00) All about this book, with Introduction by Lenny Frieling, Former Judge, Senior Attorney Emeritus, Retired

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All Chapters have audio available in various voices.

“There are no silly questions, only silly answers.
And an answer without a question is only a statement.”

I love that line by Mayor Adam West™

INTRODUCTION, by Lenny Frieling,
Former Judge, Senior Attorney Emeritus, Retired

I’m one of the people who have called upon Dan for computer help for not just years, but for four decades. In 1985 I left a legal partnership with two fine lawyers and hung out my own shingle. I announced to the world that my new criminal defense law office was now open for business.

In addition to criminal defense, I represented over 1000 kids as their guardian ad litem, often helping them as the subject of child abuse, and over 500 people being involuntarily medicated.

“Dan, I need a computer.”

One of the reasons I left the law firm was because the partners felt buying a computer for a paralegal was important, but buying a computer for one of the three lawyers was a waste of money. They assumed a lawyer could not type and didn’t need a computer.

I already knew that practicing law required a computer. Owning a computer was becoming a thing and it seemed logical a computer, along with the right software, and the knowledge to make it all work, was where the legal profession was headed. Little did I realize at the time computers were going to be used and needed by all professions. I never thought all employees right up to the owners of big companies would need a computer.

Dan complied with my request. He sent me a box with a computer he built specially for me and a note that said “call me if you need help.” In 1985, few people were building computers, and I thought it was pretty cool a machine was built just for me. Dan then taught me, over the phone, how to build my own machines. He’d help me pick out the parts and I built my next 3 or 4 computers. He also helped me learn how to create websites and I was able to create the first websites for the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, the Boulder Criminal Defense Bar, and for my own law practice.

Dan has been helping me with computer challenges since 1985. Sometimes his help included detailed explanations, while other assistance was him saying “it’s complicated, let me just step you through fixing it”, sometimes it just wasn’t necessary for me to understand technically what the problem nor what solution was, I just knew it would be fixed.

Even though a problem was complex, his directions were presented in simple terms that didn’t exceed my computer expertise level. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing technically, being able to do it because you understand what you’re being told is critical. Dan’s depth of knowledge has always amazed me and has always solved my computer problems and knew the answer to my tech questions.

In 1985 you couldn’t go to the Internet and research computer software to run a law office. Not only was there no Internet, there was no software made to run my small criminal defense law office, only very expensive systems made for very large personal injury firms. You were lucky back then to have find a basic accounting system no less a system that specialized in 1 profession. Dan said, “I can write the system for you”.

He then created one of the first systems made to run a criminal defense law office making it so I could properly track my time to accurately invoice my clients. My clients were billed the right amount, and I didn’t lose billing due to time not being properly tracked. At the time, other lawyers saw my system and couldn’t believe that a computer program could be written for one specific profession, especially theirs.

Although his scope of knowledge and experience is mainly focused on Microsoft Windows™ systems, he even got me through my years of iOS/Mac use.

I cannot think of a better person to identify the areas of importance for safe effective computer use. He shares that with his ability to teach in simple terms how to safely and easily use your computer.

His experience and knowledge ranges from hardware and software to areas I never knew existed until I had a problem. If I have a technical question, it’s remarkable how he’ll have the answer, usually right off the top of his head.

Years ago, he had what I thought was a strange recommendation, a really odd very expensive keyboard, called Kinesis. When I saw it all I could think is that is the oddest keyboard ever and didn’t understand how it could be helpful. It took about 2 hours of my getting used to it and wondering why it was recommended. That was before it had me typing at over 120 words a minute, about 30 word per minute better than I had been doing.

Being a lawyer who typed his own court briefs, being a fast typist was an incredible tool for me, and I never imagined that something as simple as a new keyboard could make me more money. But Dan knew it would.

I think one of the earliest tricks he taught me, “if nothing is working, reboot!” That fix worked so often, my co-workers thought I was some computer genius. Back then this wasn’t a known way to solve problems, but Dan knew this was a great trick way before others. I can’t imagine how many people he taught this one to.

