How to reduce the size of your inbox

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation is coming into effect July 1, 2014.

That means organizations will have to comply with rules for sending commercial electronic messages (CEM). It doesn't mean spammers will. 

This has been in the news for a while on how it will affect legitimate small businesses. If you have an existing email list, you will want to read the CASL FAQs. 

Listen to Steve Dotto's advice on how to get double opt-in from your current email subscribers.

According to one source, there may be a three-year grace period.

Even the smarter than average bear could become confused by the information out there. 

Although it has good intentions, the introduction of this legislation provides an opportunity for spammers and other morally corrupt individuals to spread uncertainty, to get people to click on links, give away their email addresses or even worse - passwords.

You likely receive newsletters from various organizations and interest groups. You may have noticed messages requesting permission to keep you on their mailing lists. You may also receive vague messages that look like requests for consent but may actually be phishing attempts.

If I am not certain that the consent request is valid and will lead me to a trusted site, I would not respond to a message or follow any links.  I would go directly to the company's web site in my browser to locate the subscribe option and create a new subscription then let the other one expire, valid or not. 

My blonde logic is that if I can't remember subscribing in the first place, why put my computer at risk by following links and unknowingly giving personal information to criminals?  If our past relationship is not well-explained, I will likely delete the message or file it away.

We may attempt to clear the material clutter from our lives but what about all the electronic clutter? 

• Not sure how to identify legitimate messages?  Take the Spam Quiz. 

• Want to know when I post new entries here or on the blog for my novel, The Year of the Rabbit?  Look for the "Follow by Email" box on the right of each blog's web page. Google forces you to sign up with your Gmail address. Kinda dumb and limited...

• You can do the same for my other blog where the Tabby Cat Rules.  WordPress isn't picky about what email address you use; you will receive a message to complete the subscription process. 

By providing an email address and clicking the subsequent message links, you will be opting in according to the blog platform's subscription conditions. 

Thanks for dropping by.  I wish you safe computing and a Happy Canada Day!

T

Vacationing and my train of thought

A few weeks ago, I took a much-needed vacation and little trip to a nearby city. I had planned this for months.  


I rode the train there and back.  A couple of relatives joined me for a few days so we could enjoy time together and get caught up with updates on each others' lives.  We even went to see a live theatre performance.  We ate well.  We drank wine and raised our glasses in good cheer.


The train rides were relaxing.  I watched the colourful landscape as it streamed by or I read a book. I also took time to record events, feelings and strings of poetry in a jot journal.  I was able to satisfy a yearning to travel by train and recall fond memories of vacations past.  


Trains are a common occurrence in my novel The Year of the Rabbit.  Trains provide entertainment for children who counted box cars during lazy summer days.  Trains brought people to visit.  They also took people away.


When I returned home to Ottawa and later to work, I was greeted by a pile of email and requests for my attention.  I took a methodical approach in attending to the issues of most importance.  I also took inventory of who or what  I wanted to keep in my "backpack".


I was tickled to learn that people had seen one of my posters about the novel and they wanted to purchase a printed copy of the book.  I was sad to mention that I did not yet have time to produce the second printed edition.  Perhaps some miracle will work its way in to my schedule this fall!


Perhaps also a miracle will occur in repairing or replacing the family Mac which bit the dust about the same time as Steve Jobs passed away.  Strange coincidences…  


My writing urges will have to be satisfied by limited sessions on my son's Macbook Pro or by sitting in quiet reflection and starting on another blank journal.  :o)  But how would you enjoy my deep blonde thoughts if I hibernated away in my solitary pages?  


One thing I made sure of when I returned to the daily grind... I started plans for my spring vacation.  


Thank you for reading this far.  If you like my writing style, you may enjoy reading The Year of the Rabbit, a novel about fate, family and forgiveness.  Sample some excerpts and enjoy feedback from people who read the earlier print version.  I'm pushing the Ebook version with a special discount until October 31, 2011.  No trees were harmed ;o)


T

I don't own a cell phone

There was a time when I had to carry around a cell phone at the insistence of my then spouse.  He bought it for me shortly after 9/11.  We were touched by stories of people contacting their loved ones via cell phone shortly before their demise.  My reserved opinion during our own troubled times was that if I was in a life-threatening situation, he would not be the first person I would want to call.  I would not want him to call me.  I would find a call like that disturbing and trauma-inducing due to the feeling of helplessness for the person on the receiving end.  Why put that stress on someone if only to tell them how much you loved them?  Can you not show that in your daily actions and resist to let parting words be angry ones?

I use a cell phone for work purposes but still cannot see the benefit of having one in my personal life.  I am either puttering happily around home, on my way to work, volunteering, running errands or on my way back home.  I will leave a note listing my whereabouts and any number where my loved ones can contact me.  I make sure I have access to a phone, either a friend's or one of those endangered pay phone breeds. 

