Posted on

How to listen from the laptop base

Choose speakers/headphones properties by clicking on the speaker icon on the right-bottom corner of the screen.

You get a window that says "Speakers/Headphones Properties" at the top.

Click around.  Somehow you get back the ability to listen to sound via. the laptop base.

Posted on

A trip to Japan

I typed this up for a friend.
****
A couple of things about a trip to Japan:
a. Japan Railway Pass
In the past I bought this twice and I used JTB USA (New York Branch)
You need to buy this before your travel to Japan (You can't buy when you get there).  When you arrive and go to the JR station (Japan Railway station) they will stamp your pass.  I don't buy this anymore lately just because my hometown now has a local airport and I just fly directly to that without taking the train.
b. Yen - Dollar exchange
I usually buy yen from a local Japanese resident in DC area by going to the local website.
I usually say I need Japanese yen and propose to use the exchange rate of that morning when I got meet the person.  I am not super sure if this saves money.  Last time I calculated and compared with the exchange rate they use at Narita International airport, the difference was not that great.  But I like the feeling that I already have Japanese money before I leave the US.
c. Flying in and out
Narita is the international airtport, but I notice that recently Haneda is also a possibility.  Haneda is in Tokyo, so if you have a choice I recommend using Haneda.  Narita is like an hour or so away from Tokyo.
d. I think you can also arrange such that you fly into Tokyo but leave from another city in Japan like Osaka.  That way, you can make your trip efficient.
e. A lot of people go to Tokyo and then Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima.
Posted on

Apple ID recovery

I have an old iphone that I want to use through  my home Wifi for skyping and zooming (www.zoom.us).  It is not connected at all to the phone network system.

The phone worked fine for a while for my limited purposes, but just this morning, it gave me a message "Activation Required" to which  I had to provide my apple ID and password. This happened after ignoring messages that were reminding me to enter a password to the apple account.

(My phone's start button is broken, so I couldn't restart it.)

I didn't remember my password.  The following is what I was told by the customer service representative.

Go to appleid.apple.com

Click on:

Forgot Apple ID or password?

Enter your Apple ID to get started.

You will be going through the pages where you are expected to  enter information regarding i-phone.   Most of these options require that you are an active i-phone user or you have an Apple device.  I don't, which is why I had to call Apple.   If you look close, there is an option (not highlighted by a big icon, so it's easy too miss) for people who don't use any  apple products.  Just find that  and follow instructions.  They will automatically text you a code to your current phone and you will be entering that to the website form.

The activation of a new password will be about 24 hours and this is where I am now.

To get a telephone support (like I did to get information), you will have to navigate from this page.  You enter your phone number and they will call you in two minutes.

https://getsupport.apple.com/?caller=cups