Posts from the ‘Technology’ category

Consume and extend and find the good

So, two weeks ago.

Two things of momentous importance in my life: Find the Good by Heather Lende and the Microsoft Build 2015 Keynote.

It might sound like a tenuous connection, but for me, it seemed as if the two were intertwined in that week … with some similar messages.

The Microsoft Build 2015 Conference and specifically the Keynote address (nearly 3 hours!), might make most of my blog audience yawn and skip the rest of this post. But, the keynote address is a look into the future…a near future…as in this year. And it is amazing.

The Build conference is geared toward software developers – which is what I do – and it is an unveiling of new tools, new platforms, new ideas and a new device. Along with an overview of all of those things, there were showcases of people who are using those tools to make incredible applications. And while those applications will hopefully make money for those developers, it is more than that. The showcased applications opened windows into some pretty incredible stuff:

  • a composing application for music that allows the composer to quickly sketch in notes, to copy and paste refrains and to play it back
  • several apps that provide information … up to the date and changing as fast as someone can key it in … in response to various world catastrophes
  • interactive apps that engage users to help make decisions on charitable giving…mission of this app is to ensure that charitable dollars go where the giver wants and that charities worldwide have an equitable chance to entice funding
  • the NFL utilizes the technology and the Microsoft Cloud (Azure) to upload statistics and video to make all of those onscreen squiggles, up to the minute statistics and video available to the teams and the play-by play broadcasters
  • and much more…above just a few of the showcased applications.

    • Hololens … this is NOT Google Glass. Video link at the end of this post, but the Hololens is here now…leveraging not only some of the technology of Xbox, but also of Windows 10 and other of the new tools …YES, Windows 10!! and some incredible hardware to bring a device to market that has life changing opportunity in education, remote support, how we interact with each other and with technology. I commented to my co-worker that it was very cool. He replied, “No, it is HOT!”

    Our work team saw many things in the keynote that we could see would make our lives as software developers easier, more efficient and more fun! We are excited. All of us have made our livings to date using Microsoft products. None of us are haters of Apple or Linux or Android and one of our team and his family are all Apple, but Microsoft’s software remains our platform of choice for development.

    The other exciting thing about the keynote was Microsoft’s decision to embrace all devices. New Windows Universal applications will run on all devices and they are releasing a container tool that will allow iOS (Apple), Linux and Android applications to run these Universal applications. Hoo-rah! And they demoed how this works in the keynote (the 9 minute version includes this).

    Part of my reason for sharing this, even though it might make everyone’s eyes glaze over – is that it illustrates the great opportunity for those who have a passion for anything – to use technology to share the passion, to teach, to communicate, to learn, to solve problems and to make the world smaller and hopefully more peaceful. Microsoft’s relatively new CEO, Satya Nadella, expressed it as giving developers the ability to “consume” and “extend” the tools and platforms for incredible applications.

    Is Microsoft in this to make money ??? Certainly!! – they are not a charitable organization. But, for me, the point is that this round of innovation is exciting. These tools and platforms ARE consumable and extendable and I am excited to be part of it.

    The day before I started watching Build 2015 ( I watched it in snippets over 2 1/2 days), I started reading Find the Good by Heather Lende. Heather Lende lives in Haines, Alaska and one of her jobs is writing obituaries for the Chilkat Valley News, a weekly newspaper published in Haines. I can’t remember how I found her or her blog, but both the blog and her books are favorites of mine. They make me think about life and how I approach my own life and about being more thoughtful and compassionate.

    The title of Heather’s most recent book: Find the Good refers to how she approaches writing an obituary. It makes sense. Most people, even those that seemed curmudgeonly – also have some or even a lot of good to them. A person might be hard to live with but maybe there was a reason and maybe beyond the difficult aspects of that person … there is good. Heather finds it as she speaks to the family and friends and occasionally as she helps sort through the persons belongings.

    I read “Find the Good” during the days when I also watched the Build 2015 keynote. The Build conference and particularly the keynote are definitely a marketing effort by Microsoft. But as stated, Microsoft is not a charity. The development and support of software is not inexpensive. I truly cannot fathom the man hours that are in the development of the tools they showcased. But what I saw in the keynote was the passion of the speakers – both Microsoft employees and the showcased developers. I was inspired and in the midst of some of the terrible, horrible and shocking news stories…this passion, this finding of good things with technology and seeing the good in most of humanity – THAT is the connection for me and I’m thrilled that I have been and will continue to be part of using this incredible technology.

