Battery Backup Chargers

 

Have you ever been in a situation where your phone, tablet or other electronic device has run out of battery juice? Well it has happened to me plenty of times.

Sometimes you’re in luck if at home and can plug the device into a wall charger or even in the car with the dashboard-lighter charger. I have even brought a USB wall charger with me while waiting at the airport and tried to sit next to an AC plug. However, once you’re on the plane there are no chargers at your seat. Hopefully, your laptop, tablet or game device has a long charge still left.

Last month I took a boat trip from Ft. Myers, FL to Key West, FL. The round trip was about 3.5 hours long in the morning and almost 5 hours back at night. Although we had fun on the island the boat trip was very teadious. However, you could pass the time talking and seeing the sights or having a snack. But as I looked around a lot of passengers had their tablets out reading or playing a game. My iPod Touch soon ran out of juice but some passengers had a little “Thingy” on a wire hanging on their tablet. Curious, I asked and found out that it was a Battery Charger.  When I got home, I looked into getting my own “Thingy” and found a whole assortment of choices and a range of prices from reasonable to expensive.

I then saw a TV Ad showing a device where you placed your iPhone or iPod on a power mat and they charged up without any wire connection. It was called the Duracell Powermat and sold for about $97.00. That’s kind of steep for my taste. For info see the web link below …

Duracell Powermat CSA4B1 24-Hour Power System for iPhone 4/4s - Black

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0082YVBO0?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

I then looked on Amazon.com and found several choices. The least expensive was the Stitchway Backup Battery Charger for iPhone and iPod Touch and it was only $ 5.13 including shipping. That’s more to my liking. For info see the web link below … 

Stitchway UltraPower 1900 mAh Backup Battery Charger for iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, 4G, iPod, and iPod touch - External, Portable, Rechargeable (Black) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035R2QS4/ref=pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

Although I was sceptical about the cheap price, I bought the Stitchway Backup Battery Charger and so far I am pleased with its capabilities. After charging up the Stitchway with a USB wall charger I plugged it into the bottom of my iPod Touch and had full power all day.

However, I was still looking for a backup charger for my other electronic devices.  I looked online at Walmart and found the Rayovac Power Pack PS60. It has a USB power chord with three adapters for Apple 30 Pin and a Mini and Micro USB.  The adapters plug into an iPhone, iPod Touch, Cell Phone, Digital Camera, Tablet or Lap Top and provide about 3 hours of extra power.  It cost about $ 17.97 and is available online or at the store.   For info see the web link below …

Rayovac Powerpack (iPhone, iPod Touch, Cell Phone, Digital Camera, Tablet, Lap Top)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rayovac-Platinum-Lithium-Ion-Power-Pack-Charger/17510694#Item+Description

Now I am all set with my Stitchway or Rayovac chargers, especially for those long trips. We have all become quite dependent on these beasty little electronic gadgets.  I wonder what Abe Lincoln would think today about the iPod, while he read his book by candle light.

Comments always welcome …..  markryan82@comcast.net

An iPhone (Alternative) – With Mi-Fi

 

 

I just love the iPhone.  It has all those cool APPs and gadgets as well as being a real cell phone.  A lot of my friends and family have the iPhone and rave about all its wonderful uses.

One of the new APPS is the SIRI Voice Recognition software. You need to have the new operating system IOS 6.0 for this APP to work. The SIRI Voice APP recognizes your voice requests and returns quickly with an answer.  You can ask it anything like: What is the weather like today? Call home. Where is the nearest coffee shop? Get me direction to the local library, etc., etc. …  There are also thousands of other APPs that you can get from the APP Store and many of them are free.

Although I like the iPhone, I just can’t justify the two year contract and the monthly phone bill which is about $80.00 for voice and a data plan per month or $960 per year.  That’s a lot of money to browse the web, read emails and make a few phone calls.  Of course if you use the phone all the time for work or school maybe you need the constant connectivity that you get with a contract plan.

