allheart55 Cindy E

Thank you, Dougie. I love the card! ♥

Don’t think for a minute that the internet is the only place where technology-savvy scammers are taking advantage of innocent victims. These criminals are finding ways to use text messaging to lure you into traps, either to scam money from you or steal personal information. Recognizing the most common scams will prevent you from becoming a victim yourself. While in some cases it’s much more difficult to separate the legitimate from the faked, we hope this list of the most common text scams will keep you safe and one step ahead of the scammers. 1. Smishing Smishing is the texting equivalent of “phishing,” the Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson says. Like its web-based counterpart, smishing scams try to deceive you into disclosing personal information and come in several forms. Some claim your online account has been compromised and provide a link in the text to follow to “update” your info. Others claim you owe money, demanding payment immediately or threatening termination of whatever service its impersonating. Yet another may give a phone number that you must call to resolve some type of issue. There are several ways to deal with a smishing attempt. First of all, verify any information given for contact is indeed the number or website you go to normally. A good place to find legitimate contact information is on the company’s website itself. Never respond to any text messages with personal information of any kind, and question any text message that urges immediate action. If it’s that important the creditor will call you, not text, Swanson says. 2. Gift card scams Another text scam that has been around for a while is the type that claims you’ve won a gift card, Consumer Affairs reports. These scams come from unknown numbers and say something to the effect of “Congratulations! You’ve won a $100 gift card to ABC Store. Click here to claim your gift!” and provide a web address for you to visit. Consumer Affairs says that if you never entered any kind of contest for a gift card, you’re not just going to win one out of the blue. Clicking on that link and filling out whatever information it asks could put you at risk of identity theft, as the thief now has a good deal of personal information to open up fraudulent accounts. 3. Bank scams The Better Business Bureau notes that there’s a considerable uptick in texting scams involving people impersonating as banks lately. These scams use some type of actionable word or words relating to banking, such as claiming your account has been compromised, or saying you’ve overdrawn your account or need to update account information. These are especially dangerous. If you respond to faked banking texts, you could also give these thieves an easy way to get into your account itself and withdraw money, especially if you enter account and routing numbers. A bank will never ask for this information over text. They know their own account numbers, so any action you need to take can be done through the banks own website or over the phone. Suspicious? Call your bank’s customer service line and confirm. 4. Malware Denver TV station KDVR reports that another type of scam is making the rounds, and it looks like it’s from your cell phone carrier. The text is unsolicited and claims to have more information on what charges are on your bill with a provided link. Clicking on the link is bad news: a file is downloaded to your phone which when opened infects the device with malware. Our suggestion? If an unsolicited text contains a link, don’t click on it even if it looks harmless. If you want more information on whatever the text is about, search over the internet first, and make sure you have antivirus software activated just in case. 5. Apple ID expiration Finally, this one’s for iPhone owners. BGR says a new scam floating around claims to be from Apple, and states that your Apple ID is about to expire. From there, a link is given to renew it, but before you do, you’re asked to enter your current ID and password. Apple has never asked for Apple IDs through text, so any message that you receive like this is a scam, it says. Ignore the text, and if you have a method to report the text to your carrier do so. But under no circumstances should you disclose any personal information. Source: cheatsheet

Amazon.com Inc. launched a service on Tuesday that allows users to post videos and earn royalties from them, setting up the world’s biggest online retailer to compete directly with Alphabet Inc’s YouTube. The service, called Amazon Video Direct, will make the uploaded videos available to rent or own, to view free with ads, or be packaged together and offered as an add-on subscription. Amazon will pay content creators 50 percent of the revenue earned from rental receipts or sale of the videos, according to the company’s license agreement. For ad-supported videos, the creators will get half of the net ad receipts. Amazon’s fast-growing Prime loyalty program already offers original TV programming and access to digital entertainment products such as Prime Music and Prime Video, as well as one-hour delivery of purchases, for an annual fee of $99. YouTube offers a free, ad-supported service as well as a $10-per-month subscription option called YouTube Red. Amazon, though, has a long way to go to catch up with YouTube, the go-to venue for video on the internet since 2005. “I don’t see 50 million Prime users making a huge dent in the 2 billion YouTube user ecosystem,” Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in an email to Reuters. Ivan Feinseth, at Tigress Financial Partners, said Amazon had the technological wherewithal and financial resources to be a contender in any business, but was similarly cautious. “I don’t know if it’s going to totally disrupt YouTube, or even some of the other services, but for those that are heavy Amazon users, it will have an appeal,” he told Reuters. Amazon’s shares, already up about 57 percent in the past 12 months, rose 3.2 percent to an intraday record of $701.40. Users of Amazon’s service will be able to make their videos available in United States, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom and Japan. The company has also signed up several partners for the service, including Conde Nast Entertainment, the Guardian, tech blog Mashable and toymaker Mattel Inc . Amazon has been making a concentrated push into video. In a client note issued earlier on Tuesday, Bernstein analyst Carlos Kirjner estimated that the company will spend about $2.9 billion on video content for Amazon Prime this year. Amazon recently launched a monthly subscription to its video program for $10.99 and plans to offer its video streaming service as a standalone service for a monthly fee of $8.99. Source: yahootech

