http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com Byte It | Technology | PowderRoomGraffiti.com en-us PowderRoomGraffiti.com Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:32:12 +0000 60 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/your-grounded-20.html As the gaggle of gadgetalia amasses in our household, I
find myself swamped with distractions on a continual basis. Is it just
consumerism or am I a girl geek It's a bit of both, but I can easily justify
my plethora of phones and cameras and laptops for work and 'memory keeping.'
]]> Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/ilove-or-ihate.html I am usually the first to admit to being a
fan of technology, a proud geek through and through, a girl who enjoys her
gadgets and the luxuries of modern living. However, the iPad is causing me some
consternation.
]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/a-new-kind-of-breast-pocket.html I've recently discovered a wonderful new product called the Power Pouch. This little sports bra has
revamped my workout life simply by having a pocket that zips...brilliant! Did
you ever find yourself holding keys in your hand as you jog Or perhaps you
have been at the gym without a lock and found yourself stashing your cash
in the water bottle holder of your elliptical machine. When we don't bring our
pocketbooks to the gym or the park, we end up with a bunch of stuff in our
hands, and realize that perhaps it would have been simpler to just carry our
bags.
Read More]]> Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/rotten-apples-or-downright-lemons.html The iPhone has been around for over three years. People rave about it, they love it, and it's supposed to be the best. I
have to mention that my techy skills are not so intense as to use apps for
everything in life, so I do not have one myself. However, I am seeing the now
constant buzz about the iPhone 4 and its shortcomings. I'm thinking; as we cost
conscious gals sometimes do, that new is not always best.
]]> Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/html-seowtf.html
One of the things I have learnt in my life
is not to exceed my ability. Whilst this is a valuable lesson and something
positive that I can attribute to getting older, it is, sadly, also something I
consistently ignore. The whole time.


I know I am not able to run 10km without
passing out, but inexplicably I sign up to do a 10km run. I know I will never
have the patience to be Supernanny, but I persevere with the naughty step. And
most recently, I know I shouldn't mess with the witchcraft also known as
technology but I do.

]]> Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/sick-of-your-big-butt-theres-an-app-for-that.html
Knowing I
didn't want to feel like the proverbial Fat American while ruin-gawking in Rome
or lounging on the beach in Sicily, I realised I needed to shed some pounds
before boarding the plane to Italy in September.


I'm not exactly chubby, but
too much time with fitness magazines and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues
doesn't make me jump for joy at the sight of my cellulite. And knowing the
Italian addiction to all things gorgeous and fashionable, I'd like to not
frighten any of the locals.

Read More]]> Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/-by-nook-or-by-crook.html I
thought I was living the high life last December. I got a netbook for
Christmas. I felt hip. My netbook is smaller and more powerful than my
laptop and the dang thing fits in my purse. It even has a psychedelic green
cover that makes me feel like I'm back in the 70's again. And hip. In
fact, I have a wallet filled with change and credit card receipts that weighs
more than my netbook. So much easier than lugging around a bulky laptop.
]]> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-dangers-of-addiction-to-ebay.html There are
precisely 3 minutes and 20 seconds left. Your heart is racing, your
palms are
sweaty and the rest of the world has ceased to exist. Family and friends
know
better than to disturb you at this crucial moment; they've done this
before,
and with dire consequences. You watch the clock ticking down, constantly
refreshing the page as this much longed for item becomes closer and
closer to a
reality.
]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-pasta-machine.html Many
loyal PowderRoomGraffiti readers will have figured out my crazy
addiction to
the latest tech gadgets from iPods to Priuses (if a car can be
considered a
gadget) to netbooks and Nintendos. If it can hold way more music than
I'll
even remember I own or can play a silly video game it must be mine (if
it can
do both I'll be pacing frantically until I can get my hands on one).
Read More]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/too-close-for-comfort.html The grand old dame of British soap operas,
'Coronation Street'
celebrates her fiftieth birthday
this year. And guess what thoughtless gift the programme makers have
seen fit
to give her
Read More]]> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/back-to-school.html Not too
long ago I was in college. Okay, it's longer than I like to think about, but
time takes on a different perspective as you age. Anyway, when I was
attending the not-so-illustrious Portland State University I paid a ridiculous
amount of tuition fees to sit in a boring lecture room, bust my butt scribbling
out papers, and cramming my brain full of information I would later mentally
vomit out for mid-terms and finals. Some of the more interesting stuff (about
10) I've retained. The rest Basically like buying tampons - a fair
amount of money spent on something that's useful for a bit and then becomes
refuse.
]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-spy-who-came-to-dinner.html The big
family Christmas present this year was a Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3). The
PlayStation 2 was beginning to look very dated and the Wii was fun but didn't
have the challenging strategy games the kids want to play now they are
teenagers. This was to be the main present for the kids and as a bonus for
the adults the PS3 plays DVDs and the new Blu-ray high definition discs.
]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/love-on-a-laptop.html
I met my Englishman in real life in Paris, but I grew to
love him on my laptop.


Technology has played the cupid's bow in our love story.
From e-mail, to MSN chat,
to Facebook, to telephone, to mobile phone text messages, and finally to
Skype.

Read More]]> Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/so-its-come-to-this.html It's miserable
here in the Northwest. For the past month or two we've been well below
our
average high (global warming my ass) and we finished out the
month of
May at record rainfall. Cold, wet, miserable. It's sad when Alaska,
Dublin, and London are all warmer than Portland, Oregon.
]]> Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/maybe-flowers-would-be-best.html
lsquo;Oh, what's that'


lsquo;My iPod Shuffle, Mom.'


lsquo;Oh, so it plays music'


lsquo;Yes.'


lsquo;Well, how do you get your CDs into it'

]]> Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/panic-buying.html
It was the
need to turn my laptop on its side and type vertically that really
brought home
to me the urgent requirement for a new computer.


