Tax-Free Havens

       "You may be aware that Apple was recently 'invited' to appear before a Senate Sub-Committee to discuss why Apple wasn't paying more in US taxes."  Now that he has our attention Jim Hamm goes on to discuss this interesting problem.  
        "Well, if you have an interest in — or even care — about learning more on how the various tax havens around the world operate, take a look at this 53-minute video. Now, I realize this may be way more time than you want to spend learning about something you can't do anything about. Keep in mind, though, the taxes these companies don't pay are, in effect, collected from those that do pay - thee and me.

        "Many big-name companies are discussed in the video, and the techniques used to avoid/minimize taxes are very creative, to say the least. Some examples: Starbucks has many coffee shops open in England, has operated there for 15 years, put many mom and pop coffee shops (who were paying taxes) out of business, hasn't made a profit in 15 years, and hasn't paid any taxes in England. They were called to a government committee to explain this. Well, all the trademarks for Starbucks are registered in the Netherlands (where a low tax rate has been negotiated)  and the Starbucks shops in England pay a royalty fee to Starbucks in the Netherlands to use these trademarks. Coincidentally, no profit in England for Starbucks to pay taxes on."
        Here Jim gives another example,  " . . . companies set up plants in Nairobi, Kenya to build a product. As an incentive the government gives the company a 10-year tax holiday. No taxes for 10 years. At the end of 10 years the company closes down and moves elsewhere.
        So, how does this conclude?  Jim declares, "I had to chuckle at a comment by the narrator at the end of the video: this video on tax-free havens has been brought to you by those that do pay taxes...(grin)."  
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Apple Grilled Over Tax Practices

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        Passing along the latest news, Jim Hamm writes,  "Here is an article that comments on the recent grilling Apple went through regarding their tax practices. As the article points out, Apple and many other companies are following tax laws that Congress passed, and Congress is now complaining because companies use these laws to increase shareholder value. It's interesting to note that GE, for example, made significant earnings and not only paid no taxes, but got a refund!" 

        Jim goes on to give his opinion, "Before I retired I was heavily involved in preparing the tax return for our company. I can tell you our tax laws, as the article states, are really 'Byzantine and bizzare.'  Will Congress do anything about this? You've seen Congress in inaction, er, action, these past years. What do you think?"
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Opera for Mac

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"If you like to try alternate browsers, just for a change of pace, you might give Opera a try," Jim Hamm gets our attention.  

        "Here is a brief review of Opera 15 (updated 11-22-15 by John Carter). I've been using it for just a short time and first impression: it's okay. As with any different browser, there is a learning curve, and Opera has its own nuances.
        "Some examples:  I imported all my Bookmarks from Safari, but you have to do a bit of searching to do this. In Opera: file > import > Finder > Applications > Safari > Bookmarks.plist; some items like History and Bookmarks are hidden. In the lower left corner of the window is where you click the icon for 'Panels' and a row of panels open up on the left side of the window to display History, Bookmarks and other items.
        "One difference in Opera is an aggravation which I don't like and may preclude me from using this browser so often is the way Opera handles Gmail. I use the web-based Gmail as my email client and when I compose an email a 'compose' box appears and overlays, partially, the Gmail main window.
        "Fine, and so far so good. I start typing in the box and want to get a link to something on a website — I go and copy the link and return to Gmail — the compose box is gone! Now where did it go?
        "Gmail saves a draft of a compose message every few seconds so I go to the Draft Inbox and there is my message I was composing. I click it but can't type in it. Frustrating, and what good is a draft if you can't use it? After some more head-scratching I minimized the open Opera window and there are my drafts, stacked on top of the other. I start typing again and need to go and get another link from a website. I've got to maximize the Opera window again, get the link, minimize Opera, then start typing in the compose box again. Not good.
        "All my other browsers keep the dialog box open right in the Gmail window. I'll do a bit or research to see if there isn't a way around this nuance.
        "As to speed, Opera is fine, and it has a feature called 'Turbo Boost', which is, in theory, supposed to speed up loading web pages even faster. I'll give it, and other features, a try as I play around with Opera some more."
        Jim wraps up his critique with this, "Any compelling reason to switch to Opera as your primary browser? In a word, no. But if you like to play around with a new program, you might give Opera a try."
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About That Thumb Drive

