What about those old devices?

In a traveling castle, nothing comes along without purpose.  But... what about those once costly  electronic devices?  Updated your phone, tablet or laptop? -- step away from that trashcan!  We discard too many electronic components in landfills to the detriment of the planet and our water.  So...what can you do?  First, consider recycling your device by giving it to a grandchild or taking it to a recycler like Best Buy, Staples or Home Depot.  Just remember to remove all personal information.

Clearing your old phone

Wiping personal data off your devices

Another option is to repurpose the device for another use.  Want to check on your dog while you're gone?  Set up a security camera with your old phone camera or tablet and access it with your new phone. You can use an old tablet or phone to stream your media. They can also become an e-reader.  No more dragging along pounds of books.   Check out how to set up your devices for these possibilities and more below.

What to do with old gadgets

9 brilliant things to do with that old cellphone you have lying around

10 useful ways to repurpose your old cellphone

How to Make Digital Copies of Your Vinyl Records, CDs and Tapes

Although many utilize streaming music services, we still have CDs, cassettes and records gathering dust  on a shelves that we'd like to take with us.  This article on Kim Komando will help you do just that.  Read the introduction and then go to the site for the rest of the article and specifics for your musical material.

How to make digital copies of your vinyl records, CDs and tapes (komando.com)

When’s the last time you set foot in a record store? If the thought sounds quaint to you, you’re not alone. In 2018, streaming music overtook physical albums in terms of sales for the first time — and since then, streaming platforms have only continued to expand their reach.

The lasting effects of this shift are impossible to ignore. Millions of people no longer own most of the music in their collections and are able to carry hundreds of albums in their pocket at the same time. Tap or click here to see which streaming services give you the most music for your money.

But those of us with big physical music libraries aren’t about to pay twice for the same songs we already own. Instead of signing up for a bunch of new services or charging your credit card for music downloads, here’s how you can take your physical albums and transform them into a digital collection you can listen to anywhere.

1. Connecting your media to your computer...Click here to see how.

New in June 2020

New in June 2020

It is amazing how one can be so busy during a quarantine.  I've let this blog slow down but I will get going again.  I am using this post for June to list the new additions to the individual pages so you won't miss any thing.

Updates to  Book Rescue Free Books from Everywhere

Genealogy -   13 Places to Find your Ancestors  New

Crochet - 

Arts and Crafts

Scrapbooking

 Favorite DIY Movies and Tutorials

Keeping Safe Using Your Phone

Important information for everyone!  I found this on Kim Komando who is my go to guru to learn more about Technology.

Set up emergency medical information on 

your iPhone while you’re thinking about it

For Apple Users

With the coronavirus pandemic, we’re certainly living in uncertain times. And if you have an illness or a serious allergy, you need to be prepared for emergency situations. But if an emergency occurs, you may be unable to inform someone of your medication allergies or medical conditions.

That’s why you should set up a medical ID profile that displays on your phone — even if it’s locked. This feature allows emergency responders to access your information quickly. Tap or click for 8 essential apps you don’t want to be without in an emergency. Not sure how to get started? We’re here to help.

Read more here :  https://www.komando.com/tech-tips/iphone-medical-id/573504/

How to share medical information
on your phone in an emergency

For Android Users

Over the last few years, mobile devices have become an integral element to healthcare. Personal health apps, such as fitness tracking and weight loss, lead the pack. Additional health-related apps welcomed by consumers and physicians alike include doctor on demand, prescription management, and patient portals.

Beyond routine medical care, your Android smartphone can be a valuable tool during an emergency. Setting up SOS messages or Panic button and emergency contacts in your Contacts list is a must for all mobile device users.

Read more here: https://www.komando.com/tech-tips/how-to-share-medical-information-on-your-phone-in-an-emergency/575124/

The reason you need to go to the links below each paragraph.  In order to comply with copyright laws and be fair, I contacted Kim Komando and inquired how to share her material with others.  This is the way it was requested with only a portion of the page and a link to the rest of it.  There is much good material when you go to the links, so please do.  

Arts and Crafts for the Pandemic

Create a Paint by Number of Your Favorite Photo

The Internet has everything...doesn't it.  Remember those fun color by number pictures you did as a child?  Now, you can take that favorite photo and create and paint your own picture.  There are a number of utilities on the web that will take a picture and create an outline drawing and a paint by number with your color palette.  You, then, can download and print your project. There is no fiddling with a software on your computer.  

My favorite Paint by Number converter are

PBNify ...https://pbnify.com/ You select the spot colors you want for your pallette.

Color Dragon ...https://www.color-dragon.tk/  Colors are automatically selected. (Think this one is good for kids.)

Here is a picture tutorial for PBNify ...https://www.shrimpsaladcircus.com/how-to-turn-a-photo-into-paint-by-numbers/

This video is on how to use PBNify but the basic premise is the same for the Color-Dragon.

Hope this give you another fun project.

Now that you have all the books you could ever want...maybe... you need to organize them.  This article covers seven ways to organize your e-books.   Organize them by genre , author, or any other category that makes sense to you.  

This article also contains illustrated directions for creating groups in Kindle and shelves in Nook.  There are some other organizational sites listed there as well.  Book Cave is another source of free books to add to your list.



Book Cave - Revamping Your Library

Book Rescue

In the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic most libraries and bookstores are closed. 
If you are like me, you have been reading much more and the material is running a little short. 
This article will be dedicated to helping you find more options for reading and enjoying the
enforced quiet time.  

Physical Books -- Unfortunately with shut downs and social distancing, it will be more difficult
to get new books unless you want to order them from Amazon which may strain your budget. 
Here’s an idea, email or message your friends and set up a book exchange. Use your porch
or other open place to exchange books. Follow CDC guidelines to ensure you don’t bring germs i
nto your house. CDC Website and cleaning protocols.

Even Better Idea…

Digital Books -- There are many books available digitally.  Amazon has a gigantic selection of
books of all kinds to download.  They also have many books that can be downloaded for free.
Below, I will list a group of sites that have free book newsletters.  To take advantage of these,
you will need a computer, tablet or cell phone. The tablet is the easiest to use as it holds just
ike a book.  You will need an app such as the Kindle app in order to read the book. If you have
an Apple device, Kindle is the best app to download and is also available for the other formats. 
For an Android, you need the Google Play app on your device.Finding a free book involves
searching Amazon and Google Play with the key word FREE.  You will have to set up your account
and specify the device the book download will go to.

How to Set Up the Kindle App on an Apple Device

How to Set Up and Use the Kindle App on an Android Device

Once you have your reading device set up you are ready to download a book.  

Free Book Newsletters

There are many email newsletters that will send you daily or weekly notification of books
that are free or inexpensive.  Many of these are written by new authors anxious to get their
books out there, established authors promoting a series, or self publishers.  Many of these
newsletters will allow you to select the genres you prefer. If you sign up for the newsletters
and they aren’t for you, you can always unsubscribe.  

Book Bub -- One of the longest running book newsletter with free and inexpensive books to download.

Book Cave --Book Cave Direct is a free service you can sign up for that will send weekly notices to your email inbox about free ebooks offered directly from Authors and Publishers.  NEW 6-2020

EBook Daily --You can select multiple genres to download.

Kindle Buffet -- Free and inexpensive books.  Do check the price if you decide to download as not all books are free.

EReader IQ --  You set up your preferences from many different genres.  They often have non-fiction and
how-to books.

The Fussy Librarian -- The Fussy Librarian is the first website to match readers not only with the genre of books they like but also their preferences about content.  NEW 6-2020

FreeBooksy --Lots of different available here.

Centsless Books -- Another very good list.  

Public Domain Books

Project Gutenberg --Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. Choose among free EPUB and Kindle
eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. 

Hathi Trust preserves and provides lawful access to the 17 million digitized items. It is similar to Project Gutenberg with more emphasis on the academic and scholarly books.

LIbrivox has a collection of public domain audio books.  Worth the look.

Google Books has a nice selection of public domain e-books mostly in the classical literature genre.

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an amazing resource for public domain books, with sub-collections such as American Libraries, Children's Library, and the Biodiversity Heritage Library. This is a wonderful collection.  

Children

International Children’s Digital Library Browse through a wide selection of high-quality free books for children at International Children's Digital Library (ICDL). 

Scholastic Learn at Home  This seems to only be open for the recent coronavirus scare for parents and
children to work together.  The video books are excellent for beginning readers.  

Your Public Library

Your public library may be closed but you can still check out digital books.
Each library has a different protocol for its digital material but you can find books,
audiobooks, videos and music to borrow.  Be sure you have your library card handy
and the pin that you were given and check it out.  

Midland County Library E-Resources 

Midland County Library Digital Resources

Find your libraries website and see what they have and enjoy e-books.  

Go,   Go,    Go     Gadgets!

Do you love using your computer and are you always looking for wonderful "gadgets" to extend its functions?  This post is for you.  

This was a presentation given for the Rincon Country West Computer Club.  To access this presentation, click on the link below.  You will be able to access the material and live links.

Go...Go...Go...Gadgets

Triple the Tools

Triple the Tools

Print Friendly  https://www.printfriendly.com/

Converters 

PDF to Documents https://www.freefileconvert.com/file/lMpDkb34qrB7

PDF to PNG  https://pdf2png.com/

Free Downloader and Converter software for YouTube