I must be losing my mind or I can't subtract. :ouch: Of course it was 14 years. It's never long enough.

Weeks after European regulators announced they were opening an investigation into Google’s requirements that Android-based devices come pre-loaded with Google apps, the tech company is reportedly poised to put a second, longer-running European antitrust case related to its search behind it, to the tune of a $3.4 billion fine. The Sunday Telegraph reports that the European Union is expected to hand down the record-breaking fine and put an end to a six-year investigation into whether Google unfairly promoted its own shopping service above competitors in searches. Under the proposed fine, which could be announced in June, Google would also be banned from continuing to manipulate search results to favor itself and harm rivals. Sources familiar with the investigation tell Reuters that Google and regulators had attempted to find a compromise at least three times in the past six years. The EU formally charged Google with unlawfully promoting its own price comparison or shopping service in general searches in April 2015, however, the Commission’s investigation first began in 2010. News of the hefty EU fine comes just weeks after the regulator opened another investigation into the tech company. The Commission expressed concerns that Google’s exclusive contracts — that sometimes require device makers to pre-load up to 11 Google apps — may be putting up roadblocks that reduce the odds of competing, possibly better and more innovative, software from reaching consumers. Google said at the time that “anyone can use Android with or without Google applications. Hardware manufacturers and carriers can decide how to use Android and consumers have the last word about which apps they want to use.” If the Commission ultimately rules against Google, it could mean another multi-billion dollar penalty. Shortly after the EU announced their investigation into Google’s Android contracts, regulators stateside said they would widen their own investigation into the pre-loaded Android apps. The FTC, which opened a probe into the company’s practices after receiving complaints from app developers and tech firms related to Google’s tendency to use its heavyweight status to get exclusive deals, has reportedly requested data from at least two companies in the industry related to contracts. Source: consumerist

Another good looking pooch. She's a pretty girl. I'm sorry you only had her for four years.

He looks a lot like my son's pitbull/lab mix. They have the same coloring and marking.

He's a handsome looking guy! :D

These pictures are all over thirty years old and a couple of them were taken with an old polaroid camera so they aren't in the best condition. All of our Shepherds loved cats. The exception to that is Jax, our current Shepherd.

Microsoft is planning to double the amount of promoted apps in the Start menu with the upcoming Anniversary Update to Windows 10. The software maker revealed at its WinHEC conference last week that the amount will increase from five currently up to 10 in the Anniversary Update that's due to roll out in July. Promoted apps are typically used on new PCs as links to encourage Windows 10 users to download Store apps, and different apps are promoted in different countries. Some promoted apps are pre-installed, but Microsoft notes that they can be fully uninstalled and any promoted items removed from the Start menu. Microsoft has not revealed exactly why the number of promoted apps is doubling, but it's likely that the company is using it as another method to attract developers to its Windows Store. 300 million devices are now running Windows 10, and Microsoft is planning to issue a free Anniversary Update in July that will include a number of new features and improvements. ViaNeowin SourceChannel 9 (PDF)

That sounds like a cushy but boring job. :D

If I am able to keep the computer an extra day, I will install the updates myself. If the computer is needed back as soon as possible, then I will explain the update procedure.

This is a pretty comprehensive write-up on the Vivaldi browser. It looks as if it might be a bit complicated compared to other popular browsers. I don't know if I would want to try it. Other's here may consider it.....

Very poor imitation.

