If you want to let your cat in and out without inviting in the whole animal world, consider the Cat Flap, $83 on Amazon. It's as if each cat had his or her own door key.
A reader told me about it. Thanks to the Flap, he said, the raccoons immediately stopped menacing his pet. The cat is now "the neighborhood rock star."
Here's the high-tech part: It works with a microchip implanted in your cat or in its collar, recognizing up to 40 cats. Hopefully you don't have that many. The Cat Flap's opening is 5.9 inches (height) by 5.5 inches (width). I wonder if fat cats can squeeze in.
The Cat Flap is a little hard to find because there are so many varieties. I found it by searching for "Petsafe Exclusive Microchip on Amazon." Reviewers of a more expensive product called the SureFlap detailed some ingenious uses. Some suggest it as a solution for cats with diabetes, kidney issues and food-hogging competitors. One reviewer installed it in a small open window so he didn't have to cut a hole in a wall or door. A YouTube video shows you how to train your cat, by putting a little food in the flap, until it gets used to sticking its head in. You can find similar products for dogs, by looking up "microchip pet doors."
SCAMMED
A senior I met at a party told me she was scammed by a text message. The scammer racked up $50,000 worth of stuff on her credit card.
What led an intelligent woman, the leader of my condo's book club, to fall for such a hoax? A text message said her Amazon account had been used to buy an iPad and she needed to call immediately to resolve the issue. Instead of checking with Amazon first, she called the number in the text. When asked, she gave the scammer her credit card number, Social Security number, driver's license, bank account number and two selfie headshots.
After $50,000 disappeared from her account, she called the police and notified her bank, which changed her account number. Thank heavens she got her money back. Now she knows better than to respond to a text she wasn't expecting.
EXPLORING AIR QUALITY
Ever wonder if it's a smoggy day? Look at the Google Maps app on your iPhone or Android.
After opening the app, tap the layers icon in the top right. If you don't see it, tap the "Explore" tab at the bottom of the screen and then tap the layers icon. Next tap "Air Quality." On my iPhone, I had to tap the "x" in the upper right corner to leave that screen before the air quality readings appeared. Not so on Android.
In the Android version, you can see the air quality for your town or a much larger area. Put your index finger and thumb on the map and slide them together to see the whole US. Spread your fingers apart to zoom in on any region. I saw lots of green dots for good air quality and a few yellow dots for caution. Zoom in to see specific numbers.
FREE MOMA ART
Thanks to the new Museum of Metropolitan Art extension for Google Chrome, I now get art from MoMA, with the artist's name and info about the donor, whenever I open a new tab in Chrome.
Among the least bizarre things I've seen so far is the set of Andy Warhol Campbell's soup cans and Jackson Pollack's drippings. I've also seen a rowboat covered in weird fabric. To add it to your Chrome web browser, Google "New Tab with MoMA" and click "add to Chrome."
TRAVEL BLOGGING
Recently, I suggested Google Slides to my 9 year-old niece and her parents. They wanted to create a travel journal online for a trip to Costa Rica. Enthused at first, they later decided to use the free "Blogger" app for Android, iPhone and computer. It's "easy-peasy," said the child.
I'm impressed. I found it easy on my computer, not all that easy to use on the phone. But the only thing that bugged my niece was Blogger's inability to put text on a photo. I suggested "Phonto," an easy, free Android and iPhone app. Then there's "Vont" for adding text to videos. To use Phonto, open an image by tapping the image icon. Now start writing in the text box. You'll get onscreen controls for changing the type of font, its size, and so on. Ditto for Vont.
GOOGLE SLIDES TRICK
After you've created a presentation in Google Slides, you can set it up for the recipient so that it opens automatically as a slideshow instead of the default editing mode. First click "share," then choose "anyone with the link." Copy the link and paste it somewhere. You'll see the word "edit" near the end of the website address. Change that word to "present." Voila! Now it opens as a slideshow.
INTERNUTS
• "This device recycles plastic water bottles into 3D printing filament." Search on that phrase to find an article about the "Polyformer." It slices water bottles into strips, which are then heated, creating filament for 3D printing projects.
• "Virginia is about to 3D-print an entire neighborhood of homes." Search on that phrase to learn about Alquist 3D, a company that will build 200 3D printed houses in Virginia in the next five years. They're 15% cheaper per square foot than regular houses.