Author: jameskinler

With the holiday season coming up, it’s time to start making your gift list and checking it twice! We’re here to help; here are some tech gift ideas for everyone in your life. Tile Bluetooth Tracker If you know someone who always seems to be losing their keys or wallet, a Tile Bluetooth Tracker could be the perfect gift! Simply attach the Tile to an item that is commonly misplaces and connect it to the Tile app on your smartphone. Via the app, you can ring your Tile or see where it is on a map. Tiles come in several different shapes: a keychain, a small sticker or a slim card that easily fits in a wallet or laptop case. It can also help you find your phone; you can double-press on the Tile and it will make your phone ring, even if it is switched to silent.

South Valley Bakersfield Christmas Parade – December 5 at 6:00pm in Downtown Bakersfield Taft Christmas Parade – December 9 at 6pm on Center Street in Taft Candy Cane Lane Parade in Visalia – December 2 at 7pm in Downtown Visalia Tulare Children’s Christmas Parade – December 5 at 6 pm in Downtown Tulare Children’s Christmas Parade – December 5 at 7pm on Main Street in Porterville Greatest Show Christmas Parade in Lemoore – December 7 at 6pm in Downtown Lemoore Hanford Christmas Parade – November 29 at 6pm in Downtown Hanford Children’s Electric Parade in Clovis – December 7 at 6:30pm in Old Town Clovis Downtown Fresno Christmas Parade – December 7 on Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno Nation’s Christmas Tree City Toyland Parade in Sanger – December 7 at 11am in Downtown Sanger

In the ever-changing online world, it can be hard to find safe and age-appropriate content for your kids to watch, especially when there is so much content available online. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about what your kids might stumble across on these kid-friendly streaming services. YouTube Kids If your kids love watching YouTube, this app is perfect for them! YouTube Kids only has content that has been deemed family-friendly, but you can also approve or block any content. You can also approve entire collections that have been curated based on topics or your child’s age. On YouTube Kids, you can create customized profiles for each child and set time limits. YouTube Kids is completely free and can be viewed on most mobile devices, smart TVs or computers. For an ad-free experience, you can upgrade to YouTube Premium for $11.99/month. Netflix Kids If you have a Netflix account, then you already have access to this streaming option for kids. Simply create a Kids profile on your Netflix account and your child can have access to a curated collection of family-friendly content. In addition to a library of content, there is also a navigation bar with familiar characters so that your kids can select their favorite shows without having to read titles. Netflix accounts start at $8.99 a month and can be accessed on most mobile devices, smart TVs or computers.

Whether you are a freelancer, or you are remotely working for a larger company, working from home can have its unique struggles. However, there are plenty of online tools and apps that can help you find success and be productive while working remotely. Stay organized. Todoist If you’re looking for a to-do list app that helps you keep track of every area of your life, Todoist might what you’ve been looking for! Todoist lets you create different folders and projects to organize different areas of your life. You can also easily prioritize your tasks so that you can focus on what’s most important and set due dates so that you don’t miss a thing! Asana Taking to-do lists to another level, Asana lets you manage big projects with ease. With Asana, you can break down big projects into smaller action steps. Track your progress and visualize your work with multiple views including calendar, list and timeline. You can also connect Asana to all the tools you use with over 100 integrations.

Having a secure password is an easy step everyone can take in order to protect themselves from identity theft, fraud, or other online dangers. With technology evolving, simple one-word passwords aren’t going to be able to protect your information anymore. Some of your most important data and information is stored online, so it is essential to ensure that it is protected. Here are some tips to help you create and manage secure passwords. The Basics The first step to making your password more secure is to understand how hackers can guess your passwords. When most people imagine someone trying to hack into their Facebook or bank account, they imagine someone sitting a computer typing in different passwords. However, the reality is that hackers use complex software that can use algorithms to make random guesses until they guess your password. These programs can make guesses at a very high rate and the more complex your password is, the harder it will be for the software to guess. Here are some basics to help you create a strong and complex password:

For a long time, Netflix was the king of streaming services. However, other major media companies are now cashing in on the rising popularity of streaming services. Within the next several years, you can expect a huge influx of new streaming services from brands that you already know and love, such as Disney, NBC and Apple. Here’s a breakdown of some of the streaming services slated to be launching soon! Disney+ Probably the most buzzworthy streaming service coming this year is Disney+. Launching on November 12, 2019, it will feature content from the Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars franchises, as well as 30 seasons of The Simpsons and 21st Century Fox classics. In addition to a library of licensed content, they will also be releasing original movies and TV shows, only available on Disney+. Plans will start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. Apple TV+ Unlike other streaming services, Apple TV+ will only feature original TV shows and movies. You can expect a myriad of content from Hollywood power players including Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Anniston, M. Night Shyamalan, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, Brie Larson and Jason Momoa. You do not have to have an Apple TV device in order to watch; the service will be available on any device that supports the Apple TV app. Subscriptions will be on $4.99 a month, and if you purchase a new Apple device, you will get a year of Apple TV+ for free!

