Shut Your Mouth - Shush!

Another meeting? Really? OK. Time to quiet my phone. I don't want to be rude, right? But now I have to remember to unsilence it afterwards so I don't miss an important call. What a hassle. If only there were an application for that.

In the Android Marketplace there are a few but none as quick and cool as Shush! Ringer Restorer. Once installed you simply turn down the volume to silent or vibrate using the volume rocker buttons on your mobile phone. Shush! pops up a time wheel on which you can set the length of time to keep your phone silent. You can adjust it by sliding your finger around the wheel or using the plus and minus controls. Once the period of time is selected you can also set the volume of the phone when it comes out of the Shush! period.

New features recently added include the ability to turn off notifications and to select the color of the Shush! wheel that suits you best. Minor items but neat nonetheless.

I have used this application so many times now for meetings, nap time, movies and even bed time. You can Shush! your phone anywhere from 15 minutes to 12 hours making it very versatile.

You can turn off Shush! by tapping the notification, if displaying,  or by increasing the volume using the rocker buttons in the off chance your meeting ends ahead of schedule. (Yeah, right!)

Even though this is a one trick pony, as most of the best applications I use are, it fits well in my smartphone utility belt making volume change an easier task. The best part of course is that it is free.

A River Runs Through It

Last night when I decided to author this post I was thinking I was going to title it "here comes the rain again". Well, the rain has come and gone (Thankfully). After a restless night of listening for my water alarm I am now done with bailing the sink. The drains are now semi-useful. The water on the floor was sucked up by the vac and nearly dry. I decided to get a couple hours of sleep.

After waking up I went back downstairs to investigate. It appears that the water has now decided to come up through all the possible seams, cracks, and pores in the basement. Luckily my friends and I cleared out all the major furniture in the basement last night except for my washer, dryer, and of course my new hot water heater and furnace.

Now, as a river runs through the middle of my basement to the sump pump, I am back to checking regularly to make sure we don't flood out. Hopefully we can catch a break with some dry weather and not see the same flood waters we saw in 2006. Sadly though it looks as if more precipitation is on the way.

Spring is also on its way here and the prediction is we can plan on getting tons of rain throughout. What this means for my basement I dare not say. We have taken the precautions necessary to keep everything out of the basement again until we feel safe.

Keeping our sanity is another story as anxiety levels are high and no foreseeable end in sight. The water continues to pool as more and more H2O finds its way into what was once our sanctum. With any luck this particular event will pass within hours instead of days so we can enjoy the weekend and a short break before the next storm event.

UPDATE: We were able to hold back the nasty backed up sewage water from spilling out onto the floor otherwise it would have been much worse and required a full bleach treatment. As it was, I had to bleach my sink as it smelled horrific. The water that was pushing through the seams, cracks and pores didn't get too bad, but enough that it was good that we moved things out of the basement. If it had rained more on Friday as was predicted we would have easily had the 2 - 6 inches of water across the floor we saw in January 2006. I lost a day of work, a night of sleep and a couple pounds due to anxiety and exhaustion but at least we did not lose our washer, dryer, furnace and hot water heater like June 2006.

Cloud Printing

Android OS developers are awesome. They develop some of the best applications out there and they answer a need very fast. This type of agile development is quite different than that of large software companies.

Case in point, Google released the ability to print from some of their web apps on mobile platforms to a PC connected printer using their Chrome browser (see previous post). Someone else found a way to send files to a DropBox account and use Google Cloud Print to get a hardcopy of the document. Another person ran with this idea and created an Android app called Cloud Print Beta that combines all these with a wizard to setup your phone with the ability to print from any app with a share or send option.

These innovative applications, as well as many others available, make for a veritable Swiss army knife used to customize your phone/tablet to your needs. Many of them for free in the Android Marketplace.

Thanks again to Google for creating the platform, keeping it open and making APIs freely and readily available.
Thanks to all the developers who take their time to create and update such a wide variety of applications.

