Useful Mouse Pointers
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Forgive the pun, I couldn’t help it. But we might be able to help you with these easy mouse pointers…err I mean tips and tricks.  For all of you who use a mouse, we put together this comprehensive list of some of our favorite mouse tips and tricks. 

Mouse wheel / Middle button tricks

You can use your mouse wheel as a button. Pressing down on the wheel will act like a third mouse button. This can be used to open a web page in a tab by clicking the wheel on any link and can also be used to close a tab by clicking the wheel on any open tab.

Zoom in and Out on a web page, word document, excel spreadsheet, etc. by holding down the Ctrl key and moving the mouse wheel away from you (up)to zoom in and toward you (down) to zoom out.

You can move forward and backward while browsing the Web by holding down the Shift key and scrolling up and down. Scrolling down goes back and scrolling up goes forward.

And did you know that some mouse wheels can be pushed left or right to also move backward and forward on a web page?

So whether you have a middle button or a scroll wheel on your mouse, you have a middle-click option.

Use the mouse and Shift key to select text

Most of you know that you can select files and folders by holding the Shift key and clicking on the first and then the last file/folder. But this also applies to selecting text in documents like MS Word docs as well as text files (and Web pages).

All you have to do is click on the first character in the text you want to copy, then point to the last character, click and release the shift key. All the text between the first click and the last click is selected. Now just press CTRL + C to copy the selected text and CTRL+P to paste it wherever you want…like a Word doc or an email or a text file.

Maximize any program with a double-click

Instead of fumbling around looking for the maximize button between the – and the X in the top-right corner of program and file windows, just double-click anywhere on the title bar to maximize the window. (The title bar is the topmost part of the program window and usually contains the program name.)

Another Middle-Click Trick 

Now we’re going to show you a middle-click trick we’re sure you’ll use often.

For this example, we’re going to have you open Notepad. So go ahead, open Notepad.now.  Whether you’re using Windows 10 or Windows 11, type Notepad in the taskbar search and click on Notepad (Desktop app) when it appears at the top. Notepad will open.

Open a run command (Windows Key + R)
Type Notepad in the run box
Press enter

When Notepad is open you’ll see its icon in the taskbar. Now middle-click the Notepad icon – you’ll see that it opens a brand new instance of Notepad. You can do this again and again (don’t get crazy) and each time you middle-click on its taskbar icon a new instance of Notepad will open.

See?

You can see that I have 4 Notepad windows open, I’m working in window #1. By middle-clicking the Notepad icon on my taskbar, I can open as many new Notepad windows as I want. Geeky people call this opening new instances. Take your choice.

If you think your mouse wheel is not a middle-click button, try pressing down on it quickly – like you would your left or right mouse buttons. Most of you will find that your mouse’s scroll wheel doubles as a middle mouse button. The mouse I’m using right now is a cheap $15 Walmart wireless mouse – and the wheel doubles as a middle mouse button even on my cheap old mouse.

This trick not only works for Notepad but many other programs as well. It will work with any program that lets you open multiple instances. If you have an icon on your taskbar for Chrome, middle-click it – a brand new instance of Chrome will open. Most of you have a File Explorer icon on your taskbar – if you middle-click it, a brand new File Explorer window opens. You do this with a lot of programs- but not all. Some programs allow only one instance to run at a time So try the middle-click trick right now and open multiple instances of programs with just a middle-click.

Why Do I Get So Much Disgusting Spam?
A tip for everyone

Unfortunately, spam is a fact of life online. But it doesn’t have to rule your inbox. If you receive a lot more spam than others, here are some of the reasons that your email address has become a spam magnet.

Email address exposure: If your email address has been exposed or leaked through various sources, such as online forums, social media, or data breaches, it is more likely to end up on spam mailing lists. Spammers often collect email addresses from different sources to send unsolicited messages.

Email activity: If you frequently use your email address for online registrations, sign-ups, or subscriptions, it increases the chances of your email address being captured by spammers. Some websites or services may sell or share user information with third parties, potentially leading to increased spam.

