Flash Buddy's Blog

May 12, 2010 ~ 5:45 AM

2010-05-12T08:07:00.000-06:00

The conventional wisdom in Northern Colorado is to wait until after Mother's Day before planting any spring flowers. This year that advice can go the way of the rotary phone; obsolete. While my Obama lovin' neighbor cites "Global Warming", I'f chosen to blame it on that crazy Icelandic volcano.

Uploading It is BACK!

2010-05-06T06:27:00.005-06:00

What a makeover; Uploadingit.com, like a caterpillar has metamorphosed into a beautiful online file management butterfly. I've been using the free service to store screenshots, comps and proofs; then share with my friends, family, prospects and clients. Check out this before and after I've stored:

Click for the Original Image»

Consider the following:

1. Easy to use file management tools let you create folders, move files, zip, delete, or modify multiple selected files at a time.

2. Store as many files as you can in your 20 GB of free storage space.

3. Sort your files by name, upload date, size, or number of downloads.

4. Search your files quickly and easily, get auto-suggested results.

5. Easily drag and drop files to move them quickly from one folder to another.

Have you checked it out? Can you share a link?

Hawaiian Memories

2007-10-26T10:11:00.000-06:00

Edit ::

UploadingIT.com goes belly-up. Cest la vie.

I stumbled upon UploadingIT.com where one can upload images, mp3s, shockwave files or whatever. The site will put your files into play with their MP3 Player and or Flash Slide Show Player. I uploaded some images and MP3s for a test drive.

SanDisk Goes the Extra Mile

2007-04-27T10:54:00.000-06:00

Zac received a 1GB SanDisk MP3 player as a gift from Grandpa. The on switch was tough to press just right to get the thing to turn on yet he worked with it and didn't complain. Eventually I made it over to the SanDisk website to look up support options. All I could find was an email address so I send a pleasant email detailing the tough button problem; no response.

Several months go by and Zac report that the unit won't turn on at all. I give 'er a go and find if one presses real hard and wiggles it just right the unit will fire up. Still, I returned to the SanDisk website to look up that support email address once again. I was really going to let them have it. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a real support system in place so I registered and submitted my complaint, again.

After a few amazingly prompt exchanges Zac problematic unit was on its way back to SanDisk. The 'extra mile' part is where they sent out a new in the package replacement unit. They didn't badger me for a receipt (it was a gift and I didn't have one), they didn't suggest a repair price, shipping cost; they just replaced it with no questions asked.

In todays world that gets my attention in a very positive way. I had read where the Wall Street Journal's Walter Mossberg had a high opinion of SanDisk and so was happy to echo his kudos.

SanDisk sits at #2 in the MP3 player wars. Apple's Ipod is on top. Zac also has a 30GB IPOD (thanks Grandma and Grandpa) but generally prefers to use the SanDisk. He explains it is more convenient overall.

Gallery 2.2 released!

2007-04-18T08:14:00.001-06:00

The Gallery team has put out version 2.2 of their awesome photo management application. Among the cool new features, it's got a tightly integrated web based plugin install system so it's easier than ever to download and install new features on the fly. Check it out!

read more | digg story

Why 70% of Kids Quit Sports at Age 13

2007-01-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

On January 2, 2003 Laura Langendorf posted an article on the Sports Esteem blog.
Read 'Basic Rules for Parents>>

This article starts in the traditional way;

According to the National Alliance for Sports, of the 20 million kids who sign up, 70 percent quit playing league sports by the age of 13 and never play again. The media points to enraged parents and bad sportsmanship as the biggest problem in youth sports.

The key word is ‘Media’. Not only the traditional media but the uninformed players, fans and family too.

It is genius to point out that seventy percent of parents don’t go south at age 13 on the sports scene with their kids. After all they made it quite a few years. If the kid started hockey at age three or four then the parent enjoyed nine or ten years of success! Pretty good track record don’t you think?

So we are left with statistics from the National Alliance for Sports to explain why it goes south for seven out of ten kids. Unfortunately and as is often the case the ’statistics’ don’t take into consideration reality. Giving a bunch of thirteen year old sports drop-outs a survey form and asking them to select the check box that best answers the question on why they quit doesn’t really let you see behind the mask (or mirror in some cases).

What is missing is an understanding of child brain development. As kids hit puberty they take on a new sense of self yet do not have the brain development to explain it to National Alliance for Sports, their parents, coaches or even themselves. So IMHO talking to your child to understand how he or she feels, helping guide them through their emotions or sort out their innermost thoughts is one big waste of time.

