Friday, July 07, 2017

NOW WHY OH WHY WOULD I EVER BE IN A BELL MOBILITY ‘SMART PHONE’ STORE

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Fast moving storm cells forming up out over the lake came ashore this morning catching Kelly and Pheebs in a downpour.  Kelly had the forethought to wear a raincoat but by the time they got back home from their walk we had us quite a soggy little doggy.  Checking our radar site I could see it was a narrow band and wouldn’t last long.  Soon as it passed by Pheebs and I were out the door and gone on down the road.

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THE BULK CARRIER RADCLIFFE R. LATIMER WAS DOCKED AT THE GODERICH GRAIN ELEVATORS THIS MORNING

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I THINK THAT’S CAPTAIN GULL THERE SITTING ON A DOCKSIDE ROOF

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THIS PHOTO SHOWS THE BULK CARRIER OFF-LOADING SOMETHING ALONG THAT CONVEYER BELT ASSEMBLY INTO THE GRAIN ELEVATORS

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THIS IS THE LAKE FREIGHTERS END OF THE CONVEYER BELT WHERE CARGO IS SCOOPED UP FROM THE SHIPS HOLD

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THIS IS THE RECEIVING END OF THE CONVEYER BOOM AND I’M GUESSING THAT TRAFFIC LIGHT DEVICE SIGNALS THE BOOM OPERATOR AS TO HOW FULL THE BIN IS….GREEN FOR OKAY, AMBER FOR NEARING FULL CAPACITY AND RED TO STOP

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THAT’S QUITE A CUTSY PATOOTSY LITTLE LIFEBOAT THEY GOT ON BOARD THERE

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THIS IS THE MAIN LIFEBOAT VEHICLE AT THE VERY STERN OF OF THE BOAT/SHIP

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Spent a short bit of time today in a place I would not normally find myself.  A retail store in downtown Goderich.  Had never been in a Bell Mobility store before simply because I had never had an interest to go in one.  Cell phones Schmellphones is a thought I have been hanging onto for a long time.  Why oh why oh why would I Al Bossence ever need a cell phone.  Well why indeed.  I absolutely have no interest in calling anyone and saying, ‘Hey wassup’ and I certainly would not want anyone calling me up with that same questionable greeting!!  How about texting?  No way Jose!!  Zero interest.  Ok then, so what drew me to that Bell Mobility store this morning?  Good question and when I left the store I had only 3 thoughts rambling around in my head……hmmmm, hmmmm, and hmmmm. 

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VENDORS SETTING UP IN DOWNTOWN GODERICH FOR FRIDAY MARKET

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DSC_1951THE BELL MOBILITY STORE >>>>>

Our morning had started off pleasantly enough with a cool refreshing breeze in off the lake so Pheebs and I headed out east of Goderich and picked up a hiking trail we had been on last week.  Taking a different fork this time we walked for a bit until I realized the heat and miserable humidity were quickly building again.  My shirt was soon sticking to me and Pheeb’s tongue was dragging on the ground.  Back to the Jeep and headed home to the coolness of our house and stayed there for the rest of the day. 

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BIG BEACH CLEAN-UP IN ROTARY COVE THIS MORNING

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Told Kelly what I had seen at the Bell Mobility store and how disappointed I was at the phone costs and high fee monthly plans.  She looked over the sheet I had brought home and agreed about the prices.  And that was pretty much the end of any more of my smart phone ideas.  I had liked the idea of having a phone with a camera in it with me all the time as well as a number of Apps I was really interested in regarding Astronomy and Bird ID to name a couple.  Oh well we can’t have everything we want can we.                            But wait…………….

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A BEAUTIFUL FOREST ONCE STOOD HERE WHERE A TORNADO IN AUGUST OF 2011 CAME THROUGH AND BASICALLY KNOCKED THE WHOLE FOREST DOWN AND CHEWED IT UP

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A NEW FOREST IS QUICKLY REPLACING THE OLD

Tapping away at my computer keys this afternoon I became aware of Kelly talking to someone on the phone out in the living room.  Wandering over thatta way I soon determined she was talking to Bell telephone about Smart phones and monthly plans.  By golly if she wasn’t weaving her magic again and within 20 minutes she had waded through all the Schlock, dug through all the expensive phones and plans and hammered out a financially acceptable deal.  Free phone, $22 a month with enough data thrown in to get me by.  Only thing left for me to do now is decide on a phone.  No not an expensive iPhone or any of the other high enders.  Don’t need the latest in-vogue Yadda Yadda device, just a phone with a reasonably good camera and some data access.  It’s the Apps I am most keenly interested in.  We’ll be reading up on Smart phones over the next couple days before making a decision as to which phone to go with.  Samsung Galaxy j3, Sony Xperia, and Motorola 5 are just 3 that we have looked at so far.  Maybe not totally perfect for modern heavy duty communicator folks but way good enough for me and what I want it for:))

