• coffee life,  coffee shops,  lifestyles

    No More Internet

    The Art of the Latte
    The Art of the Latte

    Going to throw some numbers at you.  I pay $50 a month for Internet service at my condo. That comes to $600 a year. I’ve been in my condo for 13 years now, so that means I’ve paid $7,800 for internet services at condo. That’s a nice chunk of money. When looking at those numbers, my mind asks the question, “What could  I have spent that money on?” Well, I could have used that money and gone to Spain with Earl and Bonnie, or down to Mexico with Paul or a weekend in Webster, preferably in April or May, or bought more unnecessary camera gear. Actually, all the above may be the real answer plus a new underwear.

    Most of you know I patronize local coffeehouses somewhere between 5-6 days a week. Yes, meetings would probably help. However, all of these coffeehouses provide free Internet. Six of these coffeehouses are within walking distance of my condo or quick bicycle ride. I’m a mobile person who carries along a camera, a Samsung tablet and a smart phone. I also have a 13″ laptop that is easy to carry. There is no reason I can’t just work off line then go for coffee or lunch and upload a post, check email, read my favorite blogs. So, I decided to eliminate my internet at home. It will require some adjustments such as working off line at home and better planning. We’ll see how it goes.

    It’s also a sad day as I offer prayers for the families of the passengers on another Malaysian aircraft going down. 🙁 I do hope everyone has a good weekend.

  • writing/reading

    How did I get there?

    How did I get here?
    How did I get there?

    Every so often I find myself lost. The funny thing is I do that while sitting at my computer desk. It can start with an email, a blog, reading a forum, someone’s tweet or “googling” a question. Before I know it I’ve clicked this link then that URL and now I’m somewhere out in cyber-space.

    While living in Hawaii I took a spin at surfing and found it was not my sport. In fact, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it back to shore. I find surfing the internet much easier and getting back easier, just back to your home page. It’s a world of its own and encompasses the world. The internet provides me with much needed knowledge and several communities. It’s exciting to see a new window open, leading me to another place of exploration, entertainment, and maybe a gold nugget. But, every once in a while I ask the question, “How did I get here?”

  • Art/Design,  lifestyles

    Keeping in Touch with my Toyls

     

    My Phone
    My Phone

    I’ve decided to makeup a new name: toyl. We have many tools (toys) that keep us in touch with this fast paced world. My toyl just happens to be an iphone. And what can this amazing little toyl do? Since I travel so much my toyl has become my way to stay connected with family and friends by reading and writing emails, by text messaging, by dabbling on my facebook account. I also use it to check in on my work’s website for updates and news. With the internet capabilities I check on favorite blogs, pay bills on line, check my calendar and contacts. It even takes photos in a pinch. It does almost as much as my laptop and yet fits in my pocket, much more convenient. Oh, and I can make a phone call with it. Imagine that! And, they’re everywhere, so even in this high contrast black and white image, people will know exactly what it is at first glance. A toyl!