vcf to Google Contacts

Had a patron that needed to add .vcf files to Google contacts:

1. Select "Contacts", then "Import Contacts"

Click on the “Mail” drop-down menu near the top-left of the Gmail window and choose "Contacts". Then go to the “More” button and select "Import Contacts".

The Gmail import menu

2. Select your vCard or .vcf file

Click "Choose file" and select the vCard that lists your contacts.

Import vCards in Gmail

That's all! The imported contacts should now be available in your Gmail account.

We hope this short tutorial has been helpful to you and was taught you what you wanted to know.

Do you want to merge multiple .vcf files?

iPhone Backup Extractor gives you the option to export each contact in its own file, or all contacts in one big file. So you shouldn't need to do this if you're using our app. 👊

If you have several .vcf files and you want to merge them and then import them in your Gmail account, you should follow these steps:

On Windows

1. Copy all your .vcf files into a folder
2. Access Windows command prompt (⊞ Win +R keys) then type cmd and hit ⏎ Enter to open it. Then, go to the folder where all the .vcf files are stored. You should select the drive then reach to the destination folder.
3. Once the destination is selected, use the following DOS command: copy *.vcf all.vcf

On Mac

1. Open the terminal: it's at Applications → Utilities → Terminal, or you could tap ⌘ Cmd + and type Terminal then hit ⏎ Enter
2. Go to the folder with the files you intend to merge
3. Type the following command: cat *.vcf > contacts.vcf

This is it! Now you have a single .vcf file, ready to be imported into your Google account.

From iphonebackupextractor.com

 

 

gmail: left side bar expands/collapses

Had a patron in google mail who was very frustrated because left side bar (folders) would collapse unless you did mouse over:

To fix this:  

Take a look at the hamburger menu (with a hover tip that says "Main Menu"). It is really just a toggle to pin or hide the text on the left sidebar. Not actually a traditional menu.

From stackexchange

shotcut video editor

Shotcut is a free, open source, cross-platform video editor for Windows, Mac and Linux. Major features include support for a wide range of formats; no import required meaning native timeline editing; Blackmagic Design support for input and preview monitoring; and resolution support to 4k.

https://www.shotcut.org

Privacy settings on smart speakers

How to curtail Alexa data shared with Amazon
Among smart assistants, Alexa has the most comprehensive and straightforward set of privacy controls. Amazon recently released the Alexa privacy hub, which has a thorough explanation of the types of data collected by the virtual assistant and how to change its privacy settings.

Here’s how to opt out of human vetting:

• Open the Alexa app on your smartphone and tap Settings and then select Alexa Privacy.
• Tap Manage How Your Data Improves Alexa.
• For the control that says Help Improve Amazon Services and Develop New Features, toggle the switch to the off position.

Here’s how to delete your voice recordings:

• In the same Alexa Privacy menu, select Review Voice History.
• In date range, select the time frame of recordings you want to delete, such as All History.
• Tap Delete All Recordings for All History.

from NYTimes

How to end frozen programs in Apple OS

To end non responsive programs on Apple laptop:

If an app has frozen and quitting it won’t work, Ctrl+click its icon in the Dock, then hover the pointer over the Quit button. Hold Option (labelled as Alt on some Mac keyboards) and Quit becomes Force Quit; click this.

Alternatively, try pressing Opt+Cmd+Esc to open the Force Quit window. Select the app you want to close, then click Force Quit (or Relaunch if Finder has frozen), then click Force Quit on the confirmation dialog box.

If your Mac is entirely locked up and the above steps won’t work, press Ctrl+Opt+Cmd and the power button at the same time; this will reboot your Mac.

From Digitaltrends

Google form triggers: submit form

Have Google form, need to trigger code on Form submit:

Capture the new data as it comes in with onFormSubmit

In the code.gs editor, rename the default function to onFormSubmit(e).

function onFormSubmit(e) {
  
}

You don’t have to name it this, but it will help you remember what it’s for! Next, click the little ‘stopwatc h’ icon to set up a trigger so that this runs automatically. You’ll have to give permissions to install this one:

You’ve now got a function that is prepared to run whenever a user submits a form response. If you’re new to coding, thisIsCalledCamelCase and is the convention for a function name. The (e) in the circle is shorthand for ‘event’ and is going to come from Google loaded up with information from the form (you’ll see soon).

From   https://medium.com/@max.brawer/

Epson t88v receipt printer network setup

Had to setup an Epson T88v printer:

Getting initial printer and Ethernet adapter settings (Type IV)
Get the initial settings of the Ethernet adapter. Run the printer self test (hold down the feed button while turning on the printer). The printer will print a list of initial settings including interface type and buffer capacity. verify that the interface is "Ethernet"

A similar test can then be done on the UB-E03, UB-E04 adapter by inserting a paperclip through the small hole in the adapter for 3 seconds.

