#pogue basics

[pogueman]

Pogue's Basics: How to speed up YouTube playback with a keystroke

If you’re a longtime “Pogue’s Basics” fan, then you already know that you can jump 10 seconds ahead in playback of a YouTube video by pressing the L key. Or jump 10 seconds back with the H key. Or pause/unpause the video with the letter K.

And maybe you know that the number keys on your keyboard, 1 through 0, represent 10-percent increments of the video. Hit 3 to jump 30% of the way in, for example.

But here’s one more: It’s super helpful to watch a video on high speed, especially if it’s a slow talker. Usually, you have to do a bunch of clicks to adjust the speed, starting with the gear icon at lower right.

But there’s a keyboard shortcut: type >! That is, Shift-period. And less-than (<, or Shift-comma) to slow it down. Cool!

David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes non-toxic comments in the Comments below. On the web, he’s davidpogue.com. On Twitter, he’s @pogue. On email, he’s [email protected]. You can read all his articles here, or you can sign up to get his columns by email. 

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[pogueman]

Pogue's Basics: How to create a search-and-replace macro in Word

Over the years, Microsoft has evolved from a word processor into a database, Web design program, and floor wax. Among its thousands of features, macros are power-user tools that could benefit a lot of people.

They allow you to automate tasks you do often, by teaching Word to follow your example. You hit Record Macro, you do something — a search and replace, let’s say — and then you can play back that macro later.

Actually, search and replace is a bad example — Microsoft Word cannot, in fact, record and play back a search/replace. It just records nothing.

That’s a bummer. You know those people who put two spaces after a period? When one of those documents comes my way, I’d love to be able to search for two spaces and replace them with one.

Fortunately, you can create such a macro manually.

Start by choosing Tools -> Macro -> Record Macro. Name your macro “ReplaceSpaces” (or whatever you want; the macro’s name cannot contain spaces). Hit OK.

This is the part where you would do whatever you want the macro to do. But in this case, now choose Tools -> Macro -> Stop Recording. You’ve recording nothing.

Now choose Tools -> Macro -> Macros. In the dialog box, click your newly created macro’s name and then click Edit.

Now replace this empty macro —

End Sub

Sub ReplaceSpaces()

‘

‘ ReplaceSpaces Macro

‘

‘

End Sub

— with this, which you can copy right from this webpage:

Sub ReplaceSpaces()

With Selection.Find

.ClearFormatting

.Replacement.ClearFormatting

.Text = ”  “

.Replacement.Text = ” “

.Forward = True

.Wrap = wdFindContinue

.Format = False

.MatchCase = False

.MatchWholeWord = False

.MatchWildcards = False

.MatchSoundsLike = False

.MatchAllWordForms = False

.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll

End With

End Sub

You can take this opportunity, by the way, to change this macro to any search/replace you want; it doesn’t have to replace two spaces with one. For example, to do a search for “fish” and replace every occurrence with “chips,” you’d change the lines shown here as shown:

.Text = “fish”

.Replacement.Text = “chips”

Close the Visual Basic Editor.

Next time you want to run this search/replace macro, choose Tools -> Macro -> Macros, and double-click the name of the one you want to run.

Or, to make things easier, you can assign your macro to a keyboard shortcut or turn it into a toolbar button.

Once again, automation takes over our jobs!

David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes nontoxic comments in the comments section below. On the web, he’s davidpogue.com. On Twitter, he’s @pogue. On email, he’s [email protected]. You can read all his articles here, or you can sign up to get his columns by email. 

[pogueman]

Pogue's Basics: How to type symbols like ¢ and ©

Your computer keyboard has about 64 keys on it. That’s great for letters and numbers—but what about symbols, like these?

¢ ©  ®  ™  ¥

On the Mac, it’s worth learning them. Hold down the Option key and type 2 for trademark (™), 4 for cents (¢), g for copyright (©), r for registered trademark (®), or y for Yen (¥).

