Leaving

I'm thinking about it, leaving Facebook.

I am not a dumb f**k as Mark Zuckerberg is rumored to have called folks who put their personal details in their Facebook profiles.

While I haven't put any details except what was required (and some of those may not be accurate), I resent the fact that many of my family members and friends naively did and are probably being targeted by ads or even scammers.

Every now and the Facebook changes their privacy policies and they only get worse. In fact, those policies seem to be almost non-existent and are certainly a big joke.  Consumer groups are trying to make Facebook back off from the latest changes, but I doubt they will, as Facebook is trying to up the amount of $$ they can suck out of the members and their information.

By now most folks should know that in truth, anything posted to the Internet is in fact available to the world.  There is no such thing as privacy.  There are some places that do give a lot more privacy for folks such as a sites like MyFamily or maybe even a private Yahoo Group, but nothing is really safe from hackers.

But Facebook?  Unless you have locked down your settings (and that's no guarantee because one of your friends can copy and re-post anything and maybe their settings are wide open) you have to assume anything you post can be available to the entire Internet.

Martha

Windows 8, Not Your Father's Windows

It isn't mine, either!

This new operating system for Microsoft is different.  If someone is used to navigating into the depths of Windows, it won't take too long to find where stuff is located. But an average everyday user of a computer is going to be totally lost the first time they boot into Windows 8.

Even the 'should be simple' shut down is not so easily found. I used Vista when it first came out and I didn't like it, but within two days I had managed to find everything and after two weeks, I liked Vista. However a great many folks didn't.

I can use Windows 8. .Some things about this OS are pretty cool. But I have to admit, I just don't like it and I seriously doubt I ever will. I am still trying to use this disaster, but it is so not easy to like. More here.

I like the fact that it is more secure, or at least it's supposed to be. I don't like the fact there is no Start button on the Desktop.  I really can't understand why Microsoft thought it wasn't necessary 'because people don't use it.' That is their rationale, not mine. People do use it, if for no other reason that to turn off, switch users or reboot! I use it for a lot more.

Search is so much easier, but unless a user knows that all they have to do is start typing what they want, they will get frustrated trying to find Search.

That is part of the reason Windows 8 is not so great.  Things are not obvious to the average user. When a long time average user can't find the way to turn a computer off without help,  'Microsoft, there is a problem!'

Don't get me started on the Windows App Store.  I am addicted to the game of Spider Solitaire. Oh it's in the App Store alright, but it has, gasp, ads! But I can remove those ads for only 99 cents. Even thought it's really pretty, I won't be playing Spider on Windows 8. Seems to be a matter of principle with me, because 99 cents certainly won't break the bank.

I am not the only one that thinks Microsoft made a big mistake putting two systems together, a tablet OS and a desktop OS. It seems that every other version of Windows that Microsoft releases is really great and the between versions are well, not so hot. Windows 7 is really great and now folks are going to label Windows 8 as Windows Hate.

Martha

 

A footnote:  When my Windows 7 computers will no longer work, I will finally learn how to build a computer.  I have a fresh new disk with Windows 7 waiting for that computer!

Fixing Firefox

My favorite web browser is Firefox.  But lately it was so slow. Some pages (sites) didn't seem to open at all and other pages were oh so slow. I was getting 'not responding' as well when trying to load pages.

After awhile I decided to just use Chrome as my default browser because it was so much faster. Chrome is OK and I do like it, but I missed Firefox.

So I decided to try to 'fix' Firefox. That was an exercise in frustration.  All of those tweaks I found while searching for a fix for Firefox were just a little bit of help or no help at all.

I tried removing all of the settings, extensions and other stuff from Firefox by going to Help/Troubleshooting Information and selecting 'Reset Firefox to default state'.

This saved all of my stuff in a folder called 'Old Firefox Data' and supposedly set it back like a new install.  No help there, still as slow as molasses in January.

I decided to go the uninstall/reinstall route.  I had done this before and it seemed to help a bit, but this time Firefox was still way to slow.

I decided to get drastic.  I backed up my Bookmarks and used Revo Uninstaller to uninstall Firefox.  I selected the Advanced mode to uninstall Firefox and it uninstalled everything, including the Registry entries and all of the stuff in AppData.  Nothing remained of my old Firefox. (One thing I noticed when I selected Mozilla Firefox in Revo, it showed version 15 and I had version 16 installed.  I am thinking all those older versions may have still had bits and pieces still lingering on my system and eventually let to the terrible slowdown for Firefox.)

