Innovage Digital Camera - Keychain Camera

I got this little keychain digital camera while at my local Walmart. Of course you know the reason why I got this was because of the price!

Now when I first got it I decided to try it out and it doesn't work too badly if you don't mind your pictures coming out in less than "finest" quality. To make a long story short - it will do in a pinch. But there are some things that I have learned about it.

• The batteries - since this camera is so small and the batteries that it uses are so small, the batteries run out quickly - not so much quickly but when I have used the camera and then set it aside for awhile and wanted to use it again I find that the batteries have run out. Now if you don't have any replacement batteries at the time this could put a "krimp" in your picture-taking plans.
  

• Here is a link to a message forum that also discusses this small digital camera. It seems many people have it but they don't have the software that came with it or they are claiming that the software that they did have has been damaged. They are asking people to send them a copy of the digital camera's software.
  

• this small digital camera is also supposed to be able to act as a webcam. So far I haven't been able to use it as such. I'll get a blurry picture for like 10 seconds and then I get this dotted kind of scene - so I'm guessing that the camera is not powerful enough to act as a webcam.
  

• the camera itself can be attached via usb port

Lately I have been using my cellphone to take any digital pictures so I haven't used the keychain digital camera for a while. Maybe I'll give it a run-thru to see if it still works - after I get some batteries for it of course.

"AOL Connection Lost"

"Your AOL Connection Has Been Lost....."

Well this is a very frustrating screen message that came on the last time I tried to sign in! My first thought was whether or not I had paid my AOL bill - which I had. Then my thoughts turned to other bills like my phone bill, the electric bill and so on.................

So I tried signing on again....and again.....and again! I still got the same message "Your AOL Connection Has Been Lost". Then I tried to use another dialing number and I got the same error message. Then I tried a third dialing number and - again - I got the same error message!

Then I went into a panic! What if I have lost my AOL connection forever? How could I ever possibly be able to work from home again? I would have to go out and get a "real" job - a job that I would hate for sure.....................

So I decide to do some "offline" work - with the above thoughts still lingering in my mind.........................

I finished the "offline" work and decided to re-start my computer (and go back to my original AOL dial-in number). I tried to sign on again!

IT WORKED!!!!!!!!

So here I am typing away on my blog.....

Is this obsessive of me?

If this happens to you here is a link to a site that will explain the steps that you should go through just in case you get the same AOL "error" message when you try to sign on.

Taking The Time To Enjoy My Computer More!

I usually just rip and roar through my computer projects! "Get it done and get it done fast" were my mottos!

But I have come to realize that there are a lot of fun things on my computer and there are a lot of fun things that I can do with my computer!

For instance today I was going to print out some forms that I have to fill out and send in. Usually I just bring them up on screen and then print them out. But this time I did a little fooling around with my print settings and came to see that there are a lot of "cool" things that I can do with my printing settings. I can have specific settings that I want to print with and then be able to save those settings so that I can use them over and over again - something that I did this time!

I also had a little "fun" with the forms themselves - making them more "print friendly" so that I wouldn't use so much ink when I printed them out!

Of course there are lots of fun programs that I have on my computer that I haven't really played with yet because I have been too busy focusing on just the work that had to be done! What about the fun stuff too!

It's time to enjoy my computer just for the heck of it!

No more "All Work And No Play!"

It doesn't mean that I'm going to stop "working" with my computer but it does mean that I should be having more fun with my computer because there are so many fun things to do with it.

Annoying Little Popup

I have this annoying little pop-up that shows up on the bottom of my screen everytime I log onto the internet.

It's for the Norton Ghost program. When I first got this computer I had access to it for free for a certain amount of time. After that time was over I decided that I didn't want the program just yet. So I thought that the annoying pop-up reminders would go away. No such luck!

Now I have to figure out a way to get the reminder to stop popping up without messing up the configuration of my computer!

12/31/08 Update!

Unfortunately I still haven't been able to figure out a solution to this annoying little pop-up!

I did some searching online - but still couldn't find anything!


February 2009 Update!

Yep! I'm still having this problem!

New "Widget" About The Latest Virus's

I just added a new widget on the right side of my blog about the latest computer virus information - which would be good information for any computer user to know.

I have been infected with viruses a few times but thankfully they were rather mild viruses

Murphy's Law!

Okay, I have 2 printers (actually 3 if you count my dot matrix printer). On this particular day I wanted to print something out (kind of fast, in-a-hurry kind of thing). Well I can't use my newer printer because my black ink is so low that it won't print anything. So I go to use my older Canon printer and find that the print results are kind of "spotty" only because it has been a while since I used that printer (because I had my newer printer that I used).

I read somewhere online that if you don't use your printer for a while then the ink in the printer cartridge tends to dry out - and I think that is what is happening with me right now.

So I have a choice here. Although I still have to get a new black cartridge for my newer computer I'm somewhat hesitant to replace my older computer's cartridge - firstly because I'm "cheap" enough to admit that I want to use the rest of that ink that is in the older cartridge! and I'm thinking that having 2 printers with my "last" replacement printer cartridge in them isn't such a good idea - meaning I don't want anything to go wrong with both of them at the same time.

Of course it would be much easier to just go out and buy some replacement cartridges but they don't always have them in stock so it would be a matter going to the store over and over again until you got lucky! (I remember the last time I went to buy a printer cartridge for one printer and they were out of it but they did have printer cartridges for my other printer so I bought a few of those).

I could also order them online but I'd really like to use that as a last resort!

So right now I'm kinda "stuck" as far as printer cartridges are concerned!

My Older Computer Equipment

I'm taking the time to join some of the computer-related newsgroups.

Already I have seen a post from someone who is is asking that one of the older windows operating systems manual be sent to them. I hope that they mean by regular mail because I have a very old windows and DOS manual that is about half as thick as our yellow pages!

I wouldn't part with this old manual for the world! I may never need it again but I just cannot part with it!

I also think that I still have the manual for my old Tandy computer as well as the original operating disk for that computer system.

I still have my old dot-matrix printer too and it is still hooked up to my computer although I haven't used it in a while. This older computer printer still takes the computer paper that has the holes on the side that you have to thread onto the printer. I still have some paper for it but when I run out of the print cartridge for this I'm sure that its not going to be easy to find a replacement for it.

A (Very) Slow Internet Day!

Ever have one of those days when your internet access is so slow! I'm having one of those days now!

My internet access is so slow today and I just get antsy waiting for it to work and waiting for it to work faster!

Oh how I long for the pleasure of having a high speed internet access!

Maybe that day will come soon!

In the meantime I am just taking it slow - 'cause I really have no choice!

Moving Things Around!

I don't know about you but when I have to "do" something to my computer like move it around or clean it it is going to involve much more than just cleaning my computer! My computer area is surrounded by wires and cords and plugs and dust! Even if I were able to just let my computer stay where it is and let the dust collect I know that there will be times when I will have to do something with my computer area. For instance today the computer desk area that my computer sits on had to be re-inforced which meant that I had to take everything off to re-inforce it. I have come to find out that when I add things like a usb plug from my digital camera to my computer the plugs wrap around other plugs and other cords and hopefully you get the picture! Of course the impatient person that I am, I just wanted to re-inforce it and get back to work! But it was not going to be that easy!

First of all I resigned myself to the fact that I should turn the computer off before I started moving things around. I didn't like it but I know that it is better to be safe than sorry! So I turned off the computer, took everything off the top including the computer keyboard, the monitor (man this monitor is heavy), the speakers and the terminal! I reinforced the top and put everything back on top. (It also gave me the opportunity to see how dusty my monitor was!).

So now I'm back to where I was although my computer area is still quite cluttered and I still didn't unwind all of the inter-winded cords and stuff!

My computer area definitely needs an overhault!

But not right now!

Am I A Computer Addict? - Actually I think I Am!

Am I A Computer Addict?

Actually I think that I am very much addicted to my computer! I saw a post from someone that was promoting his website and I'm assuming that his website is about computer addiction and whether one is a computer addict or not.

