Digital Frame Joy

The digital frame, pre-filled with photos, is a staple for me during the holidays. I have family and friends living all over the country and a digital frame is a perfect way to share photos with them without the prying eyes of social media. The digital frame is also an ideal gift for those with limited mobility.

The digital frame presents challenges to recipients who do not understand how to add new photos to the digital frame. In cases like this I make sure I purchase digital frames that can read USB Flash Drives. This allows me to add new photos to the drive when I visit, mail new thumb drives to them throughout the year, or purchase pre-filled thumb drives from artists where the topics of the photos are something my loved ones will enjoy.

As an artist myself, I create pre-filled thumb drives like this for some of my favorite topics for my family as well as the public. My latest is comprised of my flower photography done in The Netherlands and United States over the last few years: https://py.pl/7Z9C5vaBXnB.

If you are an artist who sells collections of your work on thumb drives, send me you link and I will add it to this article. This truly is an outstanding gift for friends and family that miss you and especially a blessing for family members that are not able to get out and enjoy life as much as they used to.

Home security: turning homeowners into morons

Schnikes. If one more person complains to me about the legal activity they have picked up and reviewed on their home security systems, I am going to scream. I have learned one very important thing from the many useless conversations I have participated in regarding the analysis of conversations unknowingly recorded from passersby: home security systems are turning homeowners into morons. Gossiping morons.

Home security systems are designed to record activities to be used as evidence should something nefarious take place. Any legal activity recorded is to be ignored and destroyed. Unfortunately what I am witnessing is far from that with homeowners. People are complaining to me (and sharing with me) the private information they recorded when people were on or near their property, private information that is not illegal. I only make the situation worse by pointing out that what people say to others or to themselves is none of their business if it is legal. If they are not responsible enough and respectful enough of others to abide by this rule then they are not mature enough to handle potentially sensitive data.

I am sure home security systems do a great deal of good. Unfortunately I am confident they are also doing a great deal of bad to communities.

Mouse Magnificent

The computer mouse experience need not be cold and uncomfortable. Dive into the soft billowy bin of computer mouse wrist pillows and stay for a bit. You will be glad you did:)

Lotto Losers

As a computer programmer, I have zero patience when it comes to poor web site/web application customer service. If you build it (and have methods for users to contact you on a web site) then you had better support it.  Anything less is lazy.

I recently visited a state lottery web site. I could tell from the information on the public side of the web site that they allowed the purchasing of lottery tickets to local users (within the state).  However, I could not tell if they allowed the purchasing of lottery tickets by a local user (within the state) as a gift to another local user (within the state).  I proceeded to go through the tedious process of setting up a login account in the hopes of finding out the answer to my question. What I learned is this:

1. The site asked for unnecessary personal information on set up of the online account.
2. The site did not allow purchasing lottery tickets as gifts (why isn’t this made clear outside of actually setting up an account and going half way through the purchasing cycle?)
3. After I realized the site did not offer the option I wanted, I wandered around the site for 20 minutes trying to find an option to delete my account since I realized by this point that I have no use for it. I found no option to delete or deactivate the account. So I then contacted their customer service using the contact us email on the site and requested the account be deactivated or deleted. Two weeks later I still have not heard from anyone regarding this request.
4. I just sent another request again asking that the account be deactivated or deleted.
5. If the staff is unable to handle incoming electronic requests, then this needs to be stated on the web site and all electronic means of communication need to be removed from this web site.

Pathetic.

Full Body Vibration (FBV) or Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Platforms for stiff/sore muscles

I love gadgets.  When I saw a video of a Full Body Vibration (FBV) / Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Platform I immediately wanted to know how this gadget helped users with muscle soreness.  I could not locate any scientific studies regarding muscle fatigue relief and FBV/WBV.  However, I did surprisingly find several studies that hinted at other potential benefits to using such a device (i.e. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170315143836.htm).

I recently purchased an FBV to try it out for my post-workout and post-stretching muscle pain and stiffness.  The way the device was described it made me think it could partially mimic the vibrations of a therapeutic soak in a hot tub.

I purchased this device on eBay for a very reasonable price: 30″ Full Body Fitness 3D Vibration Plate Platform Exercise Machine w/ Straps by Murtisol.

From the research I did on these devices, I think users are supposed to actually workout on them instead of just stand on them. I am not working out on this device. I do my normal workout each day and then I stand in a relaxed position on the device for 10 minutes on this setting: manual, speed 3. I am very pleased with the results so far. I have only been using the platform for about a month but I have noticed a significant decrease in leg soreness and stiffness (most notably first thing in the morning). I will continue to use this device each day after my workout and stretch as a massage tool.

