Reading... For Free

One of the amazing ability of technology is to make tons of books fit on a page size tablet. This is a real boon to the traveler and camper... no more stacks of books under the bed. Now you can take those "must read" books with you. Not only that, but there are myriad websites that offer free or inexpensive books. Below you will find a list of these sites that will give you access to more books than you can read in a lifetime.

Your Library and OverDrive  https://www.overdrive.com  Most libraries have set up e-book and audio book lending libraries using the app above.  Here you can borrow some of the latest books as well as classics.  As you travel, you might want to visit libraries where you stay for long periods of time and see if you can get a library card that will allow you to borrow books for your tablet.  Most books are for a limited checkout period just like library books.  The nice thing about this way of borrowing from your library is that the books are automatically returned without you having to take them back.  Just don't forgot you checked them out!

Kindle App  The free Kindle App for iPad is Amazon's ebook reader. Unlike Apple's iBooks, Kindle is cross-platform. If you already have a large Kindle book collection, free or otherwise, or you just want to keep your options open for the future, Kindle is a great choice.

Newsletters and Free Kindle Websites

Important: If you see a free Kindle book that you want then get it as soon as you can. Prices often change and it's difficult to tell how long the book will remain free. When downloading a free Kindle book on Amazon verify that the book is still free by making sure the price is $0.00. If it lists a price or says "read for free" or has a price for prime members the book is not free anymore.

Book Bub BookBub alerts you to limited-time free & discounted ebooks matching your interests.  It's free to join, you can read on any device, and the books are yours to own.  You receive a newsletter email each day with the current selection of books from the preferences you set up when you enroll.

EReader IQ  Very similar to BookBub in format, although books are generally different.  You set up your genre preference when you enroll.

Freebooksy  Like the newsletters above, Freebooksy will send you a daily email alerting you of free books that interest you from the preferences you set when you enroll.  These free books are often for a very limited time, so check before you buy them. The price may have changed from free.

Buck Books  This list contains books that are $1.

eBook Discovery  Ebook Discovery presents you with a list of free and discounted books to choose from.  To get the books for the Kindle app, you must download the .mobi file.  To get the file on your device requires another step.

Instafree  You have access to many books through this app.  Be aware that you are often subscribed to the author's webpage and newsletter in order to download the book.  These, however, can often lead to more free books from these authors.  

Amazon --How to locate free books

Go to the Kindle Store

Enter term free books or $.00  and see what you can find.  Download to your heart's content.

Hundred Zeros  You can find books by categories at this website.  Watch the price before you download as they may no longer be free.

Kindle Buffet Each day's list of new free Kindle books includes a top recommendation with an author profile and then is followed by more free books that include the genre, title, author, and synopsis.

The Reader's Cafe The eReader Cafe has listings every day for free Kindle books and a few bargain books. Daily email subscriptions and social media profiles are also available if you don't want to check their site every day.

Ebook Daily  Every day, eBookDaily adds three new free Kindle books to several different genres.

Ebooks Habit The free kindle book listings here include a full description of the book as well as a photo of the cover.

Centless Books All the books are listed down a single page with thumbnails of the cover image and direct links to Amazon. You can also subscribe.

Public Domain Books

These are books that have been scanned by volunteers. These books are out of copyright so you can find many classics and obscure texts from the 1700 and 1800s.  Most can be downloaded and printed making them good for research.  Others can be read on-line.

A note to genealogists:  Look for books on your family surname, county histories or Who's Who books.  You'll be surprised at what you will find.

Project Gutenberg: Free eBooks  A digital library of free e-books which includes book listings, search engine, newsletter, articles, and information on how users can help add to the library.

Google Books  Search and preview millions of books from libraries and publishers worldwide using Google Book Search. Discover a new favorite or unearth an old classic.

Internet Archive  An extensive library of books, audios, texts, and videos are available.  Some can be downloaded or read online.   If you are researching or looking for texts from the 1800s-1900s, this is a great place to look.

What?  You Want More!!

Check out these websites.

Fifty  Places to Get Free Books  A list of different places to look for free books most of which are public domain or classics.

 20 Best Sites to Download Free Books  Another list of free books which includes both children's books and books on technology.

15 Of The Best Places To Find Free Books Online - Book Riot

Free Audio Books

LibriVox | free public domain audiobooks

Download and Listen free audiobooks on iPhone, Android | Podbean

Free Old Time Radio MP3 Downloads from "The Golden Age of Radio!"

