Riding a Tablet for a Buck and a Half By Akosua K. Albritton
Call me a techno fool but I got pulled into the commercials and magazine ads
when it came to the tablets. For years, I kept a tablet on my wish list
but never went into a big box like Best Buy to get the skinny on my options.
It seemed iPad Air (about $500) and iPad Mini (about $400) were pulling the
consumer strings but I wasn't forking over the "four or five bucks"
to own a piece of heaven. I guess the ostrich in me stuck her head and neck
deep deep into Terra Firma. To cement my misconceptions, my experience
with a Kindle had me wanting my tried and true desktop. Yeah, the big
screens on the desktop have me hooked. I don't want to squint and love
the dependability of the keyboard. The Kindle I handled gave me Internet
access but the screen narrowed my Facebook experience.
Then, I saw the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 priced at about $380; Microsoft
Surface Pro at $900; and the LG G Pad (talk about comeuppance with Apple) at
$320. Still the tablet stayed on the wish list because different tablets
had differing functions. I want one that let's me work on the fly but I
wasn't doing my old tech journalist research to uncover it.
Quite recently, I came upon a man named Jermaine Jones sitting at a corner
table of a large cafeteria. It looked like he was set up to watch DVDs
but once in front of his table, before me was an array of compact tech
gadgets. There was an ASUS 16G Tablet. He purchased it at a Walgreen's
for $150 (Hey, isn't Walgreens a pharmacy?). There was a cookie-shaped
CLEAR Voyager Mobile 4G Wi-Fi. Jermaine explained that since CLEAR had
been bought out, the device was no longer on the market and now, consumers had to
buy mobile Internet access by the gigabyte. I couldn't conceive of how the average web
surfer could estimate his Wi-Fi needs in lots of gigabytes. This cherished piece gave him
24-hour mobile access to the Internet using the monthly contract price
structure. He paid $50 for the cookie-shaped CLEAR Voyager Wi-Fi and $50
a month for the service. The third piece on his table was an It wireless
bluetooth portable speaker which can be used with cellphones, tablets, and MP3
players. He paid $30 for it. All items used an USB charger.
He had dozens of apps on the ASUS tablet that he downloaded from Google Play.
All apps were free. He had a GMail account which meant he had
access to Google's cloud apps such as Calendar, Wallet, Docs, and Translator.
This Walgreen buy had two-way camera shots.
His ease of explaining the gadgets and the apps had me ask Mr. Jones the type
of work he did. He said he was into security and open to other
suggestions. I asked him had he thought about working at an electronics
store. It was obvious that he liked technology and knew how to scour for
great and practical tech deals. No, Mr. Jones hadn't thought about it
before. Sometimes....we need a third party to point out a few of our
strengths.
After hearing about the NTIA's decision to place folks who requested converter box coupons after January 4, 2009 on a waiting list, NY Councilwoman Gale Brewer got concerned. The finally act that put Brewer in motion was distributing the coupons on a first-come-first-served basis. This act puts too many people at risk of not receiving coupons. This would be a hardship to many low income New Yorkers or any low income American. So Councilwoman Brewer wrote a letter to NTIA requesting that they rethink the process.
The coupon distribution has been a bit of a mess. I experienced a smooth process. I made the request online, mid-September 2008; received my two coupons shortly thereafter; and had a three-month period to use them before they expired. I think the expiration date ought to be based on the date of release by NTIA instead of when I made the order, though.
For folks caught up in the 'after January 4, 2009' controversy, I sympathize. Prior to that date, all who called or went online to apply were supposed to get the coupons. True, there's a funding cap to any discount program but this one hasn't been reached.
The cap hasn't been reached due to the glitches in the process. For example, a colleague recounted how he received his coupon a week or two before it expired and is one of those people who is on the waiting list. This means he represents many people who never used the coupons to purchase the converter box. Never used means unspent money. NTIA would do well to account for what's been issued and redeemed to know how much money is available.
For at least three years, New York City's publicly funded child care providers have been on pins and needles about their existence. They're accused of not collecting parent fees, being under-enrolled and/or not hiring certified teachers quickly. Let's face it, if you were certified by the NYS Education Department, would you prefer being compensated the 40 odd thousand dollars running a public school classroom or $20 - $30,000 a nonprofit childcare center can afford? If you loved the work environment and the great one-on-one with parents, you'd do what many existing childcare center employees do: stay there and enroll in college. It takes four years to get a baccalaureate and two more for a graduate degree. True, recruiting retired teachers is another solution.
If it's true centers aren't collecting the parent fee, enforce the reality that the uncollected parent fee is their lost operating budget. If a center's budget is, for example, $100,000 and $25,000 is in parent fees, then to cover annual costs that money needs to be collected.
What's disturbing in this electronic age is under-enrollment. Enrollment is based on families being certified eligible for public childcare and the public being aware that publicly-funded childcare--home-based and center-based--is available throughout NYC. Certification involves different forms being completed by parents or guardians accompanied by certain documents. The material is sent to the Resource Areas for processing. Childcare providers and families say that the Resource Areas take several weeks--sometimes months--to recertify families. In the meantime, families' previous certification expires; then, they can't afford the market fee and the center can't afford to serve the family without payment. Enrollment drops because time lapsed in families' recertification.
Administrtion for Children's Services (ACS) instituted an online 'recert' process that permits centers to do the work online and transmit the application electronically. The hitch is application review is still performed by the Resource Area staff; therefore, weeks pass before a decision is made.
Maybe ACS needs to sidle up to DoITT to devise the means to connect recertification and new applications with various online, backdoor databases. This means as a family or childcare provider inputs the data into the system, it's being compared with Department of Labor, Social Security Administration and/or Human Resource Administration data on the same family. In nanoseconds an 'approve,' 'disapprove,' or 'more information needed' message would appear. Isn't this what the Department of Labor does to process unemployment benefit applications? Why should New York's children and families not get the same benefit of accurate, electronic processing?
The other factor in under-enrollment, public awareness, can be resolved through public service announcements through traditional and social media. Why doesn't New York City have PSAs on satellite radio, Internet radio, WNYE, WNYC, the daily papers and Web sites catering to moms? Transit advertising during the summer would work wonders.
Hmmm, Let me contact ACS and DoITT for their thoughts.
Thomas Ross is a IT pro who's mad with his fellow security professionals. He thinks there's too much not explained to consumers so people have to rely on PC techs for every small and big issue.
I contacted him through a friend (Clairesa Clay) because my PC ran slow, the keyboard or mouse didn't respond or the machine wouldn't stay on. It took me a month to finally follow his suggestion "to call me when you have time and seated in front of your PC." Meantime I had gone to a PC tech shop that had held my PC for 5 days. I had to walk into the shop, instead of call, with my shopping cart to hear them say, "Oh, you're PC isfixed." My PC issues originated from email viruses and maybe, downloading free spyware, adware and anti-virus software. He reactivated my firewall and went behind the scenes to ensure my web history was never saved. I told him about the XOFT spyware and demonstrated it to him. The software ran through my system and found files that watched my every move. The files came from one company whose name I can't remember. Thomas says, "This is what I mean. You downloaded this free detection utility. It spots all these files but you can't delete them without paying for the utility." The point being the detection software had my PC compromised by being installed and even though the download and detection processes were free, ridding the pesky files would cost me. Why not just tell me up front?
The other gem of information was why you need to purchase the latest version of anti-virus software and not just renew when the term expires. Thomas Ross says, "They're two key components of detection: the virus definitions and the scan engine. Virus are written, detected and deactivated frequently. The scan engine has to be current to read and act on the virus definitions.
He also said it's possible that when Windows Service Pack 3 was installed, the service pack disrupted MS Outlook's usefulness. These are my words. He said something more like "broke Outlook." Imagine, in solving a host of issues, another problem develops. Why am I so loyal to Microsoft? I guess I'm a bleating lamb.
Last pearls from Thomas Ross: computer viruses don't come simply by surfing the 'Net. They come from the pass-along email that went through an infected PC or the attachment has .exe file designed to contaminate PCs but everyone thought the words and scenes were so motivational that "You gotta see it!" Viruses come from visiting an unknown site or a "dangerous site" that has statements like "We can do everything the paid version does but for FREE."
If an associate says she can't open an attachment or the email screen is blank, what probably occurred is the detection utility spotted the bug. These user results are attempts to keep the bug out of the system until it can't clean up the bug or do nothing. This is like quarantine to heal or quarantine to rid.
We have to accept that the only great free things in this world are water, air, sunlight, gravity, grass and other vegetation. Depending where you are mountains, valleys, beaches and rivers are free, too. Anything man-made usually has a price tag. Pay the money for your computer utilities and your computer--Mac, Linux, Windows, Sun etc--will work maximally.
The spoken word still carries weight and reading the lips that speak the words still closes a deal. Whether the subject is business, a social cause or soul inspiration, having your say, by podcasting, is as easy as 1-2-3-4-5 and very affordable. “Podcasting is distributing an audio file or video over the Internet from a blog, Web site or social media like MySpace or Facebook,” explains Andreas Jackson (www.andreasjackson.com), content producer and Hip Hop culture worker. The podcasts are downloaded from a site or received from a web feed. Web feeds send short notices about updates to your blog to those who subscribe to it. Feeds don’t require divulging an email address and you don’t have wait for people to visit your blog. Don’t let the pod in podcasting fool you, people listen or view the content from a MP3 player, iPod or computer media player.
Jackson held a podcasting workshop at the Third World Newsreel, November 18, 2008. He came with equipment and online resources. The quick and affordable platforms for podcasting are blogs or social media because there are no monthly or annual fees to keep one. RSS and Atom are the common choices for web feeds. To capture your content, a digital camera and portable digital audio recorder are required. To ensure vocal quality, attach a microphone and earphones to the recorder. The digital audio recorder may save using MP3 files or wave files. MP3 produces a richer fuller sound but take up much space whereas; wave files (.wav) are highly compressed yet bring an acceptable listening experience. Broadcast quality recorder sell for a $120 and lower; slim digital cameras with 8.1 pixel range from $120 to $200.
