Lofty Matters

If this is your first visit, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed. That way you'll be sure not to miss a thing!

Looking for web hosting to either replace or begin your presence on the internet? Having trouble figuring out where to begin to make your decision? Web hosting is not something to be taken lightly - it will either make or break your web site(s).

Here is a site with free web hosting reviews & services. This is the place to do some reading and research so that you can find the web host that will fit your budget and meet your needs.

It’s not unusual for a novice to make a wrong choice in their first web host. This is one way to learn what you DON’T want or need. A better way would be to educate yourself and read the reviews so that you can learn from others’ experiences. That way you won’t get yourself locked in to something that doesn’t fit your needs.

I still have about a year and a half to go with my current web host. There are some things I am satisfied with, but there are also some things that I realize are sorely lacking with my current host. For example, their tech support could definitely be better. I have encountered a few situations where I basically had to solve my own problems and do my own research instead of having a knowledgeable tech support person on their end tell me what I should do. I would definitely prefer not having to solve all of my own problems in situations like this!

Before deciding which web host to utilize when my current service expires, I will be doing my research at this site and finding the best host for my personal needs.

I missed Wordless Wednesday!  We just got back from being away for 2.5 weeks and so yesterday was a pretty chaotic day.

Anyway, this is a picture of the snow that just hit the UK. A car heading through a snow blizzard in Stevenage, Hertfordshire to be exact. Apparently this winter is forecasted to be an extreme one for much of the world. Our area is supposed to get over 150 inches of snow according to the Farmers Almanac!

I learned something tonight. Until now, I had not heard about Helmet Cam Systems…but now that I have a whole new world has just opened up! These are cool and I know my boys would love to have these when they are out engaging in their various activities.

A Helmet Cam System is fully integrated digital camera system that attaches to a helmet that you wear while out hiking, biking, cycling…they can even be worn while snorkeling if you have the special protection attachment for it to keep it dry! This is what is known as “wearable video.”

For example, this used VIO POV.1 system is considered one of the best systems by experts. This package includes everything you would need to begin filming right away.

In this package you receive:

1. The recording unit with LCD screen
2. Camera head
3. 1 GB SD Card
4. Batteries
5. USB cable
6. TV output cable
7. Wireless remote
8. A camera mounting kit for helmets
9. A specially designed carrying case that holds all the equipment

This is a high-quality wearable camera with a wide angle lens that is specially designed for easy and versatile use. It will be stable while attached to a helmet and all of the components are shock-resistant, water-resistant, and dustproof!

Anyone who is active in any of these pastimes would love to have a camera system like this that would enable them to record their excursions. This is genius!

As the world looks global recession square in the face, it’s time to take the scout motto to heart - and quickly!

• Are you and your family prepared for a disruption of services or goods that you use every day?

• How long could you survive RIGHT now with what you have in your home?

• How long could you continue to meet your financial obligations if you lost your income tomorrow?

• If your drinking water supply were to become undrinkable how long could you survive on the supply you have right now?

If trucks suddenly stopped delivering food to stores it would take about three days for store shelves to become completely empty. This is assuming, however, that food is flowing off the shelves in normal circumstances and is not stripped off in a panic.

We are to the point where every family really needs to seriously think about being prepared for self-sustained survival.

This includes:

A three-month food supply - yes this is large - but at least start working on this! Purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply. Then gradually increase your supply until you get to a three-month supply. Rotate regularly to avoid spoilage.

Drinking water supply - How much water should be stored? Everyone needs a minimum of a gallon of water for drinking and an additional gallon of water for cooking and washing per day is also necessary.

This means that two gallons of water, per day, per person are necessary. You should add about 10 drops of liquid chlorine bleach (Clorox) per gallon of stored water. PLAIN bleach only - no fragrances or additives! This will kill most microorganisms in the water. A slight chlorine smell is fine.

Financial reserves - The ideal would be six months of savings to cover your current obligations. Save a little money each week and gradually increase it to a reasonable amount.

Get out of debt to increase your reserve also. Interest makes a slave out of you and until paid it will continue to grow. Avoid future debt if at all possible!

Teach your children the principles of hard work, frugality, saving and debt-free living while they are young. This mindset will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

Time to remember that old scout motto! Be prepared! Before it’s too late!

My laptop is starting to show some signs of needing to be replaced. As much as I would like to get a new computer for several reasons - faster processor, bigger hard drive, etc., the mere thought of transferring everything from my laptop to a new system is enough to make me forget the whole idea. It’s a very unappealing idea and I just hate to even think about it.

I did just find some interesting information, though, about some software that makes this process painless and easy. It’s called EzMigration - Drive Migration Software and it helps you transfer files from one hard drive to another hard drive.

This is a screenshot of what the program looks like as it opens on your system. It appears to be very easy to use and is something that can readily be just be started and utilized. This is the kind of program that I appreciate! I don’t like to have to read for hours just to be able to use a tool that I need to use to get something done.

Not only is this easy to use, but it’s affordable as well. I would recommend this to anyone who is needing to transfer files between hard drives.

A Japanese Air crew observed a strange set of clouds over the Sea of Okhotsk. This is a very rare type of cloud formation.

The clouds were observed last year from a Japan Coast Guard aircraft off the northeastern coast of Hokkaido.

The clouds floated just over the sea surface, stood over a half mile tall and stretched over 62 miles.

At the hotel where we are staying right now, a family who is also here attending the same conference had their vehicle stolen a few days ago. I can only imagine the dismay, disbelief, and sense of violation they must be feeling…as well as the shock they felt when they first realized that their truck was gone!

The hotel security utilizes video surveillance cameras and they were able to capture the entire crime as it occurred…unfortunately, that was not enough to catch the criminals and it appears as if they succeeded in getting away with our friends’ vehicle. I have no idea whether the video cameras are visible as I’m not sure what I would be looking for, but this would be a great crime deterrent if surveillance cameras were obviously mounted in common areas. I’ve even heard of police cameras being mounted in high-crime areas as a means of deterring crime and gang related activity.

I can think of many different businesses and uses for hardware that will serve businesses for control of crime and other such activities. This would include bar code label printers, barcode scanners, and a large selection of security cameras and related systems. IT Planet is a great source for this type of equipment. They offer free tech support, free shipping, and a very extensive selection. Anyone in need of equipment of this type will find it here at a very competitive price.

Today is my mom’s birthday! Happy birthday Mom!

Hope you are having a great weekend so far…here are a few good news stories that I hope will make your day!

The UPS Foundation has announced the awarding of five grants totaling over $1 million to support a variety of environmental programs and organizations around the world.

The grants include funds for planting trees, conservation, youth education and volunteerism and reflect the establishment of environmental stewardship.

The new grant awards include:

• $300,000 to The Nature Conservancy to assist with tree-planting efforts in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, conservation initiatives for rural residents in the Yunnan Forest in China and reforestation efforts in East Africa’s Highland Forest.

• $300,000 to the Earth Day Network to support its national civic engagement project to educate youth about environmental issues and provide teachers with lesson plans and environmental impact online tools.

• $220,000 to Keep America Beautiful to support its environmental education initiatives.

• $200,000 to the National Park Foundation to fund youth-engagement programs, including First Bloom, which provides children in urban locations with hands-on environmental learning.

• $50,000 to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant one tree for each of the first 50,000 UPS customers to begin using UPS electronic billing solutions, which eliminate the need for paper invoices.

Will Allen is the CEO of Growing Power. This is an organization that built a farm in the middle of a Milwaukee residential neighborhood with the goal of helping to feed the community’s residents. This is a practice known as urban farming.

This farm is small at 2 acres but it can produce enough food to feed 2,000 people.

