By Mark McNease

Sometimes reaching for our phones results in immediate overload: all those emails! Important ones, not-so-important ones, and the spam that manages to get through our spam filter. Add to that the ‘string’ setting for most providers now that gives us 16 replies to a single email. It’s maddening, and even a little depressing if we let it get to us. This week is about finally taking control of email instead of letting it control us.

Whether you use Gmail through Google or Outlook through Microsoft (my service of choice), the core problem is the same: email was never designed to handle the volume we throw at it today. Newsletters, shopping alerts, social notifications, work messages, and pervasive junk all land in the same place, competing for our attention. Fortunately, there are tools more powerful than most people realize, and with a few smart tweaks, we can turn chaos into something manageable.

The first step is understanding and trusting filters. Gmail and Outlook both do a decent job of sorting mail into categories like Primary, Promotions, and Spam, but they work best when you actively train them. When you move an email out of your main inbox into a folder or category, you’re teaching your email system what matters and what doesn’t. Over time, this dramatically reduces clutter without requiring daily micromanagement.

Passwords are maddening, and now it seems every app I use on my phone wants me to set up facial recognition. I keep putting that off, since it reminds me too much of the vast surveillance state we live in getting even more intrusive. I will admit to liking it at the cruise terminals, when we now simply smile for the camera at customs and zip through. If I start seeing it more as a very effective form of security I’ll slowly but surely surrender. Maybe today’s the day.

Most of us are terrible at passwords, in part because we don’t like having to deal with them. We know we shouldn’t reuse the same one everywhere, but we do. We know “Password123!” is a bad idea, but we’ve probably used some version of it. And when a website demands one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number, one symbol, a blood sample, and the name of your first pet, we sigh and write it down on a scrap of paper we immediately lose. Or, if you’re me, you add to an insanely long list of passwords on your phone’s Notes fuction or a varation of it. Then I had to scroll through 50 passwords looking for Chase Visa, or eBay. So let’s clear this up, calmly and with a minimum of frustration.

Why passwords are such a mess

Most of us now have dozens of online accounts: email, banking, shopping, streaming, social media, medical portals, travel sites. Remembering a unique, strong password for each one is basically a part-time job.

Reusing passwords feels easier, but it’s also risky. If one site gets hacked, criminals often try that same email-and-password combo everywhere else. That’s how a small breach turns into a big headache.

By Mark McNease

One of the things I’ve done to keep from being completely at the mercy of my iPhone is to never have it in the bedroom at night. During the day, maybe, but when dinner is finished and we head into the bedroom to watch Jeapoardy and whatever else we can fit in before sleep takes over, my phone gets left on the kitchen counter. Always.

I’ve also tried not looking at it before 8:00 am, but that hasn’t been successful. Just not having it near me at night has been a great help. I’ve told people that if they text me after 7:00 pm, they won’t get a reply until the next day. You know how many people are texting when they should be asleep or paying attention to their  lives outside a smartphone? Too many.

It’s undeniable that our smartphones are incredible little machines. Handheld computers, and even more expensive than a desktop. They keep us connected to family, news, community, and entertainment. But sometimes it feels like the phone is running us, buzzing, dinging, flashing, and demanding attention all day long. How else are we supposed to doomscroll through the headlines? We want to be alerted if life as we know it has come to a screecing halt.

This week’s we’re looking at how to take back some control. No advanced tech skills are required, and no artificial intelligence will be harmed. Just a few simple tweaks that can make our phone lives calmer, safer, and less demanding.

🔔 Tame the Notifications (This One Matters Most)

If your phone interrupts you constantly, it’s not rude, it’s just badly trained. My personal peeve: the vibrations.  But I keep my phone on mute, so I need to have some to know when I’m getting an important text. The downside is that it shakes against me in the belt holster I’ve always used, and 80 percent of it is spam.

Mark McNease

Why technololgy can feel overwhelming, and how to approach it calmly and confidently.

If technology sometimes makes you feel like you’ve missed a class everyone else showed up for, you’re not alone. For many of us, tech didn’t gently enter our lives—it barged in and changed the rules, often in what seems like a daily basis. This continues to happen regularly to me: AI is everywhere, and now even my bank app wants me to submit to facial recognition. I’m putting that off, but eventually it will just be another requirement of using apps and websites, at least on our phones.

