Tag Archive | technology

Happy Holidays

Tony Stewart’s Reindeer #14 By Springwolf

From Our Family To Yours

May you all have a blessed, abundant and joyful Holiday Season!
This time of year is for good cheer, peace and compassion between all people.

It’s the time for Pagan Yule, which begins at sunset on the Winter Solstice (for 2012 that’s December 21st) and ends at sunset on January 1st.

It’s also Hanukkah,which starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. This year Hanukkah begins in the evening of December 8, 2012, and ends in the evening of December 16, 2012.

It’s the time of Kwanzaa begins December 26, 2012, and ends January 1, 2013.

And it’s the time for Christmas which is celebrated on December 25th, 2012.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, we all will be cheering on December 31st to ring in the New Year.

Whither that’s Merry Yule, Happy Holidays, Merry Solstice or whatever you want to say. Allow the feeling of peace and unity to spread on through you and let it grow in strength and compassion.

So Merry Yule to one and all. I hope your chosen holiday is a bright one filled with joy, peace and abundance through all the days to come.

When Your Kid Becomes Smarter Than You

Nov17

Just Give Up Now

It’s Going To Happen To Every Parent

This week the little Prince, who’s 9 wrote his first blog post on our family Pirate101 fan site. He really made a pretty good Captain’s Log chronicling his character’s progress.

Now this kid has been teaching himself how to program for the past 2 years. If he wants to know something, he reads the “man” pages or Googles for instructions then does it. It not only has improved his reading (the 4th grader who is reading on a college level); but it has taught him how to problem solve and resolve. Considering Dad and I are both techno-geeks, it’s something we’re very proud of and even impressed by.

In praising him, I mentioned the slide show he added to his post and how that was really neat. I asked how he learned to do that.

He responds: “I found a button“.

Making this even worse….I can’t find the button and I’m actually looking for it!

From The Edge Of Hurricane Sandy

Oct30

Touched By Sandy In Central Virginia

Even in the midst of disaster and challenge our little Prince looked at the storm raging outside with the innocence that only a child could have.

He opened the bedroom window and felt the full force of a misty wind gust blowing through the screen.

He came to me and said:
“Momma, I opened the window and got kissed by the hurricane.”

Hurricane Sandy wasn’t the most powerful hurricane to hit the east coast, but it was an unusually large one in area. NASA posted this picture on Sunday October 28th, 2012 to show just how big it was.

Here in central Virginia it wasn’t the catastrophic storm the news had been making it out to be. We were lucky compared to the coastal areas and especially New jersey. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who suffered damage and loss due to the storm.

The History of Samhain and the Evolution of Halloween

Oct30

Photograph by Mukul Soman
National Geographic
on Springwolf Reflections

The Celtic New Year

It’s the start of the Celtic New Year and honors the year that has passed. It is the time when the veil of forgetfulness is lifted between the physical world and the spiritual world. Where the dead are honored and communication with spirit can take place more than any other time of the year.

An article by the Library of Congress states:
Pagans divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.

With the coming of Christianity in the 800s AD, the early Church in England tried to Christianize the old Celtic festivals. Pope Boniface IV designated the 1st of November as “All Saints Day,” honoring saints and martyrs. He also decreed October 31 as “All Hallows Eve”, that eventually became Hallow’een.

Scholars today widely accept that the Pope was attempting to replace the earlier Celtic pagan festival with a church-sanctioned holiday. As this Christian holiday spread, the name evolved as well. Also called All-hallows Eve or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day).

Visit Springwolf Reflections and learn more about the History of Samhain, a widely celebrated Holiday. Whither you follow the traditions of Samhain or the non-secular celebrations of Halloween; we hope you have a fun and safe night!

A New App Review

Oct25

Accupedo Pedometer
by Corusen

Pedometers

It dawned on me today as I walking, I wonder if there’s an app for that? Well of course there is!

Pedometers rely on GPS tracking, so if you don’t like the satellites knowing where you are, these aren’t going to do much for you.

