Ah... the complications of computers!

A few days ago, an app asked for permission to be added to my computer.  It looked genuine and seemed to come from Chrome... Well, it didn't.  All of a sudden, I had pop-ups all over the place.  Ugh!

I looked all over and did a little google searching (amidst pop-ups) to try and figure out how to get rid of them. I checked my chrome settings, my internet settings, and ran an anti-virus scan.

Nada.  Still Pop-Ups!

So, I went into Norton AntiVirus and went to support.  On the Norton website, I was prompted to download the Norton Power Eraser and uninstall unwanted programs.  It found it!  It was an adware/malware program called Stormwatch.  Nope.  I don't want it.  I really don't want it!  A click of a button and it was gone.  Yay!  No more pop-ups.  It was the stormwatch ad that was able to override google Chrome's setting to block pop-up ads.

Then, today...

Flash Player opened a tab on me asking for me to update the outdated of their player on my program... hmmm...  So, first, I googled what they were asking to include...  It was something by conduit that would change my homepage.  Didn't sound good.  So, I declined it.  Then, another app that was being included came up... Stormwatch... Stormwatch!!!  Nope.  Definitely don't want it.  Then two more came up after I declined the others.  I closed the whole tab and didn't do the update.  Hopefully, if my flash player really needs to be updated down the line, the company will actually just sent out an update for-- flash player!

I wanted to share this story to let everyone know about what these updates are trying to sneak onto your computer.  I knew that a lot of programs try to sneak McAfee onto your computer (Adobe being one of them) which is bad.  If you download a second anti-virus program onto your computer and you already have one, they will fight against each other, slow down your computer and potentially cause it to freeze up.

I am no longer going to just say yes to a program update.  I always opt for the notify me option before my computer updates itself or programs update themselves instead of giving blanket permission..

Post Script...

It's been a few weeks since this has happened and I've had to be vigilant.  I learned that what looked like the flash player update was not from them.  It was just a very good imitation.  It has popped up again since then and I've had to erase unwanted programs.  I have to be very careful about where I search and click on the internet.  My husband and I've made the decision to switch me to a mac the next time my computer breaks.  We had such a horrible experience with my children's Dell laptop and my Dell desktop is finicky.  For now, I'm thankful we have computers that work, but I'm very aware that technology does not just make our lives easier.  It also makes it more stressful in many ways.  I prefer tangible books.  I'm going to stick with them as much and as long as I can!

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and Kitchen Counters

This morning as I watched a television program online, I saw two commercials for Clorox Disinfecting Wipes.  Both commercials were focused on cleaning up from raw fish or chicken.

Save money!  Don't buy them.  Just use white vinegar.  Pour a bit of it on your counter and wipe it all over the contaminated area with a paper towel.

Much, much cheaper option! :)

Thoughts on Coffee, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts

We like Starbucks.  We've gone there many times over the past ten years.  So, of course years ago, we got "gold cards".  The refillable cards that turn into gold cards with your name on them when you've earned a certain number of points in a year.  

This past week, I realized that my account wouldn't tell me how many points I had.  I contacted customer service so that I could access the card online and sort things out... No help.  Then, I tried to call and ended up on hold for over half an hour.  I left the phone on speakerphone while doing other things.  Then, I hung up.  My time is compressed these days and I knew I didn't have the energy or time to figure this out beyond what I'd tried.  I'd tried.  

I talked with my husband about it and we thought about the pros and cons of the Starbucks rewards system.  The question we found ourselves asking was, is it worth it?  How does it benefit us?  What affect do the cards have on us?

Really, these cards are a genius marketing ploy that get people (including us) to spend more money at Starbucks.  You load your card.  Then, you spend from your card and it doesn't feel like you're spending as much.  It's easier to justify stopping and getting a cup of coffee.  There's lots of psychological effects, I'm sure.  

When we took a closer look, we realized that the benefits weren't really that much for us.  What it did was make us feel like we should choose Starbucks over going somewhere else that we would have enjoyed too--that may have been closer to home (save money on gas) or different (local ice cream for a snack).  

Credit cards do that too--when someone has a Kohl's card or JCPenney's card, we're more tempted to shop at that store. See this article HERE.  Interestingly, the article focuses very little on that con, but on others instead.  I realize that the idea to not have store cards is very counter-cultural right now.

It's also counter cultural not to have a store rewards card/refillable debit card. Although, I found this great post HERE that summarized the conclusions I came to.  The gold card is really a gold cage.  So, my husband and I've decided to use up what's left on our cards and move on--without regret.  We'll still go there when we want to, but that's the key--when we want to.  When we want to go to Dunkin Donuts or an ice cream spot, that's what we're going to do instead!

As a side note, the one tip I have for Starbucks users who have kids--- I order a Venti frappuccino for my kids and ask them to split it 3 ways (which they've never minded doing).  It saves us a lot!  1 large drink instead of 3 talls saves about $5.50.

Love this Idea!

I don't have much time these day to look around the internet for ideas.  But, my oldest daughter is getting ready for her 11th birthday and we started looking around for game ideas.  We found this one and I love it! So, I wanted to share a link here.

http://thingswevehandeddown.blogspot.com/2013/05/toss-talk-ball.html

Obviously, I'm going to skip the Justin Beiber question at the bottom and a few others like the favorite boy at school question, but it's a great list and there's plenty of questions to choose from.

This ball has huge potential at other birthdays and get togethers in our house.  I'm excited to have it around once I get a ball from the store and use our Sharpie markers to write the questions!