I opened Chrome and downloaded a fresh new copy of Firefox and installed it.

Wow! It's fast! I am still testing it , but oh, yeah, I've got my Firefox back!

Martha

Windows 8 or Windows Hate?

Which will it be? So far I am not enamored of Windows 8. I am not using a touch screen, but a regular laptop. The Metro screen has a few good points, but not enough to make it worthwhile for me. I miss the Start button, and I find the navigation to be, well, challenging.

There are seemingly some folks that like Windows 8.  I suppose once a user gets used to using it, more will like it.  The key here is getting used to it.

I started trying out this new version of Windows when the very first Windows 8 Developer Preview was made available for download. I couldn't believe my eyes when it installed.  I was totally dismayed by this 'Metro-style (Modern UI)' screen. I tried finding my way around and eventually managed to 'find stuff', but it seemed that for everywhere I wanted to go, it took more steps than in my Windows 7. This is progress? Maybe I just needed to look longer and figure it out. The 'Charms' bar wouldn't come up without a lot of clicking. (This could be related to the notebook which really isn't top of the line.)

Then Microsoft released another build of Windows 8, so I figured that maybe this one would be better, easier to use, so I downloaded it and installed it. I didn't see much difference, but it was probably stuff 'under the hood' that had been changed. That ugly (and yes to me it IS ugly,) Metro-style (Modern UI) was still there.

There are some good things about Windows 8 I like, if only I could overlook that awful 'Metro-style (Modern UI)'.

It installed very easy. It found my wireless network with no problem. (That was a big plus.) I still had problems with getting the Charms bar to come up and the so called improved method of
capturing screenshots would not work. (It did once, but never again. I still suspect my hardware.) I just couldn't 'get in to it' and didn't even try much, as other more important stuff had my
attention. However, I experimented with a combo of keys and at least for now, pressing the Win key, Fn key and Prt Scr key simultaneously did work. (Previously it worked once by pressing the Win key, Ctrl key and Pr Scr key) If I used the onscreen keyboard it worked just fine.

Then Microsoft released the last version 'Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation'.  Same stuff. I still don't like it. I have a computer, not a tablet! What didn't work on the previous version still doesn't work n the Enterprise Evaluation.  However, the Charms bar is easier to get to. There are tweaks galore available on the Internet, but I haven't tried any of them yet. My feeling is a new Windows should work out of the box and not have to be tweaked in order to use it.

I will get Windows 8 when the final version is available to buy and install it on my Compaq but I won't buy a new computer with Windows 8.  I will buy an extra copy of Windows 7, just in case I need to install it.

Now since I just hate to give up on anything computer related, I am going to make Windows Hate into Windows 8 or at least try! (But I think the majority of folks, especially those who used Windows XP for a long time, will totally and absolutely hate Windows 8.)

I do hope that Microsoft will do a better job for desktop and laptop users when they come out with the next version of Windows.  In the meantime I am saving for a Mac. At least Apple computers don't look like my iPad!

So listen up, Microsoft! My computer is not a tablet! I don't want it to be a tablet, I want to use it like a computer! Seems like Windows Desktop and laptop users are being totally disregarded in favor of the tablet users.

Guess maybe we've been thrown under the bus!

Martha

 

 

 

Scams in the Mail

Not all scams come in email or on the web.  They come in the regular mail as well.

Today I got a 'bill' from 'Domain Registry of America'. These folks were kind enough to let me know one my domains is expiring and I should reply right away with the funds to keep it renewed. It all looked very official and legal.

Except, that domain doesn't need to renewed until December and this is July!  They also think $35.00 a year is a good price, but I don't pay even half that amount and I don't have it registered at 'Domain Registry of America'!

What a scam.  A Google search for this scuzzy scam brings up tons of sites and they are all complaining about this scam.  Some of these folks sent them money, which is why they continue to try to scam folks with letters like the one I received today.

I tried to read all of the extremely fine print on the back of this renew an send money scam, but it was way too small. I tried with a strong magnifying glass and still couldn't read it all.

This scam has been around for quite awhile, but I guess there enough folks who fall for it so it just keeps going and going like the famous bunny.

 

Martha

Printers and Scanners, My Story

There was a time I printed all kinds of stuff.  I printed articles I found on the Internet, how-to-do things, recipes and almost anything else you can think of.

