Messages With Pictures

Have you ever clicked on a message to open it and then waited for several minutes while that little spinner goes round and round trying to download the attachments? 

I recently received an email that contained twenty-nine pictures, and it took just under five minutes to download.  In the meantime I couldn't perform any other functions on the computer, so I was forced to sit and watch the spinning circle.  That wasn't the first time it has happened, but it was bothersome enough to spur me into writing a column about it.

If you are a savvy sender and you already know how to attach and forward pictures, cartoons and other graphics, then please ignore this column.  My goal is to reach out to those who aren't sure how to do it, or just plain "don't know."

There are three basic rules to forwarding attachments:

• Be stingy - don't send too many in one message
• If your mail server provides it, send graphics in the body of the message, not as attachments that have to be clicked on to open them
• Send the message to yourself first to "test" it whenever possible

Let's cover these three in more depth.  When I say "be stingy" I mean you should try to only send ten or less pictures or pages in one message.  If you need to send more, break the message up and send it in parts.  Some pictures can be reduced in size so that they don't take up as much apace.  A good rule is that if it is larger than one gigabyte or has more than 1080 pixels on the largest side, it needs to be reduced if possible.  Right-clicking on the picture will give you that information, and there are programs that you can use to do the reduction very quickly. 

A good rule of thumb is that, if the image won't fit on your screen without a slider bar to view it, it is probably too large.  Any picture can be reduced in size by left-clicking on it, placing the cursor over a corner until a slanted arrow appears and moving your cursor toward the center of the picture to make the image smaller.  When you release the cursor with your mouse, the picture will stabilize at that size and the slider bar should disappear.  Sometimes you will even see what size the image is in pixel counts as you move the arrow.

Rule 2:  My two mail servers provide a way to include the picture or attachment right in the body of the message.  Yours probably has that option too.  Comcast has a box at the bottom of the attachment pop up screen that you can check to "Show images in message body." In Gmail, putting your cursor where you want to display the image and clicking on the icon for pictures will enable you to place it in the body for viewing with the message text. You might need to experiment if you have a different server, but there will be something similar in there to include images in the message body.  Nobody should have to click on an attachment to open and view the image.

When you want to send pictures from some other document or message, you must first right-click on that image to get a pop up menu with "Save Image As..." or some form of that command.  Left-click on that command and place the image in your Pictures file.

(I created a folder labeled "Forwards" to hold those images temporarily until I choose to delete them)  After you have saved all of the images you want to include as attachments, follow the above steps to insert them into the body of your message.

Rule 3 is something I try to do with messages that have images which I am uncertain will go through for viewing.  Sometimes I want to send a message that already has attached images in the message body, but I'm not sure it will transmit those images.  I simply send it to myself first to see what comes through.  If it works, then I add the addresses for those I want to send it to (always in bcc:) and resend it to them.  If it doesn't come through, then I can rework it, using the above techniques, and forward it.  Alternately, I sometimes create my own message from scratch, copying and pasting text and attaching the images as above, because it is usually easier than forwarding someone else's message.

I hope this little tutorial has been helpful to you, but if you have any questions that I can answer, or if I can clarify any of the instructions for you, don't hesitate to let me know

Wasp Spray for Self Defense

 I made a spur-of-the-moment error earlier this week.  I was forwarding a video that showed a would-be thief entering the home of his unsuspecting victim who, when she picked up her cell phone to call 911 first opened an app that showed the perpetrator in action right outside her bedroom door.  In my introduction to that video I suggested the remedy - having either a gun or a can of wasp spray, since it took the police fourteen precious minutes to respond to the 911 call.

The "can of wasp spray" suggestion came to me while I was typing the sentence, so I included it for those people who won't have a gun on their premises.  Afterwards, I began researching that weapon as a deterrent and what I found was surprising and enlightening.

And, since I also know that most people do not take the time to go to websites such as Snopes.com or truthorfiction.com before they forward the ninety-nine percent of email alerts and tips that are actually urban legends, I decided to debunk this one myself.  in my column.

