Glory Hallelujah!

I am pleased to announce that after much frustration and searching the internet for answers, I got our wireless connection working (and secured) again. Hoorah!!

If anybody out there has similar troubles, or just in case I need to find them again, let me share the websites that I found most helpful for resetting the wireless router.

For setting up the router from scratch, I used a tutorial from TopBits.com called How to Setup a Linksys Router. That got the wireless signal broadcasting.

In order to secure the signal, I followed the instructions from Microsoft in their article 5 steps: How to set up your home wireless network. This offered more information about what was important to change from the factory settings and the rest of the options that I didn't need to worry about.

Now that everything is back in place, I'm off to watch Dancing with the Stars on Hulu with Adam in the living room. No more huddling around the computer desk in the office. Yay!

The Digital Gap

We're working our way through a free trial of Netflix this month. Rosi has been asking to see more movies through their instant online viewer, so I queued up Jetsons: The Movie for us to watch together.

As it loaded, she asked me what it was. I told her it was a cartoon. I also mentioned that it was something I used to watch when I was about her age.

"Did you watch it on this site?" She asked.

"No," I replied. "They didn't have the internet when I was your age."

"Oh," she responded. "Did you watch it on Hulu?"

Feeling Out of Touch With the Next Generation

Rosi and I were spending some of our school time practicing letters and their corresponding sounds at Starfall. One of the example words for Q is "question" and the image is of a girl standing at a crossroads surrounded by question marks.

I pointed out the punctuation and asked Rosi if she knew what it meant.

"Uh-huh," she answered, distractedly, still focused on the exercise. "It means 'help.'"

Maybe she's been spending a little too much time on the computer lately.

Answer Me This

Why can you buy an entire printer/scanner/copier, which includes two ink cartridges, for the same price as just the two ink cartridges?

Furthermore, why can you buy the stand-alone printer (with the ink) for $10 less?

Does this make sense to anybody?

Spam Recipes

A nice easy post for another busy day when we're all starting to feel sick again. Recently discovered e-mail gems from my spam folder.

• Best Superbowl moments
Uhm, I think somebody's got their seasons mixed up.
• Get yours new diploma today
Sure, as soon as you get "yours" grammar certificate.
• Cartier will suit you best
Eh, I always thought of myself as a Tiffany girl.
• Is this a real mail?
If you have to ask ...
• Point me mistakes please
I'm not even sure where to start.
• Were you ill?
You know, I was. But even then I didn't want whatever you're trying to get me to buy.
• Let me clear everything.
Mm-hmmm, I just bet you will. Wait, I think I will instead.

Delete!

Green Face and Red Fish

With the sickness that has continued to linger at our house, we haven't had the health or energy to go play outside or hang out by the pool. In fact, we've spent a whole lot of time staring blankly at the television. As a measure to increase the interactivity, I've been letting my daughter spend some time playing online games. She now has four buttons of her very own on my menu bar. The games are mostly educational (but that can be our little secret, right?), though a few of them are just for fun.

She has so enjoyed her game time, I thought I'd share the sites we've been visiting.

• Starfall.com teaches basic phonics and reading skills though games, songs, and interactive storybooks.
• Poisson Rouge (aka Red Fish Soup) offers a wide selection of games in multiple languages.
• JellyTelly is already familiar to you if you've read my blog for awhile. In addition to the Bible stories and silly videos, they have a whole page of games, many of which are easier versions of popular online arcade games (so, ahem, parents might really like them, too).
• PBSKids is our most recent addition to the menu bar. The games feature popular characters from the TV shows. My daughter seems to enjoy them even though she doesn't watch most of the shows, though.

Because she doesn't read yet, my daughter refers to most of the sites by their icon: a star for Starfall, a red fish for Poisson Rouge, a jellyfish for JellyTelly, and a green face for PBS Kids. I must admit, it's a little off-putting to be in the middle of an e-mail and have her pop up beside me begging, "Can I play on the green face?"

Audio Books

Do you "read" audio books? Our library subscribes to an online service that allows me to download hundreds of audio books just by using my library card. I'm not sure I really like the idea, though.

On a convenience level, it would be great to listen to a book while I crochet or do housework or my hands are otherwise occupied. But I'm not sure how I feel about being read to. It seems strange to me.