A strip will print showing the MAC address, Gateway (GW), IP address and IP assignment method (manual/auto).

Changing the IP Address of the Adapter
Now comes the tricky part. To be able to change the IP address on the adapter you need to be able to connect with it. To do this you most likely need to change the IP address of your computer to a value that makes the adapter accessible. You can then connect to the adapter, make the change to the adapter, then return the computer back to it's original settings.

Note: the mPOS version of the UB-E03, UB-E04 Ethernet cards are set to DHCP and will try to find an available IP address on its own the first time it appears on your network. If successful, it will print out the IP address it is using. If the address is acceptable to you then skip to section about Configuring the Computer for work with the Ethernet card. LOGIN INFORMATION  - Epson UB-E04 Cards also require you to enter a user name and password. The default values are epson / epson

Resetting the Adapter
You can reset the UB-E03, UB-E04 Ethernet Interface card to factory defaults by holding down the push button on the card (see arrow above) while turning on the printer power and continuing to hold it down for 5 seconds. This causes all internal settings to return to their factory defaults. For the older UB-E02 cards, hold the push button down after the printer is on for 30 seconds.

Setting the IP Address on your Computer
In Windows you can access the wired Ethernet adapter in the "Network Connections" applet in the Windows Control Panels (Internet Protocol/TCP/IP properties, allow you to enter an IP address.) Make a note of the existing settings, you'll be returning to those settings when your done. Set the IP address to an address in the same domain as the adapter. For example of the adapter shows an IP address of 172.16.10.63 you could change the computer to 172.16.10.2.  Do not set the computer to the same address as the Ethernet adapter on the printer. You might have to reset the computer's adapter for the new settings to take place.

Logging onto the Adapter using TMNet WebConfig (Type II or Type IV)
TMNet web configuration allows you to access the adapter via your network using a web browser. Generally speaking the adapter must be in the same sub domain as the computer to be able to log on (see previous section for how to configure the PC to the same subdomain)

	Using a web browser such as Internet Explorer you should now be able to connect to the adapter by entering the IP address of the adapter directly into the address bar of the browser. The TMNet General Information page show open.
	To change the IP address, select 'TCP/IP' under 'Configuration.' You can enter a new IP address and gateway address. Press the 'Submit' button when done
	The 'Submit' button with write settings to the printer. The Ethernet adapter is reset when you press the 'Reset' button.

From  https://www.beaglehardware.com/

HP universal printer driver: switch to color

Had patron with color printer & using HP universal printer driver, but only printed grayscale, no color, to fix:

• Right click the start icon and select Run.
• Type control and press OK.
• Open Devices and Printers.
• Right click the HP Universal Printing iocn and select Printer Properties.
• Open the Device Settings tab.
• Ensure the Device Type is set as Color rather than Auto Detect, confirm any changes by pressing OK.

HP solution forms

Local broadcast TV via the web

Local TV stations are available in some markets via locast.org/

mailto links in Chrome browser

Had patron where mailto links were doing nothing in Chrome, had set Windows to use Chrome as default mail program, but needed to do:

You can go to chrome://settings/handlers and make sure that which is the default handler. In your case it will be none. Now go to gmail.com. You should see something like this when you click on the button beside the bookmark button.

If you wish to open all email links through gmail then set "Use Gmail". Now when you click on mailto button, chrome will automatically opens in gmail.

https://stackoverflow.com/ 

Combining Word documents

1. Place the cursor where you want the second document to be inserted
2. From the Insert tab,  Text group, click on the down arrow next to Object and choose Text from file.
3. Select the file to be inserted
4. Click on Insert

From  U of Sussex

Cheap laptops

Had a student ask for recommendation for inexpensive laptop, the wirecutter recommends:

After researching hundreds of laptops and testing eight, we found that the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA is the best laptop that costs less than $500. It has a bright screen, a comfortable keyboard, and a responsive trackpad. It’s faster than Windows laptops at the tasks most people use laptops for: browsing the Web (even with a ton of tabs open), basic word processing, and watching movies.

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-laptop-under-500/

Website shortcuts on taskbar

Want to create URL shortcuts on Windows 10 taskbar:


Step 1: Open the website you want to pin to your taskbar in Google Chrome.
Step 2: Click the three-dotted menu in the top right-hand corner.

Step 3: Click More Tools, followed by Create a shortcut.
Step 4: When the popup window appears, you can customize the name of the shortcut, and then choose Create. The shortcut should not automatically appear on your desktop.

