Posts Tagged ‘Technology’

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My New Toy

July 22, 2010

Betsy got a laptop (MacBook) for her birthday last year, and really likes it.    We got a Mi-Fi (Verizon wireless station) at the same time, so Betsy can use her laptop just about any place we can get a wireless signal.  She especially likes using her laptop while I’m driving — she’s been able to do a good job of keeping up with emails and blogs while we’ve traveled.

I’ve had an iPod Touch which has wireless capabilities for a little over a year, but since it’s about the size of a cellphone, my fat fingers have had trouble using the keyboard and navigating the web.  I couldn’t keep up with Betsy and her laptop no matter how hard I tried.

About a month ago I got a new toy — an iPad.  It’s got a good size — about 9.5 inches x 7.5 inches.  It is very light-weight and easy to carry around it is also wireless, so I can use it anyplace Betsy can use her laptop.  I’ll admit it’s nice to be able to take it out on the deck and go through my emails and surf the web.

The interface is a touch screen and is very easy to use.  I can have multiple windows open in the browser and can easily switch between them.  The keyboard in the landscape mode is fairly large and is a standard QWERTY layout.  I haven’t had any problems with it.  About the only problem I’ve had is getting Betsy to drive so I can use it while we’re on the road.

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One thing the iPad can’t do is add more hours to the day.  I’m going to Hendersonville this morning to see my parents and won’t be back until early evening.  So I’ll be behind on my visiting and commenting for a couple of days.  Don’t give up on me — I’ll catch up as soon as I can.

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Posted in Technology | 18 Comments »

What is RAW Format?

February 20, 2010

Little River Falls, Fort Payne, Alabama. February 14, 2010.

I’ve mentioned, in connection with my new camera, that I’m experimenting with RAW format images.  Several people have asked me about RAW, so I thought I would share what little I know about it.

Until I got this new camera (a Canon EOS Rebel T1i) my digital cameras saved images as JPEG files (some digital cameras use TIFF format).  In order to get the JPEG file the camera converts the light striking the sensor in the camera to something that we can see.  JPEG files typically are made up of 8 bits of data per color per pixel.  But the sensor can provide 14 or more bits of data per color per pixel.  We can see the JPEG image, but the conversion uses only part of the recorded data.

I know I’m showing my age, but think of the days when cameras used film.  A JPEG file is like a print or a slide — we can see the image.  A RAW file contains all the data the camera can provide (those 14 bits per color per pixel) but it is like undeveloped film — we can’t see the image until some processing is done.  In working with RAW format I have to do the work that the camera does with JPEG.

So what have I learned after a week of experimenting?  The most obvious thing is that RAW files are much bigger than JPEG files (about four times bigger in my case).  Another thing is that to take full advantage of RAW data, special software is needed (Canon included software with the camera).  On the other hand, since all of the sensor data is present, images can be ‘fixed’ in ways that might not be possible otherwise.  It is even possible to change some of the picture settings after the picture has been taken (it looks better with landscape settings than with standard settings).

Right now I’m not sure how much I will use RAW.  I’m cheating right now and am saving images as both RAW and JPEG files.  The card in the camera is big enough that I can take several hundred pictures before I have to download to my computer, so I’ll probably continue to do that while I learn more about the things I can do with the RAW format.

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Posted in Technology | 16 Comments »

Stupid Camera

October 16, 2009
Cheoah Dam and Lake, Tennessee. October 13, 2009.

Cheoah Dam and Lake, Tennessee. October 13, 2009.

Betsy and I were home for about 12 hours Thursday evening and early this (Friday) morning.  That gave us just enough time to repack for Ray’s memorial service and to do a quick post to let you know we survived the first of our quick trips.  By the time you read this we will be on the road to Jacksonville, Florida.

As you know, we went to Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia to see what the waterfalls looked like when water was released from the dam above the gorge.  We hiked a new trail (for us) and the views were wonderful.  There was a light rain most of the day, but that didn’t stop us from our quest to enjoy the waterfalls.

Unfortunately about half way through our hike my camera decided to start acting up.  For the rest of the hike I could only take wide-angle shots if I could get any at all.  That was definitely a bummer, but as Betsy said, that just gives us another excuse to go back.

Now that Betsy has her laptop, I’m hoping Santa will bring me a new camera.  I’ve been wanting one with interchangeable lenses so I could get closer to waterfalls we can’t reach on foot.  I would also like to be able to get macros of our flowers.