Those of you with experience in this area, what do you like or dislike about audio books? Does it work better for some genres than others? Did you find it distracting to listen to someone speaking, telling a story, rather than listening to, say, music?

Any suggestions for a particular book or author I should listen to first?

Thngs that Make Me Go Hmmm ...

• The temperature has been in the low- to mid-60s for the past couple of days. I have the windows open and as the sun has gone down, it's actually starting to feel a bit chilly sitting here in a t-shirt. Outside, I can hear my neighbors' A/C unit running.
• I live in the largest city for about 200 miles in any direction. Sioux Falls has a science museum, a zoo, three professional sports teams, a major university, two hospitals, and a number of multinational corporations. When I step outside, I smell cows.
• My computer's been acting up lately. If I turn it off overnight, it doesn't like to turn back on in the morning. If I leave it running all night, it works fine.
• We went out to dinner the other night with a gift card to the Olive Garden. My daughter ordered spaghetti with meat sauce. She only ate about half of her spaghetti, but insisted on a second, then a third, serving of salad.
• Adam and I have an anniversary coming up next month. We'll have been married for five years on May first. I looked up the traditional wedding gift list for inspiration. Year 5 = Wood. The "modern" traditional gift? Silverware.

Works for You: Sorting Program Buttons?

Today the powers that be (Kristen over at We Are THAT Family) have decreed a Backwards Works for Me Wednesday! That means I get to ask you to tell me how to do something. I hope you can help.

Okay, this is the point where I must admit I have moments of complete computer geekiness and I just can't help myself. Are we all okay with that? Good. Now we can move on to my little dilemma.

I use Windows XP. I have the lovely blue taskbar across the bottom that shows me which programs I have open. I'm a bit ... particular about the order my programs are listed. I like to have Firefox, for example, all the way to the left of the bar, right next to the Start button.

So, the program buttons' default position is the order in which they were opened. Normally that's not a problem for me, but once in a while, I've opened programs in one order, then I'll need to restart one or I find I'm cutting text back and forth between two programs or whatever and I just need the buttons in a different order.

I know I could close out of the programs and re-open them in the order I'd like, but it seems like there must be a simple way to just re-sort them without having to go to that bother.

So, for all of you computer-savvy folk who are willing to hold off on the "just switch to linux" discussions, please, tell me I can do this (and that you know the simple three-step procedure that will revolutionize my computing experience).

Thank you. That is all.

Top Ten Tuesday: Spam Subjects

I don't clean out my spam folder very often. Overall, Gmail does a pretty good job of figuring out which e-mails are actually for me and which just want to infect me with a virus or swindle me out of some cash. I do try to skim through the subjects before I trash the lot of them, though, as once in a while honest-to-goodness messages from friends get lost amidst the muck. Since I was reading them anyway, I thought I'd share some of the more amusing ones with you. My comments are in italics.

Top 10 Funniest E-mail Subjects

10. You passed me bad money
Sorry, next time I'll call a running play.
9. Thank you so much for your patience and good customer service
Does this mean I'm forgiven for the bad money thing?
8. The cause for that is that all our replica watches are crafted from one
I find it a bit odd that there's no mention of one WHAT.
7. Information for plastic card holders
Are those like the little photo holders that come with new wallets?
6. We are responsible for your satisfying health condition
Gee, I thought it was because I was eating better and exercising more. Silly me.
5. Important guys are funny here
Actually, I find many important guys funny, especially after a certain time of night and when introduced by Jay Leno.
4. Our best decision is suitable for every age
You tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine.
3. Get any soft you need without delays
It's funny, many of the subject lines said just the opposite ...
2. You do not risk at all
Riiiiight.
1. We do not throw the words just to fill your e-mail box
No, you're hoping to empty my bank account while you're at it. Thanks anyway.

If you want to play along, leave a link to your Top 10 list in the comments.

Lonely at the Top

Do you know what happens when you google the terms "experience" and "imagination"?

Check it out.

Now if I could just figure out how to get people to type "experience" and "imagination" into Google in the first place ...

______________________________________________________________


Don't forget to enter my giveaway for this crocheted purse!
______________________________________________________________

Have I Told You Lately ...

... that I love my library? I've started figuring out their online reserve system here (it only took me five months) and it's great. I find a book I want and I can add it to my list. If I want a book right away, I can place a hold on it and the library system will send it from wherever it started out to my local branch, usually within a day or two.

