The Wayback Machine to the Rescue Again

Have you accidentally deleted a blog post?  I just did this the other day as I was working in a hurry to clean up some old posts on one of my blogs, accidentally deleting a post that I wanted to keep.

A few years ago I learned about the Wayback Machine. All you do to find your old post is click this link and put the url of the blog post you are missing, if you can recall the full url, in the field toward the top of the page and click the "take me back" button.  You will then see a calendar with certain dates highlighted in blue.  Pick the highlighted date that is most current out of these highlighted dates, and you will see an image of your post as it was on that date.

You can "copy" and "paste" your information and re-publish the post as a new post if it is valuable to you. Make sure you check any linked text in your post if you copy and paste as the Wayback site changes the url to include their site.    

If you can't recall the url of the particular post, the archive links in the margins are click-able, and you may be able to find it this way. Of course, it is best to back up your blog regularly, something I am trying to do more consistently, but the Wayback Machine has saved me more times than I like to admit.

Updated 11/30/18

Now I Know Why Backing Up Computer Files is So Important

Today my old faithful laptop that I worked on daily for the past 6+ years crashed.  I tried to recover it, to no avail.  I tried the disk that puts it back to factory setting, that didn't work either.  

I do most of my work on the web, so am able to reach many of my income sources, but hundreds of files are now gone...picture files, my important bookmarks to web pages, documents from some family matters I kept track of, and so much more.  I think I can live without these things in some ways, but won't really know until I go to look for something and it's not there.

So now I do wish I'd backed up my files.  It's going to be interesting to see what the coming days and weeks bring. I will occasionally be able to work on my husbands desktop computer...when he doesn't need it...like right now.

DO back up your files, especially if you are using your computer for your home business, or have important documents stored on it.

Updated 11/30/18

Simple Tips - Increasing or Decreasing Page and Text Size

Many people already know how to increase the text size or page size on a blog or website, but some of you may not, so I thought I'd let you know what I took too long to discover. In fact, I learned how to do this when someone shared it as an aside during a news report. It had nothing to do with the daily news, but it was news to me.

This tip is for desktop or laptop computers, not tablets.

All you have to do is hold the control (ctrl) key down, and at the same time tap the plus (+) key or minus (-) key depending upon whether you want to increase or decrease the size of the page. The text will usually increase and decrease along with the page. I find this so helpful and a great help in reducing eye strain while reading on the computer. If you have a related tip, please feel free to leave it in a comment.

I will also say that when I return to visit the same page again, it seems that my browser "remembers" the size I want to view the page and text in, and I don't have to increase or decrease the web page size again.  

Updated 11/30/18

Hurricane Sandy Leaves Many Homeless

I am a resident of New Jersey and we are in the midst of a long journey back from super storm Hurricane Sandy.   Though we do not live along the shore, it is a favorite vacation and day trip destination for us and many.  Even worse is the destruction to summer and year-round homes.

Personally, my home is in the midst of wooded Northern New Jersey.  The type of damage suffered was the falling of many many trees on wires, homes and cars.   We were fortunate in that the worst that we suffered was power out for 10 days, some are still without power as I type this.

In memory of our beautiful New Jersey shoreline, here is a picture and short video taken with my little point and shoot camera only 2 months before Hurricane Sandy swept much beauty and history away.

 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those in New Jersey, New York and other States affected by Hurricane Sandy. 

Updated 11/30/18

Is You Credit Record Good Enough to Borrow?

Because we have a good credit record, borrowing money has not been hard for us. Perhaps it is as good as it is because we don't borrow just because we want something, always pay our bills on time, and are generally careful about managing our money.

We have had some challenging emergencies that have come our way that have required borrowing, and though we don't like owing money, it has been good to know our credit score is good enough to make it easy and possible.

Monitoring your Credit Report and Score is made a lot easier if you know how your financial decisions affect your credit score. If you would like to learn more about the things that harm your credit score, and find links to get free credit scores, you'll find a lot of educational information at the link above.

Updated 11/28/18

Interested in becoming a VA or Virtual Assistant?

If you have wondered what is involved in becoming a Virtual Assistant, you will want to visit a site owned by someone I've been acquainted with online for a number of years. 

A Virtual Assistant in simple terms is someone who does typing and other secretarial and clerical type work from home for any number of clients.  Services you offer will be based upon your skills, you decide what you can or cannot do.  

Please take a moment to visit VA Directory and look at the main links on the page and the drop-down menus along the top to learn more.   There are links to post your job, for VA training, a forum, and so very much more for anyone who is interested in knowing what it means to work from home as a Virtual Assistant.

Updated 11/28/18

Free Eye Exams

I am looking at this screen through computer glasses, and when they come off, on will go my progressive lens glasses.  I think insurance has helped us a bit with our glasses, though I'm not 100% sure, as we did pretty well finding good deals before we had insurance for vision. 

With another potential job change coming up, and the possibility that we may not have the same insurance we do now, we may lose our vision insurance.

I was reading some retirement advice that suggested that you might be able to get a free eye exam by ophthalmologists that volunteer to do them for those that can't afford them and need an exam.  If this is you, and you are over 65, it suggests that you go take a look at EyeCareAmerica.org to find an ophthalmologist that will offer free eye exams in your area.

Updated 11/28/18

Is Network Marketing for Everyone?

I was actively involved with a network marketing company several years ago, and am still a member and customer, but not involved in the business part of it any longer.  At the time, though, it was fun and there was some success.  I made a bit of money and won 4 trips, a couple for myself, one that I went on with my husband, and one that we went on as a family of 4.

Whether or not you are successful at this type of business depends upon how much support you receive, how persistent you are, and many other factors. If you are interested in learning more, you will find some support at Mark Hall's MLM Opinion, a site that offers advise and support for those who are interesting in this type of business.   Some network marketing companies are also called multi-level marketing businesses, this is what the letters M L M stand for.

Though some tried to discourage me from getting involved with the company I did, in my case, it was successful for a time, and part of some very happy memories. 

Updated 11/28/18

Where are the Best Jobs for Seniors?

Unemployment statistics always seem to be negative and at the same time, more seniors are finding it necessary to supplement their retirement income, or make career changes if not quite at retirement age.  It's possible with current economic trends that more retirees will be working to supplement income.

AARP at their website, aarp.org, provides a list of the top 50 jobs for career change for those over 50.  The top 10 in their list of 50 includes:

• Home Health Aid
• Personal and Home Care Aide
• Computer Software Engineer
• Medical Assistant
• Network Systems and Data Communications Analyst
• Dental Assistant
• Self-enrichment Education Teacher
• Compliance Officer
• Dental Hygienist
• Veterinary Technologist

And the list goes on, providing estimated income information as well as education required for the type of work described.  

Updated 11/28/18