Best Airfare Search Engines for International Flights

If you like doing your own research instead of booking through a travel agent, below is a list of search engine sites that I have used and continue to use when scanning for better price deals for international flights.

 
Some airlines do not participate in search engines; therefore, if there's a particular airline that you don't see in the list, you may want to visit their official website and compare prices.

1. momondo.com
2. justfly.com
3. kayak.com/flights
4. orbitz.com
5. cheapoair.com
6. skyscanner.com
7. matrix.itasoftware.com/search
8. kiwi.com
9. google.com/travel/flights

Note: Google Flights used to be a great and useful tool if you wanted to get a rough idea of the price range per different departure and return dates up to months ahead, but it's been inaccurate as of the time of this post.

Tip: In the US, your point of departure can also make a difference on how much you pay in total for travel. You may get a better deal if you can travel domestically form your home state to catch an international flight from one of the airports listed in the US States below:

1. New York
2. Boston (especially flying Delta Airlines)
3. Washington DC (especially if departing from BWI or IAD) 
4. Los Angeles (especially if travelling to Asia)
5. Chicago

READ MORE...

Security tip: Disable remote desktop

Why?

Because you want to increase the security of your computer or your client's or your company's or your parents' computer.

A Remote Desktop can be used by scammers pretending to offer technical support.

You don't need it on unless you know what you are doing, and it is for specific and legitimate reasons. Most of the time, it should be turned off. 

In a Windows computer go to the Settings (shortcut = press the Windows icon + the letter I) > System> scroll down > click Remote Desktop > click on the toggle next to the Remote Desktop option to turn it off.

You will be prompted to confirm your decision and click on the Disable button and exit the Settings.

Some versions of Windows do not support this feature and you will see a red sentence stating something similar or variation of this, "Your Home edition of Windows 11 doesn't support Remote Desktop."

READ MORE...

I troubleshoot software and these are Steps you can take secure your phone, tablet, laptop

I work in an industry where part of my job is to ensure a company's equipment and devices are secured to meet industry security standards and protect clients and consumers against digital attacks and the loss of company and individual data.

Here are some measures we take every day that you or anyone else can also use to protect your electronic devices so that hackers do not gain unauthorized access to your device and tamper with your data and information.

