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Rick

One man’s search for a banjo

I decided a few weeks ago that I want a banjo.

Why? A few weeks ago I realized that everything I do is digital. I do a lot of digital photography, I spend my day working on computers, for relaxation I play XBox. I feel covered up in 1s and 0s.

Once in a while, I want to get away from the digital world and do something analog. I am not a guy without hobbies and interests, but I think I am ready to switch some gears with what I do with my free time.

What does this have to do with computers?

Well, when I guy decides to start something new, there is one place he should start… the Internet.

Another reason to use Picasa

I mentioned in yesterday's Shotgun that I took nearly 900 photos on my recent vacation. You have read and heard us hype the free Picasa digital photography software from Google many times. The features and execution of the features are nothing short of wonderful. I use Picasa to upload and organize my photos after a trip. Then I usually upload the photos I want to print to my favorite online photo developer (Shutterfly ) and get a bound book made of my favorite 100 or so photos for less than the cost of developing three rolls of film.

Unplugged and loving it!

When I talk about wanting to live in the 1800's, people are always surprised. A tech guy, an expert wanting to live in a time when the Pony Express was high tech? It's true I tell you. As much as I love technology, I also see how much time it can eat up as well. On our old fashioned road trip vacation, I took my laptop (used it twice for a total of about fifteen minutes), my GPS (used it once), my beloved Treo (used once, although I checked for signal multiple times), my MP3 player (never used it), and our portable DVD player (I watched one movie on it, but my son used it in the car while we drove).

I intended to use the computer more and submit Shotguns for our site, but wi-fi was extremely hard to find in the places we stayed and visited. And when I did find it, it was either for a fee or required me to hike to the hot spot…I didn't need it that bad. In fact, I actually enjoyed being "unplugged" for nearly 11 days and didn't miss Google, voice mail, SMS, email or any of it. I crave information and love the Internet for information gathering, but I also thoroughly enjoy exploring new places, meeting new people, and driving new roads (Northern Nevada is UGLY). I think that if I had the means, I would have no problem separating from technology and seeing the world in my Eurovan with my family. But since I don't have the means, I will continue to gather information on the web, SMS my friends, check email periodically, and continue to marvel at what technology continues to roll out every day.

Oh, one piece of technology that I did take and use extensively was my digital camera (Canon S2IS)…I took more than 900 photos of Oregon and Northern California…none of desolate northern Nevada.

Discover MORE on Google

Most web users are familiar with Google as a search engine – that is a website that helps you search the web for other pages related to a given search topic.
What most people don't know is that Google has many more hidden powers. Many of these powers are as spectacular as the traditional search engine itself.To discover everything that Google has to offer you must look below the search box.

Google Options

Web – Click here for a standard web search for website related to the search topic

Images – Click here to search the web for pictures related to a search topic

Groups – Click here to search discussion groups about a given topic

News – Click here to search almost all major news sites about a given topic

Froogle – Click here to search many major stores (online and off) for price and product information on a given item

Maps – Search the US and the world for addresses, directions, businesses, etc

Desktop – Search your own computer for files using Google search techniques (requires a download and install)

MORE – This is where the real magic takes place!

Go there now and discover the wonders of Google.

Best Buy doesn’t quite live up to its name

As I may have already mentioned once this week, Best Buy just opened its first store in our home town of Grand Junction, Co.

Folks in Grand Junction have been very excited about the new store and today was the Grand Opening. As much as I love Best Buy and gadgets, I must say that I was not very impressed.

There were no great specials and the prices were pretty much the same as you find anywhere else. I wasn't really suprised by this since Best Buys best prices are generally only sale items.

What did suprise me who how many people were buying stuff. Most computers, software and gadgets are all price fixed. This means that an XBox at Target, Circuit City and Best Buy is always going to coast $399.99. I don't know how or why this is legal, but it is how it works.  Wal-mart breaks the rules by charging something like $399.88.

New business model, same old AOL

I noticed in the news that AOL has officially made all of its services free. They have also lowered their rates to $9.95 for dial-up service.

Their pitch is that all of their content including email is now free. They are really trying to get people to sign up for their free email.

So, I figured, what the heck. I will sign up for it if it's free. Just so I can review what a free AOL service is like.

If you haven't heard us say it before, AOL is not an Internet provider. Perhaps they were at one time, but today their specialty is advertising. They charge subscribers for a service that's primary purpose is to show those subscribers advertising. Every link in the AOL software is advertising based. Whether you click on shopping, weather, Internet security or news, every link in the AOL program is put their because someone paid for it to be there.

A friendly reminder about Snopes

It seems that late summer is one of the busiest seasons for email forwarding. People forward jokes, photos, inspirational stories, and political content to their friends.

Before you send that forward on to a friend or family member make sure to check it out at www.Snopes.com . Snopes is a database of all email that gets forwarded around the world.

The folks and Snopes work extra hard to research the truth (or untruth) behind each story they are sent.

When someone sends me a forwarded story that I find suspicious such as how the government is going to start charging for email or about how kindergardens across the country are going to take the book "D is for Dog" out of their schools because "dog" spelled backwards is "god", I head directly to Snopes.

Doing laundry and accessing wi-fi

We have made it to the far north California coast and found a great camp ground. Laundry has stacked up so we went to the campground laundry room and lo and behold, I found a wi-fi hot spot there as well. So, while doing the mundane laundry routine, I can catch up a little on the news that I haven't missed and make a quick entry here at HMR (I love this acronym that some of you adpoted in your comments). We appreciate all your support and also love that you are spreading the word about HMR. 

Geek Squad is a comin’

Today I had lunch at a local burger place. I try to eat a hamburger a week just so I don't forget how bad they are for me.

While I was eating six Geek Squad guys came and set down at the table next to me. For those who don't know, the Geek Squad is Best Buy's computer repair team. Essentially they are a bunch of kids with book learning but little real-world experience outside of the routine jobs that they do on a daily basis.

As I heard them talk I began to wonder if it is truly possible to Wal-mart-ize computer help. This comes from a very biased point of view admittedly. My business is in direct competition to the Geek Squad.

Vacation hair cut

Rick's vacation hair cut

When we go on vacation (especially camping), I don't like to waste time trimming my beard and shaving, so I usually shave the beard off. This year I did that again…and a little more. Now, I can spend my extra time monitoring my home surveillance equipment with my Treo!

Even though I have been on vacation, I still plan on submitting articles to our Shotgun series. Most will probably have a travel theme to them (like my wireless hints yesterday). I will be traveling with my MP3 player (Rio Nitrus), laptop (Averatec ultra-portable), digital camera (Canon S2IS), and of course my cell phone/portable Internet and email/maps/calendar/camera phone/a million other things (Palm Treo 650). We also loaded up the bikes for their first foray outside of Colorado. Surely all of this technology and madness will present ample opportunities for some good Shotgun fodder.