This blog is written by me, a wife, mother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, friend and pet owner. It's about my life and the things that I do, which are ALWAYS changing!
I went up to my mom’s house today to talk to her about some of the plans for her big Labor Day party this year and we got to talking about my kids. I have to say that I’m VERY impressed with both of them over how well they’ve done the past 5 days without internet. Yes, we do have the dial up connection right now, but they can’t do the things they’re used to doing online. Mom brought up the fact that when I was a kid we didn’t have internet or video games and we did just fine, instead we found things to do, we spent time outside playing and that kind of stuff. I love my mom, and her response doesn’t surprise me. Honestly, I think the woman is terrified of computers and technology, but so are many people from her generation.
Personally, I like technology, and I realize that even if I didn’t, technology and computers are a huge part of my life and will be an even bigger part of the lives of future generations! It amazes me how easily my children pick up and learn things about computers, things that I’ve taken classes and read books to learn and still struggle with. And my son’s ability to grasp all things computer related blows my mind on so many levels!
For instance, he realizes that part of the problems that he has with his computer is related to the fact that he’s compiled a large amount of files on his computer from the various types of games and programs that he uses. And he knows that one of the ways to remedy this “problem” would be to get an external hard drive.
I was quite happy to see that one of the items on sale this week in the great weekly deals at Buy.com was a Fantom GreenDrive 1TB external hard drive for a great price of $149.99! I like this external hard drive because it not only offers such a large amount of storage, but also because it’s made using the latest advances in both power saving technology and ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) compliant materials. If you’re like me and not completely sure what this means, it means that it’s Green to help our environment. The technology used to make the Fantom GreenDrive external hard drive allows it to provide maximum performance but uses up to 40% less power than the standard external hard drive. On top of that, it’s one sleek looking external hard drive! Check it out for yourself!
So if you’re in the market for an external hard drive, why not go green and save some of your own green in the process?
While you’re there, I REALLY need a new pair of earbuds because mine have magically disappeared, so if you could pick me up a pair of these Tritton Technologies Xtreme Ear Buds, I’d REALLY appreciate it!
Knowing how protective he is of his “baby”, I was a bit hesitant about taking my husbands laptop with me on my recent trip to California. But I also knew that the chances of my being able to go eight days without getting online and not lose my sanity weren’t that good…LOL!
Although the laptop did prevent me from going through internet withdrawal, it also proved to be a life saver because it allowed me to upload the pictures from my digital camera on a daily basis. That turned out to be a very good thing because I ended up taking more than 1,000 pictures during our trip…LOL!
I can’t help but think about how the changes in technology have made it easier to take, store and share things like pictures and music. By simply inserting an SD or micro sd card into your computer, digital camera, cell phone or MP3 player, you can have your favorite photos and music at your finger tips. Long gone are the days of having to lug around numerous rolls of film, cassette tapes and CD’s. Yes, technology can be a very good thing!
I have worked in the customer service industry on and off for most of my adult life, I know and realize how important it is to be polite when you are trying to help a customer and that you have to be careful about how you word things so that what you’re saying doesn’t come across as offensive, especially when the problem is on your end and not the customers end!
I have memberships at a several different game sites, some where the games are played strictly online, some where the games are strictly for download. Since getting my new Dell back in February I hadn’t had any problems with any of the games I’ve played or downloaded, that was until I downloaded a new game last week. I have what I would consider an AWESOME system here! It has 3 GB of memory, a 300GB hard drive and an AMD 64×2 dual core processor. That has been more than sufficient to run Vista and every other program I’ve ran since getting this computer. I’m also VERY careful with my computer and don’t visit questionable websites and I run my antivirus and anti spyware programs regularly.
So I was a bit surprised to find that this game that I downloaded this week lagged to badly, it was almost impossible to play it. I contacted the site where I had the membership in hopes of some suggestions from them and instead I received a reply that caused me to cancel my membership with their site! They wanted me to download and run a program that would tell them what types of spyware and viruses my computer might have and they also tried to tell me that it was possible that I didn’t have enough dell memory to run the game. But I pointed out to them that the specs for the game itself stated that only 128MB of ram was necessary for the game and that I had that amount times 12! They then replied back asking my to download and run a program that would tell if my computer had been “hijacked”.