1. Everyone needs to be using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). Everyone. No exception. Personal or small business, it doesn't matter. You should be using 2FA. Everyone should. If you think you are a nobody or your business is too small to be hacked, think again because we see attempts to hack just regular individuals and normal people who consider themselves "a nobody" or not so important or wealthy for anyone to waste their time trying to hack them, but it happens. Hackers may target a random person to practice on or as a conduit to get into their employer's company system. It is very important to enable 2FA whenever possible for your accounts to make it harder for hackers to get into your device. You need a second form of verification, for example, a code from an app such as Google Authenticator, Authy, Microsoft Authenticator, etc. If you are unable to use an authenticator app (which is more secure), you can set up your phone number or email address to receive a code via text message, phone call, or email as a 2FA in addition to your passphrase or password.
2. Do this simple thing: No sharing of PINs, passwords, or passphrases Please, just don't.
3. Do not write your PINs, passwords, or passwords anywhere. The best practice is to use a password manager such as KeePass, Bitwarded, LogMeOnce, Avira Password Manager, Enpass Password Manager, 1Password, etc. to store your passwords and passphrases and you will have to remember only one master password or passphrase. It is very convenient, easy to use, and not complicated as people who have not used it think.
4. Passwords, passphrases, and PINs: Use passphrases whenever possible, then a password, PIN, or pattern lock for your device. Avoid using information that can be guessed easily, such as your date of birth, street address, zip code, P.O. Boxes, plate number, name of a city, school, place of worship, or personal names. Longer passphrases are great for added security. If you are bilingual, using a password containing words from more than one language can be an added advantage. For example, instead of using PIN = 1986 or password = Moon345 or passphrase = I met her in Moshi, you could use a passphrase = In1986/WemetinMosh!
5. Use Biometric Authentication if possible: Newer smartphones, tablets and laptops offer fingerprint or facial recognition. Use them whenever possible for an additional layer of security to make it a little difficult for hackers to bypass.
6. Update your device's operating system and apps: If your device or apps are not set up to automatically download and install updated versions of the operating system or apps, make it a habit to manually check for updates, download them, and install in order to apply the latest bug fixes and security patches which fix vulnerabilities that hackers could use to exploit your device. Installing updates and upgrades may also improve the efficiency of your device. Caution: Please, backup data before installing updates because some updates may break stuff and cause issues, including the loss of data.
7. Install and enable Security Apps: Always use reputable security applications, antivirus, or antimalware software to detect and prevent virus and malware attacks. Check your device settings and each application to ensure they are only granted permissions they truly need to perform what the app is intended to do. Some applications or operating systems will even allow you to only allow certain permissions when using the application itself. Revoke any permission you may think the app doesn't need. Some permissions you want to limit include location, camera, microphone, storage, files, etc.
8. Make it a habit to review App Permissions by regularly reviewing app permission settings to ensure that only the necessary permissions that an app requires to function are granted.
9. Lock SIM Card: This is very important, especially if you want to avoid phone or tablet SIM card jacking for 2FA. Contact your mobile carrier to enable a SIM card lock with a PIN or other security measures instituted by your carrier in order to block someone from porting, switching, and using your SIM card on another device.
10. Be Careful with Downloads: Only download apps from official app stores, such as Microsoft's Windows Apps, Apple's App Store, or Google's Play Store, and from reputable websites for applications you may need on your computer. Avoid apps from third-party sources or attachments in an email or text.
11. If you have to use a public Wi-Fi network, do not access sensitive data on your device while connected to the public Wi-Fi because it is less secure and more vulnerable to hacking. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) instead if it is urgent and you do not have any other option.
12. Data Backup: Schedule a regular data backup of your device's data to a secure location such as the cloud storage service, an external storage device, or an isolated computer for data backup, and make sure the last two are offline or using a separate network or internet connection from the main. This is to ensure that, in the event of an attack, you are able to recover data that was stored separately offline or off the main grid. If you store data in the cloud, use a reputable and secure cloud storage service that offers strong encryption.
13. Enable Remote Device Lock, Erase, or Wipe. This is very important, especially for a phone. In your Apple or Android device settings, check and enable the option that will let you remotely lock or wipe your phone, tablet, or laptop's data if it is lost or stolen to prevent unauthorized access to some sensitive information that can be used against you or for fraudulent activities.
14. Send Secure emails if you have to share some sensitive information, such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), Social Security Number (SSN), Date of Birth (DOB), physical address, a phone number, an email address, etc.
15. Use Encrypted Messaging Apps: If you are unable to send a secure email or are concerned about messages being intercepted, if applicable, by your company, use encrypted messaging apps like Confide, Signal, WhatsApp, Threema, Voxer, Element, Wickr Me, Skred, Briar, Viber, etc.
16. Screen Calls and Texts: Not all are genuine, especially if they come from an "unknown" or from a number not in your contact list, or an anonymous call or text. If you receive a call, text, or email and in the middle of the conversation you are asked to share some sensitive information or read a code sent to you, hang up or stop responding to a text. Legitimate companies do not call you asking for this information so they can stop a transaction or process one because they already have it. Some legitimate companies may ask for some information to confirm your identity if you call them first to report suspicious activity in your account. Do not share your information or confirm anything, especially if you didn't initiate the communication and you are being pressured or threatened.
17. Those Bluetooth and NFCs. Disable them when they are not in use, as they can be used to gain unauthorized access.
18. Do not use public USB charging ports. You want to always bring and use your own charge on the available electric outlet instead of free USB ports in airports, shopping centers, hotels etc. to avoid becoming a victim of "juice jacking" where hackers can load malware onto those USB ports.

I may have missed some tips, but these are also some of the most common practices that, if followed correctly, can significantly reduce the risk of getting compromised or hacked. You can stay informed about the latest security threats and best practices for mobile device security by following tech news websites, blogs, and social media accounts.

READ MORE...

Free online advanced image editors

Krita is a free and open-source painting program made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone.

Krita can be used to create concept art, texture and matte painters, illustrations and comics.

Photopea is a free online image editor.

It supports PSD, XCF, Sketch, DD and CDR formats (Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Sketch App, Adobe XD, CoreIDRAW)

You can create a new image or open image form your computer and export or save them in various formats such as PAD, JPG / PNG / SGV, WEBP, PDF, GIF, MP4, RAW, ICO, BMP, TIFF, TGA, EMF, PPM etc.

Photopea is available at photopea.com

READ MORE...

Free & secure PDF editor alternative to Adobe Acrobat for business and personal use

FreePDF 2022 is an alternative to Adobe Acrobat!

FreePDF 2022 does more than just PDF viewer because it gives you the ability to do the following for free:

• Insert pictures into a PDF file,
• annotate a PDF file
• Change the order of pages in a PDF file
• Add new pages or delete existing ones a PDF file

FreePDF says it supports the secure encryption of PDFs

Download a copy from https://www.getfreepdf.com/en/

READ MORE...

Tips to negotiate a salary

You may be leaving some money on the table if you don't try to negotiate your salary. It is a tool available to you during the hiring process and may not come again, so don't be shy. The worst response is no, which you expect anyway, and the best response is a little more money added in your pocket.