224 Places For Free Audio Books Online | Gizmo's Freeware

10 Sites with Free Audio Books for iPhones - Lifewire

You'll never have to load heavy books 

in your RV again!

Once in a Lifetime Event --Solar Eclipse, August 21

There probably aren't any left who have seen a total solar eclipse.  The last one was 99 years ago.  Unlike our predecessors, we have lots of options for watching and learning about this event.  With the amazing technology we have now, we don't even have to buy special glasses and go outside to see it.

If you can't watch the eclipse outside or the cloud cover doesn't cooperative, you can livestream this amazing celestial event on your PC.  Slooh, the first live-viewing telescope online service, just made their service free.  Watch this video to see if the eclipse will be passing over your area.

You can also watch from the NASA website. NASA said they will be using 11 spacecraft, three NASA aircraft, more than 50 high-altitude balloons, and the astronauts aboard the International Space Station to capture the celestial event. With all these unique vantage points, people who watch NASA's livestream might get an even better view than people staring at the sky!

NASA's live stream will be picked up by several other sources too. Ustream, YouTube, and Stream Enterprise will be airing NASA's feed. In addition to the NASA website, the agency will also use NASA Edge and NASA TV to air the event. These channels are not set up yet but you can access them from this link when they go live.

Here are a few more websites that will also be doing livestreams:
Exploratorium.edu
Astronomy.com
TimeandDate.com

If you do watch the eclipse outside, remember to protect your eyes with the special eclipse glasses, not just sunglasses.

Now for a commercial break... just so I know that this blog information is getting out to the RCW PC Club, please comment below.  Thanks, Ann

Wanna Cry? Hope Not! How to Protect Yourself

The latest ransomware, named Wanna Cry, surfaced big time last week and caused major problems.  Unfortunately, another attack is building on this ransomware, called  Adylkuzz. With Adylkuzz, instead of locking the victims' computer with ransomware, the malware turns infected computers into a botnet of "miners," funneling large sums of digital currency. This causes your computer to run slow as its resources are used in the background.

What to Do?

Kim Komando has an article outlining what to do to protect yourself at http://www.komando.com/happening-now/401062/another-cyberattack-spreading-and-its-worse-than-wannacry

"The good news is, Microsoft released an update in March that fixes this flaw so it is CRITICAL that you have your Windows up to date. The bad news is, older versions of Windows operating systems are no longer supported and do not receive these critical Security Updates. However, Microsoft released an emergency patch for its no-longer supported operating systems after the WannaCry outbreak.

If you are running an older, unsupported version of Windows,
click here to download the available Security Update.

You also need to make sure that your gadget's operating system is updated regularly. Click here to learn how to have security updates installed automatically. It's also a good idea to have strong security software on all of your gadgets to stay protected from digital threats."

For updates on technology issues, sign up for Kim Komando newsletters.  They are a wealth of important information.

Don't Fall Victim to the New Google Docs Phishing Scam!

Hope everyone is enjoying the Spring wherever you are.  Kim Komando posted this alert which I think everyone needs to be aware off.  (Just so I know you are receiving this, please leave a comment below.)

http://www.komando.com/happening-now/399487/google-doc-phishing-scam-spreading-right-now-even-tech-pros-falling-victim?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=alerts&utm_content=2017-05-03-article-a

Here are the highlights of the article  -- go to the link above for the full article.

"There have been quite a few scary Google account phishing scams lately. One looked so authentic that even tech-savvy users are falling for it.

It looks like cybercriminals are getting more and more elaborate and sophisticated with their tactics and we shouldn't let our guard down at any time...

The dubious email reportedly gets sent to your inbox claiming that someone has sent a Google Doc to you, including people you may know. If you are not expecting any Google Docs from anyone, please don't click the "Open in Docs" link within the email! ...

The dubious email reportedly gets sent to your inbox claiming that someone has sent a Google Doc to you, including people you may know. If you are not expecting any Google Docs from anyone, please don't click the "Open in Docs" link within the email!

If you have received said phishing email and clicked the "Open in Docs" button and granted the malicious app access to your Google account, go to your Google account's permission page and check if an app called "Google Docs" has access.

If so, select it and click its "REMOVE" button immediately. "Google Docs" is actually the malicious app and it is not a legitimate Google service.

Thankfully, it has been reported that changing your Google account password is not necessary. But of course, if you clicked the phishing link, changing it is still a good idea....

