I am also resistant to change. There is no more Outlook, or Outlook Express. Now I am forced to use Windows Live Mail. This means that when I exported my email addresses I don't know how to import them into the "Live" email program so I exported them to an excel spreadsheet format. I really hope that I don't accidently lose anyone's email address as I have to manually type it in from my worksheet. You can't tell but I am now using my new (but old) i7 computer
Before Christmas I also purchased a new network Drive.
I now have my own 3 TB cloud. I can access this drive from anywhere I can access the 'net. The interface is a little clunky but I can upload my photos if I am away from home
I can also plug a USB printer into this and use as a wireless print server. I plugged this into my wireless router and with the GoFlex software this drive shows up when you start Windows Explorer so when I download photos from my camera's memory card I can just send them over to this drive through "the air". I don't like to clog my laptop drive and in the past I have always plugged in an external pocket drive. I have a pile of external drives and now I can just use this drive instead.
I was also trying to "clean up" my computer at work. I think I have too much personal data on my drive and I have been backing up my stuff and removing it. Then I got the bright idea to just use Google Drive instead. Google gives you 5 Gigs to start. I installed the Google Drive software and when you log into Google+ and open Windows explorer, the Google drive just shows up as a folder. So now when I scan or save .Docs I just select the Google Folder and in it goes. The added benefit is that when I get home I can also access the Google Folder from home. It works seamlessly .
Our outside construction Project is coming along. They removed our trees, leveled the ground and put up wood retaining blocks
We always had a fence to close off our yard and for the past few months we have been wide open with little privacy
Now we have a new fence and gate. It is also unusual for us to get a lot of fog. It has been nearly a week driving around in fog and it was foggy again this morning. Fog and temperatures around freezing means slippery roads
This was my view this morning after having to scrape the ice from my windows. The fog is gone and tomorrow we are back to rain. Hopefully we won't have to scrape our windows for a while
You are the techno wizard! I'm very happy to just be surviving with Windows 7 and my iPhone. I actually have made a small leap and now have a twitter account. Watch Out Now!
ReplyDeleteJimbo:
DeleteI'm no wizard. I tried to do this before using my wireless router but it didn't work. Things are more "plug and play" these days. I tried to set up my wireless print server but I must be missing some instructions as how to configure it. I don't have Twitter or Facebook, don't think I ever will. I consume my life with too much already. It's enough to have a smartphone with internet access and be able to receive emails/text messages all the time. I understand the need for facebook or twitter if you are running a business
I don't understand all the computer mumbo jumbo, but I like the look of the new fence.
ReplyDeleteTrobairitz:
DeleteI don't understand all of this either. It wouldn't be the first time that I had bought something that didn't work. I tried to do this before with my older router but didn't know how to set it up. Now everything just seems to work.
we also have the matching fence on the other side. Can't wait for all that sand to be covered. It is making a mess with all the sand being dragged inside the house.
I'm with Trobairitz on this one about the computer stuff...the fence though will be a nice addition to your yard. Looks like you'll be doing some painting of your own this year!
DeleteBob I have the same server and am happy with it. I use it to back up our iMac. Only recently we switched to Bell Fibe for TV and Internet, and I haven't taken the time to re-install our servers. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I'd be administering a network, I would have laughed. Thankfully, Apple makes it much easier. I don't envy your PC environment.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the work coming along nicely on all that construction. I'm guessing that there is more room to manoeuvre the bikes? Will you be able to come rolling in second?
David:
DeleteYes, I am happy to have my own "cloud" device. I also have Skydrive and now GoogleDrive. I may even activate iCloud for photos. I used to administer a Novel Network in my past life
I don't understand Apple, I like PC's "mo' better". I am not a fast mover when it comes to upgrading "stuff". About two years ago I bought a new Flat screen Sony Bravia 1080p HDTV. It sat in our hallway for nearly half a year before we took it out of the box. Then we were looking at HD cable plans. So in the meantime we just connected it to our cable wire and for the next year and a half we were looking at poor 480p. We didn't get a HiDef signal until just before Christmas when we changed cable providers. Now we are finally watching HDTV
With our new construction we are losing parking spaces but still lots of room for bikes, not necessarily under cover though. Will have to figure something out with overhangs or temp storage tents. The gate will be wider, but rolling in slowly in 1st with outrigger legs
I'm definitely "clouding" my computer world more than ever. You think about how conducive the cloud is to motorcycling. If you're going to live a life on the bike, which is what I'm trying to accomplish, you need cloud computing.
ReplyDeleteSteve:
DeleteI know you are making plans for 2013 but you are so much more computer savy than me. I would like to upload to my cloud while on the road but depends upon internet speed. I am still going to bring a small pocket external drive with me as I average 1G per day if you count videos. You don't have long before you leave. April is just barely over 2 months away. Make sure we know where you are heading. Hope to see you on the road, somewhere . . .
Private cloud? Fog? It's all vapour.
ReplyDeleteIs there a dummies guide to all this stuff which you can recommend Bob?
Nikos:
Deletewhy don't you start with GoogleDrive. download the software
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/drive
files you put on here will be available to you anywhere you have internet access, anywhere in the world. Great for your personal files at work to keep them off your work computer.
if you like this idea, then look into having your own network drive at home for larger capacity. I bought the Seagate one, but Western Digital also makes them
One other cloud service more folks should look into is backup. You need at least 3 copies of your content e.g. photos, documents. In at least 2 different locations and at least one of them should be "in the cloud". An example service would be Carbonite. Just having copies on multiple drives doesn't do any good if all of the drives are in one location and something disastrous happens.
