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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Two To View
A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To Miss

A Smart Home Is A Smart Way To Decrease Costs And Increase Safety

This Month's FAQ
What Does #TBT Mean?

Scam Alert
Beware Of Emails Claiming To Be From Big Online Retailer

Go Pinterest-ing!
Cool Stuff To Pin On Your Pinterest Boards

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In August

Short Tutorial
How To Adjust What You See In Your Facebook News Feed


Hello West Central Internet Subscribers

Back To School The month of August may lead to back-to-school shopping lists, stir up classroom memories from years ago, or inspire you to expand your knowledge of certain subjects. In this spirit, we've gathered smart online tips and notes about educational resources.

We want you to be able to outsmart cybercriminals, so study the warning about scams attached to the Amazon name so you'll be able to identify their tricks. To help you learn more about social media, check out our description of Throwback Thursday and instructions on how to adjust your Facebook News Feed. And don't miss the Sites of the Month for great places for your brain to visit.

You'll also find just plain fun things in this August issue; after all, everyone deserves recess! For instance, pick up some clever craft ideas in the Pinterest section and watch videos about cake cutting and tight rope walking.

The goal of each of our eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. We think you'll find this information interesting.

To see what's inside this issue, simply scroll down the eNewsletter or click on the links within the index to the left. Thanks for reading!

- West Central Internet Services Team
 

 

Two To View – A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To Miss

Cool Video 1 - Download Graphics to View   Cool Video 2 - Download Graphics to View
     
Daredevils Up In The Air
This breathtaking video (as in you'll be holding your breath) shows men tight rope walking between two hot air balloons, known as skylining.
  Scientific Way To Cut A Cake
You probably cut a round layer cake the same way you cut a pie – in wedges. But check out this better way to cut a cake that will keep it fresher longer.

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A Smart Home Is A Smart Way To Decrease Costs And Increase Safety

Get A Smart Home Your home may be beautiful. But is it also smart? Thanks to Home Technology Integration, your home can become a Smart Home and enable you to remotely manage a variety of systems using an Internet connection. The technology can be divided into two basic functions: systems control and monitoring.

Systems Control

Via a Smartphone or tablet, it's now possible to control a long list of things in a Smart Home without you having to be there. They include:
  • Heating, air conditioning, and ventilation
  • Lighting
  • Appliances
  • Locks on doors and gates
This can be done on a case-by-case basis or you can develop profiles that will automatically manage these systems depending on the time of day, day of the week, or only when motion is detected. Not only is it convenient to have a Smart Home, it can save you money through increased energy efficiency.

Monitoring

Do you worry about your home when you're away for long vacations or business trips? With a Smart Home, you can use your Internet connection to monitor for things like temperature, fire, motion, or flooding. Sensors detecting any of these events can email you an alert.

For example, let's say the sump pump quits working and your basement is filling up with water. You'll receive an email alerting you of the emergency so you can call the plumber immediately. When the plumber arrives at your locked front door, a motion detector will tell you someone is at the door. A snapshot video camera will send you a picture confirming it's the plumber and you can then unlock the door — all without having to be there!

True monitoring service with direct connections to 911 and emergency personnel is also available—starting at just $24.95 per month. Many insurance companies offer a discount on your premium—up to 20% savings which makes it even more affordable.

Call us today to learn more at 218-837-5151.

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This Month's FAQ – What Does #TBT Mean?

Question: Some of my Facebook friends are posting old photos with the hashtag #TBT. What does it mean?

Throwback What? Answer: The hashtag #TBT stands for Throwback Thursday — a weekly social media posting theme that invites users to post content, usually photos, from their past. In addition to Facebook, Throwback Thursday posts are also very popular on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

It's easy to participate in Throwback Thursday and the "blasts from the past" are a fun conversation starter. Just scan a photo from that dusty photo album on your shelf and post it using one of these hashtags: #TBT, #ThrowbackThursday or #Throwback. Just for fun, you can also check out what celebrities have posted on Throwback Thursdays by visiting this link.

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Scam Alert – Beware Of Emails Claiming To Be From Big Online Retailer

See The Details Download Graphics to View

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Go Pinterest-ing! – Cool Stuff To Pin On Your Pinterest Boards

Pin 1 Download Graphics to View
 
Pin 2 Download Graphics to View
 
Pin 3 Download Graphics to View

Clever Bathroom
Storage From Pipe
 
Whoo, Whoo Wants
An Owl Craft Idea?
 
Blueberry And White
Chocolate Cheesecake

You haven't started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started? If so, click here.

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Sites Of The Month – Great Sites To Check Out In August

Enjoy Fair Food At Home
food.com – August is a busy month for state fairs across the U.S. If you just can't get enough of iconic fair food, check out this fairly spectacular recipe collection. It features favorites such as chocolate bacon, fried Twinkies, corn dogs, blue-ribbon pies, and more.
Learn Fast And Have Fun
memrise.com – If back-to-school season has inspired you to learn something new, you may want to check out this education site. There are thousands of free courses — from languages to history to trivia — all using science-based learning techniques to improve your memory and increase your fun.
How Well Do You Know The World?
geoguessr.com – You don't need to head to the airport to embark on a journey. GeoGuessor's games take you from desolate roads in Australia to the bustling streets of New York City and many places in between. To play, simply look at a photo and guess its location; the closer you are in miles, the more points you earn
Enter Your Birthdate For Cool Statistics
you.regettingold.com – We're all getting older. But thanks to this site, we can also get wiser. Enter your birthdate to see all kinds of factoids including how many birthday candles have been on your cakes so far, approximately how many breaths you've taken in total, and major news headlines from each phase of your life.

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Short Tutorial – How To Adjust What You See In Your Facebook News Feed

Download Graphics to View

When you check your News Feed, do you sometimes grumble under your breath about the stories you see there? In other words, is some content just not of interest to you and wasting your time? According to our friends at Facebook, you can make News Feed adjustments by choosing to view stories in the order they're posted, by hiding stories you don't want to see, by following or unfollowing friends, and by using friend lists.

Adjust Viewing Order Click next to News Feed in the top-left corner of your feed to choose which stories you see first. Select Top Stories to see the stories at the top of your Feed, or select Most Recent to see stories in the order they were posted. Keep in mind that Top Stories is the default way to view stories in your Feed.

Hide Stories You Don't Want To See
To keep stories from people, Pages, or groups from appearing in your News Feed, click the down arrow in the top right of a story. You'll see the option to Unfollow the person, Page, or group. You can also click "I don't want to see this" and give Facebook feedback or take more action, like asking the person who posted the story to take it down, or reporting the story to Facebook if it doesn't follow the Community Standards.

Follow Or Unfollow Your Friends
To adjust the updates you see from friends, you can choose to Follow or Unfollow them. Visit a friend's Timeline and click the Following button to the right of their profile picture to Unfollow. Unfollowing means you'll no longer see your friend's updates in News Feed. Your friend will not be notified if you unfollow them.

Use Friend Lists
Click one of your friend lists on the left side of your homepage to see stories just from the people on that list.

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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins, click here.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards

The WCTA Communications Team
Internet Specialists



WCTA Sebeka
308 Frontage Road Box 304
Sebeka, MN 56477

1-218-837-5151 or toll free at 1-800-945-2163


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