Perhaps it
was the fancy
HD camcorder we'd bought
that was the nail in its coffin. Or maybe the 500GB external hard drive
that made our 40GB computer give up the ghost. Either way, I turned it
on that
fateful evening to discover that half the screen had gone black.

Read More]]> Wed, 26 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-last-of-the-luddites.html It's the year 2010 and I drive a '95 Altima sans GPS, own a
17-inch convex-screen
TV, and, after a year and a half without a cell phone, have had the
absolute
most basic one for a year now (so basic, in fact, that I'm often asked
if it's
a toy). And I'm fine with my Luddite life. It's everyone else who is up
in arms
about it. lsquo;How can you live like that' they cry out in horror. My
philosophy
has always been that technology should enhance my life, not take over my
life.
]]> Wed, 19 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/isperm-and-the-ovulating-iphone-app.html So,
here's the scene: Little girls setting the table. Twenty-something girls
making
matzo balls. Fifty/sixty-something women chopping apples, peeling
potatoes and
frying onions. And an eighty-something woman, the matriarch of this
family,
supervising the activities. Nothing unusual about this scenario. We've
been
doing this for years.
]]> Wed, 12 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/farewell-kitchen-crap.html Having been offered a few opinions (I didn't ask for a few - they were
given), I have discovered that the microwave seems to be the Marmite of cooking: you
either love it or
you hate it. My friend's (now ex) husband, used to say of food and his
beloved
microwave, lsquo;If you cannae nuke it, dinnae cook it.' A sentiment which, I
hope,
few would share.
Read More]]> Wed, 05 May 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-darling-you-suck.html I do not
have a good history with vacuum cleaners. I lost a toenail when I backed
one
over my foot, sliced my finger open to protect myself when one was
falling on
my head (I was using the hose on the stairs and the vacuum was above me
on the
landing), and have strained various body parts while stubbornly cleaning
too
much in one day.
]]> Wed, 05 May 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/a-little-technology-is-a-dangerous-thing.html I recently saw my aunt's cinefilm
of me as a toddler, for the first time. I was very excited, because as
the
third child, there is very little pictorial proof that I was ever a baby
or a
toddler.
]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/thinking-of-running-theres-an-app-for-that.html
It is seven o' clock in the morning. I am the only one awake in my
house.
I pull on my trainers and clothes and step outside the front door,
patting my
pocket to make sure I have my iPhone with me.


I'm about to go running with my personal trainer.

]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/social-networkers-anonymous.html
A very
good friend called me the other day to see if I wanted to meet up for a
drink. I
hadn't seen her for a while, so a catch up and chat about stuff other
than work
and kids sounded good.


Until I thought
about it.

]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/getting-fit-with-wii-fit.html I had wanted a Wii Fit ever since it first came out. I
finally got one a couple months ago, and have been using it daily,
ranging from
half an hour a day, to two hours a day. It's not that I feel dedicated
to
exercising so much - it is that the Wii Fit actually makes exercising by
myself
fun.
]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/its-mir-coil.html lsquo;Go away and think about it and remember that not
only does it have a 90 satisfaction rate, it's also the personal
contraceptive
choice for many female GP's' my gynaecologist said. He was talking about
his
suggestion of inserting a coil in me, though not for contraceptive
purposes but
in order to control my body's regular attempts to bleed to death, a.k.a.
idiopathic menorrhagia.
]]> Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/i-want-my-phone-to-be-a-phone.html
I
upgraded my phone recently.


lsquo;What do
you want your phone to do' asked a youthful salesman.


lsquo;Er, send
texts and make calls,' I replied. Isn't it obvious Well no it's not
actually.

]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/how-to-buy-erotica.html 'I'm an adult, a grown woman. If I want to buy
erotica I should hold
my head up and walk proud, take time over my selection.' I muttered this
internally whilst furtively glancing up and down the aisle.
]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/behave-yourself.html Are there etiquette rules for social forums, such
as Facebook, and, if not, should there be Are good manners and good sense
something that you're inherently expected to possess and execute online, or is
there a need to be taken into custody by a cyberspace behavior cop who warns
you to knock it off and rein it in
]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/fully-loaded-and-popping-out.html
I'm addicted to my laptop. I feel
free, independent, youthful when I'm on my laptop. It's mine and I don't
believe in sharing it.

You can imagine my distress when the hard
drive crashed. I became anxious as I stared at it forlornly.
Read More]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-admittedly-fun-pitfalls-of-facebook.html Yesterday I found out that a woman I knew from first grade
back in Buffalo, New York likes to take pole dancing classes. That is the power
of Facebook. It's particularly interesting for a gypsy like me, who has moved
around quite a bit in my life.
]]> Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/ring-tone-rigmarole.html
As if there weren't already enough tags for
our identity, I've just been informed that I need to personalize the ring tone
on my cell phone.

I tell you, Alexander Graham Bell must be
rolling over in his grave. I'm
sure he never intended his invention to become such an invasion in our lives.
]]> Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/gear-freak.html
A few years ago our
family got into cycling. We bought tandems. We bought single road bikes. And we
started riding further...and further. All in the name of a challenge and fitness.
And good clean fun, of course.

Somewhere along the
way we started wearing lsquo;cycling' clothes, and buying various accessories to
wear as well. Lycra might be the butt of a lot of jokes, but do I care No!
]]> Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/-the-computers-theys-hates-me.html
So much has changed at the doctor's offices since I was a
child. There was a time when the nurse would walk in with my chart - a folder
as thick as the national budget - slam it down on the counter and scribble on the
top sheet as she asked me, lsquo;What brings you to see us today'


She'd hold her hand just right, blocking my view of what she was writing, so I
couldn't see her scratching down words like lsquo;neurotic' or lsquo;hypochondriac.'

