I was looking for a tech tip, and pondering what a good subject might be. I use Google to search that sort of thing. I can barely get through a day without looking how to do something on Google. I know it will come as a shock to many folks, but I am NOT actually a genius. I do, however, know how to search things on Google.

The tech tips for seniors were mostly annoying me though. There were a bunch of really young-looking kids doing high school projects making videos for seniors. I found it just a tad condescending. And also quite helpful. But enough of that. If you’re interested, then Google: Tech Tips for Seniors. Those whippersnappers are annoying as all get out. I hope that sounded very curmudgeonly.

I did find a good video explaining iCloud on the iPad or iPhone, by an adult, and a Canadian, so 2 points there. You can watch it below if you are interested.​

From Rick's Daily Tips

Have you ever received a telephone call with your own number showing up on the Caller ID?
Yeah, me too. And it’s quite frustrating to say the least.

When that happens the natural instinct is to answer the call and give the scammer a piece of your mind, but that’s a very bad idea.

These days there are lots of unethical telemarketers (aka scammers) who spoof their victims’ own phone numbers to fool them into answering their calls.

Many of those scam calls can be hard to identify as such simply by looking at the Caller ID, but calls from your own phone number are ALWAYS fraudulent. That makes it easy to recognize and avoid them.

What happens when you answer those types of calls? Well, you unwittingly confirm both of the following to the scammer:
1 – Your phone number is in working order and hasn’t been disconnected.
2 – Calls to your number are answered by a human being instead of a machine.

You can answer those calls and rant and rave all you want to the scammers but that won’t prevent you from receiving more scam calls in the future. In fact, it will do just the opposite.

When you answer a scam call your number automatically gets placed on the scammer’s “Active Numbers” list. That list is then sold to other scammers.

Before you know it you’ll be receiving several of those calls each and every day. And every time you answer one of them your number will end up on yet another list.

Once your number is on one or more of those “Active Caller” lists the game is over – and you’ve lost because the scam calls will never stop.
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At that point you’ll only have two options to choose from:
1 – Live with the aggravation as best you can while only answering calls from numbers you’re familiar with (but not your own!).
2 – Change your phone number.
Yes, you can block numbers that call you over and over, but that won’t really help much in the long run.
The government won’t be of much help either since most of these calls originate from foreign countries.
Bottom line: The only effective way to deal with a call that appears to have been placed from your own number is to not answer it. Just let it ring and go to voice mail.
Bonus tip: This post offers 7 tips for effectively dealing with Robocalls.

I’ve been on Windows 11 since day 1. I like it, just as much as Windows 10. There are those of you out there on Windows 7 and are happy. Yes, I loved XP, but the world progresses, and the operating systems do need to move forward as well. Aesthetics change, functionalities shift, security is a constantly moving target.

That said, Apple has kept their OS looking and feeling the same for a very long time, all the while moving ahead with the world. So be it.

There are some tweaks you can make to your Win 11 to make it look and feel a bit more like 10. Why did the stuff on the task bar get centered? Anyway, you can read an article on that HERE.  

Starlink update:
It’s still running great. It hasn’t blown off my roof. There seem to be quite a number of Starlink users in our area. To those using Starlink that haven’t already reported to me, please email a short message about your experiences. [email protected]
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This is kind of specific, but if you know what Etsy is and haven’t been there, it is a fun place. It’s an ‘online store’ of sorts, mostly arts and crafts, but also vintage stuff, which I love. I had an Etsy spot for a while, which was a lot of fun. It’s a great site for artists trying to pedal their wares.
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A link to a site to help you setup your very own Etsy store is HERE. 

I loved Etsy because I could find really quirky things I couldn’t find on Amazon or eBay. It’s a more personal experience, and it is a bit of a rabbit hole, there is so much going on there. While I did sell a few things, I bought way more. If you want to try selling your art, or whatever, online, then check out Etsy.com, and then check out the link above. 

Just last week I was at Café Sierra Negra for dinner and Pam walked up to us and we said hi. She mentioned that she couldn’t open the pictures I sent her in an email.

I didn’t send her an email. I did, however, recognize the scam. She received an email with my name, but it was not from me. Unfortunately, that’s a fairly common phishing scam where another person’s name is in the From address of an email. Generally, if you click on the email address it will show the full description, and the actual email doesn’t match the name. It’s called spoofing, the same way a familiar name or phone number can come up in caller-id, but it isn’t a call from that person.

I get those pretty regularly, but I just delete them. The person hasn’t been hacked, so there’s nothing they can do because they really don’t have anything to do with it. Lately, my name has been used in this spoofing email as someone else told me the same thing happened to them a few weeks ago.

These emails are very short, usually saying something like, Hey, do you recognize the person in this picture? And then there’s a link to click on. DON’T click the link. I don’t know what it does but it can’t be good.
If you get an email with a link in it, Do Not Click On It, unless:

• You are expecting this email.
• The email has personal references in it so you know it’s legit.
• You are looking for trouble.

If you do click on it, maybe nothing will happen. If so, then good. On the other hand, you might want to run your anti-virus program, and your anti malware program, just to be safe.
 
Carol get’s a different kind of thing via FaceBook Messenger. These can happen when a person’s FBM account HAS been hacked, which isn’t all that uncommon. If it seem suspicious, i.e. this person doesn’t normally message you with links, etc, then delete the message and let the person know, via something other than FBM, that their account may be hacked.  

Note from Carol: Facebook Messenger tends to get hacked.  Don't use it to send or receive links.

Rule of thumb is, don’t click on a link you aren’t expecting. Don’t click on a link from a stranger. Don’t click on a link from “UPS” when they say your package was held up and if you don’t click the link and give them all your personal info they will send the package away.