Lately, I’ve been bombarded (like many others, I hear) with e-mails which have subjects like “update your account,” “your account is in danger,” “guaranteed winner,” etc. These are all scams. They don’t even make it to my inbox, because I have a spam folder where they are automatically sent, soon to be deleted without reading.

Opening (reading) these e-mails confirms that yours is a legitimate address and from then on your address will be available to thousands of similar companies. An especially bad idea is clicking on a Web site address given within these messages, as it could do damage to your system.

Each day there’s something new to worry about. Technology (phone, computer, television) has provided us a better way of living, provides a great deal of convenience and comfort, but it seems like there’s always something going wrong. It’s almost the witching hour, noon, when the first of three or four recorded message phone calls will interrupt lunch and (in my case) watching the news. Hanging up apparently doesn’t send the message to quit this incessant solicitation. I always think about the jobs displaced by the availability of recorded messages.

That type of call is almost as aggravating as “voice mail.” Think about it. Who invented that term and what does it really mean? Why not simply say, do you want to leave a message and then write it down? I bet it doesn’t take any longer than “Do you want his voice mail?” No, I’m tempted to say, I want his voice. Or his mail address. Not the hybrid.

Ah, well, life in the 21st century goes on. Keeping up with all of the challenges of technology is keeping our minds alert.

For the last several weeks, Sunday night at my house has been off limits to any interruption from 8 p.m. forward due to the airing of Planet Earth, the wonderful series exploring all corners of our world. It’s better than having National Geographic arrive daily. I hope that the producers think about a similar program about all the various cultures and people. Planet Earth is devoted to non-human features.

The Windham Historical Society is 40 years old this year! I’ve only been involved since 1987, the year of the town’s 250th birthday but it’s always exciting to open the doors to the museums and enjoy the reactions of folks who have never visited.

On May 26 (a Saturday) and all subsequent Saturdays through the summer and fall, I will be hanging out at the Historical Society from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other volunteers will be there on Thursdays, same hours. There are new displays in the works and lots to see and learn about, so take a break and stop by at 234 Windham Center Road, the red brick building which served as a school, town office and school department office for many years.

See you next week.