Biden Vacationing in the Hamptons

EAST HAMPTON â€" The Hamptons will play host to not one but two potential 2016 presidential aspirants this month, with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. arriving this week for a vacation in Southampton. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has rented a house for August here in East Hampton, the next township over.

Mr. Biden’s schedule says only that he is to go to Long Island this week. But word that he was coming to the Hamptons â€" which began trickling out in Democratic circles on the East End late last week â€" was confirmed this afternoon by aides. His office had no official statement on the visit.

The Federal Aviation Administration has alerted local pilots that it will impose “temporary flight restrictions for V.I.P. movement.’’

Like Mrs. Clinton â€" and unlike President Obama, who generally avoids the area â€" Mr. Biden has visited the Hamptons regularly over the past few years, taking golf lessons in plain sight and touring the restaurants of Main Street. Last year he came to headline a fund-raising event for the 2012 presidential campaign.

The vice president’s schedule indicates he will be in Southampton until Sunday.

Republicans Threaten Networks Over Projects on Hillary Clinton

The chairman of the Republican National Committee threatened on Monday to refuse to partner with CNN or NBC on any presidential primary debates if the two networks move ahead with plans for television projects on Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Reince Priebus, the chairman, said in letters to the two networks that he considered the projects to be a “thinly-veiled attempt at putting a thumb on the scales of the 2016 presidential election.”

NBC has said it plans to broadcast a mini-series about Mrs. Clinton with Diane Lane scheduled to portray the former first lady and secretary of state. CNN is planning a feature-length documentary about her as well.

Several state party chairmen echoed the threat by Mr. Priebus. A.J. Spiker, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, wrote on Twitter, “I will not sign @IowaGOP up to cosponsor debates with @CNN or @NBC unless things change.”

The threat is a preliminary move by Republican Party leaders to seize control of a debate process that often frustrated them in 2012. Republicans complained that the debates co-sponsored by the networks last year were media circuses that did not put their candidates in the best light.

But the party could face difficulty in actually changing the debate process, especially once specific candidates are pursuing the party’s nomination. Those candidates might decide that it is in their interest to have debates, regardless of what the party leadership wants.

The criticism of the network projects on Mrs. Clinton is more likely to buy Mr. Priebus some good will among rank-and-file conservatives in the party than to actually change the dynamics regarding debates that will not begin for 18 months or more.

Chris Ashby, a Virginia-based lawyer who specializes in election law, wrote on Twitter: “Instead of using @HillaryClinton documentaries as political foil, @Reince should show real leadership & reform GOP prez debate process.”

In his letters to CNN and NBC, Mr. Priebus said he would seek a “binding vote” at the R.N.C.’s summer meeting this month. He said the vote would require the party not to partner with the networks on debates or to sanction debates that they hold.

Q&A: Using ‘Do Not Track’ Options

Using ‘Do Not Track’ Options

Q. I have a new Windows 8 computer. How can I tell if my Internet Explorer is set to block Web sites that want to track me?

A. If you chose the express settings option when you set up your Windows 8 machine, Do Not Track is most likely enabled already; a visit to Microsoft’s Do Not Track test page is one quick way to check. You can also look at the browser’s settings.

In Internet Explorer, click (or tap, if your computer has a touch screen) the gear-shaped Tools menu icon and choose Internet Options. In the Internet Options box, select the Advanced tab, scroll down the Settings list to the Security section and the “Always send Do Not Track header” option. If the checkbox is turned on, your browser is set to send Do Not Track requests to the sites you surf.

Not every site or content provider that collects browser information for analytics and advertising will honor requests to stop tracking your Web surfing. You can find out more about Do Not Track at http://donottrack.us.

Internet Explorer 10, and some earlier versions, can also use Tracking Protection Lists to block third-party content from sites on that list. Microsoft has more information about Tracking Protection on its Web site.

Reinstalling Mac OS X

Q. How do you reinstall the operating system on a Mac with no DVD drive or system installer discs?

A. One method is to use the Recovery partition Apple includes with its recent Mac computers and OS X system software (Lion and Mountain Lion editions). The partition includes utilities and tools for reinstalling the operating system, repairing drives and restoring the Mac’s contents from a Time Machine backup file. You can find the Recovery partition by restarting the Mac and holding down the Command and R keys as the computer boots up.

When the computer finishes its start-up routine, you should see an OS X Utilities window in the middle of the screen with four options listed, including one for restoring the operating system. You need a broadband Internet connection to download the 4-gigabyte OS X software to reinstall. Apple has more information on OS X Recovery (and how to create a bootable external drive for recovery) at support.apple.com/kb/HT4718.

TIP OF THE WEEK Is the TV remote control always getting lost in the couch cushions? If you have a Samsung Galaxy S4, you can change channels with the smartphone’s built-in infrared hardware and WatchON app (samsung.com/watchon). The app works with many brands of TV sets and service providers, and includes a programming guide. It can also offer viewing recommendations in exchange for personal information and preferences.

To use the Galaxy S4 as a remote, find and tap the WatchON icon and work through the setup screens that ask for your location, television service provider and TV brand; the app can also pair with set-top boxes and other home theater components. Once you have successfully paired the phone with your equipment, WatchON supplies a channel guide and a button to tap when you want to change the channel or adjust the volume. (Swipe up on the basic remote screen to see controls for components like digital video recorders.) In the WatchON app settings, you can have the remote control appear on the Notification and Lock screens.

With infrared hardware or Wi-Fi, other smartphones can work as remote controls with the right apps and TV hardware, like the LG TV Remote app for the company’s newer Smart TV sets. Apple’s own Remote app (free in the App Store) can also turn an iOS device into a controller for iTunes and the Apple TV box.