The truth is, most modern technology isn’t difficul, it’s poorly explained. As someone who’s pretty tech savvy, I sometimes lose patience with people who aren’t, but I know better. I’ve put off learning things myself, and I’ve sometimes declared a learning curve too steep for me to climb, at least for now.

Devices assume you already know the basics, apps change without warning, and updates arrive with cheerful messages that tell you nothing useful at all. And they seem to change the entire look and fuction of our phones. No wonder it feels overwhelming.

Here’s the good news: we don’t need to “keep up.” We only need technology that serves our lives, not the other way around. Unless you’re like me and you crave learning new things and playing with every tool in the box, you really don’t have to take master classes in any of  them. At the same time, it’s coming, it’s been coming, and it’s going to keep coming. At some point I just have to sayy “I surrender” and get on the bus.

Narration provided by Wondervox

By Mark McNease

We would not have a small electronic spy sitting on our kitchen counter insisting it would never mislead us.

Not long ago we were eating dinner at the kitchen table, enjoying the soothing sounds of 70s music from the all-knowing Alexa. Suddenly its robotic voice shouted out, “I would never lie to you!” We had not asked it anything, or inadvertently said ‘Alexa,’ or in any other way prompted this startling and dystopian intrusion into our meal.

That was that: she had to go. We’d read  recently that Alexa would soon start recording every conversation it hears and storing it in ‘the cloud.’ Opting out of this police-state function was not an option. How true any of it is, or what it could mean, didn’t matter. We would not have a small electronic spy sitting on our kitchen counter insisting it would never mislead us.

So … what are some alternatives for those looking for a similar device? After researching several,  we decided  on the Apple HomePad Mini. At just $99, it’s doing the few things we want, especially playing music, checking the weather, and providing easily-accessible information. Keep reading for some pros, cons, and maybes about other devices.

Exploring Alternatives to Alexa: Smart Home Voice Assistants

Our choice ($99):

The Apple HomePod Mini. It’s a small, round, simple solution for people who value basic functionality and privacy. Its design blends into any room (it’s just a small, colored orb), while the sound quality is excellent for the size—rich, clear audio perfect for music lovers and ‘what’s the weather’ junkies. In addition to privacy-centric features, which is very important to us, it integrates with Apple’s ecosystem, allowing users to sync their calendars, send messages, and control HomeKit-enabled smart devices. It uses Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, and can be set to recognize your voice. NOTE: it’s set up using on person’s iPhone/system. You can set it for  multiple uses, but that’s a little more complicated.

Narration provided by Wondervox

By Mark McNease

Tech Talk, previously An App for That, is a feature highlighting all things technology for the LGBTSr reader.

When my latest Verizon wireless bill showed up and it was now at $90, I decided I needed to look at alternatives. I use my phone a lot, like most people, but I rarely use it as a phone! My husband Frank told me about a subsidiary of Verizon called Visible that offers no-frills plans at $25 a month, and a plus-option for $45. With a promo code (SAVE24) it drops to $35 for me. I wanted whatever extras I could get, and at that price it’s irresistible.

My iPhone 7 Plus has lasted me at least eight years and could be good for another five, unless it suddenly craps out on me. I was nervous about it, because I’ve been with Verizon for a couple decades. So I checked out the comments on Reddit’s Visible group, and was reassured enough to do it. And I have! Now I’m just waiting for a new SIM card, which is required and easy to switch out on the iPhone, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. They will cancel my Verizon account for me, since they’re a Verizon subsidiary. Wish me luck! That’s $60 a month I won’t be throwing away anymore. Stay tuned for any updates on this.

About Switching

In the ever-changing landscape of mobile phone service, we’re continually seeking ways to save money while maintaining reliable service we’re used to (unless we have crappy service!) But the cost has gotten worse than a dozen eggs in hard times. One popular option that has emerged is Visible, a subsidiary of Verizon offering a unique approach to mobile service. If you’re considering switching from Verizon to Visible, here’s what you need to know.