FireFox Browser – Securing Bookmarks

I have always used FireFox, which I like much better than other browsers. Assuming you also use FireFox, you might be interested in this.  Several times, as a result of upgrading my computer or a computer crash, I have lost my bookmarks.   That is a big loss, since I probably have 200 or more over 10 years time. And I use them all the time (via the little search box, which finds them quickly).

There is an easy way to build a bookmarks backup on your computer – or backup to a thumb drive or flash drive, or whatever you like outside your computer box.  Here’s the answer

1.      Push “control”, “shift”, and “B”  at the same time on your keyboard and up pops a little pop-up in the middle of your screen.

2.      There is a little menu at the top that says “import and backup”

3.      Choose “backup”

4.      Prefix suggested name with drive letter for thumb drive, i.e.
f:\bookmarks-2011-07-31.json   Where “F” is your thumb drive  it will automatically put the strange extension .json  onto your file.   You just have to choose “F” or whatever letter you need for your backup drive.  Or, you could let it go to the desktop, or some file in My Documents.  But safer to have it “off site”. 

This would be the file to restore on a new Firefox profile, it will replace all bookmarks. That is, when you are ready to bring the file back into use.  I just saved my bookmarks today for both of my computers, as a safety measure.  While I do back up the entire computer, finding just that one thing in a zip drive might not be handy (and in the past I don’t think it even worked due to loading a fresh copy of FireFox browser on the new system).  I think it is best to have it in a clean file, on a thumb drive or backup hard drive.  Your thoughts or tips?  Add as comment.

Advanced Computing Tool Built 2,000 Years Ago

A Greek shipwreck (2,000 years ago)  holds the remains of an intricate bronze machine that turns out to be the world's first computer. Show aired April 3, 2013 on PBS 

 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/ancient-computer.html 
 Click on "Watch The Video" to see the show.
  
PBS NOVA Program Description:

In 1900, a storm blew a boatload of sponge divers off course and forced them to take shelter by the tiny Mediterranean island of Antikythera. Diving the next day, they discovered a 2,000 year-old Greek shipwreck. Among the ship's cargo they hauled up was an unimpressive green lump of corroded bronze. Rusted remnants of gear wheels could be seen on its surface, suggesting some kind of intricate mechanism. The first X-ray studies confirmed that idea, but how it worked and what it was for puzzled scientists for decades. Recently, hi-tech imaging has revealed the extraordinary truth: this unique clockwork machine was the world's first computer. An array of 30 intricate bronze gear wheels, originally housed in a shoebox-size wooden case, was designed to predict the dates of lunar and solar eclipses, track the Moon's subtle motions through the sky, and calculate the dates of significant events such as the Olympic Games. No device of comparable technological sophistication is known from anywhere in the world for at least another 1,000 years. So who was the genius inventor behind it? And what happened to the advanced astronomical and engineering knowledge of its makers? NOVA follows the ingenious sleuthing that finally decoded the truth behind the amazing ancient Greek computer.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/ancient-computer.html

Click on “watch the video”  what a story.  

Using Costco More Effectively

There is a couple who have a website called Costco Couple.  They photograph items in the store, and post them for others to see.  They discuss the products if they have actually purchased them, but their descriptions are quite good either way.  This could make your time at Costco more productive, as you might see something you wouldn’t see just pushing a cart through the store.  Like an on-line catalog, perhaps, but better.  You can scroll back to see their posts prior to the current page.  I have already found an item to buy --- that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.  A sound-bar for a flat screen TV.  However, searching for web reviews of the Costco item, I found a better product (slightly higher priced), reviewed at PC Magazine on-line.  Since it was  better performing and highly recommended, I went searching for it on line. At Amazon  it was not much higher in price than the Costco sound bar.  And it has a blue-tooth sub woofer and better sound. So – indirectly I found a great product at a great price from my first use of Costco Couple. .

http://costcocouple.com/

They also have a link to the coupon book for Costco – more savings.  I didn’t know Costco had a coupon book.  Here is a link to that.

http://costcocouple.com/costco-september-2013-coupon-book-090513-to-092913/

The Costco Couple are not affiliated with Costco and are not paid anything or given anything by Costco, it is purely a fun operation for them to help others (I presume).  I believe it anyway.

Vending Machine For Cars

Brooklyn is about to get a 697 car underground parking lot, where the cars are delivered to their spaces by a robotic system, and put in slots like post office boxes while you are away from the car (see video below).  Popular Mechanics Magazine has the story in the October 2013 issue, but it is not yet on-line.   It is a miracle of ingenuity, and is a proven system as well.  It stores several times the number of cars in the same cubic footage that a conventional garage does.  And – the big news – the garage industry averages “one insurable incident per 100 cars”.   This automated garage, in testing elsewhere, has parked 300,000 cars without a single “insurable incident”.  It will be ready in 2016 (why so long was not explained).

It will save or improve the following:   Just this one garage !!!

1.      250,000 cars in and out are projected – per year

2.      will eliminate 250,000 miles of driving, annually

3.      will save 152 metric tons of CO-2 emissions annually

4.      will save 17,000 gallons of fuel annually

5.      reduce “insurable incidents” from 2,500 a year to zero  compared to conventional underground garages.

6.      save many hours of time that patrons would otherwise spend walking and riding elevators to get out of conventional underground parking  -- with this, they exit very close to when they pull in the garage.

Motion sensors and other devices make sure no humans are in the cars when they are “parked” in their post-office type boxes.

“It’s very much like a vending machine for cars” says Ari Milstein, Executive director of AutoMotion.

http://www.automotionparking.com/  watch the video , choose full screen option. 

Flu Shots for 2013 Updated Information

The WSJ today recommends flu shows now – not later.  The shots take several weeks to build the immunity to the maximum, so one should not wait until flu season arrives to get the shot.

1.      shots in many areas are available at pharmacies and are fast and inexpensive, or free with Medicare or supplemental Medicare policies

2.      children over 6 months should get their flu shots as well

3.      trivalent shot is the one used by most in the past

4.      quadrivalent shot picks up a 4^th type and is recommended for children

5.      fluzone  shot – a more powerful shot, recommended for people over 62

6.      flublock shot  -- a new one, this is the first year, for people with egg allergies but only for ages 18 to 49

Personally, I had the fluzone shot last year, and didn’t get the flu of course.  I have had the shots for years, no side effects whatsoever.  I get mine at Walgreens.

WSJ article says 20% of the US population get the flu every year, with type B being the most common.  So this is not something any of us can ignore.  Last year only 42% of adults got the shot, and only half the children from age 6 to 17.  My recommendation:  get your flu shot in the next week or so.

HUE -- A Really Smart Light Bulb -- Watch The Video

https://www.meethue.com/

HUE, a great new idea, a very smart light bulb  -- watch the video  $100 for 3 of them according to TIME magazine story on Sept 2, 2013.   I think it would be a fun thing to have and apparently is a really, really, smart light bulb.