“Well, my goal has always been to feed people healthy, safe, affordable food and make sure that everybody has access to the same food, regardless of your economic situation,” said Allen.

The global economy has forced unprecedented cooperation between nations on interest rate cuts, support for banks, and other measures that are meant to restore investor confidence. Differences have melted away as leaders search for a means to prevent their economies from melting down.

Leaders are learning that they can pull together initiatives to problem solve.

If leaders find they can solve the current global credit crisis, then perhaps they can next move onto the problem of global warming, or energy, or rogue states.

I love the word masquerade. It is one of those words that is fun to say and fun to do. Here is an online definition of “masquerade.”

1.

a. A costume party at which masks are worn; a masked ball. Also called masque.
b. A costume for such a party or ball.

2.

a. A disguise or false outward show; a pretense: a masquerade of humility.
b. An involved scheme; a charade.

The word is derived from the word “masque” which is the most important part of a costume…so it all fits nicely together.

I haven’t done much thinking about halloween costumes for years because my family does not celebrate Halloween. But I have really great memories of Halloween from when I was a child. My mother always put a lot of work into my costumes and I remember having some really special ones. One year I was Laura Ingalls Wilder and she made my period dress that was as accurate to the time period as she could make it. It was perfect and I really wish I still had it! I’m sure my mother still has a picture of it somewhere…I wish I could see it again.

If you are needing to find some kind of a costume for a workplace party or for your kids, then Halloween Adventure is a site that you just have so visit. They have a huge selection of costumes, as well as props, accessories, decorations…even costumes for your pets! I saw some great sale prices and they also offer promotions and coupons to save you a little extra money.

Have you ever tried to help a friend or family member who was having a computer problem?  It can be difficult - especially if you are attempting to help from a distance.  Not being right there in front of their PC and trying to explain certain steps to diagnose or solve the problem can be maddening.

There are several services now that allow “remote control” of another person’s computer with their consent.  Utilizing a program like this allows you to directly control someone else’s computer while at the same time you can be on the phone with them explaining what you are doing.

There are actually tools for this that come preinstalled in both Windows and Mac - but using these tools is too complicated for the average user.  Even if you have a strong understanding to solve common problems, the use of these tools is probably over your head.  There are others too, but they aren’t free and you are required to establish an account with the service.

There is another option, however.  This remote-controlled service has been designed for the collaborative help session that is solicited by the person needing help.  Crossloop is free, easy to use, and you don’t have to create an account to use it.

They also maintain a directory of geeks who are standing by to help you (for a fee).

This is a free download from Crossloop.  Currently it is only compatible with Windows, but they plan to release a Mac version soon.

Here’s How It Works:

• Both “helper” and “helpee” must download download and install crossloop.
• When you start running it, you’ll be invited to create an account for added tracking abilities, but this is easily skipped and you can run the program without it.
• There are two tabs.  One labeled “Share” and one labeled “Access.”  The share tab is for the “helpee” and the access tab is for the “helper.”
• A remotely controlled PC cannot be unattended for security reasons.  The help session begins with the “helpee” clicking the share tab.  This generates an access code that is unique for every session.  The “helpee” then provides this code (over the phone) to the “helper.”  The “helper” clicks the access tab and enters the same code.  The “helpee” then confirms that they wish to proceed.  This last confirmation opens the connection.
• At this point the “helper” will see a large window that shows them the desktop of the remotely controlled PC.  They are now able to use their mouse and keyboard to control this PC.  The “helper” is even able to transfer files between PCs.
• The “helpee” can be passive during this or they can share the control of the computer.  The “helpee” can end the session at any time.

I think this is a great resource between friends…however I see a potential for risk if you decide to utilize the “geek pool” to solve your computer issues.  You have no way of knowing how knowledgeable or reputable any of these geeks may be and you could be opening your PC up to mistakes they may make or even data theft or viruses.

**This is NOT a sponsored post**

Tags: computer problem, crossloop, remotely controlled PC