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        Maybe you won a thumb drive at a PMUG meeting.  Maybe you copied some files to it.  Now, how much memory is left?  Maybe you know how, but I had to search for the answer.  Looking at the SanDisk site http://kb.sandisk.com and searching through a lengthy list of topics brought no quick answer.  I emailed to SanDisk and got a reply this morning.  It was written for PC people, but here's the Mac way.  
         Insert the thumb drive into the computer slot, right click with your mouse and hold it down on the icon of the thumb drive that comes up.  Click on Get Info from the choices in the list.  (Or left click if that’s how you’ve set up your mouse.) Up comes the little info box with the Kind, Date created, Date modified, Format, Capacity, Available space,  Amount of space used.  It shows date last opened, the name, preview, and sharing and permissions. 
        Here Prez Art Gorski jumps in with info:  "Regarding how much free space is available, this has worked in exactly the same way on Macs from the beginning of time. Select ANY volume (internal hard drive, external hard drive, flash drive, floppy, whatever) in the Finder and do a Get Info from the menu."

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iPhone: Lost! Then, Found!

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        John Carter left his iPhone on a plane!  There's a happy ending! There's something for us to learn from this!
        "Suppose your iPhone gets lost (you left it on the plane). Frantically, you go online to iCloud.com and configure the iPhone to be erased if anyone attempts to use the iPhone. This seems to be the best way to protect your information, right? Wrong! The iPhone will only be erased when someone attempts to connect to the Internet — or so the story goes. So, if they never access the Internet, they can open Contacts and browse any file on the iPhone at will.

        "So maybe the next choice is to lock the iPhone. But this choice also only comes into effect when the person attempts to access the Internet. So even this isn't the best way to protect your iPhone.
        "What's left? Well, you should have set the iPhone to require a passcode as soon as the iPhone is turned on.
        "In my case, I did recently leave my iPhone on the plane. It was found and returned. What made it possible to be returned to me was that I did NOT have a passcode set to lock my phone, and the baggage claim person opened the phone and did something to discover that I was the owner of the phone and sent me an email message."
        What a relief, read on!  John has more to say,  "But, I had already gone online to icloud.com and set the phone to be erased when the Internet was accessed. Fully believing that my iPhone would be erased as soon as I tried to get on the Internet, I was totally surprised that it didn't happen!
        "Bottom line is, as my wife says, don't believe what you see. Protecting your information in a lost phone is only going to happen if you have set a passcode to lock the phone. Add a label to your phone on the outside that identifies you as the owner and no one needs to open the phone to find out how to contact you. Better yet, have your contact information engraved on the back side of the phone."
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Warning About Internet Crooks

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        Alert and aware!  Ward Stanke forwards a message from a Mac writer who details how thieves nearly switched his Social Security payments to a dummy bank account.  Read and heed!        Jerry King, the president of the Naples MacFriends User Group in Naples, Florida has written a Mac 411 article for the local newspaper titled "Internet Crooks Nearly Rerouted My Social Security Payments."  It was published May 23.           See the full article here.

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Photography: Apps, Edits, Files

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        Of special interest to photographers,  John Carter describes his up-coming presentations.  "My take on presentations that teach people how to use a computer are about apps that are simple and do things that they are interested in. 
        "How to download images from a camera, make simple edits, and email the photos seems to be high on the list. 
        "To accomplish that, one needs to fully understand the hierarchy of the computer, where the photos are saved, and how to attach or retrieve a photo using any given email client whether it be Outlook, Thunderbird, or Microsoft Mail, or whether it be Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, or Google Mail on the Internet. They need tips on using photo editors and photo browsers — the kind they have on their computer or that they can get for free.

        Here John shares some practical and personal examples,  "I recently went on vacation to Texas and Missouri followed by a short trip to Las Vegas. Lots of photos. Getting these organized in albums with keywords and descriptions is critical to finding them quickly out of the more than 7,000 photos I have (it's a small batch, I know). Learning how to do that was easy for me, but is daunting to many others.
        "The format of the image as created by the camera and how any given photo browser or photo editor app deals with them is very useful information."
        And here's what you've been waiting to hear:  John announces, "With that in mind, I'll prepare such a presentation for the September 28 Joint PCS/PMUG meeting. I already do this for my regular Mac Digital Photo SIG that I host on the first Friday morning of every month, and Phil Ball of the PCS club does a lot of this in his monthly Digital Photo SIG (usually the second Saturday from 1-3 PM), which I think any of the PMUG members would also enjoy."