The next step is editing the audio file. Editing choices include open source Audacity, Sony Creative Sound Forge and Windows Wave. Audacity is the free editing software. An audio file may be edited for length, inappropriate language, dead air, coughing or other unwanted sounds. Where background music or another file is desired, then a mixer is used. There is mixer software that replicates four decks and sound controls on the PC monitor and actual tabletop equipment from which to choose. Jackson uses Tractor software and an external soundcard. A tabletop mixer prices range from $180 to $270.
Besides placing your podcast on your blog, you can also upload it to You Tube, BLIP.tv or Brightcove. These portals automatically convert to flash for great viewing.
Venture capitalists talked about smart money moves during this financial restructuring period at CresaPartners, October 29, 2008. Around the table were Joseph Killackey of NewSpring Capital and Lindzen Capital Partners’ Kristian Hansen, both invest in digital media and technology companies. Why listen to technology VCs, given they were involved in the dot-com bust of the 90’s? Listen because they are wiser from the incident.
Kristian Hansen believes digital media is one area that will fair well. “The economy is getting worse but this is the cheapest period to buy business equipment, says Hansen. “PCs are cheap; essential online backend services are free. Much product development and business strategy can be derived from crowd sourcing. An entrepreneur can start a company with $100,000—maybe $40,000.” Technology VCs will study the business plan to determine whether it’s a good investment.
It’s important to view the economy in terms of creative destruction. iBreakfast founder and event sponsor Alan Brody sees this as a time of great opportunity. Creative destruction is taking advantage of property loss to use it for a more innovative use. For example Ryan Air, a European concern, is buying airplane fleets and specializing in flights to countries known for quality yet, inexpensive medical or therapeutic treatment.”
All around the table agreed “bailing out people who’ve been making mistakes for forty years had to stop.” Joseph Killackey desired more thoughtful investing. “Entrepreneurs and VCs need to stop chasing ‘stupid deals’—enterprises satisfying passing wants—and identify business that meets people’s real needs. What people currently purchase ‘on the margin’ or on credit cards are good indicators.” Killackey believes capitalists and consumers need strong leadership at this time.” Alan Brody gave a thumb up to Barack Obama’s choice of Warren Buffet and Robin Ruben as his chief financial advisors.
Translating this talk for application by average working people includes reducing frivolous spending. Work together and pool funds the way venture capitalist do. More foreclosures and property seizures will result in auctions and odd-lot sales to recirculate the items back into the economy; i.e., $700,000-homes are available at a fraction of original sale price. Though credit will be tight through March 2009, hand-held device and laptop prices will fall.
The exhibitors at technology expos are as fascinating as the seminars running on the other floor. Thursday, I was turned away from a room because I had an 'Expo Only' tag around my neck. How was I to know? The huge directory read 'Web 2.0 New York' and the room was as big as an exhibit hall.
Once on the Expo Hall floor proper, it was amazing to find the "in the clouds"products that programmers have strung together to make the online experience as face-to-face as electronics, glass and cable can assume. Twing.com is a search engine for online communities. Clickability provides On Demand web content management. Samsung and Nokia displayed an array of unlocked mobile devices. Ebay touted its partnerships and acquisitions to ensure Ebay is THE online auction and store experience. Some enterprises were beyond conception. Take Brickfish. This is not an interactive ad agency; it's not a search engine marketing agency. It's a social media marketing platform that utilizes viral marketing campaigns to move your 'brand.'
Two non tech things uncovered were the origin of the term 'On Demand' and America's regional variations. Pay-per-view is pretty obvious but 'On Demand' threw me. Clickability's Molly Dolan explained that 'On Demand' was a marketing phrase Microsoft Corp. coined eight years ago to mean movies you request from a cable company rather than saved on your hard drive, placed on a CD, on a video cartridge or DVD. The point being it's the cable subscriber pulling the strings; i.e, On Demand; and not the cable company; i.e., pay-per-view.
Many exhibitors came from the west coast. Take Brickfish's Ashley Futak. When her colleague asked about the origin of her name, Ashley explained it came from one East European nation. I remarked, "How interesting!" Ashley said, "Yes, it's random." So "random" substitutes for "interesting" and "unusual?" How San Diego of her to hip me to the vernacular.
People think up web applications for fun and for profit. Sometimes the creations conceived from the spirit of fun are more impressive than those driven by the profit margin. Joseph Campbell's "Follow your bliss" directive is all the difference.
At the August 2008 Web 2.0 NY Meet Up, six apps were presented by PR-smart techies. They didn't let no access to the Internet stop their show. Sailthru.com and GetConnect.com were products for email marketing. Online email services like MSN, Hotmail, and Gmail have very vigilant spam filters. Marketers using e-newsletters or just websites requiring registration authentication get caught in the filters. Imagine someone wants to join an online community or registers for a web conference but a Marine of a spam filter grabs the email. Sailthru handles that. GetConnect facilitates migrating email address books from one database to another; however, it doesn't handle address books stored on hard drives.
Drop.io is a site that keeps things private. It's classified as social media but it does away with registration and many other identifiers to allow people to have a space in the clouds to share photos, audio, video and text in private. That way the day you decide to send photos of your freaky Roman toga party won't become public information. Drop.io may be more of a pandora's box than a blessing when predators use it to trap prey.
Pop17.com is a sophomoric vlog about pop culture. Following MyRagan, RocketBoom, and DSSimon, the young woman presenter does shorts on what she sees as "the most hip now." She just needs to work on her stage presence. She often looked at her teleprompter rather than into the camera or the person beside her. Julia Allison , featured in Wired mag's August 2008 issue, could teach her a thing. Her presentation was bad and that's why she was last at bat.
Dailymugshots.com is a site to post daily pictures of yourself, baby, pet, plant--whatever. The key is uploading a photo daily. How many are so consistent? You look at other people's galleries and link to them. They're thinking of making coffee mugs and calendars emblazoned with the images. For now, they offer pocket size albums of your 365 head shots. This site was just whimsy of two friends; then again most of the displayed product are creations of two people, just kickin' it.
Edopter.com is all about being an influencer of fashion, entertainment, thought--you name it. Register, set up a profile and then, say what you believe is hot. You can invite others to yay or nay your observations. The point is tracking how many people will join your trend and where are they located. Does anyone on the bandwagon make a modification to your trend or submit a new 'cool' thing? This app was probably conceived with the marketing and advertising worlds in mind.
The Meet Up crowd was young, though there were old heads hanging tough. Primarily vanilla ice cream, sprinkles of caramel, chocolate and banana slices made this dessert bowl interesting. There was a Rastaman wearing a knit tam sidled up to a Russian lass. As the roving African Web Queen I long to see the day when I encounter a tech event where there are black presenters standing before an ethnically diverse crowd. So far, Small Biz Technology editor Ramon Ray is the one making waves on and offline.
Across the globe in cities like Philadelphia, Paris, and Beijing citizens and institutions enjoy 24/7 high-speed Internet access, using broadband technology. Even Manassas, VA (2006 pop. est. 38,066) has broadband over power lines, making the Internet as close as a wall socket. The Big Apple, however, is lost in its sauce. What blocks New York from closing the digital divide so that every section of the five boroughs has the latest in e-communications?
On July 30, 2008, Diamond Management & Technology Consultants’ Chris O’Brien briefed the New York City Council, the Mayor’s Office, and the Broadband Advisory Committee on the findings of a study of access, cost and connectivity challenges faced by NYC residents, small to medium size businesses and large businesses. Research uncovered that the demand for greater bandwidth that comes from streaming video and HDTV required replacing existing copper cables with fiber optics and installing it in uncovered areas. Existing cable services gave access to 98% of NYC residences and 87% of NYC residences had access through DSL. Actual subscription rates varied based on socio-demographics. For example only 26% of NYC Housing Authority tenants subscribed to broadband. A low subscriber rate is also the case for New Yorkers aged 50 years and over. The common reasons for not subscribing were the affordability of computers, the cost of monthly subscriber fees, the need for computer training, and not seeing the value of in-home access.
In fact, one-third of people accessing the Internet at public libraries that were polled stated the library was their sole source. About half of them go to the library three times per week for this purpose.
Business users were split between those having T-1 lines and using DSL. Large firms experienced lower costs due to their T-1 line investment, while small to medium size firms had comparable cost to those of residences if they chose DSL.
Shaun Belle, Mt. Hope Housing executive director and chairman of the Broadband Advisory Committee and Jose Rodriguez, committee member and president of HITN TV both recognized that the study validated what they knew as on-the-ground technology service providers.
New York City is the United States most populated city and its largest media market. To stay competitive internationally New York must get up to speed to that of San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia. New York City Council Committee on Technology in Government, chaired by Gale A. Brewer (C.D. 6), exists “to make better use of technology to save money, improve City services, and bring residents, businesses and non-profits closer to government and their communities.” The city explains the relative slow pace in the roll out of municipal wireless and broadband infrastructure is due to a concern for avoiding quick obsolescence yet high installation costs. Another concern is using programs that effect technology adoption by low-income households. Given a significant proportion of black New Yorkers are low-income and/or residents of NYC Housing Authority properties, it’s imperative that we become proactive in our demand for technology so as not to become obsolete as the broadband infrastructure is laid.
While news reports still won't use the word depression to label the economic picture for America, we have the symptoms of a depression. 70% of American homeowners are at risk of foreclosure. GM lost $15 billion in sales because people stopped buying trucks and SUVs in the first two quarters of 2008. The airline industry is laying off employees and Starbucks will close 3,000 outlets. With optimism and a plan, we can swing this period to our advantage. It takes a good mind to be optimistic and formulate a plan. The question is how many of us have "good minds"....and if we don't have one, can we develop "good minds."
There was a job fair at the New York Hilton, July 31, that was an eye-opener into the psyche of some New Yorkers. It was billed TechExpo in certain circles but for the most part it was the Diversity Fair. Women and men of various ages, religions and ethnicities were there. The table under observation was Web Grrls International. Unlike the other exhibitors, Web Grrls is a membership organization for women involved in technology and the Internet for personal or professional reasons. Members can meet face-to-face or connect online. Due to the high volume of job-seekers to the table, the display card had the following handwritten message: "We Aren't An Employer And Have No Jobs." Obviously people didn't notice the sign because they came to the table and attempted to leave resumes on it. People were leaving resumes without a discussion.