]]> Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/automatic-for-the-people.html
A staggering number of people, when questioned which
skill they would really like to master, put 'singing' at the top of their list.


What is your singing voice like Is it a soothing
arrangement of glittering, golden harmonics or a glass-shattering, atonal
screech Does it make you despair that you would never, in your wildest dreams,
become a professional singer

]]> Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-internet-makes-us-stupid.html Not only does the Internet make us anti-social,
it makes us idiots. From experience, I've learned that the more time we spend
on the Internet, the less we know about proper grammar, spelling and
communication in general.
]]> Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/feeding-the-digital-cow.html Have you noticed how many newspapers and
magazines these days are touting gear that encourages you to transfer your
musical archives to digital storage It's probably an age thing. And the
options are mind-bending.
]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/pee-free.html
One of
the last great divisions between man and woman may have been smashed. Ladies, I
can now pee standing up, I kid you not!


You may
well remember the public toilet scene in lsquo;The Full Monty,' where a rather scary
female uses a urinal whilst standing, much to the horror of the onlooking men.
I have even heard tales of such women, but have always understood it to involve
highly unrealistic contortions, that are just not likely unless your name is
Madonna.

But let's
face it, it's damned inconvenient not being able to just flop it out and pee
wherever it takes our fancy.
]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-little-mojo.html Yes all right you lot at the back of the class,
stop sniggering; I know that the term lsquo;MoJo' can be used to refer to something
a little bit rude but that's not the context I'm using it in. I'm far too
refined and mature. The MoJo I'm referring to is my Samsung Netbook N140. In the context I'm using MoJo
it means lsquo;self confidence or assuredness' which is vital for anyone who writes.
Read More]]> Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-cure-for-slowing-down.html So you took your old friend out today and noticed
she behaved much slower than she used to. When you first met it seemed
like she was up and raring to go in an instant and snapped back in response to
whatever you did to her. But, lately, she seems a bit sluggish. You want
to yell and scream at her, but you know that with age some slowing is bound to
happen. Still, you'd love to just hurl her against the window for being so
pokey.
]]> Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/look-at-me.html
Correct
me if I'm wrong, but I thought the saying goes that lsquo;the young follow the old.'
The youth of today are meant to repeat our mistakes, and yet recently, it seems
to me that we are repeating theirs.


It started
with my nieces. At ages 13 and 15, they proudly sent me links
to web pages that they had created on Webs or Bebo. There, on these sites, for
all to see, they posed and pouted for the camera. Often they were scantily
dressed, or in pyjamas on their bed, cuddling a teddy bear and gazing into the
camera with puppy dog eyes. Alarmed, I informed my husband, who told his sister
(their mum) who said.... lsquo;I know. They're all doing it.'

]]> Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/hi-tech-hide-and-seek.html Geocaching
is a high tech treasure hunt game, and one of the fastest growing hobbies in
the world. We discovered it after I read about a fellow blogger's adventures
and thought it was something that would interest my husband. I had an ulterior
motive - I am a keen landscape photographer but I was aware he was bored
waiting around for me to get the perfect shot. Geocaching seemed like something
he could do whilst I was snapping away.
]]> Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/cyberchondria.html
Headache A mild but nevertheless discernable twinge in
your inner elbow Anal itching Perhaps you're sickening for something. Better
make an appointment with the doctor, huh


No


These
days, when we're feeling a little bit off colour, the first place many of us go
is online. There is a plethora of websites out there waiting to assess our
symptoms, weigh up our aches and pains and....let's face it....diagnose the living
daylights out of us.

Read More]]> Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/friend-this-facebook.html It is ironic that in an age where technology has
become so sophisticated that it can recommend feminine hygiene products based
solely on the websites I frequent, Facebook can't figure out that the one
person it keeps suggesting I lsquo;friend' is the one person who I will forever consider
an enemy.
]]> Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-original-geek-was-a-girl.html
So,
you think you're pretty clued-up on your feminist iconography You know your Aphra Behns from your Virginia Woolfs.
You've got your Michelle Obamas sorted from your Aung San Suu Kyis. You don't
confuse Greer with Dworkin. The difference between Marie Curie and Marie Stopes
is a no brainer. Pink is a person as well as a colour.


These
names should all flicker on your radar if you have the vaguest interest in the
male/female power game.


And
another name to conjure with the next time you are sitting in front of your
computer with steam coming out of your ears, cursing Bill Gates or Steve Jobs
or whichever devil-incarnate male git you blame for your particular model...is
Ada Lovelace.

]]> Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/swap-shop-for-readers.html
Do you live
in the USA Do you love to read If the answer to both those questions is lsquo;yes,'
then let me predict your lsquo;next big thing' - www.paperbackswap.com. One of my
fellow book club members tipped me off. I then discovered this site is donating
500 free books to the school I work for, after members donated their credits to
us.

