Creative Home Computing

Discovering Websites

Mrs C. — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:22:26 +0000

Often in my travels on the Internet, surfing from site to site, I find websites that I think you would enjoy checking out. I thought first of having a page for those sites and adding to it on a regular basis. But I don’t want you to miss seeing them or being notified when I write about a new site I’ve found. So I’ve decided to start a category for Interesting Websites. Often there will be a very short post letting you know what I’ve found. Other times, like today, I’ll list a number that I think you might find useful. Here are some for you to investigate today:

WiredSeniors.com is a portal listing websites for all kinds of different topics of interest to the 50+ crowd. Everything from home exchanges, to travel, to dating.

NotJustBeans.com offers a lot of tips for frugal living and sample recipes. After all, you have to save your money for the latest computer gadget.

If you’d like to find an interest group in your local area, see what might be happening by going to Meetup.com and finding your city.

Go to UnclaimedBaggage.com and take a look at what people leave behind when they go on a trip. There are baggage travel tips too, so you don’t become a statistic.

At KayeWood.com you can find all the quilting and sewing patterns, books, tools, templates and notions you’ve been looking for. This is one skill I have never been able to learn, but I admire those who can. They also offer electronic versions of books and patterns, free projects, tips and techniques, a listing of Kaye’s TV shows and her teaching schedule, quilting cruise information (now that sounds good), an extensive links page and a free email newsletter.

Epinions.com rates products ranging from cameras to wellness and beauty. The site also compares prices at different places and gives the top-rated online stores.

That should keep you going for today. Let me know what sites you like to visit and who knows, we may have a book done one of these days.

Until next time,
Carol

Technorati Tags: websites of interest, surfing the web

Lost in Cyberspace

Mrs C. — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:43:45 +0000

While I can’t excuse my absence, I can chat about what I’ve been doing. And no, my computer didn’t swallow me up!

If you want to learn more about the program I used to create this, go to screencastomatic.com

Until next time,

Carol

New Year, New Things To Learn

Mrs C. — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:35:26 +0000

With a new year, I’m thinking about all of the computer applications I want to either learn or get better at using. And then I want to start doing more screenshot tutorials for you to learn too. So far I’ve done one on creating custom WordPress menus and I’ve also got a tutorial about creating your own online newspaper over at my business blog.

If you would let me know what kind of tutorials you would be interested in, I would really appreciate it. Just leave your thoughts in the comment box and I’ll be sure to see them.

Until next time,

Technorati Tags: screen tutorials, learning goals

Be Careful Purchasing a Warranty

Mrs C. — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:34:46 +0000

I needed a new cell phone, but I didn’t want to be locked in to a plan anymore. So I researched the kind I wanted and made my way into my local Best Buy store – still one of my favourite places to shop, but I’ll be more careful in future.

Anyway, I found exactly what I wanted and on sale. $50 and no contract because it was with Koodo, I was all set. Or so I thought. The options I chose were available for $35 a month, no contract. So far, so good. Then the salesgirl asked me if I wanted the store’s warranty plan. At any time for the next three years, I could bring the phone in and exchange it for another one without the hassle of sending it to the manufacturer. And it was only $6.77 for the warranty. Of course, I said yes, and that’s where the story starts to go sour.

This wasn’t my first time getting a warranty. I got one at Staples for my ebook reader – no problem. Got one at the Source for my headphones and printer – no problem. But with this Best Buy warranty, there was a definite problem. You see, every other warranty I ever got was a one time fee for the length of the warranty. Not so with the one for this cell phone. That was a monthly charge, for three years!

I know, I should have looked carefully at the invoice, but I didn’t. I took it for granted it was a one-time fee like all the others. In fact, I called the other stores to make sure I wasn’t mistaken and they had never heard of a monthly charge.

So now I have a three year warranty for a phone with no contract because I didn’t want to be locked in to a monthly fee of any kind. Since I didn’t realize I was paying monthly, by the time I noticed, the 30 days to change my mind had already passed. I called customer support and was told that the warranty was transferable, so if I didn’t want a cell phone anymore, I could get someone else to take it over and pay the warranty. Or I could stop using the phone altogether and simply pay the remainder of the warranty period upfront.

Now I don’t know about you, but having to pay over $200 to get out of a warranty for a $50 phone does not appeal to me. And I doubt anyone else would be dumb enough to take it over, nor would I want to try to get them too. So I’m stuck. But I have learned my lesson and will not be getting another warranty anytime soon.

I hope my experience has helped you too. Don’t take anything for granted and read before you sign.

Technorati Tags: warranty, Best Buy

Google+ Hangouts and Features

Mrs C. — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:01:17 +0000

So have you tried using Google+ yet? Although it is similar to Facebook in many ways, it does have some cool features – most of which I haven’t used yet. First you create circles. For instance, I have a circle for family, another for marketing friends, etc. Then when you post a comment, you choose which of the circles to send it to. That way your family notices can be kept private.

The image on the left shows some of the options available on your right Google+ sidebar. You can send invitations to others, start a hangout, or create a Google+ page. I didn’t even notice the create a page option until today, so haven’t tried it yet. I imagine it’s Google’s version of a Fanpage, but can’t say for sure.

What I can say is how much I’ve been enjoying using the hangout feature. You can invite up to ten people for an impromptu video chat. The quality of video and audio are both clear and if you don’t have a webcam, or are in a don’t look at me mood, you can still participate and your photo will show instead. There is also a text chat feature.

Here’s a look at the first screen you’ll see once you start a hangout:

Underneath the green ‘Hang out’ button, there is an option to use ‘Hangouts With Extras’. If you do, you’ll have the ability to share your screen – great if you are trying to explain a concept to someone.

The only problems we’ve had so far are that the share screen can be a bit finicky and doesn’t always work, and once in a while one of the five people in our hangout gets booted off the call and has to re-join. For a free service, I can live with those things.

Have you tried Google+ yet? And the hangouts option in particular? Would you like me to do a video tutorial for it? Let me know by commenting below.

Technorati Tags: Google+ hangouts, Google+ features, using Google+