What's Inside the Apple iPhone Charger

        Jim Hamm announces this latest helpful info:  "Here is an article http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-quality.html explaining in detail, if somewhat lengthy and technical, why Apple's iPhone charger is so expensive for such a small device. In a word: quality. I have seen similar chargers for much less of a price, but didn't buy one. Glad I resisted the temptation to cheap out.
        "Also, Mr Shirriff took apart one of the cheap chargers from China and explains, in another of his articles, the why and how they are so cheap. Since I'm on my iPad I can't go and get that link to the article and include it here. But you can click the link when you read this article."
        And Jim closes with this helpful reminder, "Remember, the old adage. -- which I now, late in life, subscribe to: you get what you pay for."

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Password Hacking

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        "Here is an article, admittedly somewhat lengthy and nerdy, about how hackers can make mincemeat out of your passwords so easily."  Jim Hamm goes on to elaborate,  "After reading the article, I know my passwords are, oh, so vulnerable. I bet yours are, too. I'm thinking about buying something like 1Password, or another strong password generator program, and redoing all my passwords.

        "If you've got a password program you like, let me know if you would."  

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Your Smartphone Might Save Your Life

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        A nine-minute video TV interview is a must-see;  a smartphone could be the future of medicine.  We thank Jim Hamm for this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=r13uYs7jglg  
       Jim comments, "Here is an intriguing video on a way to possibly help contain burgeoning medical costs: use a smartphone for diagnostics." 
         In this video Dr. Eric Topol discusses and demonstrates the use of a smart phone and new apps that can monitor your health and possibly save your life.  
        Take a look at http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/01/25/doctors-see-apples-iphone-as-life-saver-in-the-future-of-medicine  

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Fonts, Some Are FREE

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        Prez Art Gorski shares this,  "Here's a really good article on finding tons of new fonts for your Mac, many are FREE."  Link. 

        "Back in ancient times —throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s . . . " is how the article begins!  So, take a deep breath and read it!  Lots of examples of font sales are shown. 
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Satisfied with Your Cable Company, etc.?

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        David Passell's sharp eye for interesting info found this and he writes, "I was not aware that so many people 'hate' their cable company. How about Cableone.net (is it associated with any listed in their table?  
        "NOTE: I thought CenturyLink was my landline telephone service which also provides Internet (speed 'up to' 10 MB. around 1 where I live, I am told). My personal feeling is until internet content delivery is not dependent on a two-way interchange of information (unlike off-air TV, satellite, and radio) between server and client there will always be a problem. The people who make money would not be happy with a different arrangement:(."
        Here's one article: http://stopthecap.com/2013/05/21/earth-shattering-news-you-still-hate-your-cable-company/
        Here's the American Customer Satisfaction Index, ACSI, dated May 2013.  http://stopthecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/acsi-quarterly-results-may-2013.pdf
Apple leads the cellular telephone score from ACSI, shown on page 13.  A graph of customer satisfaction by industry is shown on page 17. 

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So, What Do You Want Them to Know?

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         It’s not a cheery handout today.  But as we keep hearing news reports the importance of  security and privacy grab our attention.  Of course, there are things we need to know and do.  Keeping up with the latest information is a necessary precaution for all of us.  Here is just a few possibilities for current sites for you to review. 

ID Theft, Opt Out Directions,  Free Credit Report,  Social Networking Danger

        See  http://www.worldprivacyforum.org   lists articles on ID theft, security, privacy, cloud computing, medical info on HIPAA,  medical identity theft, and more.   
Lots of links are provided on this website. One article brought to our attention was “Top ten opt out list.”   The information goes into detail and when printed out is 12 pages long as it describes the various opt-outs you can use to stop information about you from being collected, circulated, and sold among various companies and government agencies.  
One company is described which builds detailed dossiers on consumers with “information scraped from social networking sites like Facebook, and is combined with public record data.”  Dossiers have been used in political campaigns and other businesses.  According to their quotation from Wall Street Journal this company’s segments recently included   “a person's household income range, age range, political leaning, and gender and age of children in the household, as well as interests in topics including religion, the Bible, gambling, tobacco, adult entertainment and ‘get rich quick’ offers. In all . . .  more than 400 categories, the documents indicated."
This site also gives consumer tips and links on how to get your free annual credit report.   
A February 2010 report discloses Digital Signage Privacy Principles which might be a new term and a previously unexplained form of sophisticated digital information collection.  


Traveling Brings New Challenges for Security and Privacy
        See  https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-travelers-carrying-digital-devices.  This website gives 20 pages of information.

