Nano massage device gets thumbs-up on soothing arthritic hands, feet - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

[massage]

I asked a friend who has arthritis in his hands and feet to test a cordless massage gun. He gave it a pleasantly massaged thumbs-up. A good massage increases circulation, decreases pain and alleviates stiffness.

My friend reported back: "The Merach Pocket Nano Massage Gun is better than my Wahl Heat Therapy Therapeutic Massager, with one caveat. The hard plastic tips work well enough on muscles and fleshy parts, but pose a problem for bony parts. For instance, I usually run my massager over the tops of my hands. With this, I can only comfortably do my palms."

But it turned out that massaging the palms worked its magic all the way through to the bony parts as well. It also worked well on the pads of his feet, going through to the top. In short, it's a much better device than the Wahl. However, the Wahl is $37, the Merach is $99.

My friend's other quibble is the charging light. "It could be bigger and brighter. I didn't know it had one till I read it in the instructions," he said. "And a heated tip of some sort would have been nice," he added. Finally: "The instructions are laughable, good only for amusement." But overall, the Merach is a good massager.

FUNNY VIDEO

I'd forgotten how funny JibJab is. It's a service that drops your face into a zany animation full of singing and dancing. My niece sent me one showcasing her whole family rocking around the Christmas tree in an animated cartoon. What makes it so funny is how big the face is compared with the cartoon body, and how well the lips synchronize with the music. It's well choreographed, but takes no work at all. The catch? It's $24 a year. Well worth it for some.

MICROSOFT WORKS

A reader writes that she's getting a Windows 10 computer and no longer has a copy of Microsoft Works, her word processor. Fortunately, a copy of the program is available for free at winworldpc.com/product/microsoft-works/9x. Though the site says it's compatible with Windows Vista, it also works in Windows 10.

Alternatively, upload your Works files to Google Drive, at drive.google.com. Then use a free program called Cloud Convert to convert them to "doc" or document files. If Cloud Convert doesn't pop up automatically, go to cloudconvert.com/wps-converter. It's great for converting other kinds of files as well.

OLD ANDROID PHONES

You may have read that older Android phones -- about a third of Androids out there -- won't be able to open secure websites after September 2021. That problem is now fixed. The explanation is too technical go into here.

Without the fix, phones with the Nougat operating system or older could have opened only insecure sites. There are fewer and fewer of those. The percentage of sites protected by encryption -- the ones that use 'https" instead of "http" rose to 80% in 2019, up from 40% four years ago. But access has now been assured.

PEP UP OLD COMPUTER

The CloudReady operating system can turn your old, slow computer into a fast Google Chromebook-type machine. It's great if you don't need any programs that require a Windows or Mac operating system. CloudReady was created by "Neverware," which Google bought.

But even if your old computer isn't slow, you might want to convert it to the Chrome operating system to make it more secure. Microsoft no longer offers security updates for Windows 7 or Windows XP systems.

I love the Chrome operating system on my Chromebook because it never slows down. Every time I reboot, it fixes any problems it may have. But there's no going back. If you overwrite Windows with the Chrome operating system, that's it.

INTERNUTS

"Cato's Human Freedom Index." Search on that phrase to find a list of countries or jurisdictions ranked according to personal freedom and economic freedom. The index is sponsored by the libertarian think tank Cato Institute. The index uses 76 indicators, such as religion, trade, safety and the rule of law. Based on 2018 data, the most recent available, New Zealand is first, followed by Switzerland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Estonia, Germany and Sweden. The United States and United Kingdom are tied for 17th place.

OutsideOnline.com, the website of Outside magazine, has interesting podcasts and articles. For example, there's a recent interview with Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook. He talks a lot about the need to get away from our devices when we're out in nature.

Another one, titled "How the Pandemic is Teaching Us to Listen to Nature," is by Chris Watson, who does the field recordings of animal sounds for David Attenborough's films.

Also on OutsideOnline, I read an article on plant-based faux seafood. There's also a great piece called "This 10-Move Core Workout Will Kick Your A"

Joy Schwabach can be reached by email at [email protected]