Three services offer free tech support via calls, Zoom
No wonder my friend Kenny got out of the tech support business. He charged about $50 per call. Now you can get free tech support without bugging your neighbor.
Engadget.com listed the three main services, starting with CyberSeniors.org, which offers free support from volunteers. After you fill out their form, a volunteer will call you. Later, you can ask for them by name. The site also offers “Tech Drop-Ins,” to allow questions via Zoom.
SeniorPlanet.org, from AARP, is similar. It’s free even for non-AARP members and offers daily Zoom sessions. Alternatively, you can talk to a tech on the phone any time between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, by calling (888) 713-3495.
For adults of all ages, there’s GoGoQuincy. You get one free call a month, two calls for $5-a-month, or unlimited calling for $20 a month. According to Engadget, GoGoQuincy answers a much wider range of tech questions, including smart home setup, TVs and more. You can either talk on the phone with their tech gurus or text them.
APP HAPPY BABIES
My nephew and niece have a two-month-old baby. So if they weren’t already experts at translating her cries, I’d suggest the “Cappella” app, which claims to be 95% accurate. It can also track your baby’s sleep, feedings and diaper changes. The pro version is $10 a month for iPhone and iPad and is coming soon to Android.
What if you just want to translate your baby’s cries? Look up “Understanding baby language” or the “Dunstan Baby Language” to find a helpful TikTok video. For example a “neh” sound means “I’m hungry.” An “owh” sound means “I’m sleepy.” The “heh” sound means “I’m wet, cold, hot or have a dirty diaper.” A short “eh” is a burp. The “eair” sound is constipation.
READER COMPLAINT
After I wrote about the amazing world of artificially intelligent medical diagnoses, a reader wrote to say he disagreed.
“I have worked with AI in reading mammograms for decades,” he said. “It overcalled cases a lot, and if it was believed, a lot of women would
have had false negatives. Zealots push it but it is not ready for prime time yet.”
He cited an article from TheHill, titled “ChatGPT incorrectly diagnosed more than 8 in 10 pediatric case studies.” The study judged a diagnosis “incorrect,” if it didn’t agree with the doctors’ opinions. But according to cardiologist, scientist and TED talker Eric Topol, doctors make more errors than AI does. So instead of comparing AI diagnoses to doctors’ diagnoses, it might be better to look at the cases where people got well after following ChatGPT’s advice instead of a physician’s. I mentioned a few of these cases in a previous column. But these are still early days.
SMART PEPPER SPRAY
I’ll never forget the time my husband demonstrated pepper spray for a physician friend and his kids, releasing a drop so powerful, we all ran down the hall to the elevator to escape. I had no idea you could get such an effect from a single drop. It was difficult to breathe. But in dangerous neighborhoods, or possibly at night, it could be useful.
The new $30 Sabre Smart Pepper Spray alerts loved ones as soon as you spray it, by communicating with your phone via Bluetooth and sending your location. It works with the Noonlight app for iPhone and Android.
But maybe it’s enough to install the free Noonlight app without buying the spray or calling 911. The company says that many 911 centers struggle to get an accurate location from mobile phone calls. They also point out that Noonlight can communicate with you by text, but 911 centers often lack that ability.
To call the police through the app, hold the button icon. Nothing else is required, but you can enter your personal identification number if you decide you’re safe. This app is especially recommended for college students. One girl said she keeps the app open, ready to press the callpolice button, if an Uber driver seems sketchy in any way.
PHONE BELT
Once I left my phone in a Lyft on the way to the airport. If only I had been wearing a FlipBelt, which neatly holds a phone, credit cards, driver’s license and cash, I never would have lost it. It took me two weeks to get it back.
The FlipBelt Classic Running Belt is stretchy and extremely comfortable, a perfect way to avoid pickpockets. Comes in 13 colors and five sizes. You can wear it around your waist or hips. Get it for $34 at Amazon or Flipbelt.com.
AMAZON’S COMMERCIAL FREE SHOWS
When I gave up cable TV, I missed 60 Minutes more than anything. But now it’s available commercial-free on Amazon Music. Listen on your computer, phone or an Alexa device. Say: “Alexa, play 60 Minutes,” or go to music. amazon.com/podcasts and search on “60 Minutes.”
MOSS MAGIC
Since moss generates 30% of the world’s oxygen, a moss terrarium like the new Moss Air can help with respiratory and skin diseases and remove fine dust particles and toxins. At 9.8 inches tall, and a couple inches across, it gives you a mini moss forest from top to bottom. Coming later this month for $99.