The
premise is that once you're done with a book you can swap it for another. It's
like the library has landed in your living room.
Read More]]> Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/sound-familiar.html
I have a lsquo;cool friend.' I suspect we all have a lsquo;cool friend.' Someone
who is always on trend, who is quite simply, effortlessly cool. Well, my cool friend
is now a cool inventor - which seems a little unfair - surely inventors are
meant to be geeks

Anyway, recently I was introduced to his very first invention. It's a
little digital box which provides a UK service called Auracle. The Auracle service
has several channels, which have names like: lounge; indie pop; commercial pop;
jukebox classics; uptempo; classic jazz etc.
Read More]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/moms-first-computer.html My mother is in her 80s, but if you ever
meet her, please don't tell her I told you so. She'd kill me. When I see any of
her friends or colleagues she instructs me to lie about my own age. That way - if
they do the math - they'll think she's younger than she really is. Hell, I
didn't even know her real age until I was almost thirty. My mother is a wee bit
vain. She's also funny, extremely smart, quick witted and amazingly energetic.
What my mother is not - is technologically adept.
]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-silicone-enhancements.html I come
from a long line of women who make great pastry. It's all down to the fact that
we have cold hands, according to my Grammie Kirkby. While still young enough to
hold onto her apron strings, I learned that cold hands keep the butter
from melting while it's being blended with the flour and that, I'm sorry to
say, is the only secret to great pastry. I would prefer to think that it is due
to my hours of practice, but I can't tell a lie.
]]> Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/every-home-should-have-one.html
I just
about snorted my coffee through my nose.


There. In
the catalogue. Another lsquo;must have' kitchen appliance. It was - wait for it - a lsquo;Toast
lsquo;n Egg'. A toaster and egg cooker - combined! lsquo;What is the world coming to,' I
thought. lsquo;Seriously Who dreamt up that one'

Read More]]> Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/skype-a-blessing-or-a-curse.html When I first heard of Skype as a new method of communicating
with far-flung friends and family I have to admit I was a little suspicious. Making
calls through the computer, rather than via - it sounds so old-fashioned now - a
telephone Paying a fraction of the usual cost, even when calling the other
side of the world Paying, in fact, nothing, if the person you are calling is
also hooked up to the Skype system on their computer It's too good to be true,
surely. It couldn't possibly be that cheap, or indeed, that easy.
Read More]]> Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/a-new-age-of-censorship.html For about five minutes I debated whether to
buy a Kindle (lsquo;a wireless reading device'). Yes, the idea is tempting - it
holds up to 1500 books so, much like my iPod, the ritual of deciding which
three books to take on vacation with me would be redundant. But I just couldn't
picture curling up in bed with my 6-inch, glare-free display with its 3G
wireless (yeah, right; I never met a wireless device that didn't lose service
when you needed it most) coverage. I may be the Last of the Luddites, but the
best thing about an actual book is the smell of the paper, the front cover
artwork, the way the spine looks on my bookshelf and the fact that Amazon will
never creep into my apartment in the middle of the night to take it back.
Read More]]> Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/never-did-me-any-harm.html
I didn't realise that when we moved into our rented 1930s house, it meant
we would actually be living in the same period. Or near as. Back to five
TV channels, no internet and no phone.


A nice young man will be round in a couple of weeks, they say.

Despite withdrawal symptoms from my pals online, I keep a brave face. The
children make enough noise for us anyway. They are distraught. Of
course this brings me onto my favourite subject: lsquo;We only had two and a half
TV channels at your age,' I tell them, lsquo;and they were in black and white!'
]]> Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/check-this-out.html I'm addicted to researching online. I can't help it. I just meet someone for
the first time, then I have to go online and check them out. Yep. At
intelius.com I can get their age, even names of family members. I
don't always care about their age, well, if they seem around my age, I guess I
do care a little. Then, I go on to the white pages site and look
up their address. After that, it's a matter of a few clicks at one of the property assessment
websites to get the price of their house, what they paid for it,
and many times even an image of their house. In a matter of minutes I have
found out so much about this poor unsuspecting person whom I may never even
meet again.
Read More]]> Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/it-always-feels-like-somebodys-watching-me.html
Some things never change. Some teenagers still rebel and
withdraw from their parents. Some employees still fool around on the job. And
some spouses still stray from the straight-and-narrow path of absolute fidelity.


What has changed, though, is how you can track the movements
of these individuals. Worried about who is texting your teen You can download
software onto your phone that sends you a copy of each and every text your teen
sends or receives. (But will you be able to understand txtspk)

Read More]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/a-face-to-be-reckoned-with.html My friend Rachel, an avid Facebook user, explained
to my mother, a less than avid Facebook user, that if you don't have a picture
on your Facebook profile page then
people will think you are ugly and won't want to be your friend (which isn't
necessarily a bad thing). Rachel is 24. My mother is 63. And while I do
not necessarily agree with Rachel's assumption, there are certain aspects of
the Facebook photo issue that annoy me.
]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/a-thing-of-beauty.html
I recently ran my first ever half
marathon.


Read on! This piece hasn't strayed from
the lsquo;Share It' page; I'm not going to regale you with a training diary (I leave
that to truly brave souls like Jenny Critchlow).


I mention the running bit
because it provides the backdrop to me acquiring my first ever MP3. Several
weeks into training for the half marathon it became clear I was going to need
some help. Help arrived in the form of vast amounts of chocolate and a
wonderful piece of music technology called a SanDisk Sansa Clip MP3 Player.

Read More]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/oh-no-what-now.html
So your computer came with Vista and ever since you've been
making plans to fly to Seattle so you can bitch slap Bill Gates, kick him while
he's wallowing on the floor in pain, all the while shouting, lsquo;What the hell did
you do to my computer!'


Okay, maybe you don't hate Vista that much, but the
dissatisfaction with Vista was pretty big. You know when you get one of those
zits that feels like it's swarming your whole face Yeah, that big.

]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/meetup-saved-my-life.html I
knew New York well but this was the first time I had gone for weeks, possibly
months, to focus on writing and take a few classes. I was leaving my cherished
network of solid friends behind me so I needed guidance and support. I needed
to know the real deal, not the tourist info. I needed friends.
]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/just-be-myself.html Avatar: a strange word like something from a cheesy fantasy
novel with dragons and magic stones. That's not too far off. An avatar is your
digital you in fantasy form. Want to be a 20-something stripper with a pink
Mohawk Go for it. Want to fully live out a day when you feel
chubby Turn yourself into an elephant. Want to make a cartoon you
with a great wardrobe You get the idea. An avatar lets you be what
you want to be, even if it's yourself.
Read More]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/relaxing-with-mario.html
Like most women with two children, a house to run and a fledgling
career, my day is busy as I try to juggle everything. Sometimes I find my
shoulders have risen up so far they're above my head. But no fear, I know how
to relax.