One way around the monthly bills is to buy an iPod Touch. It costs about $200 one time and no monthly fees.  The iPod Touch has all the same APPS as the iPhone and can even make phone calls with the SKYPE APP and a Wi-Fi connection. However, it does not have GPS if that is a primary need.  There are Wi-Fi hotspots in most Malls, Hospitals, Schools, Airports and Restaurants. Every McDonalds and Starbucks has a free Wi-Fi connection. You can wirelessly connect your lap top or iPod to the internet at any of these hotspots.

Unfortunately, you may be too far away from the nearest hotspot for the free Wi-Fi or you may be in the car moving along the highway (as a passenger) or at a restaurant that doesn’t have Wi-Fi.  In this situation, you can always wait until you get home or stop and find the nearest hotspot.

However, if you can’t wait you can buy a small device called a Mi-Fi. This device acts as your own hotspot and can wirelessly connect five or more Wi-Fi devices to a phone network and the internet.  It’s the size of a small cell phone and connects to the nearest cell phone tower through a 3G or 4G network and a provider like ATT, Verizon or Sprint.

Some cell phone providers sell the Mi-Fi device for over $100 and you have to buy minutes or data packages by contract or pay as you go. I bought my Mi-Fi through Wal-Mart for about $80 and it’s called “Internet On The Go” and connects to the Sprint phone network.  The minimum pay as you go package is $10 for 500 MB and no contract. This data package is equivalent to receiving 10,000 emails over your Mi-Fi device. It’s good for one year and will probably last me several months with my limited usage.   You can see some info and data plans at the web link …..   http://www.internet-go.com/

I then connect my Mi-Fi to my iPod Touch and can use it just like an iPhone.  This allows me to browse the internet, get my email or make a phone call (just like an iPhone) with no contract and no monthly fees.  However, just like any cell phone you need to have a cell phone tower in the area to make a connection.  Even the best cell phones loose connections in rural areas or dead spots.

You can compare other Mi-Fi plans at the website below.  Scroll down to middle of the article and browse the table of providers.……  http://www.prepaid-wireless-guide.com/best-mifi-plans.html  . From the table you can see that the True Connect plan is the best for no contract. Even though it says $4.99 per month, it is now no contract.  Just buy the device at Wal-Mart with a $10 Data card and follow the directions to register your Mi-Fi. I found that it works everywhere in my local area.

Another consideration is the service area coverage you get from the provider. The Sprint network is available in my area and suits my needs.   You can see a comparison chart for coverage and some maps at the web site …  http://www.cellreception.com/search.php?zip=01887&page=1  .  Just type in your zip code to check the coverage in your area and see which provider meets your needs.

Comments Always Welcome …. Markryan82@comcast.net

Free Digital Magazines

 

I like reading several different magazines to keep up with and my interests and the latest trends. I still subscribe to several in paperback format and look forward to them arriving in the mail each month.

I use to buy them at the news stand but the prices have gone up and up with no end in sight. I then bought some by subscription and those prices kept going up too. However, I noticed that if you waited long enough near or after your subscription ran out, you would get an offer in the mail for a half price subscription. Well, I thought that was great so a tried that for a while.

I then noticed that you could go online to look for bargain prices on magazine subscriptions and found Amazon.com offered the best pricing. I now order books, magazines and other items most often through Amazon. It’s always nice to save a few pennies.

However, I still go to my local library to borrow (for free) books and found that you can also borrow other items like DVDs, Audio Books, as well as Magazines. And it’s all free with a library card. My wife and I read a lot and we visit the library at least once a week.

As part of my library membership I also get the online library monthly newsletter that lists all their upcoming events and offerings. Click below to go to the Wilmington, MA Public Library to see some of their offerings.   http://www.wilmlibrary.org/  . Besides borrowing books they also have monthly activities for all ages including workshops, lectures, quest speakers and book club meetings. I have attended and enjoyed several evening events and most are free.

