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

Good News - Its the GoodNews Network!

Hi all,

Between all the weather related news, international geopolitics and the fact that school began today for many kids on Long Island, I figured we could use a good news blog entry.  And that's just exactly what you'll find here. 

The GoodNewsNetwork (hereafter GNN) has, since 1997, been the place that many people have  turned to as an antidote to the barrage of negativity experienced in the mainstream media. Because of its long history, staying power, and public trust, the Good News Network has remained #1 on Google.

Click here for the GNN 'About Us' page. 

Users can click on various topics to get 'good news'.  For example there are links to News, Culture, Uplifting News and more.  Believe it or not there is a GNN app - which can be downloaded here. 

There is also a GNN newsletter - click here for that. 

Finally, there has been some press about GNN - click here for various news outlets take on GNN. 

Enjoy the good news and the links and GNN!

Regards,
Stu

Flight Tracker - from USA Today

Hi All,

Two simple sites are up for discussion today. USA Today Flight Tracker and Flightview.com.

Users can get information about airline flights by searching for flights, by route and by airport from USA Today's Flight Tracker.   Users can search by arrivals and departures as well.

Results are displayed in a very easily read table with headings like Flight , Carrier, Departure, Arrival and Status.  Estimated times of arrival and departure are listed as well in the table when users click on the Flight name.  Click on this link - or any of the links above - to visit the travel site for flight.

Alternatively users can click on this link to visit Flightview.com.


Users can find flights and track flights on Flightview.com as well.  Specifically the Flight Tracker option is very, very useful.  Users can track flights by flight or route.  Flight information is displayed in a table with airline, flight number, departure time, arrival time and time remaining (if any).  Departure time and arrival time columns are sortable.  And there is a Flightview app available.

Enjoy the sites.

Regards,
Stu

Gas Buddy

Hi All,

GasBuddy.com is a group of local websites which offers an online method for users to post and view recent retail gas prices.  Basically users can find the cheapest gas close to wherever they live or are at the moment.

Users can click on the USA National Gas Price Heat Map  to find the gas prices for a particular geographic location.  Users can also click on this link for gas price charts. 

Users can also  search for gas prices by city or zip code.  In addition, users can choose the grade of gasoline they are going to purchase (regular, midgrade, premium and diesel).  Users can also look at gas price charts by clicking on this link as well.

Charts are available for one month, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, 12 month, 18 month, 2 year, 3 year, 4 year, 5 year, 6 year 8 year, 9 year and 10 year time periods.  Quite comprehensive, eh!

But wait...there's more... GasBuddy.com has a trip cost calculator which can be accessed via this link.

Just enter a starting location, the destination location, the type of trip (one-way or round trip), vehicle information (year, make, model, mileage, fuel type and size of gas tank) and click 'calculate' and you'll find out how much your trip to 'Uncle Sam' will cost this coming SuperBowl Sunday...

There is a GasBuddy.com app which can be downloaded by clicking on this link.

The app is available in the Apple App Store, the Google Play store, the Windows Phone Store and for BlackBerry phones. 

Enjoy the site and the cost savings!

Regards,
Stu

Let's Go shopping

Hi All,

500,000 coupons for 50,000 stores.  Wow.  That sounds too good to be true.  But its not!

Check out RetailMeNot.com - click on this link to visit the site.

So what the heck is the site all about you ask? 

Simple...users can click on a link for coupon codes, product deals, printable coupons and more. 

But wait, there's more....users can click on a search box at the top right part of the site and enter the name of a retailer (Nordstrom, Sears, Sephora, Kohls, JCPenney, Best Buy etc.) or a manufacturer (Nike, Little Tykes, Step 2, OskKosh B'Gosh, Domino's, Claire's, etc.) and up pop coupons.

Users click on a 'Show Coupon Code' box to reveal the code.  Information included in the advertisement include the number of people that used the coupon today, when the coupon expires, details of the coupon. user comments and more.

Users can  choose from a variety of coupon types including coupon codes and online sales.  Further, users can choose from various discount types including BOGO (buy one get one), free shipping, free gift and % off. 

The site also has a bunch of specialty pages for Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday Deals, Christmas Sales and Free Shipping. 

Users can click on this link to Join RetailMeNot. In addition, users can use Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Twitter to log on to RetailMeNot.

Users can also get the RetailMeNot mobile app by clicking on this link.

Enjoy the site and the app - here's to saving money!

Regards,
Stu

Smart Phone Security

Hi All,

Many of us know that smartphone usage is increasing exponentially.  Seriously, they are everywhere - and they are awesome in that users can text, email, search the web, play music, watch movies and much, much more.

But there can be a downside to smartphone use...(sorry).  eWeek.com came out with an article back in February 2014 entitled, '10 Mobile Security Issues That Should Worry You'.  Its a slideshow so it won't take long to take a peak - its worth your time and effort.  

Click on this next link from Verizon.com for an entry called '9 Tips to Keep Your Smartphone Security'.  Some of the highlights in the article include locking your smartphone with a pin and installing an Android security app. 

Alternatively, you can click on this link titled '7 Best Practices For Smartphone Security (from Cnet.com)'. (Enabling 'Do Not Track' and Avoid answering spam calls are my faves!)

And, finally, click on these two links for more info on how to keep your smartphone safe and secure!
'How to Keep Your Smartphone (and its data) Secure' - ComputerWorld.com
'Smartphone Security Tips' - Kaspersky.com
'10 Best Ways to Secure Your Smartphone' - Androidcentral.com

Enjoy the links - hope your phone and data are more secure after you read this blog post!

Regards,
Stu