Have you recently looked at a website to get information and then later found out that it was inaccurate? Personally, I think any company or government agency who posts information to their website needs to be responsible for its accuracy and timeliness.
If I'm depending on a website to get a list of requirements for some transaction, especially with a government agency, then an inaccurate list of details could potentially cause me great inconvenience, multiple trips, etc. and of course anger/frustration. Any government agency, such as the secretary of state or DMV, is typically hard to reach over the phone. A a website is a perfect place for them to provide details such as requirements for their services in a place that I can find it, then use it to prepare for any transaction which must be handled in person.
Please don't make me come back because I don't have some document that you require that was not listed on your website! And please don't put so many restrictions on the types of transactions that can be handled completely online. It is better for BOTH of us when I don't have to come to your office and wait in line with the huddled masses. Save my tax dollars that are spent on those clerks who move so slowly, and make as much information and as many transactions as possible available online instead!!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Haiku Deck for iPad
Recently I downloaded a free presentation building app for my iPad. It's called Haiku Deck and it allows me to build presentation slides just like Powerpoint. I haven't figured out all of its features yet but what I've seen so far, I like.
It has a lot of free images that can be used as lovely backgrounds. It allows for bulleted lists on my slides. It's quick to use and the slideshow can be shared via a link, on Facebook, email, etc. (or viewed on the iPad).
For more information, go to:
http://www.haikudeck.com/
Here's a link to a basic presentation that I created, as an example:
It has a lot of free images that can be used as lovely backgrounds. It allows for bulleted lists on my slides. It's quick to use and the slideshow can be shared via a link, on Facebook, email, etc. (or viewed on the iPad).
For more information, go to:
http://www.haikudeck.com/
Here's a link to a basic presentation that I created, as an example:
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Technology Travel Tips for Summer Road Trips
Last week we were away on our annual road trip with our two boys, ages 8 and 11. We went to Washington DC and saw a lot of great, interesting and historical things. The drive to and from DC was long but tolerable from our home in Michigan.
As a kid who grew up in the 70s and 80s, the experience of our annual car trip made me reflect. What the heck did our parents do to keep us occupied when we went on vacation as kids? We always drove (at least until I was much older), and yet we didn't kill each other. How did we not get lost constantly without a GPS?
I can remember quite a few car trips with my parents and sister, without any technology to pass the time. We didn't have laptops, iPads, iPods, DVD players or anything else to pass the time. I think I read, since I'm lucky enough that I don't get carsick, but I don't remember. One of my sons can't do much or he does feel sick, so he has to be careful. He can watch a movie on the built in DVD player in the car, but he can't read or play on his iPod. Poor kid.
For the four of us, we had so much technology along with us that just the number of chargers was ridiculous. We had three digital cameras, two iPads, 1 iPod, 1 3DS gaming device and 2 iPhones with us. Plus the car has a built in DVD player and GPS. Plus my husband brought along his work laptop just in case he needed to work a little. All of this for a 10 day trip!
It does help that most of our devices are Apple products, so at least the chargers are interchangeable (except my iPad which has the new Lightning style plug).
If you're thinking of a long car trip with kids, I highly recommend a movie player for the car. Even if it's not built in, it really is a lifesaver. IPads or other tablets can be an easy substitute for a built in, since they're light and easy to use. Our kids are never quieter than when they're watching a movie (unless they are unconscious).
Digital cameras are a must so that you can capture pics while you're away, although I think the fact that my husband, my son and I each have one now is a bit ridiculous. The good thing is that I can browse through all of our photos and only use the best ones when I scrapbook. I've had good luck with one or both of them capturing something that I missed in the past.
If you don't have to work while away, it's great to leave your laptop at home. Some things can be done on just a tablet - I've used my iPad with Logmein remote control software to support an emergency request from a customer while away from my laptop. It's slow and awkward without a mouse and keyboard, but it allows me to satisfy a request that would otherwise have to wait a week or more.
One last thing - headphones! If your kids have music or game devices, or are watching movies, decent headphones are a must. I personally can't stand to hear all of the noises from most of those video games, they drive me crazy. Also since my kids tend to watch the SAME movie over and over, I can't take the audio track of most movies either. If your kids don't like to wear earbuds, you can get over-the-ear headphones for about the same price. My boys hate earbuds since I don't think they're ever the right size for kids. We've had better luck with the over-the-ear style, although they are bulkier to pack.
Good luck and drive safely!
As a kid who grew up in the 70s and 80s, the experience of our annual car trip made me reflect. What the heck did our parents do to keep us occupied when we went on vacation as kids? We always drove (at least until I was much older), and yet we didn't kill each other. How did we not get lost constantly without a GPS?