Looking at the growing crowd, you saw job seekers in jeans, evening wear, heavy jewelry, tie-less, jacket-less and, unfortunately clue-less. Too many job seekers didn't know what they wanted to do. They couldn't explain what interest them. They were like deer staring into the headlights of a car. Hey, didn't anyone tell them how to dress for success, discover their passion or how to strike up a conversation? One recent journalism grad from Hofstra University didn't want to learn to blog because she'd be in competition with newspapers. Didn't Hofstra's journalism professors tell her about social media, RSS feeds, podcasting, blogging, Nexis Lexis, or search engines? Didn't this fresh-faced grad know that the New York Times' Web site is one of the most popular in the world?
Another Indo-Asian gent came to the Web Grrls table and wanted to know what it was all about. Once told it was a membership organization for women involved in technology and the Internet, however men may join, he wanted to know how the organization made money. Would you believe that a membership organization's revenue base would consist of event tickets and membership dues? This gent couldn't accept this; it had to be more complex.
In these economic times people have to study trends to uncover the jobs in demand, know what's their passion, and how to best present themselves. The number of people that didn't have a clue could have images of roadkill along a US interstate highway dance in a smarter person's head. Americans have too many online tools and resources to be clue-less and hope someone in human resources will find something for them to do. Human resource professionals have benefits, trainings, grievances and payroll to handle to make the time to tell someone what his passion is. Can you imagine what may have run through the minds of the recruiters at this Diversity Fair?
Always one to learn about the latest communication craze, I finally tried Twitter when someone informed me that it wasn't the side screens filled with text messages for panelists at tech conferences that were the buzz. It was all the Twittering that went unnoticed. Always on the watch for a hook-up or meet-up, the C-level audience is busy telling "the crew" in and outside of the convention center what they are doing now within 140 characters. Yes, Twitter says keep it short but interesting.
A social entrepreneur who launched Choose To Evolve dotcom came to my mind as just the right person to run with Twitter. After all she could show by example what it means to choose to evolve. Everyone that's on her weekly teleconferences could now get clued into her life through their mobile device, laptop or PC. I invited her to join Twitter so we could twitter together. Don't you know she was Twitter shy?
Rather than click on the URL sandwiched in her invitation e-message, she emails me to find out what this is. I explain the same thing the invitation said in my own words. Her response to my email was to keep her posted. I told her I could do that only when she starts to twitter.
Hey, does Twitter make you think twice about evolving?
Does cable, DirecTV and regular TV leave you feeling as if you’re missing something?Could “what’s missing” be programming that relates to the core values and interests of the black community?If so, visit TotalBlackTV.com.Total Black TV is the cyber spot to view, download and upload black video content.Knowing the diversity of interests, the videos are organized into 27 categories that include action, sitcom, drama, animation, science fiction, shorts and religion.
The site serves the seasoned and emerging content producer by offering the choice of mailing DVDs AVIs or film cassettes to a post office box or uploading to the site.Video viewing is limited to a particular PC during free streaming or purchased downloads secured from file sharing, using Microsoft DRM technology.Thus, producers have another avenue to get their story to the public.
Total Black TV is also a social networking site where members can share photos, videos and messages among themselves or a select group.This part of the site is called totalblacktv.com/myview and requires a separate account registration from the main site.Registration has a page where members may invite eight family members and eight friends/coworkers.
New York attorney Kevin Golding owns Total Black TV and initially launched it in 2005 to serve Ausar Auset Society, an international cultural organization.The site went from distributing Ra Un Nefer Amen’s Kamitic lifestyle videos to branching out to other content producers.Golding says, “The idea of people watching such historians and health practioners as Dr. Sebi, Dr. John H. Clarke, and Dr. ben-Jochannan on an iPod was an exciting proposition.”
Rather than seek angel investors or venture capitalists, Golding and Promotions and Marketing Coordinator Amar Divine opted to make alliances with colleges, film festivals and individual video producers.The corporation co-sponsored the 2007 African Film Festival in Edinborough, Scotland.Angie LeMar, a popular radio host on England’s Choice FM interviewed Golding on location.These international links result in site visitors from Kenya, Belgium, Hawaii, Japan, India, the Netherlands, Canada and South Africa.The latest promotion is the TBTV Dance Competition where dancers submit videos of their dance routines to totalblacktv.com/myview rather than travel to a geographic location.The submission deadline is Saturday, June 7, 2008.
Amar Divine is driven to present positive images and ideas produced by people of color.Divine compares TotalBlackTV.com to a cable station that promotes black media but “isn’t representative of positive black culture [nor] produced by black people.”Rather, Divine aspires to experience similar success to that of cinemanow.com.
The corporate team is planning a launch party slated for September 2008.Academicians, performers and emerging producers have been extended invitations.While the team is keeping the details of the event under wraps, it is sure to be extraordinary to introduce such a well-conceived Web site.
