My favorite Google app...
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Posted:Jul 9, 2014 4:18 pm
Last Updated:May 29, 2024 2:39 am 43683 Views
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I'm pretty selective for the applications I download into my cell phone. Most of the recommended Android apps (for me) are a waste of time. However, one recommendation that came from a sales associate at Sprint is my most used app... It's called Gesture Search.
A free product from Google that allows you to swipe letters on the screen while the app searches for a match. Very functional.
Let's say you have a phone contact Randy Willis and his company is Weston Carpet. He's a contact you haven't called him in a while... actually you forgot his name but you remembered he's a 'carpet' guy so you start to swipe C A R and (just like typing in the contact app) any contact with CAR will show up in the search.
The difference for me is it's much faster (and more accurate) to swipe instead of type.
To find it go to PLAY and type in gesture search.
Let me know if you agree that it's a handy app to have.
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My Windows 7, 8 & 8.1 experience/update
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Posted:Jul 9, 2014 7:05 am
Last Updated:Jul 10, 2014 9:09 am 44885 Views
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The office manager where I'm working mandated we cannot use any Windows XP computers on the office network anymore. I'm already using a fast Intel i7 3.4Ghz running Windows 7-64bit for nearly everything now and recently replaced my 2nd system, a old AMD dual core computer running XP Pro with an off-lease (refurbished) $150 dual core computer running Windows 7-32bit. Sometimes I have several programs going and an interruption of closing one to view another another is non-productive, therefore I have 2 computers side-by-side for research.
Two of my home-work computers are running windows 8 and 8.1
Due to my corporate network requirements, all the versions are Pro.
I've got Windows 7 'toned down' to look and work as much like Windows XP as I can and I like only a few differences. Having the date on the taskbar and the ability to slide tabs around. What pisses me off most is active windows dropping behind other windows... especially when you are working on one. Let's say I'm going to save a file and expect the save box to open on top... it doesn't. You have to search for it beneath other windows. I'm told there are no setting changes to correct this and you must buy a 3rd party software to control screen layer priority.
There are times when I want to slide a window over or out of my way and the default thinks you want to split screen that window, so whatever size you had it, expect it to resize to 50% of the screen. It's a good thing this edge detect feature can be turned off... That was really annoying.
64bit allows me to utilize all 8gig of ram installed on this computer and take advantage of it's power, but I lost the ability to see thumbnails in folders. For example, all my PDF files are icons with the logo. When I switch to my 32bit computer, I can see the thumbnails just like XP. Another glitch with 64bit and I'm told there is a 3rd party program that makes thumbnails and creates a huge thumbnail management system... totally the wrong program for me.
Windows 8 wastes too much of my time maneuvering around. What good is the W8 interface if it brings up the W7 desktop to run programs? I'm thinking of refreshing my other i7 computer back to factory specifications with Windows 7... Yes, getting rid of Windows 8.1
That leaves at least 2 more desktops running 8.1, a laptop on 8.1 and a tablet on 8.
Unfortunately, those are secondary computers and will probably stay with the O/S they have now.
What I dislike most about 8.1 is it's just like an android phone nagging me to update apps. I don't want to add all 4,000 of my photos into a library. Stop forcing me to load new apps that can better enhance my viewing experience... the old way was just fine.
Oh, yeah... another thing I dislike about W7 is printing photos. Let's say you have 20 photos in a folder and you open the photo viewer. In XP, If you want to print, you have the option to select the photos you want within the viewer and print them.
Now, you have to select them directly from the folder. That's a step backwards to me, especially if you don't have thumbnails turned on.
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My main photo changed on it's own...
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Posted:Jul 8, 2014 3:09 pm
Last Updated:Jul 10, 2014 10:31 am 46388 Views
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Dear blog, when I checked messages this afternoon, I found my main profile photo had changed. I tried several times to reset it back to the photo with the red background, but it doesn't want to accept it. I'm considering uploading it again to see if I can make it stick!
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Starbucks and the keyboard...