At that point, I was done! I had a game that I paid for that was not capable of running correctly on a system that went far beyond what their stated “requirements” for running the game were and rather than offer to compensate me they want me to run tons of diagnostics and download programs that are not necessary? Especially when this is the ONLY game I have ever had a problem with. But I think the fact that them telling me 3GB of memory might not be enough to run the game was what sent me over the top! Not one time did they even say they were sorry that I was having problems, it was my fault from the beginning.
Oh well, I guess it’s time to find another game site, does anyone have any suggestions?
I just wanted to share something with you that I “discovered” yesterday! About a month or so ago we had to replace our router that we had been using for about 6 years. It really isn’t surprising considering that it had been running almost non stop that whole time. When we replaced it we decided to go with a wireless router this time since my husband has a new laptop that can connect to the wireless.
Since getting the new router the one thing that we hadn’t done was see just how good of a signal it gets in different areas of the house. Out here in the family room, which is where the router is, it obviously has a very strong signal. Out in the kitchen it still gets 5 bars, then when you turn the corner into the living room it goes between 4 and 5 bars. As I hit the hallway it went to 4 bars and when I got to the end of the hallway and into my bedroom it dropped to 3 bars.
I didn’t take the laptop outside yesterday, but will check that out sometime within the next couple of weeks. My husband was pretty pleased with the results of my “test” but then said “It’s my laptop and you can’t use it” LOL! And I tell you, our connection speeds have been so much better with this new wireless router! I’m VERY happy we made the decision to get it!
I have been up all night working on a few odds and ends on my computer. Yeah, I know, not the smartest move, but it had to be done. Anyway, as I was going through some of the files that I transferred over from my old computer I realized that several folders that I needed for my husband were no where to be found. I was in a bit of a panic and on the verge of waking him up in the middle of the night to find out if he knew what I had done with the files when it hit me. I hadn’t transferred the files using the transfer cable, I had actually uploaded them to a usb flash drive that I picked up to use for my classes.
With the recent cleaning and moving of furniture that I’ve done out here I wasn’t exactly sure where I had put my flash drive, but after just a few minutes of searching, I found it hanging on the peg off the side of my bookshelf. I pupped it into one of the USB ports on my computer and WALA, the files I had been freaking out about were right there before my eyes! I’ve seen several different places online that sell USB flash drives and I’d love to get personalized ones for each of us so that we know which drive belongs to whom!
In the mean time, here is a video that I put together for MemorySuppliers.com. The sell various types of memory for PC’s, Laptops and Mac’s as well as portable media devices. They also offer the option of customizing many items they sell with your own personal or company logo. Check out the video, but more importantly, be sure to check out their website!
I was talking to my mom last night and we were telling each other about the things that we have going on this week and I reminded her once again that we’ve now been in the new house five months and she has yet to come here. Then I asked her if she was enjoying the Plasma TV that she and my step father received as a combination birthday/anniversary/Christmas gift in December. She said she loves it and that they finally had the time to change the entire living room around this past weekend so that they could hang the plasma TV mount that they had purchased after getting the TV. She said it seems strange to have a TV hanging on the wall, but that since she no longer needs a large stand to hold their old over sized TV, she actually has much more room in her living room now! Mom also said that even though it seems weird to her, she actually likes how the room looks better than she ever has before. This is a good thing considering this year will mark the 50th anniversary of her and my late father moving into the house…LOL!
It does bother me that mom has yet to see my new house, but I’m going to try and take the time this week or this coming weekend and get up to her house so that I can see how cool it looks to have a TV hanging on a wall! Maybe while I’m up there I can find the time to go visit my brother too, I haven’t seen him since December…WOW!
I’ve been looking at the various blogs and websites that I have accumulated lately, trying to decide what to do with some that are just sitting there with nothing on them. One of the things that has come to mind for me is the thought of starting some sort of online business on one of them.
