I Forgot My Apple ID or Password

I haven't been posting to this blog much...... wasn't sure it was that valuable to my community of friends and family. BUT I live in a retirement community where people are getting iPads and iPhones faster than I can keep up with them. Thank you Grandson, Son-in-law, Daughter for the gift of an iPad for your mom.  BUT, before you send her home, will you remind her she needs to know, understand and remember  her Apple ID and Apple ID password? For those of us who are in the 60+ crowd, we love the technology, but we cannot remember those dang passwords!

We "Boomers" may have the time and interest in an iPad, but at the same time, we may not have the memory to remember all those things you told us. Like the password.

Why does one need to know the Apple ID and password?  Does your system software need to be updated? You'll need your Apple ID and password.  In fact, if people don't have the newer system software iOS7 installed, it will be confusing for them as they try to keep up in any of the many iPad classes offered in their community or public library.  You can begin the install but before it is completed, you will be asked for your Apple ID password.

Do you want to get some free game apps? Would you like to install the Facebook app?  Yep.  You need it is to set up an account in iTunes. You will want to set up an account in iTunes if you want to purchase music, books or apps. Even to get free apps, you will need your Apple ID and password.

So, just in case you cannot remember Grandma's password, and she calls you, you can go to iforgot.apple.com to reset the password.

Getting Free Books for your Summer iPad Reading

I love reading on my iPad. I FIRST loved reading on my Kindle, but now I have switched exclusively to reading on my iPad Mini. Actually, I sold my Kindle, but kept my Amazon Kindle account.
My husband and I have 894 books archived in our Kindle Library on Amazon. We each have installed the Kindle Reading App on our iPads, iPhones and iPad Mini, so we can read any of those books at any given time.

Some Disadvantages to Reading ebooks:

1. It is not so easy to lend a book to a friend. Some books in the Kindle Archive are "lending enabled", but most of them are not.

2. I also do not like paying for a book. Although the Kindle edition is usually cheaper than the paperback, I still miss going to Bookman's Used Book Store and using my trade credit to pick up a book. To help with the cost, I follow Book Bub.

and Kindle Books and Tips, a blog by Michael Gallagher to see what is free or discounted. Many of our 894 books were free or very inexpensive.

You can subscribe by email or follow those two sites on Facebook.
Another way to help with the cost of reading ebooks is to use Overdrive and the Pima County Library. Pima County Library now has its own app in the App Store. You can now access Overdrive through that App.
Overdrive enables you to reserve an ebook and then add it to your iPad or other device. You can keep it for three weeks.  They do not have a huge selection, but they do have a variety of good books. I wanted to read Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I put a reserve with the library, and I think I was, like, 53rd on the list, but the library has 12 copies of the ebook.   I was surprised how quickly I received my email notice saying that I could now check out the book.
You can download the book in epub format, which works with most devices, or if you have an Amazon Kindle Account like I do, you can download it in Kindle format.  More on that in a later post.

If you own a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone of any type, you can download the Overdrive App (Pima County Library App if you are local ) and the Kindle Reading App for your device. Happy reading!

I Should Have Known....Back Up Your iPad!

I received this email from a friend today:

"Just in case you haven't backed up your iPad or iPhone lately, here's my experience.

Last week my "contacts" inexplicably went kerflooey.  Suddenly, I had 692 contacts, most of them with first name only or last name only or email only.  It was a mess.  Since I was backing up to ICloud, each time I opened the next device or iTunes, those corrupted files exploded onto that platform.

Yesterday I spent about 3 hr. on the phone with an Apple Sr. Tech Advisor.  Eventually, we got to the dreaded point of having to do a Restore from backup.  I had assumed that restoring to the Cloud would work, but since my Cloud was corrupted, we had to go back to what I had backed up on my computer--9 months ago.  So after making my IPad look like it did last September, I spent another 8 hrs. or so getting everything back in order.

Bottom line, use the Cloud if you want, but manually back up to your computer once a month. Connect your device to your computer and open iTunes, click on the device icon, go to summary tab, choose back up to my computer.  I wish I had!"

So, for those of you who are also depending on iCloud, here is how you back up to your computer monthly:

1. Turn on your computer and open iTunes. Check to see that your iTunes is updated if you haven't done this in awhile....

2. Detach the AC Power from your power cord, plug the USB end in to your computer, and the other end into your iPad.

3. Make sure your iPad is on, and it should show up in the left side bar of iTunes (From iTunes menu, choose View, then Show Sidebar):

4. Click on your iPad in the sidebar and you will see some options. On the left in the main screen, you have the opportunity to manually do a back up to your computer.

5. Choose "Manually Back Up Now".

From this same screen, you can also choose to sync your iPad to this computer over wifi.
If you choose that option, you will not have to plug in again. It will back up to the computer when you are on the same wifi network (i.e. your home network) unless you change the settings back to iCloud. 

6. After you are sure you have done a back up to your computer, you can change your settings to back up over iCloud again. 

