Mrs. Mecomber’s Scrapbook

I use MSN Instant Messenger for our network IM chat. My daughter works on her computer upstairs, and rather than yelling for her to come down, I often IM her. It works wonderfully. However, I am tired of MSN’s IM program. I’d really rather not use a third-party IM at all. But I have had a terrible time finding a quality LAN chat. I’ve tried Tonic, and few other free kinds, but there’s always something missing or something wrong with them. I don’t want all the bells and whistles that comes with the third-party software, like Yahoo, AIM, Trillium, and ICQ. I JUST want a simple LAN chat. Why are they so hard to find? If you know of one, please leave a comment. Thanks!

My grandparents used to love reading the Dear Abby columns. Her columns were syndicated in our local newspaper, tucked between the comics, the television listings, and colorful ads for office supplies. I don’t think her advice was always wholesome, but it certainly was always entertaining. I saw this at a blog, and had to pass it on. SO FUNNY because it is so true!!

I read this in the newspaper many years ago and got a kick out of it then. Thought someone might enjoy it. Dear Abby has given advice for many years and one reader wrote in with a request to define different forms of government. This was her response:

COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government takes both of them and gives you part of the milk.

SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.

FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both cows and sells you the milk.

NAZISM: You have two cows. The government takes both your cows, then shoots you.

BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. The government takes both of them, shoots one, milks the other, then pours the milk down the drain.

CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one of them and buy a bull.

Abby, what happens in a democracy? — MRS. J. MC C.

DEAR MRS. MC C.: In a democracy, everyone has two cows, then a vote is taken, and whatever the majority decides to do, you do, and that’s no bull!

Ackk!!! We all wondered if this was inevitable! They’re watching us through our windows, through our computers, through our CAT5e Internet connections!!! LOL! I’m kidding, of course. Well, I hope I’m kidding. I found this online– watch this terrific video– well done and very humorous take on the Google gods. Let’s just hope this never comes true. :S

So far the Google Mobile has not hit my neighborhood. Let’s hope it never does!

In case you didn’t know, I run over seven blogs. Yes, seven. I’m a pretty busy lady! I monetize five.. or is it six?.. now. This is my tech blog, but my “main” blog is my mommy blog and my travel blog. I tend to put a lot of effort into those. So that’s why I’m not always posting here.

Monetizing my blogs is becoming more lucrative as I work at them. I’d like to make much more, of course! I’m not worrying about submitting Atlanta resumes or anything like that, but I am looking for more avenues of business.

I just wanted to let you know that if you notice that I haven’t been around here too often, that’s why. When I find interesting tech or geeky news or information, I’ll be sure to post it here. But feel free to visit my other blogs if you wonder what I’m up to these days, hehehe!

I have a wonderful friend, Fida Abbott. She runs a really beautiful blog. I am overwhelmed by how sweet and precious this woman is. She came from Indonesia and moved to Pennsylvania with her husband– what a devoted wife! And she is beautiful, too. She has a very special place in my heart. When I am feeling a little low, up to my eyeballs with bills, leaky plumbing, and mulling over medicare advantage policies, Fida brightens my day.

And she’s also generous! She loaded me with two really cool blogger awards and I am amazed!!!! Check these out!

First, there is the Friendship Award. This one is very special.

Then there is the Excellence Award. This is a great honor. I will proudly display this badge in my sidebar. I love this award!

Fida, thank you SO MUCH for these awards. God bless you!!!!

I’m a simple lady. I like things.. well, simple! No bells, no whistles, no fancy packaging. It is really difficult to find a cell phone these days– there are far too many and there are too many choices! Right now I have a meager Tracfone. I’m not crazy about the service, and am looking for a replacement. I just don’t want a billion little buttons and additions to service. I prefer the KISS method.*

It would be obvious that I need something like a “cell phone” checker, or a cell phone comparing website. I have too many other things going on around here to know all that there is to know about everything concerning cell phones! Well, guess what? I found one! It’s bestincellphones.com. They have a complete listing of all the cell phone companies and their services, including but not limited to:

AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
Verizon Wireless
Sprint Instinct

You can shop by brand (all the major companies are there), service (family plans, etc), features (Including Bluetooth, camera phones, flip phones), and more. I also saw a great offer for a free cell phone with bonus Bluetooth Headsets while supplies last. The site is pretty cool. It’s organized extremely well and I’ve been finding it easy to figure out my choices. The deals are great with all their numerous offers for free phones, free RAZR deals, headsets, and free ringtones. Check them out!

And remember, always read the small print when entering a contract. Also, be sure to check out a company’s website and contact information, and make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. You don’t save any money by being careless!

* if you have never heard of it, the KISS method is Keep It Simple, Silly. LOL!

I am incredulous that it is now Friday. Where did the week go? I have spent half of it in front of the computer, working on various technical issues and rebuilding two blogs. The migration from Blogger to Bluehost and Wordpress went OK. Learning how to work with Wordpress takes some getting used to, but it is SO good to have my OWN space and so good to be learning html. My New York Renovator blog is looking good. I had some AJAX functions causing errors. I have whittled the problem down to something wrong with the theme itself. I can’t seem to fix it. I have the same theme on another blog, but it’s an older version of the theme. For some reason, when the theme makers updated their theme, they changed something to mess up the AJAX functions in Firefox. Hm. Well, I was able to disable the AJAX features and have my blog back, anyway. If I am really motivated, I’ll rebuild the theme. But not now. I’m pooped. I’ve been working on computer issues all week long. I;ve made terrific progress and I am thrilled (and exhausted). Now if I can only reinvent the wheel or find best diet pills that work, I’ll strike it rich or something…

I gave Fida Abbott an internet award, but she rewarded me even more by telling me it was her first award given by a non-Indonesian! Woo! I am going down in Fida Abbott history! Check out her blog here. It’s a lovely blog, and I love her stories. 

And Hercules Mulligan is proudly showing off his award at Alexander Hamilton Patriot. Nice job, Herky!

As for the others… I haven’t even told them about their awards yet, oops.

I have two other blogs, a travel blog and a home remodeling blog, that I try to maintain. all my blogs are niche blogs. I am more focused with niche blogs; otherwise, I’d just spew out careless nonsense and not get anything accomplished!

But I have not been in a geeky state of mind these days. Spring is coming, and we are preparing for our outdoor activities again. We have plans to take a few new travels, and some big plans to continue remodeling the house. My head is swimming with ideas about gardens, maps, gas prices, sheetrock,outdoor furniture, and kitchen cabinets! Computer stuff is on the back burner right now. I do have a sticky-note list of things to blog about (some cool, free downloads I’ve discovered), and I’ll get to them soon!

I’m starting to burn out a little. I want to blog about all the nifty programs I’ve discovered, but computer repair and maintenance at home have me completely pooped out. I run a few other blogs, in case you didn’t know (see sidebar for links). My latest project, besides blogging and fixing computers, is to get electricity back to the upstairs, so that we can have bathroom lighting again. I enjoy the wiring end of it, even though it is laborious; but I dread ripping apart the plaster walls and repairing the holes. Ugh ugh ugh.

Right now, I must concentrate on fixing up the computers. Defrag, clean out hard drives, etc. It has become my customary exercise every late winter. When spring arrives, the home remodeling and gardening won’t leave me much time for indoor computer work.

I’ll get to blogging about the nifty programs I’ve discovered. I promise!