Alarm Clocks. . .

During our power outage while I was at home with my sister, our alarm clock was blown up.  Grrrr!!  I really liked this alarm clock, it woke you up to ocean sounds.  Once I was home I went out to find a new clock.  Alarm clocks are not as easy to find as you would think.  Everyone uses their cell phones as their alarm clocks these days.  I prefer a real alarm clock.  I knew I was going to need one when the hubbs went to New Jersey for sales training because I do not just wake up.   I finally found one and it is really neat, it has a setting so that you can set it for two different alarm times.   Days I work I get up at 4:45 days I do not I get up around 5:50.  It is nice that I do not have to keep changing the alarm time.  The new clock also has a setting for ocean sounds and this one the alarm comes on and then gradually gets louder.  I thought that was a really cool feature.  Monday was the first time I used the alarm part and when they say it gradually gets louder, it is a lie.  This alarm went off and I had the ocean screaming in my ear.  This is going to take some work to figure all of this out.  I think once I figure it out I will love it.  It also has a projector, so that you can project the time on the ceiling, the hubbs did not like that feature he thought the glare would keep him up.  I love this feature so I have had it on since he has been gone.  I did make the mistake of having it on one time and moving the clock to the pillow while sweet Basil was on the bed and she completely freaked out.  I am not sure if it was the fact that it was on the ceiling or if it was that it was moving across the ceiling that bothered her but I have not used the projector since then.  This clock also has a radio and a USB port for charging other devices.  I thought that was pretty handy, especially since the two goobers that cut our power and phone line in November are back out here fixing the other houses they cut phone lines at that same time.  I called our phone provider and and told them how upset I was that they brought these same two goobers back out to fix what they messed up to begin with.   I am just anticipating the power outage.  I explained to the phone company that our temps are supposed to drop into the teens tonight and that I would be very upset if I lost power again due to these two inept contractors.   Fingers crossed.

My Fridge is too Advanced for Me. . .

I shared with you last week that we had to get a new fridge and how new fangled it was.  It got even more advanced than we ever thought this week.  We were going to celebrate Sprat's birthday on Saturday night so after the hubbs and I had worked cooking breakfast at Church we picked up an ice cream cake for after dinner.  We came home and I put the cake in the lower right side of the freezer section of this super techno fridge.  After dinner I went to get the cake out so that it could thaw a little for our dessert.  When I picked the box up the cake was leaking out of the bottom, it had completely melted.  Let me describe the way this fridge looks;  it has four doors, the top two are the refrigerator doors and the lower two doors I thought were the freezer doors.  Apparently the right side of the freezer can be adjusted so that it is either a:  soft freeze, chill, or freezer.   We had inadvertently set this lower right door to chill (refrigerator temp), I had not put anything in there other than that ice cream cake so I had no way of really knowing that it was not freezing.   We figured out how to change that temperature and it is now a freezer in both lower doors but, how cool is it that we can add more fridge space if we need it.  I kinda like that.
Sprat drove himself to Church yesterday, that was his first trip alone since he got his license.   He drove to school today too.  I made him text me when he got to school so I would know he was safe.   I also told him he had to text me before he leaves to come home after football practice.  I am still adjusting to this convenience of having another driver.  He did not take Big T to school though, I do not think he is ready for that responsibility and neither am I.  I am sure once the hubbs and I are both working there may be a time when he will have to drive him to school but for right now he does not.  It is going to be another interesting week here at our house, so stay tuned and hang on.  

Appliance Break Down. . .

Sunday morning trying to get ready for Church, I noticed our refrigerator temperature acting odd.  My freezer temperature was going up and so was the refrigerator temperature.   My Sunday mornings are crazy since I am trying to get two teenagers moving for Sunday school plus trying to get myself ready.   I now know my plans for after Church, start fixing food that is thawing in my freezer and then go find a new fridge.  

The hubbs and I went fridge shopping and each one we looked at and liked they did not have in stock.  It was going to take seven to ten days to get it in stock.  We ended up buying a floor model but, the good news is we got a nice fridge at a nice discount.  We should get it sometime today, so for now I have three coolers siting in my kitchen with ice and what is left of my refrigerated items.  Luckily we have a big freezer in our basement so my freezer stuff went there.  

The good news is I got rid of a whole lot of stuff I should have thrown out a long time ago.  Funny how things work out.   Maybe I can keep this fridge clean and neat.  Bahahahahahah!!!!  

We did not get the fridge with the TV or the one with the cameras, I am not that tech savvy or tech needy.  Technology changes so fast and obviously refrigerators do not last like they used to.   

