First: This thing ROCKS!
It is every bit as wonderful as advertised, and then some. Those who said that a 10.1" screen isn't even an issue have been right. With this fantastic bright screen, even with my poor vision I have no trouble reading text or photos. And the sound through the headphones? WOW!! I can hardly believe it, it's like being in a concert hall with the sound swirling around and right through my head - the best headphone sound I've ever heard, I'm pretty sure...
But mostly I want to talk about battery life. 9 hours is what was advertised. It is now after 3 a.m. and I unplugged at 6:00. It's about to die (I will full charge/discharge 3 times as recommended by the mfr) but during that time I've been running Skype continually, and also using (not just running) my browser with several windows open, YouTube, a fairly intensive gaming program, and a spreadsheet program. I spent a few hours deleting bloatware that came on the computer and installing my own programs (Open Office, Irfanview, WinAmp, etc.). I've had the wireless on the whole time, as well as a USB cellular internet getter-onner while we were out and about. In addition I've had the bluetooth running as I experimented with connecting to various devices for part of that time.
[everything goes black]
And here I am, back, after the system shut down after 9 hours and 10 minutes - but first it saved my work! Amazing...when I plugged it in and turned it back on, it came right to where I left off, with the same apps running and right down to where I was typing here!
This machine just blows me away - what a PHENOMENAL computer this is, in every way!
I will post more as I continue to become acquainted with this netbook, but so far I am beyond thrilled!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Netbook
Seems like every year I have been acquiring a new fun gadget or piece of equipment lately. I save up my pennies, dollar bills, and the occasional twenty, and when I have enough I am able to get myself something I've wanted or needed. For example, in 2008 I got my Yamaha PSR-9000Pro; last year it was N8, my beloved Nokia N810, and later in the year I was able to get another computer, a used but excellent eMachine to use with my 9000Pro for recording, with my husband's help.
This winter my laptop computer died. There was another old laptop with myriad problems laying around, and Pete was able to get it into working order for me. It's slow and unreliable, and anything but the most basic software causes it to crash. While I'm thankful to have it, clearly a new one was in order. So last week I finally had enough saved up for a netbook and on Friday (today is Wednesday) I ordered it from amazon.com.
And today is delivery day! Amazon quoted a 7-10 day delivery; today is day 5. But I've been following the tracking, and it has been sitting at the post office a mere 1/2 mile (as the crow flies) from my house for the last 24 hours. Our mailman Rick will be here within the next hour or 2 with my new "toy".
The laptop I chose was the Acer 250AOD-1584. If you look at the specs, reviews, and price you will see why. This is a LOT of computer for the money! 250GB HD, 1GB RAM, wireless b/g AND n, dolby headphone sound, bluetooth (to connect to N8 and to my cell phone), 6 cell battery (for up to 9 hours of use!)...it has everything I wanted and more, for <$300! And of the 117 reviews, all but 1 or 2 were glowing.
No other netbook had all of these features for such a great price AND the excellent reviews on every site I checked.
And within minutes it will be here. I'm ready. I've read every single review, watched any videos I could find about it, read the manual cover to cover (figuratively speaking as it was a pdf file)...anything I could find, I've studied.
So why a netbook? First I considered where and how it will be used. I typically do my "computing" sitting in my recliner with my feet up, my computer on my lap on a heavy open-mesh (for air flow) platform, and whenever I get up I move it to the table kept next to me for that purpose. This will be light and easy to move back and forth from table to lap, and will be small enough so as not to block my view of the television across the room.
In addition, I use my laptop in the car. Since I can no longer drive, and I'm a TERRIBLE rider, my husband learned that if he plugs in the internet-anywhere-thingy from our cell phone company and puts my laptop in my lap, it will keep me occupied enough to not drive him crazy with my observations about potential hazards (which may or may not be real) and comments about how I would be doing things if I were behind the wheel. :). And, of course, I use it when I'm not at home.
Second I considered what I use my laptops for: getting online. Almost exclusively, emails, blogging, social sites, a few light games (nothing really system intensive), videos. That's it. The lack of an optical drive won't be an issue since I use very few apps, and those are already on my external hard drive; plug in via USB and I've got what I need. For music I have a good sound system on my desktop already, and any listening I might do on the netbook will be via headphones which, according to customer reviews, sounds phenomenal. And getting on the 'net is what a NETbook is for. For anything else I still have my desktop and, of course, N8.
I'll let you know how I like it after I've had ample opportunity to get acquainted :).
This winter my laptop computer died. There was another old laptop with myriad problems laying around, and Pete was able to get it into working order for me. It's slow and unreliable, and anything but the most basic software causes it to crash. While I'm thankful to have it, clearly a new one was in order. So last week I finally had enough saved up for a netbook and on Friday (today is Wednesday) I ordered it from amazon.com.
And today is delivery day! Amazon quoted a 7-10 day delivery; today is day 5. But I've been following the tracking, and it has been sitting at the post office a mere 1/2 mile (as the crow flies) from my house for the last 24 hours. Our mailman Rick will be here within the next hour or 2 with my new "toy".
The laptop I chose was the Acer 250AOD-1584. If you look at the specs, reviews, and price you will see why. This is a LOT of computer for the money! 250GB HD, 1GB RAM, wireless b/g AND n, dolby headphone sound, bluetooth (to connect to N8 and to my cell phone), 6 cell battery (for up to 9 hours of use!)...it has everything I wanted and more, for <$300! And of the 117 reviews, all but 1 or 2 were glowing.
No other netbook had all of these features for such a great price AND the excellent reviews on every site I checked.
And within minutes it will be here. I'm ready. I've read every single review, watched any videos I could find about it, read the manual cover to cover (figuratively speaking as it was a pdf file)...anything I could find, I've studied.
So why a netbook? First I considered where and how it will be used. I typically do my "computing" sitting in my recliner with my feet up, my computer on my lap on a heavy open-mesh (for air flow) platform, and whenever I get up I move it to the table kept next to me for that purpose. This will be light and easy to move back and forth from table to lap, and will be small enough so as not to block my view of the television across the room.
In addition, I use my laptop in the car. Since I can no longer drive, and I'm a TERRIBLE rider, my husband learned that if he plugs in the internet-anywhere-thingy from our cell phone company and puts my laptop in my lap, it will keep me occupied enough to not drive him crazy with my observations about potential hazards (which may or may not be real) and comments about how I would be doing things if I were behind the wheel. :). And, of course, I use it when I'm not at home.
Second I considered what I use my laptops for: getting online. Almost exclusively, emails, blogging, social sites, a few light games (nothing really system intensive), videos. That's it. The lack of an optical drive won't be an issue since I use very few apps, and those are already on my external hard drive; plug in via USB and I've got what I need. For music I have a good sound system on my desktop already, and any listening I might do on the netbook will be via headphones which, according to customer reviews, sounds phenomenal. And getting on the 'net is what a NETbook is for. For anything else I still have my desktop and, of course, N8.
I'll let you know how I like it after I've had ample opportunity to get acquainted :).
Friday, April 9, 2010
What if Jesus Stinks?
I was sitting in an exam room at the doctor's office recently when I overheard the doctor talking to one of his staff about an unkempt man that had been in the waiting room at the same time we had been. He was asking her to perform an EKG on him, and warned her, "He's really filthy. I don't know when he last had a shower but he smells really REALLY bad, I'm just warning you. He's really stunk up the exam room."
He was talking matter-of-factly, no hint of ridicule or derision in his voice, just stating facts, and she responded just as matter-of-factly. In the waiting room, when the man had come in, the receptionist had had him fill out some paperwork; their conversation indicated that he hadn't seen a doctor in many years and I had been thankful that he'd been able to see one that day.
What if Jesus were alive today? What if He came back just to check up on things? What if that man were Him? Obviously that's not a Biblical idea, when Jesus comes back the whole world will know it; you can hardly miss the sky opening up after all. But this whole incident did make me think.
