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Tech life upgrade: Stop junk emails
✋ Now that your inbox is clean: Stop the junk overload. In Gmail, add a + (plus sign) and any word or number combination before the @ symbol in your email address to make a new address you can easily filter right to the trash if it gets clogged. Say your email is bobjones@gmail.com. You could use bobjones+coupons@gmail.com. Have an Apple iCloud+ subscription? You can get free addresses ending with @icloud.com with their Hide My Email feature. I use this all the time.
Oops: To delete an entire word at a time, hit Ctrl + backspace on a Windows computer. On a Mac, it’s Option + Delete.
Teach Alexa your voice: I had Barry do this because she only understood me. In the Alexa app, go to More > Settings > Your Profile & Family > Your Profile > Add Your Voice. Even still, Alexa likes me better.
Make this year the one you take care of you: Hearing aids aren’t expensive and bulky like they used to be. The tech has come such a long way. Get a free evaluation with a doctor.* You’ll be glad you did.
⚠️ “Synthetic identity fraud”: That’s when scammers use stolen Social Security numbers (often from kids) and add bogus names, birth dates and email addresses to create fake personas. They open credit cards, max them out and leave a trail of debt. Losses from this scam are projected to hit $5 billion next year. Have a kid 13 or younger? Fill out this form to see if they have a credit report, and freeze it if they do.
No one needs to know: Archive Amazon orders you don’t want someone else to see. On a computer, hover your cursor over Account & Lists and click Orders. Find the order you want to hide, click View order details, and tap Archive Order. Click Archive Order again to confirm.
No fires, please: Power strips rock, but they’re not for everything. Stay safe and never, ever use one for a fridge, freezer, microwave or other small appliance, space heater, heating pad, hair dryer, or gaming console. They all draw too much power, and power strips aren’t built for that.
