This is worthy of note

This week: Readers reveal the secret to last week’s card trick, and a couple of things worth mentioning.

How did they do that?

Many of you wrote to let me know how that card trick I mentioned last week  works. The most succinct explanation I received was from a long-time reader and customer named Helen: 

"None of the cards in the first hand appear in the second hand, so it doesn't matter what card you pick."

Thank you, Helen, and everyone. Yes, I should have seen that.

Here come the ads in Facebook Messenger

Facebook ads are coming to Facebook Messenger. If you use the Facebook Messenger app on your Android or Apple phone, you’re going to start seeing ads in your “private” messages.

And like the rest of the ads in the rest of Facebook, they’re going to be targeted at you, based on your click and browsing history.

Ads will start rolling out this month (July 2017) and eventually will reach all of us who use this app. While I can find no mention of ads in the Facebook Messenger version that runs in a computer’s browser, I think it’s reasonable to expect the ads will show up in your Facebook Messenger conversations, wherever you view them.

I haven’t seen them yet. Have you?

Windows 10 has Themes

A well-loved feature of Windows 7 was its Desktop Themes.

You could choose from hundreds of free themes to change the look of your Windows 7 Desktop. Themes display wallpapers of your choice. (Not screensavers; the desktop wallpaper is always displayed. Screen savers kick in when the computer has been idle for a set period.)

Themes also include sounds, changed the colours around the windows, and sometimes customized cursors.

Microsoft removed Themes with Windows 8, and although Windows 10 earlier versions allowed lots of custom settings to wallpapers, sounds, and cursors, it wasn’t until Creators Update that Themes re-emerged.

Not sure if you have Windows 10 Creators Update? Here’s how to see what version of Windows your computer is running:

• Press the Windows Key and the R key simultaneously to open a “Run” box
• In the box type winver
• Click on OK
• “About Windows” opens. If you have Version 1703, that’s Creators Update

If you have Creators Update, you’re good to go. There are more than a hundred themes, but they’re tricky to find. Let’s get started.

• Open the Settings app (Start | Settings (the gear icon  or WinKey + I)
• Click on Personalization | Themes
• If you like your current settings and might want to return to them, Save them and name them something informative
• Now click on Get more themes in Store
• Scroll through the themes until you find one you like
• Click on your selection
• Click on Get
• Wait for the download
• Click on Launch
• Now back in Settings | Personalization | Themes, look for your new theme in the section called Apply a theme
• Click on your selection
• Click on Background, Sound, Color, or Mouse cursor if you want to customize any of those settings.
• When you’re finished customizing, close the Settings window and admire your new desktop

To go back to your previous theme or choose another theme, open Settings | Personalization | Themes and click on the one you want.

What do you think? Do you use any of these themes? Which ones do you like?

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.