All these ads that show up on websites like CNN, Yahoo, etc. annoy me! How can I get rid of them?
    The ads you see in the margins of many websites are a major part of the way those sites generate revenue simply by attracting viewers. Every time an ad appears to a visitor, the website earns a few cents. Every time someone clicks on one of those ads, the website gets an additional payment for the referral. And many websites depend on cookies left on your computer by other websites to determine which ads have the best chance of being of interest to a given visitor (see an earlier edition of OCW Insider for a discussion about cookies).
   While the ads serve a legitimate purpose, they can get annoying after a while and also they tend to slow down web browsing as they constantly update.
   The first step in getting a handle on the advertising deluge is to use the option turn off pop-up ads built into most web browsers. The control is probably somewhere under a "Preferences" menu in the browser.
   A more effective technique is to employ a third party ad-blocking software package. There are several out on the Internet and many of them are free. We've had limited experience with ad-blocking but one of the most highly-rated free ones we've encountered is called "Ghostery". It gives a great deal of flexibility in its configuration and it can be installed in most contemporary Microsoft and Apple web browsers (Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome and FireFox but NOT Microsoft Edge, yet). The flexibility is important because turning off all ad-related activity can render some websites all but unusable. Note that Ghostery has to be installed for each browser you routinely use. Another option for both Mac and PC users is to install a new browser called "Brave", which has an extensive suite of ad-blockers built into it. It might be worth considering if you don't want to have to do separate Ghostery installs for multiple browsers.
   We can help you assess your web browser-related issues and help you quell the tide of advertising that greets you when surfing the Internet.

I want to trim my expenses associated with Internet service. What should I do?
    Over the past few years competition among Internet service providers has expanded consumer options and, in some cases, opened up ways to save a little money on the monthly bill.
    The first step to take is usually to contact the provider directly and ask if they have any new deals available that might save you money. If you are getting Internet, telephone (landline and/or cellular) and television services through multiple providers, there is often a considerable savings to be had by "bundling" all of the services through one provider. Even without entering a bundled arrangement, some providers have reduced their Internet charges to new subscribers but do not automatically offer the savings to existing subscribers. The bottom line is that sometimes simply asking for a better price will get you one!
   Another factor to consider is the speed of the Internet connection you have. While most providers are now offering connection speeds of 25 Mb/sec. and much higher, those higher speeds come at higher cost. If you don't do video or music streaming, basic functions like e-mail don't require a speed higher than 6 Mb/sec. Please be aware that multiple computer users on a single Internet connection put more demands on the provider, so you need to balance cost and usability when considering a speed reduction.
   Sometimes the only way to save money is to change providers. Generally most residential locations are served by multiple providers these days, so changing isn't a tremendously difficult thing to do from a technical perspective. However you should be aware that if your e-mail address is tied to your provider (e.g. joe@bellsouth.net or sam@nctv.com), you might be forced to give up that provider-specific address and have to notify all of your e-mail correspondents of the change. Some of our clients have found that migrating their e-mail to an independent service such as Gmail provides a great way to slide among Internet providers without the angst of changing e-mail addresses with every move.
   We can help you wade through your options on Internet service to find the most economical package that meets your needs. We'll even help you make the calls to move forward if you are nervous about doing so on your own!

A new year is almost upon us. What do you see in your computing crystal ball for 2017?
   If either of us really knew what the new year will bring, we'd probably both go out and buy fistfuls of Powerball tickets! Still, here are a few predictions we've come up with: