Digital frames

Digital frames are a great way to display digital photos as a slideshow anywhere you have room for a photo frame. The only problem I see with them is that they use batteries, so if they are constantly running, they would go through batteries pretty quick.

For a child, a digital frame would be instant gratification so they could just take out the memory stick from their camera and plug it straight into the frame to view all their pictures.

Future of keeping warm

I was thinking about buying an electric blanket to warm up the bed on really cold nights, and upon searching the internet, I came across a new technology that I simply must share. They are little rubbery discs, the size of a Frisbee made by Snuggle Safe. You heat them up in the microwave for 5 minutes, and they hold 100 degree heat for 12 hours! After that, they slowly cool down to room temperature. They are currently made for pet beds, but I am very excited about this. I am sure they will develop the technology more to be used in a larger scale in the future. I have heard of several people using them in their chicken coops to keep the hens warm, and with other outdoor livestock. It can even be used in the car.

There are no cords, so the uses are limitless.

Computer future

As I mentioned in my last post, it is getting more and more difficult to share one computer between my husband and I. Although all of his sources of income are internet-based, I also make a little cash with my blogs. So he is on the computer about 80% of the time, while I squeeze my online work in the remaining 20% of the time. This is a fair arrangement, I think, but it is frustrating sometimes to juggle the other household tasks and errands around my other jobs and the online ones.

We have been considering setting up the old desktop computer again, since we had the hard drive rebuilt. We are just hesitant, since we don't know what the future will hold. We will probably have to put it in storage while we build our tiny house on the land we purchased.

The "techno" generation

While technology sometimes gets a bad rap for all the health problems it causes for kids: bad eyesight, laziness, lack of sunshine, attention span disorders, etc. I believe there are good things for the kids of today as well. For example, my daughter loves watching the "special features" on DVDs. She enjoys learning how movies are made and especially how they do the make up on characters in movies like "The Grinch" and "Planet of the Apes". Also, if the movie is a little scary, we can show the kids that it is just a mask or animatronics. I would've loved that as a kid, since I got scared of movies lots of times.

The other side of the coin is this - do they lose the magic of the movies? If they know that everything is made up, can they truly enjoy the film? I believe my children still enjoy the movies very much, and we only watch the special features after viewing the film in its entirety.

Need technology fast?

Back when my husband and I were still in college, he was thinking of becoming a web designer, but wasn't sure if he would like designing for other people. He wanted to try it before committing to anything to see if he liked it. He was lucky to find an intern job where he got a computer loaned to us for the duration of his internship. This way, we didn't have to pay for a computer or any of the programs.

Now you can go to a place like Anaheim computer rentals if you need a computer but aren't quite ready to buy one yet. This is also a great option for college students who need laptops for school as they have those available for rent as well. Businesses can rent projectors for trade shows, conventions, or meetings, and there are even printers and other office equipment for rent. They offer a wide variety of name brand equipment including both Mac and PC interfaces.