Now if you really don't have the time or inclination to read my column, then at least watch this video.  It runs less than three minutes and is very effective in comparing wasp spray to pepper spray or mace.  Alternately, you could get it directly from the horse's mouth by reading what Snopes or Truthorfiction has to say about it.

If you are patient and stay with me on this, I'll give it to you as briefly as possible. Here are the reasons why wasp spray should not be used for self defense:

• It is illegal to use any insecticide for other than its intended purpose. Its use could result in criminal and civil charges and lawsuits from unintended 'victims' who happen to be within range.
• It is terribly inconvenient and does not come in a size to fit in a pocket or purse.
• The spray is a thin stream as compared to the fog spray of a mace or pepper spray.
• It is illegal for anyone to recommend a use other than the labeled use.

Well, I already violated that last one, I guess, but I'm remedying that now.

Another fact I learned—well, I had some help from my cousin who is a retired lawman—is that there are pepper sprays—equally effective if not more so—that come in the shape of a gun with trigger and all.  Now you might be able to scare the nasty guy off by just pointing it at him, but in the more likely event that he detects that it isn’t a real gun, you can still do great harm to him with it.

What’s more, you don’t run the risk of pointing the damn thing backwards and spraying yourself with it, a very real possibility with those big old cans of hornet spray.  And the trigger has a twelve-pound pull, which makes a "safety" unnecessary.  It is definitely a point-and-shoot weapon.

The gun-shaped pepper sprays aren’t cheap; so don’t expect to get one for less than $40.  However, if it gives you peace of mind it’s worth every penny.

Oh, and one other thing that my cousin advised… If the other guy has a gun and you don’t, don’t be a hero.  If you can’t get away and you can’t spray him before he gets that gun out and pointed at you, then peacefully submit and take your lumps. 

However, that says a lot for having the right caliber locked and loaded to begin with. Make him the one staring down the barrel of a .45!

If you feel the need for self defense against attack, and in these days we all should have some trepidation, but you cannot entertain the idea of keeping a gun in your home or on your person, do get at least two small pepper spray dispensers, one for your vehicle - they fit nicely in the cup holder - and another that you keep handy at all times.  They are relatively inexpensive, readily available and easy to use.  In fact, if you're up to it, get one for each adult member of your household as well.  It never hurts to BE PREPARED.

The Myth of Home Ownership

 Here I go again... dispensing financial advice without a degree or license.  I have nothing more than a lifetime of experience behind me, so you might want to disregard what you will read in the next several paragraphs.  But that's okay, I know I'm right anyway.

It seems that our politicians, especially those at the top of the ladder, believe that a good sign of their success in office is to increase the number of people who own their homes instead of renting living space from someone else.  In fact, the rules and limits on getting a mortgage have been relaxed to a point where almost anyone with a paycheck can now get a loan for real estate. 

It used to be that you needed a down-payment of five-to-ten percent in order to apply for a mortgage, but that went out the window during the Clinton years.  As little as one percent would qualify you, and credit scores, credit history and other factors were just about ignored in order to get as many people into their own homes as possible.  In fact, the big banks came up with a brilliant idea to bundle all mortgages, good or bad, into one package called "Mortgage Backed Securities" and sell them as investments on Wall Street.  And we all know how that worked out in 2008...

The big sell on home ownership has always been the tax advantage.  That is, you get to deduct the mortgage interest when you figure your income tax liability each year.  Since mortgage interest is usually a big number, it seems like Uncle Sam is paying it for you when you can deduct it from your income.  Well, it used to be a big number back when we paid up to twelve percent, but it isn't quite so large at 3-4 percent, is it?

Getting back to that deduction, I always wonder how many people actually look at the Schedule A of the Federal Form 1040 to see how much in itemized deductions their real estate interest helps to offset their income.  (I also wonder how many actually do their own taxes to be able to understand what to look for - but that's another topic)  You see, the standard deduction for a couple with filing status 'Married, filing jointly' for tax year 2014, is $12,400.  In order to take more than that amount you would have to be paying at least $10,000 in mortgage interest assuming normal deductions in the other Schedule A categories. 

