News of the Day

August 19, 2015 0 comments

Windows 10 Followup; G+

WINDOWS 10 –

Windows 10 seems like it’s got all of the makings of a great OS. It’s just not quite there yet. By the time of the official rollout, it might be. So wait a little while before upgrading. Just make sure that you reserve your free copy.

Also, it’s been suggested that you don’t upgrade if you’re running Windows 7 or older. The previous generation computers that were specifically designed to handle those chipsets could make your upgrade a rocky one.

A. Cortana. You click this and Cortana is supposed to ask what she can do for you. At the current moment, it doesn’t seem like she can do very much. Hopefully she will upgrade to become the digital assistant we were promised by sci-fi movies. Have patience.

I would like it if I can say “Hey Cortana, take a note” and have her bring up a program and begin taking dictation. I have been interested in Dragon Naturally Speaking, but I’ve hesitated to buy it because I’m not sure if I would be able to tell a story outloud and have it make sense. I tend to sound pretty dumb when I’m talking, and I’d hate spending $60+ on software that I don’t use.

B. Task View. This one is a bit strange. I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to do with this one, though if I right-click on it I can choose to see the Task Manager, so that’s where you can find that. Also, sometimes when I click on it, all of my open windows shrink and spread out across the screen — like when you’re thinking about closing Chrome and all the tabs are laid out. It doesn’t seem to have much purpose though, as when you click a window, ALL of them come back up on your screen, not just the chosen one.

Honestly, I would have liked the option to choose which window displays, and leave the other ones unseen in the tray. When snoopy people are lurking at my shoulders, it would be nice to not have them able to see everything that I’m doing. Just a point and a click leaves my screen safe for kid-view and nosy strangers.

C. Notifications. This is like the Windows 10 version of a cellphone notification display. You can make changes to brightness, Internet access, etc. Plus they really want to make sure that you use OneNote. It opens as a right-hand pane.

D. A change in view. Yeah, I don’t know what’s happening here. But that’s how the minimize/maximize/x-out icons look for some non-Windows programs.

In all, Windows 10 feels like it might be headed toward becoming something great. Just have patience and wait for it.

FYI: Currently I am unable to access the Windows Store or use any apps. My legacy programs — non app — seem to work fine. Plus I find myself kind of missing the Metro-look. It must be Stockholm Syndrome.

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GOOGLE PLUS —

I’ve been doing a lot more on Google Plus of late. It’s just so easy to send pictures and operate G+ from my phone. It’s a different experience from Facebook too. I think it’s a bit more my speed.

The only unfortunate thing is that people aren’t really on Google Plus. Its unpopularity makes it difficult to form a steady readership. Everyone may have been forced to make a G+ account… that didn’t mean they’ve chosen to use it.

My Google+ stuff:
My account: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HarperKingsley/posts
Picture Prompts: https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/E03HAB

I’m usually posting pictures and things, and my blog shares itself on my timeline. If you’re just interested in reading fiction pieces, the Picture Prompts collection is where they usually end up.

May 8, 2015 0 comments

Amazon Basics Wired Keyboard; Amazon Fire TV Stick; My brother was struck by a vehicle

I bought an Amazon Basics Wired Keyboard for >$12 and it works pretty good. There was a bit of a problem loading the drivers when I first plugged it in, but it eventually caught up to itself (after about 10 minutes).

It’s a nice, cheap keyboard with a fairly long cord–about four feet in length–that’s not too stiff or bindy. Though the keyboard is such a glossy black that it shows every single fingerprint or speck of dust.

* * *

Back in the day I bought the Kid an Amazon Fire TV Stick. It was on sale at the time and I wish I would have bought two of them then, as I’ve purchased a second Fire TV Stick.

We have a so-called Smart TV, but the apps refused to update and their GUI (graphic user interface) wasn’t as good as I wanted. Plus Hulu was constantly freezing, jerking, and and buffering without stopping. It got to the point that the only app we used was Netflix, and even then it was a hassle to use, refusing to auto-play the next episode when we were watching television shows.

Anyways, with the new Fire TV Stick, we’ve started being able to watch Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime in the living room, which is great, as I’m obsessed with Horrible Histories. (It’s fun and engaging edutainment that everyone should watch no matter their age. I’ve already learned a lot about real history.)

Anyways, at $39 the Fire TV Stick is worth the cost. It works great, though you cannot customize the Home screen. I’m thinking about adding the Plex app so I can use a different screen when choosing and playing media.

I was having a bit of trouble with Hulu jerking and pausing after a week of using the Fire TV Stick, but I simply unplugged it for a minute and it’s worked great since then. I guess it just needs a chance to clear its cache. As they say, “Turn it off and on again.”

For the price, it’s a great little gadget and you can take it with you when you travel. Watch some TV, play some games, and listen to music (though, while it plays your Amazon Prime Music playlists, you cannot add songs or albums from the Fire TV Stick. You’d have to log in with your desktop, phone, or tablet. But once the music is added to your lists it’s right there on the front screen of your Fire TV Stick.)

* * *

On a more horrible note, on Thursday my brother was hit by a car while riding his Go Ped. His spleen was punctured in seven places and he did some damage to his right knee cap, possibly breaking it.

There’s not a whole lot of information at this point, though he is alive and he’s going to be all right. The police haven’t gotten back to us about whether the driver of the car was arrested or if s/he drove off or anything. For all we know, it might have been a hit-and-run. My brother doesn’t remember a whole lot about the accident, just that he was driving home, then he was in the hospital.

It was a bit chilling when I saw his helmet. There was a big crack along the side where his head must have hit the pavement. If he hadn’t been wearing it, he would have been dead. As it is, he spent two hours in surgery and the doctors aren’t going to release him for several days, as he has drainage tubes in his chest and there was some talk about an air embolis.

He’s alive though, and he’s going to get better, and that’s really all that matters.

Seriously people, always wear a helmet. It will save your life.