A friend is caring for her terminally ill father. He wasn't around much when she was growing up. Now, she finds herself and siblings giving him round-the-clock care. That's the irony of life and compassion that some people have. I mentioned to her that at a certain age there's always something that you have to be concerned about. If it's not an insecure mate, it's adult children who still need guidance or it's elder parents. Don't you know that after I said it, I find myself tending to my father?
He's diagnosed with dementia. He's staying at good place but, dementia is troubling because so many elder Americans have it. It seems that we quietly accept that old people must lose cognitive abilities. Is it really so? Why is it that other countries have lower rates?
I did an "Ask" search to find that there's evidence that metal toxicity, zinc or folic acid deficiency, niacin, thiamine and/ or B-12 deficiency directly contribute to the condition. Further, lack of sunlight and exercise affect mood and cognition. While medication has its place, raw fruits and vegetables and nutritional supplementation can help anyone. Exposure to the sun lowers 'bad cholesterol', helps the body produce vitamin E and K, regulates the kidneys and liver, cures lingering ailments and helps maintain a positive mood. It's wonderful how nature help humans. maybe we should be more kinder to it.
Facilitating my eldercare task is technology. Mapquest provided the directions to my destination. During my travel to where my father lives, I put in a hands-free call to a health center so that they were informed that an adult child was on the way. My cell phone kept me in touch with other family members. Contrastingly, my brother is without a cell phone nor has a PC in his home. Some people can be stubborn about advancing with technological advances.
It was good for Continental Airlines at the West Palm Beach, FL hub that folks on flight 1940 weren't digitally astute. This flight was due to leave for Newark, NJ, Sunday, April 6, 2008, 8:00 PM. Due to mechanical problems, the plane wasn't approved for flying until Monday, April 7 at 2:00 PM. A tech adept would've fired up the laptop or handheld and blogged about it, moment by moment.
It took the airline hours to explain that a part needed to be replaced. This part had to be flown in from Newark. However, the part flown in was the wrong one, so they had to fly back to Newark to get the right part.
These customers were just a bit miffed about waiting, about not knowing and about not getting to Newark on Sunday. They were lodged at a nearby hotel sometime after 12 midnight and came back around eight in the morning expecting to leave at 9:15 AM but the part and the wrong part and the exchange got in the way.
These customers wanted breakfast and clear information about when they'd get back to Newark Liberty International Airport. They got soda, water and very patient customer service. When a customer got too testy, a security agent with a large German Shepherd and a pistol would come out to see the person off Gate B2.
As the morning expired, Continental offered to refund credit card purchases, switch to JetBlue and seating on Continental flights to Houston to connect to Newark-bound planes. Continental also offered $8 food vouchers, good at any eatery in the gate but, most people balked at "Just $8!" With $8 dollars, a burger, pizza, fries, drink, newspaper or pastry could have been had. One woman, once aware of the voucher, said she could get a cocktail.
One Spanish-speaking couple remained cool throughout. If they weren't reading magazines, they stared intently into a laptop. Maybe they knew to fire off messages to Continental and the media. When a group of exasperated flyers got tipped about blogging about it, no one seemed to take the bait. The suggestion was carefully explained: get access to the Internet, find Continental Airline's Web site, go to the blog or find another blog that deals with airline mayhem. There were no takers in this small crowd.
Well that was one citizen journalism opportunity that may have gotten away. That Spanish-speaking couple wasn't queried.
The Grave Yard is the first computer game that I downloaded. It's very reflective rather than action packed or goal-oriented. The setting is a cemetery within a busy city. Everything is so grey. Just shades of gray in the grave yard. The street sounds are clear and the moving clouds really evoke a real world experience.
Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn must have overdosed on Stephen King's novels when they dreamed this game. The game, based on the trial version, seems appropriate for an adult audience. Maybe some Goths would have the head for it. It may serve as a great lesson for a humanities or gerontology class. The class can ponder questions like, "Is life worth living after 50?" "What do you do when you're the only one left?" "Must old age be a time only for wrinkles, creaks, pains and memories?"
The long and short of it is that a player walks the old lady to a seat within the cemetery. She walks with a cane and needs many resting spells before she gets to the stone seat.
Once you seat her, a song comes on which reveals the thoughts in her mind. In fact, her face is superimposed over her seated self to suggest an introspective moment. She thinks of all the folks who've passed. She mentions the cause of death for each one. Once complete with her musing, it's time to walk her out of the cemetery. Remember, it takes time because she needs her rest spots.
The trial version is the one that I downloaded; I wasn't willing to get the the full blown edition. There are options in that play wherein the old lady can die.
Unfortunately, "death be not proud for so many of us" and aging graciously is rarely granted in the post industrial society. Granny's face is craggy. Her back is bent and her gait is slanted. Does old age really have to be so depressing? After "playing," the Grave Yard, I got up to do exercises until I got warm and slightly winded.
The last time Granny and I were together, she decided she didn't want to be so morbid. She took several steps forward and then reeled herself around. She liked that so much, she reeled herself around in the other direction. Soon Granny was dancing. Yes, my Granny was dancing in the grave yard. Before she got to the gates, she noticed a pathway and wanted to take a look but animation has boundaries. So Granny, did an about face and headed to the gate. All the dancing and peering got her little dizzy. She nearly walked into the gate but, I got her straghtened out before any collision.
