We are all aware of the possible danger of getting a virus or other malware by
clicking a URL link that we don't know who sent it or anything else about it. The following
article discusses what one can do to verify the link before clicking on it.
Jim Hamm
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-test-a-suspicious-link-without-clicking-it-2487171
I have several email accounts. I have a Gmail account, an iCloud account, and a Yahoo account, and each one has a Trash folder. At the top of my mailbox list there is another Trash mailbox right along with Inbox, Sent, Draft and Junk (if you don’t see a Draft or Junk mailbox, don’t worry about it; they get created by Mail when needed). When I delete a message from one account, the thought is that it should go directly into the Trash mailbox at the top. It might do that, and it might also wind up in the Trash mailbox that is directly associated with the account. If you delete messages on your iPhone or iPad, this is usually where the deleted message goes.
You do have to manually delete the messages from the Trash mailbox that you have in each of your email accounts. Simply highlight the message(s) and click on the trash can icon in the toolbar - just like any other message that you want to delete. When you delete a message from one of those Trash mailboxes, they go immediately into the top level Trash mailbox. Uh, oh! So now you have to empty the top level mailbox.
To empty the top level Trash mailbox requires a different method. If you right-click on ANY mailbox, then a pop-up menu appears, and in that menu you will find, “Erase Deleted Items…”. If you click on that menu item, then another pop-up dialog box asks, "Are you sure you want to erase deleted items in the selected mailboxes and in the Trash mailbox?” Of course you are, so click on the Erase button and it will be emptied. If you attempt to delete any message from this Trash mailbox using any other method, sometimes nothing happens. That’s because the message is flagged as deleted and shows right back up in this Trash mailbox.
If you have thousands of messages that you want to delete, it might take a while. What happens here is that Mail sends a message to your server (the one that is handling your email account) to delete those messages from the server. The server sends back a confirmation - or an error message. If it is a confirmation, nothing happens. If it is an error message, which I sometimes get on my iPhone, it usually says something like the server was unable to move the message. Don’t worry about that error message; somehow things get straightened out eventually.
On your iPhone in the Mailboxes screen (top level) you will see an “All Trash” mailbox. Tapping on that mailbox shows you ALL the messages that have deleted while using Mail on your iPhone. Tap on the Edit option in the top right and you will then see at the bottom right “Delete All”. Tapping on that option will show another pop-up to choose either “Delete All” in red or “Cancel” in blue. Emptying your deleted messages in this way will delete them from each of the other email account Trash mailboxes on your iPhone. I have not yet seen this “All Trash” option on my iPad.
On my iPad, to empty the trash I have to go to each email account, find the Trash mailbox there, tap on the Edit option, then tap on “Delete All”, and finally tap on “Delete All” again. There is no option at that point to Cancel.
Now the confusing part for some is that you will find two Trash mailboxes associated with each of your email accounts. One is up with Inbox, Sent, etc., and it has a normal trashcan icon, and another is found in alphabetical order looking like any ordinary mailbox with a folder icon. For my iCloud account, that second trash mailbox is labelled “Deleted Items.” Do not worry about those secondary Trash mailboxes. Their contents get emptied when you empty the top level Trash mailbox.
One would think that if you empty the trash on the Mac that it would also empty the trash on the iPhone and iPad. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Even after diligently emptying the Trash mailboxes on my Mac, I still find contents in the Trash mailboxes on both my iPhone and iPad.
I may have missed some detail or gotten something wrong, and if so, please let me know. I hope this helps.
John Carter
You quite possibly use an AV program on your computer, as I do. Recently there's been lots of news about the possible hacking of our Presidential voting system by the Russians, which they deny. But this got me to thinking about a popular AV program, which is Russian-based: Kaspersky Lab.
I've not used Kaspersky AV, but it has a good reputation, especially in AV tests. I did a little research into whether one should/should not use a Russian-based AV program. Here is one article I found, which has a definite opinion on the question. And here is one more article, from NPR, which uses Kaspersky programs, and noted that Kaspersky is a sponsor of some NPR programs.
Internet research on this question will turn up many other articles discussing the subject. My take so far: given the relationship between Kaspersky Lab and the Russian government, it is recognized that the possibility of a nefarious collusion exists, but nothing indicates that one now exists.
My intent was not to stir up any negative thoughts about Kaspersky AV, but just to get a feeling for people's opinions on the question. Just food for thought.
Jim Hamm
Here’s a tip that might come in handy some day. We have all heard that LCD screens don’t have the same burn-in problem that CRT screens (those old, bulky tube-type screens). It’s not quite true. LCD screens can exhibit image retention, but it’s not always permanent like it is with CRT displays. Check out this handy tip on how to remove image retention from an LCD display.
John Carter
If you are an Apple fan, you've probably read various blogs about Apple's new MacBook Pro -- some pro and some con. David Pogue, honcho for Yahoo Tech, bought one for himself, and here is his take on his purchase.
I've read Pogue's blogs for many years and have a great respect for his opinion. So, before you spend $3,000 for one -- as he did -- first read his comments. As always, your mileage may vary, but be aware.
