The coldest winter I ever spent
Archive for 2022
Voice Typing for Google Docs works so well. Why oh why isn’t there a voice typing feature for Gmail? I have seen a few
There’s a Chrome extension called Dictation for Gmail with 100,000+ users but I simply don’t trust the organization behind it enough to push this button:
I can’t find out enough information about dictation.tools and Greg Sadetsky, the developer of this “free” extension, to trust them with unlimited access to my email! I would pay money for this!
Windows Sandbox is a nice, quick virtual machine that you probably already have.
It’s great to use virtual machine software like this when you need to download and run suspicious software that might have a virus or be otherwise unsavory. Instead of hoping and praying that your anti-virus holds up, you just start a Sandbox and ‘tada!’ you have an extra throwaway computer! Run programs in it, access the internet, copy files wherever. When you’re done, close the Sandbox and everything in it is GONE forever.
Find out how to turn on Windows Sandbox here. (I didn’t say “download” it because you already have it if you have Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education build 18305 or Windows 11!)
It’s not as powerful as other virtual machine software like Virtualbox or VMware but it’s way easier to set up!
And just in case you need a real Windows 10 install in a virtual machine, you can get it for free.
I’m starting
to use a web-based Microsoft Outlook for a new job and I swear to god Clippy still works there!
To translate into English: every “helpful” prompt the app gives me is asinine, anti-helpful and makes me think scornfully, “What the hell were they thinking?”
After 5 months of continual use, I can say that Dynalist is my favorite productivity tool!
In brief, it’s a To-Do list manager. The format is pleasantly simple: start with nested bulleted lists, add some slick search tools, keyboard shortcuts, works-anywhere (Chrome, android app, etc), and Google Calendar integration and BAM, I’ve got a great todo-list, note-jotter, keep-me-on-time tool!
It’s sweet spot is working with short bullet items, up to 30 words or so. You can also write longer documents in it but for true document writing, it’s better to just link to a Google Doc.
I tried several other todo list managers last year and this one came out on top! I paid for a year’s access but if you don’t need the Google calendar integration, the free version works perfectly well!
If you’re over 50 and it’s been 4+ months since your COVID booster, it’s probably time to get your second booster.
In photos: Total Reported COVID deaths, CDC
Yes, people are still dying from COVID.
What if soy milk is just regular milk introducing himself in Spanish?
After 8 calls to PG&E over 5 months, they fixed the rattling manhole cover outside of my daughter’s school. It’s the little things, right?
I feel like I’m putting a lot of energy out into the universe and not getting much in return.
The offending manhole cover
It now sits flat! Hurray!
My notes. Too many notes about too small of a problem!
3-18-22 follow-up:
On the Madera Parents Facebook group, my message about this got 45+ likes and 18 personal accolades. It seems more than just a few other people were bothered by this issue!
On Friday we opened a new credit card account. On Monday we got a phone call with the caller ID showing as being from the credit card, and they said the new account had been frozen and we’d have to send personal like a photo of a Social Security card. It was fairly believable but then the caller asked for “confirmation” of our email address. It became clear that they didn’t have it so we hung up. The credit card had not been frozen and the card was still on its way. I hadn’t ever seen that kind of fraud attempt! Stay alert my friends!
[update 3-24-22]. Oop. It was legit. We got 2 letters in the mail a few days later, one with the new card, and one saying “There’s a problem, call us.” Darn it, all the had to say on the initial call was “look on our website and call us back on the number you see there.”
We took Abigail to her first ballet today!
And we went out to a show for the first time in…….. . umm. since the beginning of the decade. To quote a friend, “it felt weirdly transgressive!”
The Joffrey Ballet at Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley. She really enjoyed it! It was a bit too loud for her in the middle but she left with a smile! She said that she didn’t feel like she was watching it, but that she was right there with the dancers!
That’s Abigail and Megan in the seat in front of me :-)
“The Sofa” by Itzik Galili was one of our favorite pieces. (Not my photo)
This is for Gmail users. I use this to get a little more proof against spam. Turn on “Ask before displaying images”.
With it turned on, when you get an email from someone new, Gmail will ask if you want to view images from them. I find this to be a nice, little reminder to be alert against spam. For instance, when I get an email from my bank but the images aren’t being displayed, it’s probably because it’s not actually from my bank!
This also might decrease the spam you get in the future since spammers make a note of when people look at images in their emails as a sign that they are active email accounts.