With everything that I have going on in real life, it’s going to be almost impossible for me to find a job that will be flexible enough to work around my school hours, and having to drive my daughter back and forth to the bus stop in the morning and afternoon, as well as the regular appointments that my children have with doctors and counselors. So that’s why it would benefit me to find things that I could do online that would help supplement my husbands income.
There are some really good options as to the different types of online stores and products that I could choose from, but beyond choosing the right type(s) of products, there are other important options that I need to weigh as well. One of the most important things when running an online business is to have a top notch shopping cart software program in place. It is vitally important to keep your customers information safe and secure. When you take the extra steps to make sure that you are using a reputable shopping cart, you are not only protecting your customers, you are also letting them know that you value their business!
So stay tuned because when I do finally decide what it is I want to do with my extra website(s), I’ll be sure to post it here! And if you are also considering starting an online business, make sure you take the extra step to assure your customers that their online shopping safety is as important to you as it is to them!
After spending a couple of years dealing with a VERY crappy digital camera, I finally broke down and purchased my Kodak Z710 in January. It was so amazing to see the difference in how much better my photos turned out on my new camera versus the old one that I had been using!
For instance, on December 24, 2006, we took the kids to an NFL football game. I had the old camera and we had some pretty good seats, but the pictures that I took of the field were the pits. Here is one of the pictures of the field that I took with the old camera.
But this past August my hubby and I went to another NFL game and although we still had some pretty good seats, they weren’t as good as the ones from December. But this time I had my Kodak for picture taking, and even though the batteries weren’t charged, the photos that I took of the field turned out awesome, as you can see for yourself from this photo.
Now, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for what I have, because I do truly love my Kodak digital camera. But with all things in life, we always want something bigger and better. So, if money were no object I’d LOVE to have a top of the line digital SLR camera like the Nikon D3! I’d love the ability to snap on one of it’s amazing zoom lenses so that I could zoom in and grab a close up shot of one of my favorite NFL players in action at the next game I go to! It would also be nice to be able to grab a shot of the deer and other wild life that frequent the woods on the back of our property since sneaking close to them to grab the shot isn’t a possibility!So if you’re sitting here reading this and have been wondering “Gosh, what can I get Holly for Christmas this year, you now know what the perfect thing to get me would be.!!
Sphere: Related Content
Although I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a computer pro, I must also so that upgrading your computer to help it perform better is much easier than most people think it is! One of the easiest things to upgrade on your computer is its memory. Most new computers today come with more than enough memory, but older computers lack enough memory to run many of the newer and more popular programs that are available. So whether your computer is a custom made or an IBM memory upgrades will definitely enhance it’s performance!
A friend of mine owns a small business in town. Early this year he switched over his phone service from the local phone company to the local cable company because he could get a great deal on phone and internet services from the cable company. He called me last week saying he needed my help with something and asked if I’d mind coming into his office to meet with him.
It turns out, the local phone company wants his business back and they sent him a fax with one heck of an offer that would undercut the cable company’s price by quite a bit of money. I told him he needed to make a few phone calls and find out whether or not the pricing from the phone company was temporary or permanent (it’s permanent) and then to call the cable company to see if they’ll offer a counter offer (they “sort of” did). Over all, he’s still very confused, after all, he’s not a very competitive shopper when it comes to things like this, if it weren’t for the fact that I pointed out the deal the cable company was offering, he’d never have switched in the first place.
I found a service this morning called Packet8 Virtual Office while wandering around the WWW that I’ve emailed to him in hopes that it would give him another option for his business. Packet8 Virtual Office would operate from his standard high speed internet connection and would allow his small business the ability to operate and function in the same ways as larger businesses do. The installation is very quick and easy and once your system is configured and your phones are plugged in, you’re all set and ready to go. Your Business VoIP will be up and running with Packet8 Virtual Office quicker than you can print out your monthly billing invoices!
So if you’re a small business, or a large one, and you’re looking for voice service options, check out Packet8 Virtual Office, they have a variety of options that are sure to meet the needs of your business!