Recently I got the library newsletter online and read about all the upcoming events. However I also noticed that my local library belongs to a free digital magazine service call ZINIO. Your local library probably has the same service. If you join Zinio through your library and then join Zinio online, you can download over 100 digital versions of the latest magazines for free. You can also join Zinio directly and get paid subscriptions. Pay or get it free; your choice. You have to join Zinio through your library if you want the free service.

If you join Zinio, you can read these magazines in full color format online or download them to your computer, laptop, tablet, electronic reader, Android, iPhone or iPod. Once downloaded, you can read them anywhere and digitally flip pages or click on the text mode to read articles. In text mode, you can adjust the size of the letters to soot your taste.

I know that having the hard cover version of a book, magazine or newspaper is nice to hold in your hand or spread out on the kitchen table. However, the digital readers certainly provide more convenience to keep in your pocket and read anywhere.

I have an iPod and now use it to read digital books, newspapers and magazines while on the go. It’s real handy while waiting at the Doctor’s Office or riding the T to keep up with the latest headlines or even read a full article.

I took a picture of some of the magazines available on Zinio and you can see them below. You can go to Zinio.com and Click EXPLORE to see some other magazines and flip through their pages. http://zinio.com . If you like it, go to your library and see if they have the Zinio Service.

Comments always welcome….  Markryan82@comcast.net

Sample Magazines (From Zinio)

 

Weather Predictors

I saw a woolly bear caterpillar crawling across my driveway the other day and wondered about the upcoming weather.  I remembered the old folktale that you could predict the weather by the thickness of the brown band.  “The wider the brown band compared to the black band, the milder the winter.”  Just to be sure, I looked it up on Google and found an interesting article.  You can see the web link below under the title “Woolly Bear Caterpillar”.

You can also see two photos at the left. The one on top with the leaf is from the web and the one on the bottom is from my driveway. Although the brown band is bigger than the black in both photos, there is more black in my driveway photo. Both photos would predict a milder winter but colder in the driveway photo. Is this pure science or what?

Since my curiosity was now peaked, I looked up other weather predictors and found the traditional Farmer’s Almanac, A Pig’s Spleen, Insect Movements, and Cloud Types, etc. could be used to predict the upcoming weather season.

The Farmer’s Almanac has been around for a lot of years and has about a 70% accuracy. “It predicts a colder and drier winter this season (2013-2014)”. They say that the Almanac gets its predictions from analysis of yearly weather patterns as well as a “guarded secret formula”. Similarly, the traditional folklore predictions have been passed down through the generations as farmers watched the skies and sailors watched the seas.  My favourite is “Red skies in the morning, sailors taking warning. Red skies at night sailors delight”.

You can see some other “folklore weather sayings” at the web link below …

http://www.almanac.com/content/weather-predicting-do-it-yourself   Before the fancy weather instruments of today, families would predict upcoming weather by looking at the sky. The weather patterns observed over many years seemed to be good predictors of the upcoming weather. The list below includes a few examples of the weather proverbs. (“The higher the clouds, the finer the weather - Clear Moon, frost soon -When clouds appear like towers, the Earth is refreshed by frequent showers - Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning - Ring around the moon? Rain real soon - Rain foretold, long last. Short notice, soon will pass”.)

Another more comprehensive list of weather proverbs or rhyming forecasts can be found at the web link ….  http://tww.id.au/weather/forecast.html   The list includes weather rhymes for (clouds, wind, plants, night, seasons, etc.)  Some examples are (“Wind from the east fish bite least, wind from the west fish bite best - When Windows won't open, And the salt clogs the shaker, The weather will favour the umbrella maker!”)

Weather is a finicky thing and even with the best weather instruments, present day weather men only make predictions based on their best guess. My old favourite is to put my wet finger in the air to tell which way the wind is blowing. If it is from the west and there are low clouds, rain will be here soon.

Do you have any old time weather predictors?

Comments always welcome:  ….. markryan82@comcast.net.

Other Reference

Farmer’s Almanac

http://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/region/us/1  - Winter will be colder and drier than normal, with below-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will be from Christmas through early January and in mid-January and early, mid-, and late February. The snowiest periods will be in mid-November, mid- to late December, mid- to late February, and early March.

