Humans are beings of habit. We have to be. None of us could breathe or walk if we didn’t rely on being able to habitually push the air in and out and place one leg in front of the other. Once ingrained in us, habits are difficult to break. If someone told you that from now on you could only walk on your toes, it would take months for you to completely break your old habit of walking on your entire foot. And you might need the help of those around you to help keep you on your toes.
So it is with our bad habits. Once they have become ingrained it is difficult to break them. So you shouldn’t expect that you can easily break the habits like drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and pain killer addiction. You need to get help. Get into a good Alcohol Rehab or Drug Detox program.
Harmful habits can take over your life. To overcome these habits and get your life back, you will need a top notch treatment center. Cliffside Malibu is a center where you can get Addiction Treatment and all the help you need. Check it out. Asking for help to break hurtful habits is not a sign of weakness. It is a symbol of strength.
I recently had the pleasure of using the Amazon Kindle e-book reader for a few weeks. It’s a big step forward and better than any of the previous electronic books.
The technology behind the Kindle is nothing short of amazing. Great clarity and battery life and you can resize the text to fit your visual needs. You can buy books from the Amazon Store and access the Internet without any wires and even better, without any monthly fees. (I told you the technology was wonderful.)
Unfortunately,some of the design features just don’t measure up. Yet, if you like to read, it may be a worthy purchase. And if you like to take reading material along when you travel, it may save you money with the new “charge for luggage” airline rules.
You can read my full review at Hardware Secrets. Feel free to post your comments either here or at Hardware Secrets.
I recently received the XO computer which is a laptop computer being distributed to children around the world. The lime green and white computer looks like the pictures that I’ve seen on the Internet. As I expected, it is very well-built. The fully enclosed keyboard has a surprisingly good tactile feel. I was, however, completely blown away by the computer itself. I expected it to be at least somewhat like the laptops that I am used to. It is not at all like a Lenovo or Toshiba. Not only is the interface completely different, the emphasis of the computer itself is different. Perhaps a child who has had not previous contact with a computer would find it intuitive, but every computer-literate child and adult that has looked at it has not found it intuitive at all. It is different than the computers we are used to.
I guess I expected to find a laptop that a child could pick up and use without any tutoring. I don’t think the XO fits that definition. It is obviously meant for a classroom setting where the teacher, at least at first, leads the children in their exploration of the laptop. It is also obvious that one of the main focuses of this laptop is collaboration. It is difficult to even review just one unit, because the XO is so obviously made to attach to a mesh network and have all of the children working in collaboration with each other. The other emphasis is on imagination. The drawing program is fantastic. Not only can you draw things, you can animate them. Having that rocket ship actually take off is amazing. The music program and other portions of the computer’s software seem to be wonderfully designed to spark a child’s imagination.
I’ll write more on this laptop as I explore it myself. So far I can say that it is surely nothing like others writers have led me to believe.
Been a little busy lately. Just became a grandmother again….my son and his wife had a beautiful baby girl. As usual, technology entered the picture, at least a little. Her birth propelled me to look at some of the new digital cameras on the market. I took the new Olympus Evolt E510 to the hospital the night she was born. A picture of her at one hour old, taken through the nursery glass was spectacular to say the least….the photo details were outstanding! Only her privacy keeps me from posting it here. That, and the fact that if a picture of her in her birthday suit showed up on the Internet when she was old enough to understand, she would probably be ready to disown me.
When I got up this morning, my Emerson smart alarm clocks, which set themselves automatically, weren’t smart enough to know that Daylight Saving Time started today, three week earlier than usual.
However, they were smart enough to have a button to set the time zone. I simply pressed the button to change the time zone and voila, the right time is now displayed. I’ll have to do the same thing in November when we go back to standard time, but luckily the fix was a very easy one.
Okay, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new iPod Nano. I am currently reviewing a Sansa MP3 player, which I truly like, it has only one strike against it. It doesn’t synch podcasts as easily as iTunes does for the iPod.
I basically use the iPod to listen to podcasts while I drive and at the gym. Which brings me to the next point. I am tied to the iPod because I have several cases, a lanyard that I use at the gym, and more importantly, an iPod car adapter so I can listen in the car. Of course, the iPod car adapter cannot be used with the Sansa.
I happily was able to quickly download and listen to my podcasts in the car. However, when I headed out to the gym I was unpleasantly surprised to find that my lanyard doesn’t fit new Nano. They moved the connector about 1.4″ so the plug doesn’t fit the new Nano. So this $39 accessory won’t work with the new Nano……frustration!!!! I have written to Apple about my frustration. I don’t expect much, if any, reply, but at least I made my statement.
If you’re looking for a big event, they don’t get much bigger than the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It’s size is estimated at being equal to twenty football fields and I traveled enough to score at least ten touchdowns. It takes more than one facility to accommodate all the vendors. This means that attendees travel through countless aisles of product vendors, take multiple buses, and attend numerous after-hour special events.
It’s exhausting, but in the end you have to say there is no where else you go to see all that the world has to offer in new technology and gadgets. These products were made to enhance our lives. Aside from the expected big screen TVs, audio devices and cell phones there were a couple of things that I found unique and interesting. Samsung presented their new bluetooth wireless MP3 player and recorder called the T9B (due for release March ‘07). This represents the next generation of MP3 players. The T9B was also displayed with Boston Scientific’s Harmony sound processor. These two devices together actually bring music to the hearing impared through wireless bluetooth technology. Visit Samsung and Boston Scientific for for information. Talk about enhancing your life through technology the combination of these two products lead the field.
Since I’ve enjoyed and benefited from technology my entire carer, attending CES
(the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, http://www.cesweb.org/) is like
being in a huge combination toy-and-candy store. It would be perfect with an
unlimited expense account (Sandy, are you listening?) and an 18-wheeler to
schlep my purchases home.
From futuristic-but-available-now home automation systems (just take $15000 to BestBuy) to nifty and bargain problem solvers such as alarm clocks with under-mattress vibrators to wake sound sleepers or the hearing impaired, there’s something for everyone. The crowds can be overwhelming but the techno-immersion makes it worthwhile. CompuKISS readers will see writeups of awesome gadgets, tools, hardware, and software that will help us with daily living, entertain us, educate and enlighten us, and connect us in ways we hadn’t imagined. Stay tuned!
Is it really only day 2 of my Consumer Electronic Show experience?? I feel like I have been here for a week. I certainly have seen at least a week’s worth of products and walked a week’s worth of steps!
Two press parties, Digital Experience and Show Stoppers had several hundred exhibitors with the latest and greatest technologies. Show Stoppers was especially exciting. There were many new products that I really liked and will review in the near future. First was a new digital picture frame. i have looked at these for years and have finally found one that is priced very well and has great peripheral viewing angles.
The new Toshiba Portégé laptop computer is a tablet PC that has a keyboard and a place to write on the screen. It also shows you your Outlook email on a scrolling LCD on the front of the computer when the computer is closed. Pretty cool.
As you would expect, there are many new ideas for cell phones. I especially liked the simple cell phone backup products and the easier ways to move pictures from your cell phone. Also many new charging options.
I am off to the show floor now. Stay tuned. There’s plenty more to come.
