Hints From Heloise
TECH TALK TUESDAY -- TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
Dear Readers: Two factor authentication, what is it? Think of it as an extra layer of protection when you're online.
When you log onto a website (a financial institution, your email or other online accounts) from a different computer than you normally use, you may be asked, after you enter your password, to enter a code (often six digits) that is texted to you.
This extra step helps keep hackers away. -Heloise
LOSS LEADER Dear Heloise: I've heard the term "loss leader" used in retail. What does it mean? -- Kathy M. in Minnesota
Kathy, stores use a lot of tactics to get us to buy. One of these is called a "loss leader." A loss leader is a popular item that sells well but the price of the item has been cut significantly and usually advertised heavily, to lure us in the door. The store will lose money on this item, but the thought is, if we're in the store, we'll buy more items than just that one.
The location in the store of the loss leader item is critical. Typically, we will have to walk to the back of the store, past tons of other items, to pick up that one loss leader item. It's tempting to grab other items on our trip back there, isn't it?
Popular examples of loss leaders: rotisserie chicken, bananas, diapers and milk. -- Heloise
VOLUME V. MASS V. WEIGHT
Dear Heloise: Will you help me with my science homework?
What is the difference between volume and mass? -- Kerry R. in Georgia
Kerry, volume is the amount of space an item takes up. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Think about this: If you squeeze a stuffed animal, you aren't changing the amount of matter in the stuffed animal (its mass), but you ARE changing its shape, or the amount of space it takes up (you're making it smaller by squeezing it). -- Heloise
P.S. Don't confuse mass with weight. A basketball here on Earth has the same mass (the same amount of matter) as a basketball on the moon, but the basketball on the moon will weigh less, because gravitational pull is stronger here on Earth than it is on the moon.
DON'T DO IT, GIRL
Dear Heloise: Safety hint here. If you get into your vehicle and only then notice a flyer under your windshield wiper, if you can safely do so, drive to a safe area and then get out of the car and remove the flyer.
Don't immediately jump out of the car and remove the flyer -- your defenses are down at that moment. There could be someone watching you. -- Henry T. in California