Woolly Caterpillar

http://m.almanac.com/content/predicting-winter-weather-woolly-bear-caterpillars
The tiger moth caterpillar has black ends and a reddish brown middle.  Folklore has it that the larger the brown segment compared to the black is a predictor of a milder winter.
Comments to the Woolly Bear Caterpillar Article
There are mixed comments to the article from various readers.  I guess it all depends on your experience and in which part of the United States that you are located. One comment from Hardyville,Va states the following: “I have watched the Woolly Worm for years but have not gotten any answers about the weather.  I find the Quantity of Nuts and wild berries that are produced, the thickness of the shells are a better clue as to the temperature of the winter.  Also the closer to the ground that the wasps and hornets build their nests in the summer the colder it will be in the winter. I think that folks in different areas have their own special ways of determining how they think the weather is forecasted in that area.”

Predicting Weather With A Pig Spleen
http://www.almanac.com/content/predicting-weather-pig-spleen
When farmers would slaughter pigs in the fall, the shape of the spleen was used to predict the upcoming winter. The bulges and thickness of the spleen from top to bottom were a sign of colder changing weather. These folklore methods were part of the Scandinavian heritage of Midwestern farmers.

 

 

Romeo Restaurant Reviews (The Finicky Phantom Diner)

    

I have recently been looking at online restaurant reviews and decided to create my own.  After all, I go out to eat at least once a week with my wife, family or friends.  My opinion counts just as much as all those fancy critics and might even mean more to the regular Tom, Dick or Harriet.

I first Googled  “Restaurant Reviews” and came up with a list of possible suspects. There was Zagat.com, TripAdvisor.com, Yelp.com, Local.com besto.voiceplaces.com, urbanspoon.com, fodors.com, opentable.com, dine.com and many others.  Some review web sites were geared to just local restaurants, business or attractions and other sites were national.

I then read the reviews on the various sites.  Some were easily accessible by the average diner and others you had to join to even get a local opinion or list of businesses.  Some also had reviews from professional reviewers and others from the casual diner.

After reading a few reviews, most zeroed in on a few categories when giving a restaurant critique. These included (service, atmosphere, cleanliness, food, and price). When rating these categories different scales were used like (Five Stars *****), (A,B,C,D), (Good, Fair, Bad), (Low, Medium High), (1 to 4) or (1 to 100).

When trying to define each category I came up with the following definitions.   Atmosphere describes the décor or feel of the place. Cleanliness describes how clean the tables, plates, silverware, floors or bathrooms were.  Service describes how fast you were seated, how quickly the waiter returned with requested items, how they greeted you, how knowledgeable they were about the menu choices. Price describes how reasonable the cost was for the food and service (Low, Medium or High).  Food was the most important category and describes the quality of the food and its presentation. How the food looks, smells and tastes?  Is it over cooked, tender, and fresh?  Does it have a pleasing look and aroma?  Is the quantity just right, too little or supersize.

With all this in mind I decided to post my reviews on YELP.COM since it was easily accessible by the casual reviewer as well as the diner looking for some advice when selecting a restaurant. Yelp reviews restaurants and other businesses both locally and nationally.

Most importantly, if you want to write a review it needs to be done as soon after your dining experience as possible so your opinion is fresh in your mind and meaningful.

When dining with my wife we normally discuss our reactions to the rating categories while we are eating.  However, it is more difficult trying to gather this information when dining with a larger crowd unless everyone contributes they’re opinions in writing.

Recently, I polled my Romeo friends (Retired Old Men Eating Out), for their opinions on the restaurants that we have dined at.  Although I receive a limited response, I would like to thank those who replied and will try to include their opinions in my reviews.

To date,  I have written four reviews and posted them on YELP.com  You can see them there by typing in my name (Mark Ryan) in the Members Search  line or just clicking on the link below ….

http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=seDiKEJ7zJErE-_5HV4VFQ

There is also a short rating found below for those who wish to send me a review or recommendation for a restaurant to try. Thanks in advance for your help.