Cell phone technology has evolved over the past 25 years - so much that now your smart phone can track you.  That has caused concern for the paranoid types.  It is disappointing that there are people who rudely insist on checking their phone in-between real-space conversations and thumb-typing onto the little keypad. Good gawd! We even have to create laws to stop people from using them while driving vehicles! 

What have we become? 

It is comforting in a way to hear that some youth are not fond of a heavy reliance on technology.  They are beginning to question the widespread proliferation of technology and the role it can play in their lives. A group of performing artists came together in Vancouver to address the decline in face-to-face communication.  They admit they already have to update the content of the performance so that it reflects current technology.

When you read the novel The Year of the Rabbit, you will be brought back to a simpler era (the early 1970's) when there were no smart phones,  cell phones - not even computers.  You can purchase the book through a Print on Demand service.  Since one of the themes is the respect for trees and our natural world, I didn't think it right to print hundreds of copies.  I am hoping that the word will spread about this bittersweet story and enough people will be interested in reading it. You can start by reading the PDF version of Chapter 1. 

Ironically, I am fiddling with tools to publish the novel to a digital format, to have available on the Kindle, other eReaders and yes... even mobile devices.  And yes, I will need to test it out at some time ;-)

Thanks for reading this far.  Have a nice, distraction-less day :o)

T

Sexist public information film about eCards on Valentine's Day

It's funny, except for the "... probably blonde" part. 

Safe computing, all your hopeful lovers!  Thank you, Sophos Naked Security blog. 

T

Being of service and connecting with others

Yesterday was a bi-monthly outing for me and a dear old lady friend.  We re-connected a year ago after a twenty-year separation due to my demanding family life and life challenges in general.

For the past year, I have been making dates to take her out to accessible restaurants and events.  Even at her ripe old age (which she will not elucidate), she enjoys going to new places and trying new things.  When I remember to bring a camera o_O, I make sure to take photographs so that she will have something to remind her of the event. 

Being with her, walking on the street and weaving our way through store aisles provides me with a reminder to slow down my pace, to practice patience and maintain respect for our elders.  I have seen strangers' faces soften as I smile at them while helping her with groceries as she stands in the middle of the aisle, deciding which bunch of broccoli to pick or "... where is that milk - you know, the one with the little cap that makes it easier for me to open?".  It's like we've come full-circle from the innocent observations and endless energy of children to the frail, polite and slightly confused state of our seniors. 

This holiday season provides us with opportunities to re-connect with family, old friends and former co-workers.  As we dine out and share in good cheer, I think that it also provides us with an opportunity to connect with the people who serve our drinks and meals.  If the service was good and polite, remember to leave a big tip.  Make someone's day.

Still on this line of thought, I wanted to share an interesting story I caught in one of the tech feeds this past week.  You may have already seen on Daily Planet and other TV shows, about robots being tested in Japan and China.  They are being used to care for seniors and even serve hungry multitudes in restaurants. 

Robots wait on you in this Chinese restaurant
by Juniper Foo
CNET News
December 9, 2010 11:30 AM PST

Snippet:

"China is turning out to be the new Japan, judging by all the cool tech stuff it's turning out, including, now, robot waiters. Sign of the times? At China's new Dalu Rebot (sic) restaurant in Jinan, patrons are greeted by two robot receptionists and attended by six robo-waiters (and no, they don't accept tips)."

Full article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20025188-1.html

As an IT worker and forward thinker, I am in favour of efficiencies that technology can provide.  I do caution though that if it is not used wisely, it could create a cold, impersonal world. 

Permit me to lead you to an excerpt of my hopeful novel where ten year-old Sera discovers something new at the Red Hare, a family restaurant run by family friends.  In it, she rediscovers a place of comfort and warmth.

http://novel-yotr.blogspot.com/2010/12/red-hare-family-restaurant.html

Thanks for reading this far!

You've got (less) mail

I think it's good to have interests in a variety of subjects. One could get spread too thinly though with time and energy spent by being involved or catching up on issues.


In an attempt to reduce my electronic distractions - especially that of mailing lists - I have decided to review the ones to which I subscribe.


The groups and organizations that send frequent messages hold varying degrees of importance to me. My catlike curiosity makes me want to know what's going on in different corners of my world. My limited time and patience meter though take precedence in my choices. Besides newsworthy items, if it doesn't help with my skills development or earning power, it will have to wait until a later time in my life.


Spring is here and the walking areas are clear. Time to get out and move the body more. Then there's that novel I have been avoiding...


So far this week, I have unsubscribed to three mailing lists. There will be more...