Defending privacy at the U.S. Border:  a guide for travelers carrying digital devices   states that “for now, a border agent has the legal authority to search your electronic devices at the border even if she has no reason to think that you’ve done anything wrong.”  
It discusses such agencies as CBP, ICE, TSA.  Which other countries have you recently visited before entering the United States?  What other connections do you have there? 
Be aware of two basic precautions:  make regular backups so if your computer is ever taken, lost or destroyed you’ll still have access to your data, and encrypt the information on your computer.    
It gives details on how and why.  Talks about hard drives, flash drives, mobile phones, details, date and disk encryption, digital cameras. It goes into how to interact with border agents, what to say, how to behave.  The appendix lists 47 sources and their links with descriptions.  
You can click to download a PDF with this material. This might be something you’d want to pass along to your grown kids and friends who plan to travel this summer. 


Cookies?

These are not just the yummy ones Ginger brings to PMUG! Read on . . . 

What Info is Available for Internet Sites to Take? 

        Using Firefox:  are you collecting lots and lots of cookies?   See how to view history and clear what you don’t want saved.  http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache  Using Safari:  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1677 

        See  http://kb.iu.edu/data/ahic.html   Indiana University knowledge base, dated 3-3-13.  Brief description of cache, cookies, history.   How to: for Firefox, Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9,  Chrome, Opera, Safari, Mobile Safari for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android. 
        What personal information does Amazon gather and why? There’s 5 pages to read!  http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=468496  dated 4-6-12.
        Google’s Policy:  http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/  last modified 7-27-12.  Their policy in 8 pages; what they take and what you can determine on your end.  “We will not reduce your rights under this Privacy Policy without your explicit consent.”  Hmmmm.  

Password Managers Can Help
The query to Ben Patterson brings up info he wrote about iPhone, iPad:  http://heresthethingblog.com/2013/04/30/reader-mail-simple-password-manager/

How Safe is My Info on a Thumb Drive?

A handy little thumb drive can hold a lot of info.  But they can be misplaced, lost, mishandled.  Make a plan to store them and use them.  How long of a life do they have?  Probably you’ll want to back one up, then buy a new one & copy over again in a few years?  
An infected USB thumb drive can infect a computer.  This discusses software encryption, hardware encryption. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_USB_drive


An Unexpected Phone Call From Your Grandson 

Oh, it was a young man’s voice on the phone, but he said, “Grandma, I’m calling from Rome and I need help.”  Who wouldn’t be concerned?  How did he travel so far from home?  What’s going on?  Asking a few questions like,  “Maybe you have the wrong number.  What did you say your name was?  What’s your sister’s name?”  Ask anything that only the real grandson could possibly know.  “Give me your phone number and I’ll call you back after I ...“  Make some quick excuse and sound sort of confused.  Your brain’s internal warning device is in full swing now.  You’ve heard about scams like this.  Don’t be cheated out of your $$$. 
Facebook gives crooks the information so they can find information to pretend to be your grandchild. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/16/scam-artists-using-facebook-to-target-grandparents/     
Alert your grandkids about posting information on Facebook, etc that would jeopardize you or them!  A good reminder now and then shows you care about their safety.


So, What Can We Do?

While we are bemoaning the loss of truth, honesty, and respect in the world today we of the “generation with years of experience” must continue to be relevant and responsible. It’s part of our heritage, how mama and dad raised us to be decent and trustworthy.  It’s like doing push-ups for exercise.  Now, we’re exercising our brains.  And part of that is continuing communication.  Listen and learn.  Respond as best as you can!  
Let your computer help you keep in touch.  Let PMUG help you learn.  

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This was today's PMUG meeting handout from Elaine Hardt, May 18, 2013 
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More Storage -- FREE

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        That word gets our attention:  FREE!  Jim Hamm notifies us, "If you use Gmail for your email client, here's good news: you've now got 15GB of storage -- up from 10GB previously."  
        There's some Unified Cloud Storage for FREE across Google Drive, Gmail and Google+Photos.  After the first 15GB the upgrade plan starts at only $4.99 a month for 100GB.  The next couple of weeks brings the staged roll out.  

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Are You Checking Time Machine?

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          "If you're using a Mac, chances are you're using Time Machine. It's nice that Apple provides a backup system that's easy to use. However, have you checked that Time Machine is really backing up? No? Well, I haven't either. Here's a Blog from a guy that didn't check either.

        "Now might be a good time to verify that Time Machine is working correctly. What a pain it would be not to be able to recover -- in case of a hard drive failure -- all that important 'stuff' you've saved over the years."  
        And this is the little nudge from Jim Hamm that we probably all need!