With the temperatures starting to cool down, pumpkin patch and corn maze season is quickly arriving! This is the perfect time of year to get outside, spend some time with your family and friends and enjoy the cooler weather. We wanted to share some Central Valley fall attractions that are sure to get you and your family into the fall spirit. Tulare County Vossler Farms in Visalia Check out one of south Valley’s most epic corn mazes at Vossler Farms! The 2019 season opens on September 28 and the ten-acre corn maze will be open Wednesday through Sunday, with the pumpkin patch open every day of the week. Fresno County Pumpkin King in Fresno Located on Blackstone and Shaw in Fresno, Pumpkin King will be open beginning on September 27 and will be open seven days a week. Pony rides, bounce houses and a straw bale maze for the kids make this a great place to take your family. Hobb’s Grove in Sanger

Cable providers don’t want to dig trenches. In most rural areas, traditional wirelines Internet services like Comcast or AT&T aren’t available. Cable companies only offer services within urban or suburban areas that have a high population density. In order to bring cable Internet service to rural areas, providers would have to dig trenches to bring the wirelines out to the country. Unfortunately, these providers do not think that it is worth it to dig trenches in rural areas, as there are fewer customers per mile than in urban areas. DSL is slow and does not guarantee their speeds. DSL Internet can be available in certain rural areas through a local phone company. However, even if DSL is available, speeds can drastically vary depending on how far away you are from the phone company hub. Even if you are close to the phone company hub, your speeds may still be inconsistent because most DSL providers do not guarantee their speeds.

There’s nothing better on a hot day than staying inside and streaming your favorite movies and TV shows. Here are some of our staff’s favorite Hulu picks: If you like throwbacks, you might like… Seinfield Described as a “show about nothing”, comedian Jerry Seinfeld and friends live in New York City in the 90s. Seinfeld is packed with one-liners and is the epitome of 90s sitcoms. Full House This heartfelt family sitcom depicts the lives of a widowed father and his three daughters, who raises them with the help of his brother in law and best friend. Veronica Mars Hulu is bringing back everyone’s favorite private investigator in Hulu’s reboot of the popular 2000s show, Veronica Mars. If you like sci-fi, you might like… Star Trek: The Original Series In the first television series in the Star Trek franchise, Captain Kirk, Spock and friends must complete their mission aboard the USS Enterprise to explore the galaxy and defeat intergalactic enemies. Lost Lost was a cultural phenomenon when it first premiered in 2004 and now you can stream it anytime on Hulu! Airplane passengers who crash landed on an island must figure out how to survive and how they can get home. If you want something to watch with the whole family, you might like… Garfield and Friends Based on the classic comic strip, this TV show follows the adventures and mishaps of a lasagna-loving cat and his friends Odie, Orson Pig and Wade Duck. Shrek An ogre and a donkey go on a quest to save a princess, but there’s more to the princess than meets the eye! Both parents and kids alike will love this iconic animated movie. If you like to laugh, you might like… Last Man on Earth

When signing up for unWired, you will need a router to deliver your Internet connection into your home. You can either buy your own router or purchase a managed router for a small monthly fee from unWired. If purchasing your own router, you can find them on Amazon or at an electronics store like Best Buy. Here are some of the routers that we recommend: ASUS AC1900 / Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 On the lower end of the price range, these routers are recommended for mid-size homes, as they can cover homes up to 3000 sq. ft. They are also perfect for gaming and streaming. These routers range from $150 – $200. ASUS AC3100 / Netgear Nighthawk X6 AC3000 Perfect for larger homes, these routers will cover around 3000 – 5000 sq. ft. They are slightly better for gaming and streaming, but the real improvement is on the Wi-Fi range. These routers range in price from $200- $250. unWired Managed Router If you want to avoid setting up your own router or paying for replacement routers, you can purchase an unWired managed router. For $9.99/month, we will set up your router and pay for any maintenance, as well as take care of changing the passwords and adding port forwarding for different devices. You can cancel your managed router service at any time. At unWired, we have done extensive router testing with a variety of brands and the brands that we do not recommend are D-Link, Belkin, TP-Link, and almost all routers under the $75 mark. However, if happen to have one of these routers, don’t worry! They are not necessarily bad routers; they may just burn out sooner than the other major brands. If you are buying your own router, we suggest that you also purchase a warranty