I can remember quite a few car trips with my parents and sister, without any technology to pass the time. We didn't have laptops, iPads, iPods, DVD players or anything else to pass the time. I think I read, since I'm lucky enough that I don't get carsick, but I don't remember. One of my sons can't do much or he does feel sick, so he has to be careful. He can watch a movie on the built in DVD player in the car, but he can't read or play on his iPod. Poor kid.
For the four of us, we had so much technology along with us that just the number of chargers was ridiculous. We had three digital cameras, two iPads, 1 iPod, 1 3DS gaming device and 2 iPhones with us. Plus the car has a built in DVD player and GPS. Plus my husband brought along his work laptop just in case he needed to work a little. All of this for a 10 day trip!
It does help that most of our devices are Apple products, so at least the chargers are interchangeable (except my iPad which has the new Lightning style plug).
If you're thinking of a long car trip with kids, I highly recommend a movie player for the car. Even if it's not built in, it really is a lifesaver. IPads or other tablets can be an easy substitute for a built in, since they're light and easy to use. Our kids are never quieter than when they're watching a movie (unless they are unconscious).
Digital cameras are a must so that you can capture pics while you're away, although I think the fact that my husband, my son and I each have one now is a bit ridiculous. The good thing is that I can browse through all of our photos and only use the best ones when I scrapbook. I've had good luck with one or both of them capturing something that I missed in the past.
If you don't have to work while away, it's great to leave your laptop at home. Some things can be done on just a tablet - I've used my iPad with Logmein remote control software to support an emergency request from a customer while away from my laptop. It's slow and awkward without a mouse and keyboard, but it allows me to satisfy a request that would otherwise have to wait a week or more.
One last thing - headphones! If your kids have music or game devices, or are watching movies, decent headphones are a must. I personally can't stand to hear all of the noises from most of those video games, they drive me crazy. Also since my kids tend to watch the SAME movie over and over, I can't take the audio track of most movies either. If your kids don't like to wear earbuds, you can get over-the-ear headphones for about the same price. My boys hate earbuds since I don't think they're ever the right size for kids. We've had better luck with the over-the-ear style, although they are bulkier to pack.
Good luck and drive safely!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Passwords and Spammers
Have you ever received an email that appears to be from your own email address? This is a classic case of a spammer using your email name as the "from" on a fake email.
One way to help eliminate this practice is to use a strong password on your email account, and to change it periodically. Also, try to avoid the temptation to use the same password for all of your online accounts. If you use "mom123" as your password on everything, just imagine how easy it will be for a spammer to get into all of your online accounts once they've hacked into one of them. Don't make it easier on them!
If you start to get these fake emails from yourself, change your password immediately on that account.
If you get hacked in Facebook, the first step is to change your password on that account. Usually it's a good idea to change your password on your email account at the same time.
If, like me, you have dozens of online accounts and can't possibly remember all of your passwords, try using a password manager package, such as RoboForm. It will remember your password for each site that you use, and gives you a button to take you to the site, enter your password and click enter, all in one step. It also has a built in random password generator, so you can easily create stronger passwords.
They have a version for your desktop/laptop, and they also have a version that installs on a flash drive. It's very inexpensive and easy to use.
Check out RoboForm here:
http://www.roboform.com/
There are other tools of this type available, but this is the one that I personally use and I recommend it.
One way to help eliminate this practice is to use a strong password on your email account, and to change it periodically. Also, try to avoid the temptation to use the same password for all of your online accounts. If you use "mom123" as your password on everything, just imagine how easy it will be for a spammer to get into all of your online accounts once they've hacked into one of them. Don't make it easier on them!
If you start to get these fake emails from yourself, change your password immediately on that account.
If you get hacked in Facebook, the first step is to change your password on that account. Usually it's a good idea to change your password on your email account at the same time.
If, like me, you have dozens of online accounts and can't possibly remember all of your passwords, try using a password manager package, such as RoboForm. It will remember your password for each site that you use, and gives you a button to take you to the site, enter your password and click enter, all in one step. It also has a built in random password generator, so you can easily create stronger passwords.
They have a version for your desktop/laptop, and they also have a version that installs on a flash drive. It's very inexpensive and easy to use.
Check out RoboForm here:
http://www.roboform.com/
There are other tools of this type available, but this is the one that I personally use and I recommend it.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Garage Sale Season
Spring and summer always seem to bring certain traditions - road construction, fireworks and garage sales come to mind.
