A.Word.A.Day - The Magic of Words

Hi All,

Today's blog post is all about words - complicated words, simple words, definitions, synonyms, antonyms and homonyms!  Its a veritable feast of 'word' information!

There are lots of definition websites on the internet - but one of the better ones is A.Word.A.Day

Visit the site by clicking on this link or the link above.

So what's so great about AWAD (A Word A Day hereafter) you ask?  Well, users can subscribe to AWAD and have an email delivered to their inbox each day with a new word and definition!  Click here for more information about subscribing to AWAD. FYI, there is a premium edition for $45/year.

Click on this link to find out what today's AWAD is. Note that each AWAD entry includes the way the word is pronounced - so that you can sound intelligent in a conversation when you use a particularly excellent AWAD . You can also listen to the way the AWAD is pronounced by clicking on the speaker icon.

The meaning of the word is included in a sentence or two.  And the etymology of the word is included; which is basically how the word came into being.  Finally, there is a section on the usage of the word - and it is included in a sentence so readers can notice the context of the word.

Users are able to make their own comments based on the entry, etymology or definition of the word.

Users can click on the AWAD Archives to find definitions of prior words.  The archive is chronological by year - and it goes back to 1994!!!!

Finally, readers can click on this 'About Us' to learn more about Wordsmith and AWAD.  You can even send them an email to ask a question, make a comment or voice your opinion.

One last thing...click on this link to find all the dictionaries that the Farmingdale Public Library has in its collections!

Enjoy the site and your newly found words!

Regards,
Stu

The World Series

Hi All,

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros are playing in this years' World Series.  So far the series is tied 1-1.  

Click here for the schedule for the rest of the World Series. 

Click on this link to get the box score, summaries, video and more of all the recent World Series Games.  And to get more information about the two World Series teams click this link for the Dodgers and this link for the Astros.

For a blog post like this, believe it or not, Wikipedia is  useful for this type of entry....Wikipedia has an extensive entry on the history, rivalries and players for each of the two World Series teams.  Click here for the Dodgers and here for the Astros. 

Finally for some awesome statistics that cover the two teams, click on this link to Fangraphs for the Astros and this link for Fangraphs for the Dodgers!

Enjoy the links and the World Series!

Regards,
Stu

Is This Website Safe?

Hi All,

Symantec is a very, very large computer security company that provides computer security individuals and corporations.  Its a large, large company which bought another company called Norton several years ago.

Norton provides computer security to regular folks and their computers. They use a product called Safe Web - of which you can read about more by clicking here. 

The interesting thing about Norton Safe Web is that users can look up a site and get Norton's rating of the site with respect to security and safety of the site.  Click here to use Norton Safe Web.  Nothing is downloaded or installed onto your computer. 

Information about the site users type in includes: website location, Norton Rating, Summary and Total Threats from the site. 

Norton uses icons to let the viewer know whether or not the site is 'safe' to use.  A green box with an ok in it is the top rating.  An orange box with an exclamation point is the next rating.  A red box with an 'x' is the lowest rating.

Users can also tap into Norton Safe Search community rating by viewing the table for community ratings on the right side of the screen.  Users can also review sites with a brief narrative.  Date of the review is also included.

Finally, click on this link for Norton's Community Buzz page.  Viewers can see sites like Google, Facebook,  YouTube and many others and there Norton Safe Search scores.  Interesting!

To some extent the site is an free advertisement for Norton's Safe Web software - which they (Norton) are trying to sell to customers...Buyer/web viewer beware. 

But its still a somewhat interesting and useful website!  Enjoy the site and the reviews!

Regards,
Stu

Free Stuff at Long Island Restaurants

Hi All,

Who doesn't like to get free stuff while you're at a restaurant.  Getting 'comped' like that makes you feel like a special guest - and the food or the drink or whatever you are getting for free - is usually extra good.  Because, well, its free!

Forthwith - a link from the Long Island Press from October 2017.  The article is titled, 'The A List: Free Stuff Restaurants Will Give You Just Because It's Your Birthday'. 

As is the case in life...there is a section in the article titled 'Fine Print'.  Which basically explains that the various restaurant(s) might require you to sign up for email or become a member of the restaurants 'club'.  (Which might entitle you to more free goodies in the future...)

As if that isn't enough; click on this link for an article titled, 'Free Things To Do With Your Kids on Long Island' published in September 2017 by TripSavvy.com.

The article has a nice list of interesting and obscure - but family friendly - things to do on Long Island with kids!!!

Enjoy the links and the free stuff that Long Island has to offer!

Regards,
Stu 

Fall Foliage Fun in New York

Hi All,

As you know the Fall is here.  And also....you probably have realized that leaves are starting to fall from trees.  Leaves and trees....trees and leaves.  They make for great tree and leaf watching this time of year. 

And because New York State has so many trees and because tourism is such a vital industry to New York State, the NYS Department of Economic Development has created a site called I Love New York - Things To Do - The Fall Foliage Report.

As you would expect the site has great pictures, lots of information and more on the site. For example, there are links to Best Foliage Spots, a New York Fall Bucket List and a more general list of Fall Events in New York State. 

Users can request a printed copy of the New York State Travel Guide/Foliage Guide by clicking on this link.   The site also has a leaf identifier feature which is very helpful when leaf watching.

Enjoy the links, leaves and the site!

Regards,
Stu

How to Recycle Your Technology

Hi All,

We all have tech - smartphones, iPads, iPhones, tablets, phones, ear buds, wall chargers, laptops, smartwatches, desktop computers, watches, hard drives, monitors, computer mice, DVD's, CD's, CD-ROM's, CD players, DVD players, batteries, headphones and more - somewhere in our closet or under our bed.  Its everywhere this stuff!