Stay tuned to this roller coaster we are on. . . 

 

Technology and the Media. . .

Some days I think, have we really come as far as we think we have with regard to technology.  There are many days that I feel we would be better served without all of our technology that we seem to depend on so much.  With the influx of all of our "fabulous" technology we have opened our homes and our children up to predators of all kinds.  Bullying used to be only at school, now it follows our children home on their cell phones and computers thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
I know I am a dinosaur and you, like my kids, probably think I grew up in the dark ages but I think I grew up in the best time.   Our news was on only two times per day for an hour maybe two at a time.  I am not saying we do not need to be informed of what is going on but, not everything is news worthy.  Some days I think they are just trying to fill their 15 hours for their news slot.  Let's take the weather, my hubby calls these folks "weather weenies," please do not get me wrong I know we need to know when we have severe weather approaching and I am very thankful when they alert us.  Let's be honest, you have seen it too, when the weather person is almost giddy while talking about a tornado or a snow storm approaching.
I also grew up watching "Andy Griffith" and "I Love Lucy."  I like Facebook just like everyone else but I am shocked most days at the things I see on there.  I use it to keep in touch with my family and friends that do not live near me.  With all the things going on in our Country this last few weeks I have seen some very nasty and negative things posted.  This is where I think the news media use social media to stir up trouble.  They post things in the guise of news in the hopes to create trouble.  It works, you can look at any "news" (I use this term very loosely) post on Facebook and look at the comments to see people attacking each other.   They are just like teenage girls waiting to see how many comments they can get from that post.  What ever happened to unbiased news coverage?  I do not think I have seen an unbiased anything from the news media in decades.  

Technology Etiquette. . .

I was reading an article from Dave Ramsey about technology and it brought up an interesting fact.  Americans check their phones more than 150 times a day.  This reminded me of an observation I made while out to eat one evening with my family.   I looked around  and  more than half of the people sitting around us had their heads down tapping away on their phones.   This is where my etiquette issues come in to play.  I think it is rude to those you are eating with to have your head buried in your phone rather than being with those that are right in front of you.  I do not think these folks are being rude intentionally,  they just do not realize how it appears.   We are so tuned in to our devices that we do not even think, it is an automatic response to the sound of the ping or bubble.  I am guilty of it too, but I am trying to do better for my family's sake.   Sprat does not even carry his phone much anymore and of course Big T does not have one.  The hubbs and I are the ones in our house that need to tone down the tech time.  We never get on our phones at the table, unless of course I am trying to take a picture.  These days I have to snap them where I can and many times it is when they are pined in at a table while we are out to eat.  I know sometimes it is unavoidable, especially when you may have a loved one sick or trying to keep touch with a loved one out of town.   

I just wonder what Dear Abby or Mrs. Manners would say to the lack of face to face contact that we have today?  I saw a commercial the other day talking about "dead time" or "dead zone" meaning no cell phones or tablets during family/dinner time.  Do we really have to have that to remind us of what is important?  

Sometimes I wonder, has all of this technology really made our lives better or has it just made our work day longer?  I know my hubby does some of his paper work at home after work just to stay caught up.  He has a company laptop, ipad, and cell phone that makes his work "easier" and enables 

him to do much of his paper work long after the "work day" is over.  

"Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backward."  Aldous Huxley.  Here is another quote for today:  "Even the technology that promises to unite us, divides us.  Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone." Dan Brown, Angels and Demons.

Always Learning. . .

I am always learning something new.  I read all the time; magazines, blogs, books, news feeds, tech websites, even Facebook.  I have found I am always learning something new, especially when it comes to the ever changing world of technology.   My classes have finally finished up for this semester but my education never ends.   Technology is ever changing and we, as consumers of technology, need to stay up to date so we can stay ahead of the bad guys.  

One very simple thing to remember is, if you are shopping and you are going to be entering your credit card information, look for the https:// in your browser window before the web address.  If the https:// is not there you are not on a secure site and your credit card information is not safe.    

Here is another gem I would like to pass along to you.  If you work for a company that supplies you with a computer, phone, or other mobile device you should know that company is well within their rights to know every website you visit and they may even read your emails.   I would also wager they have gps on them so they know where they are at all times.  You may say that is an invasion of privacy and it may very well be but, the company has every right to protect their investment and their proprietary information.   

Shopping Online. . .

