🖊️ Intro

If you are using a computer, then you're probably browsing the web. If you're browsing the web, you're definitely using a browser.

What is a browser?

Heard of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer (RIP), Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Brave? These are all browsers. They simply let you look at websites. You might think you need to use your mouse to use your browser, and in most cases you would be right. However, there are a ton of useful keyboard shortcuts that you can use to speed things up. Check out our post to learn some simple yet useful shortcuts.

🗄️ Useful links

✏️ Grammarly

It's been a long time since high school and my spelling and grammar isn't always great. So, I use a tool like Grammarly to fix this. There is a free version that can integrate into most of your programmes. It will correct your spelling and make suggestions on how to improve your grammar. It keeps your writing looking professional.

🔒 Bitwarden

If you don't have a password manager, get one. Stop using the one built into your browser as they tend to store their passwords in plain text. This means if anyone gets access to your computer, they can steal all your passwords. We use Bitwarden as our password manager.

Here's how it works.

I come up with a master password. Then for every account I sign up for on any website I will be able to generate a super difficult password and have it stored in Bitwarden. Next time I go to log in to that site, Bitwarden will automatically log me in with my username and super difficult password. But what about all those accounts I already have? Simple, just login like normal, and then you will be asked if you would like to save your login details for that site into bit warden. Couldn't be easier.

🖥️ Ascent

This is where we buy our computer gear. They are quick to send what we order and great to deal with for replacements if the gear turns up faulty or damaged. The prices are pretty competitive as well.

😎 What we're up to

Everything seems like it is cloud based these days. In my opinion, this is generally a good thing. It means if you are working remotely, you can access your data. If your not exactly sure what the whole cloud based thing means, here's a little run down.

1. It has nothing to do with the clouds in the sky.
2. If someone says something is on the cloud, what they are actually saying is its on another computer somewhere else in the world.
3. These aren't typical computers. Rather, they are servers whose main purpose is to store and serve data.

The downside of this is of course if you can access it then there is a risk that someone else can. This risk can be largely mitigated by using secure passwords and 2-factor authentication. A common problem we hear is that I don't want a hard password because I won't remember it. That's when we suggest using a password manager like Bitwarden or LastPass. This is usually met with a blank stare. I know they seem scary at first, but once you get used to using them, you'll wonder why you wasted so much time not using them. Craig has even retired his little red password book... something I never thought would happen.

We've both been using password managers for years now and wouldn't be without them. They are usually cloud based and can easily be set up on your phone and on your replacement computer.

Along, with building and fixing websites, another service we offer is getting your digital life sorted out. This means if you want to get back-ups sorted, set up a password manager or something else, just drop us an email. If we aren't able to help you, we will find someone who can.

🌐 Interesting stuff from the web

99 pieces of unsolicited advice

Earth Nullschool

Smart bulbs

💲 Plug/Offers/Recommendations

We worked with the Hannah and Ella from No One Studio to rebuild the hokitika.org website. We couldn't be happier with the result. Take a look and see what you think.

Hannah excels at project management and website / digital marketing. Ella is a design wizard and takes our ideas and models them into some stunning work for us to build.

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