Over this past weekend, I had a garage sale at my own home. We had a lot of different things, but mainly we had toys that the kids have outgrown and a few miscellaneous household items. I tried to get rid of a few electronics and in some cases I was successful. My son's old Game Boy Advance sold, as well as his Jeep riding toy (one of the battery powered ones). The Jeep alone was a big thing, so I'm glad to get it out of our garage. I was surprised that more of the toys didn't sell, since they'd be perfect for grandparents who like to have a few things around for the little ones, as well as parents on a budget.
The leftover items will be donated, mostly to our church, for their "white elephant" sale later this summer. It's always a little sad to see things go, but I feel better knowing that someone else can get use out of them. If we're not using an item, I don't see the point in storing it forever. Unfortunately, none of the local charities will take my old artificial Christmas tree so I guess I'll drag it out to the curb one of these days and hope for the best. Sometimes the "garbage pickers" can take things like that, since the local garbage collectors are unlikely to accept it.
All of this spring cleaning and organizing leads me to thoughts about the files on my computer, too. It's time to do a quick review of my files and get rid of the really old stuff that I no longer need. Now is also a good time to confirm that my automatic backups are working as they should, and take an extra, more user-friendly copy of my data on my external hard drive, just in case. When my hard drive failed last year, I found that my formal backup copy was useful but it was best used for a full system restore. If I need a bunch of files from a certain folder, it's easier to keep a copy of those separately.
Since my father has recently passed away, I also need to start going through his electronic files to help my mother determine what she does and does not need to keep. He had several computers, external hard drives and a multitude of CDs and flash drives. She has no idea what to do with most of those types of accessories, and may not even have software to read some of the files, so that will be my job over the next several months. As I review and learn about those files, I'll share what I've learned about the best process.
Do your spouse and family a favor - try to keep your electronic files in some organized fashion, and make sure they know your passwords. It's hard to even figure out how/what he saved without looking at every piece of paper and every digital file. The sheer volume of his records make that a daunting task.
Over this past weekend, I had a garage sale at my own home. We had a lot of different things, but mainly we had toys that the kids have outgrown and a few miscellaneous household items. I tried to get rid of a few electronics and in some cases I was successful. My son's old Game Boy Advance sold, as well as his Jeep riding toy (one of the battery powered ones). The Jeep alone was a big thing, so I'm glad to get it out of our garage. I was surprised that more of the toys didn't sell, since they'd be perfect for grandparents who like to have a few things around for the little ones, as well as parents on a budget.
The leftover items will be donated, mostly to our church, for their "white elephant" sale later this summer. It's always a little sad to see things go, but I feel better knowing that someone else can get use out of them. If we're not using an item, I don't see the point in storing it forever. Unfortunately, none of the local charities will take my old artificial Christmas tree so I guess I'll drag it out to the curb one of these days and hope for the best. Sometimes the "garbage pickers" can take things like that, since the local garbage collectors are unlikely to accept it.
All of this spring cleaning and organizing leads me to thoughts about the files on my computer, too. It's time to do a quick review of my files and get rid of the really old stuff that I no longer need. Now is also a good time to confirm that my automatic backups are working as they should, and take an extra, more user-friendly copy of my data on my external hard drive, just in case. When my hard drive failed last year, I found that my formal backup copy was useful but it was best used for a full system restore. If I need a bunch of files from a certain folder, it's easier to keep a copy of those separately.
Since my father has recently passed away, I also need to start going through his electronic files to help my mother determine what she does and does not need to keep. He had several computers, external hard drives and a multitude of CDs and flash drives. She has no idea what to do with most of those types of accessories, and may not even have software to read some of the files, so that will be my job over the next several months. As I review and learn about those files, I'll share what I've learned about the best process.
Do your spouse and family a favor - try to keep your electronic files in some organized fashion, and make sure they know your passwords. It's hard to even figure out how/what he saved without looking at every piece of paper and every digital file. The sheer volume of his records make that a daunting task.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Miscellaneous Electronics Graveyard
Like a lot of Americans, I have a lot of electronics in my household. My husband and I both work in the IT field, so we're probably worse than some people in that regard. We have a lot of computers, printers and other accessories that we use for our business and personal needs.
Have you ever found that you have a pile of electrical cords and other miscellaneous pieces of electronics, all jumbled together, and you don't know what it all is? If you find yourself losing track of what each cord actually is used for, it helps a lot to label them (we have a Brother label printer). If you remember to label each cord that comes with a new gadget, you'll never forget where it belongs.
