Thursday, August 31, 2006

Cabinet of Curiosities

What a day! It was finally cool enough to take a nice long walk and not wilt. I'm listening to the 4th or 5th (they are all great) audio book (mp3 of course) by Preston and Child, Cabinet of Curiosities... they are all soooooo good. I have to keep my earbuds disinfected with Listerine so I don't end up with some kind of fungus in my ears from constantly being plugged in. Geez! I can't put a good book down. I make excuses to iron, do "quiet" cleaning, walking 3 miles a day (that's good for about an hour).

But listening to books is really kind to my eyes :)

It's time to send out the newsletter email. Enjoy folks!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

making Wallpaper

Well! Today is going to be a fun day! I am going to spend the entire day playing with GIMP to see what kind of wallpaper I can create for the Member area. Creating wallpaper images 1020 by 768 is a great way to put a graphics program through its paces and I usually end up with some pretty good results.

Monday, August 28, 2006

It reminds me of a MAC


I neglected to send up the screenshot of GIMP on the desktop. It really reminds me of a Mac type program the way it sort of sits on the desktop with no containing window. I hate to say it, but that's about all the experience I have had with a Mac, just a few peeks. I have never had a lot of interest, and Windows has managed to keep me plenty stimulated.
Anyhow... Here is what GIMP looks like on my desktop!

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Almost finished

I just LOVE it! Every month when I am close to finishing the newsletter, I try to think of what I want to write about in the next issue. It is difficult at times. After so many years (over 10) of writing about Windows and computers, one would think I would run out of things to write about. NOT! It is amazing how there has never been a lack of new things to learn.

Just finished the article on GIMP for the September issue of CompuQuickTips and realized I need to spend a lot more time with it, learning and testing so I can share what I learn with YOU, dear readers. So if you like the introduction to GIMP in the September issue, look for much more detail in the next three issues after that. It is an exciting Image Manipulation Program and the more I tinker with it, the more I want to learn. I am as new to it as my dear readers will be, so it should prove to be a fun journey. I hope you all enjoy the journey as much as I will.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Blogger and Firefox

I am happy to read this current version of Blogger works best with Firefox and Internet Explorer. Yes, they mentioned Firefox first! Firefox is slowly becoming a mainstream browser and is a terrific addition to your Internet arsenal. Check it out HERE!
Firefox screenshot













Wednesday, August 23, 2006

A learning curve

After lots of thinking, I have decided to feature GIMP as the September Gem. It is certainly not for beginners, but it is a great FREE alternative to Photoshop or PaintShop Pro if anyone wants to spend some time and can tolerate the learning curve. For more information the place to spend a lot of quality time is http://gimp.org/windows.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Zen Nano Plus

So much to learn! So little time!
I have ANOTHER Zen Nano Plus on the way. Should be here today. Seems I wore out my little black one (great excuse to order a new one in white this time). The sound when listening to an audio book has gone bad. While it is an intermittent problem, it is still a bit of a nuisance. The player is still good to use as a portable drive, so it will continue to live out its life with all the respect it deserves.