Okay, let's say you do have enough to exceed the $12,400 standard deduction.  The only benefit you really get from the mortgage interest is whatever amount is above that ceiling.  And, unless your a big earner, you're probably in the 25% tax bracket, which means that the excess only gains you one quarter of its value.  If you have $14,000 in deductions, you'll only see a $400 decrease in taxes from what you would have paid using the standard deduction.

Don't misinterpret what I am preaching here; own-versus-rent has its advantages, but for most people it isn't the boon that it is trumpeted as, and those who were foreclosed on when the bubble burst back in 2008 and beyond came out a lot worse than if they had stayed as renters.  If you can afford a mortgage and you truly want to own your home, go for it.  Just don't count on the tax advantages to be a big boost for you.  The real prize is when you own the home free and clear.  The time spent paying off the mortgage is only good when you start building some equity, and that only happens if prices continue to rise and you keep the property in good condition and saleable.

Lost or Stolen Wallet or Purse

Suppose your wallet containing all your personal and financial identity cards is lost or stolen.  It happens more frequently than you think, and when it does, panic takes over.  Your whole life is in that purse of wallet.  It's bad enough if you're in your hometown, but it is pure hell if you're away from home where all of your account information is located.

Here is something you can and should do as soon as possible after reading this column; that is, if you haven't already done what I'm going to suggest.  It might save you a ton of money and maybe even your identity.  If you have a home office printer-scanner, you can do this at home; otherwise, go to any office store where you can copy documents.

Take all of the credit/debit cards, ATM cards and any other health or organizational cards out of your wallet or purse.  Place them on the scanning bed of the printer face down.  You should be able to fit eight cards per sheet of standard size printing paper with a little room between each card.  You want that space to write info from the reverse side of each card.  Print at least one copy, but two is even better.

Perform the same copying process until you have copied every important card in your wallet.  It might take several sheets of paper if you have many cards.

After you've finished copying the cards, turn each one over and find the toll-free number to call in case of loss or theft, or the customer service number.  Write this number below the card image.  Also write down the security code, if there is one.  On credit/debit cards, it is usually a 3-digit number in its own box right behind the signature box on the reverse.

Here's a tip that will keep that security code somewhat more safe in case you ever lose the documented photocopy: Make the security number an extension of the phone number with an 'X' between the phone number and the code, as in 123-456-7890X335.

If you have more than one sheet of paper with the card copies on them, staple them together.  Then seal them in a an envelope and give them to a trusted family member or friend to hold for you in a safe, but accessible place.  You could also keep it yourself and place it in an overnight bag that you keep in your possession while on a trip, but keep in mind that if you lose the photocopy you are open to computer fraud with those credit cards.  The family/friend advice is much safer.

The loss or theft of your wallet and all those cards will trigger a phone call to that trusted person from you as soon as possible.   Have that person read the phone numbers to you (they will also read the security code, but won't know what it is) and record them so that you can call to report the loss to the company and place a fraud alert on the cards.

Now that you know, take action immediately to protect yourself in the event of loss or theft.  You might be glad you did if it ever happens to you.

Baggage Problems and How to Handle Them

I recently saw several videos concerning theft of baggage at our busiest airports, and it reminded me that I haven't covered the subject in recent years.  I consider myself a true expert on luggage, since I worked nearly thirty years for American Airlines with most of that time spent in baggage services.

Yes, I was that guy you came to when your luggage was not on the carousel with the rest of the incoming baggage, or if it was damaged.  And, in rare instances, there were items of value missing from your luggage, which you probably didn't discover until after you got to your hotel or your home.  Then you also came to see me, or my counterpart.

When pilferage or damaged contents is the problem, more often than not, you don't discover it until you arrive at your hotel or your home.  Then you phone the toll-free number for the airline and are given another phone number to call to report the missing item or items. 