No, that particular day Granny chose to listen to the chirping birds and meet the busy city life. Maybe a little psyllium husk and gotu kola would get her going.
Does anyone else notice how hours on the computer make it difficult to sleep at night? My physician says my cerebellum is overactive. He prescribed these capsules that have at least ten different herbs in them to soothe the brain. The first time he gave them to me I had to take 21 capsules for two nights. Thereafter, two before bed time. This was because my head was so hot wired.
Think about it. Do you find that you go over issues of the day at night? A monologue that goes on while you're so-called asleep? It's part anxiety or drive to accomplish something and it's that Green certified flat screen monitor you stare at during the day that's a culprit.
In truth, my eyesight is blurrier and I need more light on the keyboard. I'm trying to avoid upgrading to a serious mobile device because my addiction would be in overdrive. With a mobile device I'd check the Internet, listen to music, shoot video and email colleagues 24/7. There'd be no rest for this weary one.
So, my answer to my situation was taking a vacation from blogging and email for a few days. I also hear drinking lemon water cools the brain.
Brooklyn is the home to the nation's first public high school for advertising. If there's another one preceeding it, please tell me. It's name is High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media and it will open September 2008 within Canarsie High School. I'm pleased to be third to break the story in NYC. The first publisher of the story is the NY Daily News. I had a writing embargo until after Feb. 8 when Advertising Age would publish it. This news is fantastic. The people with whom I connected are equally fantastic.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is on a drive to have Brooklyn realize being "the 4th largest city in the US," although it is a borough of NYC. Markowitz knows a school like this will do so much for Brooklyn's reputation and real power. Imagine, your borough grooms the next advertising executives and managing staff. It's quite possible that in the future Brooklyn and Manhattan will be America's centers of advertising and media genius. College students may run to Brooklyn for that "great copy or art job."
Advertising Week, Inc executive director Matt Scheckner tried to pass himself off as an average Joe dropping some lines to me but, humility to the side, top ad people like Ron Berger, Michael Roth, Byron Lewis and Rosemarie Ryan wouldn't have just any Joe working their show. Rather, someone who serves as Yahoo's marketing director and previously headed American Association of Advertising Agencies and ADWEEK magazine would admirably run Advertising Week.
As a reporter getting quotes, one should remain objective but, after the second quote, "The kids will get dipped into the advertising and media sauce via a combination of..." I commended him on his great sound bites. Don't get me wrong; it was tough going getting a telephone interview with him. Possibly the embargo was being extended--it's all in the game of news reporting.
This high school is shot in the arm for Brooklyn. It's a feather in Markowitz's cap.
Brooklyn 2.0 is a MeetUp group I recently joined. We gathered at Mooney's Pub on Flatbush Avenue, Weds., Feb 13. Nice crowd. The organizer Eric Rochow is an amiable sort. Then, of course the draft beer had everyone mellow and sociable. Rochow does podcasting about easy green practices for people. Check out Real World Green.
My personal agenda was hunting for tech stories and learning to blog more effectively. I was ecstatic with my finds. There are many developers living in Brooklyn. Of the plus 10 who showed that night, I was the only nondeveloper. Yuri Niyazov described an app to rival Google Reader. Another man tipped me Bar Camp, a developers conference held at Polytechnical U. This conference is free and requires that all attendees present an application or assist in a presentation of a new app.
People encouraged me to use other 'Net browsers like Firefox and Safari because of the great add-ons. Then, what I couldn't get from Deli.cio.us FAQ: how to get authority. You've got to submit your blog entry's URL with tags so that it can be read by others.
Meeting Up is great because life is all about experiences. What's better than a face-to-face experience?
Experts say this generation of African Americans has the most educated, affluent and influential in society compared to previous ones. An unobtrusive scan into some homes reveal the luxury vehicles, outdoor grills, wine collections, oriental rugs, original artwork and home entertainment systems. In fact, many unmarried women own homes, whether they are condos or detached, single-family corner houses.
Any investment requires securing it. Consumers seek security measures that are not as costly as the items that they want guarded. People have options in home security systems. The state-of-the-art security systems use the home’s electrical system to transport electric signals from a control module to another module attached to a lamp or other electrical appliance in another part of the home. Others feature “redundant”, wireless and web-enabled components. Redundant means each component can detect breaks and transmit a notice to the online or remote center. These are significant innovations since the introduction of safes, deadbolt locks, alarms, motion sensors and closed circuit TV monitoring. State-of-the-art doesn’t trump time-tested security measures, however. So if the LCD intercom system permits sight and communication with people at your doors, keep it.
This product review foregoes describing market giants ADT, Brinks, Slomin and GE to highlight other effective market leaders.
InGrid Digital Home Protection The complete system consists of My InGrid software, two-piece sensors, a tabletop console, a wireless handset with base, a keychain remote control, and a grid extender. All pieces are decorative yet discretely fit into any décor. The Basic kit secures homes that are no more than 1,500 s.f. It comes with three sensors, My InGrid software, the tabletop console and wireless handset with the base. Its retail price is $199 with a one-year surveillance contract, billing rate at $29.99 / month. The Homes kit is for homes and businesses under 2,500 s.f. It contains eight sensors, My InGrid software, the console, handset, grid extender and keychain remote control. It retails for $299 with a one-year surveillance contract. Visit http://www.ingridhome.com/ to buy direct.
