Tag Archives: Email

The Relics of Technology: A Stroll Down Memory Lane

In the rapidly evolving world of technology, it’s easy to forget the gadgets and gizmos that once dominated our lives. Today, we’ll take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the tech tools that have faded into the annals of history.

  1. Floppy Disks and CD-ROMs:
    Once, the clunky floppy disks and shimmering CD-ROMs were our only recourse to data storage and transfer. They have now gracefully bowed out, making way for sleek USB drives, capacious external hard drives, and the omnipresent cloud storage that promises accessibility from every corner of the globe.
  2. VHS Tapes and VCRs:
    The ritual of rewinding VHS tapes and the magic of VCRs bringing images to life on screen are chapters from a bygone era. They’ve been overshadowed by the crisp clarity of DVDs, Blu-rays, and the instant gratification delivered by streaming services.
  3. Fax Machines:
    The whirring and buzzing of fax machines, once music to the ears of office-goers have been replaced by the silent, instantaneous delivery of emails and other digital communication channels.
  4. BlackBerry:
    Once the pinnacle of business communication with its iconic QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry has been overshadowed by the touchscreen revolution led by smartphones that offer an array of features and applications making communication and management seamless.

    Once the pinnacle of business communication with its iconic QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry has been overshadowed by the touchscreen revolution led by smartphones that offer an array of features and applications making communication and management seamless.
    Once the pinnacle of business communication with its iconic QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry has been overshadowed by the touchscreen revolution led by smartphones that offer an array of features and applications making communication and management seamless.
  5. The Pager:
    The humble pager, a precursor to the mobile revolution, once clipped to belts, has quietly retreated to the shadows as smartphones dominate the communication landscape with various features unimaginable back in the day.
  6. Film Cameras:
    The instant gratification of digital photography has replaced the thrill of loading film and the patience of development. Though a niche of enthusiasts still cherishes the craft of film photography, digital cameras and smartphones have become our lenses to the world.
  7. CRT Monitors:
    The bulky CRT monitors that once occupied desks were replaced by sleek LCD and LED monitors, marking a significant leap in aesthetics and technology.
  8. Cassette Tapes and Players:
    The tactile joy of flipping a cassette tape is a forgotten pleasure. Digital audio and streaming services have ensnared the auditory senses with a promise of endless playlists.
  9. Typewriters:
    The rhythmic clacking of typewriter keys is a sound from a bygone era, replaced by the soft tapping on modern-day keyboards as computers and word-processing software took over.
  10. Rotary Phones:
    The nostalgic spin of the rotary dial has been replaced by the swift taps on touch-tone and mobile phones, making communication faster and smoother.

Each piece of outdated technology carries with it stories and memories that shaped the era they belonged to. As we embrace the new, it’s a sweet reminiscence to look back at the tech relics that paved the path for today’s digital wonderland.

You can also listen in to my chat with Steve Ladner on BBC Radio Kent by clicking on the play button at the top of the post

Three Ways To Spot A Phishing Email

Phishing is one of the most common methods of cybercrime, but despite the fact that we all know about scam emails, people often still fall victim to these scams.  Thousands of phishing emails are sent every year and a vast amount of data breaches come from scam emails. Phishing has been used for all kinds of scams, from gaining access to your bank accounts to coronavirus scams that ask you to pay for tests. There are some ways that you can spot a phishing email, so you can avoid having your information stolen or being scammed out of your money. 

One: The Message Is Sent From A Public Email

No genuine organisation will send emails from an address that ends with ‘@gmail.com’, or another free email service, not even then companies that own these email services. 

Only very small operations won’t have their own email domain and all organisations will have company accounts. If the domain name matches the sender of the email, this is a good sign that the email is genuine. If you get an email from your bank from a Gmail address, that’s definitely a fake. 

The simplest way to check what the domain name of an organisation should be is to search for the company on Google. 

Look at the email address, not just the sender. Your inbox will display a name, like the name of your bank, along with the subject line. When you open the email, you will think you know who the message is from, and can often skip checking the email address to just read the content. 

When a scammer creates a fake email address, they often have the choice to choose the display name, which doesn’t have to relate to the email address at all. This means that a scammer can use a bogus email address that show up in your inbox with a convincing display name.  Unfortunately, sometimes this is enough to trick people. 

Two: The Domain Name Is Misspelt

Scammers are wise to the problem of domain names, and there are clever ways to get around not being able to send emails from the correct domain.

Anyone can buy a domain name. While every domain name must be unique, scammers can buy one that is remarkably similar to the genuine article. Perhaps they add a dash or change a letter that is hard to spot at first glance on a small screen (swapping an m for an n is a classic example). 

If an email seems strange, pay close attention to the domain name. If it isn’t spelt correctly, then it’s a scam.

Three: The Email Is Poorly Written

You can often tell that an email is a scam if it uses poor spelling and grammar. Phishing emails are automated and sent out to vast numbers of people. When these emails are crafted, scammers often use a spellchecker or a translation program. This gives them the right words but always used in the correct context. 

These are errors are often the kinds of mistakes that are common with people learning English. Any message claiming to be official that is written like this is almost definitely a scam. 

An email with a mistake is not always going to be a scam. We all make typos occasionally, especially when typing quickly. It’s up to you look at the context of the mistake and decide if it suggests a scam email or just a mistake made by someone in a hurry. Ask yourself:

  • Is this a common typo, like striking an adjacent key?
  • Is it a mistake a native speaker wouldn’t make, like words in the wrong context, or grammatical incoherence?
  • Is the email consistent with previous messages you’ve received from the sender? 

If you’re not sure if an email is genuine, even after looking at these clues, you should contact the sender, via another method of communication. You could check on their website, call them, speak in person, use an instant message option, or use an alternative email address. They can either confirm that the email is genuine, or you can make them aware of the scam, so they can take action and prevent other customers from being scammed too. 

It’s important for individuals to learn to spot a scam email. Spam filters can only do so much to catch attempts at phishing, and it takes a human to look for signs of something suspicious in the context of an email. Learn the signs, and be aware of what you’re opening or clicking.