    A few links below:

    The Build Conference in 9 minutes: Microsoft Build 2015 in 9 minutes

    The Entire Build Conference (nearly 3 hours, but worth it if you are interested in software development and I encourage everyone to watch at least Satya Nadella’s intro): Microsoft Build 2015 Keynote

    An interesting article about the differing approaches of Microsoft and Apple – neither right nor wrong, just different and viva la difference – each of us has the ability and opportunity to choose!: Apple and Microsoft visions for the future are delightfully different

    Hololens: Hololens

    If nothing else, please watch “Hololens”. If you or a child or a grandchild or ??? has a passion for anything and they have a vision for a way to make “doing” it better, more engaging and/or more accessible…watch all of these with them and be inspired.

    Cheers, all!!

    I do Windows 8.1

    If you are an Apple or Linux user with no interest in Windows…skip to the end for an Auggie and Bear photo :) !!

    But, if you wonder what the hype and/or hate is about Windows 8 (8.1 now)…read on.

    I am not an Apple or Linux hater at all, at all…to each his own. I’ve looked at both and always come back to PC/Windows, but that is me. Thank goodness for choices and variety and all of us with our own preferences, i.e. viva la difference!

    Me … I do Windows.

    The Windows 8.1 start screen. I guess this is what has some people discombobulated. It is called the “Metro” interface. The squares, called Tiles, can be “live” meaning that they reflect the current state of whatever it is they are linked to.

    Above…Photos and “The Road Home” I have set as live tiles and they will reflect the current favored photo or the first photo in the first post on my blog respectively.

    The Tiles are customizeable.

    You can select (“Pin to Start”) for any app from all of your apps.

    You can re-arrange to your heart’s content.

    You can resize.

    Is Easy to make this screen look the way you’d like.

    Me, I like simple, uncluttered, just what I use most.

    And if you do not LIKE this start up thing which apparently a lot of people don’t…click on “Desktop”…

    Desktop looks E-X-A-C-T-L-Y like Windows 7.

    You can use Desktop E-X-A-C-T-L-Y like Windows 7.

    WHAT is all the fuss and rending of clothes and weeping and wailing???

    Jeez!

    ***see bottom of this post for a link to a 12 minute video introduction to Windows 8.

    OK.

    Windows Phone.

    Hang on…Windows Phone uses the same Tiles as Windows 8!

    And they are customizeable and live in the same way.

    Above is what my phone looks like – from top…left to right:

    Weather!! My primary Email (liz@beardogco.com)
    Phone 2nd email* Alarms Calendar
    Kindle Explorer Messages(Texts) People(Contacts)
    Liz’s List(my shopping list) The Road Home(blog)
    TAGG(Bear’s tracker) NOAA MT Road Info Phone Settings

    *You CAN link email accounts and so combine all into 1 if that’s what you’d rather do…ifn’ you have more than 1 email address. Flexible. All is flexible and customizable.

    If you tap and hold, i.e. a long tap – on a tile, you can unpin or resize a Tile.

    From the apps menu on the phone you can select “Pin to Start” to include any app on the start screen.

    Is easy!

    ***video at the end of this post shows customization options in more detail and for more apps. Me, I am a bit boring! Microsoft Guy in the video has more varied interests.

    This is the Montana Road Info screen which refreshes when the tile is tapped from the start screen.

    I “pinned” it to start from Internet Explorer as it something I look at frequently in Winter. This Spring, I will remove it, but now it is handy and I can view road conditions if I’m wondering about a trip to town.

    “Liz’s List” – my shopping List. The list is a Word Document that resides on Microsoft’s Sky Drive. BUT, the last “downloaded” version also resides on my phone and my computer. When I access the list from my phone or computer AND my phone or computer has Internet access, I get the latest version. So…I keep stuff like my grocery list as well as any other info I’d like to have easy access to, on Sky Drive.

    Apple has their own flavor of Sky Drive, Amazon has Amazon Cloud, etc., etc. Unless you have terabytes of stuff to store, the cloud storage is typically free with related software. For example, I have Sky Drive room that comes with my Office365 software subscription. I have Amazon Cloud storage space that comes with my Amazon Prime account. If you have a Flickr account, you probably have Flickr Cloud storage. Get it?

    In addition to storage space accessible from anywhere, storing things on Cloud servers means they get backed up, which means you mitigate the loss of important stuff if your own personal device storage fails.

    Right…backing up. There are various backup services which back up to a Cloud server, example: Carbonite.

    It was a week of new stuff for me, but it went mostly well because instead of allowing myself to be frustrated, thinking I OUGHT to know how this stuff worked, I looked at the video links and dealt with the changes in small increments. I had been using my Windows 8 computer off and on since I got it in April!! – BUT it wasn’t until the Windows 8.1 update (a LONG download but worth it)…and my old (3 years old) phone dying that I finally decided to see if I could do all on the new computer and phone.

