Top 10 Siri Commands for Those with Cognitive Issues

The accommodations and activities afforded by voice-activated assistance technology (i.e., Siri and Alexa) are absolutely amazing.  Before watching this video, I have to admit I had never thought about some of the tips being beneficial to those with cognitive issues. 
Don't let the title - "TOP 10 Siri Commands for Memory Loss, Dementia, Early-Stage Alzheimer’s"  - keep you from watching. (You may want to move the slider forward to the 2-minute mark to skip his plea for money.)  These are some great tips for ALL of us!  There is also a PDF available for download below the video if you'd like to keep it as a reminder.

If you don't watch the video, please be aware of the last tip; it could be a lifesaver:  When/If you need to call 911 on your iPhone be sure and say:  "Hey, Siri, call 911 on speaker phone."  Those last 3 words could be a lifesaver.  If you don't say "on speaker phone" you will not be able to activate the speaker phone once the emergency operator answers, and they will not hang up to let you call again.  They are trained to stay on the line.  Thus, you will not be able to hear them giving you directions if you have fallen and are a distance from your device.

One more note:  I am an iPhone user and am not as familiar with the Android devices so I'm unsure how to do these same tasks on one of those devices.  Sorry.

Scam target owners of Apple devices

I just read of this latest scam (resurfaced) that is reaching out to owners of iPhones and other devices made by Apple computers.  Don't fall prey to it.

https://www.ricksdailytips.com/your-apple-id-has-been-disabled-scam/?fbclid=IwAR2sQxSTkEn7_8NLQViUsbaQMO7oKbrk83h1GqC5_o5o1zrqRLZBrnAVyeQ

Please take time to read and share with others you know who own these devices.

Borrow digital books quickly by doing a Google Search!

If you are a digital e-book reader or wannabe, today's tip shows you a quick way to locate a book and check it out for your mobile device! http://somup.com/cYnFlZhFHX
Today's tip via a screencast I made for you will lead you through the process of looking for a book and then checking it out for your device. It shows you a quick way to do a Google search to the locate the book you want to read and then check it out from the completed search.  The screencast was made on my laptop, but you can do the same search on your mobile device (phone, tablet).  The only difference is that on a phone you will not see a sidebar, you will just scroll down towards the bottom of your search once you've typed in the title.

In the last couple of years, I have begun checking out e-Books to read rather than purchasing them.  It is so easy to do and has saved me lots of money. 

At first I read on my iPad but my eyes tired easily when reading books on it using the Kindle App.  So, then I tried a Kindle device (Paperwhite) and found it to be perfect for reading anytime night or day!

I began purchasing books on Amazon, which became costly, so when a friend introduced me to the e-Libraries available through our local library and State of Kansas Library, I switched from purchasing to borrowing......saving both money and time!

If you are already borrowing digital books and using Libby, Overdrive, or Cloud Library, I think you will find this Google search method to be much quicker!

Happy reading!  If you run into problems or have questions as you start to read digitally, let me know.

Calls from Amazon?

Tuesday afternoon I received a call from a friend who said, "Hey, we're kind of worried about a possible attack on our computers.  What do we need to do?"

Why were they worried?

1. They received a call from Amazon, supposedly, telling them of a $1600 purchase that was made from their account.
2. In the process of working out the problem, login and bank card information were shared with the caller, and the caller was given control of the woman's computer for awhile.  
3. After a bit, the caller asked to talk with the husband and asked for control of his computer.  Luckily,  he questioned them about their identity and eventually hung up before sharing any more information.

Then they called me and asked what to do. What would you have told them?  
My recommendations:
Change passwords for any financial online accounts.
Change passwords for any large retail site accounts online.
Monitor financial and retail accounts periodically for awhile.

We all know better, but that sense of fear that something is wrong causes us to lose our heads sometimes.  What I want you to remember:
If ANY company calls to alert you to a problem, tell them you will contact them directly using the number on your credit card or on your monthly statement from that company.  That ASSURES you that who you are talking with is a legitimate employee.
One more alert:  Yesterday, someone told me they received a package in an Amazon box and it contained items they had not ordered.  The receipt inside gave contact information which they used to report the error.  However, quickly into the phone call they realized it was not a legitimate employee.  Questions about personal financial information raised suspicion and the call was terminated.  They were lucky.

Unfortunately, new types of scams appear every day because of the income they generate.  Sad.

Just remember - if something doesn't feel right, don't do it.  It is much better to err on the side of caution, taking no action, rather than giving away your personal information because of fear.  Private info can't be taken back once it has been given.

Happy safe computing!