Did I get you with that one?
This is a leftover tip from our RVing years. Both Butch and I read books and traveling in the RV we could not possibly haul all of our books around so we have Kindles-more than one. I ran across BookBub many years ago and we are still active members. Their book offerings are sometimes free but always inexpensive.
bookbub.com/referral/2b10932be345ff66
Enjoy!
I get nothing from this referral. Just letting my friends in on a good deal.
Did you know you can use your mouse wheel as a button?
Pressing down on the wheel will act like a third mouse button. You can open a link in a new tab by clicking the wheel on any link. You can close any browser tab by clicking the wheel on any open tab.
Zoom in and out on a web page, word document, excel spreadsheet, and more
Hold down the Ctrl key and move the mouse wheel away from you (up)to zoom in and enlarge the text and content on web pages and most emails, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets. Conversely, more the mouse wheel toward you (down) to zoom out and make text and content smaller.
From Me:
I hope my good friend and sister-in-law Marlene Kelley sees this tip. It could be very helpful for the visually impaired.
I just read yesterday's blog entry and I do believe I was a little on the grumpy side. I got that fixed, well, partially fixed. Butch and I had appointments at the Massage College and we kept them yesterday afternoon. Butch has been there many times in the past and I looked upon it as an indulgence until yesterday. I almost canceled because I thought my original need was no longer in effect. Boy, was I wrong!
Ladiany was my therapist and she was excellent. Every time she ran into an area of need she would say a very small and quiet "mmm" and I knew she had found the motherload. I had no idea I was that sore all over. It did not take me long to know the massage was very much needed and more importantly she was extremely knowledgeable. We both have made a new appointment. And I am looking forward to it!
Renie and I hosted Trivia last night and we again had 4 very smart teams. Team 'I Don't Know' came in first this week. See you next week on 11/29/22 in the Main Hall. Oh yes, I forgot to tell them there are no muscles in the human hand, only tendons. Surprised?
We planned once again to go to Hector's today. But it rained all night and is still raining. Without fail, I have to be there to pick up my meds by Saturday. This is a frustrating situation. We are enduring the same weather we left in Iowa a month ago. It will be less frustrating once we have the reason for going taken care of.
The weather is so very different from twenty years ago when we first started coming down. We never needed to bring winter-like clothing with us at all. And then it became that you might need to bring a pair of jeans but most likely wouldn't need them. And then a couple pairs of jeans so you had one to wear while washing the other one plus a winter jacket. Now I have more winter clothing in the closet than summer ones and I see no signs of that changing.
Weather is the one thing that cannot be changed, is difficult to avoid, and doesn't seem to matter where you are as Mother Nature will do her thing anywhere at any time and we are the ones who have to endure.
Tis' what it tis'.!
I am sometimes asked how I know what I do about Computers/Internet. There are many answers but Cloudeight and Thundercloud is one of them. I met these people online perhaps twenty years ago and have followed them ever since. And in so doing I know I can trust them as they have never steered me wrong and there has been more than one occasion where I needed some steering. There is an article in this week's newsletter that all of us could benefit from. And since I know people well enough to know they will skip or scan I am pasting what I thought was most important below. Enjoy?!
https://thundercloud.net/infoave/premium/2023/week-997.htm
The Holiday Season is Almost Here and So is the Season for Online Scams
This is a tip for everyone
Did you know that online scams triple during the holiday season?
Just about every week, we get several emails from people who have fallen for an online scam – especially a computer repair scam. They have given their credit card information and access to their computers to criminals — and it usually always starts with a phone call. It goes like this. The phone call comes unexpectedly, and out of the blue, the computer user is informed that their computer is infected with something and/or is sending and spreading malware or viruses and infecting other computers. Of course, the caller has the cure — the fix — the solution.
Sadly, many people fall for this and give access to their computers to these scammers who then connect to the customer’s computer and proceed to ” fix” it. But they don’t fix it. Many times they install worthless software or software anyone can get free, or worse, they install malware to steal your passwords and usernames, and thus access to your bank accounts and other highly sensitive and personal information. Users give the criminals their credit card information, and in the best case scenario, they are charged a few hundred dollars — in the word case, their card numbers are stolen and used to make purchases and/or steal identities.
We warn you again — never ever give ANY information to anyone who calls you out of the blue, no matter who they say they represent. One of the biggest scams going is the one where the caller identifies himself or herself as a Microsoft employee telling you that your Windows computer is infected with malware and that your computer is infecting other computers on the Internet. If you have caller ID their number may show that they are calling from a Microsoft number — but they’re not. It’s really easy to spoof caller ID.
Remember this: No legitimate company is going to call you out of the blue and tell you that your computer is infected. NONE. NADA. ZERO. If you get a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft or some other legitimate-sounding company, hang up. Do not give them access to your computer. Do not give them your credit card number. Do not give them any passwords.
