AgingBoomer

iPhones for Boomers

I tried to hold out on an internet phone, and waited to see the Google phone, the new BlackBerry, etc., but finally broke down and bought an iPhone. Now, I have the internet in my pocket, along with my phone, camera, calendar, music player, video player, calculator, phone book, email, etc. After 3 months with an iPhone, I must say that I like it and use it more than I ever thought I would. I have even taken to texting a bit, but can’t make myself ignore rules of capitalization, grammar or punctuation. lol
The free apps available for this machine are amazing! I use the level, get sports scores, find movie times (and watch the trailers), play a game or two, write notes, check the tides, read the New York Times, and find my way to new destinations. Oh yeah, I can make phone calls, too.
There’s no going back. Pretty soon, we will all have the internet in our hands.

Hail to the new Chief!

During the past few months, Susan and I watched all 7 seasons of the West Wing TV series (thanks Tom and Karen). We think it may have been the best written series ever, and we also happened to agree with the politics. We were amazed at some of the parallels between what happened several years ago in the show, and what has been happening recently in our country and around the world (economy, fuel costs). The best part was that The West Wing always left you hopeful that there really were people in government who truly wanted to help the masses. There was a good mix of political realities and hope for a better America; a place that was defined by diversity, democracy and ingenuity. In the final season, it took the perfect (political) storm to get Matthew Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) elected as our first Hispanic president.
This year we elected Barack Obama, and many of us are hopeful. Mr. President Elect; make us proud.

2009 Prius Blues

Well, we thought we bought a Prius at the end of June….. $500 deposit and signed purchase agreement MSRP on a Package 2 2008 Prius. We were told that there was a 4-6 week wait, middle of August at the latest, OK, no problem. August came and went, batteries not available, I get it, OK, no problem. Our car would be here between Sept. 9 and Sept. 15! Since the dealer gets deliveries mid-week, I called today. Our car is not there, but is due on Sept. 22. Huh? That’s because they are not 2008 anymore, they are 2009. No changes in the car except: New model year and $600 more. Will Toyota honor the price they gave me? No. The dealer claimed that their price went up $400. Ok, what if I pay $400 more than the 2008? No. Besides being just plain wrong; is this legal? At best, it is terrible PR.
I thought I bought a Prius in June. In September, I’m not so sure.

Please don’t vote based on forwarded email!

Wow. This is disconcerting. Well meaning folks all over the country are basing their presidential choices on forwarded emails. I have received several, many forwarded by seniors, that have a similar theme:
Take a real event, add a little twist, then a fat lie, then call the candidate dangerous, un-patriotic or idiotic, and ask to have you forward it to everyone you know. They have all attributed Barack Obama with quotes that are truly frightening. Here’s the problem; no fact checking is taking place. I searched the web for an hour in an attempt to verify one particularly ridiculous quote, and found nothing to substantiate it.
Please people; listen to the candidates themselves. Use several news sources, and try to include some from different perspectives. Read the New York Times AND USA Today. Remember that personality-based TV, whether from right or left leaning “personalities” is mostly opinion and was created as a money making entertainment venue.
Get the facts. Then vote.
One more thing; don’t send me forwarded emails that you haven’t researched!

Google docs presentations are too easy

I’ve been using Google Docs for the past year or so. Initially, I used them to share online word docs with my students, then to collaborate with colleagues on lesson plans and course authoring. They are free, easy and accessible. Just go to google and search for google docs. Sign up (free) and start looking around. I first used the word docs, then the spreadsheets, and recently the presentations, which are like powerpoint. Any document can be shared, published online, or saved as any number of different types of files. The slideshow below was built online and, instead of publishing it to a web page, I took the provided code and imbedded it here in this blog (I also use this for my kayaking blog http://kayaxeman.blogspot.com/). There are dozens of other free tools at google. I use the calendars, rss reader, email, and many others. Get an account, find the menu that says “more”, and have some fun. When you think you’ve seen it all, go to “more, even more”. Amazing. Feel free to write for help. In the meantime, here’s a quickly built show with some pics of a Memorial Day visit by my son and his family.

What’s better than $4 a gallon gas? Your Dad’s old bike.

