Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
I put a few pics up that I thought you all might be interested in. I made a new case for my Sony eReader.This is the case closed. I wood burned a chipmunk & my name on it. The hinge is made of leather from one of the last deer my grandmother shot. She was in her early '80's then.
http://www.wysiwygwood.com/images/IMG...
Here's the inside of the case. The reader is now on the left side with the pad on the right, so I can write easier. The case is kept closed by a piece of rare earth magnet I cut from a computer hard drive & a scrap of metal. Both are inset flush. The straps holding the eReader in are some old brass weather stripping.
http://www.wysiwygwood.com/images/IMG...
Marg & I were watching TV the other night & took a break. On the way back in, I saw the dogs & just had to take a picture. Pixie was asleep on the back of the couch, right above where Marg sits. Amber has her butt up on Harley & her head on Molly. It looks uncomfortable to me, but she was happy. Munchkin, the 18 year old dog, is curled up on the end by himself. Our dogs have such a rough life!
http://www.wysiwygwood.com/images/Dog...
Jim wrote: "If you're ever unsure of a popup window (Firefox updates are OK) close it by pressing Alt F4 (hold down the Alt key & tap the F4 key). Do NOT click on 'Yes' or 'No' or even the little 'X' at the top right corner. Any of those can actually run the program. Clicking any where in the window can let the program run.Alt F4 is a keyboard shortcut that closes the active window. Alt Tab allows you to choose the active window with out using a mouse."
Jim, thanks a million for that tip!!! I've copied and saved it. I've also written the tip on a post-it... another important little piece of paper on the end-table by my laptop.
I annoys me to no end, having all this crap able to get into your computer. It's sneaky and it doesn't even serve a purpose. I use AVG anti-everything which works in real time. What I like best about it, is that when something is trying to get into my computer, it alerts me right then and there so I know who the culprit is. It's not that expensive either. $50 or $60 for 2 years, and it's worth it.
Here's a free program that's pretty good, it finds things that Norton, McAfee (and some other anti-virus programs I can't think of right now) don't catch.
I run this every once in a while just to make sure AVG is doing it's job.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Jackie wrote: "... I use AVG anti-everything which works in real time. What I like best about it, is that when something is trying to get into my computer, it alerts me right then and there so I know who the culprit is. ..."I'm not sure which Anti-Virus program our son installed for me. I'll have to ask him. I've heard of AVG, but don't know much about it. I do see alerts when something is being blocked, but I'm not sure what those somethings are.
There's a lot of good programs out there, Joy. You can get scanners for free but I prefer to pay for real time protection. I liked AVG because it's user-friendly and does a good job.Jim, wow, I don't have an e-reader but I want the case! It's so beautiful and durable. You do amazing work.
Below is an interesting tidbit from the book I'm currently reading, Thank Heaven: A Memoir by Leslie Caron (2009):p.204 - [Leslie Caron says:]: "... Paul Magwood (who incidentally was never my husband or even a boyfriend, as IMDb claims -- we never even had a meal together.)..."
I'm wondering why Leslie Caron's people haven't asked IMDb to make corrections. Even Wikipedia makes misleading statements about this.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001989/bio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_C...
Can't believe everything we read. Duh!
Anyway, Leslie Caron's new memoir (she's now 78) is chock full of references to countless show people and celebrities. These people live such active lives, travelling and vacationing everywhere, having dinners with each other. They do so much socializing. I don't know how they can stand the pace. Perhaps the key is that they're rich enough to hire people who take care of all of life's little necessities. I guess I'll never know what that's like.
I remember reading that when the Duke of Windsor had to rush out of England, he wasn't able to have his valet with him. They say his hotel room was a mess with clothes all over the place. He had no idea how to manage without help.
PS-Ooops, I thought I was in the reading thread. I think I'll duplicate this there!
Linda wrote: "Last night, we tried a new restaurant - Nemos's on Route 9 in Queensbury. Nice atmosphere. No liquor license yet. No problem for us! Tried their filet mignon and lobster tail. They know how to cook..."Thanks Linda. We'll have to try eating at Nemo's. Good luck on your test.