Malware or phishing attacks: If your computer or device becomes infected with malware, it can compromise your email security. Attackers may gain access to your email account and use it to send spam emails to your contacts and beyond. Use a good antivirus/anti-malware like Emsisoft.

Poor email security practices: Weak passwords, not using two-factor authentication, or failing to update your email client or operating system can make your account vulnerable to unauthorized access. Spammers may hijack your account and use it to send spam messages.

Unsubscribing from questionable emails: Sometimes, when you unsubscribe from some spam emails, it doesn’t unsubscribe you – it actually confirms that your email address is active and monitored, which can make it even more valuable to spammers.

Random targeting: Spam emails are often sent randomly to a large number of email addresses, hoping that some will be valid and receptive to their messages. If you have a common email address format (e.g., john.smith@example.com), spammers may target addresses similar to yours, resulting in more spam for you. Don’t use your name in your email address especially if it’s a common name.

And there are other reasons too, perhaps you can add some to this list.

To minimize spam, consider some of the following measures:

• Be cautious about sharing your email address online.
• Never post your email address on social media or forums.
• Use strong and unique passwords for your email accounts.
• Enable two-factor authentication for added security when available.
• Regularly update your email client and operating system.
• Use a disposable email address when subscribing to newsletters and services you’re not familiar with.
• Be selective about subscribing to newsletters or online services.
• Never click suspicious links or download attachments from unknown sources.
• Educate yourself and keep updated about phishing scams so you don’t become a victim. 

Limiting your email address’s exposure online can greatly reduce the amount of spam you receive. If you’re receiving a barrage of spam every day, it may be time for the nuclear option and start over by getting a new email address. When deciding to get a new email address, remember you’ll need to notify those in your address book as well as the newsletters and the online services you trust and want to keep in contact with. Don’t delete your old email address until you’re sure everyone who should have your new email address has it.

We have found Gmail to be particularly good at filtering spam emails from good emails. But if your email address has already been exposed online or is included on spam lists of verified email addresses that are sold online, even Gmail might not be able to keep up and keep your inbox relatively free of spam.

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

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The DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser is Now Available for Windows

DuckDuckGo’s privacy-focused desktop web browser is now available for Windows. It’s been available for Mac users for just about a year now.  And while the DuckDuckGo browser for Windows is now in beta, it offers many of the same features as the Apple version. 

According to DuckDuckGo, the DuckDuckGo browser does not track your browsing activity, and it blocks “accept cookies” popups and third-party trackers by default. And according to DuckDuckGo, this helps to protect your privacy and prevent companies from collecting data about you without your consent.

Cloudeight’s Start Page in DuckDuckGo

While we have only been testing the browser for a few days, other than the lack of accommodation for extensions, it seems ready for primetime and works very much like other browsers although the DuckDuckGo browser does have several unique privacy features.

DuckDuckGo browser Blocking ads and trackers on Msn.com (above) and Yahoo.com (below).

The DuckDuckGo browser makes it easy to set up a Duck email address 

The DuckDuckGo browser makes getting a “Duck” email address very easy. Getting a “Duck” email address allows you to hide your real email address by using your Duck address. DuckDuckGo will forward any mail that comes to your Duck address to any email address you specified when you set it up. It’s a great option for cutting down on spam and one we’ll use.

Some of the features of the DuckDuckGo browser for Windows

The Windows version of the DuckDuckGo browser shares many of the same features as the Mac, iOS, and Android versions. These features include:

Tracker blocking: The browser blocks third-party trackers by default, helping to protect your privacy.

Ad blocking: The DuckDuckGo browser blocks ads, making your browsing experience more pleasant and efficient.

Password manager: The browser includes a built-in password manager, so you can store your passwords securely and easily.

Duck Player: The browser includes a YouTube video viewer that blocks ads and ad tracking, and prevents watched videos from affecting your recommendations.