I will never forget his answer to “How often should I save the document I’m working on. “Whenever you type something you never want to retype”.

Sometimes I hit “save” after every sentence. Dan taught me to use CTRL-s, super-fast and my work is saved. Dan taught me to use a few simple keyboard shortcuts and not go to my mouse. He taught me to move my hand from my keyboard to my mouse, and clicking File, Save, takes, loses, a lot of time, CTRL-s takes under 1-second. Tips like this were, and are, invaluable.

My tip: if you are not a good typist, take an online typing class! When I was about 12, in 1963, I remember Dad, a NASA engineer, saying “you must learn to type. Computers will change over the years, but the QWERTY keyboard will remain the same.” That tip saved me about $3000 a month for almost 50 years, since I did my own typing instead of using another person to try to read my handwriting or transcribe my dictation. I never liked doing dictation, I wanted to do my own editing as I went. I can still type about as fast as I can think

Take Dan up on his offer to respond to questions; He means it and has the knowledge and skill set to do it. He also is quite skilled at identifying areas that need attention, such as security issues, which are frequently unknown to regular computer users, and areas where operational help is needed, like how to move photos around.

I once asked Dan what computer games he liked. He told me doesn’t play computer games, but “Owning a computer is like one big computer game”

Lenny Frieling
Former Judge, Senior Attorney Emeritus, Retired

WELCOME TO MY BOOK, Practical Tech Tips [for those over 50]

Hi, this is Dan, founder and author of Practical Tech Tips [for those over 50]™.

I greatly appreciate your taking the time to read this. I spend many hours writing, then five times that much time editing. Accuracy, readability, simplicity, and more simplicity, is always my top priority.

I chose this title to be sure you know this is not just another technical book you won’t understand. I want you to know, right by the title, this book was written “for you”. It’s the book you’ve been needing that no one ever wrote. I like to think I finally wrote it, and thank you so much for finding it.

A non tech person may wonder, especially when you get going in Chapter 01 about user types, why you need to be learning this. TRUST ME, that’s my answer. I don’t teach tech topics just so you can learn stuff, and be bored out of your mind, nor teach stuff just to make myself sound impressive.

I hope to impress you with vast knowledge and dazzle you with simplicity. Of course I want to impress with some amazing credentials like doctor of this and professor of that, but I’m none of those. However, at the end this chapter I do list what I like to think of as a pretty impressive list of credentials. But I’m really hear to impress with technical knowledge explained so you understand it.

I select my topics carefully prioritizing necessity and importance, then moving to convenience and never getting to blood and guts you just don’t need to know.

For instance, the first Chapter on user types, by the end of the Chapter, I believe you’ll be saying wow, I had no idea, and yeah, that’s some really important tech-stuff I needed to know that. As you get to each Chapter and wonder is this really for me, most likely it is. If there’s a Chapter that is just of interest, I’ll be sure you know before you get heavily into something you may not care about.

Besides tips on security, there are Chapters with convenience tips. Those Chapters will cover things like how to copy a picture from a website to your computer. Or how to post a picture on facebook™. I’ll show you how to save a picture from facebook™ onto your computer or phone. I’ll even teach you how to take a screen capture and remove the extra junk around a photo. And I’ll show you how to that on your computer and your phone. And, I’ll explain what a screen capture is for those who don’t know what the term means and show you how to make one, they are really very convenient. Don’t worry, everything is explained.

Lets get going, and, trust me! 

WHY I’M WRITING THIS (on-going) BOOK?

I call this an on-going book as the topics covered will be an evolving entity. I’ll be writing on more than just the topics I’ve planned according to what my subscribers are requesting. If you have a topic you want help with, you may request that I write it.

I’ve been in the computer field since 1980 and started my own consulting company in 1982. I was one of the earliest builders of what was referred to as IBM PC™ clone computers, the earliest of today’s home PCs. I have computerized 100’s of small and medium size businesses, and designed, created, installed and supported 100’s of computer programs and systems.