I have seen "Christians" snub visitors to "their" (as opposed to Christ's) church, even visitors who were well-dressed and smelled fine. I have seen "Christians" address people who serve them in restaurants or other retail venues as if they were less important than themselves. I can't even imagine what these "Christians" would do if the Savior that they worshipped on Sunday mornings showed up for church dressed in tatters and smelling bad.
Jesus Himself told us, "The King will answer them, 'I tell you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.'" (Mt.25:40) and Proverbs 19:17 tells us that "One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed."
As I will embrace my Jesus when I see Him, so need I embrace the "least important", whether lovely, clean, beautiful, and good, or homely, smelly, drunken, and loathesome in the eyes of the world. In so doing, I can embrace Jesus now.
He was talking matter-of-factly, no hint of ridicule or derision in his voice, just stating facts, and she responded just as matter-of-factly. In the waiting room, when the man had come in, the receptionist had had him fill out some paperwork; their conversation indicated that he hadn't seen a doctor in many years and I had been thankful that he'd been able to see one that day.
What if Jesus were alive today? What if He came back just to check up on things? What if that man were Him? Obviously that's not a Biblical idea, when Jesus comes back the whole world will know it; you can hardly miss the sky opening up after all. But this whole incident did make me think.
I have seen "Christians" snub visitors to "their" (as opposed to Christ's) church, even visitors who were well-dressed and smelled fine. I have seen "Christians" address people who serve them in restaurants or other retail venues as if they were less important than themselves. I can't even imagine what these "Christians" would do if the Savior that they worshipped on Sunday mornings showed up for church dressed in tatters and smelling bad.
Jesus Himself told us, "The King will answer them, 'I tell you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.'" (Mt.25:40) and Proverbs 19:17 tells us that "One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed."
As I will embrace my Jesus when I see Him, so need I embrace the "least important", whether lovely, clean, beautiful, and good, or homely, smelly, drunken, and loathesome in the eyes of the world. In so doing, I can embrace Jesus now.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
#Easter vs. Easter
For some reason, this year Easter was different for me. Easter didn't mean Easter. I will try to explain...
Whenever I hear the word "Easter" the Holy Spirit quickens in my heart. He reminds me Who Easter is about, and why the day is so significant in the lives of Christians. I just love the celebration of the ultimate victory - the victory over death - that Christ provided to those who will follow Him. There is, really, no greater fear, no greater life-changing event, than death, is there? And to have VICTORY OVER DEATH - well, it nearly boggles the imagination! If you don't really understand it, imagine the tightest football game you've ever attended...the last few seconds and the score is tied, right through to the very last second - then your team scores for the win. Jumping out of your seat, yelling at the top of your lungs...that is the thrill of victory. But it's just a game. Just a little game that, in a few short years, will have absolutely no significance in the grand scheme of life.
But death...death is another story. Victory over death...WOW! We don't have to die! All of my sins - everything I've ever done or ever will do that offends God - were all heaped on the back of the Sinless One, not on mine.
I've heard this described in various ways, most commonly as a book listing every sin in my life. When I leave this earth and come into judgment, and that book is opened by God Himself...all He will see when he looks at those pages is Christ's blood, covering every evidence of the words that had been written there. God won't see my sin - He will only see Christ's blood, covering it...
Another description has been the ledger, where so much is owed that I couldn't possibly repay it, ever. And Christ does. When the book is opened, the balance is 0.
But perhaps the most meaningful in my own heart is the fire. My sins (and those of everyone else in the world) written on stacks of sheets of paper. When I take Christ's work into my own life, those stacks are tossed into that fire. When I look into it, I see not only the pages curling up and burning bright as they turn to ash...I'm seeing my Savior's face, His tortured face, enduring the incredible pain and suffering as He did on earth - not in the fire, but at the hands of the people He loved so much. That degree of suffering - that amount of unbearable torture - just so that my sins can be thrown into that fire and destroyed...because He delights in His children, and wants us to be with Him for all eternity.