You'll want to be fairly specific, for future reference on those labels. Putting a label on a camera charging cord that just says "camera charger" is not going to help you if you have 5 of them. Using the brand or model name on that label will really help in that case - "Panasonic A123 camera charger" for example.
Labeling each cord is also helpful when you have a power strip under your desk with 10 things plugged into it and need to unplug just one - how do you know which one? If you put your label near the plug end, you'll be able to tell which one is your printer vs. laptop vs. monitor, etc. and it will be no big deal. Of course if you have to get down on the floor and crawl under your desk just to get to the plugs, I can't help with that...
Periodically, I try to purge out the excess and either sell or donate what we no longer use. It's nice if I can include the cords and instructions with it. Labeling makes that possible.
I'd like to avoid having what I call an "electronics graveyard" in my household. You know, that pile of pieces that are not complete and can't be matched up with the rest of their components? Personally, if I end up with a pile like that, my first instinct is to pitch it all. I mean, really, if I don't know what goes to what, or don't even remember its original function, what is the point of keeping it around? At that point it's just meaningless clutter and I certainly don't need to fill up my house with that stuff!
Have you ever found that you have a pile of electrical cords and other miscellaneous pieces of electronics, all jumbled together, and you don't know what it all is? If you find yourself losing track of what each cord actually is used for, it helps a lot to label them (we have a Brother label printer). If you remember to label each cord that comes with a new gadget, you'll never forget where it belongs.
You'll want to be fairly specific, for future reference on those labels. Putting a label on a camera charging cord that just says "camera charger" is not going to help you if you have 5 of them. Using the brand or model name on that label will really help in that case - "Panasonic A123 camera charger" for example.
Labeling each cord is also helpful when you have a power strip under your desk with 10 things plugged into it and need to unplug just one - how do you know which one? If you put your label near the plug end, you'll be able to tell which one is your printer vs. laptop vs. monitor, etc. and it will be no big deal. Of course if you have to get down on the floor and crawl under your desk just to get to the plugs, I can't help with that...
Periodically, I try to purge out the excess and either sell or donate what we no longer use. It's nice if I can include the cords and instructions with it. Labeling makes that possible.
I'd like to avoid having what I call an "electronics graveyard" in my household. You know, that pile of pieces that are not complete and can't be matched up with the rest of their components? Personally, if I end up with a pile like that, my first instinct is to pitch it all. I mean, really, if I don't know what goes to what, or don't even remember its original function, what is the point of keeping it around? At that point it's just meaningless clutter and I certainly don't need to fill up my house with that stuff!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Digital Copies of DVDs You Buy - Are They Worth It?
Do you buy a lot of movies on DVD or Blu Ray? Do you ever buy the bundle that also includes a "digital copy"?
I've bought a few of these in the recent past and I've finally started to load them to my iTunes account. A couple things are worth noting:
Of course a bunch of movies will use up a lot of your PC's hard drive, so hopefully you have an external drive that you can use to back them up if needed. Also, you most likely won't want to keep all of them on your device (iPad, iPod, etc.) all of them time, since they'll fill the memory on your device as well. Keeping them in iTunes gives you the ability to sync them onto your device when needed (such as before a long car trip or plane ride).
Personally, I'll be watching Hunger Games on a flight to Orlando next week...
I've bought a few of these in the recent past and I've finally started to load them to my iTunes account. A couple things are worth noting:
- If you buy the bundle with a "digital copy", you are paying extra for it, so USE IT! If you won't use it, buy the bundle without that option, since it will be cheaper.
- If you use iTunes, it's pretty easy to get these digital copies loaded. Some of them require you to insert the DVD into your PC to get the digital copy, and some use a website. Either way, iTunes can handle it.
- Don't throw away the paper with your code on it!! Without the code, you can't redeem your digital copy and you've wasted your money.
- Pay attention to any expiration dates on your redemption code - sometimes they have a limited time frame on them. Miss that deadline, and you've again wasted your money.
- There is a difference between a digital copy and the new "ultraviolet" copy. You have to create an account with UltraViolet or Flixster in order to redeem any movies that use it. I haven't tried this yet but it's supposed to give you access to your movie when you're anywhere (assuming you either have Wifi access or a data plan on the device).
Of course a bunch of movies will use up a lot of your PC's hard drive, so hopefully you have an external drive that you can use to back them up if needed. Also, you most likely won't want to keep all of them on your device (iPad, iPod, etc.) all of them time, since they'll fill the memory on your device as well. Keeping them in iTunes gives you the ability to sync them onto your device when needed (such as before a long car trip or plane ride).
Personally, I'll be watching Hunger Games on a flight to Orlando next week...
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