On this Techno Tuesday I am going to talk about shopping online and share some cool sites for tech research and shopping.
All of the sites I share with you are sites that have been shared with me by my instructors and or are sites I frequent myself.  What I am trying to say is that they are safe to shop and use as research tools.  I am not getting any kickbacks from any of these sites. 
The first one is called NewEgg.com, this site sells all sorts of tech equipment, computer parts, and whole computers.  It is good to research parts for your computer and compare prices from other places. 
Download.com is another neat site.  They offer all sorts of downloads, some are free and some come with a fee.  They offer a lot of open source software for free. 

Some of these I may have posted before but they are worth posting again.  digikam.org is an open source program that helps keep your photos organized.  I have not used this one but one of my instructors swears by it.  This one is on my list to try because I have so many pictures and need to get them put in some sort of order.

I have not linked these sites in my post but, all you need to do is type them in your browser.   This is another shopping site, tigerdirect.com.  This site has everything from computer and tech equipment to office supplies. 

Tech Gifts for 2014 that Will Not Break the Bank

Here are some of the top tech gifts to 2014 that will not break the bank.  There were some on the list that could break the bank but I am not listing those.

Roku 3 best overall steaming tech from Amazon.com $77.99.  It steams Netfix, hulu plus, HBO Go, Showtime anytime, and Amazon instant.

Apple offers Apple TV also a streaming device.  Walmart.com $89.00  Apple is coming out with a new version of this so Cnet says wait if you are thinking about this purchase.  The newer version should be out within a few months.

Kindle 2014 has an entry level Kindle with a touch screen for $59.00 at Amazon.com

Amazon Fire HD 6 $99.00 at Amazon.com

Samsung SL-M2020W an inexpensive compact laser printer.  $79.99 Amazon.com

Seagate Backup plus Slim  $69.90 Amazon.com
2 TB back up for your computer   2TB =2,000GB lots of storage for a modest price.
This would be great to back up those pictures we have been talking about.

My Charge  offers Energy Shot
The Energy shot is a small inexpensive charge for your phone  $20-$30

Logitech K480  Bluetooth Keyboard  $55.44 Amazon.com
This keyboard can toggle between any three devices:  Android, iOS, Windows.  It has a slot to hold a phone and tablet.

I found these and the information about them on www.cnet.com/holiday-gift-guide/under-50
a very reliable source for tech information.
I think my favorite of these would be the Roku 3.  I have been debating this option for a while and I think this one is the best option for us.  Still looking around though but I like what I found in this article.
I hope you have enjoyed my posts.  I will be taking the rest of the week off to be with my family.  I will post again on Monday.  Please check back and let me know what you think of my new set up.
Merry Christmas and here is to a fabulous New Year for us all.

Fall Break. . . For Me

I have been of Fall break this week.  I have still been working though, Mothers never get a true break.  Sprat had to go to the doctor yesterday, he has a sinus infection.  Ughhhh!!!  Today since I have had a few hours to my self I have been trying to clean my computer up.  This is my monster desktop that we have had since 2006.  It has not been turned on since 2012, because it was having such issues.
Today I decided I would put what I have learned to good use.  I laid out my static mat and set my tower on it, I put on my static bracelet and began vacuuming the outside of the case.  I then laid the case down and took off the side panel, and wow mama, there was a lot of dust in there.  It is any wonder how this thing has not caught fire before now.  I had BIG dust bunnies in this case.  You would not think that a computer could accumulate such dust.  EEEEEkkkkk!
Everything in the case looked good, no blown up capacitors like I have seen in other computers I worked on at school. I vacuumed the inside of the case gently.  Once I was satisfied with the cleaning I closed it back up.   I powered the old girl up and she started right up.  No smoke, no fire.
I began with a basic virus scan since I had not had updated virus protection on it for a while now.  I had one threat and I got rid of that.  Then I did a malware scan too.  Not all virus protection will scan or catch malware so it is good to have both on your system.  Clean scan there too.  I was surprised.  I decided to do a system defragmenting program too.  The newer systems that have solid state drives do not require defragmenting.  My system is older and has a platter type hard drive (HDD).   I must say that was a mess.  It needed defragmenting badly.
Now that I am sure I don't have any viruses or malware on my system I am going to pull my many, many, many picture files off the hard drive.  I bought an external hard drive to back up my pictures almost a year ago.  I am in the process of doing that now.  So far so good.  I highly recommend if you have a lot of pictures on your system that you back them up periodically.  If something happens to that hard drive it is hard to get those pictures back.   If you are like me, once everything went digital, I stopped printing pictures.  My kids whole life was on this system and that is why I am so excited about retrieving those pictures.  These are pictures I have not even looked at for over a year.  
I feel like I have actually accomplished something today.  yayyy me!!!

Technology deprived kids. . .

