Travel Technology Checklist

Digital Device Doc

of the Atlanta Senior Life you’ll need cellular service. Check with your carrier before you hit the road and find out whether you’ll have coverage where you’re going. Be prepared to deal with not having cellular service or Wi-Fi capability — or neither.

Seniors have the delightful advantage of being able to travel in the fall, winter and spring when kids are in school. That opens a lot of possibilities for enjoyable trips.

2. Some carriers’ technology seamlessly switches a phone call between cellular and Wi-Fi, if a Wi-Fi network is available. That lets you use lower-cost technology when possible. You should check with your carrier to understand how your service works and how you can use your phone’s or tablet’s settings to control whether you use cellular or Wi-Fi on calls and when checking email or using a web browser.

3. If you’re worried about security, you can use a virtual private network (VPN).

A VPN creates a secure connection between you and the internet. When you connect to the internet through a VPN, all your data traffic is sent through an encrypted virtual tunnel. This has multiple advantages:

When you use a cellular network to browse the internet and access websites that require passwords, you’re secure — for the most part. Nobody guarantees absolute security. When you use a public Wi-Fi network, even one that requires a password, it’s still public and not as secure as your home network.

Western Europe is light years ahead of the U.S. in terms of WiFi security. But to be as safe as possible, you must have strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.

Here’s a brief checklist of steps to take before your travel.

1. Know what local cellular and Wi-Fi conditions and limitations are like where you’re going before you go.

If you’re planning to drive through remote areas and use a navigation app, such as Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze,

■ You’ll be more anonymous on the internet because your real IP address and location will be hidden.

■ You’ll be safer on the internet because encryption will keep away hackers and cybercriminals.

■ By using different IP addresses, you’ll be able to access websites and online services that would otherwise be blocked.

4. Know how your phone stores and backs up photos and videos. Your device has limited physical storage space and cloud storage for additional items, but you can buy more cloud storage.

If you have an iPhone and use the iCloud, we suggest you buy 50 GB of iCloud storage for 99 cents per month before you go. Google has similarly priced options, and there are services, including Dropbox, that give you storage capability no matter what device you use.

Just remember that if you delete a photo or video from your phone or tablet, you’ll delete it from iCloud, too. There are ways to get those deleted items back within 30 days, but you can avoid problems by being careful about what you delete. Avoid problems by buying sufficient storage space before your trip.

5. When traveling in the U.S., you can keep all the electronic comforts of home, including streaming services such as Netflix, if your lodging has TVs with the capability to allow you access. In all likelihood, all you’ll probably need to do is enter your username and password, then system. That has a lot of advantages, including providing driving directions by voice while displaying the map on the car’s display, which is usually much larger than your phone’s. That’s helpful as you navigate places you’ve never been before. start watching.

It also lets you access your phone’s contacts for handsfree calling, as well as your music playlists. Just make sure you wipe the car’s infotainment system of your data before you turn in the car at the end of your trip.

8. If you’re visiting an unfamiliar city, Google Maps and Apple Maps can supply you with walking directions or public transportation directions.

The critical thing is to remember to log off each service from every TV you use. Otherwise, you’ll stay logged in on that device and the next occupant will be able to watch movies and shows on your dime.

6. For cellular service abroad, you can get a SIM card for the country in which you’ll be traveling. It can be useful, especially if you’re renting a car. That will give you access to GPS systems and enable you to make phone calls in case of an emergency or if you need directions.

7. If you’re renting a car, it may have the technology to connect your iPhone or Android phone to its infotainment

9. If you’re traveling internationally and NOT driving, you most likely can get by with Wi-Fi to check email, look up information on sites to visit and make restaurant reservations. You can even use an app to download a map of a walking tour and refer to your phone as you follow the route.

10. Consider an app like WhatsApp — the popular service from Meta, the people who brought you Facebook — to use a Wi-Fi internet connection for voice and texting capabilities. WhatsApp lets you make voice or video calls or send chat messages (just like text messages) over the internet to anyone in your contacts list.

WHAT? A study to find out if assessment and treatment procedures for spatial function can be adapted for people with left brain stroke, aphasia, and memory impairment

WHERE? Atlanta VA Medical Center

Participants are needed! WHO?