I like to ride over my husband. And flatten him.

]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-amazing-dvr.html
Always the ones to be behind the times, my husband and I
finally ordered a DVR through our satellite company. I know, I know. What took
us so long


Does every country have DVRs available Or Digital Recording Devices or Digital
Voice Recorders or . . . what does the acronym stand for again I don't even
know.

]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-first-love.html
With
hindsight, the 15th November 1986 turned out to be a life-changing
day. Of course, when you're a child, any birthday is exciting; this one was no
different, with prettily wrapped parcels lined up enticingly in the kitchen
just waiting to have the paper ripped off.


All the
usual suspects were there; the slightly garish pink sparkly make-up so beloved
of small girls; the cassette tapes of boy bands I would rather forget liking; a
purple snood (also best forgotten); and...a Sony Walkman. Little did I know how
this seemingly innocuous gadget was to change my life.

]]> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/gone-phishing.html
Fortunately
for me, the latest computer catastrophe-in-the-making wasn't at all discreet
but right in my face. Doom and gloom signs popped up on
my computer screen: You are under attack. You are infiltrated. There are 3,682
viruses on your computer. Click here and .... For $89.99 we will fix you up.'


Of course, the pop-ups didn't broadcast
that there was a fee attached to the rescue mission, until you ventured in
further. However, since I've wised up
some - or lsquo;been burnt before' - I
didn't click at all. No venturing for me this time. Once fooled, blame it on
you; twice fooled, blame it on me.




]]> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/whee-fit.html The relationship between women and their bodies, women and
weight and women and exercise is a long and complicated one. Most of us spend a
large percentage of our lives worrying about our bodies and how much they
weigh. We feel forced to drag ourselves to the gym regularly, and can become so
obsessed that we start to feel defined purely by our bodies. In short, we can
take something healthy and easily twist it to become unhealthy.
Read More]]> Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/social-media-burnout.html
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace - seriously,
folks, isn't it possible that we just might be too connected these days


Remember the lsquo;old days' when we'd make
plans to meet at a mall and, if you got your wires crossed on where to meet,
you were shit outta luck Now, we just plug the address into our handy dandy GPS device, talk on our Bluetooth headset en route,
and then text one another when we get there. How about a little mystery Jeesh!
And long distance relationships are virtually a thing of the past. We couldn't
possibly forget what one another looks like, since we can now beam each other
up into our living rooms via Skype.

]]> Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/technology-discord.html We
each have our own personal trysts and triumphs with technology, but spare a
thought for the bigger picture. Technological development is so rampant, and we
all embrace different aspects at such a different pace, that communication
protocols just can't keep up. Without any hard and fast rules to guide us, it's
an inevitable recipe for discord and frustration, particularly with family and
peers.
Read More]]> Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/smartphones.html You see
people tapping away at them all the time. Poking with a stylus, thumbs flying
like mad as they work some type of magic on a little display, and using their
fingers to move from screen to screen. What are they doing More importantly, should you be doing it While no one is going to call your basic cell
phone a lsquo;dumbphone,' compared to what's out there now and what you can do with
it, your standard cell phone belongs in the remedial classes while the
smartphone is acing all the honors classes.
]]> Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/scott-kelby-the-digital-camera-king.html If someone commissioned a survey called, lsquo;Top 20 Things Women Quite
Fancy Doing,' I think about Number 12 would be, lsquo;Doing a Photography Course.' I've
met loads of women who want to do one, and for ages, so did I. But for
logistical reasons involving four kids, travelling husband and exhaustion, I
never got around to it. So I was left with my beautiful Canon digital camera,
with lots of automatic settings and some scary manual settings.
]]> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/bloody-budgets.html If your
money seems like summer - you're happy to see it and then suddenly it's gone - using
personal finance software may be just the thing you need. Stop rolling your
eyes and whining that it's too hard or time-consuming. You need to budget your
money. With smaller paychecks and bigger bills, tracking your cash is more
important than ever. And some software will assist you in saving for that
island vacation you've been dreaming of.
]]> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/buddi-system.html
Gadgets
are not really my thing. I blame it on my interfering personal magnetic field
and an inability to follow instructions. Of any kind.


But
when I read about this new bit of gadgetry the other day, I had to admit it
sounded like a useful piece of kit.


It's
called a Buddi, and it's a simple idea that could help make our lives easier,
safer and less stressed.

Read More]]> Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-smart-house.html
About 6 years ago we totally gutted the
house we live in, and re-built it on the inside. Among the upgrades we went
for was a wired, or lsquo;smart' house. Oh yes. We could hear music throughout the
house if we so chose. In one room we could listen to the CD's we had loaded up
(now of course ancient history), and in another we could tune into our fave
radio station. The television was wired in so we had fabulous surround sound,
and I could listen to the 6pm news without having the distraction of a TV in
the kitchen. If there was something I really wanted to look at, I simply moved
a few feet to the adjoining door and popped my head through.

Sounds fabulous doesn't it Except that in
our house, nothing ever works like it should.
]]> Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-pal-paypal.html You're
a woman of the Noughties, right A woman at ease with online technology, able
to lsquo;surf the interweb' with the best of the movers and shakers, and most
importantly, able to click on the lsquo;process payment' button when required Let's
assume you are - well, you're here, aren't you
]]> Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/looking-for-info-in-all-the-right-places.html
Now that you're a whiz at getting around the web,
it's time to learn the other web trickery that's more complicated sometimes
than it need be: Searching.


