Commentary

Are your Android apps spying on you?

In recent months, I have written several columns about Internet and smart device privacy issues. Apparently, a large number of popular apps for both Android and Apple iOS devices utilize access to personal information of various types for other than the legitimate functioning of those apps.

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Skin-care products go under the microscope

The plastics from personal care products go down drains and are discharged into

The micro-beads and micro-scrubbers found in skincare products may be ending up in the belly of small marine organisms. An Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Dr. Jeremy L. Conkle’s new water quality lab focuses on understanding this emerging issue.

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Chevrolet’s midsize truck, the 2015 Colorado

2015 Chevy Colorado

The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado is an all-new midsize pickup with the style and versatility of a truck and the refinement and efficiency of a crossover. With a starting MSRP of $20,120, Colorado is tailored to the needs of customers in North America — it features distinctive design cues, and a quiet, comfortable interior.

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Grateful for learning to grieve

I have believed for years that when we stop learning, we stop living, in the truest sense of the word. I honestly try to learn something new, if not every day, at least several times a week. Some of the new things I have learned, I really did not have a desire to add them to my store of knowledge, but apparently God thought I should know them.

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The Ultimate Gift

The movie The Ultimate Gift, begins with a video that declares that Red Stevens has died, and his older offspring having received their millions with greedy anticipation. But a different fate awaits young Jason, whom Stevens, his great-uncle, believes may be the last vestige of hope for the family. By video, Red said, “Although to date your life seems to be a sorry excuse for anything I would call promising, there does seem to be a spark of something in you that I hope we can fan into a flame.

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Federal agencies post security warnings for mobile phones

Now that the spring semester is starting, it is quite obvious that almost all of my college students have and are using smart phones and other digital communications devices for much more than the traditional calling function. With the near universal use of smart phones and related devices in our daily lives, it is inevitable that crooks and other dishonest people will find a way to illicitly capitalize on the popularity of these devices. 

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My favorite free Android apps

Since announcing in a column here several weeks ago that my wife and I each have a new, high-end Android smart phone, several people have asked me what apps we put on our respective phones.

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Two stories based on real people should vie for Oscars

“The Theory of Everything” and “Wild”

“The Theory of Everything”; Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones; Directed by: James Marsh; Rated: PG-13

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The Gratitude Project

I have long believed that our attitude greatly determines our level of gratitude. If we spend our time thinking about how many good things we have in our lives, we have little time to dwell on the bad or wrong things. And I suppose this is a well-traveled two-way street. If our attitudes stink, then our levels of gratitude will be low or non-existent.

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Alternative high end smart phones that will cost less

Early last summer in this column, I explained several of the alternative methods of purchasing factory new or refurbished smart phones at deeply discounted prices, without any long-term contracts. One of the sources mentioned was Google and its “Google phones,” which are sold directly by Google from its “Play Store” at play.google.com/store/devices.

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