Business, Marketing, and New Technology
Technology
Dad’s Advice
Jan 2nd
Posted by Heriberto Fuentes
My dad kept warning me and warning me about going to WwW.homesecuritysystem.CoM to get a home alarm but I just didn’t listen. That was until my house got broken into while I was away on vacation. Nothing will wake you up like seeing all your laundry strewn about the foyer so I took his advice and had this place all alarmed up. I guess when I bought a house I didn’t realize there was so much involved in taking care of it. I’d always been living in apartment complexes where security wasn’t an issue but now that I own this place I feel like I have to be a bit more vigilant. I love the responsibility but sometimes it can be kind of overwhelming, to be honest. I’m only 27 years old and sometimes I don’t have to worry about taking care of a big old house but I love living here so I guess that’s part of the trade off. At least I’m building equity rather than just wasting money on rent.
Drafting on Steroids
Nov 18th
Back in the Jurassic Age when I went to college, I studied drafting. Of course, back then, everything was done on paper *gasp*, and the tools were entirely different. We recently cleaned out the attic, and my kids were fascinated by the drafting tools that were “unearthed”. I had “triangles” and a “T-square” and a brush made just for clearing away erasure dust. I even had a very special pencil sharpener that would sharpen a very special pencil lead to a very special point. It was kinda sad for me to know that the students today do not even know what these tools are for.
Still, it is progress. I also am a bit sad that I do not know how to work the new CAD programs on the computer. You know, the ones that all the design work is done on now. They make the work much, oh, so much faster, and more accurate. There is no guesswork as to “just how thick is that line there, anyway?” Everything is specific, and changeable. The engineering software that is available these days is nothing short of miraculous! The CAD/CAM programs can design houses, landscapes, new inventions, you name it. They can do everything from creating 2-D objects, to 3-D solid modeling, dimensioning, and everything in between. Amazing.
Photos at Home
Oct 11th
Years ago, when my kids were younger, and changing so fast you just couldn’t keep up with them, I was into taking lots and lots of photos. With 4 kids, 4 birthdays, 4 school plays, 4 band concerts, 4 scout activities (every month!) there was ALWAYS something to take a picture of. That’s not even counting the holidays. And we did love to party! We had an exchange student come over from Sweden one year, and by Christmas, he’d made the comment that he’d never known anyone who liked to have so many parties for so many reasons. 
He probably thinks all of America is the partying-est place ever!
Anyway, I took lots of pictures, and often wanted to have them asap. So I bought a photo printer. It’s an HP PhotoSmart, and it’s still chugging along nearly a decade later. I love my photo printer. I do not especially like having to buy the photo ink, but I guess that just comes with the territory. I also have to buy photo paper. Now, there are many many different kinds of photo papers available. Did you know you can get glossy, matte, satin, semi-gloss, glossy, premium high gloss, and professional high gloss, just to name a few! You can even get glow-in-the-dark paper- wow! Well, I only know of one place to get that, and it’s where I get all my other inkjet photo paper, at http://www.geographics.com.
Glow in the dark pictures, what will they think of next?
Sunshifter Clothing and Fingernails
Sep 9th
Ok, high tech fans, perhaps you knew about the clothing that changes color when the sun hits it? These have been around for 25 years or so. I know this for sure because my kids had some when they were small, and they are not small anymore! I’m wondering why this sort of high tech textile has not been more widespread than it is. I have heard of fabric that is “wired” in such a way, that you can actually have dynamic color changes, and it’s programmable.
For instance, you could have a series of colors change, More >
Obama- “keep my eye on robots”
Jun 26th
National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University this last Friday, President Obama joked around saying that part of his job is to “keep an eye on robots”. 
“I just met with folks from some cutting-edge companies and saw some of their inventions here in your National Robotics Engineering Center, but that’s not the only reason I’m here,” the president said. “You might not know this, but one of my responsibilities as commander in chief is to keep an eye on robots. And I’m pleased to report that the robots you manufacture here seem peaceful, at least for now.”
Yeah, I guess it is. Somehow, years ago, we were frightened with the idea that robots would take over the world and make slaves of us mere humans. Sure, yeah…
Anyway, it’s good to know that someone is watching out for us, right?
DIY Notepad for My Lists
Mar 31st
Guest post written by Deb Schwartzman
I’ve figured out over the years that if I don’t write down something that I have to do, it will never get done. I’m just so bad at remembering everything that I need to do on a daily basis and I do get really motivated when I see that I have stuff to do. Then I also get a little thrill out of marking each thing off the list.
