 19, 2023

You can insert special symbols on Windows by pressing its Alt Code on a numeric keypad. Or, press Windows+. to use the emoji keyboard.

The symbols are a hint to others that something is protected by law. Windows keyboards do not have a dedicated key to quickly insert the symbol. But there’s a keyboard shortcut for the Windows operating system.

This is for Windows. Screenshots are from Windows 10

Dilbert and Twitter — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Using a Numeric Keyboard

The quickest way to insert a copyright, trademark, or registered symbol in your document is to use its Alt Code.

Note: You can only use this shortcut if your keyboard has a numeric keypad, which is usually to the right of the keyboard. You can not use this shortcut with the numbers at the top of the keyboard.

First, place the cursor where you would like to insert the symbol.

Next, press and hold the Alt key. For the copyright symbol © press “0169” using the numeric keypad. Once you release the Alt key, the copyright symbol will be inserted. Repeat the above for the trademark symbol ™ using “0153” and for the registered symbol ® using “0174“.

Without a Numeric Keyboard

If your Windows PC does not have a numeric keypad, you can use the emoji keyboard instead. Press Windows+. to open the emoji keyboard.

First, tap the symbol icon at top of the emoji keyboard. Then tap the appropriate emoji to insert it. Refer to the below image:

You can also insert many other symbols via the keyboard shortcut or the emoji keyboard.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing and rarely is static for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions that are incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

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Explore the World of Radio Stations

While radio is not particularly hard to access; you just need a device capable of tuning into radio frequencies; listening to the radio outside of your area can be difficult. This app, however, lets you listen to any radio station in any country worldwide, complete with a colorful interface.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
January 10,2023

While radio is not particularly hard to access; you just need a device capable of tuning into radio frequencies. Listening to the radio outside of your area can be difficult. This app, however, lets you listen to any radio station in any country worldwide, complete with a colorful interface. Let’s check this out.

This is for computers and mobiles running a web browser. Screenshots are from Windows 10 PC

Dilbert and Dating — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Radio Garden is available as a web version, and it also has mobile apps for Android and iOS. Its whole premise is that you can listen to several radio stations in many different countries and cities. You will see a bunch of small green dots all across the globe, and those are radio stations that you can tune into immediately. You do not need a login or any kind of subscription. All you need is a device that can access the internet, like your computer or smartphone. Refer to the below image:

You can zoom in or out, move the round circle to any part of the world, or tap a green dot to listen to a station. Check out the Settings menu for options. We suggest you ignore the ads, they take you where you may not want to go; just close them. You can purchase the app for $2.99 (under Settings) to remove the virtual ads.

Some examples of Radio Garden stations:

It’s a lot of fun to play around with the app and learn something new.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing and rarely is there static for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

Good, bad or indifferent, if you are not investing in new technology, you are going to be left behind.
Philip Green

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That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

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Using a Numeric Keyboard