Category Archives: Technology

Photo Prep

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Hi there! This post is to let you know you’ve come to the right place to learn how to work with photos taken with your cell phone to prep them for adding them to your web site.

I’ve written step by step instructions and included screenshots as examples to help you work through the editing and formatting process. Just click on the tab in the above menu bar that says, “Photos: From Cell Phone to Web Site” (or any of the individual pages listed in the sub-menu under that tab) to get started.

For the best learning experience, I suggest you read/skim through the entire tutorial to get a sense of what is being covered, then go back to the beginning and work along with each step using a real photo on your cell phone. It may seem a lot to learn, but once you’ve done this process a few times it is quick and easy. Good luck!

Bored With Facebook

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Facebook has been a part of my daily life for over 3 years now. I actually don’t remember when I first discovered Facebook and signed up. I do know that I am not as eager and enthusiastic to reconnect with people as I was when it first came out. To be honest, I have purged my friend list down from close to 600 friend to a more manageable and peaceful 200 friends. The purging was hard to do, but necessary for my sanity. Too many trolls and nasty people polluting my wall every day. And those people who post YouTube videos every two minutes for an entire night drive me COMPLETELY NUTS!

But once I deleted all the drama people and the troublemakers, Facebook has become boring. Maybe I’ve just gotten my use out of it and it is time to move on to something else.

Settling Into a Plateau with Facebook

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

When I first joined Facebook, I was so excited about the platform. I started searching out people I knew personally and also asked to be added as friends of friends. Then Facebook started being a dick about not really knowing the people who you asked to be friends, so I stopped doing that. Regretfully. Because, honestly, I think that meeting new people and making new friends is what I like best about Facebook and what it is really good at. To discourage that seems nuts! Frankly, if someone else wants to make a competing Facebook and let you have different levels of “friends” to include people you have never met in person but who seem to have interesting viewpoints and lifestyles, I will be on it!

About 2 months ago, I realized that I had almost 500 friends. But a whole lot of those people were totally passive and never commented on my posts or shared anything with me. So, I started deleting people. The only ones that I kept were people who met certain criteria:

  • They don’t lie to me
  • They have never stolen from me
  • They comment occasionally when I post something they find funny or interesting
  • They want a real friend – not a fan to just kiss their butt
  • They don’t want to be friends just to pitch me something or try to sell me something
  • They don’t have to agree with me – just be respectful to me and my other friends during any heated discussions

I was able to get rid of over half of those so-called friends. And the ones who are left are much more precious to me.

How It’s Made TV Series

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

This morning I discovered the Science Channel on cable TV and watched several shows in the “How It’s Made” series. The episode I watched was number 3 in the 14th season. I know this because the info button on my remote control displays the title of the show plus the series and episode number, one or two of the headliner actors and a sentence or two describing the plot or storyline.

My point in noting this is season 14 is that this is the first time I have ever heard of this show at all, so where have I been for the other 13 seasons? Under a rock? How can I find all the seasons and episodes that I missed?

The episode I just watched showed how western saddles are made. This was totally fascinating to see all the different steps involved and the craftsmanship that a saddle requires. Overall, one saddles takes about a dozen different artisans to put it together, with great care to detail, and it takes a full 40 hours to make one. Yes, saddles are expensive, but now I appreciate all the work and talent that goes into making one and I don’t begrudge them the sale price one bit!

Other episodes showed how barber poles are made, how Oreo cookies are baked, how walnuts are harvested and shelled, and what goes into making golf clubs. All of these segments are totally engrossing and I cannot tear myself away from watching. Evidently there is a new show every Thursday night on this channel. This is going to give me something to look forward to watching on Thursdays.

Learning to Read Maps Obsolete?

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Everyone in my generation learned to read maps somehow. It wasn’t something taught is school. We had to learn this important life skill from our parents or maybe from Boy Scouts or in the miitary. I think if you went into the military and did not already know how to read a map you might have been at a huge disadvantage with the others there for training, but maybe i’m wrong about that.

I learned to read maps from my dad. We always went on road trips during summer vacations. It was nothing to load us kids up in the family Chevy wagon and head out to the beach or the mountains. Lots of times we didn’t have a reservation at a motel, we just headed out and took our chances that we would find something that looked good and had a room for us.

Now the cell phones and cars all have GPS units and we don’t have to really read maps any longer. I wonder if that is going to make reading maps an obsolete skill? If we can rely on GPS to get us to the destination, what’s the point in having paper maps any longer? Do we even need a compass any longer?