After all these years, I’ve learned something, my phone and E-mail are a non-stop source of friends’, family and customers’ computer questions. For many years I kept saying this, and many have told me I need to do this, I need to write a book with all of my tech tips. I’m finally doing it and I hope to help 1000’s of computer users, just like you, to stop struggling with the basics and learn some great stuff to make using your home computer more secure and more of a tool you understand and not just that dreaded thing I use to do things that I don’t understand but I’m doing them anyway. That was a mouthful.

SO, WHERE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS, OR MY HOME TUTOR?

Buying a computer doesn’t include teaching you how to use it, and especially how to keep yourself secure while on the Internet. Most users, out of need, are self-taught. With this online book series, PTT911™, Practical Tech Tips [for those over 50]™, I’m here to teach important topics to help secure your computer and teach you about online security, and lots of tech-tips to help you use features of your computer you may not know about or just don’t know how to make good use of them.

Advanced computer users may find many Chapters simplistic and way below their knowledge level, yet there are probably some useful tip-bits™ to be found, I find new ones all the time. Like that word tip-bits™? I made it up. 

Chapter 01 is critical and I highly recommend it even to advanced users. Advanced users: do you run as an Admin or a Regular User? If you answered “I know what I’m doing, of course I run as an Admin, and I’m the only user on my machine so what if it gets infected, it will eat my files anyway”. I hope you read Chapter 01. I used to run that way as well, but not in many years. A virus, as a Regular User, is really fast to recover from, not the three days it takes to reload your entire computer.

PTT911™ is not Computers For Dummies™, but it’s only one-step above that. This book assumes you have been on your computer, you know some basics like how to use a mouse and keyboard and how to get into programs like your web-browser to get onto the Internet, and perhaps you know a few other basics. Past that, it’s assumed you just use your computer and you don’t know technical terminology. When a technical term must be used, even a basic one like desktop, it is always explained. I’ll even have a Chapter explaining some basic computer terminology and acronyms to help you understand the different parts of your computer. In simple terms of course.

PTT911™ is a multi-media book. It is not just a book you read. When something makes sense to show you, there may be a picture or a short video showing you exactly what I mean so there is no confusion. The adage, a picture is worth 1000 words is gold in my world, because I know it will help you truly understand every topic.

PTT911™ is an ongoing series discussing many topics like those just mentioned. I’ll help you organize and save your files (music, photos, documents, scanned images). And I’ll show you how to make a desktop shortcuts, and I teach you what should be, and what should not be, on your desktop. What should not be on your desktop is another area even advanced users may want to read.

I’ll help you understand the different parts of your computer and about devices such as printers, cameras, microphone, speakers and other accessories. But don’t worry, each chapter is short and to the point discussing just the particular topic. That also makes it easy for you to go back and find a specific Chapter for something you need assistance with (including posting a question).

PTT911™ is geared towards those over 50 who did not grow up with computers in the house. Most of you have been using a computer in one way or another for a while but you don’t sit down at it and say “Ok, I know exactly what I’m doing”. It’s probably more like “Ok, I can get into the program I need”. I’ll help you with organizing your pictures, running your E-mail securely, protecting your facebook™ account from hackers and so much more. PTT911™ is your new, simple to understand, resource. And you can get to it on your computer or your phone.

PTT911™ is for the person who may use social media such as facebook™, uses E-mail, Amazon™ and other online stores, and visits websites whether specific sites like your online-banking or just surfing the web to see what’s out there. Being on facebook™ and buying on Amazon™ has security issues you should know about, I’ll go over them. This book assumes you don’t need help turning on your computer, although there will be a Chapter explaining the differences in turning a machine on and off, leaving it running all the time, and the difference between Sleep and Hibernate modes.