Comments Always Welcome ……. Markryan82@comcast.net

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Restaurant Review Short Form

Your Name    __________________      Present  Date ____________

Name of Restaurant ______________ Date Dined ________

Rating Score (1-10 with 1= Poor and 10 = Best) Rate the Price = (Low, Medium, High)

Type a number or letter after each category and send the reply by email back to me.

Only respond to the lunch that you attended.

Rate the following categories : Service __ , Food  __ , Atmosphere __ , Price (L,M,H) ___

Name Your Menu Selection and Describe it:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Additional Comments:

_______________________________________________


 

Recent reviews by Mark R.

What's this?

Yard Cleanup, Mulch and Lawn Prep

It’s that time of year again to cleanup the yard, spread the bark mulch and fertilize the lawn. Spring came early this year by several weeks. On average the daily temperatures have been 10 degrees higher during the month of March which has caused some of the trees to bloom and the ground flowers to pop.

Tulips and crocuses have come out a little earlier as well as the buds on the flowering trees. Unfortunately, last night we had a hard frost which may have killed off some of the flowers. Hopefully, the green leaves will soon replace the buds and the trees will quickly fill in. (The flowers stayed on my trees and are blooming.)

I started to cleanup around the bushes surrounding my house and wondered where all the dry leaves came from. There were tons of dry oak and maple leaves stuffed in all the nooks and crannies behind bushes and in the outside corners of the house. Where did they all come from? I must have raked out a zillion piles last fall and they’re all back again. Of course the wind helps by blowing all the leaves from adjacent house lots right into my yard. It’s like my yard is the neighborhood funnel for all the wind debris.  You can see some photos at the link ….  https://plus.google.com/photos/108806068200291783388/albums/5727349337401685841?authkey=CJyF1pew84HQzAE

I generally rake out all the leaves into piles and then mulch them with my push mower with a rear bagger. I then dump the bagger into a compost pile that makes good soil in a few months. However, you need to add water and green clippings to the compost pile with some lime and turn it a few times to get a good result.

After all the leaves and loose debris are cleaned out, I then cut a clean edge with an edging spade around all the flower beds and bushes before adding a fresh coat of bark mulch.  I like using the brownish hemlock mulch rather than the red-dyed pine mulch.  I normally spread about 6 yards of mulch around the house, bushes, flower gardens and yard trees. As a general rule of thumb a yard of mulch will cover about 100 square feet and three inches thick.  I bought my mulch at Eric’s Greenhouse in Reading, MA for about $47.00 a yard delivered. I then needed some more and picked it up myself with my utility trailer.

At a slow pace, I can generally edge a thirty square foot area, rake it clean and spread the mulch in about one hour. At my age, I only spend about three hours a day working in the yard usually sprinkled with a few rest breaks and drinking plenty of water. For those who may want to count calories, general yard work burns off about 500 calories per hour.

My next chore is to prepare the lawn. During some years there is a lot of dead grass and thatch which needs to be raked out before adding fertilizer. You can do it by hand for small lots or machine if the lawn is larger. I have a half acre lot which is mostly grass so I use the riding lawn mower with a dethatching tool attached.  I generally drag the dethatcher around the yard and allow the tines to pull out all the dead grass. I then use the riding lawnmower with a double bagger and suck up all the debris. I then empty the yard debris into the compost pile.

Lastly, I add the fertilizer to the lawn with a Scotts drop spreader. I have tried different brands of fertilizer and found that they all work about the same. Scotts is usually the most expensive, then Pennington and then Vigoro. This year I bought the Vigoro Fertilizer with Crab Grass Preventer.  The 15,000 square foot bags cost about $45.00 at Home Depot and I use about three bags to cover most of my lawn. I then check the garden hoses for leaks, put in new washers and tighten connections.

I don’t water the lawn much and let mother-nature take care of it most of the time. In Wilmington where I live there is still a water ban where you can only water with a hand held hose before 9 AM and after 5 PM.  As you may remember, I also have a vegetable garden that is watered with a rain barrel drip irrigation system that helps with water conservation.