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Posted:Jul 7, 2014 7:07 pm
Last Updated:Jul 16, 2014 6:27 am 45242 Views
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The other day, I accidentally knocked over a Starbucks coffee drink onto my keyboard. If you know Starbucks it's a heavily sweetened product with all things like milk, milk by-products and ingredients I cannot pronounce.
I flipped the keyboard over and tapped it until it stopped dripping.
After wiping up the mess ( I keep tissues close by my computer) I turned the computer off and sprayed the keyboard with glass cleaner and wiped the spaces between the keys.
Everything appeared good and I continued working for an hour or so.
The next morning I came to work and started replying to an e-mail when the hit a period, the key stayed down and started filling the letter with ......................................................
I have to open a paperclip as a tool to pull the key up. Two other keys were also stuck with coffee residue.
It's a good thing I have spare parts with me and connected another keyboard to continue working. I have the other keyboard at home now and I haven't decided what to do next. I suppose, I'll pull off the key caps of the sticky keys and use some window cleaner and cotton swabs to see if I can get it going again. I purchased this keyboard three weeks ago from a closeout and no more are in stock now.
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Fortune Cookie...
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Posted:Jul 6, 2014 6:41 pm
Last Updated:Jul 7, 2014 6:22 pm 35469 Views
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This is a somewhat a 3-part blog. The first part is... Chinese food in America is not the same food people eat in China. Most Americans don't know this. Yeah, we have dumpling, noodles and rice dishes from the corner Chinese restaurant but the exclusive Chinese cuisine doesn't have the number 4 pork special!
About a week ago there was a blog about some places serving on the menu. While I dislike hearing about it, when I visited China, I saw at the market along with goat, ram complete with horns. There were live eel in buckets along with buckets of live fish. If you want fresh... the market has what you want.
Americans like to joke about the corner eatery catching stray animals in the alley and serving them up to unsuspecting customers. I've heard jokes and stories for years and honestly can say I have no proof if they do or not. Without proof, you have to believe the restaurant is serving beef when the menu says beef.
The 3rd part of my blog has to do with the small treat at the end of the meal. After you pay, they hand you a Fortune cookie. It's a folded piece of thin sweet cookie and you break it open to find a small strip of paper. Fortune cookies have changed slightly over the years. When I was young, Fortune cookies only had a short saying we (as ) thought it would have been from the teachings of Confucius. For example: “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
Somehow we felt enlightened to read these, but soon forgot them.
Fortune cookies have adapted to modern times. On one side you have the wiseman's quote and the other side has Lottery numbers and Chinese lessons showing the Chinese word, pinyin (phonetic sound) and English translation. For example:
水 ( Shuǐ ) water
Again, I'm told fortune cookies are NOT part of Chinese culture... so it must be something made for Americans... A token of gratitude or a thanks for paying the bill?
Who knows?
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Anyway, I wish you a good appetite and a good fortune.
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I've always wondered...
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Posted:Jul 6, 2014 7:48 am
Last Updated:Jul 6, 2014 10:28 am 25607 Views
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I've always wondered... if JFK was really boinking Marilyn Monroe.
I've always wondered... if (or when) NASA would confess astronauts didn't make it to the moon.
I've always wondered... if they would find Jimmy Hoffa's body.
I've always wondered... when Ricky Martin would come out of the closet.
I've always wondered... if Alley Baggett has implants.
I've always wondered... why laws are generally written to protect the guilty.
I've always wondered... if the other members of Queen were bi/gay.
I've always wondered... why foods that are good for you usually taste so bad.
I've always wondered... if Albert Einstein had a closet full of identical sets of clothing.
I've always wondered... why the nerdiest in school aspired to politics.
I've always wondered... why sex was better when I HAD a headache.
I've always wondered... why mediocre musicians outlive gifted musicians.
I've always wondered... why a carrot is more orange than an orange.
I've always wondered... why guys in my high-school who were bag-boys at the local grocery are back there as bag-boys 45+ years later!
I've always wondered... why water is sometimes more expensive than Coke that has flavoring, corn sweetener and water!
Thanks for reading my blog!