And what happens when a new phone or laptop or tablet arrives in the stores and folks buy it?  What do you do with the older devices and equipment? Indeed, that would make for a lot of extra landfill garbage!

So...how do you recycle your older tech in an environmentally safe manner?  Read on for websites and stores that have some type of recycling program(s)!

PC Reviews - How To Recycle Your Technology?

e-Stewards - where you can recycle your tech  

Best Buy - excellent recycling program - website is helpful to explain what they will/will to accept

Staples - member of e-Stewards - and it sells 'sustainable products'.

e-cycle - focuses on wireless mobile buyback and recycling for businesses and organizations

Call2Recycle - non profit program specifically collects/disposes rechargeable batteries

Recycle and help make for a better planet!  Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Speedtest - How Fast is Your Internet?

Hi All,

How fast is your internet connection?  Does your internet service provider claim one download speed and one upload speed - and you believe that it is much slower than that?    Indeed!


Click on this link from Speedtest.net and you can see what your exact upload/download speeds are anytime of the day.

Its simple, click on the words 'Begin Test' and you're computer will be pinged and you'll find out what your upload speed is and what your download speed is!

Mobile apps are available from the App Store, Windows Store, Google Play and Amazon Apps by Speedtest.net by clicking on this link! 

At the end of the test users will be able to rate their internet service provider and find out what their IP address is by looking at the bottom of the screen. 

Finally, users can click on the 'My Results' icon at the top of the page and see how their computer compares to a range of other computers and servers in various locations.

Enjoy the site and hopefully you have a fast internet connection for your downloads and uploads!

Regards,
Stu

Lifewire - Tech Untangled

Hi All,

Lifewire is a new site to help you get the most out of your technology - so you can get the most out of your life. Huh?  What does that mean?

Basically Lifewire shows you and teaches you how to best use your screens and gadgets and have fun with technology.  The site helps you fix devices and tech that's not working and it helps you buy tech so it works best for your life.  Information presented in a straightforward, practical way and advice is easy to understand.

The main Lifewire page has four major links for 'How To', 'Fix', 'Buy' and 'Do More'.  
The 'How To' includes technology how-to guides and tutorials.  There are whole subcategories including information on Windows, Macs, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android, Internet, Digital Cameras, Wearables, Game Consoles, Browsers, Car Tech and Antivirus.

Each of these subcategories has almost an 'encyclopedia' feel since articles are organized in the same fashion - with chapters on 'Basics', 'Guides and Tutorials', 'Installing and Upgrading', 'Tips/Tricks', and 'Key Concepts'.

Articles - for example - the one titled 'How to Register Your Vehicle Online' - can be anywhere up to about 1200 words or so.  Articles can be shared via Facebook, pinned via Pinterest and emailed or printed.  In addition, similar articles are listed at the bottom of the page for users who want more information on the similar topic, .

One very useful feature on the site is section on 'Tech Buying Guides'. This part of the site helps users decide which tech items are worth spending their money on - and which items are not worth spending money on.  Tech Buying Guides are broken down into categories of Computers & Tablets, Smartphones, Games & Consoles, Gadgets, TVs & Home Theater, Cameras and Audio.  Reviews are short and sweet and very tightly written.  They might be of some use to users.

Finally, Lifewire has a daily tips page - users can have a daily article sent to their email by clicking on this link (sign up at the bottom of the page!)

Enjoy the site and the reviews and the technology assistance!

Regards,
Stu 

24/7 Wall Street

Hi All,

Just came across a well organized, popular and reputable finance/money/investing website called 24/7 Wall Street.  Click here to visit the site. http://247wallst.com/

So, what is 24/7 Wall Street you ask?  As usual, good question.  Basically the site is a financial news and opinion website that delivers content on the web. Many of the articles are republished on other major websites including: MSN Money, Yahoo! Finance, MarketWatch, Time.com, USAToday, and The Huffington Post.

The company publishes over 30 articles per day and has readers throughout North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

At the heart of the site are links to Business, Technology, Investing, the Economy and Special Reports.  Click any of the links above to go to that particular section. 

Under the Business heading readers can find other links to article dealing with Aerospace/Defense, Autos, Banking/Finance, Commodities/Metals, Consumer Products, Energy, Healthcare, Industrials, Infrastucture, Media, Retail and Services.

Once you click on a topic, you'll find current articles related to it.  Articles include the date/time when it was posted, the title,  the author of the article, and of course, the article itself.  Readers can print or email the article.  Articles can also be Tweeted on Twitter and posted to Tumblr.

Of course there is a site search at the top right side of each page.  Results appear on the left side of the page after a search is completed.  Two or three sentences of the relevant article appear on the results side of the page - along with the date of the post and a link to the read the full story.

Articles on the site are relatively fresh and are generally easy to read.  You're not going to find the latest news on a particular company, but you will find helpful, additional information on specific industries and/or companies when you look for the information. 

Finally, on the 'About Us' page users can have a free daily newsletter emailed to them.  Click here for that link.  All in all a pretty helpful site.  And there is virtually no advertising that can be so annoying on other finance/money/investing websites. 

Enjoy the site!

Regards,
Stu

Good News!

Hi All,


Find some good news sites in this blog entry!

GoodNewsNetwork - has topics on news, culture and uplifting subjects.

MSN - good news links

Positive News -  constructive journalism magazine that offers independent reporting on progress and possibility.

Huff Post - more good news links


Sunny Skyz - has topics on fun/amazing news, inspirational stories, videos, pictures, jokes and more.

Enjoy the good news!

Regards,
Stu