Comments Always Welcome…..  markryan82@comcast.net

The Best Things In Life Used To Be Free, Almost?

It used to be that you could fish anywhere as long as you had a pole, a line, a hook and a worm.  That has changed over the years and now there is a fee for everything.  Did you know that you now have to have a salt water fishing license?

That’s right. Last year (2011) you were suppose to get a Federal Permit to fish in all United States ocean waters. Who knew?  This year (2012) you need to get a Recreational Saltwater Fishing Permit in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut which all have reciprocal agreements.   If you fish in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, or Virginia, please be aware there are  new state fishing license and registration requirements. Please check with these states before registering with NOAA. If you meet these state requirements, you are automatically registered with NOAA.

The cost of the Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Permit is only $10.00. For those over 60 the permit is free but you may have to pay a processing charge on the internet.   However, after registering you have to fill out a survey that asks several fishing related questions but also asks how much does a license mean to you and would you be willing to pay more.  Some anglers are then selected by random to give up their license for the year in return for a gift check ranging from $10 to $500.   The full article appeared in the Boston Globe (Friday, 3-2-12)    http://articles.boston.com/2012-03-02/business/31114730_1_recreational-saltwater-fishing-fishing-industry-anglers

For us Romeos who have gone on a deep sea fishing trip there may be some extra fees.  The Boat owner will now have to get a “For Hirer Fishing Permit” that covers his passengers. The passengers will be covered by the boat permit. However, you know that the cost will be passed along.

Although you can a get a Freshwater and Hunting License at your local Town Hall, you can only get the Saltwater License online, by phone or at selected Marine Fisheries Offices.  Go to the Mass. Website below to get further details.  You can also get further info about the Federal Permit at the NOAA website below.

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries – Mass. Permit (Includes Federal Registry)

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/recreationalfishing/rec_permits.htm

National Registry – NOAA Fishery Service – Federal Permit

https://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/register/

Comments Always Welcome … markryan82@comcast.net

“Man With A Camera” - Go PATS !!!!

I remember watching a TV show in the 1950s called "Man With A Camera"   starring Charles Bronson.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_with_a_Camera.    Bronson was a World War II Vet who freelanced as a photographer in New York City and helped solve crimes with the police.  Bronson was the original secret agent who used all kinds of cameras to capture images. He even had a miniature camera on his necktie, had a phone in his car (1950) and developed film with a darkroom setup in his car trunk. As I watched with excitement, I thought it would certainly be great to have a job like that.

Over the years, I was always interested in photography and started taking pictures at an early age with my father’s Brownie Box Camera …   http://www.pierspettman.co.uk/photography/no2browniemodelf.shtml.  With a burning interest, I joined the Camera Club in school when I was in the 7^th grade and helped take school related photos. We even had a darkroom at school which was set up in an old custodian’s broom closet.

Normally, you would have to bring the exposed film from your camera to a Camera Store to have them develop it for you. Then wait a few days before you could get the pictures back. However, I was able to develop my own film in the school dark room and have pictures back in a few hours.

The film developing process involved several steps that were time critical and light sensitive. Every step of the development process was done in the dark or under a red light. The 120 mm film from my box camera was unrolled from its spool and then put in a developing solution, fixed, washed and hung up to dry. After drying, the negatives were transferred to a positive sheet of white photo paper on a light box or enlarger, developed again in a chemical solution and then hung up to dry usually on a string with clothespins. I was so proud of my film developing process. It was like a miracle in its day and unlike the digital cameras of the present.

Over the years I have purchased all sorts of camera equipment and have experimented with all the various innovations. Each innovation has brought a new joy and excitement to the process of capturing a photo image. The self developing film, the wide angle and telephoto lenses, the sharp focus of 20 mega pixels and now the mini video camcorders have fostered a new excitement for the average photographer.