Ooh, and then there are the DVDs. How much more can you ask for than unlimited free DVDs? We have had one or two (or four) that have had some scratches, but for the most part they've played as well as those you would rent from a national chain at nearly $5 a pop--and we get them for a whole week!

I also have free online access to hundreds of audio books, language-learning programs, classic films, children's videos, and research databases. Some of them even allow me to download material and burn it to CD.

Sigh. How did I ever manage for so many years without a library card?

Help, My Daughter's Lost in Cyberspace!

Well, that's not quite true. She's not lost, exactly, more like being held hostage in my phone. You see, when we got these new phones, Adam was all excited about the camera feature. We've never had camera phones before, and, frankly, I didn't really see the point, since we have a perfectly good digital camera that does a fine job of taking pictures. But the phones were free, so I shrugged and said, "Why not?"

Apparently, I should have stuck to my guns, because now I can't seem to figure out how to get the pictures OFF the phone and onto my computer. I looked up directions on the Motorola website, but their instructions only covered how to send myself a picture message. That option is moot because we had the service blocked to keep little fingers from ... ahem ... accidentally sending such messages. The FAQ recommended the optional program "Motorola Phone Tools" to download (upload? I really need to figure out which is which!) with a USB cable. The software is $35.00 from the Motorola store. Oh, and our cell phone model (VU204) isn't on the list of supported hardware. Grrrrr.

We've got about half a dozen pictures trapped in our phones that we can't get out! Anybody have another idea? Or is she just stuck forever in the handsets?

So Much Fun ...

(: ˙ʎɐp ǝɥʇ uı sɹnoɥ ʍǝɟ os ˙˙˙

Happy Sunday!

Hey, Mark ... (um, nevermind) ... FREE COOLNESS!

I know most of you who read this blog don't know any more about the web and technology issues than I do, but for the one of two of you who do, maybe you can help me out. I seem to have broken my computer.

I've had no problems watching video ever since I installed my speakers. My daughter has been enjoying the shows on JellyTelly (all free now--check it out!) since the week they started. This week, they added a new section to the site which included links to some of the character/video websites. I clicked on her current favorite and was taken to GodRocks.ca. I was trying to play some of the sample videos there, but could only get the audio to play. I checked the setting on my QuickTime player and it looked like it hadn't been set to play video, just audio. I clicked on the "play video" button, and nothing has worked since.

JellyTelly won't play. Videos I've embedded on my own blog don't even show up. I keep getting this message that I need to install the QuickTime player version 5 or later. I've uninstalled and reinstalled QuickTime twice (both with iTunes and without). I've reinstalled Adobe Flash player (since I think that's what I was using to view JellyTelly videos before). I've reset my Firefox preferences several times. Nothing is working.

Anybody have any ideas?

***Update***

Well, I can't remember what terms I searched to find this page, but I followed the suggestions and something I did must have worked because JellyTelly is back. YAY!!

Now, seriously, all of you who haven't checked it out yet, you need to go watch JellyTelly. They've changed the format slightly so you don't even need to sign up now--it's free for everybody, at least for the next couple of months. They've got some really great little features. I think my favorite is The Bentley Brothers (which my daughter calls "The Medley Brothers"). My favorite song of theirs is the description of 2nd Samuel (see a preview here).

Do You Hulu?

www.hulu.com

TV shows ...
Films ...
Sports ...
Movie Trailers ...

oh, and did I mention ...

FREE!

Check it out.

(N.B. Still not sleeping well here, so the blog forecast is for light, fluffy posting through the weekend)

They Call This "Customer Service"?

Once upon a time, back in December 2002, I wanted to have a cell phone. I'd never had one before, so I went online to research. I compared service plans available in my area, I looked at different phones, and I chose to go with T-Mobile. Conveniently, there was a T-Mobile store on my way home from work.

I stopped in one evening and the saleswoman was quite helpful in getting me all signed up for service and showing me the options for free phones. I was so excited to be joining the wireless age!

For nearly 6 years I loved their service. I told anyone who asked that T-Mobile was a great company and I was so happy with them I'd never considered another provider. What impressed me the most was their excellent customer service. A few years back, they even helped me lower my monthly bill by switching to a different plan. Unfortunately, they seem to have changed their standards lately.