How to defend against phishing scams:

Use unique passwords - Many people use the same password for multiple websites. This is a terrible mistake. If your credentials are stolen on one site and you use the same username and/or password on others, it's simple for the cybercriminal to get into each account. Click here to find out how to create hack-proof passwords.
Be cautious with links - If you get an email or notification that you find suspicious, don't click on its links. It could be a phishing attack. It's always better to type a website's address directly into a browser than clicking on a link. Before you ever click on a link, hover over it with your mouse to see where it is going to take you. If the destination isn't what the link claims, do not click on it.
Set up two-factor authentication - Two-factor authentication, also known as two-step verification, means that to log in to your account, you need two ways to prove you are who you say you are. It's like the DMV or bank asking for two forms of ID. Click here to learn how to set up two-factor authentication.
Watch for typos - Phishing scams are infamous for having typos. If you receive an email or notification from a reputable company, it should not contain typos. Take our phishing IQ test to see if you can spot a fake email.
Check your online accounts - The site Have I Been Pwned allows you to check if your email address has been compromised in a data breach.
Have strong security software - Having strong protection on your family's gadgets is very important. The best defense against digital threats is strong security software."

Unbelievable New Tech

We enjoyed Dave's demonstration of the digital assistants like Dot, Alexa, Cortana, etc. but this is just unbelievable.  Everyone needs one but it would be pretty spooky to have it talk to you if you didn't know it was there.

 Check this out. 

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April Fool's
for now!

Windows 10 Presentation

This presentation included an overview of the Microsoft Windows 10 PC Operating System.  Specifics that were reviewed included:

• Review of some of the Apps within Windows 10
• Maps, 
• Microsoft Edge Browser
• One Note 
• Photos 
• Windows Defender
• The Action Center, (with the keyboard shortcut Windows Key +A) 
• One Drive 
• Live Tiles
• Cortana
• System Settings 
• PC backup restore/recovery options of  Reset, Recovery or File Restore
• Windows Key keyboard shortcuts and functions

• 
  

Collection of self help web sites links with articles and videos of Windows 10

10 Simple Things Every PC User Should Know How To DO

http://lifehacker.com/5941496/top-10-simple-things-every-computer-user-should-know-how-to-do

Master the Skills to Shine

http://www.slideshare.net/lyndadotcom/whats-new-in-windows/14-Hey_CortanaCortana_may_have_started

Spam Filters for Outlook 2010

https://www.lifewire.com/top-anti-spam-plugins-outlook-1173636

Fixing an infected PC, Using Windows Defender Offline Tool

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/use-windows-defender-offline-tool-to-fix-an-infected-pc/

Windows 10 Basic Training

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=windows+10+training+videos&view=detail&mid=156CF32D08970B5B926F156CF32D08970B5B926F&FORM=VIRE

Microsoft Edge

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=windows+10+training+videos&view=detail&mid=D577693D618F67EEC531D577693D618F67EEC531&FORM=VIRE

Cortona

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=windows+10+training+videos&view=detail&mid=32D360982B9DFDF6E35032D360982B9DFDF6E350&FORM=VIRE

Many video tutorials for Windows 10

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=MS+Windows+10+Tutorial&Form=VQFRVP

Seniors Guide to Windows 10

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Seniors+Guide+to+Windows+10&&view=detail&mid=C7AE6ECFD51A5091345EC7AE6ECFD51A5091345E&FORM=VRDGAR

Beginners Guide to Windows 10

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Seniors+Guide+to+Windows+10&&view=detail&mid=CDAB789CCACA84DF4760CDAB789CCACA84DF4760&rvsmid=C7AE6ECFD51A5091345EC7AE6ECFD51A5091345E&fsscr=0&FORM=VDQVAP

Windows 10 Tutorial by JAG tutorials

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZqKyhfD7-E

Windows 10 tutorial by jag tutorials

https://www.bing.com/search?q=windows+10+tutorial+by+jag+tutorials&form=EDGHPC&qs=PF&cvid=58eea93ef3204b80b904bc698893e729&pq=windows+10+tutorial+by+jag+tutorials

One Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h07qZLLQc4I

Save Your Gmail to Your Computer

Did you know?  If you have Gmail, you can back up your Gmail email to your own hard drive.  That way you can delete your online mail leaving nothing for hackers to find.  You can also use it to free up space in your account.  

UpSafe is a simple and free Windows program that will back up what you have, and automatically back up your future Gmail activity.  I was very pleased that I could clear my email and still retain an archive on my computer. It can be found at
 http://www.upsafe.com/free-gmail-backup/