And finally, thanks to all my fellow fans of the Android OS. We create the demand, use the apps, provide the feedback and support Google and the developers with our downloads, ratings, mentions and sharing of great apps with our circles of friends and coworkers and sometimes anyone who will listen.

Technophobia No More

After many years of playing and working with technology I have seen a growing need for assistance and education in some of the standard daily digital dealings everyone is exposed to. Things that major manufacturers and software companies do not put much care into. Things like digital security and safety as well as basic education on using the technology we have collected around us.

Many companies ask you to pay outrageous prices for support from their squads of geeks and 'service' desks.

I feel that companies like to prey on the ignorance of the public when it comes to support and assistance with the digital devices they have been sold. Many companies ask you to pay outrageous prices for support from their squads of geeks and 'service' desks. If instead they offered a modicum of education only with changing some basic settings on your systems these services would probably not be needed. Companies spread FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) as a way to ensure extra money rolls their way even after the sale. Software companies no longer provide owners manuals and have made their products so loaded with functionality that end users are afraid to tread in the menus and options they are not familiar with. OEM computers come with Microsoft operating systems installed and configured in a way to guarantee viruses and malware become an issue as soon as your trial antivirus runs out. Your trial software nags at you to the point where you want to give them your credit card information just to get it to shut up.

In under 30 minutes you can configure your system to be safe and secure. With the purchase of a router for your high speed network you can have piece of mind. With a basic understanding of how to Google answers, you can educate yourself on whatever you are attempting.

I offer this to you so that you may overcome your technophobia and unlock the potential of the technology available to you. No matter what your comfortability level, technology is there to help you if you let it.

We will continue to add articles to this site to assist you in your journey to digital nirvana. If you have questions, Contact us. We will gladly attempt to find a solution for you and anyone else who has similar issues. We will also link you to other sites that can give you the answers you are looking for. After all, the Internet is a fantastic collection of available information for just about any subject.

PeppyTech.com

I am taking the plunge and have put up my website PeppyTech.com to offer help with Technology for Life. The site is in its early stages. I am hoping to expand it with some free resources and information for people to make their digital dealings safer and more secure by focusing on best practices for personal technology use. I will also be available for consultations to assist in determining possible technology solutions for individuals and businesses. There is a great variety of free and low cost open source applications available to everyone to make everyday tasks easier and fun.

Stay tuned to my blog here and my site for more information. If you are in need of technology assistance please let me know. Consultations are free though I do take donations through PayPal. Implementation and training fees are reasonable and negotiable (service bartering is definitely an option).

If you would like to contribute or would be available to offer technology services shoot me an email and we can see what we can do to help promote each other. 90% of current technology relies on networking so feel free to spread the word.

Here is a summary of just some of the services available. If you have any comments, suggestions or requests please contact me or comment to this article on my blog.

Internet Presence

We at PeppyTech.com would like to assist you in putting your presence on the web. Whether you own a business, want to create a blog, or just want to post a photo gallery for your family we can help. We can also assist you in using social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. We are strong proponents of Joomla! CMS and Google's wide variety of business and consumer products.

We use open source and free online sites to reduce your costs of getting on the web. Our fees are reasonable and our support is always available. Contact us for your free consultation.

Technology Solutions

Technology evolves at a quick pace and it is difficult to keep up with all the changing options. We would be happy to work with you to determine possible technology solutions for any situation. We can assist in finding the best computer, laptop, netbook, tablet or smartphone to fit your situation as well as printers.

Do you need help in setting up or using your technology devices? Do you need to find a software solution for your problem? Contact us.

Security and Online Safety

We provide free and low cost solutions for keeping your technology and data safe and secure from the hazards of an always connected world. Antivirus, firewalls, user security, parental controls, and mobile security can be daunting. Let us help you find the best solution and provide training in staying safe. Contact us for more information.

Training and Education

Learning all the nuances of software and hardware can be confusing and overwhelming. We can create training documentation, hold training webinars, do classroom or one-on-one education to assist you in gaining the necessary knowledge to utilize various technologies. We can also point you to many free and low-cost online documentation to get you started. Contact us.