Phishing, Scamming, and Hacking: Another Epidemic This Year

Just about a year ago, on 17 June 2019, our weekly blog addressed the issue of protecting yourself online. At that time, many of us were being inundated with phony emails asking for money, gift cards, and the phony "rescuing" of friends in need. That blog post lists ways you can protect yourself and we hope you will click on the link at the end of this post to refresh your memory on ways you can stay safe. All of those hints are still quite useful.

Some Hints on Photographing Tombstones

Summer is the perfect time for visits to cemeteries, and this summer in particular, after being cooped up indoors for months, many of us have wanderlust. Cemeteries are peaceful, outdoors and away from crowds, and potentially, the source of much-needed information on our ancestors. Before you visit a cemetery, you will want to plan ahead and think about how you can get the very best photos.

Making the Most of Quarantine Time: Organizing Your Digital Files

(Thanks to long-time StLGS member, Ann Fleming, for suggesting the topic for this week's post.)

After four months of trying to stay isolated, a good many of us are done with cleaning closets and drawers. Now that it is too hot in most places for working in the garden, how about getting some of your digital life organized? Is your computer a mess? Do you have files all over the place in no particular order? What about your auxiliary devices: external hard drives, your entire collection of flash/thumb drives? CDs or DVDs or boxes of old floppy disks? If you are nodding your head "YES!" to these questions, here are some suggestions for organizing your digital files.

Celebrating the Fourth of July!

Although this year's summer holiday festivities were restricted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain traditions of this holiday weekend were still in evidence everywhere. Otherwise-quiet neighborhoods exploded with the bright lights and loud roars of fireworks; backyard barbecues smoked away, filling the air with the delicious smells of food on the grill; and people flew flags, hummed patriotic songs, and searched online for Boston Pops renditions of John Philip Sousa's marches. All of these July 4th customs have a surprisingly long history; many would be quite familiar to our ancestors.