We have published this advice before, yet every week we get several people who come to us for help after falling for a scam. And we help them by removing all the malware installed by the scammers, and fixing things these scammers intentionally broke (so they can come back again and get more money from you).
So if you remember nothing else from this tip, remember this:
If you get a call from anyone claiming to be from Microsoft or some other legitimate-sounding company — or someone who tosses around complex computer terms and claims he or she can fix your computer — hang up. Hang up the phone and do not give them any information. none. nada. zero. If they continue to call after this report them to your phone company and/or your local authorities. The important thing is: Never give your information to anyone who calls you out of the blue telling you that you have problems with your computer. Never give access to your computer to anyone who calls out of the blue and warns you that your computer is infected. It’s always a scam – always.
And if you have already fallen for this scam, call your credit card company right away and tell them what happened. Tell them you were scammed and have the charges removed from your credit card. You should be able to get charges made by scam companies removed from your credit card. You can, if you wish, report it to your local authorities, although we doubt that it will do much good. Scammers are professional crooks and they are not going to operate under the same name or from the same location or use the same methods for very long. They’re going to move around, change names, and change schemes, and it’s very hard to catch up with them.
Here is some good information from the U.S. government (and no we are not being sarcastic!)
” …If You Get a Call
If you get a call from someone who claims to be a tech support person, hang up and call the company yourself on a phone number you know to be genuine. A caller who creates a sense of urgency or uses high-pressure tactics is probably a scam artist.Keep these other tips in mind:
- Don’t give control of your computer to a third party who calls you out of the blue.
- Do not rely on caller ID alone to authenticate a caller. Criminals spoof caller ID numbers. They may appear to be calling from a legitimate company or a local number when they’re not even in the same country as you.
- Online search results might not be the best way to find technical support or get a company’s contact information. Scammers sometimes place online ads to convince you to call them. They pay to boost their ranking in search results so their websites and phone numbers appear above those of legitimate companies. If you want tech support, look for a company’s contact information on their software package or on your receipt.
- Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone who calls and claims to be from tech support.
- If a caller pressures you to buy a computer security product or says there is a subscription fee associated with the call, hang up. If you’re concerned about your computer, call your security software company directly and ask for help.
- Never give your password on the phone. No legitimate organization calls you and asks for your password.
How to Spot a Refund Scam
- Put your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry, and then report illegal sales calls.
If you paid for tech support services, and you later get a call about a refund, don’t give out any personal information, like your credit card or bank account number. The call is almost certainly another trick to take your money.
The refund scam works like this: Several months after the purchase, someone might call to ask if you were happy with the service. When you say you weren’t, the scammer offers a refund.
Or the caller may say that the company is going out of business and providing refunds for “warranties” and other services.
In either case, the scammers eventually ask for a bank or credit card account number. Or they ask you to create a Western Union account. They might even ask for remote access to your computer to help you fill out the necessary forms. But instead of putting money in your account, the scammers withdraw money from your account.
If you get a call like this, hang up, and report it at http://ftc.gov/complaint …”
See we told you — the U.S. government has some good advice for you to follow no matter where you live. Don’t get scammed. We hate to see any of you being taken advantage of by charlatans and criminals. You can read more tips here.
During the holiday season the number of scams almost triples. Don’t let a scammer ruin the holidays for you.
Butch's brother Don sent this picture of how he is celebrating his birthday.
And this is how Butch is celebrating his brother Don's birthday!
Notice the family resemblance?
Yesterday was a relatively dry day and we started to make plans for the week, outdoor plans, and then I awoke to the ping, ping, ping, of raindrops on the awnings. So I checked the radar and it doesn't look like it will end soon.
The plan was to go to Mexico to see our friend Hector and we still may ...
Yesterday was the mixed doubles pool event. My partner and I didn't win big but we played well and did our best with what we had. It was fun.
To back up a bit, Butch and I tackled the overhead lights in the kitchen. Joyce had told us they didn't clean them while they owned them. A few bugs had died up there so we wanted to give it a go. We were a bit intimidated because we feared the panels may be brittle, therefore fragile, and easily broken. That wasn't the case however and we soon had them cleaned and back in place.
And while taking these photos I snuck one in of our current computer cubbyholes. It seems we always find a space for one.
We are closer to establishing a routine in this place. I think that is the secret to making a place feel like home and it is always a little different in the multiple places you may want to call home. Establishing a routine is different and takes longer than getting settled in. But give us another week we should have a new routine firmly established.
By Keb' Mo'
I stumbled upon this song and love it! Of course! It seems I have run into quite a few good songs of late. Hey, it's my blog.😉
