Traveling with Technology

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Tips on taking fireworks pictures

A good fireworks photo can be quite striking, but it can also be a very tough shot to get. While many cameras now have a Fireworks scene mode, taking a little bit of time to configure your camera manually will get you better-quality photos. And you don't need to bring an SLR or mirrorless camera (although it certainly wouldn't hurt), but you will need a good point-and-shoot with some manual controls. Follow these tips, and you'll get great shots that would impress even the founding fathers.
This article on http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406594,00.asp?mailing_id=1299896&mailing=whatsnewnow&mailingID=CDFAEC59C17DA0824CABA0A5E5F9F177 will give you some great tips on configuring your camera to get great shots.

Additional Resources:
WikiHow 7 steps to Photographing Fireworks (source of photograph)

Additional Tips

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Calling On-Road Quilters

Here is an amazing on-line tool for your quilting. The Victoria-Albert museum has a patchwork tool that creates a patchwork pattern from your picture, then gives you the ability to transform your picture into a quilt with instructions and colors for cutting and creating your quilt. Try this out -- it is a great tool. Can't wait to try it.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/microsites/quilts/patchwork

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Meteor Shower Tonight, May 5, 2015

picture from http://main.slooh.com/

The wonder of traveling is that you can get closer to nature. Not only can you enjoy Mother Nature's show on the ground but a light show in the sky. Tonight ( well, closer to tomorrow morning will be the peak of the annual Eta Aquarids meteor shower.)

Whenever the Earth passes through comet trails, the little bits of rock and ice burn up in the atmosphere and result in a high occurrence (i.e. a "shower") of meteors. The Earth has actually been in the Aquarids debris field for about a week, but we'll be into the peak of it tonight.

The website http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/eta-aquarids.html has a good location-based guide for locating the Aquarids wherever you are. The main site http://www.timeanddate.com/ is also a good site to bookmark for reference on time and calendar events when you've been enjoying yourself so much you've lost track of the "real world".

Not Going to Get Up Really Early? Here is a website that will live broadcast the meteor shower starting at 7:00 pm CDT. http://live.slooh.com/stadium/live/eta-aquarid-meteor-shower-in-2015
The site http://main.slooh.com/ has lots of information on astronomy no matter where you are.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Trip to the Top of Mount Everest...You Can Do It, Too!!

My bucket list has a trip to Mt. Everest way down on the bottom of the "impossible list" but it's there anyway. However, it's maybe not so impossible! Look at this wonderful technological journey up to the summit. Watch the elevation on the left side and try not to get too breathless. When you reach the top use your mouse to enjoy the view.

Click here to start your journey. Mount Everest Journey

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Scams to think about.

NOT ALL THIEVES ARE STUPID

I received this via email and don't usually pass it on. Although I didn't check it out at Snopes, I think they are probably good lessons to think about as we travel and shop.
1. LONG - TERM PARKING

Some people left their car in the long-term parking at San Jose while away, and someone broke into the car. Using the information on the car's registration in the glove compartment, they drove the car to the people's home in Pebble Beach and robbed it. So I guess if we are going to leave the car in long-term parking, we should NOT leave the registration/insurance cards in it, nor your remote garage door opener. This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.

2. GPS:

Someone had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents. Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

3. CELL PHONES:

I never thought of this! This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her cell phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc., was stolen. Twenty minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says, "I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago." When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text "hubby" in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral lesson:
a. Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc.
b. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
c. Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet "family and friends" who text you.

4. PURSE IN THE GROCERY CART SCAM:
A lady went grocery-shopping at a local mall and left her purse sitting in the children's seat of the cart while she reached something off a shelf/ Wait till you read the WHOLE story! Her wallet was stolen, and she reported it to the store personnel. After returning home, she received a phone call from the Mall Security to say that they had her wallet and that although there was no money in it, it did still hold her personal papers. She immediately went to pick up her wallet, only to be told by Mall Security that they had not called her. By the time she returned home again, her house had been broken into and burglarized. The thieves knew that by calling and saying they were Mall Security, they could lure her out of her house long enough for them to burglarize it.

*PLEASE PASS THIS ON
Even if this does not pertain to you, please let your family and friends know so they don't get caught in a scam.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

18 Google Map Tricks You Need To Try!

One of my classes this winter was a lesson on all the things that can be done with Google. This article comes PC Magazine, one of my favorite tech publications. Wish there was an easier ( and legal) way to share this with you. I will list the sections of the article but you will have to go there yourself. For those still in the warmth of Tucson, there are some things you'll be able to use.

18 Google Map Tricks You Need to Try

Please Comment -- I wonder if anyone reads it.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Shared Links

Traveling with Technology classes are ending this Thursday. The final class will highlight links and information from everyone.

From Diane

1) rvparkreviews and gasbuddy.com, of course, and news.google.com everyday.

2) Very handy for fulltimers, can locate a tv schedule for any zip code. Go to:
http://www.zap2it.com/

-From the drop down menu, select TV Listings.
-Enter the zip code of your site/ rv park, and
-select tv reception type--
    •    antenna (over the air);
    •    cable (pick the park's cable service if available);
    •    or satellite service (since we don't have satellite, I don't know how that works or if it's even needed).
I'll then bookmark the page that comes up and the schedule is available throughout our stay.

3) Also helpful with the tv: www.tvfool.com
    •    Which broadcasters are transmitting locally?
    •    How far are the transmitters from me?
    •    Which direction should I point my antenna?
    •    How strong are the signals in my area?
    •    What analog and digital channels are available?

4) Finding zipcodes, http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm

5) Weather, http://www.wunderground.com/maps/ (I used to like this better before they recently changed it)
6) To find area attractions in a new spot and also restaurants, we use Tripadvisor.com

7) Definition and pronunciation--onelook.com will search multiple dictionaries for a word.

8) And, since over the years we've stayed at probably hundreds of rv parks, remembering them is impossible, so I list them in a google calendar. I usually enter the town name for the event title, the rv park and town and state it's in will usually bring a map link into the event info. In the event description I enter the park website and any info I want to remember about the park.

And Google search, search, search regularly

From Gary

http://www.irv2.com

http://www.allstays.com/

http://www.overnightrvparking.com/

http://www.rvparkreviews.com/

http://www.distancebetweencities.net/

http://radar.weather.gov/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

From Peggy