I guarantee that you will not be satisfied with the handling of the claim or the settlement, if there is one.  The reason I'm so confident is that there are lots of items that should not be packed in checked baggage, such as cash, jewelry, prescription drugs, and fragile items of any nature.  Whenever those are involved, your chance of getting satisfaction is next to nil.  You might get a partial settlement, but it won't be to your liking.

In my experience, most theft of contents occurred because the owner didn't take proper precautions to lock the luggage.  If they did lock it with one of those combination locks with the 3 adjustable number wheels, they never reset the combination from the factory setting of 0-0-0.  That is just plain ignorant, because it is so easy to reset it to your own combination, and anything that delays the would-be thief will probably deter the crime.

Here is my recommendation for setting up your combination on that wheel lock.  First, choose a number that is higher than 500 on a 3-wheeel, or 5000 on a 4-wheel lock.  It makes it harder to find the combination when the perpetrator starts at 0-0-0 and goes up through the numbers - the common way to 'break' the lock.  I know from experience, because I sometimes had to do this with unclaimed luggage to search for interior identification.

Here is how to reset the factory setting of 0-0-0:  First, open the lock and turn the hasp 180 degrees so that it is opposite the lock mechanism, then press it down.  That frees the wheels to be reset and now you can set a new number on each wheel.  Once you have the new combination set, pull the hasp back up, turn it back 180 degrees and push it down to engage the lock.  Spin the wheels to lock it and then turn them to your new combination to assure yourself that it opens again - trust me, it will.

My next recommendation is that you put a copy of your itinerary with your home address inside the baggage.  Place it in an inner pocket, if possible, so that it is easily seen by the baggage service person when the suitcase is searched for identifying contents. If it ever does get misrouted, lost or stolen, you have a much better chance of recovery with that interior identification.  The itinerary might even get the bag to you while you are on the trip, and it is easy to print or hand write it to place inside. 

My final tip is that you use a suitcase that doesn't stand out.  I know that Louis Vuitton, Zero Halliburton or Tumi are wonderful status symbols, but they are also the primary targets for theft just because they are likely to contain expensive goods as well.  Good old Samsonite, or a comparable brand is preferable, unless you want to be a victim of luggage theft.  However, don't buy a flimsy and inexpensive case either, because it probably won't withstand the sometimes rough handling that checked bags can get. 

Use these three tips and you will probably never be one of those unlucky people who lose valuable or sentimental possessions on a trip.  There is no guarantee that your luggage won't be misrouted, but tip number two, the interior itinerary and identification will get it back to you in the least amount of time.  Of course, the best way to insure that personal and valuable items won't disappear is to put them in carry-on luggage and keep them with you at all times.

Bon voyage!

Keyboard Shortcuts

Do you have a phone, tablet or laptop with a onscreen keyboard?  If so, do you know that it has some really neat features that can save you time and frustration?  Most people, including me until recently, don't know what treasures that keyboard holds.

Let's consider the use of accents while typing.  Suppose you are working on your resume – no, not getting back to what you were previously doing, but rather your résumé, your work history.  You want to be grammatically correct, but those little accent marks above the ‘e’ require extra time and effort.  However, there are two quick ways to insert them when you use the onscreen keyboard.

The first way is to set the keyboard for ‘predictive’ typing so that a bar above the keyboard has a selection of three words, based on the first few letters you type.  Type in r-e-s-u and one of those words will probably be résumé.  If that isn't the case, use the second method; type the ‘e’ with the forward accent and résumé should now appear on the predictive bar.  Tap it, or use your mouse to click on it if you don't have a touch screen and the word will be added to the document.

Okay, now you're probably asking, “How do I type the accented ‘e’?”  Here's how. Hold the ‘E’ key down until a pop-up window appears above it.  In the window are all of the accent combinations for the letter ‘e’.  Merely slide your fingertip or cursor up to the one you want and then lift it off and the accented ‘e’ will be in your document.