Note for Macs: Chrome acts a little different on MacOS. Instead of using the Create a shortcut tool, you will need to instead choose Save page as…. Then, in the window that appears, make sure you are saving the link to your Desktop. This should add the shortcut to your desktop, no problem.

For other browsers:  https://www.digitaltrends.com/

Buying a chromebook

Most Chrome OS programs require an Internet connection and will not work when the device isn't connected to Wi-Fi. If you don't take the necessary precautions before leaving a reliable Wi-Fi network—like making pertinent Google Docs available offline—your Chromebook will essentially become a useless brick when unconnected.  ... More https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/01/guidemaster-how-to-buy-a-chromebook-plus-our-best-picks/

When it comes to upgrades, Chrome OS and Android couldn't be more different.

Since Chrome OS can't be customized by device-makers in the way that Android can, Google's able to control Chromebook updates completely on its own — and that means latest software can roll out to all current devices within days of its release, regardless of who made each laptop or where it was purchased.  ...more https://www.computerworld.com/article/3405893/buying-a-chromebook.html

Chromebook updates  https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en


Chromebook Reviews, from TheWirecutter.com   https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-chromebook/

Removing all notes from Powerpoint file

Have a patron that wants to remove all notes from Powerpoint slides:

1. Open a copy of your presentation in PowerPoint so that you don't loose your original version that includes the notes.
2. Click on the File tab in the top left corner and then on Info.
3. Click on the Check for Issues button and then on Inspect Document
4. Make sure the Comments and Annotations and the Presentation Notes boxes are checked and click Inspect.
5. If there are any comments, annotations or notes, clicking the Remove All buttons will remove them all.

Don't forget to save your presentation under a different name if you want to also keep copy containing your comments, annotations and notes.



https://articlebin.michaelmilette.com/powerpoint-2010-tip-removing-speakers-notes-comments-annotations/

Responsive design and WordPress

Any time you see a WordPress web page that loads and navigates seamlessly (or as near to seamlessly as possible) across a range of different devices, know that all of that was made possible by good responsive web design. As more and more people utilize their mobile device(s) to access and surf the internet, having a website that is easy to navigate across operating systems and screen sizes will make or break your digital success.

If you want to make sure your WordPress site is accessible and user-friendly across devices, below are the dos and don’ts of responsive web design:

Wordpress design

getting around paywalls via Chrome Incognito mode

Bypassing paywalls—and detecting a user’s methods for doing so—is a cat-and mouse game that has been going on between news publishers and readers for some time. While viewing a website in Incognito mode has been the tried-and-true method for getting around a site’s restrictions on how many free articles you can view at any given time, publishers are not without tricks of their own.

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-get-past-paywalls-in-chromes-incognito-mode-1835513589

Photo editors: GIMP vs Paintnet

GIMP and Paint.NET are both free image editors, but the two are quite different, so it can be tricky to know which is best for you.

The world of photo editors is a funny one. For most people, choosing the right tool is something of a balancing act. Do you want to go for a free program, or one that costs money? Go for the second option, and you run the risk of making an expensive mistake. Do you choose something simple that gets the job done, or do you go for something powerful and professional? Make the wrong choice here and you could find that you're either limited by too basic a program, or overwhelmed by something that's far too complicated for your needs.

If you choose the free software route, you'll find that GIMP and Paint.NET are two names that crop up time and time again. Both programs are hugely popular, and with good reason, but which should you install?

https://www.techradar.com/news/gimp-vs-paintnet-which-is-the-best-free-photo-editor-for-you

Removing background from images

Easy way to remove background from a photo, just upload to 
https://www.remove.bg/




If you have Microsoft Office 2016 installed, you have another easy method to remove the backgrounds from images. The process is identical for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Procedure

To get started, insert the picture into a document. Now choose Picture Format > Remove Background (in case of Mac). The app will then try to figure out the background, and mark them in purple. If the image is simple, it’ll easily cut out the background. For more complex images, use the Mark Areas to Keep and Mark Areas to Remove button to fine-tune the selection.

The marker is not intuitive to use. It just lets you draw straight lines around the object you want to keep or get rid off. Once you’re done, click the Keep Changes button to save the image.

From https://www.makeuseof.com/

Windows 10 tools

From PCWorld:

• 1. Timeline
• 2. Virtual desktops
• 3. Cloud clipboard
• 4. Nearby Sharing
• 5. Storage Sense
• 6. File History
• 7. Secret power user menu
• 8. God Mode
• 9. Dynamic lock
• 10. Windows Reliability Monitor