If you forget, you can always open the Symbol palette—in any program where you can type text, open the Edit menu and choose Emoji & Symbols—and just click what you want.

On Windows, there’s no built-in standard for these symbols across fonts. But you can open the Character Map, which offers all of those symbols. Tap the Windows key to open the Search box, and then start typing Character until you see the Character Map’s name. Boom.

And if you forget all of that, you can just Google it. For example, search for Copyright symbol. And then copy it.

  Adapted from “Pogue’s Basics: Tech.” David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes non-toxic comments in the Comments below. On the Web, he’s davidpogue.com. On Twitter, he’s @pogue. On email, he’s [email protected]. You can read all his articles here (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/david-pogue/), or you can sign up to get his columns by email (http://j.mp/P4Qgnh).

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[pogueman]

Pogue’s Basics: Use YouTube's built-in stabilizer

A few weeks back, I reviewed handheld stabilizers for your phone or your GoPro. They make a huge difference in the quality of your videos—because let’s face it: Jerky looks amateur.

But you may not need one of those expensive gadgets to stabilize your footage. Turns out YouTube can perform stabilization for you!

Find your video in your Video Manager. Hit Edit. Click the Enhancements tab, then Stabilize. Then go see a couple of movies; the analysis takes a really long time.

But when it’s over, the result is a thousand times more watchable. It’s not perfect—sometimes you get little moments of weirdness, where your hand jerked a lot—but hey, it’s free.

More Pogue:

These 6 systems will get rid of Wi-Fi dead spots in your house

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iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Bedtime-consistency management

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We sent a balloon into space — and an epic scavenger hunt ensued

Now I get it: Snapchat

The new Fitbits are smarter, better-looking, and more well-rounded

Apple has killed every jack but one: Meet USB-C

[pogueman]

Pogue’s Basics: Teach Your iPhone Proper Pronunciation

The iPhone’s robotic voice is impressive, but it’s still a robot, and it still mispronounces things. Especially names. (Just ask my daughter Tia, whose name Siri pronounces “Shy-ah.”)

But in iOS 10, it’s very easy to teach Siri the correct way to pronounce a particular name—by speaking it.

Open Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Speech -> Pronunciations. Hit +, type the name or word you’re teaching (“Tia,” in my case), then tap the blue microphone button on the Substitution line and speak the correct pronunciation.

The phone may now display a Play button; tap it to hear Siri finally get the name right.

If, instead, you see two or three different phonetic representations, tap each to hear it spoken; leave the checkmark on the correct pronunciation, and then tap Done.

From now on, wherever the phone spots this person’s written name, you’ll hear it speak that name right.

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iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Bedtime-consistency management

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iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Do Not Disturb Emergency Bypass

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[pogueman]

Pogue’s Basics: Enable Wi-Fi calling for perfect cell service

It’s a fact of life: You have better cell service outside your house than inside it. Which is a shame, since it’d be awfully nice to have, and pay for, only one phone number (your cellphone’s) instead of two (your landline’s as well).

But most modern iPhones and Androids harbor a handy little secret: They can carry your calls by Wi-Fi. In other words, your home’s Wi-Fi hotspot acts as a big ol’ indoor cell tower just for you.

On the iPhone, you turn on this feature in Settings to Phone > Wi-Fi Calling.

On Android, of course, the steps (and the feature itself) depend on which phone model you have and which version of Android it has. But in general, you should find it in Settings > Wireless & network > More (or More Settings, or Advanced Settings).

On either kind of phone, you’re now looking at the Wi-Fi Calling switch. Turn it on.

And that’s it! Now, whenever your phone is home, it can make Verizon, AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile calls with incredible clarity and perfect signal. When you leave the Wi-Fi, it seamlessly switches over to the cellular network.

You’re welcome!

