Future Posts Postponed

I NEED A BREAK, VACATION, AND A REST!!!

Due to my mother's struggle with diabetes, her aging, and seemingly continuous need for my assistance ... Future posts will be postponed for an indefinite period of time. Fortunately she lives right next door in the neighboring apartment and it's no problem for me to check on her 4 or 5 times a day. In addition to the other errands I must run for her however, it is beginning to take it's toll on me in regards to the energy that I have reserved for my personal endeavors and health concerns. Until next time ...

Hopefully not too long.
P E A C E

Android Devices And TV Unite

MOTOROLA RZ100 BLUETOOTH SMART CONTROLLER

 

Control the action from the comfort of your couch. Connect your Android powered devices to an HDTV. When your phone or tablet is connected to an HDTV or monitor, the wireless Smart Controller lets you navigate through your phone's screens, select your apps, play movies, and share photos remotely. With the controller's integrated multi-touchpad, you have full gesture control over your content. Use two fingers to scroll through your screens or within web pages or apps. When looking at pictures or maps, you can pinch, zoom, and rotate your content just like a touchscreen.

No more running for the phone when your phone is docked across the room, the Smart Controller lets you make and take calls remotely from Android devices that support the Bluetooth HSP (headset profile) or HFP (handsfree profile). When a call comes in, just hit the call button on the back of the remote to answer it. To make calls, navigate to the dialer screen of your phone, or click on a number in your contacts, or on the web.

With voice commands through the controller, you can use your voice to perform a variety of actions on your phone or tablet. Send texts and emails, search for destinations, show maps, or play music all with the sound of your voice. For the best voice recognition performance, download Vlingo, a free app in the Android Marketplace to your phone or tablet.

Dedicated Android keys make navigating through your phone or tablet's content a snap. Menu, Home, Back and Search buttons get you where you need to go right away. With this and a standard HD dock (one that has HDMI ports) you are ready to do everything that you do on your phone or pad directly from your TV screen.

Tell Grandma To Save That Old Aluminum Christmas Tree

THOSE OLD TIN FOIL TREES

 

 

Remember those tacky old aluminum Christmas trees from the late 50's and early 60's? Some of us even make jokes about them to this very day. Each branch had enough aluminum on it to wrap a couple of sandwiches ... LOL. They are no laughing matter today. They are considered Art Deco and can fetch hundreds of dollars. A six foot tree in excellent condition with all the trimmings (like the one above) can fetch as much as $600.00 now a days. The 7 foot specialty tree (like the one below in green aluminum) is going for big bucks at nearly $1,400.00. These trees can still be found online at sites like eBay at a selling price between $50.00 to 1,500.00. There's no guarantee that any will resell for hundreds of dollars. However, paying attention to certain details almost make a high resell value a definite possibility. Those details are: Original package in excellent condition, Very little signs of wear (removing and inserting of branches in sleeves), Original matching tree stand, Accessories such as genuine glass bulbs, etc... The most wonderful thing of all regarding these older artificial trees is, most of them were made right here in America whereas almost all of the newer artificial trees today are made in China.

Travel Around The World ... Kinda Sorta

Microsoft Flight Simulator X

 

One of the greatest PC Gaming values there ever was and arguably still is ... remains to be the classic Microsoft Flight Simulator. Version X (10) in 2006 is where unfortunately it's popularity began to decline. It is now discontinued but by the grace of "The Gamer GODS" it is still widely available. You can find it almost anywhere online and even at many software stores. You can find many forums online with group discussions regarding this challenging game of skill and precision. Coming in at an average whopping $20 complete and the highest level of "Gamer's Punmanship" I can contrive: You can't beat that with a stick!

There is an accelerator expansion pack. Many other plugins can be found online. These plugins include things such as: Famous Airports, Worldwide Attractions, NASA Aircraft, War Aircraft, and a plethora of special missions. There are a host of beginner, intermediate, and expert flying lessons. The cockpit and scenery can be fine tuned to a HD format giving a very realistic appearance. Though not required it is best to use a joystick with this software. The model that I use is the Microsoft Sidewinder Joystick.

Cockpit Dash

City Of London

Visit places like Cairo Egypt, JFK Airport, or fly helicopters and passenger aircraft such as 747 and 757 jumbo jets. I could go on and on about the aircraft and designated arrival locations but let me assure you that there are plenty and they are quite varied. Additionally there are skill levels where you are required to complete increasingly more difficult flight patterns/missions. The difficulties include anything from turbulent weather to poor visibility. Unlike games that require speed and agility, this game requires patience and a steady hand. It will definitely bring out the "COOL" in you. You can adjust to several different views while flying. As you take the flying lessons to increase your skill level, awards, metals, and wings are earned. 3rd party hardware accessories such as a flight yoke, 3 lever throttle, and flight rudder pedals are available to give an even more realistic feel to the game. One of the best things about this game is, you don't need a $3500.00 computer to get the best out of it. It will run absolutely fine on a simple dual core machine with a plain vanilla graphics card right out of the box.

My final twisted thought, you should have known it was coming ... HA! A good friend of mine asked me if Flight Simulator is a "GAME"? My opinion of that straddles the fence. There has been a recent national news broadcast, and a few in the past years regarding terrorist using this "GAME" to learn how to fly aircraft and to learn specific flight patterns/maneuvers (it is quite accurate). This is indicative to me of raising the bar a little bit above "just a game".