Wow, What a Wild Ride!
It is now 10 years later, and I sit here typing this very relaxed and unburdened. I just completed a year of serving as the Most Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of South Carolina, the fourth year as a Grand Officer in the Grand Council. This year caps…
Machine Embroidery: I caught the bug!
The Geek finds (another) hobby I’m a geek by hobby and profession with some experience in Web design, image conversion, desktop publishing, electronics, etc. I’ve always had a love for processes that can take a virtual design on a computer and result in a physical item. So I looked looking into machine embroidery, and I learned…
Samsung Chromebook Plus Mini Review
The Samsung Chromebook Plus I purchased a Samsung Chromebook Plus for $309.00 from Rakuten on a Black Friday sale, and after putting it through its paces for a couple days, I am very, very happy with it. I’m not going to go into any details about specs and benchmarks–plenty of other sites do that just…
The Pebble Time Smartwatch
I really like the Pebble Time Black. It provides everything I need in a smartwatch, and the long battery life makes it worth it. Why I Bought It I was having issues with my LG G Watch running Android Wear, so I bought a Pebble Time, and I have zero regrets. Keep It Simple I…
The Kindle 3G+Special Offers edition
I just purchased a Kindle 3G+Special Offers ebook reader, and I have to say that it has far exceeded my expectations. To me, when assessing a device like this, it is always important to put into perspective just exactly what such a device can and cannot do. First, what the Kindle 3G is: First and…
Vonage: Revisited and loving it!
In an earlier post, I moaned about how though Vonage was a great service, it just didn’t fit our needs due to several significant shortcomings. Well times change, and so have my views about Vonage. We recently got a faster, more reliable Internet connection through Charter Cable, and decided to give Vonage another try. So…
CR-48 and eyeOS – a match made in Heaven?
Many years ago, I played around with an “online desktop” site called eyeOS. After playing around with the CR-48, it got me thinking that a virtual, online desktop just might be useful on the CR-48. Remember, the CR-48 is a completely Web-centric device. It is truly a “cloud computer” because almost anything you do with…
CR-48 Important Security Tip
I love the CR-48’s fast bootup, and I absolutely love its instant-on feature: Leave it powered on, close the lid, and when you re-open it, it’s instantly on where you left off. This standby mode is easy on batteries, and it is extremely useful to me. BUT… I just realized that anyone who gets a…
CR-48 Verizon 3G Info and Tips
I was searching for some specific information about how the Verizon 3G data plan works for the CR-48. I found very helpful information at Google’s Chrome OS support pages. By all means, go through those help pages. There is much useful information to be found there. Here are some tips and general information that I…
CR-48 Verizon 3G Data Plans
In addition to Wi-Fi access, the CR-48 has 3G access capability through Verizon. Once activated, you get 100MB of free data per month for two years. You can also optionally purchase several plans: $9.99 day pass with unlimited data $19.99 1 GB (valid for 30 days) $34.99 3 GB (valid for 30 days) $49.99 5…
CR-48 Keyboard Shortcuts
{{modified_date}}
The trackpad on the CR-48 is quite useful with its (somewhat limited and quirky) multitouch capabilities, and a USB mouse can be a God-send for long sessions, but there are many keyboard shortcuts that can simplify or speed up your interaction with Chrome OS. Here is a pretty much exhaustive keyboard shortcut list: Tab and…
CR-48 Channels vs Modes
{{modified_date}}
One point that may not be obvious to both new and seasoned CR-48 users is the distinction between “Channels” and “Modes”. You may hear of people running in Developer mode, or you may hear of OS upgrades coming over the Beta or Developer channels. What are the differences, and why should I care as a…
Updates to Google Chrome Tips!
{{modified_date}}
Initially, I set up GoogleChromeTips.com to be a repository of general tips and tricks for Google’s Chrome Web browser application. Recently, however, Google has released working versions of its new Chrome OS, and operating system designed to be centered around the Chrome Browser, providing a complete “Cloud Computing” experience. Currently, the Chrome OS has been…
iPod Touch Review: ByLine – An Excellent RSS Reader
{{modified_date}}
OK, so I now have to retract part of what I said in my last article about RSS readers. There is an excellent RSS reader on AppStore called Byline that so far, does exactly what I want in a news reader for my iPod Touch. Byline is like many RSS readers, but this one really…
GoogleVoiceTips.com Launches!
{{modified_date}}
Once again, Google released an excellent application that is, of course, in beta. It’s Google Voice. Google acquired GrandCentral.com a couple years ago, and though the service has been up and running with minor updates, Google finally announced the transition and migration from GrandCentral to Google Voice. I’ve been using Grand Central for quite a while,…
Musical Chairs!
{{modified_date}}
At our December business meeting, we elected and appointed the new officers for 2009, and I was elected into the Junior Warden seat. It is quite an honor, as in doing so, I unexpectedly skipped a couple seats. For 2008, I was appointed as a Steward. The natural progression is to move the Junior Deacon…
Faster, faster, faster!?!
{{modified_date}}
I had the opportunity to attend the Order of the Temple work at another local lodge, and I must say that I was very impressed. There were about 25 people with three candidates, and the work was done very well. One of the older men had been doing his part for many years, and he…
York Rite Degree Work – Some ponderings
{{modified_date}}
The local York Rite membership is a very dedicated group of Masons, but like so many Masonic groups, it tends to be somewhat “older-leaning” in its membership. The group that with which I went through the degree work is a bit younger than most of the membership (though I don’t know if my age of…
Seeking More Light – Part Two
{{modified_date}}
After completing the Royal Arch and Cryptic Masonry degrees, the final steps on the path of the York Rite are the “Chivalric Orders”. These Degrees (called Orders in this group) include the the “Illustrious Order of the Red Cross” which is an Order that emphasizes the lesson of truth; the “Order of Malta” which emphasizes…
Seeking More Light – Part One
{{modified_date}}
Since my journey in Freemasonry began, I have always been interested in Freemasonry’s Appendant Bodies, specifically the York Rite. My father was a Master Mason, went through the Scottish Rite, and eventually became a Shriner. (In his day, it was a requirement that to become a Shriner, you had to go through either the Scottish…