I printed my tax forms and filed them away into a bulging file cabinet, where even though stuff was filed in what I thought was a good system, I still sometimes couldn't find what I was looking for without a frustrating search.

But then I came to realize, after all the stuff was printed, I hardly ever looked at it again. I also found it hard to find an article or that how-to I needed.

So I re-evaluated what I needed to do.  Set up a new file system? My file cabinet was already full and I do mean full!

Eventually I found what I needed to do. I did set up a new file system.  It's on my computer. I got a program called PaperPort. It has a file system already set up and can access your scanner. So I started scanning every new thing that came by mail or email that I need to keep and filed it into PaperPort. I already get about every financial statement online and I saved them all in PDF format and filed them in PaperPort.

Medical stuff all goes into PaperPort.

I went through that really full file cabinet and scanned what needed to be kept and ran my shredder full blast.

My old printer/copier/scanner was getting a bit, shall we say, long in the tooth (old). It was big and bulky and the only place I had for it was in my bedroom closet.  It still worked, but quite often it had to be re-installed to keep working.  It didn't help that I had to use a print server to use it that was also getting a bit long in the tooth. If I wanted to scan more than one page into a PDF file, I had to use another utility to join the files into one file.

Then last fall I found the solution to that, I got a new wireless printer/copier/scanner, an HP Envy.  (Thanks to my sister for finding it first!) It is wonderful! I can scan page after page and save all as one file. No reinstalling all the time. It's quiet and fast.

Now I will have almost every document I will ever need in digital format.) Even manuals for appliances! So easy to find.

I backup the entire file and keep a copy of the backup in the bank box.  So if, heaven for bid, a disaster occurs I still have my stuff.  I also have my precious photos all scanned and backed up as well.

The only down side for all this, if I had got my Envy first, I wouldn't have needed PaperPort as I could have set up a file system on my own.  But since I have it, I use it.

I seldom need to print anything now. I save a lot of money by not buying printer ink and I can find stuff without digging through the old file cabinet!

Martha

 

Tell Me It Isn't True!

"Facebook Asking Some Users To Upload Government Issued IDs"

Are they nuts? Who is going to be stupid enough to give anyone on the Internet this kind of documentation?

Not me, no way, ever, never!

Right now it's supposedly a test only.  But with Facebook's history of privacy issues, well.......

Martha

 

Google Spies On Me

Well by now almost everyone who keeps up with what's happening on the Internet, knows that Google has updated it's privacy policy and Google is tracking you everywhere.

We shouldn't be surprised.  I decided to fight back.  I use Firefox as my default web browser and I installed a free add-on called 'Do Not Track Plus'.

It worked great, for awhile.

The first symptom of a problem was difficulty logging in to some sites like Barnes and Noble. After I eventually got logged in, then when I clicked the Buy now button for a product, nothing would happen.  Nothing! Even if I changed to another browser!

Today I have been checking my website for valid links. I use a Firefox extension called LinkExtend to check for valid links as I have so many links throughout the site. LinkExtend kept hanging and I had to stop the process.  I then noticed that every time the link checking stopped, it was for a Google site!

So I disabled the 'Do Not Track Plus' and everything is working just fine.  It could be just a problem with the add-in causing the proble and it probably is, but this seems pretty odd to me and just maybe Google is fighting back in some way.  Google is pretty sneaky, they even managed to do some nefarious bit with Safari.

So I will get even, Google! I just won't use your products much any more and those I do use will be while not signed in as I have been told this is when they track folks.

I know other services track me, but Google is just going too far! I guess they are trying to be like Facebook!

Martha

 

Toenails

I have given some thought about toenails (I need a life).

Why do we even have those hard keratin things on our fingers and toes?  Apparently a lot of other folks want to know as there are a lot of pages on the web devoted to nails, both finger and toe, but mostly fingernails.

Just do a web search to see what I mean.

Fingernails I get.  Without them, how would we scratch an itch? How would we be able to pick up that eensy thread or sliver when no tweezers are handy?

But toenails, what good are they?  If someone steps on my toe it still hurts.  If I stub my toes, I can't see that the toenail helped me even a little bit. And even worse, have you ever had an ingrown toenail or a toenail with a hangnail?

After long and careful thought, I think I have figured it out.

When my toenails get hung on threads when putting on socks, that's how I know I need new socks!

Martha  Told you I need a life!