If you're taking notes... Yeah, I read about Ricky!
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Sealed for YOUR protection...
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Posted:Jul 5, 2014 4:34 pm
Last Updated:Jul 6, 2014 10:27 am 26289 Views
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Okay... I've been doing humorous blogs all week and now it's time for a serious blog.
After the 1982 Tylenol Tampering scare, where someone laced bottles of Tylenol with cyanide, manufacturers of nearly all food and drug products have begun making (and marking) their products 'tamper resistant' and the user must bear this cost built-into the price of the product. To make you feel safer, they have adopted the phrase "Sealed for your protection"
If you know me... I see things differently. It's really not sealed for your protection.. it's sealed for THEIR protection. No company wants to be affected with product tampering. They all learned from Johnson & Johnson, certainly the lawsuit repercussions could drive any healthy business into financial ruin.
How 'resistant' are these packages? Actually, some are very little.
Years ago a box of pills had a folded tab for easy open and close. Many are replaced with a glued flap... Tamper resistant? maybe not... Tamper evident? Yes.
English is a lovely language, probably the word 'resistant' has more legal or marketing sense than the word 'evident'. Either way, we must tear off, zip, strip, fold, crack & peel off layers of plasticized foil just to get at the product. It is what it is... this is the world we live in now and it's not going to be any less.
I just have a problem with the way they label condoms. It shouldn't be sealed for your protection. Isn't it really sealed for your projection?
Think about that... sealed for your projection.
Thanks for reading my blog... !
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Mahjong... you suck!
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Posted:Jul 5, 2014 11:00 am
Last Updated:Jun 23, 2023 6:49 am 24819 Views
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Maybe it's the other way around.
I used to have Mahjong on my computer running Windows XP. When I switched to a computer running Windows 8, I found the touch screen interface for Mahjong to be delightful... with one exception. My percent of wins dropped considerably.
Playing games on Windows XP have a higher percent of wins and typically play faster.
I used to win about 60-70% when playing on XP and now I'm down to 25% on W8.
I'm so annoyed, I stopped playing Mahjong.
Yeah... it's different.
I'm able to blast through a game of Solitaire in less than 135 seconds playing on XP and now it's 250 seconds on W8.
My first thought is the delay time required to render/articulate all the screen graphics. Also, using a mouse is much faster than a touch screen... Fact.
Thanks for reading my blog!
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Why?
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Posted:Jul 5, 2014 7:12 am
Last Updated:Jul 6, 2014 7:44 am 26317 Views
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She was 110 pounds (50kg) at the age of 20.
Now, at the age of 40, she is 220 pounds (100kg)
This is (only) one reason why many Caucasian men loose interest in Caucasian women.
Thanks for reading my blog!
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Adam Lambert vs Paul Rogers...
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Posted:Jul 4, 2014 11:00 am
Last Updated:Jul 5, 2014 6:25 am 25328 Views
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Queen singer Freddie Mercury died in November 1991. I remember seeing a benefit concert where George Michael sang and remarked how he had a voice good enough to replace Freddie should Queen decide to tour again.
A musician friend of mine said that wouldn't be possible due to some agency/record contract disagreements.
It was a few years later, I heard that Bad Company frontman Paul Rogers was gearing up to tour with Queen. Rogers is considered one of the best voices in Rock but it was my opinion he's not suited for Queen's music. He toured with them between 2004-2009.
Bring in Adam Lambert who wowed the American Idol judges it became my opinion he had the voice they needed to revive the band.
Okay, so it took a few years for someone to manage the deal and Lambert is performing with Queen now. I heard them do a concert last week sponsored by iHeart Radio and it's a but rough but Adam fit the spot better than Paul.
A few days ago I heard one of the Classic Radio announcers mention Brian May, the guitarist of Queen publicly announced what I had been saying all along.
Rogers never missed a step... he's released a new album called The Royal Sessions. I've hear some cuts from it and he's fantastic!
It's a win-win for both Adam and Paul and I look forward to hearing more music from these singers in the future.
Thanks for reading my blog!
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