There is no fear of death, death has now been conquered when Jesus Himself - the Creator of all that is - rose from its grip and came out of that cold hard tomb. THAT is victory!
With all of this living in my heart, and being at the forefront of my deepest thoughts during the Easter season especially, I am so saddened by the Easter that I see all around me. Bunnies and eggs, painted baby butts in emails, chocolates and hams...is this REALLY all that Easter has become? Is this really all the world has to celebrate? Does this really have meaning to people?
You can have your bunnies and chicks, your baskets and bonnets...I will celebrate my risen Savior who loves me so much that He willingly was tortured, ridiculed, rejected, and killed in the most painful and horrendous way possible - just so that I no longer need fear death, and can spend eternity with Him.
Whenever I hear the word "Easter" the Holy Spirit quickens in my heart. He reminds me Who Easter is about, and why the day is so significant in the lives of Christians. I just love the celebration of the ultimate victory - the victory over death - that Christ provided to those who will follow Him. There is, really, no greater fear, no greater life-changing event, than death, is there? And to have VICTORY OVER DEATH - well, it nearly boggles the imagination! If you don't really understand it, imagine the tightest football game you've ever attended...the last few seconds and the score is tied, right through to the very last second - then your team scores for the win. Jumping out of your seat, yelling at the top of your lungs...that is the thrill of victory. But it's just a game. Just a little game that, in a few short years, will have absolutely no significance in the grand scheme of life.
But death...death is another story. Victory over death...WOW! We don't have to die! All of my sins - everything I've ever done or ever will do that offends God - were all heaped on the back of the Sinless One, not on mine.
I've heard this described in various ways, most commonly as a book listing every sin in my life. When I leave this earth and come into judgment, and that book is opened by God Himself...all He will see when he looks at those pages is Christ's blood, covering every evidence of the words that had been written there. God won't see my sin - He will only see Christ's blood, covering it...
Another description has been the ledger, where so much is owed that I couldn't possibly repay it, ever. And Christ does. When the book is opened, the balance is 0.
But perhaps the most meaningful in my own heart is the fire. My sins (and those of everyone else in the world) written on stacks of sheets of paper. When I take Christ's work into my own life, those stacks are tossed into that fire. When I look into it, I see not only the pages curling up and burning bright as they turn to ash...I'm seeing my Savior's face, His tortured face, enduring the incredible pain and suffering as He did on earth - not in the fire, but at the hands of the people He loved so much. That degree of suffering - that amount of unbearable torture - just so that my sins can be thrown into that fire and destroyed...because He delights in His children, and wants us to be with Him for all eternity.
There is no fear of death, death has now been conquered when Jesus Himself - the Creator of all that is - rose from its grip and came out of that cold hard tomb. THAT is victory!
With all of this living in my heart, and being at the forefront of my deepest thoughts during the Easter season especially, I am so saddened by the Easter that I see all around me. Bunnies and eggs, painted baby butts in emails, chocolates and hams...is this REALLY all that Easter has become? Is this really all the world has to celebrate? Does this really have meaning to people?
You can have your bunnies and chicks, your baskets and bonnets...I will celebrate my risen Savior who loves me so much that He willingly was tortured, ridiculed, rejected, and killed in the most painful and horrendous way possible - just so that I no longer need fear death, and can spend eternity with Him.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Even The Baby's Piggy Bank #tcot
My thought on this horrific nightmare of the government spending money it doesn't have at will, and then taking it from the people who earned it: A cop comes to my door with his credit card bills in his hand; he just got a new computer gaming system, a top of the line Lexus, and a custom home entertainment system. Plus he bought the same for his family who can't afford those things. He forces his way in and takes everything in our wallets, then empties out the baby's piggy bank. Without so much as a thanks, he leaves us to fend for ourselves somehow, not knowing how we'll pay our utility bills and other necessities like food (because we can't afford a Lexus or a computer or even a new TV)...until he comes back next month to do it all again, with bigger and newer stuff on his credit cards...month after month after month, more and more and more he spends and then takes from us...and there's nothing anybody seems to be able to do to stop him.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
My Strange Knee
Several years ago I injured my right knee in a fall on ice. Don't know if that has anything to do with what is going on now, or not, but I went to PT for several months and everything seemed fine until recently, other than some developing arthritis pain which my doctor said would be normal after such an injury.