I know many of you are great photographers.  I would appreciate any advice you may be able to give me regarding a camera that will fit my needs.  Thanks.

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Posted in Travels | 15 Comments »

Keeping Up With the Kids

September 19, 2009

4-DIRECTV_HDDVR_Pro_receiver

Yesterday was a  big day for Betsy and me.  We finally caught up with a couple of the kids as far as technology is concerned.

When we visited Betsy’s son Mark and family in Texas earlier this year, we were very impressed with their DVR.  Not only could they record television  shows to view later, they could pause a show to answer the phone and then catch up (skipping over the commercials in the process), and do all kinds of other neat things.

As I said, we were impressed, but we decided we really didn’t need it.  However the subject of a DVR kept popping every once in a while.  We kept missing a favorite show when we went Hendersonville to see my parents, and then two of our favorite shows from last season were scheduled against each other this season.  So we decided that perhaps we could use a DVR after all.

We’ve had DirecTV for several years now and Betsy was able to get us a ‘deal’ by contacting them.  The technician came out yesterday and installed our DVR.  The only thing I wonder about now is if Betsy will want to get a TV as large as Mark’s?

Now that I think of it, we’re  not doing too badly on the technology front for a couple of senior citizens.  We each have our iMac, and when Betsy got her laptop we converted to a wireless network in the house.  And I do have an iPod Touch which is pretty neat technology.

As I said, I think we do a pretty good job of keeping up with the kids.  But now that I think of it, my son does have an iPhone . . .

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Posted in Technology | 13 Comments »

Meeting Old Friends For The First Time

June 13, 2009
Leedra, Betsy and Shelley. Cleveland, Tennessee. June 12, 2009.

Leedra, Betsy and Shelley. Cleveland, Tennessee. June 12, 2009.

Yesterday was a very special day for Betsy and me.  We got to meet a couple of our blogging buddies in person!

The picture above shows Betsy with Leedra (left) of Leedra’s Photos For Fun and Shelley of Building A Log Cabin.  We all have been visiting each other’s blog for many months.  Leedra lives here in Tennessee not too far from us, but Shelley lives in Michigan.  Shelley and her husband Greg came down to Chattanooga on business, so a get-together was arranged.  We all met in Cleveland, Tennessee, for brunch.

As soon as we met it was like a gathering of old friends.  We talked, and talked and talked.  I’m sure we ate somewhere along the line, but it was the fellowship that was  most important.

We’re hoping that Shelley and Greg will soon get back to Tennessee when they can stay longer.  Betsy and I are hoping that we can soon get up to Michigan as well.  Shelley and Greg have a beautiful log cabin in northern Michigan and Betsy and I know that there are some beautiful waterfalls up there.

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Posted in American Life | 10 Comments »

We’re Helping the Economy

February 21, 2009
Our new computers. February 20, 2009.

Our new computers. February 20, 2009.

Betsy and I have been doing our part to help the economy.  So if things don’t improve soon, it won’t be because we haven’t been trying.

Yesterday we had to take our Prius into the dealership for her 120,000 mile service.  Let me just say that the service required was fairly major and I’m sure we helped contribute to the paychecks of at least a couple of mechanics.

We then headed over to the Apple store and made a MAJOR contribution to the economy.  We’ve been discussing new computers for over a year now, and we finally decided to take the plunge.  We like our Macintoshes and so we stayed with them.

Now all we have to do is transfer our files from the old computers to the new computers.  Hopefully much of that will be done overnight.  But if you don’t hear from us for a day or two, you know we’ve encountered a problem.

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Posted in Technology | 25 Comments »

Mission Accomplished

January 3, 2009
Some of the vinyl records I've converted.

Some of the vinyl records I've converted.

During the 2005 Holiday Season I started to convert some of my vinyl  Christmas albums to digital format.  By that time we were listening mostly to CDs and I thought it would be nice to listen to that Christmas music in the car or on my iPod.  Besides, some of the records had had a hard life and were getting pretty scratched up.

Since I have a Mac, it was a simple manner to connect the turntable and amplifier to my computer.  I got a program, Sound Studio, to allow me to edit the sound files and I was in business.  In addition to creating the sound files, Sound Studio allows me edit the files and remove many of the skips and scratches.

When I started this project I didn’t realize how long it would take.  While I was still working I didn’t have a great deal  of time, but even after retiring I still had plenty of things to do in addition to my conversion project.  I worked on Christmas music when I had the time for about six months out of the year.