I Didn't Just Fall Off a Turnip Truck. Really. I Should Not Have Fallen For It.

So, I have been selling things on Craigslist, and more recently I have chosen to use Amazon for several reasons:

The Scammers are alive and well on Craigslist. When I listed my camera for sale. I immediately got three texts..... very definitely recognizable as Scammers. Craigslist even warns you specifically not to ship things or to accept Cashier Checks or Money Orders from them. So I know that. I didn't just fall off a turnip truck. I have given presentations on Internet Security.

How was I so easily fooled on Amazon? Amazon is really secure and safe. In fact, there is a place in the settings where you can say, "Shipping only within the United States".  Like I told you before, I have successfully sold items on Amazon.

So, last night we are heading out to dinner with friends. I get an email which looks like an inquiry from a potential buyer through Amazon. He asks, "Send Pictures". He gives me his personal Yahoo email.
I don't think much of it. I sent him pictures. To his Yahoo email.

This morning I get an email which looks like the real thing telling me my item has been sold, Amazon has the payment, and I should ship my camera.

To an address in Lagos, Nigeria.

My stomach started to hurt. What had I done?  The good news is I still had my camera!

Well, I called Amazon Seller Central Customer Service. He showed me that the email was a scam, and reminded me I had it in my settings not to ship outside of the U.S. Also, he patiently walked me through several ways that I could check to see if, indeed, the item had been sold.

It was later that I realized my mistake. Rather than replying through Amazon to the potential buyer, I had fallen for his scam to get me to reply to his email, hence, opening the door to his fraudulent email. Both Craigslist and Amazon have a conduit in place to allow communication without revealing your identity.

I learned my lesson, and I will continue to sell on Amazon, and I hope you will give it a try as well, but always be careful.

Want to Sell Your Used Electronic Stuff?

Last year I discovered Amazon Seller's Account.  I have an iPhone, and so I never use my Garmin GPS anymore. I went on Amazon to get an idea of the value of my GPS, and I saw a link that said, "Have one to sell?"

This opened up a whole world to me for selling electronic items no longer of use to me. For instance:

• iPhone means I no longer need my GPS or my Garmin Forerunner.
• Newer Macbook Pro means I no longer need my perfectly good older one.
• Bluetooth in my car means I no longer need my Motorola Bluetooth earpiece.
• Ipad means I no longer use my Kindle

I could go on.

I was able to easily open a seller's account on Amazon and begin selling these items. Some other items I have been able to sell include memory no longer being used, cameras that have since been replaced and other computer and camera peripherals. It is really easy to do. Amazon does all the work for you, but you have to ship it. Amazon takes all the guess work out of the transaction. Some nice things that Amazon does:

• Walks you through the item description
• Tells you the lowest price that someone is selling it for
• Maintains your privacy
• Collects a shipping amount for you

I have sold everything I have listed on Amazon except one item.  And, I just listed my Canon Camera body and lenses, because I got a new camera for my birthday.  

Anything you need to watch out for? YES! I will deal with that in my next post.

From OSX Daily: Dropped an iPhone in Water? Here's How to Save it from Water Damage

I wish I had known this when I was working as a principal. I had more trouble with dropping my Walkie Talkie in the toilet! The tech guys were getting to know me well! The last time, I told my assistant to just tell the tech guy "it doesn't work". I know. I know. Not very honest.
So, he brings my repaired Walkie Talkie back to my assistant, and he says, "So, Anita dropped her phone in the toilet again, I see!"
I don't know if those of us who are retired, and not encumbered with working, little kids, or other situations need this info But it can't hurt to keep this just in case. Read more here. By the way, OSX Daily is a great blog to subscribe to. It has lots of useful information about iPhones, iPads and Apple Computers.

Connect your Mac to your Tv....... Why????

I recently purchased a new cable to connect my MacBook Pro (mid 2010 model) to the projector for the Sunflower Computer Club. Several people have asked, "How do you do that?" "Could I connect it to my TV?"
Why would you WANT to connect your computer to your TV? There are some fun things you can do with your computer connected to your TV:

1 Work on your laptop in the comfort of your easy chair and display it on the TV
2 View Netflix or Amazon Prime TV shows or movies on your big screen through your laptop
3 Show your Grand Canyon Slideshow to friends and family

What you need to know:


This shows a newer Macbook Pro and it's ports. The Thunderbolt Port is where you will connect one end of your cable. The other end of the cable is hdmi and will connect directly to any of the hdmi ports in your tv. Then, of course, you will need to change your input so that you are displaying the hdmi port you are connected to

This is the cable I purchased from Amazon: Mini Display Port to HDMI

After connecting computer to TV via cable, go to your System Preferences and click on Display

 Make sure you turn on mirroring options. This looks a bit different if you are still using Snow Leopard

 Of course, you can also pay $99 for Apple TV and connect that way, but this is cheaper, and Apple TV won't let you connect to Amazon Prime. I prefer Amazon Prime, but that is another blog post.