Category: computer

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Bad News Travels Fast

Lately I have been hearing the bad news on Facebook from friends much faster than hearing about it on TV. I think that is one of the cool things about Facebook. There is usually someone who is plugged in with whats happening and they post it on their wall before it can even make the news. If you have enough friends, you can find out anything you need.

One of the features of Facebook that never existed anywhere else and I really like is the pages they create during a natural disaster so people who are safe can check in to let everyone know. This is really helpful when internet service and cell phone use can be limited or not available in the disaster areas. It puts my mind at ease to know that people I care about are OK.

There are also community pages where people in your own neighborhood or local area can post short messages to alert everyone. I have seen a lot of lost and found animals – and almost all of them have a happy ending. I have seen posts warning about car break-ins and stolen vehicles. Warnings about roads closed or choked because of an accident. Good news, such as the opening dates of farmers markets and fresh vegetable stands. And a lot of recommendations sought and received for essentials services, such as auto repair, junk haulers, hair dressers, in-home daycare – even doctors and dentists.

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YouTube

Okay, YouTube is one of the best things invented on the internet. I have seen so many crazy video’s as well as instructional ones and the music too. Now they have movies and such for free. That is just awesome. I watched a video on how to fix my truck if the water pump goes out. It had step by step instructions, by some guy who was fixing his. After watching that I decided to see what else there was for fixing my truck and found so much that I could practically build one from the bottom up. That is totally cool. The information highway as they call it, is a perfect description.

For now though, I believe I will stick to funny videos and music, but it is nice to know that I can find instructions on stuff as well. Maybe I should make some video’s about gardening. I saw some on there for growing stuff already, why can’t I do it too. I think the wife would really love that. It is a project we can work on together and she can show off to all of her friends. All women love to show off stuff to their friends after all.

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Touch pads and Tablets

When I get rid of this laptop computer I’ve been using for the past three years, I want something cutting edge and sexy. I’m seriously thinking about getting a new tablet PC. Has anyone got one? I’d like to hear from real people – not just a salesman – about the high lights and the low points of having a tablet PC. It seems to me that not having a traditional keyboard would be tough for writing reports and blogging. Does the screen keyboard work OK or does it slow you down? What about battery life? Does dropping one mean its dead from a cracked screen or are they tough?

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Upgrades and Changes

Here we go again. I think I have had to update or upgrade just about every program on my computer with security patches and new releases. Some of the programs are sending out updates twice a month. This is getting to be very cumbersome. They don’t always work right, either. Sometimes it is not good to be the one on the block to install the latest version of an important software.

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Facebook Manners

I have been on Facebook for quite a while now. I know a lot of people are new to it, and I’m glad about that. But there are some definite manners that are expected from FB “friends” and I wish there was a list of those that newcomers had to read before they are allowed to create a page and annoy the rest of us.

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Disposable PCs

I am wondering if anyone has a computer that they use on a daily basis that is more than 2 year old? I know that none of mine seem to least that long. I have both a desktop and a laptop, and both were bought this year. They are not top of the line, I admit. But together they cost almost one thousand dollars. I don’t like the idea of spending that much money on something that will break or need to be replaced in just a year or two. I wonder how long these two computers are going to last?

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Another Update

For the casula user of the internet, all these updates and changes are getting to be a real nuisance. Every time I turn around, there is an update for WordPress or for Firefox or for some other program that I need to use every day. The WordPress updates are the hardes tones for me to deal with. I have to get my system administrator to take of that chore for me and every time he does anything for me or my blog it costs me money.

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Bad Storms

I was hoping to play some games on the internet tonight, but it looks like we are having some bad storms coming this way. Any time we have thunder and lightning, I turn off the computer and unplug it so that it won’t get zapped. I lost two computers to lightning strikes already and I’m not wanting to go through that again.

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Tried Pandora

Sometimes when I am on the computer for several hours at a time, I like to listen to streaming audio over the internet. A friends told me a bout a web site called Pandora. It’s free for about 40 hours worth of listening each month. After 40 hours you have to pay them a fee or find another way to listen to music while you work. For my work habits, I can use up that 40 hours pretty quick, so I have other sites I can use. But I do like the way Pandora works for the first week or so of each month.

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First Lego League State Tournament

Well the State Tournament was today, ALL DAY LONG.  I had no idea what to expect but the kids were real pros because all of them had been in at least one competition before this one.  In fact, the team, or what was left of it from last year, won the best teamwork trophy the year before.  What an honor for them.

You have to remember these kids are 9 to 15 years old.  They’re learning how to do research because they had to do a presentation on something they learned about possibly solving or helping stop global warming.  They’re learning how to work together as a team.  They’re learning problem solving.  They’re learning to be cool under pressure and how to present an idea they have developed.  A lot of adults don’t have those skills and yet they are all very important skills to succeed in the world today.

They’re programing a robot that they themselves built usually from their own design.  That’s engineering. They’re not just ‘playing with Legos’, they’re building skills that will follow them through the rest of their lives and help them excel in what ever it is they decide to do. I learned so much from these kids, far more than they learned from me.  One main thing I learned is that I have to do more research into being a good coach because I really want these kids to do far better than they did this year.

This was a tough year for them.  They first of all lost their sponsor which was a local college and also meant they lost a place to practice.  The professor that started the team with the backing of the college, chose to pay himself so the team could go on.  They lost 5 team members, a coach and 3 mentors which had been the fathers of some of the kids that quit.  Then a local church donated a place for the kids to practice, and three mothers stepped up to coach the kids.  I came in as a mentor but only the last few weeks before the competition.

I wish I could have known about the team earlier.  The mother that coached these kids did a great job and we are all planning a much better year with meetings once a month, field trips for the kids, and anything else we can come up with to keep them interested and excited about what they do.  One mother is looking into food sponsors for the meetings.  If she can get one pizza place to donate pizza one month, I bet their competition will donate another one.  Pretty smart, huh?  I’ll let you know what we’re up to next.