Sunday, January 15, 2012

Technologically Inept

When I began blogging, I had a crappy camera and even crappier computer.  Not much has changed.  We got a new camera(with credit card points) that wasn't as crappy, I did okay for a while, and then last Christmas(2010) I got a new netbook.  I thought my problems were solved!

But then it was all about taking the pictures, downloading them, using my (awesome?) new computer with the little bitty screen, and somehow blogging fell through the cracks.  I didn't even have time to make things to blog about if I was going to try to blog too.  

And then I dropped my camera, and things went from bad to worse.  

 So, I worked really hard, and we saved our money, and, for Christmas last(2011), I was gifted a phone upgrade from the iPhone 3GS to the new iPhone 4S.  And we(I) got an iPad2. I felt like all the (quilt)blocks were falling into place for me be a blogger again!  ( I also highly reccomend the apple bluetooth keyboard!)

Until today, the iPad has been just a very expensive, larger version of my old phone.  Crappy camera, no easy way to upload photos, my phone seems just like the old one, but with a better camera.

Wait!  Better camera!  Way better camera! And so today I set out to make these "toys" work for me.  And they did...

 

Apps that I LOVE!!!:

Camera+(iPhone)--Uploads pics straight to flickr.  Also e-mails multiple pictures wickedly fast.  Grandma's around the world should gift this app.  Awesome.  Not to mention all of the great features it has.  I wish I had known about this before I got the new phone, it would have improved the old phone's camera too!

goodReader(iPad)--Allows me to upload my pdf patterns directly and has sweet features for hi-lighting, making notes, etc. I will probably use this more for knitting, but how awesome to have the pattern there for quilting too.  Print the necessary templates/pattern pieces and the rest is literally at your fingertips!  (I printed all 17 pages of Anna's 241 tote before reading the directions.  My print cartridges and my husband did not thank me.)

Blogsy(iPad)--So I mistakenly thought that I would be able to use photos from my photostream to blog from the iPad.  Not so.  And then when I painstakingly cut and pasted urls from my flicker photostream, that wasn't working either.  So ready to throw the expensive toy across the room.  That's when I got a glass of wine.  I thought to myself, what would Drew do?  So, I googled it.  And there it was.  Blogsy.  This will be only my second time using it.  But so far, it rocks my world.  I can drag photos from flicker into the exact place I want them(after a few tries, but that's the learning curve, I'm sure.)  I can choose from my really random array of 5 blogs(!?!)  It has a button to let me imbed Youtube video!!!  If I were so inclined.

 So here's some random pics from my photo stream.  I hope to be here more often.  I'll be really careful with my new tools. My blog has missed me, as I have missed it!

 36 patch apron, photo taken with the old phone!

 

 Add-a-border Swap Block for the Fort Collins Modern Quilt Guild, photo taken with the new phone!

 

 Playing with my Go! Baby fabric cutter for the first time.  Kinda liking it!  New phone photo!

 

 New-to-me vintage fabric goodies for my stash, which is growing at a rather alarming rate.  Must sew more to compensate.  And another new phone photo!  Love it!