You could simply type in the words you need, but
zillions of pages will come up. If you're very lucky, the info you
actually need will be in the top few results. Then again if you were really
lucky you'd have won the lottery by now and your minions would be doing your
web searches for you.

Read More]]> Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/de-tangling-the-web.html
I stand
behind my husband trying not to smack him upside the head. My patience
is
growing thinner than a mangy dog's fur as I show him how to navigate a
web site.
It can't be THAT hard, can it As he stumbles over the dialogue boxes
and
double clicks where he shouldn't, I try to understand that maybe he
doesn't
know some basic things, but I still want to yank the mouse out of his
hand as
he fumbles his way into the next dialogue box.


Like many
people he is self-taught (or non-taught). He never learnt much more than
how to
move the cursor, type, and then press the lsquo;Return' key. These methods
are okay,
but it's like using a screwdriver instead of a drill to hang a picture...]]> Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-curse-of-call-waiting.html
lsquo;I've gotta take this.'


Just for
the hell of it, I'm going to start inventing incoming calls while I'm on
the
line with someone else, just so I can seem
important. You know, see, I'm so in demand, so many people needing
access to
me, that I cannot manage a five minute conversation with my very best
friend
without interjecting, lsquo;Oh, gotta take this. Talk to you later.'

]]> Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/booting-up-baby.html
There's a new baby in the house! It's the cutest thing. Measuring
smaller than a sheet of paper, less than an inch thick, and weighing in
at a
healthy three pounds it's something any proud tech momma would want to
show
off.


Meet the netbook - a scaled down computer intended mainly for surfing
the web and light computing, such as typing documents or tracking your
budget,
and designed to be more portable than a standard laptop.

]]> Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/to-tweet-or-not-to-tweet.html
I had just got a grasp on how to use Facebook,
even using it effectively to promote some freelance work, when I got wind that
Facebook is so yesterday. Yeah, that's right - yesterday. Wasn't yesterday the
days of using a typewriter and sending letters in the mail


Apparently, the new
lsquo;it' way to spread your thoughts around the virtual world is through Twitter. Even
celebrities are using it, and in a big way. Ashton Kutcher and Spencer Pratt (okay,
so he's not exactly a celebrity, but...) even challenged one another to see who
get could get more tweets in one week. And the word around town is that John
Mayer's excessive tweeting has caused issues with his love interests. Some big
names are even breaking big stories using Twitter,... Read More]]> Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/some-mothers-do-ave-em-computers-that-is.html My mum will be 75 this year. In her life thus far she has
seen incredible advances in technology. From washing machines to space
rockets to
micro laser surgery. It's really pretty amazing when you think about it.
Throughout her life she's had to adapt to new ways of doing things and
master (supposedly)
labour saving doodads and whatsits galore.

Over the last year or so mum has had various health complications which,
coupled with the fact that she's no spring chicken (no matter how much
she
likes to think she is), means that she can no longer be as active as she
once
was. Somehow or other the idea manifested itself that getting a laptop
and an
internet connection would be a good idea. I was in full support of the... Read More]]> Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/what-did-you-do-this-time-mom.html
When my
computer is working like a well-oiled machine, I love it. I need it. I
can't
live without it. My income depends on it. When it's acting up, it annoys
me
beyond words. How dare it


My son,
the techie one, will approach me, glowering, demanding to know, lsquo;What
did you do to the computer this time,
Mom'

]]> Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/completely-spotified.html
Without my children, Spotify would
most likely have passed me by
completely. I think the name, which I dimly assumed must have something
to do
with PMS and teenage complexions, was what put me off.


But when, thanks to the assistance of two teenagers, I was shedding
tears (of enjoyment, I should add) over the Leeds Parish Church Boys
Choir
singing a touching extract from lsquo;Hansel and Gretel,' I was glad that,
unlike
morris dancing and incest, Spotify was something I'd tried at least
once.

Read More]]> Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/that-hulu-that-you-do.html
How would I describe myself Gadget lover Check. Movie fan
Check. Someone who won't pay for cable and sorely misses Jon Stewart's
Daily
Show Double check. Able to be swayed by strange TV
commercials Apparently so.


Here's
the pitch: Seth
MacFarlane - the cute in an evil teddy bear kind of way creator
of Family Guy - wanders through an office randomly switching into the
voices of
his characters. You can hardly keep up with what he's saying because
you're left staring at the oddity of seeing his face yet hearing those
voices -
much like trying to figure out where the hell those stairs are going in
an M.C.
Escher print. Then he spews out something about watching things on... Read More]]> Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/automated-horrors.html No matter where I go or what I do, it seems that any
mechanical device that is designed to be automated or sensory-activated
doesn't
work when I get close to it. I still have to check with NASA, but I'm
pretty
sure there is some kind of electromagnetic dampening field around me.
This is
the same explanation for why they ask you to turn off cell phones on an
airplane, also known as lsquo;jamming' a signal. Maybe it's the fillings in
my
teeth, maybe it's too many toxic metals in my system, but these
allegedly
automated devices and I just don't gel and it's not like I have the
choice to
go old-school in most cases. When technology is updated, woe be the
Luddite who
still hangs on to the past. 2008 is soooo last year.
]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/post-chordal-fun-with-the-yamaha-dgx230.html
Mention that you've found a really effective way of exorcising mid-life
demons, and most women's eyes will light up.


Add that it doesn't involve other people's husbands,
alcohol or so many fish oil pills that you'll be able to swim to work -
along
the pavement - and that light goes straight out again.

