I get emails from places I don’t want. I don’t know how they get my email address, and some are just random, but in any case, there are too many or I flat out do not want to hear from them. Recently I started getting emails from a company selling computer parts, mostly iPhone and iPad parts. Several a day.
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In Outlook, I just Right click on the email, hover on Junk, and select Block Sender. But then the emails started coming from different people at the same company, so I went into the Junk email options, and the Blocked Senders tab, and there, I could add a domain, which I did. Then, I was still getting them, it turns out they had changed their domain, so instead of elekworld.com it was elekworld.biz, or .ltd, or.co, or whatever. I added them all and it has been much better.

What if you don’t use Outlook? Whatever client you use will likely have a way to do the same thing, so I suggest Googling it. And what if you don’t use an email client at all?

Your ISP provides you with an email address, which you may or may not use. You may have an email from Gmail, Microsoft, or Apple, or any number of other places. Those places will also have a method of filtering and blocking email senders, but again, they are individual to your provider so you should Google that.

I’ve been installing CloudReady OS on older laptops for a couple of years now. Basically, that means I’m making old computers into useful Chromebook-like computers. If you’ve never used a Chromebook, you should consider giving it a try. A Chromebook is a great alternative to a full blown computer. Most folks use a computer for the browser. I spend most of my time on a browser, looking stuff up, buying from amazon, watching youtube videos on how to take apart and reassemble the laptop someone gave me.
 
Many people are getting away from their computers and just using their smart phone or iPad. A tablet is an astonishing computer that can generally do anything that most of us are doing on our computers. I mostly work on my PC and my phone. The only tablet sized device I use is my Kindle paperwhite, which I love. When I travel, I don’t bring a computer, as I can generally check on things with my phone.
 
CloudReady is now a Google product, as is Chromium and Chromebook. They are similar enough that I am going to treat them the same for this particular article. What I am going to talk about is CloudReady, mostly. The way I make a “ChromeBook” is I use a USB installer of CloudReady and start up the computer booting from the USB drive. After it starts, I sign in and use the option in the lower right corner to install it onto the computer. It wipes the drive and installs itself. It’s pretty easy. The nice thing is that it uses far less resources to operate that a PC or Mac, and so, it’s a great option for an older laptop.
 
Pretty much, you can do whatever you want, using available apps and cloud based software. I’ll include a bunch of links below. The first one is an wee explanation of CloudReady and Chrome HERE. 
And HERE. 
 
Get a copy to install HERE. 
 
The downside? It’s NOT a Chromebook. While many programs will run via the browser, there is a whole world that is off limits due to not actually being a Chromebook. Currently, you can’t download apps from the Google Playstore, and you can’t run Android apps. Still, there is a huge amount you can still do, and most likely, all that will keep you plenty busy.  

Carol got a letter from someone about pacemakers being effected by iPhones, and other Apple devices.  I was interested in that and started reading about it. I found a link on Apple’s website, and it is true, there can be some magnetic interference that could effect a pacemaker, though it’s not just Apple devices. Apple’s link on the subject is HERE. 

As I was reading about that, it occurred to me that all smart devices may have this issue, and so, I Googled that. It turns out that yes, other brands of smart phones and devices have the same issues. An article from the FDA is HERE.

You’ve probably seen microwave warnings at restaurants, and that is for the same reason. The thing is, there are a LOT of electronics that create magnetic fields, some of which can no doubt create an issue with a medical device. I imagine that if you have such a device, then you have been warned about these things. It certainly doesn’t seem like the warning is dire. Don’t place your cell phone in your pocket over the medical implant. It doesn’t say not to put it in the other breast pocket.
All in all, it was interesting reading but nothing to be worried about.

Supposedly, Windows 11 will be released October 5. Typically, the release isn’t made available as an update to everybody at once, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend that everyone jump on this bandwagon as soon as possible. It’s good to be aware of it though. I expect that a lot of PC’s won’t qualify for the upgrade, at first anyway. Windows 10 has another 4 years to go for support, so there isn’t a real hurry. I am curious about it, of course, so I will be looking to find a PC that is upgradable. I think I have one.

There is supposed to be a workaround for non-allowable PC’s. You can create an installation disk and install a fresh copy of Win 11. It may not work well on a non-compliant PC, but it might. Check out an article on this subject HERE. 
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I’m sure Windows 11 will tout new and better security, prettier screens, more robust this and that. The fact is, most of us don’t really like change. Change is a necessary part of life, and certainly inevitable. As soon as I get an install of Windows 11 on a PC, I’ll let you know what I think.