I was a bit bummed when we moved to Sioux Falls because T-Mobile doesn't offer coverage here. We were able to use our phones, but only because everything was forwarded through local companies. Our plan was to stay with T-Mobile until the contract ran out next fall, then switch to a company that provided regional coverage for South Dakota.

Meanwhile, Adam got a list of employee discounts for which he is eligible from work. We were pleased to find that one of the companies offering a corporate discount was T-Mobile.

Early last month, we called to add the 15% off discount code to our plan. Two-and-a-half hours and half a dozen representatives later, the discount was applied to our account in about five minutes. When Adam asked what the company would do for us to make up for the fact that they wasted the entire afternoon with their crummy customer service, he was transferred to yet another representative, this time in the Customer Relations department. She offered him 600 extra minutes which would expire in 90 days (mind you, we weren't even using the minutes included in our plan as it was--for this to be beneficial, we'd have to spend an extra 45 HOURS on the phone over the next three months) or a $5 "courtesy refund."

Adam suggested we would like a month of service for free or perhaps have our contract ended now so that we could sign up for a company that has local service. This was when we discovered that our contract had been extended for an additional two years, without our knowledge, as a part of the discount sign-up process. Adam explained our situation of having just moved and not having T-Mobile coverage in this area. The woman gave him an address to send a letter with this same information and a date to terminate our service.

We've mailed our letter and, so far, have only received a one notice marked "Final Bill." I'm not so sure we're in the clear yet, though. My brother and sister got the very same advice from T-Mobile when they moved here almost a year ago. They mailed and faxed their information multiple times, as requested. Still, they are arguing with the company over the response they received: a bill for several hundred dollars in contract termination fees.

On the plus side, we've now had almost a full month of service with Verizon and have yet to encounter any problems. Our phones get better reception, there is a big store right at the mall if we have any concerns, and with the 22% discount we get through Adam's work, our monthly phone bill is lower. And, as my sister put it, "At least with the Network following you around, you won't get lonely there."

Tell Me About Facebook

I keep hearing more and more about Facebook: how much fun it is, how great it is for getting back into contact with people you haven't talked to for years, how I am invited to join this group or that group or make someone my friend.

Only, the Facebook people have set it up so I can't just take a test drive and look around, I have to sign up for the site in order to see anything. This bugs me.

Those of you who do Facebook, can you tell me what it's like? I have a couple of specific questions, but mostly, I'm just wanting to know your experience about how it all works.

1. Do you use your real name or choose a screen name?
2. How do groups work? Is there a section with message boards or do group messages show up on your profile page?
3. What information do you put on your profile page? What is required? What is optional?
4. Why do you use Facebook? How do you feel it enhances your life?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on any or all of these issues!

My Daughter's Favorite Website

My daughter is absolutely crazy about JellyTelly. This mini-online kids network is really cute, but don't just take our word for it, check it out for yourself!

Isn't it cool? To sign up for your free trial (or to jump straight to a paid subscription) click here.

Only Mostly Dead

My printer must be on strike. Ever since Adam printed out all of his novel notes for NaNoWriMo, she hasn't been wanting to print anything else.

I fed her ink, black and color; I've opened her top to peer at her innards; but nothing. I tried unplugging her from the wall. That got me three pages, but now she's not working again.

I really wish I knew what the problem was. The printer thinks there is a paper jam. She keeps flashing the error code at me, telling me to clear the jam, then press the start button. I try that. She sputs and starts and rolls her rollers before making a halfhearted attempt to feed a new sheet. She won't grab on to one, though, and starts flashing the jam code again.

Maybe there is something I can clean or adjust? I checked out her user manual online (since I lost the paper copy almost immediately after connecting the printer), but it just told me to clear the paper and if it was still giving me problems, call the customer service center. I'd really rather not do that unless I have to. "Customer Service" generally isn't.

Speaking of which, Adam finishes the customer service section of his training next week. He brought home another 100% on a quiz they took. Yay!! Apparently, not everyone in his class passed the quiz (passing is 85%). He told me he didn't understand how anyone could miss so many, as it's mostly common sense. I reminded him of all the helplines we've called over the years that connected us with reps who have been anything but helpful.

"And these people," I pointed out, "are the ones who passed the training!"

Maybe we should open our own customer service school. Really, if you are with a company that has excellent customer service, aren't you that much more loyal? And if they have horrible service, won't you look to choose a different brand next time?

We could make millions.