Undercover browser

Recently, I told a group to not use Internet Explorer until the update came out to make it more secure. Unfortunately, many sites, especially government ones only allow using Internet Explorer. Why this is, I have no idea. However, an add on to your browser may solve this issue. Add an agent switcher to fool the website you are on to think it's IE or something else, like an iPhone. These switcher agents are great  for testing or getting through something oddly blocked websites. Here is a link for the Chrome add on and Firefox extension

“Everyone hears only what he understands.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A bit more on the technology front. This is not new but it is interesting. The question is one of age and hearing. There has been a ringtone that has been used by the younger generation for a while. It is called the mozzotone. The reason I say specifically younger generation is that you must be younger than 30 to hear this. It is a high pitched whine that plays in a certain range that, depending on your age, you may have lost. I have heard of this being used in schools because the teachers cannot hear it. You do not have to have bad hearing to miss it but if you want to get a taste of it click here but remember to have earphones turned up loud. It is quite unsettling to have a young person standing 10 feet away and pick up on it and I just can make out the faintest whisper of it with earphones.

Now what is an ancient one, like myself, to do if I cannot hear it? A very old technology that has been used in Japan for years is a tiny charm called a cell phone flasher. Inside the charm is a RF (Radio Frequency) detector. Essentially a small bead flashes when a phone (any phone) gets a signal like a phone call or text. I had thought for a while that teachers should buy a few of these and hide them around their classrooms. Give a listen and take a look.