The human brain doesn’t fully develop its capacity for rational thought until the age of 18 years! A researcher on the subject quipped teenagers act like they don’t care because they don’t!

For my money if you want to give your teenagers a fighting chance at sports then you will have to make it a requirement, not an option. If you leave the rationally challenged youths to their own means seventy percent of them will sit in front of the video screen all day, every day. In my play book that is not an option.

NOEL 2006

2006-12-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

See my Tabblo>

FLASH HQ Wallpapers

2006-12-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

See my Tabblo>

Enigmatic Eyes

2006-11-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Another Photoshop exploration.

1280X960 Wallpaper
... See my Tabblo>

Jumpin' Jan Baby :: Arroyo Laguna 1992

2006-11-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

'Jan Baby' Alexander

Arroyo Laguna, CA

Spring 1992

... See my Tabblo>

RingCentral Slows Outlook

2006-11-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

I purchased a RingCentral Business Account for a modest $99.00 for a years service. The intention was to replace my telco service thereby saving myself ~150.00 per month. Skype was nailing down day to day phone service at a cost of 38.00 per year and RingCentral was to fill the fax gap.

All is working out well. My annoyance is with the RingCentral Call Controller whereby when initially installed or at any point upgraded it quietly install COM Addins; specifically it unmercifully shoves itself into Outlook thereby slowing Outlook down substantially. It would be nice if during the install process RingCentral would prompt for permission.

How did I find this out? I did a search for terms associated with Outlook screens opening slowly and discovered a host of websites critical of RingCentral for a variety of reasons:

http://p2p.wrox.com/archive/beginning_asp/2000-11/156.asp

http://tinyurl.com/y96jqj

Don't get me wrong. I love RingCentral for all the capability it affords our home business. I'm just peeved that it drags down Outlook and the fact I had to play Sherlock Holmes to sleuth the solution.

Here is the solution:

View Solution>>

Boycott Miller Brewing Company

2006-09-07T09:38:00.000-06:00

OHMYGAWD! :( Miller Brewing Company has recently flip-flipped on illegal immigration. First they support 'legal' immigration until it pissed off Latino organization who threatened to boycott Miller beer. They recoved by donating up to 30,000 to Latino pro immigration ralleys.

Will the real Miller Brewing Company please stand up. It is clear to me Miller can only see as far as its bottom line and will say and do what it can to keep drinkers drinking and funds rolling in. I'm sad to say I'll be giving up my twenty bottles a week habit (that is shared usage don't 'cha know).

Dillon Resevoir :: Frisco Colorado

2006-08-11T08:33:00.000-06:00

See my Tabblo>

Skype Me :: Contact Information Changed

2006-07-12T17:32:00.000-06:00

Notice :: Change in Contact Information

Office Number: 970 672-4401 (New)
Fax Number: 800 927-1894 (New)
Emergency Number: 970 690-1356 (cell - unchanged)

Toll Free Number being discontinued. (See Notes below)

In approximately two weeks (July 31th) we will be switching to Skype full time and our old numbers will be disconnected. Please update your records. Of course if you use Plaxo that will be done automatically for you.

Skype (pronunciation: rhymes with "type") is a free download that enables amazingly clear and effective PC to PC communication. I've been using Skype for about three years now and am continually amazed. In the old days we techies would try out the myriad of telephony applications available on the internet and succeed more in crashing our computers that in any meaningful communication. I expected the same of Skype but got a pleasant surprise and near perfect voice over IP communication (VOIP). Skype lets you make free calls over the internet to anyone else who also has the service. It's free and easy to download and use, and it works with most computers. Skype offers free global telephony and unlimited voice calls with its next-generation peer-to-peer software.

My family and clients who have tried Skype have been equally amazed. The least tech member of my family had no problem in setting it up and giving me a call. There was on client who had trouble with his microphone; resolved by stopping by Radio Shack and picking up the cheapest mic available, a fact that re-states the effectiveness of the software.

If you've never heard of VoIP, get ready to change the way you think about long-distance phone calls. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method for taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. How is this useful?

VoIP can turn a standard Internet connection into a way to place free phone calls. The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free VoIP software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you are bypassing the phone company (and its charges) entirely.

Wouldn't it be great if we could use this service for all our calls? Think of the money we could save by saying good bye to traditional phone service. Well, I think it can be done and have been exploring that possibility. What is your average phone bill? Here at FLASH HQ we are paying about 150.00 per month including all charges and taxes. That covers our home line, too free line, fax line, DSL service, DSL modem rental and DSL isp service. In this experiment I will be turning off our traditional phone and filling the service gaps with equivalent internet offerings.