- Veterans and non-veterans who have aphasia and memory impairment caused by stroke

- Age ����� years old

- Meet other eligibility criteria for the study Participants will be compensated for their time!

For more information, please contact: Anna Ree ���-���-����

Breaking Bread in Buckhead from the crates

Kelly McCoy is a veteran Atlanta broadcaster who writes about the days popular music only came on vinyl records, which often were stored in crates.

Remembering and reflecting on the entertainment, dining out and restaurant scene from a few decades ago — my musings of another part of Atlanta in another time — there were mighty fine places to break bread. Of course, the entertainment folks demanded location and when the blue building, The Polaris, was the tallest thing downtown.

Speaking of tall, Tower Place, home to our WQXI studios, was pretty much the tallest building in Buckhead. Houlihan’s at Lenox Square was a nice place, too. The Peasant Uptown at Phipps Plaza was a little more than an average regular “go-to” we frequented. Bones Steakhouse was a new establishment in town, and we learned how top-notch beef was meant to be served.

We didn’t have phones and cameras in our pockets, so a lot of priceless pics can’t be shown. I would have felt a little goofy pulling out a Kodak Instamatic with a cube flash or a Polaroid and asking someone for a picture.

Then, of course, a Fotomat was always nearby for quick the best on occasion, especially with big stars and deluxe expense accounts.

We weren’t the international city that Atlanta is today. And I’m fairly certain the term “foodie” wasn’t a part of our conversations.

If you really wanted opulent splendor, Nikolai’s Roof at the Atlanta Hilton could fill the bill. Just like the other finer places, there was an amazing wine list, and the supreme dishes they prepared were world class. Some of us remember their processing. Now, you can get digital processing online from a pharmacy chain for mere pennies. The smartphone did to the photo business the same thing it did to radio and records — a couple of features that make us “…all just prisoners…of our own device.” Those words are part of the lyrics from an Eagles hit of the same era. Were they prophetic, or just lucky?

While preparing this column, Olivia Newton John passed away…73. She was 32 when we met, a sweet lady we got to know up close and personal for a few hours in a very intimate setting with less than 10 people in the room.

Also, Whitney would have been 59 this month. My very first column has a picture of us at her 21st birthday celebration at Chastain Park Amphitheater… before the corporate prefix.

The Red Barn was within walking distance of Chastain. One of old Buckhead’s premier and finer places, they’d even bring the phone to your table, and plug it in!

Hedgerose Heights Inn on East Paces Ferry in Buckhead was my favorite. It was a small building with elegant interiors and served the finest of anything you ate or drank, with at least four people servicing our table. I swear, if a crumb came from a piece of bread, it was scooped or swept up immediately. This was the kind of place you’d have Burt Bacharach to dinner.

It’s hard to imagine that people smoked cigarettes in all restaurants in those days. While having a smoke, if an ash perhaps made its way to the tablecloth, it was gone in less than 60 seconds and a clean ashtray would appear! Combine this attention with delectable food with divine, gourmet flavors for a meal experience like no other. Only the finest in adult spirits was served.

103 West was another great, with always a pleasant vibe. It had amazing food and service from top to bottom, and an area you could reserve for groups, family or anything special. One evening, a record rep sent a taxi for a specific bottle of cognac after the table consumed the only one they’d happened to have.

E.J.’s on E Andrews was another of Buckhead’s finest hangouts, and always had a cool vibe. One of the most unlikely things happened to me and a few other buds there. We’d seen Martin Mull at the Great Southeast Music Hall. After the gig, we were invited to join Mr. Mull and others for a cool, laid-back way to wrap up an evening at E.J.’s, a hip place to go in “serious paper country” — another way to say, ‘rich neighborhood’.

I honestly don’t remember the entertainer of the evening, but when our entourage arrived, it was suggested that Mr. Mull should perform “a number or two.” Imagine walking in and seeing Martin Mull on a stage playing an acoustic guitar and having an impromptu fun evening with some nice Atlanta folks. Of course, there’s no picture.

I’ve only written a tiny tapas for the amount of really good places to eat in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The Coach and Six, Pano’s & Paul’s and more come to mind. Fast forward to current day, and a full array of anything you want to put in your mouth is available in the metro area.

Happy dining! Thanks for reading.