They come in a variety of options, but most will count your steps, track how far you’ve walked, estimate how many calories you burned and how long you walked. Some more advanced versions will track your speed as well. They are good for walking or running. And there are some that cross over from pedometers to cycling meters, but those seemed expensive. If you do more cycling than walking, look specifically for the stand alone cycling meters.

I tried out three different apps as I was walking and looked at two more when I got home. Since I didn’t try the two I checked out from home, I’ll have to hold off on their review for now.

Check out the three I did try out in my Android App Review.

Looking Through A Kids Eyes

Oct11

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

What The Universe Looks Like – When You’re 9

We’ve made mention here before about the advanced reading of our son. When he was in 3rd grade he was tested at school for his reading and comprehension ability. As all kids are. Our little Prince was scored on a 12th grade reading level. Ok, we knew he was smart; but he’s still a kid.

This year his reading ability is so high, the school test can’t score his reading ability. So they’re saying he’s on a college level with his reading. Now there are good and bad sides to this. The good side, he’s smart and when he wants to know something he goes to Google and he reads about it. His interests lean toward science and computers. The first webpage he book marked was a page that discusses the periodic table.

The bad side is that it’s hard to find books for him to read for his homework that aren’t too easy and will still keep his interest. His favorite books are “Hank The Cowdog” by John Erickson. Now these aren’t real hard books to read, but they aren’t really written for kids. Mr. Erickson has a history of saying he didn’t intend these books to be for children. But kids love them! And adults too. They really are hilarious and not in a childish way. Continue reading →

2012 NFL Weeks 1 to 4

Sep30

Evil’s Picks

Due to the epic struggle to close one bad business and start the next one, I’ve been too busy to worry with the NFL. So now to keep my sanity from all the spreadsheets and document mining I’ve been doing, I’m making my football picks. Of course, that involves a lot of document mining and spreadsheets.

Hmm… keeping the sanity might be a lost cause.

Here’s the up to date stats/picks. Continue reading →

Android App Review

Sep10

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

A Long, Continually Running Android App Review

It’s only been a few weeks since I upgraded my phone to a Galaxy Nexus, but I’m already an app addict. I’ve tried out a number of different apps that offer the same service and made comparisons between this and that. I try to do some research on the apps before I download them. Read the reviews and consider how many people are using the app and the over comments. But even then, you can end up with an app that simply doesn’t do what you want it to do and you have to start over.

I’m a retired IT geek, but I’m by no means a professional software critic or reviewer. I simply know what I like and as a Mom with a busy schedule. I get to stay at home and write articles and books. So what I need may not be the same thing as what a professional workaholic requires.

So these are simply what I like and what I’ve learned about the apps that do what I need them to do. I should mention these are not in any particular order. Continue reading →

Using Your Galaxy Nexus

Aug27

The Home Screen

Some Tid-Bits For Apps & Features

Updated: 01/18/2013

Here are some things I’ve learned as a newbie with my new phone. I love this thing! I’ll probably be adding quite often here. So check back for new things I’ve discovered. You might also want to check out Things To Know About Galaxy Nexus

Remember you can always access the online manual and search for help: Galaxy Nexus Help

– How to access apps and widgets:

From the home screen, click the app icon button. It’s the (:::) button at the bottom, in the center.
Apps that are already installed on your phone will be listed in alphabetical order and you can scroll through pages of apps by swiping your finger across the screen.
At the top of the apps page, you’ll see the word “Widgets” in the menu. Click that to see the widgets currently installed on your phone. Continue reading →

Things To Know About Galaxy Nexus

Aug25

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Updated: 09/04/2012

I LOVE my new phone! Now I understand what everyone means when they say “There’s an App for that”!

We picked up my new phone on Thursday and I spent the rest of the evening and much of Friday learning the basics and finding information about smart phones in general and specifics about the Nexus. Or as the Prince calls it the “Nuke-sus“.

Before I get into the apps, here’s some money saving advice. Don’t buy a phone cover or stylus for your phone from your local stores. They are WAY over priced! Go to Amazon and you’ll find the same things for about $5.00 or less. I bought a cover for my phone and instead of spending the $30+ at Target or Wal-Mart, I picked it up for $5.95. I also picked up a set of 6 colored stylus pens for less than $4.00. Continue reading →