Microsoft Windows™ verse macOS™: Chapters that are specific to an operating system will be noted so you don’t waste time reading what may not pertain to you. I certainly  recommend that everyone understands all security concepts and issues. When instructions are given that are specific to an operating system, they are only given for Microsoft Window™ users. Chapters on Internet and online security, facebook™ and social media sites, shopping on Amazon™ and other online stores, are for all computer users. Of particular importance to all users will be the Chapter on phone-apps, and the dangers of running the facebook™ and Amazon™ apps, and others, and what the easy alternatives are.

[Borrrowed from Monty Python™]
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

For fun, I’ll be writing some Chapters outside the regular I need help with stuff. You hear all the time computers run with only 0’s and 1’s, and you see numbers like 2F7B, my Chapter Computer Numbers & Math in Simple Terms explains this, in simple terms, of course. After reading my Chapter on computer math, you’ll understand the following joke:

“There are only 10 kinds of people in the world.
Those who understand binary and those who don’t”
Dan Frieling, Author, 1980

Another for fun, totally off topic Chapter, just to mix it up a little bit, and because I love teaching this stuff, will explain this one: If you are 100 pounds on Earth, you are approximately 18 pounds on the moon. But, if you are 100 kilograms on Earth, you are 100 kilograms on the moon. If that makes no sense, I’ll help you understand why this is. Wait until you teach this one to your Grandkids, they’ll think you’re a total genius, and they’ll want to teach it to their friends.

Chapters like this, about not necessarily computer stuff  helps mix it up a little bit and keeps things more interesting. I certainly don’t want this book to be boring nor hard to read.

QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND FUTURE CHAPTERS

Each chapter has an area at the end where you may post questions and see the questions and answers from others; you’ll see a ‘Submit a Comment’ section at the end of each Chapter. If you read something in the Chapter you didn’t understand, ask a question. Chances are, someone else probably has the same question. And, I may see a question and realize I need to simplify or rewrite something for clarity. Since this is not a hard printed book, updates are easy.

If a particular Chapter is of interest to a lot of people and going into the topic in more depth makes sense, I’ll expand on a topic and insert a new sub-Chapter.

I’m going to repeat something I said at the start of this Chapter, because it’s one of my favorite lines to quote, because it’s funny, and it’s incredibly true:

“There are no silly questions, only silly answers.
And an answer without a question is only a statement”.
Mayor Adam West™

I currently have dozens of Chapter topics outlined. If you have a specific topic you would like help with, use my ContactUs page and let me know. After 45 years in the computer industry, I may have my long list to write about, but new questions come up all the time, so let me know yours.

WRAPPING UP

I hope I’ve encouraged you to subscribe to my PTT911™ book series, and please check out the free Chapters that are posted as there’s some really good stuff in them. And you’ll see that if presented properly, simply, you can learn some great tech tips, make your computer and online experience more secure, and use your computer to do things you once thought would be too hard to learn.

DAN’S RESUME

I mentioned at the beginning, I’m not a doctor, I’m not a professors, but I told you I would try to impress you with my history, so here it is:

Daniel Frieling, P.R.S., and you must guess what that title is, it is incredibly rare
1982 – Created what is most likely the 1st-ever Electronic Medical Records system for Colgate-Palmolive
1990 – Created bilingual talking warehouse inventory control system (Sound Blaster 1.0, DOS OS)
1993 – Created 1st pediatric-focused Electronic Medical Records system (CompuKID, The Pediatric Toolkit)
1993 – Introduced National Center For Missing and Exploited Children to the concept of digital photography
1995 – 1st to put Electronic Medical Records on the Internet – with Dept of Pediatrics, Univ of Vermont
1995 – 1st to put a doctor on a wireless computer running Electronic Medical Records in the exam room
1995 – 1st to create a fully paperless medical office
1980 – 2025: Computerized 100’s of companies; directed tech support departments; featured medical convention lecturer* on Electronic Medical Records, computerized immunization scheduling and tracking,  and how to computerize a medical office. * Convention lectures included: AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; TEPR, Towards an Electronic Patient Record; Consultant on immunization scheduling and tracking to the NYC, State of MN, NJ, CO and PA Departments of Health