Jim wrote: "I put a few pics up that I thought you all might be interested in. I made a new case for my Sony eReader. ..."Jim, the new Sony eReader case you designed is quite a piece of craftmanship! Having the note pad right there is a great idea. The chipmunk is a nice touch. Well done.
Loved the pic of the dogs. Lazy bums!
Werner wrote: "I'm back online (yay!), though $70.00 poorer. :-) I did learn a tip on Internet safety --if a program you didn't initiate (or supposedly one you're already running --virus-bearing programs can disguise themselves as your ISP, for instance, something I didn't realize before) requests access to your computer, "just say no!""
Werner, do you run an antivirus that looks at what you're browser is inputting? I run the free version of Avast. I can't remember whether it catches stuff on the internet but it DOES find bad stuff from a newsgroup reader like Agent. It also slows bootup to a walk.
I THINK you may have saved $70 if you'd had an image backup to fall back on. I preach this, most people ignore me. I use the last version of DriveImage7. (this was bought out by Symantec and thrown away). The modern image backup is Acronis, I believe, and there are some free ones out there. You DON'T know whether you can depend on it or not UNTIL you actually wipe your C: drive and replace it with the backup two weeks old, but once you do it you're a believer from then on. You need a separate hard drive, huge USB ones are now available cheap. You need to be able to boot from your CD drive and SEE the extra drive to recover the saved image.
Jim, very glad to know about the Alt F4 trick. I didn't think just closing the pop up with the 'x' would cause trouble.
I recommend using Avast! with Spybot running Teatimer. All free. AVG is OK, but I think Avast! is a little better. Spybot is a separate program that just looks for adware & other Internet exploits. Adaware is another that does the same thing & is also good. Teatimer, which comes with Spybot, is a registry protector. A lot of the malware attacks the registry & this stops it cold. When you first install it, a backup of your registry is made. Thereafter, you have to allow any changes to your registry. You can disallow, allow or 'allow & remember'. You can also turn it off & make a new backup if you need to install a big program like Office that makes hundreds of registry changes.
I do NOT recommend using McAfee or Norton Security Suites. Not only do the better malware writers use them for testing, but the suite of products slows computers down a LOT & often cause as many problems on their own. Third party firewalls can too, so I don't recommend using them, either. The Windows firewall isn't great, but since most malware comes through port 80, an extra firewall is just redundant & of no use.
I fix a lot of home PC's for people at my company, so I see this on a regular basis. I've switched a lot of people off the security suites & on to Avast! with Spybot & Teatimer. Everyone has been tickled at the performance increase & better security. Including me, since if anything goes wrong, I get the PC back again. I don't really want to deal with their PC's though.
Earl, there's a basic template to most Windows programs that makes that top, right X into a close program button, but all you have to do is edit that to get it to do anything you want. Ditto with the top bar, the left top button or the 'white' space or background. You can make any portion of a window do anything you want when you write the program. You're right about the USB drive as a backup. I generally tell people to get the external drive & backup their files to it regularly using a something like Microsoft's SyncToy
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/de...
which is free, at the very least.
Regularly sync the files - do it whenever you have something you don't want to lose or once a week, whichever comes first. Leave the drive off the rest of the time. Then, if you get hit by a virus, the backup drive is safe from infection.
I make drive images using Clonezilla, a free, Open Source program. It's probably a little geeky for most folks since you boot into Linux, but it's not terribly hard to use. I keep a copy on the same backup drive. Then, if all goes to hell, I can reimage the drive with Clonezilla, repatch & copy back just the latest files with SyncToy.
No one does it until they've been burned. I know. I had to be burned a couple of times before I did.
Jackie wrote: "I annoys me to no end, having all this crap able to get into your computer. It's sneaky and it doesn't even serve a purpose. I use AVG anti-everything which works in real time. What I like bes..."
Jackie, thanks - I'm trying the malware right now - my desktop computer is quite old and is currently having minor problems. I'll run this malware and perhaps some "bad" bytes will be cleared up! In addition, I run Norton Antivirus.