The accented letter shortcut works for all letters that use accents, including the ‘ç’ we use in words like façade, or ‘ñ’ and accented vowels frequently used in foreign language words.

If you use a physical keyboard, there are keyboard shortcuts for them, too, but it requires the use of two or more keys to type accented letters.  It requires a lot of work and memorization to achieve the same result.

Another neat shortcut on the qwerty keyboard is  in the lower right, those two keys that have the comma, exclamation point, period and question mark.  They hold two more punctuation marks, the apostrophe and the quotation marks.  Just press and hold the key until the apostrophe, or quotation mark appears, then release the key and the mark will be on your document.

Once you're used to typing with the onscreen keyboard, you’ll never want to go back to the detached keyboard.  There is one warning that you must heed, however. It is all too easy to let the wrong word get into your sentence, and I don't mean that you should just use the spell checker.  You must proofread your documents to catch any of those erroneous and confusing words. But then, we should always do that anyway, shouldn't we?

The Perfect Crime

I recently watched an episode of the CBS mystery show 48 Hours about the 2014 murder in Aspen, Colorado of Nancy Pfister.  The hour-long show had lots of twists and turns in it, and at the conclusion, the "culprit" - at least the one who took the blame and is doing the time - turned out to be the old man, Trey Styler.  Needless to say, I was disappointed with the outcome, but it did bring to mind a column that I wrote a couple of years ago.

I believe that we have here an example of the perfect crime, one that I proposed in the satirical column I wrote titled, The Ideal Solution.  Namely, commit a crime in your senior years that will net you a life  prison sentence, but not a death sentence.  Then you can live out your life with free room and board and healthcare and never have to worry about running out of money.

If you don't care to watch the whole show, the first link above, but just want a summary of the crime and its aftermath, you can read a fairly quick recap on Wikipedia at this link.  Or, I can just relate that there were three suspects, Trey and Nancy Styler, and Kathy Carpenter.  All were arrested and held for trial, but before the case ever went to trial, Trey confessed to being the lone perpetrator.  He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, a virtual life sentence for a man of his age and health.  He pled guilty to the charges on the condition that his wife, Nancy, would not be tried for the crime at any time in the future, and that both women would be immediately released from prison.

If you watch the program, you should see what I saw as a flaw in the confession: namely, that Trey Styler was physically incapable of committing the crime in the manner which it occurred.  We are to believe that a man who is in his late 60s and has a neurological disorder could beat a woman to death with a hammer, drag her lifeless and bloody body across the room to a closet, cover and wrap it completely with a sheet, go back and flip a queen-sized mattress to hide the blood evidence, and then clean up the room to a point where only a small smear of blood remained on the headboard of the bed.

I, for one, am totally unconvinced.  There had to have been more than one person in that bedroom, and the cleanup of the crime scene had to have been performed by at least two or more people.  The multiple blows from the hammer should have produced copious blood spatter, yet there was none visible in the crime scene photos, nor was there any on the carpet between the bed and the closet.  A male, especially one of that age, wouldn't be able to do that good a job of cleaning up that room.

However, give the Stylers credit for a wonderful solution to their other underlying and briefly reported problem of half a million dollars in debt and possible bankruptcy, by commission of this horrible act.  Nancy got a divorce and moved on with her life within a year of the conviction and sentencing of Trey.  She is the embodiment of the term, "scott free", since her financial woes were likely also erased in the divorce.  And Trey is now in an institution where he will receive elderly care for the rest of his life and probably won't have to suffer the mental and physical deprivations and tortures of younger prisoners. 

Yes, this is the best of both worlds for Trey and Nancy Styler, although the third party in the murder of Nancy Pfister, her friend and personal assistant, Kathy Carpenter, is still in jeopardy of being prosecuted for the crime if more evidence points to her involvement.  She is the only one I feel sorry for, since I do believe she was used by the Stylers as a pawn and quite possibly has some blood on her hands, as well.