ReplyDeleteI've been using DropBox for years and recently have been trying out Box and Google Drive. All seem to work fine but you may want to look at their privacy policies. DropBox has a trust-no-one option that the others don't i.e. if you so choose, you hold the only key to your encrypted data. With most offerings, their technical staff retains the ability (not necessarily the right) to access your data.
Richard:
DeleteI know others use DropBox but I haven't looked into it yet. Thanks for this information. I am a bit lax on backing up. I only worry about my photos.
PS: how did you know my pile of external drives were stacked together ?
Hasn't anyone told you to cover up the webcam on your new laptop with a Post-It note? The Internet can see you... ;-)
DeleteRichard:
Deletethey can look all they want. Nothing to see but me. My new laptop is already 13 months old and hardly used. I gave my other one away already. It was too slow. Good for emails and browsing but not for video rendering
Bob, you and Richard are way ahead of me in Tech knowledge. I'm still in the dark ages..... "This new learning amazes me, Sir Bedevere. Explain again how sheep's bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes." (Monty Python)
ReplyDeleteI got a Gopro3 for Christmas and I still haven't opened the package... so I guess I'm kind of like you.
Erik:
DeleteI am not a wizz, you must be thinking of Richard. I just wanted to have more storage options and make life a bit simpler. Before I used to plug an USB external drive and transfer my photos to it. Now I can wirelessly transfer my photos using my WiFi and I don't have to plug anything in. Also I don't have to transfer data from my work computer using a flash drive. Anything I upload to GoogleDrive I can access from most anywhere.
when travelling I used to send PDF copies of my Passport, hotel reservations, etc to my hotmail address. Now I can just upload to my google drive. Also there is an IOS app and I can access the GoogleDrive on my iPhone
Erik:
DeletePS: I also bought a GoProHD Hero3 with Remote and I have already tested it. Seems to be better in low light, and much easier to use than my old Hero1
Bob:
DeleteDoes Google Drive allow you to retain local copies of selected documents? That way you can select certain things to be available even if you don't have an Internet connection or there are serious bandwidth limits. I use DropBox to store those documents that I want off line access to. I just started using Google Drive again since my limit was upgraded by 100GB due to this ChromeBook acquisition.
Richard:
DeleteGoogle Drive works like any other folder. You can copy files over to GDrive and delete or not delete the files on your computer, your choice, and Google should Sync them both to be the same. Also there is a googledrive app in the iPhone store.
There is also Skydrive from MSN, and they also give you 5 Gigs. You can have public or private folders there too
As much as I would love to use it the cloud doesn't really work for me. We're pretty rural here and are connected through a cellular hub. So the upload and download caps preclude much more than basic web surfing and social networking. My pictures folder alone is 3 times the monthly maximum usage so I don't even know how I could sync it up without having the bandwidth police at my door grasping at my already thin wallet. But perhaps I should look at it again to see if there are some better options. (See, there are benefits to being in an urban centre with unlimited access, even if you do have to drive 2 hours to get to good roads.)
ReplyDeleteCanajun:
DeleteLook into having your own Network drive. You connect it to your wireless router and you can access your files remotely when you are at work. I like mine and I can download photos from my Camera directly to it using my WiFi
Another backup option if you are bandwidth constrained is just keep a couple of hard drives and rotate them periodically at someone else's home. I.e. backup you photos, take the hard drive somewhere else. The next time you plan on visiting, backup up again to a second drive, take it and swap with the one you took earlier. Many companies do this with drives stored in safety deposit boxes. Other just use relatives or friends. In Alaska, we are faced with real bandwidth issues and a common theme is the bandwidth of a Yugo (full of disks) is huge compared to any service provider. At the university, research data is still shipped via FedEx as it's faster than any network transfer.
DeleteIf only I could undersand the computer crap, I find it intimidating and frustrating. You are braver than I am and I usually just run and hide. Like the fence, I have fence envy. You are a brave one Bobskoot!
ReplyDeleteDar:
DeleteUnderstanding and Installing are different animals. I was lucky that it all worked when I plugged it in. In the old days you would have to "configure" your system and that's where I got stuck.
If I ever have computer problems I just give it to my computer "guru" who fixes it for me. That's why I need at least 2 laptops, just in case.
I like the fence too. Nearly 100 Feet long on one side and I also have the same style fence on the other side. Our front sidewalk is getting prepped for the cement
Bob, I almost needed a Google Translator to get through this one. Once upon a time I was pretty good at DOS but I'm counting on others to make these machines more appliance-like which thankfully they are. Most of the new MS products are foreign to me as well; Open Office, Chrome, Google, etc. are my programs of choice these days. Even my CAD/CAM needs seem to be diminishing......I'll be a Luddite before long at this rate.
ReplyDeleteWe're rural as well and were delighted to finally get DSL, thankfully we were able to move to that from our Hughes Dish after far too long with dial-up.
I think your fence is very attractive!
Coop:
DeleteI just loved DOS. I also loved VisiCalc, or Lotus 123 with those / "Slash" commands. Once everything became automated and things didn't work, that was when the problems started.
We had DSL for a while now, but they just installed new stuff which makes for faster speeds. I don't really know that much, I just try to mix you up with "facts" and talk in circles
Nice fence! Sorry y'all are inundated with fog.
ReplyDeleteKathy:
Deleteour son picked that fence design with the horizontal slats. gives it a modern look. Yes, the fog came back