Jackie / Jim - Haven't heard of AVG or Avast!, but I will investigate. A few years ago I had some problems with Spybot and was advised by some computer geeks - to uninstall. Any thoughts on that?
I hate Norton and McAfee, they do slow the computer, they don't have the resources that the better programs do. And they don't do a good job of identifying and eliminating threats.I've read that Avast is a good program. I'll look into it when this subscriptions runs out. How user friendly is it? I want something I can install and let it do everything, I don't want to have to deal with anything. Which is why I like AVG, install and that's it.
I'd get rid of Norton. Norton is good if you're computer savvy. Can't help with Spybot, don't know about it at all. Jim is much more knowledgable than I about computers.
I've never seen Spybot create problems unless people don't understand Teatimer. I have seen that cause issues then. People want to run something, but won't let the program make registry changes & then they have issues.McAfee & Norton/Symantec were good programs. They got bloated & since they're the top two, they're targeted. That's a tough spot to be in. IMO, it's better to use the 4th or 5th most popular AV program because it's less likely to be tested against by malware writers, but still a very good program.
It's also best to use a program that does just what you want, not everything, including spanking the baby. That's the problem with McAfee & Norton - too many features - so they use up too many resources. Norton Crash Guard is a horrible program & always has been. It causes way more problems than it fixes, IMO. It's part of their suite & underlies most of the rest of it.
Yes, Earl, I do have a virus protection program; I use AVG, though like Jackie I'm planning to look into Avast when the current license expires. And I actually did have any files I wanted to keep stored on my memory stick, not the computer itself, so they weren't affected by wiping the computer. The $70.00, as I understand it, was just for the repair guy's labor. (It would have been $89.00, but he gave me a price break since he knows I'm a good customer, and steer other people his way. :-))Jim, thanks for those tips (like Joy, I wrote Alt F4 down!). And thanks for sharing the pictures --your dogs are as cute as they come, and you did a great job on that e-reader holder (I love the chipmunk!).
My younger sister is visiting for a few days. Today we shopped at the Outlet Center near Exit 20 on the Northway. Tried on the new sneaker called "Sketchers Shape-ups." The bottom of the sneaker is curved and cushioned so that your foot kind of rocks as you walk. I think they need getting used to. Here's a webpage showing what they're like:http://www.skechers.com/shoes-and-clo...
My older sister says they are easy on the knees.
That would take a bit getting used to for me.Have fun with your sister!
Thanks, Jackie. Last night we watched "Good Wife" on TV. Tonight I'm going to introduce her to "Dr. Who" via Netflix streaming. She's never watched the show. We'll watch the episode entitled: "The Girl in the Fireplace".
Jackie wrote: "Did you like it?"Jackie, I still have to get used to the sci-fi genre. At times, while watching the Dr. Who episodes (including this one, "The Girl in the Fireplace"), I have trouble understanding what's going on. After the episode is over, I finally realize what it was all about.
The Netflix description says:
"The Doctor and Rose bounce back in time to battle a menacing force that threatens 18th-century Versailles..."
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Doctor...
After watching this episode, I went to Wiki and learned more about Madame Pompadour who was a mistress of Louis XV of France.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_P...
It's probably better to watch them from Eccleston's Doctor because you get the full scope of The Doctor and what he does, the series builds-up over time. Same with the companions, if you watch them in order, you see how their characters develop. And often there are references to events that have happened, and there are some foes who come back for more trouble.
Jackie's suggestion is actually good advice for watching any TV series, regardless of what genre it is. It's much more difficult to fully understand the premise, the characters, and what's going on with any continuing plotlines if you have to jump into the series in the middle, or even if you have to leave large gaps in your viewing of it. (I know --I've had to do both at times, though in some cases I became a fan of the series anyway!)
Yes, Jackie and Werner, that's what my sister said about the TV series "The Good Wife". She's been following it for a while and was able to explain who was who as I watched an episode with her for the first time. You have to get used to how the characters interrelate with one another."The Good Wife": Season 1 (2009)
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Good...
It was the same thing with "The House of Eliot" a British series:
http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=The%...
