Sandy Berger Blog » Lifestyle Technology

How to Be a Geek Goddess

Sandy Berger — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:28:25 +0000

Geek Goddess

I am an old hat when it comes to technology. I was a computer programmer back in the seventies before computers came into the home, and I’ve kept my hand in the technology arena all these years with my own computer consulting business and my technical writing career. Yet I’ve never considered myself a “Geek Goddess”. As a matter of fact I have often been a little aggravated to hear Kim Komando refer to herself as “The Digital Goddess” — like she is something really special.

But Christina Tynan-Wood in her book, How to Be a Geek Goddess, isn’t advocating that a Geek goddess is someone above everyone else. She says that being a Geek Goddess is “a simple matter of embracing the incredible innovation that’s going on in our times and harness it for our own purposes”.

Oh yes, and Christina understands the differences between how men and women look at, and deal with, technology. She starts the book off with the sentence, “My husband is a pompous ass.” Many of us have noticed how men seem to pound their chests and promote themselves as the technology heros of the day. Women, on the other hand, just want to use and enjoy technology.

Christina’s book is filled with good information about technology with everything from how to choose a computer sales person to hooking up with others online. There are tips on everything from controlling your email to trouble-shooting a wireless connection. Chapters include: Getting in Touch with Your Software Side, Where the Stores Never Close, The Wireless Home, Keeping It Safe, Geek Parenting, Groovy Gear and Gadgets, and Your 200 Closest Friends.

The information in this 315 page book is all accurate and informative. Yet, this is not a reference book. It is rather like a free-flowing novel with technical information. If you want a book where you can look up how to do things, you will have to look elsewhere. This is a book for women who want to absorb some pointers here and there while reading about all the things you can do with your computer. If you are already very familar with computers, you can skip this book. But again, if you want to immerse yourself in technology and pick up some knowledge and useful tidbits on the way, you will love this book. And you may even become a Geek Goddess yourself!

Don’t Let Harmful Habits Control Your Life

Sandy Berger — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:12:11 +0000

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.

Amazon Kindle E-Book

Sandy Berger — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:40:23 +0000

Smaller & Lighter than a paperback

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.

Sonic Boom Dual Alarm Clock

Sandy Berger — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:13:25 +0000

Sound sleepers will rejoice at this alarm clock. I wish I had it when my younger daughter was at home. We have always had trouble getting her to wake up on time. In fact, she is such a sound sleeper that once she slept through all the commotion that occurred when the deck right outside her bedroom window caught fire. Even fire engines, yelling, and the heavy boots of the firefighters on the deck didn’t wake her.

The Sonic Boom Loud for a Reason

So she was the perfect test for the Sonic Boom Dual Alarm Clock. Guess what? It actually woke her up. She loves it so much that she continues to use it all the time. I have received testimonials from other users, as well. I didn’t realize that there were so many heavy sleepers in the world!

Sonic Boom has several different models. The Sonic Boom Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker that I reviewed comes with a dual alarm. The volume is user-controllable, so you can set it according to your needs. The 12-volt bed shaker is powerful enough to get just about anyone going. The clock has a hi/low dimmer switch for those who like a more subtle light at night. There is also a battery backup so you won’t be late if the power goes off during the night.

World travelers will like the fact that there is a switch to change the clock from 110 volts to 220 volts and another switch to change the time to be show the time on a 12 or a 24 hour basis.

Not everyone will need a clock like this, but those who do will think it the next best thing to sliced bread!

Trends and Gadgets for 2008

Sandy Berger — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:35:43 +0000

More cell phone features, OLED televisions, and cheaper ink are a few of the many trends that we will see this year. Read my article Consumer Electronic Trends 2008 for more.

We will also see some great new gadgets, including robotic gutter cleaners and more. Check these out in New Gadgets for 2008.

You Tube is Not Just for Youngsters

Sandy Berger — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:55:18 +0000

Posting and watching videos on You tube can be fun for all ages. Here is one of my You Tube videos on caring for CDs and DVDs.

You can find more of my videos by surfing over to www.youtube.com and searching for the word “compukiss”.

New Baby

Sandy Berger — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:15:58 +0000

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.

Smart Emerson Clocks

Sandy Berger — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 15:40:05 +0000

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.

New iPod Frustration

Sandy Berger — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:54:05 +0000

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.

Dave’s CES Adventure

Sandy Berger — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 22:37:42 +0000

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.