Tech Tips – Page 29

SPSS License Renewal

Every summer, SPSS goes through a license renewal process. During this time, some customers will be given a countdown for when their license will expire. While this message is distressing, there is a 90-day grace period during which there will be NO disruption of service.

Once SMU has received the renewed licenses, all machines running SPSS versions 21 or 22 and have LANDesk installed will update automatically. Those who have software older than versions 21 and 22 will need to update to one of the two most recent iterations via LANDesk. Those who do not have LANDesk or would like assistance with updating to the two most recent versions should contact the SMU Help Desk for assistance. Version 23 will be made available at this time as well for those who would like to update. And of course, SPSS is available at all times via apps.smu.edu.

4 Ways to Manage Stress Using Technology

If you’re looking to relieve your life of unnecessary stress, try one of these tech-savvy methods to lighten your burden and make you feel ready to take on the world.

1. Calming Reflection

Meditation has proven itself as a common yet efficient way of managing stress, and with apps like Mindfulness and Calm, short meditation sessions are at your fingertips wherever and whenever you need them. The Breathe2Relax app provides you with breathing techniques to help you quickly simmer down in any situation.

2. Soothing Sounds

While white noise machines do exist, you can quickly find hours’ worth of relaxing sounds on sites such as YouTube or Spotify, where there are multiple playlists to choose from, or by using the handy Relax Melodies app.

3. Gadgets and Gizmos

A Dublin startup called Galvanic created Pip, a biosensor which measures electrodermal activity associated with stress levels by having the user place their thumb on a small device. After calculating your levels, Pip can suggest techniques to reduce stress, and warn you if your stress levels are too high.

4. Quality Sleep

A great device to use for a re-energizing catnap is the Phillips Wake-Up Light. Described as an uplifting alarm clock, this accessory simulates a sunrise and accompanying sounds to help eliminate grogginess. According to a review by Health.com, even after just four hours of sleep, the experimenter woke up feeling refreshed, thanks to the new clock. An app with a similar purpose is SleepBot. Previously featured on our blog, this alarm clock app measures your movement while sleeping to determine the best time to wake you and leave you feeling refreshed.

“Clutter” Is Coming to the Office 365 Mailbox

In June, Microsoft Clutter, a new mailbox management feature, will be activated for all SMU mailboxes hosted by Office 365 (primarily student mailboxes).

Clutter learns from your actions the messages you are likely to ignore. As less important messages arrive, they are automatically moved to the Clutter folder. It gets smarter over time, learning from your prior actions with similar messages and assessing things like the type of content and even how you are addressed in the message. To keep users informed on actions taken, Clutter will send summary notifications once per week, and will alert up to once per day when new types of emails are moved to Clutter for the first time.

The personalized Clutter experience adapts to your actions and preferences without you having to do anything. The information Clutter learns from each user’s actions are only applied to that user’s experience and are not shared with anyone else.

You can enable Clutter now from within the Outlook Web App by navigating to Settings (the “gear” icon in the upper right corner of Outlook Web App), Options – Mail – Automatic Processing – Clutter. You can also navigate to the same space if you wish to opt-out once Clutter is enabled globally.

Using Clutter in Office 365 tutorial after the break. Continue reading “Clutter” Is Coming to the Office 365 Mailbox

Travel This Summer With These Apps

Summer has just begun, which normally means that a future vacation is right on the horizon. Organizing a trip can get a bit wearisome at times, but with these free apps, planning can be an (ocean) breeze!

Sky Scanner

If you aren’t particular about flight dates, just choose your ideal destination and where you plan to depart from, and leave it to Sky Scanner to find the best deals!

Tripomatic

If you have a location you want to travel to and want to know what sights and experiences the destination has to offer, look no further than this app! Tripomatic gives detailed information and pictures for each major sight that your destination presents, from popular restaurants to esteemed museums.

TripIt

Ever get flight and hotel confirmation emails and have trouble keeping up with all of them? If so, use TripIt to organize your itinerary. You can also add itineraries for multiple trips, so whether you want to plan out a weekend getaway or a business trip, this app is for you.

Gogobot

If you are trying to fill your itinerary, use Gogobot to see what restaurants, sights and hotels at your destination will best suit your needs.

Hipmunk

Hipmunk compares hotel and flight prices and puts them all in one place. It also provides ratings, reviews, and pictures, so you know just what you’re getting when you book them.

AroundMe

Once you reach your destination and are looking for shopping or entertainment, use AroundMe to find a variety of locations to visit, whether it be a movie or music festivals or finding the nearest supermarket or gas station.

Updating Emergency Contacts in my.SMU

If you haven’t recently, it’s a good time to update your emergency contacts in my.SMU.

Faculty & Staff Instructions

From the landing page, select Personal Information located under Employee Self – Service.
Click on Emergency Contacts.
Click Add Emergency Contact.
Enter the Contact Name.
Indicate the Relationship to Employee. If the employee has the same address or telephone select one of the following options:If you indicated that the emergency contact address or phone is the same as yours it will display on the screen and can be edited if needed.
If the contact has a different address select Edit Address to provide address information.
If the contact has a different phone select Add Phone Number and indicate the Phone Type and Phone Number.
Click Save. To view a contact list select the Return to Emergency Contacts link.
For multiple contacts check one to be the Primary Contact.
Edit or Delete contacts by selecting the appropriate icons.
Click Save.

Student Instructions

Visit the Update/Verify Personal Info section of the Student Self-Service tutorial: sites.smu.edu/oit/training/story/studentselfservice/story.html.