If you decide to purchase the exact model I mention above, note the following:

• it is surprisingly quiet
• it is heavy, getting the package into the house may be challenging for some (it has wheels and a handle for tipping and wheeling it around for ideal placement once the device is unpacked)
• it takes up space (it is 30 inches long) so do not think it is something you can pack away easily – you will want it out and accessible every day
• I have been using this particular brand for about a month so I cannot say at this time how well this device functions long-term but so far it is working as expected
• this particular model simultaneously rocks in different directions so be aware of this in case you have balance issues
• consult your physician first before using this device if you have pre-existing conditions
• this device has an added benefit of making you sound like Darth Vader if you chat on the phone with friends while standing on it

Tech message of DOOM

Most devices and apps are built with good intentions, I think this because I am a computer programmer with a more often than not sunny disposition. I am also a realist. I have been around long enough to know what it means to not know your neighbors.

I have a tech message of doom for the world today: it is fun to bury ourselves in technology. Tech is a lovely escape from accountability, confrontation and reality – it also does amazing things for efficiency, heath, transport – the list goes on and on. However, hiding behind technology will only make us rock stars of our own empty electronic world and nothing more. Human interaction can be complex and often times dangerous but until we invest in the lives of others then all tomorrows are a blue screen of death – tomorrows that no one person can save us from, we all need to do our part for this world.

Invest in the world if you can, you will be glad you did – our world needs you:)

Update your smart TV. Fear not, it will never be as smart as you;)

Is your computer connected to a smart TV? If so, the following information will give you a good idea of how to update your smart TV.

What is a smart TV? A smart TV can access WiFi and run applications just like a smartphone (unlike a regular TV or computer monitor).

A smart TV, just like a computer or a smartphone, requires periodic maintenance in the form of “updates” from the manufacturer for security and performance enhancements. This is an example of how to update smart TVs:

• Using the remote control that came with the smart TV, select a settings button. Most settings buttons look like a small gear to activate the settings menu.
• Navigate through these settings menus to find the network options (all smart TVs are different so navigating through the menus to become familiar with them is the best approach if you do not have documentation handy). In the network options there will be features allowing you to connect to a network (it doesn’t matter if your computer that is connected to the smart TV is connected to a network or not, the smart TV is a separate entity and will not use the network connection of your computer – the smart TV needs its own network connection to receive updates). The screen will tell you if you are connected to a network or not. If you are not, then attempt to connect to WiFi, if this does not work then plug a network cable into the back of the smart TV and plug the other end of the network cable into a network port in the wall of your home if you have one or a network port on your wireless router.
• Using the remote that came with the smart TV, select the settings button again if you do not already see options on the screen for updating the smart TV. Most settings buttons look like a small gear. Click on the setting to download updates to the smart TV. Wait for the download to complete (a message will appear on the screen telling you the updates are complete, depending on the frequency of the updates in the past, the updates can take a few minutes or up to an hour to complete).
• Once the updates are download, turn the smart TV off, wait a few seconds and turn the smart TV back on for the updates to take effect.
• Disconnect the smart TV from the wireless network (by using the smart TV remote > settings) or the hard-wired network (removing the network cable from the back of the smart TV and from the network port in the wall of your home or from the network port on the back of your wireless router).
• Many smart TVs will also read updates from a thumb drive that is connected to the back of the smart TV, this is an often problematic approach for updating some smart TVs due to the number of steps involved (users have to visit the manufacturer web site, download the updates to the thumb drive while the thumb drive is connected to the computer then remove the thumb drive from the computer and place the thumb drive into the back of the smart TV and the smart TV may or may not be able to read the files on the thumb drive or may or may not be able to even recognize the thumb drive).

No way will they make it in customer service.

I was shocked at how strange my seemingly simple interaction with customer tech support was with a company over the weekend.

I encountered an issue with a company’s very specialized search engine over the weekend, my instructions to them on how to recreate the issue were so simple and yet the person I was dealing with from their tech support department was incapable of comprehending the 3 easy steps I sent them (the 3 steps were sent in print so there would be no misunderstanding – if for some reason tech support cannot read or cannot read English then there is nothing at all wrong with that – if that is the case then the company needs to switch to phone support instead of their current email ticketing system for support issues).

What should have been no more than 3 messages (1 message from myself highlighting the issue and 1 or 2 messages from tech support acknowledging the issue and then fixing the issue or saying the issue isn’t fixable at this time) has instead escalated to 9 messages so far.

This much chatter is completely unacceptable and unnecessary.