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THIS WAS A LONG RANGE TELEPHOTO SHOT AND I NEVER NOTICED THE LITTLE BUG AT THE BOTTOM UNTIL I LATER EDITED THE PHOTO >>>>>

And would you believe I am considering having a serious go at learning Adobe’s Lightroom photo editing program.  Been reading up on it ‘again’ and with all the on-line tutorials I might just have half a chance of understanding it.  Noticed they have a 30 day free trial.  With some new camera gear under my belt and another couple pieces yet to come I’m thinking of trying to improve a few of my photography skills.  Some of my stuff is Okay but I’d like to see if maybe I can do a little better.

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I remember reading one time about how aging takes it’s toll on Seniors not only physically but mentally as well.  One of the common things that happens to older folks as they age is their world begins to shrink around them and I have been experiencing this these past few years and especially of late.  Seems easier to face challenges when we’re younger, more energy and a willingness to learn new things.  When memory begins to slip it becomes harder to learn and retain information so the mind sometimes solves this increasingly frustrating problem by taking the easier road and sticking closely to only those things one is relaxed and comfortable with.  I am probably a good example of that and I can feel my world steadily shrinking.  Instead of running from modern technology maybe I should be turning around and embracing it.  I’ve been thinking for awhile now maybe a Smart phone would be a first step in the right direction.  My Picasa photo editing program isn’t going to last forever so maybe now is the time to learn something new.  Maybe try my hand at some videography because I now have some better equipment to do that.  Maybe see if I can get a few piles of garbage moved off my creative side, let in some light, and see what grows.  Or maybe my mind is currently in one of it’s lofty upper atmosphere modes and for me that spells a small smattering of confidence.  OMG, confidence??  Don’t know but we’ll see what shakes out over the next little while.  Maybe by this time tomorrow I will be back to sweeping the floor and humming to myself……

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( In a dark and hazy room, peering into a crystal ball, the mystic delivered grave news: "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just be blunt - prepare yourself to be a widow. Your husband will die a violent and horrible death this year." Visibly shaken, Laura stared at the woman's lined face, then at the single flickering candle, then down at her hands. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself.  She simply had to know. She met the fortune teller's gaze, steadied her voice, and asked:
"Will I be acquitted?"

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Did you know that to be old and wise you must first be young and stupid.

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A little boy came home eating a big candy bar. Seeing the candy bar, his mother remembered he had already spent all his allowance money. Surprised, she asked him where he got it.  "I bought it at the store with the dollar you gave me," he said."But that dollar was for Sunday School," his mother replied.  Smiling, the boy said, "I know, Mom, but the Pastor met me at the door and got me in for free!"

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Europe.

Europe who?

No I’m not!

16 comments:

  1. Try the thirty days trial for sure. I don't want to confuse more but on smartphone Lightroom is an app. The newest version of lightroom is a monthly fee. You cannot purchase it stand alone for your laptop unless you go to older version 6...which would be good enough for what you want to do with it. Just some things to read up on.

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    1. Check out this video about phone photos.

      https://youtu.be/OkPter7MC1I

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  2. Have you checked out the 711 Speak out phones and plans, No contracts, very reasonable and a few decent phones. I have had one for years now, this one does not have a camera but the new ones do. I pay $25.00 once a year for the little air time I use. Works for me and Suzie can find me if I am wandering around and she need me, or I have a phone, in case on emergency.

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  3. Adopting the new technology and being comfortable with online media is a big challenge for us old guys! I find it hard to do, just as you describe, but I think it's good for the brain to keep up with new things and learn new skills. It's a catch-22, but I think adopting specific new things is a good idea. I got a smartphone so Mrs. F.G. Could always find me when I'm out tramping around the trails by myself.

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  4. Hi, Al and Kelly. I typed this as a Shout, but every time I pressed "Shout", I was told to enter a message. Gave up. Since you changed the header, on my IPad the header is normal, all the way across, but the blog itself is less than 1/2 the screen width. It isn't a big deal for me because I just use my fingers to make it bigger. Also, when I click on photos, they come full size. Yours is the only blog that I have the issue with. I wonder if the size of the header is involved? I wasn't going to bother you about it, but I see someone else has the same problem.