My sister had to explain to me who was who in the episode we watched. She follows more TV series than I do.
I guess I'll give "Doctor Who": Season 1 a whirl.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Doctor_W...
"In the revamped show's first season, the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) gets a new sidekick -- a department store clerk named Rose (British pop star Billie Piper) -- and travels to Victorian England to help a beleaguered Charles Dickens."
I love Rose! It's good that you'll start from the beginning if you're going to continue with the series. Eccleston's Doctor is very different from Tennant's, he's hurt and angry. Which is why Rose becomes an important companion because she helps heal him and become the doctor we know today. Plus Rose had an interesting storyline too. Beware of Bad Wolf Bay!
I watched part of the "Rose" episode today. Will finish later.So far so good. :) I understood!
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Doctor_W...
I envy you Joy, being able to watch Doctor Who for the first time. No matter how many times I see the episodes, I still love them, but there's nothing like that first time.
Jackie wrote: "... there's nothing like that first time."Yes, Jackie, that's a good insight... so true of many things.
We went to 'wing night' at the American Legion in Lake George. My friend bartends and her husband cooks the wings. I'm not a fan of wings, but when he makes them, they are too delicious to pass by. He makes his own hot sauce and it's marvelous!Tomorrow we're going out to eat at Palazzo's in Bolton. Pizza place, but what they make best is calzones. Not the usual chewy dough and more ricotta than mozzarella. The dough is thin, like a crepe but slightly thicker, thinner than a pancake. And plenty of mozzarella without having to ask for extra, a perfect mix of ricotta and mozzarella. I can hardly wait.
All my talk of food is making me hungry, it's a good thing we don't have much left in the fridge! I've postponed my food shopping about as long as I can, LOL
So that's Saturday's plan.
Today is a work day and usually our busiest of the week. So I will probably put off any reading until tomorrow. May watch a DVD tonight after work insted--still deciding which one.Sunday I am going to f riends house to play cards.
Book Signing, Saturday 2 PM at Borders, Broadway, Saratoga Springs.Robin Antalek will be autographing copies of her new book, "The Summer We Fell Apart".
Jackie, Ed and I will have to try Palazzo's in Bolton! At the following page, the comment (8/09) says that the store is brand new. Thanks for mentioning it. The calzones sound excellent!http://www.yelp.com/biz/palazzos-pizz...
PS-Ed found a webpage for the restaurant itself... with photos! ====>
http://palazzospizzeria.com/
(Looks as if it's opposite the Bolton supermarket.)
Mary, what card game do you play? A few years ago I learned to play Pinochle. I like it better than Bridge. I played Pinochle at Sr. Cit. with 3 smart ladies who were in their 80s. They were as sharp as a tack! They taught me a lot about the game. Alas, now they are too ill to participate.
Katherine wrote: "Book Signing, Saturday 2 PM at Borders, Broadway, Saratoga Springs.Robin Antalek will be autographing copies of her new book, "The Summer We Fell Apart"."Thanks, Katherine.
The Summer We Fell Apart: A Novel by Robin Antalek
Joy: We play several games--Pinochle is not one we like. We play Canasta--lots of fun, try it--but it is a long game.We play Hearts (look out--here comes the Queen of Spades for 13 points!); Oh, Shucks--a bidding game which is a variation of Eucre; and Thirty-One!
We also have the new Monopoly Deal Card game which is LOTS of fun and MUCH shorter. If you like Monopoly but do not have time for the long game, buy this. You collect card groups with property names; no houses; average game time 20 minutes.
Joy: Oooops Forogt one! For his birthday, I gave Scott a new card game--a trivia card game called Fact or Not? Since we like to try new games now and then, we will probably try that on Sunday!
Mary, I've always loved the game of Hearts. Years ago I used to play Canasta. Your other games sound like fun too.I love playing games like those. Unfortunately, I haven't got a good group of game-playing friends.
My Red Hat group once played a dice game called "Bunco" which was fun.
http://buncogameshop.com/rules.html
Joy: Yes, I've played Bunco, as well as Yahtzee and other dice and board games.And I AM lucky to have friend who like to play cards and games since so few people do nwdays.
