Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Extra Mighell! A quick explanation, for those of you who don’t know me - my last name is pronounced “Mile,” so hopefully the title makes more sense now.
The Extra Mighell is designed to feature my favorite technology stories from the past week. It’s a work in progress, so please let me know if you have suggestions for changes or improvements. And if you like what you read, please subscribe and encourage your friends to do the same!
And away we go…..
The Week in Coronavirus
One of the fascinating consequences of our current situation is how people are using technology to adapt to this new normal, or how technology is being affected as a result of the pandemic. Some of these changes are going to last far beyond social distancing:
Digital Courtrooms Put Justice on YouTube, Zoom - it is a crime that it takes a pandemic to force the courts online, but still a positive development. I just wish all courts were following suit. [Bloomberg]
Google Maps New Shortcuts Makes it Easy to Find Takeout and Delivery - with many restaurants closed completely or operating on limited hours, this is a great way to find the dining options that are available for takeout or delivery in your area. [Review Geek]
Google uses location data to show which places are complying with stay-at-home orders - and which aren’t - this is just a small piece of the HUGE part location data is going to play in tracking COVID-19, and the people who have it. Look for more on this in coming weeks. [The Verge]
Speaking of which, this is a fascinating article on the different ways Chinese Apps Handled COVID-19. It will be interesting to see whether any of these ideas will find traction here in the US. [Dan Grover]
Like any crisis, the bad guys are using it to scam us or find ways onto our computer. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency provides some great information on how to keep aware. [CISA]
Having trouble reserving a Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh delivery slot? A college student created an app for that. [CNBC]
And please, for the love of all that’s holy, the new 5G cellular standard is not accelerating the spread of coronavirus. So stop burning cell phone towers! [Full Fact]
Security - Cyber and Otherwise
The work-at-home advice cybersecurity firms are giving their employees - this really belongs in the section above, but this is another HUGE consequence of everyone working from home: companies are effectively extending their security capabilities to millions of individual households - and let’s be honest, most of those households have questionable security practices. Definitely worth a read. [Protocol]
Productivity
Nice review from the iPhone J.D. on using Microsoft Teams on iPad and iPhone for videoconferences. [iPhone J.D.]
Wunderlist alternatives: 4 to-do list apps that let you import tasks - Unfortunately, the terrific to-do app Wunderlist is going away in May - but never fear, here’s how to move your tasks into other popular task managers (including my favorite, Todoist) [CNET]
How-To (a little heavy on PC Magazine this week)
7 Simple Steps for Cleaning Up Your Google Drive - This is more about organizing rather than cleaning, but still good tips. [PC Magazine]
How to Record the Screen on Your iPhone or iPad - if you are giving a presentation, or if you are trying to get technical support from friends or family, this is a nice tutorial. [PC Magazine]
How to Dictate Text in Microsoft Office - I’m not big on dictation, but this feature (for Office 365 users) is pretty cool. You can even dictate in other languages. [PC Magazine]
Fun and Games
The longer we #stayathome, the longer our hair grows. Never fear - for only $18 you can Zoom video with a professional barber who can walk you through the process. Face it, You Probably Need a Haircut.