I must admit that there were times when I thought I would never get done, but Thursday evening I finished converting the last of my records.  I’ve converted a total of 55 records to CDs.

I feel like I’ve earned myself a rest, but we have many more records that need to converted.  What should I work on next — Henry Mancini, Glenn Miller or Arthur Fiedler?

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Posted in Technology | 19 Comments »

Bushwhacking to Find Waterfalls

December 9, 2008
George bushwhacking in the Ozark National Forest, Arkansas. December 2, 2008.

George bushwhacking in the Ozark National Forest, Arkansas. December 2, 2008.

As most of you know, Betsy and I ‘collect’ waterfalls.  We’ve visited 287 different waterfalls and cascades since 2001.  (Our first ‘big’ date was to Fall Creek Falls State Park where we saw five waterfalls.)

Most of the waterfalls we’ve visited have been reached by maintained hiking trails or by roadside overlooks.  But we are aware of many more waterfalls that require bushwhacking — something like ‘leave the trail when it makes a sharp left and head straight down the hill’.  We’ve been reluctant to follow such directions.

But most of the waterfalls listed online or in the books we own now have GPS coordinates.  And since we think so highly of the GPS receiver we have for the car, we decided to get a hiking GPS unit to help us find those elusive waterfalls.

While we were in Arkansas last week we identified three waterfalls that involved some bushwhacking and set out to visit them.  We knew we wouldn’t find much water, but if we found the waterfalls we could go back at a time when there was more water.

The first thing we did at each site was mark the location of the car so we could find our way back.  We then followed the GPS and found the waterfall in all three instances.  Perhaps we’ll be able to add to our collection!

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Posted in Waterfalls | 7 Comments »

You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down (or Off-line!)

November 23, 2008

extensioncords

Yesterday I got a demonstration of how creative my bride can be.

Friday night, about the time we were thinking about going to bed, we suddenly lost all power in our computer room.  At first we thought we had lost all power, but we then realized that electrical appliances in other rooms were working, so we knew that something else was wrong.  I went out to the garage and checked the electrical panel and discovered that the circuit breaker for the computer room was off.  I turned it back on and it promptly went off again.  Definitely not good!

We then unplugged everything and I tried the circuit breaker again — no luck, it kept tripping off.  We finally gave up and went to bed, although I wondered how we would get by with no computers in the morning.  (We haven’t yet joined the laptop – wireless crowd, but this may cause us to do so!)

Yesterday (Saturday) morning Betsy got up at her usual early hour to put out her bird feed.  Since I’m such a nice guy I asked her if she wanted some help, but she said ‘No’.  I dozed off and on for a while, wondering why Betsy didn’t come back to bed.  My curiosity finally got the better of me and I got up to be greeted by a surprise — my bride had gathered up just about every extension cord we owned and strung them across the house.  The living room looked a little strange, but the computers worked.

The electrician will be here Monday and hopefully find and fix the problem.  But in the meantime we’re online, thanks to my creative bride.

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Posted in Betsy | 2 Comments »

Bumping The Limits of Technology

September 21, 2008
My Apple iMac.

My Apple iMac.

I really do love my iMac and most Apple software.  I’ve been a Mac user for almost 20 years and I have to be dragged kicking and screaming to use a PC.

I’ve had this Mac for about six years now.  Most of the time I have no problems, but lately I’ve been having a problem with Apple’s iWeb application.

When I started writing this blog in January, 2007, I was using iWeb for the blog itself and also for my photo pages.  Things went very well until April of this year when iWeb suddenly stopped publishing my blog.  After several days of experimentation I discovered that by deleting entries from my blog archive I could resume writing and publishing.

Things went well until mid-July, when once again iWeb quit publishing my blog.  That time I moved my blog to this site, removed the blog archives from the old site, and continued to use iWeb to publish photo pages to my old site.

Earlier this week iWeb stopped publishing again.  Further investigation showed that I’ve bumped up against the limits of memory (RAM) in my computer.  Betsy and I were going to get new computers this spring, but we changed our mind.  Perhaps that wasn’t such a good idea.

I’ve ordered some more RAM memory for my computer to get me through until Tennessee’s next tax-free weekend.  When the memory arrives I’ll have to perform surgery on my computer.  I’ll keep you posted!

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Posted in Technology | Leave a Comment »

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