only backgroundI'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I'm opinionated. I contradict myself frequently. Most of all, I love my kids. I believe in them. I fight for them. They're weird and wonderful. If you want to know more, here's a bunch of other stuff from my old site.
Archive for the ‘tech’ Category
This isn’t so much an issue of learning something new but rather a situation of learning that you need to pay attention to what you already know. Because yes, if it’s something bad that can happen, it can happen to you. For example, you really can get sand in your camera at the beach rendering the camera inoperable.
I loved my Pentax camera. It isn’t a brand that a lot of people buy, I know. Kodak, HP, Sony, even Canon are far more popular. But my Pentax took great photos and had a 2.5″ LCD panel. My aging eyes loved it!
Did you notice the past tense there? Yes? That’s because my Pentax is no longer a working camera. At first, the lens aperture wouldn’t open. Then when it did finally open (thanks to Brit and her camera mojo), the pictures were barely visible beneath a huge white glowy spot in the center. And so I mourned the demise of my beloved Pentax camera.
We ran to the local Foodland and picked up a few disposal cameras. But you know, when you’re really used to instant gratification, waiting for your photos to be developed is torture. We’ve got two cameras full but haven’t taken them to be developed yet. We’ll probably wait till we get home.
So yesterday we went to Wal-Mart in Lihue and looked at the cameras there. I knew they wouldn’t have Pentax; I ordered mine online. I was surprised they had so few HPs. There were some nice Kodaks but I wasn’t impressed with the feel of the cameras.
And that’s when I saw it. My first digital was a fujifilm camera. My daughter, Maggie, still uses it and loves it. I think it’s a 3mp but the photo quality is fine for her MySpace photos. The only thing I don’t like about Fuji cameras is the xD Picture card. The 1G card is much higher priced than SD card so I’d shied away from another Fuji.
Until…. I saw the Fujifilm FinePix E900.
Yep, it’s a 9MP camera. It’s got an Auto, Point and Shoot mode but also allows loads of manual settings. It records video (and I swear I’m going to learn how to use that!) with sound. It comes with a 16MB xD card which meant that I had to buy a bigger one. But still. The LCD panel is 2″ so it was close to my Pentax, plus it has a viewfinder which makes it great for outdoor pictures. And it even comes with rechargeable batteries and a recharger. Nice!
This camera isn’t as lightweight as my Pentax and it’s a little bigger, too. But that’s okay. I don’t carry a tiny purse anyway. I like the slightly bigger styling, too, because it gives the camera a little more stability in my hands. Needless to say, the pictures are great with 9Mega Pixels, too!
So it looks like I’m going home with a new camera. I’d hoped to start looking for a new computer when I get back home, probably a refurb. Now I think I’ll have to wait. Oh, well. Another month or so and I’ll build my little mad money pot back up enough to start shopping for that new machine. Until then, I’ll just take lots of pictures!
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It’s been eleven years since I first signed up for an internet dialup account. Imagine that. I was so excited to see a small ISP opening shop in a nearby town; until then there was no local phone number for those of us in my small West Virginia town.
That company became even more significant for me because I applied for a job there and was hired. I worked there from 1999 until 2006. By the time I left the company, the original owners were all gone and dialup was dying an agonizing death. Even here, in our nothing spot on the map, high speed internet has become the norm.
Or has it?
It turns out that as many as 40% of internet users are still using dialup. Some do so because of availability and others because of cost. Admittedly, I’ve stuck with DSL simply because it’s less expensive than cable. And since I’m not a gamer, DSL is plenty fast enough for me. The big question, though, is how can anyone justify charging $20 for dialup when DSL is available for roughly the same price?
I guess that’s the same question that the folks at PCDialup.com were asking themselves. Knowing that a large number of people still use dialup at 1996 prices, PCDialup.com decided to offer their dialup connection at a reasonable price. How reasonable? Well, how does $3.95 per month sound?
No kidding, the basic service is just $3.95 per month while the software accelerated service is only a dollar more at $4.95. That is so reasonable that I can’t imagine anyone choosing any other dialup service.
Right now, PCDialup.com is available only in California but will be expanding to cover the entire US. This has got to be the best news on the ISP front this year. Internet access is an important investment in everyone’s future. Many parents, previously unable to afford access, will now be able to give their children the same technology advantages as other children from more affluent homes. Elderly folks on fixed income will also be able to take advantage of the many offerings of the online world.
I applaud PCDialup.com for making this technology affordable for so many. And I anxiously await their nationwide push so that everyone in this country can benefit from this innovative approach to pricing. Thank you, PCDialup.com
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I don’t do complicated graphics or video editing on this machine. I don’t game. Mostly, I blog. You would think (well, I thought) that 512MB RAM would be plenty. And basically, its fine. Or, at least, it was.
Just before we came to Hawaii I installed a larger, faster hard drive in my laptop. That was nice and I suppose it helped somewhat. The computer memory upgrade I did a few months prior to that, however, was the key to my new speed. I can’t believe the difference in performance!
Most of the computers at home have just 512MB RAM in them but I think I’ll have to upgrade them all soon. I know the kids are always complaining about their computers being too slow, especially Maggie with her Sims stuff.
I’m going to put this on my list of things to buy with my savings. I’ve spent money on myself, coming to Hawaii. Now, it’s the kids’ turn!
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If I could do it my way, I’d be online from morning till night, reading and writing. Of course, there’s this thing called Real Life that I’m supposed to be persuing so I can’t really do it my way. That means that I have to be selective in where I get my online news.
One site that I’ve put high on my list (you know, the must-visit-daily list) is JMH Techtronics. The news articles here are varied enough to always offer something that I wasn’t expecting but thoroughly enjoy.