Actually I think that I am quite addicted to my computer. I mean it helps some that my computer IS my work so a little bit of computer addiction could be quite understandable!

There have been times when I have started logging into my computer during the afternoon and the next thing I know night has come and gone and the day is starting to dawn!

There have been times when I have come across a computer problem so difficult and frustrating that I will continue to work on it until I get it solved - which happens half of the time.

There have been times when I have been working at the computer and my stomach starts to growl and yet and still I still stay at the computer and continue working.

Now I know I'm not 100% addicted to my computer because I know that there are other things that have to be done.

I mean I do got out - usually because I have to go shopping or something like that and there have been a few times when I have let a day go by without being at my computer at all! But I usually am NOT away from my computer more that 24 hours!

So while I may not be addicted addicted - I sure am close to it!

Here's a test I found online

You Are 27% Addicted to the Internet

Internet? Please. You're definitely not geeky enough to be that addicted. You have a full life off your computer - and the internet is just a small pastime.

Are You Addicted to the Internet?

Need To Access Another's Computer Far, Far Away?

If you're someone that works on computers you probably have clients that are located far from you and it will require a lot of time on your part to go back and forth to help service your clients' computers.

Have you ever thought of being able to work on another's computer by a remote access? There are a number of programs that can help you do this. Basically the principle is the same. What you do is create an EXE-file (server), send it to the person in need who opens it, so you can take over with a viewer.

Here are just a few programs that can help you with this:

• Hidden Administrator is a simple to use remote PC administrationprogram. Control the desktop of a remote computer, send messages,shutdown and restart remote PC, perform administrative tasks, more.
  
  
• Try LogMeIn Free. It works well but has to be installed on both computers. This program also allows your client to see what you will be doing to his computer by remote.
  
  
  
• You can try Hamachi, and then you can remote desktop into another computer if it is running XP Pro.
  
  
• A more advanced program that you can try is Single Click UltraVNC.
  
  
• You can also try PCHelpware which some think is easier to set up and install.
  

Sometimes You Just Want To Scream!

Have you ever had times when your computer wasn't working right? It's not so much that you can blame the computer because its only a machine with a lot of components and connections but just the same you just want to throw up your arms and say "Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Such was an episode for me today. I had to restart my computer right in the middle of me being online. Something was wrong with my Internet Explorer browser. Every time I tried deleting IE a new IE window would show up. So the only thing that I could think of was to just re-start my computer. So far it has worked! I'm back online again!

Please do not buy a cheap computer!

Cheap laptops

cheap computers

cheap notebooks

PLEASE don't buy cheap computers! Don't buy cheap laptops! I know that maybe you feel the urge so bad to buy a computer on the cheap that you might do it but please don't because you will be sorry!

This especially applies to used computers and used laptops. You don't know what's already on the harddrives and once you get it home and start messing with it you might find problems with it and you won't be able to take it back or you won't have a warranty for it!

You can get a good computer or laptop for under $1000. Sometimes there will even be a sale and you will see them advertised for less than that. To some it may seem like a lot of money but believe me you will be spending more money if you have to go back and forth trying to get help for your computer.

My First Computer?

courtesy of The Adsense Consultant

The first computer that I ever had was a Tandy (remember that name) that I got from Radio Shack for Christmas many, many moons ago! I would still have it today but I gave it to a friend of my mother's who was interested in computers but didn't know too much about them.

He bought a computer for $25 which I wouldn't do because I don't think that you can get a good computer - even if its used for just $25!

I think that I am now on my 3rd computer. I would love to have a laptop though - I'm working on that one!

Computers have come a loooong way since I have had my Tandy but you know one of the most interesting things is that myTandy used floppy disks which I'm glad to say my current computer uses also. I mean its nice to have the latest stuff but I still want to be able to use my old stuff too.

XBox Troubles

According to the article the XBox has needed a lot of repairs and Microsoft has spent a lot of money repairing them! Microsoft is also going to offer an extended warranty on its XBoxes.

Because of multiple complaints by consumers Microsoft "looked into" the matter and found a number of hardware problems.

Microsoft's stock decreased during the last period but it was not sure if the problems with the XBox were the cause.