]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/iphone.html I'm
a self-styled geek girl who loves her gadgets but I'm definitely not an early
adopter. When the iPhone first came out and my
nerdy colleagues rushed to be among the first to get one I hung back. What
would I do with all those fripperies I scoffed. A phone is a phone is a phone;
I don't need a zillion other useless bits of window dressing. Sure it can play
music, but I have my trusty iPod for that. My 80 gig iPod. The iPhonewhatsamit
can't compete with that!
Read More]]> Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/altering-my-avatar.html
Just
when I thought I had it all together, I mean, I can email, text, use an
iPod,
use TiVo, my daughter says to me that I need an 'avatar.'


A
what I said. What the hell does an
avatar have to do with my life


The
last time I checked, it meant lsquo;an embodiment, a bodily manifestation of
the
Divine.' Well, I'm glad my daughter thinks I am divine, but I'm nowhere
near
God-like.

]]> Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-weekend-with-kindle.html
lsquo;She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain.' - Louisa May Alcott


According to Dictionary.com, lsquo;kindle' means lsquo;to start a fire, to begin
burning, to set fire to or ignite.' Interesting. That is the first
thing that popped into my head when I heard about the Amazon Kindle. Why on earth would they choose that
name Well, kindle also means lsquo;to excite, stir up, light up,
illuminate.' That is probably closer to what they were looking for in
terms of branding. Ooops. Sorry, Amazon... you may have missed the
mark.

The Amazon Kindle, if you haven't heard, is a...
Read More]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/into-the-blu.html
I am not by nature what you might call an lsquo;early adopter'. A lot of
modern technology has simply passed me by, and I'm embarrassed to admit
that is more through choice than by ignorance.


It seems to me that most new developments are simply ways of either
staying in touch or of being up to date, and frankly, I can do all that
with e-mail, the telephone, the radio, and the TV. Just about everything
else (by which I mean Twitter, Facebook, BlackBerry, pagers) simply
adds to the clutter, as far as I can see. And at 40+, well, the files in
my brain are just about full. As it is, I'm already considering
outsourcing any useless information (my maths O-level, how worms
reproduce, and the fact that Poole has the second largest... Read More]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-toyota-prius-2010.html
Gadgets. Oh, how I love a techno gadget. Whether I buy it or not
(typically not, in order to avoid being completely broke and also
to feel vindicated when an upgraded version is released two months
later) I'm fascinated. As my husband says, I'm the boy of the house
always wanting the latest techie tidbit. So when the time came for a new
car, I wanted one as gadget-y (sure it's a word) as possible. I wanted a
hybrid.


Now, this isn't anything new. I'd wanted a hybrid years ago when the new
Toyota Prius (the one that looked more like a giant rat's head rather
than a car) came out. I test drove one, ordered it and was prepared to
wait the three months for it to arrive. Unfortunately, personal
circumstances took an... Read More]]> Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/women-and-technology.html
I know there are some sisters out there who love their technological
gadgets. I see them tip tapping away on tiny keypads with tiny plastic
pens, like something out of Lilliput. They also seem very happy with
their iPhones that they can lsquo;sync' with their husband's
iBlackcurrant-berry thing, and then they know about every lsquo;new event' in
each other's lives.


I wish I weren't such a Luddite, but it doesn't do it for me. I have
embraced some elements of the technological revolution; for example
programming my dishwasher, tumble dryer and washing machine to do their
thang overnight is wonderful. And I love my digital SLR camera with a
passion, but other than that, the disadvantages of techy gadgets
outweigh the...]]> Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-music-revolution.html
Humans have always needed music. Way back when in prehistoric times,
after the Neanderthals had finished wrestling mammoths and velociraptors
to the ground with their bare hands, they sat around the camp fire
singing an early form of Ging Gang Gooley. You knew that, right And
ever since humans have been pushing back the musical frontiers. Why,
even in my short life (ahem) there has been a musical revolution.


It started with Dad listening to Shirley Bassey on a Sunday. He loaded
these curious fat cassettes into a weird machine, and then Shirl would
belt out lsquo;The minute you walked in the joint!' I've asked around, and
possibly this machine was called an lsquo;eight track'.

]]> Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-best-toy-ever.html
I play video games. I admit it. Not too much and I tend to go through
long spells where I don't play - I usually call this time lsquo;summer.' I'm
also fairly frugal and while I tend to get excited about the latest
gadget, I don't rush out and buy it because I know I'll feel guilty. But
when the Nintendo
DSi came out, I was in the store the week it was released.


lsquo;What's the big deal, why should I get this' you may ask. lsquo;Why wouldn't
you' would be my snappy reply. Okay it is a chunk of money - about
$160-170 - but it's fun and the features far outweigh buying the DS
Lite which is only about $20 less.

Read More]]> Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/i-think-im-having-chest-pains.html
lsquo;I couldn't sleep last night. I had pains all up my arms and into my
neck.'


This was last week's phone call with my 84-year-old mother. As she told
me her latest set of symptoms, I sat, fingers poised, in front of the
computer.


lsquo;When did the pains begin Did they start in your chest'

]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/in-case-of-emergency.html
In this technological age of whizz bang gadgetry and computer software,
there's something that hasn't been invented yet.


OK, there's lots they haven't invented yet - a robot to cook the dinner,
clean the house, do the laundry, and get the kids to hang up their
towels and clean their rooms. Sure, they are already working on
prototypes of some of those - others, sadly, will probably forever be
the stuff of fantasy.

]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/my-achy-breaky-heart.html
I traipse down the running path blissfully unaware of my blood pressure,
any lurking brain aneurisms or, dare I risk my status as an
lsquo;enthusiastic hobbyist runner' and say it My heart rate.