    For me, it is my work software that is the worst to get working on a new operating system. There are several Microsoft issues as well as third party tools that have to be installed and configured. The 2nd complicated thing is my Photoshop installation as I have several plug-ins and actions. All is now done. I am very happy with all and if you are a Windows user and have been hesitating about making the change, I encourage you to watch the videos below.

    AND, watch the Xbox videos. I am NOT a gamer but there is some extraordinary technology that I guarantee you will be part of your future. Watch!

    Back on the home front:

    Bear and Auggie are just happy to be having their Greenies…

    “If Mama’s happy, we’re happy!”

    Windows 8 Videos:

    Windows 8 Phone Video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=SQZEkXCE_fY&NR=1

    XBOX

    Testing, testing

    First work week of 2014.

    Finally have my Windows 8.1 computer set up with all software…mostly.

    This is the first post on the new machine AND with the current Photoshop CC.

    CC = Creative Cloud = ???

    I haven’t dealt with the several PS plug-ins that I have and so made my little tweaks manually.

    Also a new version of my FTP software which is the thing that I use to send the photos to the blog.

    AND, I got a new phone, also Windows 8. That has nothing to do with this post except that I’m a little overwhelmed with new stuff this week.

    Mostly it went well. I had a little glitch with my email setup on the phone resulting in 1 lost email after a skim at the grocery – sorry Margaret! – but learned some things in the process (IMAP4 NOT Pop3 on Windows Phone!).

    So, here goes…a few photos from today – a messy, slushy, 38F, blustery day…with some blue sky and sun by afternoon.

    Wrapping up the week

    Thursday afternoon, before the sun dipped behind the clouds, the sky and lake from Wayfarer’s park looked very different.


    Temperature was right at 50F.

    …and the above photos are from my newest electronic gadget thingy…

    YOWZA! It is the HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon’s first 4g smartphone. I jumped the BlackBerry ship about 10 days ago and have been having more fun and giggles than a 55 1/2 year old person “should” (***) from a new toy :)!

    Here it is connected to my laptop syncing contacts and calendar. When I get some music, it will sync that as well. It guesses words I’m trying to type, has animation for weather including windshield wipers and raindrops, falling snow and rolling clouds…. I’m sure the thunderstorm animation is spectacular as if you’ve seen the tv add, the start up is a thunderbolt complete with sound.

    I have barely scratched the surface of what the thing can do, but my favorites so far are the flashlight – it uses the camera flash and has 3 beam intensities, and the Kindle app. I have a Kindle, but the 4.3 inch screen on this phone is actually not that much smaller, has great resolution and is very readable. And….the phone and the Kindle stay synced, automagically, so I can go back and forth and each finds my place.

    I’m late to the touch gadget thing – friends have iTouch, iPad, iPhone and I’ve seen them and played a bit, but this is the first of my very own and I am amazed at the technology – FUN!!!

    It was a good week in every way. The forecast for today is 100% rain which it is doing. I have a humongous pot of split pea soup complete with a ham bone, simmering on the stove. A fire is laid just waiting a match. A thermal air pot is full of my favorite hot tea. Karl and I are off to Whitefish – I have a hair appointment after which we will visit with Karl’s Auntie Kris and Uncle Hal and then home again, home again to light the fire, have a bowl of soup and a mug of tea and listen to the sound of spring rain on the roof.

    Bob says he will wait in the nice, dry, warm house for us and to say “Hi” to Uncle and Auntie for him…

    ***The word “should” is mostly banished from my vocabulary…used here for effect :)!

    What’s up? … a public service announcement!

    If you’re Bob, what’s up is a bird.

    Here at “we work at home”, what’s up is computer problems. Probably problem.

    Suddenly, yesterday, everything slowed to a crawl. Cutting to the chase, the most likely suspect for a sudden slowdown is a hard drive problem.

    All here is backed up and we limp along until first thing Monday morning when the laptop has an appointment with the local laptop doctor.

    Meanwhile, all computer time, slow as it is, will be devoted to getting as much billable work done as possible seeing as how the tool for billable work will be unavailable for the better part of Monday…at least.

    The public service announcement(s):
    BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER – on a schedule!!! As in back up anything that would make you cry if you lost it forever. External hard drives are cheap – get one if you don’t have one. Actually get 2 and keep important stuff on them and keep 1 somewhere the other one isn’t….in case your house burns down, floats away, goes to Kansas in a tornado or some other catastrophic thing. And don’t think I don’t do what I say. One of my externals is in the motorhome, one is in the house. My work is backed up to a client server in California. Other items are on a server in Michigan.

    The (s) is for me. I have always in the past kept my second oldest computer as a backup. This year, extenuating circumstances and all, I’ve been working with just 1 computer and no backup…

    Back to our regularly scheduled programming…..sometime…next week probably. I’ll take photos. So far, nothing wrong with the camera…