So a few months ago I noticed a different pain in my knee...then, sitting in my recliner, it seemed that my leg wasn't quite straight. In addition, my kneecap had moved and was sitting up at the top of my knee and off to the right (outside). (If I still shaved my legs I probably would have noticed sooner...er...tmi, right?)
In the intervening months, my leg from the knee down has continued to become more deformed - the only word I can think of to describe it - until now, from a front view, it looks rather like this:
| |
/ |
Yes, the lower half of my leg is sticking out to the side. And it is PAINFUL. Now, from hip to toes, there is continual pain from, I'm guessing, soft tissues that are being pulled as they were never intended to be.
Of course I've gone to the doctor, and she said that the arthritis is wearing down the outside of my knee joint rather than evenly all the way across. Naturally, without health insurance a specialist is out of the question, as is surgery (if, indeed, there is a surgical solution). As my hip is now starting to object when I walk, and as there are times that it feels my leg will snap right off at the knee when I put weight on it, it is becoming a bigger and bigger problem all the time.
I will lose more weight now, I guess...(I'd lost 90# a few years ago but still have more to go, that I'd decided to just keep, for my own personal reasons...see my low carb blog if you're interested.)...and Pete is working on a way to support the leg. I can ease the pain a bit through rest and drugs but sitting in a recliner buzzed on Vicodin isn't my idea of the good life...at least not when I'm only 52 years old...
I'm not whining, but I am frustrated, and not sure what I will do or where I will go from here. I use a cane to take some of the weight from the knee when I walk, it obviously isn't enough but crutches seem like overkill, and also exacerbate the arthritis in my spine.
I guess I'll keep looking for answers, lose more weight, rest when the pain is too much, use a support on my knee, keep up with the alternating motril/tylenol regimen (with a vicodin when it's so bad that that doesn't work) all day, every day...and if there is a job out there for someone who can't sit or stand for long periods, can't lift, lost the ability to do math/organizational/multitasking with a "cerebrovascular event" a couple of years ago, has continual accidents/dropping/tripping/misjudging from loss of vision, can only drive in full daylight when there's no traffic around...I can do that job, and use my paychecks to buy some health insurance :).
Meanwhile...I guess I just do what I can do, and pray about the rest!
So a few months ago I noticed a different pain in my knee...then, sitting in my recliner, it seemed that my leg wasn't quite straight. In addition, my kneecap had moved and was sitting up at the top of my knee and off to the right (outside). (If I still shaved my legs I probably would have noticed sooner...er...tmi, right?)
In the intervening months, my leg from the knee down has continued to become more deformed - the only word I can think of to describe it - until now, from a front view, it looks rather like this:
| |
/ |
Yes, the lower half of my leg is sticking out to the side. And it is PAINFUL. Now, from hip to toes, there is continual pain from, I'm guessing, soft tissues that are being pulled as they were never intended to be.
Of course I've gone to the doctor, and she said that the arthritis is wearing down the outside of my knee joint rather than evenly all the way across. Naturally, without health insurance a specialist is out of the question, as is surgery (if, indeed, there is a surgical solution). As my hip is now starting to object when I walk, and as there are times that it feels my leg will snap right off at the knee when I put weight on it, it is becoming a bigger and bigger problem all the time.
I will lose more weight now, I guess...(I'd lost 90# a few years ago but still have more to go, that I'd decided to just keep, for my own personal reasons...see my low carb blog if you're interested.)...and Pete is working on a way to support the leg. I can ease the pain a bit through rest and drugs but sitting in a recliner buzzed on Vicodin isn't my idea of the good life...at least not when I'm only 52 years old...
I'm not whining, but I am frustrated, and not sure what I will do or where I will go from here. I use a cane to take some of the weight from the knee when I walk, it obviously isn't enough but crutches seem like overkill, and also exacerbate the arthritis in my spine.