Recently, I purchased a mini camcorder called the Sony Bloggie Touch. It has a slim design and you can slip it into a shirt pocket. It has a 12 MP lens for sharp still photos and also takes hours of video. I purchased my camera on Amazon.Com for $118.00 but I also saw it at Cosco for $99.00 ($149 minus a $50 rebate).

Although I also own an iPod Touch which takes videos and stills, the Sony Bloggie has a better lens for sharper images and low light situations. Besides, the Bloggie is a dedicated camcorder that has more camera only features.  You can see a demo and review at the following link ….   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqzllb_pJng&feature=related   .

After taking a bunch of stills and videos I can easily download them to my computer with the Bloggie USB doggle and then stored the images on the computer or online at my Picasa Albums account where friends and family can see them. 

You can also have the still photos developed at your local CVS or Walgreens by setting up an online account.  After sending your photos from your computer to Walgreens online you can either pick up the prints at the local store within an hour or have them delivered by mail to your home with 24 hours. You can even print them on your own computer printer with glossy photo paper.

If you feel even more creative you can put the stills and videos together to make a slide show or movie. Most computers now have built in photo software. For those with Apple computers you can use the iMovie Software and for those with PC computers you can use Windows Movie Maker Software.

I have a Toshiba PC computer with Windows Movie Maker and have had a great time creating slide shows and short movies with it. Movie Maker allows you to place a selection of stills and videos together with smooth animations or transitions between the photos. You can also add music, personal narration, titles, credits and captions.  After making your movie you can save it to computer, CD or upload it to YouTube or other online storage sites for others to see.

Using my Windows Movie Maker software, I recently took some stills and photos and made some short movies and then stored them on my Picasa Albums Online account. One movie was a family outing to Lowes Hardware and Making A Toy Wood Plane with my nephew.  You can see it at the link ….
https://picasaweb.google.com/108806068200291783388/PlaneMakingII?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNTsvK_-1oWPSA&feat=directlink

The other home made movie was made after the Patriot’s Football “Disaster Game” advocating the creation of a new football team for next year. In this movie I downloaded some TV commercial videos and Romeo pics and spliced them all together.  Tell me what you think.  Should I pack my bags and move to Hollywood for a new career?   You can see it at the link below …..  
GO PATS !!!!!!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T_v56Qgw4JpFxuyV7GamvdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Comments Always Welcome.  ….. markryan82@comcast.net

The GOMBS Diet

Well it’s that time of year again when we all make those “New Year’s Resolutions” and the “MAGIC” diet is always at the top of the list. I have certainly tried several diets over the years and always loose steam after a few weeks or months. I just don’t have the long term commitment. My motivation drops and my food temptation goes up.
However, I recently saw a program on PBS television advocating the GOMBS Diet by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I listened to the program for a while and it seemed like something that I could do. Plus it was a long term healthy diet that provided essential nutrients and plenty of antioxidants to help fight diseases and add years to your life. You can GOOGLE it on the computer and find several selections that explain the diet. One selection is at the web link below … http://www.health-actually.com/reviews/gombs-dr-joel-fuhrmans-anti-cancer-diet/     Basically, GOMBS stands for (Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds).
Although you can add the separate parts to your regular meals, I have added all the GOMBS items together to make a daily salad. You can see the benefits for each GOMBS ingredient listed below. However, the photo above is my sample GOMBS Salad. I have combined lettuce, onions, mushrooms, bean sprouts, celery, tomato, garbanzo beans, string beans and top it off with a piece American cheese, slices of boiled ham and two tablespoons of vinaigrette dressing . The total is less than 300 calories. You can use other protein rich toppings like tuna or chicken in small portions (2-3 oz.).

• Greens – Green vegetables have lots of different nutrients and systems that put a silicone like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the Nrf2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding to blood vessels and accelerates the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of the blood vessel.

• Onions – In The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition a large study in Europe showed people who ate onions regularly showed a 60 to 70% reduction in all major cancers. That would be a reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer just from the higher consumption of onions. When you cut an onion, the gas that is given off creates disulfides and anti-cancer nutrients that are formed.

