Kindle Fire Users - have you tried to access our Library Catalog with the Kindle Fire's default web browser (Silk)?  If so, you may have noticed a message saying, "The discover interface does not support your browser's acceleration mode."  And until recently, the message was an even less helpful, "Your browser is not supported...".

So what's "acceleration mode" all about?  Apparently, it's a rather controversial feature of Silk where a user's browser data is stored by Amazon in the cloud in order to speed up performance.  Amazon's position is that privacy advocates shouldn't be concerned since users can turn the feature off (though it seems to be enabled by default).  And that's exactly what Kindle Fire users will need to do in order to use our Library Catalog as they would in a conventional desktop browser.  You can check out a nice illustrated version of how to turn it off, but here are the basic steps:

1. Open the Silk Browser
2. Open the Menu
3. Select 'Settings'
4. Scroll down to the 'Advanced' section and uncheck "Accelerate page loading"

Our Library Catalog should work normally on Kindle Fire after that.

We who live in the Information Age have incredible wonders and resources available at our fingertips. The downside is that the less-than-honest among us have new tools at their disposal too. Frauds are as old as time, but the Internet has unfortunately been a boon to their spread. It is important to be ever-vigilant in evaluating e-mails, Facebook posts, instant messages, etc., even if they seem to be coming from friends and family, etc. For example, I received an e-mail that appeared to be from a friend explaining that she was in a car accident while vacationing in Madrid and desperately needed a loan to settle foreign hospital bills. I was pretty sure my friend had been nowhere near Madrid and I spoke to her to confirm this.

There are some government resources online to help with spotting this kind of scam and how to combat any damage that might be done by them. Here are a few:

• USA.gov: Reporting and Learning About Internet Fraud
• FBI: Common Fraud Schemes
• Federal Trade Commission: 10 Ways to Avoid Fraud
• San Jose Police Department: Reporting Forgery, Fraud, and Identity Theft

Is your computer driving you crazy? Are you mystified by all the menus in Microsoft Word? Do you want to set up an email account but don’t know where to begin? Do you wish you could start connecting with family and friends using Facebook?

Computers can be frustrating for many of us. Fortunately, help is available at your library. Let our knowledgeable, patient Seven Trees Library volunteers help you solve your computer problems. Here at the Seven Trees Library we have two volunteer Tech Mentors and one volunteer eBooks Coach. A Tech Mentor is available to assist you every Wednesday evening from 5:00-6:00PM and Saturdays from 11:00AM-1:00PM. Our eBooks Coach is available every Saturday from 12:00-2:00PM. No appointment is necessary. Come to the Seven Trees Library and get the one-on-one help you need!

The Open Library lending program online offers the ability to access a book in a pinch. With the simple touch of a computer or electronic device you can download and be reading in just minutes. A variety of subjects are available including reading for all ages, there are many options, even children's books with pictures. Over 200,000 ebooks are available for lending, and did I mention this is a FREE service. The State of California is now participating in the e-book lending program and it is successfully growing through a large group of volunteers.