I guess I'll keep looking for answers, lose more weight, rest when the pain is too much, use a support on my knee, keep up with the alternating motril/tylenol regimen (with a vicodin when it's so bad that that doesn't work) all day, every day...and if there is a job out there for someone who can't sit or stand for long periods, can't lift, lost the ability to do math/organizational/multitasking with a "cerebrovascular event" a couple of years ago, has continual accidents/dropping/tripping/misjudging from loss of vision, can only drive in full daylight when there's no traffic around...I can do that job, and use my paychecks to buy some health insurance :).
Meanwhile...I guess I just do what I can do, and pray about the rest!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
All About Our Yamaha PSR-E413s #yamaha #music
We each have one now. A couple of reasons for this: It will be easier for me to help teach hubby how to play if I'm not hanging over his shoulder or reaching in front of him - he can see/hear me demonstrate on mine, then play on his. (He's already got a good start on his own, through YouTube videos and beginning music books, plus the benefit that he's already musically inclined.)
Second, my 9000Pro is a monster to take to church every Sunday! Very heavy and cumbersome, and there are lots of stairs both there and here. Pete and I both have arthritis issues, and a lighter keyboard will be so much easier to cart back and forth!
Third, I'm simply amazed at all the goodies the E413 has for the price. I believe that Pete will grow into it nicely as he learns, and the simpler functionality is fun for me. I can't believe they can offer so many features for $229USD - many features I'd have expected only on a more expensive instrument.
I guess because it has the Y.E.S. it is considered a beginning keyboard by most. But I find the functionality to be quite satisfying, as a second instrument. In one of the many online videos and articles about it that I've seen these last couple of weeks, someone wrote/said that even the most sophisticated keyboard can sound awful when played by someone without talent, but the simplest keyboard can sound wonderful played by someone who knows what they're doing. While I'm far from being an expert (I can do about 10% of the things on my keyboard that the players do in their posted performances here!), being able to sit down and set it up and play something that sounds quite passable without dealing with too many buttons is a nice change.
My first impression is that, while my 9000Pro may be an older model Lexus, the E413 is a newer model Chevy . The honeymoon is far from over with my 9000Pro, and it is my main machine. But this E413 is a fun little keyboard with - dare I say it? - much richer-sounding voices that make the older keyboard sounds seem a little faded but just a little .
I think this will be fun, and I"m SO looking forward to Pete and I being able to play together someday! These new keyboards will make it fun and easier for us to get to that place so much sooner
Second, my 9000Pro is a monster to take to church every Sunday! Very heavy and cumbersome, and there are lots of stairs both there and here. Pete and I both have arthritis issues, and a lighter keyboard will be so much easier to cart back and forth!
Third, I'm simply amazed at all the goodies the E413 has for the price. I believe that Pete will grow into it nicely as he learns, and the simpler functionality is fun for me. I can't believe they can offer so many features for $229USD - many features I'd have expected only on a more expensive instrument.
I guess because it has the Y.E.S. it is considered a beginning keyboard by most. But I find the functionality to be quite satisfying, as a second instrument. In one of the many online videos and articles about it that I've seen these last couple of weeks, someone wrote/said that even the most sophisticated keyboard can sound awful when played by someone without talent, but the simplest keyboard can sound wonderful played by someone who knows what they're doing. While I'm far from being an expert (I can do about 10% of the things on my keyboard that the players do in their posted performances here!), being able to sit down and set it up and play something that sounds quite passable without dealing with too many buttons is a nice change.
My first impression is that, while my 9000Pro may be an older model Lexus, the E413 is a newer model Chevy . The honeymoon is far from over with my 9000Pro, and it is my main machine. But this E413 is a fun little keyboard with - dare I say it? - much richer-sounding voices that make the older keyboard sounds seem a little faded but just a little .
I think this will be fun, and I"m SO looking forward to Pete and I being able to play together someday! These new keyboards will make it fun and easier for us to get to that place so much sooner
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