My kids would have you believe they are deprived of many things that their friends have and get to do.  They firmly believe they are technology deprived.  My 13 year old believes he should have a lap top, cell phone, and a TV in their room.   My 10 year old would just like a lap top.  They both have access to our computer that is in the den.  Sprat did get a lap top for Christmas this past year and he uses it for school work as well his entertainment.   I still do not believe any child needs a cell phone.  I don't let my kids talk on our home phone why would I give them a phone to carry around with them.  I know I am the mean mommy, I wear that crown proudly.  Sprat is in middle school and I know at some point I will have to break down and get him a cell phone but I am going to try and keep from doing it until he is in high school.  There are some kids that are in the second grade that have cell phones.  Please tell me why a second grader needs a cell phone?  They are either at school, where they have access to a phone if needed or are with their parents or child care provider.  I know most of my kids friends and my friends kids  all have cell phones and have had them for a while.  I still don't see the point.  My kids are not on Facebook either.   I have seen where kids are being bullied on Facebook and by kids texting ugly things to them and about them.   You can say don't give your number out to people you do not know but kids tell other kids everything so inevitably that number will wind up in the wrong hands.   I have seen where young girls that are in high school are posting pictures of themselves drunk or they are talking about how drunk they got over the weekend.  I hate to inform them but, employers look prospective employees up to see if they have a Facebook and to see what they have on their Facebook.  I would also wager a guess that colleges also look at these things too.  They may not advertise that they look, but I know they do, especially if you are applying for scholarships.   This is just my opinion and I know some of you may think I am living in the dark ages.  I grew up with out a cell phone, lap top, and brand new top of the line car and I survived.    This is for another post but, my kids will not be getting brand new cars when they turn 16 either.  They will be lucky if they get to use the truck.

School and Sylvan

School is still a struggle even though Thomas seems to be doing well at Sylvan.  Not sure what is going on there.   Thomas is in third grade and they are learning measurements using standard inches, feet, and yards plus they are having to learn the metric system of measurement.   They did all that in one week.  This week they are working on volume.  Using the standard gallons, pints, cups vs. metric; liters and milliliters.  Does anyone else think this is a little fast?  Or is it just me?  I would love to know your thoughts on this.  You may post anonymously and that is fine with me.  I would just love some feed back on the subject.  I do not remember Jack doing these in the third grade.  I was told today that the EOG could be given on the computer as early as two years.  Thomas is not doing well on the computer bench mark tests now and they are going to give them a test that they put so much emphasis on, on the computer.  I do not like this push of technology on these kids.  Sometimes we depend too much on technology.  I would love to know your thoughts on this one too.

Leaping into the 21st Century. . . at a snails pace

Yes, I have stepped into the 21st century as far as technology is concerned.  Of course, it has leaped ahead of me yet again as soon as I made my pruchase.  I mentioned in an earlier post I had been substitue teaching and learning a great deal about technology from the youth of today.   I learned first that my kids are deprived when it comes to technology.   Most of the kids in Middle School have cell phones, email accounts, facebook pages, and home computers.  They are all quite savy surfing the net too.  My kids have none of this.  I busted two kids with cell phones in one of the classes I was teaching.  I did not take their phones but I did tell them I would be leaving a note for their teacher.  I found out later I was supposed to take their phone and turn it over to the office.  When I caught them with their phones the conversation came up as to what type of phone I had.  I hated to tell them that I had only within the last two years gotten one with a camera.  They had a big laugh about that one.  Their phones all had the latest technology; email, camera, text, even GPS.  Now I ask you, what does a Middle Schooler need a GPS for?  What does a Middle Schooler need a phone for at school?  I went through middle, high school and even college with out a cell phone or even a computer and I turned out ok.  Well, that is subjective I know.    The phone I recently purchased does have all the gadgets and some I don't even know how to operate.  I guess I should let Jack look at it and maybe he could teach me how to use it.  My husband still refuses to text or any of that stuff.   His co-workers all text but he refuses.  He will read what you send but do not expect a reply.  He says that all this texting stuff is making the spoken word and the written(hand) word obsolete.  I agree with him in some respects.  I have seen two tween girls texting each other while sitting right beside each other.  Now that to me is odd.  This also brings up a good question about our social skills.  Are our social skills already at risk?  Think about when you shop; does the cahier make eye contact, do they smile and say thank you?   Has all this technology really helped us that much?   I stepped in just recently with my  cell phone.  I do  text sometimes.  I text my niece's just to let them know I am thinking about them and to check on them from time to time.  I do, however, text in full sentences.  I do not shorten things to only letters.  I guess I am that old dog you can't teach new tricks.