With all of the gadgets that are on the market, it is worth your while to really check out the details before you go out and spend a lot of money on one of the new digital camcorders. A couple of years ago I had a camcorder that used a tape to record performances, and the tape length was ninety minutes. Well I started to have trouble with the batteries not keeping a charge, and I bought new batteries. Even the new ones would not keep a charge, so I decided it was time to invest in a digital one. I had no idea what exactly all of the terms meant, and I ended up buying one that would only record about ten minutes before needing to insert a new disk. That was very upsetting to me because I wanted to be able to record my kids recitals and school plays, which lasted a lot longer than ten minutes! So, do your research, lesson learned!
My youngest sister wants a new computer
by Mary AnneMy sister called me last night and told me that her old computer has died, and wants my help in finding and buying a new one. I told her that I’d try to help her, but I am not sure that I have the expertise that she really is hoping that I have! I asked her if she wants a new desktop computer or a laptop computer. I think it’s important to know that right off of the bat. She replied that she wants a new desktop, because her laptop is fine but she really prefers having the really nice large screen and spacious keyboard and mouse when she is working at home.
Then I asked her if she was going to be using it as a gaming computer or using it as a media center computer. She said it really was not something that she had thought about, but she really expected to just use it for “regular stuff” like word processing and Internet browsing and doing a few graphics applications. So I suggested that she look a the workhorse computers for what type she wants, and suggested that she check out the shopwiki.com website for the best deals.
Drowning in paper
by Mary AnneFor years I have resisted going paperless. I’ve wanted paper credit card statements in my hand to make it easier to reconcile the statements, and I did not want to have to use my own printer ink and paper to print them off. But I’ve noticed that my home office is drowning in paper, and I’m seriously considering checking out some paperless office software. Sometimes I feel a little bit old-fashioned in my desire for permanent hard copies of everything, but since I’ve been working with computers since the very first personal computer came out on the market I’m a little bit gun shy over the losses that can happen when something crashes. For example just yesterday when I downloaded photos from my digital camera and then was trying to modify and save the changes. The program crashed and during the crashing it deleted the entire photo. Gone, forever, never to be recovered or seen anywhere again. So I’m a little bit gun-shy, do you know what I mean?
The new marketing strategies
by Mary AnneOne of the things that I like about the advancement of the Information Age is how it allows more people to be able to work from home instead of having to commute several hours a day. Sadly many people don’t have the skills they need to be able to do that, and still others live in an area where the Information Age is still trying to reach them. I find it surprising whenever I meet a neighbor that tells me that they cannot get fast Internet where they live!
One of the companies that employs people who have access to the Internet, and copy writing skills is the triangle direct company. This company assists businesses to market their businesses on the Internet, and one of the ways it does that is by hiring people who can write for them without even leaving their houses! Can you imagine being able to make your living by staying home and typing on the computer without even having to change out of your pajamas? Sounds great to me!
Where the jobs are
by Mary AnneHave you noticed that the vast majority of “Help Wanted Ads” in the newspaper are about IT jobs? That completely amazes me, and it scares me too. When I was in college I took a lot of business courses, and one of them was a computer programming course. That computer programming course was the hardest course I had ever taken! That was the first and only college course that I took where I ended up getting a student tutor to help me study.
I flunked every test, even though they were open book take-home tests and I worked on them for hours on end. I can remember thinking that if the IT jobs of the future depended on learning how to program computers, then I was never going to survive out there! I think that the only reason that the professor gave me a passing grade was because I went begging to him not to flunk me and promised him that I would never ever try to get any IT jobs now or in the future. I think I’m in trouble!