What’s better than $4 a gallon gas? Riding my bike to school (work) with my son! Deciding to ride to work on a bicycle was more of an environmental statement than a money-saving one, but saving a few bucks while getting some early exercise has been a fine benefit. I’ve ridden to work in the past, but had a long run of “stuff to do right after school” that made riding impractical. I went so long without riding that I sold the ebike through craigslist and started looking for a “regular” bike. What I found was precious.

In 1971, I graduated from high school and began working fulltime, which enabled me to purchase a pair of Raleigh 3 speed bicycles as Christmas presents for my parents. They were modest but utilitarian at the time; a green ladies model for mom, and a black Triumph men’s version for my dad. In the mid 80s, my mom gave hers to our family, and it was used quite a bit with a child carrier attached to the rear. It always worked. We gave the bike to Travis’ high school girlfriend Summer when she went off to college, and both the bike and the girlfriend disappeared from our everyday lives.
A month ago, I asked my dad if he still rode his bike, and he admitted that it had been several years since he had. Where he lives, walking works better, and trips into town are a bit far and the traffic is hairy. He gave the bike to me. A couple of tires, some new grips and a bell later, it is now my main ride. Sweet. The wire basket and rear rack add just the right amount of geekiness to suit me.
Not exactly a collector’s item (I really prefer it that way), this 37 year old English 3 speed is the perfect combination of practicality, retro cool, nostalgia and a connection to my dad. Did I mention the cool bell. Ching-ching.

Kingsolver for President!

Ok, I know that Barbara Kingsolver probably doesn’t want to be president, but she has more good ideas (and is certainly more eloquent) than most choices we have EVER had. I’ve read a number of her books (Poisonwood Bible, Prodigal Summer, Animal Dreams, Small Wonder) and, though I’ve always appreciated her work, it didn’t change my daily life like her latest; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It’s a story about what we eat and how we get it. I stopped eating beef, visit the local farmer’s market on a more regular basis, broke out the breadmaker and juicer, and plan to add home-grown yoghurt and beansprouts to my diet. I also have a much greater appreciation for the thousands of pecans that drop from the tree in the front yard. It’s about more than what I put into my mouth; it’s about making (however small) a difference in the way we think about what we do, and the effect it has on the planet and the local economy. Please read her book(s). Kingsolver for President!

Free money from the Feds?

Surely, I can’t be the only person who thinks that the “Economic Stimulus Package” in Congress is a bunch of hooey! What part did I miss? Our country is 9 or so trillion dollars in debt (more each minute), and the government wants to jump-start the economy by giving (number as yet undetermined) dollars to every citizen. They hope that I will take the money and go out and buy a bunch of stuff that I couldn’t afford to buy the day before (I smell a lot of new hi-def TV sales here). OK, but what they are really doing is borrowing money to give me some, and then letting me pay it back in the future (with interest of course). OK, maybe I won’t actually have to repay it; my children will, or perhaps my grandchildren. If so, the least I can do is to buy something that my grandchildren can use later….. Any suggestions?

I guess they think that a shopping spree at Walmart will make us forget that they can’t figure out how to provide basic health care services for our poor children.

Tech Follow-up

Well, it has been a while..

Last year at the Computer Using Educators Conference in Palm Springs, we were exposed to many great technology uses, several of which we have incorporated into our curricula. This year, unfortunately, we will not be attending. Our school district has (prudently in my estimation) canceled all conferences etc., as a money saving response to the anticipated shortfall of education funding from the state (California). Why are we short of money in California? The real answer is that we spend more than we make. Everyone wants everything, but no one wants to pay (obviously, they do actually pay). The simple (simplistic, I know) answer is: Want less, or pay more.

Aging Baby Boomers need to keep up with technology

I returned from the CUE (Computer Using Educators) conference in Palm Springs, and am still buzzing from the excitement. There were so many great ideas, cool gadgets and, of course, The Fellowship of the Geek. Even though I spend every working day with technology, it changes faster than I can track it. I had familiarity with all of the current technologies, but gained better insight for using them. Don’t hold back folks. If you are reading this, you already are tuned into blogs. Here are a few more areas that you might want to investigate further:

• Use RSS feeds to gather the news and info you want to keep track of
• Subscribe to Podcasts that sound interesting (I get most of my NPR content this way)
• Dig deeper into Google. From the main search feature, choose MORE, then choose EVEN MORE. Be amazed for free. Share docs, get Google Earth, use your cell phone to text questions and get sports, weather, answers.

Come on people; you can’t break it.

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