Cookie Pop-up Management: The browser automatically selects the least invasive options for you when websites ask for your consent to store cookies.

The Fire button:  The DuckDuckGo browser has a Fire button on the toolbar that lets you close all tabs, and delete cookies/history with a single click.

Fireproof option: When you Fireproof a site in the DuckDuckGo browser, will not delete its data when you click the “Fire” button. The Fireproof option is great when you want to stay signed into a site. For example, let’s say you use Gmail and you don’t want to have to keep signing in every time you open the DuckDuckGo browser. Fireproofing Gmail will allow you to stay logged into Gmail even if you click the “Fire” button.

A quick summary of the DuckDuckGo browser for Windows

• The DuckDuckGo browser is available for download from the DuckDuckGo website.
• The browser is compatible with supported versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• The browser is still in beta, so there may be some bugs.
• You can provide feedback on the browser by visiting the DuckDuckGo website or from within the browser. Your feedback will help make the DuckDuckGo browser better.

When you install the DuckDuckGo browser it will ask you if you want to import your bookmarks, passwords, etc. from another browser. And it will also ask if you want to make DuckDuckGo your default browser. We suggest you choose “Maybe later” for both options until after you’ve used the browser for a while. It’s still in beta, so, in our opinion, you should not make it your default browser yet.

You can read more about and/or download the DuckDuckGo browser for Windows here.

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Expiration Date 

The other day I was going through some stuff in the pantry - you know - checking dates. Some stuff you buy sounds good when you buy it but then you realize when you get it home that you'll never use it.

For instance, I like water chestnuts, so I thought I'd buy a couple of cans of water chestnuts and just eat them out of the can. I'm like that. You may think it uncouth or think me a slob, but I'm too old for your opinion of me to matter. Think what you will. I will eat stuff out of a can... with a fork or spoon of course... usually not with my fingers.

Anyway, I opened one of the cans of water chestnuts and dug in. Much to my dismay, they were nothing like the ones you find in Chinese food. They are crunchy, mostly tasteless, with a very unpleasant - to me at least - texture. I ate a few bites, then tossed the remainder of the can in the disposal. I know, wasting food is really bad, my grandma used to remind me of that every time I didn't clean my plate. "Little kids are starving over in (you name the country) and you waste food? Shame on you!" So, this is why I'm now a fat old man: I eat everything on my plate every single time, no matter how much is on it. Thanks, Grandma!

Back to the water chestnuts...

Read the rest of this essay here.

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What the heck is a large language model?

We thought we'd ask a large language model to answer this for you. As you can see a "LLM" has a great deal of pride which we find troubling. So here's what Bard says about LLMs.

A large language model (LLM) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that is trained on a massive dataset of text and code. This allows the model to understand and generate text in a human-like fashion. LLMs are used in a variety of applications, including:

Natural language processing (NLP): LLMs can be used to understand the meaning of text, translate languages, and answer questions.

Machine translation: LLMs can be used to translate text from one language to another.

Summarization: LLMs can be used to summarize text into a shorter, more concise version.

Code generation: LLMs can be used to generate code, such as Python or Java.

LLMs are still under development, but they have the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with computers.

In the future, LLMs could be used to create more natural and engaging user interfaces, as well as to automate tasks that are currently done by humans.

Here are some of the most popular large language models:

GPT-3: GPT-3 is a generative pre-trained transformer model developed by OpenAI. It is one of the most powerful LLMs available, and it has been used for a variety of tasks, including natural language processing, machine translation, and text summarization.

Bard: Bard is a large language model developed by Google AI. It is trained on a massive dataset of text and code and can be used for various tasks, including natural language processing, machine translation, and text summarization.

PaLM: PaLM is a large language model developed by Google AI. It is one of the most powerful LLMs available, and it has been used for a variety of tasks, including natural language processing, machine translation, and text summarization.

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Have a great weekend... be safe!

Darcy and TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #1030
Volume 20 Number 36
July 7, 2023 

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