• Mushrooms - A Recent study published in the international Journal of Cancer showed women who regularly consumed mushrooms are 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. That was about 10 g of mushrooms daily. That same study showed that the women who ate 10 g of mushrooms and simultaneously consumed green tea had 89% less likely to develop breast cancer.

• Beans and Berries - Beans and berries have high cancer preventive antioxidants levels and promotes healthy brain function.

• Seeds - Raw seeds and nuts contain phytochemicals and fats that help reduce inflammation, help reduce cholesterol, and helps the absorption of other important micronutrients. Dr. Fuhrman suggests having nuts as part of your salad or even making a salad dressing from them.
At my annual physical, my doctor continues to urge me to loose a few pounds and watch my cholesterol. Now I have to take several daily pills to lower my cholesterol and other health issues that all stem from overweight. After a while, the weight piles on. That 5 pounds increase each year doesn’t sound bad, but after 20 years its 100 pounds.

I hate when I look at various weight charts and find that I am in the OBESE range. I imagine myself as a Sumo Wrestler (see above photo). You can calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) at the web link below and determine your weight category. ….. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/    You can see that if you input your height and weight you get a BMI number that you can compare to the chart. Anyone (male or female) with a BMI over 30 is considered Obese.

I now weigh 252 pounds and have a BMI of 36.2 (Obese). If I weighed 208 my BMI would be 29.8 (Overweight). If I weighed 172 my BMI would be 24.7 (Normal Weight). Using the BMI calculations, I would have to loose 80 pounds to be at the upper limit of normal weight. That is a lot of weight to loose but it certainly can be done with the proper diet and motivation. Also, keeping the weight off requires staying on a maintenance diet with balanced healthy choices.

One way to help with motivation and stay on a continuous diet is to do it with a friend or family member so you can compare your daily progress and success. Another way to stay motivated is to keep a daily journal and write down everything you eat including your daily exercise routine. Keeping a small notebook journal in your pocket is a constant reminder to stick with healthy choices and stay on task.

Being a gadget person I have found an iPod APP called “MyFitnessPal” that helps me keep track of my diet and adds all the items up to give me a calorie count. It's like my small notebook journal, It’s easy to use and has a list of all the different foods you could eat with an equivalent calorie amount. It also has graphs and charts to show your progress.  I have taken a few photos of my diet calculations using the APP (see photos below).

The first photo below shows my diet for Saturday, January 7, 2012. As you can see for Breakfast I had Cheerios with milk, blueberries and strawberries (Total = 236 cal.). For Lunch I had a GOMBS Salad with lettuce, chicken, ham, cheese, string beans, mushrooms, bean sprouts, onions, yam and salad dressing (Total = 437 cal.). I added the chicken, ham and cheese for protein. For Dinner I had pizza and a GOMBS salad (Total = 935 cal.). My total calorie intake for the day was 1608 calories with 322 cal. remaining for dessert. For my weight and height, my Basal Metabolism is 1930 calories. That is the amount of calories my body needs at rest during the day. You can calculate your BM at the web link … http://calculators.epnet.com/View/Pages/BasalMetabolism.aspx?docid=healthcalculators%2flistofcalculators&CollectionIID=642&DeliveryContext=coe&token=5344349d-8fbc-446e-8ae5-03a924025f8c

In order to loose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body needs. It has been determined that 3500 cal. is equivalent to one pound of body weight. If you eat 500 calories less than you need per day, in 7 days you will have lost one pound. With daily exercise you can loose even more. As you can see from the bar chart below I have tried to consume about 1000 to 1500 calories per day so that I can loose at least one pound per week. During my first week I have dropped 3 to 4 pounds. This has certainly inspired me to continue. Hopefully, this testimony will motivate you to try the same. However, it is important to eat a balanced diet. You can and should add other nutrient rich foods to your meals but in small portions. An appropriate portion of fish, chicken or red meat is about 4 oz.. That is the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of playing cards. Also, foods with more colors have higher nutrient value. Stay away from too much white food which contain a lot of starch. Good luck.
Comments Welcome : …. Markryan82@comcast.net