The Geekly Reader

For my December Read of the Month I decided to complete The Hunger Games trilogy and picked up Mockingjay.   I loved The Hunger Games back in November, so much so that I finished the sequel Catching Fire shortly after.  This left me with just the final book to finish, so I selected it for my final book of the month for 2010......what a let-down. Now I do not know what type of reader you are, but if I start reading a book and am not enjoying what I am reading, I will give up and quit.  I can now say I am officially calling it quits with Mockingjay and more than likely I am not going back to read anymore.  I tried starting this book numerous times.  I tried in my bed before going to sleep or on my couch during one of my many days off for winter break.  The final straw took place yesterday.  I spent nearly all day, from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.  My father was having a heart procedure and I knew I was going to have lots of time to kill.  There will be litt

Back in November, I put together my 2010 Tech Holiday Wish List for Santa.  Turns out I ended up with a few of the items on the list and added a few extras as well.  To start, I am typing this blog tonight on an entry level Dell Insipron 15 Laptop computer.   Like I mentioned back in my original blog post, I was not looking for a workhorse, do-everything computer.  I have a powerful notebook already with my Macbook Pro.  I wanted a second computer that could be used by my kids with no worries of losing important information and documents.  I can keep the machine in the great-room and hop-on whenever I needed to do some work, instead of running upstairs to the computer desk, or bringing the Macbook downstairs.  This Dell was cheap, and it feels that way in a cheap plastic case.  You do "get what you pay for" but this is all I wanted.  It is reasonably quick and has not given me any problems yet.  I am sure it will do its job as our basic, family computer. My sister sent  th

Found another great article online, this from The Huffington Post .  Now before you all you Fox News fans gasp, this article is in no way political.  The site covers a variety of topics, some that have little to do with politics.  I frequent the technology section often to get my geek fix for the day.  This past week, contributor Bianca Bosker put together a great article/slide-show on things that became obsolete this past decade.   You can check out the list and even add items you think should be included.  What do you think of the original slide show?  While I agree with some, I realize others are truly not obsolete.  Obviously we still need wires for many things.  I also do not think the book store is obsolete.......yet.  What else do you see disappearing in the new future?  Happy Holidays to all!

I spent the evening at my sister's house for our family Christmas celebration yesterday.  After a wonderful Mexican feast prepared by my sister I was offered a cup of coffee by my brother-in-law, Jim.  I said sure, and then I was offered a variety of options, almost like I was in a Starbucks or Panera.  How was Jim going to pull this off in his kitchen?  Simple, he had had one of these contraptions on his counter , a Bosch Tassimo Single Serve Coffee Brewer. Forget Ice Cream of the Future, I Want Coffee of the Future     Now I realize these have been around for a few years, but I have yet to try a beverage from this type of home brewing system.  Coffee is another one of my loves, so I was tempted to see how this little contraption worked.  I still use a typical 12 cup coffee pot at home, however I am the only one that drinks coffee in my house, so a single serve setup does capture my attention.  The drink arrived quickly with the push of a button.  I have to say, it was t

On this chilly "snow day" I found myself browsing around online when I came across this interesting article via Time Magazine .  Technology editor Peter Ha picks the greatest and most influential gadgets from 1923 to the present.  They year 1923 was selected because that was the year Time Magazine first appeared on news-stands.  The list is presented in no particular order, so readers could help rank and select which gadgets are the most influential.  The list includes items as basic as a ballpoint pen or credit card to advanced items such as the Apple iPad or TiVo.  You can view the rankings by readers here! One of the top 100 gadgets that I have used! Browsing through the list is entertaining.  Sometimes we do not realize how valuable simple items such as a smoke detectors, batteries, or clock radios can be in our daily lives.  At one time, these were major technological advances.  Today they are just normal items we count on to make life easier and safer.  I still r

So this past Sunday night I was settling in on the couch getting ready for the huge Pittsburgh Steeler Baltimore Raven football game on Sunday Night Football.  As a fantasy football geek, I had my Macbook Pro fired up and ready to check scores during the game.  I mean, this was the final week of the regular season for both of my leagues, so it was important to have the computer fired up and ready online.  As the pregame show was rolling on NBC, I set aside the computer and helped get my two little ones ready for bed, that way I would not be disturbed once kickoff took place shortly after 8:00! However, when I returned to my computer and attempted to open a new page....nothing.  Nothing would load.  The computer was receiving a wireless signal, yet no web pages would come into view.  I attempted all of my quick geek fixes: restart the computer, restart the router, restart the modem, I even ran a hard line to the computer and still had nothing.  It was not until I picked up my iPhone a

My November Read of the Month was The Hunger Games , which I finished in a matter of days.  I thought it was a great book.  I quickly picked up the next book in the series , Catching Fire .  I finished the book in about a week.  This brings me to early December, so of course I will be reading the final book of the trilogy , Mockingjay . Time for book number 3 Now Catching Fire was never really a "Read of the Month", but I did squeeze it in this last November.  I will take some time to write a little about the book.  Once again, I love the main character, Katniss!  Such a wonderful, strong young woman.  The first half of the novel is excellent, however I feel the second half is very "rushed".  Once again, it was a page-turner, I just feel like Suzanne Collins rushed the action as the novel proceeded.  The first novel, The Hunger Games , moved along at a pleasant pace.  Many of my friends that have read all three claim the first book is their favorite.  I wil

The giant, web based everything company Google is set to introduce their own e-Book store.  The Wall Street Journal has a story here explaining what is planned by the web giant.  The Google online e-Book store, known as "Google Editions" will include many smaller, independent book stores as well as their own e-Book resources.  The purchases (whether through Google or though the smaller stores) will be stored in an "online library."  Readers will be able to access their purchases on any device with web a web browser.  (Think of how Google docs can be accessed anywhere with any web browser). eBooks purchased in the iBookstore (via Apple) can be accessed on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, as well as up to five computers with authorized iTunes accounts.  eBooks purchased through Amazon (for the Kindle) may be accessed on a variety of devices that run Kindle software.  It appears Google is concerned more with providing the eBooks than actually providing the device on