But a lot of times I end up with so much junk mail and full pieces of scrap paper that I thought I would put some of it to use before I recycle it by making my own More >
Wish It Had a Porche Exhaust System
Mar 28th
Pollution is one of the main concerns that anyone has, who lives anywhere near a city. Car exhaust can not only irritate the lungs, and eyes, but cause an unsightly haze that blocks out vistas, not to mention the smell. I was standing near a pickup truck yesterday, and nearly choked from the blue smoke that poured out of the back of the tailpipe. Of course, you expect trashy exhaust from old clunkers, but it surely would be nice if they would all just clean up their acts! You can replace old, non-functional exhaust systems with something that will work much better, more efficiently, and be gentler on our lungs, thank you.
I know that replacing car parts when that part is still working is an exercise in discipline. But really, if the car is spewing out toxic yuck, is it really “still working”? And the new parts will work so much better. My sister has a Jaguar, and the exhaust system in it is a dream. What about the Porsche? I’ve never had anyone at all complain about More >
15 Years of Memories on DVD
Mar 8th
When my daughter graduated from high school, she and 5 of her friends decided to get together and have a huge graduation party. Some of them had know each other since they were babies at 6 months old, and the rest of the girls had grown up to together from kindergarten on, so it was natural for them to have one huge bash before separating to go off on their new college adventures. We, the parents, decided that it would be a great memorial for the girls to put together a DVD of their lives together. So we all gathered together pictures from the previous 15 years, and complied them into one long documentary of their lives together. One of the fathers had one of those DVD duplicators, which is good, because I had no idea how to handle the task, even though I was familiar with CD printers. I think even if I had years to research, and a complete DVD duplication guide, I still wouldn’t have been able to pull it off.
But we did have a techno-guy in our midst, and he made the most awesome DVD ever! It was a montage of the girls’ lives, from tiny tot, to graduation day. Since the girls had known each other so long, there were many different events, and birthday parties, and soccer games, girl scout trips, you name it. What a huge set of memories!
We had the DVD playing on several big screen TVs during the party, so everyone got to watch, and laugh, and remember, and share the experiences once again. The DVD was at least a half hour long, and so there were quite a lot of photos to see. Everyone got a copy, and it will certainly be a true treasure for years to come.
If you’re having a family gathering, like an anniversary, this would be a really good idea.
Musical Instruments Made Totally From Ice
Mar 8th
The worlds first and only ice musician plays concerts inside frozen waterfalls, on glaciers, and inside domes of frozen ice. He has to have it cold, because all his instruments are made of ice.
Terje Isungset, from Norway, has been playing the ice, shaped into various instruments, for over 10 years. He is the founder of the annual Ice Music Festival held in Geilo every winter.
Check out this amazing video, and hear what the ice sounds like. More >
Got a New Phone? Where Is Your Old One Now?
Mar 7th
Cell phones are changing faster than most people can keep up. No sooner have you gotten the latest and greatest, than something even greater comes along. You haven’t even had time to get to know all the features you have, before there is a new phone out there that does 100 more, and better and faster than you could have imagined. So out you go, and purchase the new one, the one that checks the oil in your car, and turns on the alarm at your house…etc., etc. Upgrading your phones and playing with the new technology is fun, isn’t it?
This is all well and good, but what happened to your old phone? Is it being used as a doorstop? Is it sitting in a drawer at your house somewhere? It’s still good isn’t it? You know it’s still a good phone, and it would be a real waste to throw it out. Not to mention the fact that cell phones in the landfill is a very bad idea. As they deteriorate, they release toxins that are, by definition, toxic, and shouldn’t be there. There are components in the electronics that should not be dumped into any landfill. The ethical thing to do would be to recycle the phone, but you don’t know how or where. So- what to do?
Enter sell cell phone! You can sell your cell phone to someone who will recycle it, even repair it if necessary, and make sure it gets a new home. You’ve reduced pollution in the environment, made some quick cash, and given someone else the chance to have a great phone, who might not have gotten one.
Actually Sell Cell Phone is a price comparison service. You go there, and put in the type of phone that you have, and they will give you a comparison of the price you might get at several other recycling companies who want to buy your phone. That way, you can choose which company to sell your phone to, and get the best deal.
So, don’t leave that old phone in a drawer, get some cash for it, and let it live again!