Went to "The Book Bag" at our library today. That's the used book store maintained by library volunteers. I lucked out with hard cover books at half price. I found some great ones, including a history of the Queens of England. My to-be-read stack grows higher and higher.
Good for you, Katherine. What would our libraries do without their volunteers!
Jim wrote: "I put a few pics up that I thought you all might be interested in. I made a new case for my Sony eReader.This is the case closed. I wood burned a chipmunk & my name on it. The hinge is made of ..."
Jim...Your e-reader case is fantastic! and love the doggies slumbering on the couch!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks, Cindy. Our dogs do have it rough. We play 500 Rummy fairly often. I've played Spades & Hearts a fair amount & used to play Canasta & Crazy 8's. Card games are a great way for a family to spend time together. We usually play dominoes with friends.
Jim wrote: "... We play 500 Rummy fairly often. I've played Spades & Hearts a fair amount & used to play Canasta & Crazy 8's. Card games are a great way for a family to spend time together. ..."I love to play cards but it's hard to find people to play cards with. When I do, I find that I'm up against people who have great memories for what cards have been played. I try to remember which cards are still out, but I can't. I have never developed that skill. I think it's an inherited skill. Or perhaps it can only be developed with great practice when one's brain is young.
All the elderly ladies with whom I used to play cards had terrific memories for cards. Each one of them had been playing pinochle regularly since they were very young. They seemed to take their card memories for granted; they thought everyone could remember which cards had been played. They thought it came naturally. Not for me it didn't! I was under a great handicap when playing with them.
Joy: Although of course I'd like to win, I regard playing cards as more of a social occasion. We chat and nibble snacks while we play cards and tell jokes and so on.Since I am concentrating on that, I can't always remember the cards.
Btw, I have several solitaire cards games on my computer and I play them for a short time now and then just to relax as it's mindless, stress reliving fun--and the computer doesn't gloat when it wins !
Mary JL wrote: "Joy: Although of course I'd like to win, I regard playing cards as more of a social occasion. We chat and nibble snacks while we play cards and tell jokes and so on. Since I am concentrating on..."Mary, I too enjoy the social side of card-playing. Winning isn't as important as just being together and enjoying each other.
I've played solitaire on my computer as well as other card games like hearts, spades, and even bridge, but I find that I miss the social side of it, interacting with other people.
At online groups like this one, we can interact; it's more social, even though it's virtual. In a way, it's easier than real-time socializing because we don't have to worry about appearances (of the house and of ourselves). Less fussing. I find that, in real life, too much energy is expended on appearances (dressing up, straightening up the house). I haven't got enough energy or motivation for doing that anymore. So "virtual" interacting is a good substitute for me.
Jim wrote: "I put a few pics up that I thought you all might be interested in. I made a new case for my Sony eReader.This is the case closed. I wood burned a chipmunk & my name on it. The hinge is made of ..."Jim. that case should be an heirloom. Fantastic. Good way to spend the cold winter. nina
Thanks, Nina! I'm seeing a crack in the leather already, though. Not good. I should have used cow hide instead of deer, I guess.
I just read about the death of Jean Simmons at age eighty. Two of her roles I remember are in "Elmer Gantry" and "The Thornbirds".She always seemed to me a real lady.
Katherine wrote: "I just read about the death of Jean Simmons at age eighty. Two of her roles I remember are in "Elmer Gantry" and "The Thornbirds".She always seemed to me a real lady."
May she rest in peace. Jean Simmons (1929 - 2010)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Sim...
I didn't realize she had been married to Stewart Granger. (I saw that at Wiki just now.)
I see that she played the young Estella in "Great Expectations" in 1946. I now remember that I saw that version when I borrowed it from our public library.
Very pretty girl. Somehow she always reminded me of Margaret O'Brien (born 1937, now age 73).
Photos:
SIMMONS: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001739/me...
O'BRIEN: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0639684/me...
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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A nice treat for us. Then, went back home to continue studying Medical Anatomy (test is Jan 30). Teacher let us know there will be 25 abbreviations on the test/