Step 1 :: Phone Number I got to step one when I discovered Skype will rent you a real phone number in your local dialing area for a modest 38.00 per year. Currently that phone number will allow you to make and receive calls free of charge in the US and Canada. A call to Fiji cost me about .06 cents a minute. In my mind I now have my office line handled.

Step 2 :: Voicemail
How would our callers be able to leave messages with no normal phone and answering machine? One of the deciding factors in purchasing the 'Skype Out' number was it inclusion of voice mail. If the call does not get answered the caller is invited to 'please leave a message'. My messages show up in Skype as click to play mp3 files. Very efficient and easy to retrieve.

Step 3 :: Fax
At this time Skype does not offer fax services. Looking around the net I discovered and test drove eFax and RingCentral. We went with RingCentral and paid 99.00 for a years worth of fax service. RingCentral allowed us to choose a toll free fax number. To date I have been very satisfied with it. There is one downside; I can't fax in color as I could from my HP 2610 All In One Printer Copier Fax.

Step 4 :: Home/Office Wired Phones It would be pretty inconvenient to have to run over the the office computer every time a phone call rang in. As it turns out there are a couple solutions. Here at FLASH HQ we chose the D-Link adapter. For 59.00 at Best Buy you can pick up this small gizmo. The D-Link plugs into your computer usb port and your telephone plugs into the D-Link. We use a system of Uniden cordless phones and now all Skype calls ring through to our regular existing phones. Additionally we can pick up the phone and place free calls through Skype.

Notes ::

Internet Access
With DSL soon to be disconnected we opted to switch to cable; and are sooooooo glad we did. There has been noticeable improvements in internet website display and file transfer speeds. Final cost is lower than what was being paid for DSL. We now pay 31.95/month and includes the monthly cable modem rental fee ($3.00).

Video calling is simple to set up and offers a great way to see friends and colleagues.
Making a video call using Skype requires a webcam (in addition to your headset or speakers and microphone).

Conference calling is convenient and simple to initiate.
To include multiple Skype contacts in the same call, simply click the conference button in the Skype window and add the desired parties. Skype can conference up to 5 people in a call on any computer and up to 10 people in one call if the people on the call are using a PC with an Intel Duo Core Processor.

Using Skype to dial an ordinary phone or mobile phone is simple and saves money.
From within Skype calls can be made to ordinary or mobile phone numbers using SkypeOut currently free. Previously charged at approximately $.02 per minute.

File Transfers
Drag and drop image files, Word, Excel, PDF or other files onto your Skype for simple and efficient file transfers. I've been able to transfer large files that would otherwise not be accepted through normal email channels.

Toll Free Discontinued
Looking through our phone records I discovered the people using our toll free line were those generally calling for tech support. I'll keep giving free tech support but will requires those seeking help to pay for the call. Of course if they Skype me it is still free!

Skype Resources
Skype Home :: http://skype.com
Wikipedia on Skype :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype
O'Reilly Network on Skype :: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/08/04/whatisSkype.html
Skype Journal :: http://www.skypejournal.com/
Skype Blogs :: http://share.skype.com/sites/en/

Final Word
We may run into surprises and there is the possibility FLASH HQ will have to go back to its original phone service provider with tail tucked firmly between legs. For now however a great experiment and adventure begins. Savings should be close to $120.00 per month which helps to offset any trepidation we may be harboring. If all else fails there is always the family cell phones.

Photoshop Explorations

2006-06-22T11:53:00.000-06:00

Occasionally I discover work from other photographers that catches my attention. My mind explores what their images would look like if I were to 'have my way' with them in Photoshop. ... See my Tabblo>

Generated HTML from Tabblo

2006-06-21T07:14:00.000-06:00

I gave 'er a go from Tabblo but got an error instead of a post. Using Tabblo's tool I generated HTML, copied and pasted the following:

See my Tabblo>

Tabblo

2006-06-21T06:57:00.000-06:00

Do you take the Journal? Today's Wall Street Journal offered a heads up on a new web service just launced; http://tabblo.com. Tabblo is another photo sharing site with a twist. One can upload photos (of course) then arrange them into collage posters or prints in a variety of ways. I've just created my first Tabblo based upon the images shot at a recent Fort Collins, CO car show. Take a look>>

Tabblo allow you to post your work here on Blogger. I'll give that a try and see how she goes...