Next time you need to find the customer-service number or email address for some company, don’t waste time trying to find it on its Web site. That’s a recipe for frustration; a lot of companies bury their contact information, or leave it out altogether. Instead, just Google it. Search for “netgear support” or “avis customer service email” or “mcdonalds 800 number,” for example. You’ll be shocked at how easy it is to find this information this way. Or visit www.contacthelp.com It’s a free Web site that maintains an up-to-date database of the customer-service contact information of the world’s companies: email, phone, Web site, hours of operation, and so on. Source: yahootech

While Google’s Street View camera cars may have gotten less ridiculous-looking over the years, they are still pretty obvious when they roll down the streets, snapping photos in all directions for later use on Google’s Maps service. So it didn’t take long for savvy folks to sniff out something off about the alleged “Google Maps” truck recently spotted on the streets of Philadelphia. The faux Google SUV, complete with police license plate, was spotted by U.Penn Professor Matt Blaze earlier this week, who posted a photo of the vehicle to Twitter: Vice’s Motherboard subsequently confirmed with the Philly Police Department that officers had indeed gussied up the vehicle to disguise it as a Google camera car, but that these particular cops had done so without approval. “We have been informed that this unmarked vehicle belongs to the police department,” reads the statement to Motherboard, “however, the placing of any particular decal on the vehicle was not approved through any chain of command. With that being said, once this was brought to our attention, it was ordered that the decals be removed immediately.” The police say they are looking into this matter further, and Google confirmed it too is investigating the Philly PD’s unauthorized use of the Google logo on a surveillance truck. If you’re going to try to dress up a surveillance van as a Google Street View vehicle, don’t try to be subtle about it. Wrap that entire sucker up in Google logos and have the camera sticking out of the roof like a big honkin’ electronic lollipop. Tech companies don’t go for subtlety. Source: consumerist

Imagine if an entire section of the phone book (remember those?) was dominated by fake companies and scam artists. You’d hope the phone book people would wise up and get rid of that section. That appears to be Microsoft’s way of thinking as it bans tech support ads from its Bing search results. Earlier this week, Microsoft quietly announced the change to its Bing Ads policy, disallowing third-party ads for online tech support “because of serious quality issues that can impact end user safety.” Which is a shorthand way of saying “we’ve seen to many people burned by ‘tech support’ scams and we’re not going to help these a-holes take advantage of people, even if they pay for ads.” The “tech support” scam involves the victim being tricked into believing their computer needs fixing. This can happen in a number of ways: Phone calls from people claiming to be tech support staff; pop-up warnings alerting the user to a nonexistent virus or other problem with their computer; and paid ads on search engine results. Victims are deceived into either turning over payment information to the scammer, or ceding remote control of their device to the scammer (sometimes both). The problem is particularly annoying to Microsoft, as the company’s name is frequently invoked by scammers pretending to represent Microsoft. In 2015, Microsoft says it received some 150,000 complaints from consumers who were contacted in some form by bogus tech support services. Last December, Washington state filed suit against online tech support company iYogi, alleging deceived consumers by falsely claiming affiliation with Microsoft, HP, Apple, and others. Customers then paid iYogi between $80 and $199 to upgrade their systems from Windows 7 to Windows 10, for example, despite the fact that Microsoft explicitly offers all home Windows users that upgrade for free. The company also allegedly used their remote access to computers to generate fake, flashing warnings about viruses, before charging upwards of $380 to have the “virus” repaired. The Bing ban on tech support ads comes the same week that Google announced a ban on search engine ads for payday lenders. [via Ars Technica]

Whether through a video anomaly, a misbehaving app, or some other strange factor, sometimes you’ll pull up the Windows 10 Start Menu and all your Live Tile counts are gone. And, not just that, but some of the Tiles will actually be blank so that you can’t even tell what app the tile represents. A reboot of the PC absolutely fixes this, but there’s a quicker fix that’s within easy reach. Do this: Run Task Manager and locate “Windows Explorer” in the list of running Processes. (easiest way to locate Task Manager is to right-click on the Windows 10 Taskbar and choose it from the pop-up menu) Right-click on the “Windows Explorer” process and choose “Restart.” And, as quick as that your Start Menu tiles are back to normal. Incidentally, the Windows Explorer restart can work for a multitude of other Windows 10 anomalies. Source: winsupersite