Before you negotiate your salary, you have to know how much you are worth. What is the market rate in general for the same position in your area?

1. Do an online search for comparable salaries for your job and position in your area. Websites such as PayScale and Salary.com, as well as Indeed, Glassdoor,etc., are very useful. Some companies also post a salary range; check or ask if this is available and where you can find it in the company.
2. Incorporate your years of experience and career level.
3. Reiterate your education and any licenses and certifications. 
4. If you are flexible to work overtime or odd hours or ready whenever need, mention it.
5. Factor in the location. A person working in a city has a different living expense compared to a person living in a city.
6. Don't forget any other skills you may bring with you and how valuable they may be to the company. Mention specific examples, if you have any, of what you did or what you implemented, what was achieved, and how it benefited coworkers and the company.
7. Ask if your position is eligible for benefits and compensation other than just a salary. Things that a salary cannot offer but are very vital to your life includes:

• Health insurance (including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, supplemental health, HSA, or FSA)
• Legal Plan
• Retirement Plans (pension). Additionally in the US ask for 401(k)/403(b)/457(b))
• Employee Stock Option (ESO) 
• Tuition Assistance or reimbursement
• Paid Time Off (PTO): some with cash-out option
• Maternity or paternity leave
• Childcare resources
• Adoption Assistance
• Short-term and long-term disabilities
• Free one year Life and AD&D insurance
• Resources for Living (EAP)
• Credit Union membership
• Leadership Training to climb the corporate ladder
• Voluntary Benefits
• Employee Discounts from third parties
• Transportation and commute benefits or ability to work from home (WFH)
• Moving or relocation cost reimbursement
• Severance package
• Signing bonus

Don't feel guilty if you ask for a higher salary to meet your needs.

 

Use this information as a guide to help you determine a reasonable salary range. Be your own advocate and build a case for why you deserve a fair salary.

READ MORE...

Tools to help convert, edit, or sign document files to PDF

Take web pages printer-friendly and convert just about any file to/from PDF, and then edit or sign your document using printer-friendly. Here is the link to PrintFriendly: printfriendly.com

Now you can add text, shapes or photos, your signature, or even edit and download PDFs to your needs with the tools.

PDFescape has the free software and PDF converter you need to help you format PDF and create PDFs online. Share links to other PDF online pages or content, change PDF information tags, encrypt contents using passwords, add pictures, or even sign your PDF using your scanned signature.

Here is the link to PDFescape: pdfescape.com

A Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge extension: SmallPDF

Use SmallPDF to Edit, Compress and Convert PDF. You can even highlight, annotate, and sign any PDF for free. SmallPDF has more than 20 tools to assist you with creating the best designs.

Get SmallPDF extension from the Chrome extension store

READ MORE...

3 tools to help you check IMEI and avoid buying a blocked or blacklisted phone

I have been there several times and learned a valuable lesson. 

I thought I was going to save some money by buying it from Craigslist or OfferUp. I bought a phone listed as unlocked, only to find out later that it was blacklisted, even though I asked almost all the right questions. 

Before buying a phone (or tablet such as an iPad or from any Android manufacturer), check the price, but be careful because these days scammers try to price their items as close to the real price as possible to calm the suspicion that "if it is too good to be true, it probably is."

Ask the seller questions. If they do not like to respond to your questions, stay away too. If they respond, ask for IMEI, carrier, owned or financed, original receipt (and warranty if possible), date of purchase, etc. Check for consistency in the answers. If there's any hint that stories are changing, it's a red flag.

Being proficient in English is not a measure of how reputable a person is. 

Do not buy a store-demo phone or tablet.

Find the nearest carrier store to which the phone is locked and ask if they can assist with checking and validating the authenticity of a phone before buying. Ask the seller to meet at the carrier store. If they refuse, don't buy the phone.

Check the IMEI. Ask the seller to tell you what the IMEI is and why you are asking. If the IMEI doesn't pass as clean, don't buy it. If it passes, let the seller know that you will be performing a factory reset (this may wipe any fake IMEI and return it to its original, and scammers don't like it). 

Ask the carrier to check if the phone is blacklisted, financed, or reported for any issue, including "stolen." Some carriers will not tell you this information as it is personal and may not be legally permitted.

If the carrier is cooperative, ask them to deactivate the IMEI under the seller's account; that way, it prevents the seller from later reporting the phone as stolen and asking for a replacement or claiming insurance, which will cause the IMEI to be blacklisted. 

Meeting the person and inserting a SIM card to try it out is not proof that the phone is in good working condition. It may be blocked later. 