More from Pogue:

iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Bedtime-consistency management

Pogue’s Basics: Money – The Amazon card

iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Do Not Disturb Emergency Bypass

Pogue’s Basics: Money – Extended warranties

Pogue’s cheap, unexpected tech gifts #2: ThinOptics glasses

A dozen iOS 10 feature gems that Apple forgot to mention

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We sent a balloon into space — and an epic scavenger hunt ensued

Now I get it: Snapchat

The new Fitbits are smarter, better-looking, and more well-rounded

Apple has killed every jack but one: Meet USB-C

[pogueman]

Pogue’s Basics: Money - Supply Your Own Cable Modem

At this moment, you’re paying about $10 a month to rent your cable modem, the gadget that brings high-speed Internet into your house. $10 a month, forever.

For no reason! Buy your own cable modem for $100, return the one you’ve been renting, and boom: $120 a year in savings.

Before you shop for your own modem, make sure you’ve found one that works with your cable company. Do a Google search for, for example, “Comcast compatible modems.”

Once you’ve ordered the modem, call up the cable company and let them know you’ve bought your own. It’s perfectly OK and increasingly common. They’ll walk you through setting it up. They’ll give you the address of a return center for shipping back the one you’ve been renting.

And then they’ll take that $10 fee off your monthly bill!

How cool is that?

More Pogue:

iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Bedtime-consistency management

Pogue’s Basics: Money – The Amazon card

iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Do Not Disturb Emergency Bypass

Pogue’s Basics: Money – Extended warranties

Pogue’s cheap, unexpected tech gifts #2: ThinOptics glasses

A dozen iOS 10 feature gems that Apple forgot to mention

GoPro’s most exciting mount yet: a drone

Professional-looking blurry backgrounds come to the iPhone 7 Plus

Pogue’s Basics: Turn off Samsung’s Smart Guide

Pogue Basics: Touch and hold Google Maps

The Apple Watch 2 is faster, waterproof—and more overloaded than ever

We sent a balloon into space — and an epic scavenger hunt ensued

Now I get it: Snapchat

The new Fitbits are smarter, better-looking, and more well-rounded

Apple has killed every jack but one: Meet USB-C

[pogueman]

Pogue’s Basics: Money - The kind of gift card everybody loves

The problem with giving people movie-theater gift cards is that they might not be moviegoers. The problem with giving someone a Starbucks card is that they may not drink coffee. The problem with a Macy’s card is that they may not live near a Macy’s.

Here’s a little tip: Give your loved one a gift card that’s redeemable anywhere. Any store, any restaurant.

And that would be prepaid Visa cards. You can get them at drugstores, gas stations, convenience stores, banks, and grocery stores.

But you can also get them online. At GiftCards.com, for example, the card costs $3 or $4 extra, but you can have them printed with a photo of your choice, which makes them a much more personal gift.

The beauty of prepaid Visa cards is that you can use them as regular credit cards, to spend wherever you like. They’re as universal as cash. (Actually, more universal, since you can spend your Visa card on the Web, too.) And yet they don’t have the impersonal, “I didn’t put much effort into this” feel of an envelope full of bills.

They don’t expire, and there are no fees. How great is that?

More from Pogue:

iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Bedtime-consistency management

Pogue’s Basics: Money – The Amazon card

iOS 10 Hidden Feature: Do Not Disturb Emergency Bypass

Pogue’s Basics: Money – Extended warranties

Pogue’s cheap, unexpected tech gifts #2: ThinOptics glasses

A dozen iOS 10 feature gems that Apple forgot to mention

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Pogue’s Basics: Turn off Samsung’s Smart Guide

Pogue Basics: Touch and hold Google Maps

The Apple Watch 2 is faster, waterproof—and more overloaded than ever

We sent a balloon into space — and an epic scavenger hunt ensued

Now I get it: Snapchat

The new Fitbits are smarter, better-looking, and more well-rounded

Apple has killed every jack but one: Meet USB-C