Jim Hamm
If you use Gmail for your email, be aware there is a phishing scam involving Gmail. Read the article here for more information. Just something to be aware of, and always be observant and careful of what you click in an email.
Jim Hamm
Dave Rothgery found an article in the New York Times. See the link below.
The latest version of Apple’s operating system has a feature that allows the computer to automatically delete certain files when space gets tight.
You are probably aware that one billion accounts at Yahoo have been hacked. It's been in the news and many blogs. Here is an article with some additional comments on how weak Yahoo's security was -- and maybe still is -- to enable this hack. The author of the article suggests things you should do if you have a Yahoo account, and maybe consider switching to another email client, such as Gmail, which I use and like.
Jim Hamm
John Carter may have left the area and PMUG, but he is still providing information for the group. Dr. Richard Feynman’s four steps to learning: 1. Pick a topic you want to understand and start studying it. Write down everything you know about the topic on a notebook page, and add to that page every time you learn something new about it.
2. Pretend to teach your topic to a classroom. Make sure you're able to explain the topic in simple terms.
3. Go back to the books when you get stuck. The gaps in your knowledge should be obvious. Revisit problem areas until you can explain the topic fully.
4. Simplify and use analogies. Repeat the process while simplifying your language and connecting facts with analogies to help strengthen your understanding.
Check out the video here.
Discovering that anything can be learned by teaching is by far the very best method. This is not a shortcut to learning because a great deal of time and effort goes into developing and practicing the teaching part. But I guarantee, based on my own experience, that you will learn.
Blogging and social media sure have influence. Evernote is backing down on their recent proposed policy change. Read about it here. Having said that, though, unless your data is encrypted, Evernote, or any other 'cloud' storage, can read your documents. As previously stated, store in the 'cloud' appropriately.
Jim Hamm
There are many more features available on an iPhone, if you are running iOS 10, than just making calls. Here is a video by David Pogue that points out a dozen useful, and somewhat hidden, features that you might not be aware of. I sure wasn't. A magnifier, flashlight, help with color blindness -- and the list goes on. An iPhone is simply an amazing device.
Jim Hamm
If you use and store documents on Evernote, be aware that certain employees can read what you have stored there. Read this article. I don't use Evernote, but this is similar to the privacy policy Dropbox has, and which I use often. Just be aware that anything you have stored in the "cloud" really isn't completely private, and store accordingly.
Jim Hamm
Apple has just released the 'Apple Support' app, details of which you can read here. This app looks to be useful, and can be downloaded from Apple's App Store. Jim Hamm
Occasionally I'll do a virus scan on my computer just to see if one is found. So far I haven't found a virus -- which is a good thing. There are several programs available to do a virus scan. What I've recently been using is HouseCall by TrendMicro. Website here. If you'd like to try it, you download a small program. When you open it, it first checks and updates itself to the latest version. Then you run a virus scan. I just did one, and it took a bit over four minutes.
Just something you might consider doing occasionally.
Jim Hamm
If you're receiving spam in Apple's Calender, here is a simple way to stop it, in theory, anyway. Just send it to your email account, and the spam filter there should move it to the Spam folder, where you'll never have to look at it. This method looks simpler than a procedure outlined in another article I recently sent out. Fortunately, I've not been bothered by spam in Calender. I'd guess Apple will eventually modify Calender to properly handle this issue.
Jim Hamm
If you've just got a new iPad, or already have one and would like to learn more about how to use it, Read this article. The article also mentions 25 'must-have' apps for the iPad. Here they are. Now, one thing to keep in mind: the more apps you install on the iPad the more apps you'll have to update. This can be tedious, so install with caution. One app in the 25 that I highly recommend is Dropbox. This is probably my favorite, and most used, app ever.
Jim Hamm
One thing many of us frequently do when traveling -- whether by RV, car, or plane -- is take a computer with us so we can continue our 'putering'. Most of us also connect to a public wifi network, whether it might be in an RV park, hotel, airport, or restaurant. There's risk in doing that. Read here and here for some examples. You'll note that using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) increases the security of your internet browsing significantly. When I'm traveling I plan to use the Opera Browser. Why, you ask? It has a free, built-in VPN. Read a review of Opera here.
I've been trying Opera out, like it fine, and have noticed no significant slowdown in accessing the internet for browsing or emailing by going through Opera's servers. If you plan to do some traveling, and would like to try Opera, you can download Opera here. Note that if you want to use the VPN feature you'll need to go into settings and turn it on. Then you'll see a "VPN" icon just to the left of the address bar.
Opera is free, fast, and includes a VPN. What's not to like?
Jim Hamm
While the Chrome Browser has been noted to be a memory hog, it seems that Safari can become one also, as noted in this article. I did notice that the author seems not to shut off his computer very often, and hence close Safari. My opinion is that it would be a good idea to frequently close any browser, which seems to reduce the memory usage. And talking about browsers, if you have an interest, here is a current article comparing several different browsers. The author thinks that while Chrome is the overall best browser, it is also the biggest memory hog. Right now Chrome is my browser of choice.
Just to see what I think about it, and the impact on memory usage, I may try the Opera Browser for a while.
Jim Hamm
If you use Google Photos, these 32 tips may be of use to you. Jim Hamm