Visonic PowerMax Smart Home Security and Control System, retails for $209.00. The package consists of a keychain, Door/Window Wireless Contact, Table Console Dialer System and Transmitter. One lithium battery is provided. This package not only serves as intrusion detection but also notifies of gas, flooding, and smoke. The heart of the system is the PowerMax Table Console Dialer System and Transmitter. Similar to the InGrid Digital Home Security, it offers remote, mobile and in-house control.
Skylink Complete Deluxe Wireless Security Kit (model SC1000) retails for $232.95. Emergency Dialer Unit, Control Panel, Motion Sensor, 2 Door/Window Sensors, Keychain Transmitter, Emergency Dialer, 2 adaptors, three 9V alkaline batteries and three 12V alkaline batteries (no monthly service fee) The Emergency Dialer Unit holds up to 9 telephone or pager numbers in memory as well as a emergency voice message. The numbers in memory will be rung up to 9 times.
CCTV Star 4 CH Complete DVR Security System for Office / Home, retails for $995.00. Digital Video Recorders (DVR) are replacing VCRs and multiplexers in the closed circuit TV monitoring world. CCTV Star’s security systems comes a DVR, four IR color cameras, four 75-foot cables, wireless remote control and power supply. This monitoring system is designed for live play over the Internet. The DVR has 250 Gb disk drive storage capacity.
X10 Home Security System, How to set up a low-cost home security system using X10 by Michael Maikowski, Jefferson Technology Press, 2006. ISBN 0-9678917-1-X. $24.95 This book describes the detection system that uses a residence’s electrical system that’s called X10. Subjects covered are steps to construct a progressively more complex system which at its core includes modules, a controller box, video camera, motion sensing and remote monitoring.
Home Security, 2nd edition, by Vivian Capel, Newnes, 1997. ISBN 0750635460, $48.95. This book describes the common ways burglars break in and measures to thwart them. Topics covered include space protectors, alarms and sensors
Last night was the first time I saw GossipGirl. I got pulled into the mix of blogging, mobile life and decadence. It was quite by accident. When I do watch TV on Mondays, it seems that it's "How I Met Your Mother" that I'll get comfortable with. CBS has this irrestible folksy-charm formula that still works on me. CBS has been using it for decades.
I actually don't know what day "How I Met Your Mom" comes on. Last night's channel surfing ruled out "Gladiators," "Antique Roadshow" and 'Your Mother.'
About GossipGirl, it slipped through the radar. September 2007 was its first season and last night was a special episode called GossipGirl Revealed. The title is meant to draw regulars in because the big thing about the show is noone knows who's GossipGirl. The characters check into her blog throughout the day but can't figure out is she one of them or is she a terrific spy. She shoots candid closeups and her entries sound so familiar.
The January 28 airing of GossipGirl Revealed introduced me to Serena van der Woodsen, Chuck Bass, Blair Waldorf, Dan Humpfrey, Rufus Humpfrey and Lily van der Woodsen. While it's the usual night time soap escapades, the parents--Rufus and Lily--look great. They're examples of what it is to be glorious 40--give or take emotional depth. Blair, the brunette, has the usual insecurity around blonde Serena. When will media ever get off these stereotypes? Blondes don't have more fun than other hair colors.
Being the techhead that I am, I did a search on GossipGirl to find out there are a series of nine teen novels written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Folks can't seem to get enough of these rich brats. A visit to CW 11-TV's Web site brought me to some great high tech fun. You can watch full episodes online by Saturday. 'Live the Life' let's your avatar experience the cushy, decadent life of the upper eastside. There are so many ways that CW 11 and series sponsors sell product. You learn what makeup is used and how to apply it; Old Navy has branded this entertainment and the featured music is downloaded from this Web site.
Keeping it real and concerned, global warming reduction tips are sponsored by Free 2 Be Green and to counter all the sex in the show, Stay Teen.org, a teen pregnancy prevention cause has a button and short video on the site.
Tip: Anyone who fancies herself a sho 'nuff videographer ought to log onto CW 11's site and craft a video using CW Lab, using mash ups. Video duration is 30 minutes. Hey you never know; that's how careers get started.
Developing Ideas; Growing Success
The place to discuss information; communication technology, the media, culture, and American society. I write so we can talk.
My PC issues originated from email viruses and maybe, downloading free spyware, adware and anti-virus software. He reactivated my firewall and went behind the scenes to ensure my web history was never saved. I told him about the XOFT spyware and demonstrated it to him. The software ran through my system and found files that watched my every move. The files came from one company whose name I can't remember. Thomas says, "This is what I mean. You downloaded this free detection utility. It spots all these files but you can't delete them without paying for the utility." The point being the detection software had my PC compromised by being installed and even though the download and detection processes were free, ridding the pesky files would cost me. Why not just tell me up front?