Get IMEI number (if they don't know how to get the IMEI, ask them to dial *#06# on the phone, not the IMEI from the box). Here are some websites you can use to check the IMEI prior to purchasing:

1. Swappa - https://swappa.com/imei
2. IMEIPro https://www.imeipro.info/
3. IMEICheck.net https://imeicheck.net/#imei

READ MORE...

List of Microsoft Excel shortcuts

Learning to use Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets) is one of the best decisions you make in your career.

Excel is a paid Microsoft software while the equivalent which is available for free is Google Sheets.

Learn to use Excel or Sheets to organize data and create charts, tables, etc. for presentation or analyzing patterns and trends. This can help you, your organization or company see the big picture, make informed decisions, and solve problems efficiently.

In a world where job competition is high, mastering Microsoft Excel will excel your career and position you as a valuable employee. It doesn't matter if you are a student or what your careered is. You can even use it for your personal finance.

Memorizing and practicing these shortcuts will dramatically save you time and money, while increasing efficiency and productivity.

Numbers

CTRL + 1 Format Cells

CTRL + 2 Bold font

CTRL + 3 Italic font

CTRL + 4 Underline

CTRL + 5 Strikethrough

CTRL + 6 Show/Hide an Object

CTRL + 7 Show/Hide the Toolbar

CTRL + 8 Toggle Outline Symbols

CTRL + 9 Hide Rows

 CTRL + 0 Hide Columns

Letters

CTRL + A  Select All

CTRL + B  Toggle BOLD (font)

CTRL + C  Copy

CTRL + D  Fill Down

CTRL + E  Flash Fill

CTRL + F  Find

CTRL + G  Go To

CTRL + H  Find and Replace

CTRL + I  Toggle Italic (font)

CTRL + J  Input line break (in Find and Replace) 

CTRL + K  Insert Hyperlink

CTRL + L  Insert Excel Table 

CTRL + M  Not Assigned

CTRL + N  New Workbook

CTRL + O  Open

CTRL + P  Print

CTRL + Q  Quick Analysis 

CTRL + R  Fill Right

CTRL + S  Save

CTRL + T Insert Excel Table

CTRL + U Toggle underline (font) 

CTRL + V Paste (when something is cut/copied)

CTRL + W Close the current workbook

CTRL + X Cut

CTRL + Y Redo (Repeat last action)

CTRL + Z Undo

Keys

CTRL +’ Copy a Formula from the Cell Above

CTRL +” Copy a Value from the Cell Above

CTRL + < Copy a Formula from the Cell Above

CTRL + > Copy a Formula from Cell to Left

CTRL + Tab Next Workbook

CTRL + Backspace Jump  to the Active Cell

CTRL + Spacebar Select an Entire Column

CTRL + Insert Copy

CTRL + Home Go to Beginning of Worksheet

CTRL + Page Up Go to Previous Worksheet

CTRL + Page Down Go to Next Worksheet

CTRL + Delete  Delete

CTRL + End Go to the Intersection of the Last used Row and Column

Symbols

CTRL + ` Toggle Formula

CTRL + ~ General Format

CTRL + !  Number Format

CTRL + @ Time Format

CTRL + # Date Format

CTRL + $ Currency Format

CTRL + % Percent Format

CTRL + ^ Exponential Format

CTRL + & Outside Borders

CTRL + * Select Current Region

CTRL + ( Unhide Rows

CTRL + ) Unhide Columns

CTRL + - Delete

CTRL + _ Remove Border

CTRL + + Insert

CTRL + = Insert

CTRL +; Insert Current Date

CTRL +:  Insert Current Time

Functions

CTRL + F1 Collapse the Ribbon

CTRL + F2 Print Preview

CTRL + F3 Name Manager

CTRL + F4 Close

CTRL + F5 Restore Window Size

CTRL + F6 Next Workbook

CTRL + F7 Move Window

CTRL + F8 Resize Window

CTRL + F9 Minimize Workbook

CTRL + F10 Maximize Workbook

CTRL + F11 Insert a Macro Sheet

CTRL + F12 Open a File

Extras

CTRL + Tab = Next Workbook

CTRL + Shift + Tab = Previous Workbook

CTRL + Backspace = Jump Back to Active Cell

CTRL + Spacebar = Select Entire Column

CTRL + Shift + Spacebar = Select All

CTRL + Insert = Copy

CTRL + Home = Beginning of Worksheet

CTRL + Page Up = Previous Worksheet

CTRL + Page Down = Next Worksheet

CTRL + Delete = Delete

CTRL + End = Intersection of Last used Row and Column

CTRL + Shift + L = Toggle filters on/off.

CTRL + Shift + $ = Apply current formatting

CTRL+ Enter = Fill Selected Range with Current Entry

Alt + Enter: Start a new line within a cell.

READ MORE...