These tech articles aren’t just about computers (although most are). I was fascinated with Breaking the Mold In Solar Power. I’m no tree hugger but I love the idea of solar power for my home. That’s because I’m all about capitalism and keeping my money rather than giving it to public utilities.
JMH Techtronics reviews some of the best firefox extensions and WordPress plugins available. You’ll find breaking news and software reviews there, too. It’s one of those sites that you keep coming back to because you know you’ll miss soemthing good if you skip a day. Go ahead, jump on over there and see for yourself how much you’ve been missing.
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I don’t mind upgrading my software after a few years. Okay, so it’s been 10 years. Yes, I guess I’d gotten my money’s worth out of it. But really, it was still working just fine. I paid for the upgrade since I was told I needed it but I could have just gone on with what I had.
What really gets under my skin is the way they tried to push me to get their Financial Reporting Software as well as the software I was upgrading. I really didnt’ need this additional software, not for a limited time or with limited features. I just wasn’t interested.
I didn’t buy the extra software and thought that was a good call. And now I’m wondering. Maybe I should have gotten it at the much reduced price. I’m second guessing myself, aren’t I?
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If you want to increase your traffic, get linked! But how do you get linked? Well one of the best ways is to get listed in a directory. And one of the best and newest directories on the internet is Colleen’s Geeky Speaky Directory.
The GeekySpeaky blog is already one of the best sources of information for the average computer user. I love reading Colleen’s take on all things geek and she usually has at least a couple of new sites for me to check out.
So after you look over her blog, be sure to sign up at Colleen’s GeekySpeaky directory, too. A simple listing is free with a reciprical link or a small fee. She’s also offering a featured site listing for a very reasonable price. If you’re interested in increasing traffic, you’ll want to stop by here and get listed!
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Since I began putting more effort into my blogging, I’ve become more aware of SEO or Search Engine Optimization. It’s a complicated but ineresting topic and it’s taking me quite a while to grasp it.
Right now I’m still trying to do this on my own but I’m beginning to see how an expert in this field could help me a great deal. I know I learned a little about it from my last job. There’s just so much more to it, though.
During my searching I found several ineresting SEO Companies. I was especially impressed with Bay Street’s comprehensive offerings. They can help with everything from Google SEO to Text Link Building. Bay Street offers convenient packages at very reasonable prices, too.
The one caveat of SEO is ethics. Not every company operates by a code of ethics that ensures that your site will stay on the good side of various search engines. “Gaming” the system is not ethical. Bay Street SEO does follow a code of ethics which ensures that your search engine rankings will be honest and true.
I’m still a small time blogger but I’m not giving up on growing my reader base and increasing my page rank. I’m going to start off with Bay Street’s Guide to Search Engine Writing to learn as much as I can about this. If all goes well, next year at this time I’ll be able to take the next step and purchase one of Bay Street SEO’s packages to help my site to really take off.
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Yes, I have an extra mouse or two. I just don’t like them for one reason or another. Right now, I’m switching my desktop mouse to my laptop and back again because the laptop mouse won’t middle click. Well, it clicks, but it doesn’t do anything. And I’m a major middle click kind of person.
So now I need to get a new mouse. I know what I want for this laptop. I want one like I got before but had to give to Nick because he needed a USB mouse and his wireless one kept getting freaky on him.
Or maybe I should just save my money and get a whole new laptop. This one has a bad hard drive and I can just feel it sputtering to an end.
And I will not travel to Hawaii without my laptop. I cannot be without a computer and an internet connection for that long. I’ll do dial up if I must but if my laptop dies, I’ll use the money for a ticket on a new laptop. Shhhhhh! Don’t tell my husband.
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I’m always trying to drive traffic to my website. I’d love for this site to move up in PR and down in Alexa numbers. I want my keywords to show up at the top of every search engine. Doesn’t every webmaster want that?
I spend a lot of time and effort working towards those goals. If you own a company or a business website, though, your best bet is to hire someone to do that kind of SEO (search engine optimization) for you. Seriously, it’s a lot of work and finding someone who knows the ins and outs of SEO is worth the money. It’ll pay for itself many times over in sales.
I’ve been looking into this for my own site and was really impressed with eTraffic Jams. At some point I need to admit that I need the help of a professional and I’m confident that this is the place to turn. eTraffic Jams is a “Pay-for-Performance” model. Basically that means that you pay for results, not promises. I like that idea.
I was especially impressed with the case study on the site. When a happy customer takes it upon himself to write the company with praise and thanks, that’s big. And the fact that eTraffic Jams brought this company a 161% increase in traffic is huge! According to the Web Manager for www.furnitureesuperstore.com, Brent Edger, this resulted in an improved bottom line.
I really need to increase traffic here and at my other sites. eTraffic Jams is at the top of my list for SEO!
This is a sponsored post.
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Mubin Ahmed is just 22 years old. He’s married and expecting a new baby boy soon. I have two kids older than Mubin. But hey, I learn from my kids so why not from someone young enough to be my kid, right?
Mubin’s blog is about making money online. It’s a new blog but already the content is interesting and well worth a read. From his 4+ part series on making money with Proxies to his Friday Focus on other sites of interest, you’re sure to find new information here. This blog could easily become the next Million Dollar Blog.
Mubin has been earning money online since he was 13. By his own admission, Mubin didn’t always make money online in the most honest way. However, he has gained a great deal of insight and is sharing that now with the cyberworld. He’s an honest entrepeneur now as an adult and offers his knowledge at no cost other than the time it takes to read his articles.
Whether you’re interested in Agloco (A Global Community), Google Adsense and Adwords or just how to change the background on your iPod, MubinAhmed.com is the blog for you. We’re all looking for tips and hints about earning money online and Mubin is here to share what he’s learned. Head on over and reap the benefits of his knowledge.
This is a sponsored post.
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