These are the 3 simple steps I sent the company so they could replicate the issue I was seeing:

1. visited this url: http:\\www.[their search site domain here].com
2. in the search box I entered this phrase: bla bla
3. selected enter, the search results appeared on screen

How can anyone not understand the exact 3 steps noted above? I cannot image any 3 steps being easier than what I posted above. How does someone not understand this? This is an example of the chatter going back and forth between myself and tech support:

• tech support: “Works fine for me”
• me: send me a screenshot
• tech support: sends me a screenshot
• me: nope, you did not go through the same 3 steps I did (see my steps), you instead searched on this criteria: bla. bla – I do not include a period in my 3 steps
• tech support: “Went through your steps again, works for me”
• me: send me a screenshot
• tech support: sends me a screenshot
• me: nope, you did not go through the same 3 steps I did (see my 3 steps), you instead searched on this criteria: you selected the category bla first then within that category searched on the phrase bla bla – I do not select a category in my 3 steps

The conversation just keeps going on and on and on like this until the human finally performs the 3 steps and sees the issue (I have truly witnessed a miracle). The human is unable to follow 3 simple instructions until the human is baby fed each step at a ridiculously slow pace. These instructions could not be simpler but this human is incapable of understanding how to perform these 3 steps without a tremendous amount of hand holding.

This person needs to leave customer support immediately and never go back and instead build a roller skating rink in my honor to make up for the damage this unnecessary stress has caused my brain.

Our tech world makes it easy to store and babysit useless data, avoid this practice at all costs.

Examples of useless data

• Storing documents containing data you have not accessed or updated within the last 3 years.
• Storing phone numbers in your smartphone that belong to humans that have not contacted you within the last 3 years (you may have contacted them within 3 years but they have not initiated any contact with you within 3 years).

Why get rid of useless data?

• It takes up space that could instead be used to store photos of puppies.
• It is an obstacle when looking for valuable data (i.e. useless phone numbers are in the way when scrolling or searching to find other valuable phone numbers). Time wasted wading through useless data could instead be used to enjoy nature or go shopping for copious amounts of jewelry.
• Useless data is as dangerous as a cluttered desk or home, it can shower many of us in a thin mist of anxiety that is difficult to identify in the early stages of discomfort.

Cleaning up your digital life every few years is one easy way to help you focus on the most important aspects of your life.  Start deleting now and do not look back:)

Taking photos of humans (and posting to the world) without permission – seriously creepy

Schnikes!  If the scientific community has not already done this, I hope they dedicate research into the odd behavior I see again and again online regarding the capturing of photos of humans and the subsequent posting of the photos to public social media platforms without the consent/knowledge of the humans in the photos.

The cycle is always the same:

1. A person with a camera is in a public place
2. The person takes a photo of a stranger in the public place
3. The person publishes the photo to social media with the plea to “help me find this person….blah blah blah”
4. The person pleads their case in a disguise of kindness and goodwill in the hopes they will not be deemed a freakish stalker by the masses for taking a photo of a human in public and then sharing the human’s photo with the world without his or her permission or knowledge.
5. The masses go hog wild for the heart-warming tale

The cycle changes drastically when these scenarios are encountered:

SCENARIO 1:  If the person(s) in the photograph has no obvious physical abnormalities (scars, too thin, too heavy, too short, too tall, crooked teeth, stained teeth, unflattering expression, unflattering hair style, etc.), public reactions appear to be primarily in supportive of the photographer posting the photo of the stranger.  Supporters are quick to point out specific laws are on the side of the photographer when snapping certain kinds of photos in public, or they gush about the artistic qualities of the photograph or how the photo is bringing great joy and those questioning the behavior of snapping photos of humans are quickly dismissed as being paranoid or foolish.  A happy ending of making a “connection” with the world and the human is often a heartwarming end result.

SCENARIO 2:  If the person(s) in the photograph show signs of physical abnormalities (scars, too thin, too heavy, too short, too tall, crooked teeth, stained teeth, unflattering expression, unflattering hair style, etc.), public reactions appear to be primarily hostile toward the human in the photo with no real reactions one way or the other to the photographer.  The ending in this scenario leads to public humiliation for the subject of the photo.

Other scenarios occur as well but the two noted above seem to garner the most extreme reactions from the masses.  Different groups of people will engage in scenarios best suited to their default behaviors but I wonder if the reactionaries consider the consequences of the publicity of the subjects.  This is not a photo tucked into a photo album on grandma’s coffee table, it is a photo distributed world wide – huge difference.

I think it is seriously creepy to photograph a human (without his or her permission) and then post the photo online for the world to see.  I don’t know how famous people deal with this behavior.  It is so strange.  Science can only observe and study and then tell us why we behave the way we do.  Maybe it doesn’t matter what we do or who we do it to because in the end we are nothing more than rotting matter in the dirt that once stained our faces.

[scary music of doom here] 😉