Little do I know that my secretive little cocoon of shin splints,
sciatica and general discomfort will soon be popped like the giant fluid
filled sac residing between my big toe and the little piggy next to it.
For years, I have managed to run, by myself, in quiet misery chanting
mantras like lsquo;finish what you start,' and lsquo;one more mile' while a steady
flow of liquid containing a high concentration of saline streams down
my face.

]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-skypes-the-limit.html
Do you remember those films of the Sixties and Seventies, which were set
lsquo;in the future'


During a critical part of the plot, the silver-clad hero would
inevitably sit in front of a monitor, turn a huge metallic dial and
watch a crackle of static electricity flicker across the screen. This
would clear to reveal the upper body of another person wearing a similar
tin-foil jumpsuit. A terse conversation would follow, involving
obscure acronyms, before the dial would be turned once more and the
static crackle would return the screen to a dull blank.

]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/me-and-my-ipod.html
I want to be friends with my iPod. Really, I do. I want to walk or run
everywhere, earphones in place, singing my heart out. And I'm trying.
However, I'm not the most technologically savvy person. I did manage to
replace the hard drive on my computer once (and kept the support guy on
the phone for only an hour). But give me a book of instructions and I'm a
happy woman.


But my iPod nano has broken me. All because of that little book of
lsquo;instructions.'

]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/texting-times.html
TTYL. ROTFL. IMHO. When I first saw these abbreviations in my emails, it
wasn't clear to me at all what they meant. But I knew they were clearly
part of the future and that I was going to have to jump onboard or be
left behind like all those disco outfits I have in the back of my
closet.


Since I'm not one to watch the world go by, I turned to my expert on all
things computer related: my daughter. She rolled her eyes at me, saying
lsquo;Oh Mom, don't you know what they mean' If I did, would I be asking
for help

]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/photobox.html
I've noticed that women tend to be the photographic keepers of the
family memories. They snap the first, tottering childish steps, the
first day at school, or the first teenage disco outfit. Most of my
girlfriends take most of the photos. Now, some of my girlfriends are
diligent about printing and filing those photos. A lot of other friends
aren't. Most of them tend to store their photos, 'in camera' as it were.
They never get uploaded and they never get printed. Consequently they
rarely get seen. It's a shame, isn't it


Girlfriends, there really is no need for this. For I have come to tell
you about Photobox. And yes, I am somewhat evangelical about Photobox,
because it has changed my photographic life. No more printing piles... Read More]]> Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/schools-never-out.html
When I was seventeen I fell down a manhole. All I could think of as I
sank chest deep into filthy, icy water was that my History notes,
(hand-written, in ink) would get ruined. The story has a somewhat happy
ending in that I managed to fling my school bag onto the sidewalk, and
out of danger. The fact that my mother couldn't leap to my aid because
she was laughing too much has left some scars though.


But have you been into a high school recently These kids don't know
they're born. When I was in high school in the 1980's we didn't even
have a photocopier, as all the teachers posted the entire lesson in note
form on the blackboard while we were in P.E. How long must that have
taken, and why couldn't they just sit and read the...]]> Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/surfing-up-mountains.html I am outnumbered by sheep. When I look out of my windows, I see green
hills, a few ancient terracotta rooftops, swallows...and more sheep. The
landscape is raw and untouched - and I like it that way. But with all
the tranquillity, peace and beauty, comes an ugly truth:

The internet access really, really sucks!

]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/come-on-everyones-doing-it.html The phone has been ringing a lot lately. And it has been friend after
friend asking me why I wasn't on Facebook yet. I thought Facebook was
that website the kids use. Apparently not, as these calls were from
people like me: career women, married women, women with kids - you know,
the lsquo;not-in' crowd.

The first call came from my lone tech-savvy girlfriend, someone who is
part of the lsquo;in' crowd. She used to be a graphic designer, owns a Mac,
and has an iPhone. Her involvement in something like Facebook seemed
perfectly normal. But then it got weird. My most un-tech, all natural,
granola eating, yoga loving, organic friends started to call. If these
friends were on Facebook, maybe that made me even less cool than I
thought...]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/the-other-woman.html My husband and I don't argue much, but the one major pitfall in our
marriage seems to happen in the car. I daresay we aren't the only couple
in the world with this issue.

Even though I pride myself on being better at map-reading than the
stereotypes would have it, he is always so damned impatient. He
expects me to open a street directory or map, and to know exactly where
we are, and if we need to turn, or take an exit off a freeway.
Instantly. What does he think I am A GPS When I can't calculate it all
in a split second, he grabs the map in frustration, and there are
raised voices.

]]> Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:02:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/cell-phone-excommunication.html I used to hate cell phones, but now I see the error of my ways. It's
cell phone users that I hate. Though I can't deny the convenience
of having one of these handy little contraptions, I have grown to
despise the unspoken lsquo;Cell Phone User Manual' that most people abide by.

Rule Number One: No matter how many times you see that lsquo;Please Turn Off
All Cell Phones and Pagers' ad before a movie, never turn it off.
Bonus marks if you are talking on your cell as this ad plays.

]]> Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:01:00 +0000 http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/byte-it/remotely-insane.html The other day I sat on my remote control. I'm sure this has happened to
you, too. Maybe you didn't sit on the remote, but you pushed a button
you didn't mean to push and suddenly that show you've been waiting hours
to watch has turned into fuzz.

So what do you do The obvious. Start hitting more buttons. Source.
Menu. Guide. Info. Action. Each time I pushed a button, my
buttons were pushed to the limit. Regretfully, I had to call my husband
(for some reason men's brains have a direct connection to the remote
control, among other things) and he remedied the situation. Of course,
not without his usual grumbles about my inabilities to learn how the
remote works.

]]> Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:01:00 +0000