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  5. I do not know if you read my posts, most being low effort and even lower quality. I got a pre-paid phone so I could make calls from our Florida Cabana. It worked everywhere we traveled, Salton Lake to Tucson to Denver, great coverage on Verizon. The phone was free and costs $ 50 a month with 2 Gig. I loved the Motorola G4 Play as it has a 12 Mpxl camera and battery that lasts a week just turned on or more than a day if taking pics and using apps constantly. It is no longer a phone and no costs, long story, but I use it for pics and a whole lot for playing MP3 music over bluetooth to a booming IHOME waterproof speaker ( $30 at Costco.) So anyway we now have LG phones on Verizon Unlimited Canada-USA-Mexico and Data for $ 124 a month and I have now used over 120 Gig watching movies on my TV from my phone Hot Spot. So I have phones that work and internet for computer and TV. Not to imply what I did was smart, but I am happy now.

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  6. Magnesium is a real miracle and the older we get the less we get, supplementing will help you so much. Read up and give it a try!

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  7. Can't beat the iPhone for the camera though....

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  8. While I agree with Britbabe that the iPhone camera is good, the problem with iPhone is that as the newer ones come out they eliminate support for the older ones and accessories (new cables, cases, etc.) become impossible to find... thoughts to ponder. If your not planning to become an 'apple head' I would avoid the iPhone.

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  9. Good luck with your search for a phone, Al. I do think it is a good idea to have a phone with you when you are motoring about with Pheebes. I'm sure Kelly will feel better with the contact and the few apps you want and a camera should be all you need to keep an old guy happy! :)

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  10. Very interested in your search for a phone. Everything today is about the apps. I have a flip phone as a guest on my daughter's phone but feel that I need more now. There are so many options out there. Thanks for your blog that I read and enjoy every day.

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  11. Al you can do it. We tend to depend on our spouse because she can do it. I try not to depend on anyone because that's when it gets easy to just slip away! Someone will take care of you? Only you can take care of you. With that attitude you will be amazing!

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  12. Al, I really, really have to warn you against becoming the owner of a Smart phone. It will drive you crazy and nuts. Well it drives me nuts. I know you have an aversion against touch screens (remembering the radio unit in your class C) and smart phones are all about touching stuff on the screen. And if your fingers are like mine, like too wide and too clumsy you will hit the wrong stuff all the time. I am amazed that I haven't thrown my phone in the garbage can yet. Try an old fashioned flip phone. They don't break and they don't give you trouble. And they have real buttons to press, not some imaginary symbols on a flippin' screen.

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  13. Al, if you do try Lightroom as an editor I highly recommend shooting in camera with RAW format, if you don't already. Large files to be sure. but they stand up very well to PP adjustments. Best and I still do it now is to save an exposure as a med. jpeg and a large RAW file. Have fun with it.

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  14. Guess I can add my two cents about the phone. If you want to use sophisticated apps on your phone, it has to have enough room for that and your messages and your pictures, and, and, and... Space is not done on the cheap very easily. You really should have a cell phone with all the wandering you do alone. Trips and falls happen suddenly on a trail and you might be able to reach help if the cell service is okay where you are. Availability of cell service in an area is a big deal. Verizon is the best for travelers in the U.S. I don't know about Canada. As for accessories, when I acquire a new cell phone, I also acquire the 12-volt adapter as well as the AC adapter and I also acquire anything else I might need for that phone, including case and screen protectors. That way I don't have to look for them later if I need them. The 12-volt adapter is a must. Husband and I both have iPhones and I pass down my old one to him when I get a new one. One of my children has Samsungs, usually. Another one has iPhones and we can see one another via Facetime when we talk, curlers and all ;-). We have all become techies of some sort or another with today's cell phones and find it really necessary to be able to communicate with one another and others whenever and wherever as well have the various apps for traveling, searching for places to eat, stay, camp, shop, etc., while on the run. Today's more sophisticated cell phones are at least as good as a laptop computer. I am traveling to Texas for a few days by plane and won't take a laptop because my iPhone 6 plus has everything I need for a few days. And it takes good pictures that are stored on the phone as long as I want, in the "cloud" to which I subscribe and on my computers as I wish. Good Luck. I think you will be happy if you get a phone with enough space to handle what you have already said you want to do.

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  15. Hi Al,
    (first, love your blog more as time goes by)

    I recently traveled to Japan and took only my cell phone and was delighted with the photos I took (hundreds). And so light and easy to carry, plus the ability to email or upload to Facebook when I had wifi. Also with Android they are automatically uploaded to the Google cloud (ask Kelly). Caveat about the cloud since you take so many pictures, Google cloud backs up all your photos for free at less than full resolution (good enough for me) but if you do want full resolution you have to pay for it. Good luck with your choice. Oh, btw, I now have a Moto G5+ and love it.
    Scottie

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