Evolutionary Plume

Learning Curve: Microsoft Surface for Vacation Internet Access

The main issue my husband and I face when traveling is weight. The older we get, the less we want to carry multiple computers, or large numbers of electronic equipment or books. My husband's solution was to buy a Microsoft Surface. It's extremely light--even the data chip are a quarter of the thickness and size of an SD chip.

So what have I learned about how to use a Microsoft Surface?

The Microsoft Surface has two user interfaces.

The device opens up and offers a user interface similar to most tablets. The Microsoft control panel and programs feature of most PC with Windows is hidden. But, if you click on a tab titled desktop, you work in a more typical Microsoft desktop user interface. The big issue for me is having multiple windows connected to the internet and you can't work in this fashion easily from the tablet interface. It drove me crazy until I found that handy desktop icon, now I am sane and working with ease. The down side is when you connect to the internet, especially traveling, you're automatically directed back to that tablet style interface. My solution was to just give in, connect to the network on the tablet interface, then open the desktop and relogin on the internet on the Windows Explorer or Bing interface.

The Small Storage Media requires care to use.

The fingertip size of the storage media is easy to use. We found it was easy to transfer files to a device that takes an SD chip using an adaptor. The storage media inserts in a difficult position, right next to the power cord. Of course, you can work for hours on the battery so it shouldn't matter, but you do pretty much have to unplug to pull out the chip. Otherwise, the interface is seamless and easy to use.

The KeyBoard is Touchy but Welcome, the Mouse Needed

For some reason, the mouse buttons on the keyboard are inactive. Maybe its because we are using a Bluetooth connected mouse--the only one possible since the Microsoft Surface only has one USB device that we prefer to use with a printer. Still, for typing up blog posts, thank you for the keyboard is all I can say.

Other than that, we love it. It's as nice as an Ipad, light, easy to carry, easy to use, but has just a bit more power that many travelers will love.

 

 

Flight from Orlando to Miami to Guayaquil, Ecuador

Pretty much a nothing of a day. We woke leisurely with a
3:00pm flight and a taxi pick up at 1:00. We chose Denny’s for lunch since I’m
on a get back to shape kick for the month. I did cheat at the airport in Miami
by visiting Au Bon Pain and buying a chocolate croissant, but I so seldom get
to have those that it went really well. Orlando airport is a nice place to
stand around a wait for an airplane to arrive. The tough part is getting
through security that fits into a little area where people funnel through long
winding routes, pretty much passing on any nasty bug they might have. One
gentleman talking on a headphone let me in front of him and talked loudly about
the President being excited about a project getting kicked off. I started
noticing shoes people wore and eventually down the road wrote a poem in honor.
It still needs polish.

Once through security at Orlando Airport, you take a train
to your gate. The airport is set up to have trains take people out to separate
small cross shaped facilities complete with stores, bathrooms, free WiFi, that
I didn’t try, and enough room to pace down each of three ends of the cross, the
fourth being the connection to the train. We bought drinks and I worked on the
answers to my questions about Atonement.

The flight to Miami was on Boeing 757, which was wonderful.
Lots of room in the overhead compartments although the seats were pretty
cramped together. We had an exit row so had a bit more foot room. They have two
exits side by side on the Boeing 757.

Miami Airport is much larger than the Orlando Airport. We
arrived in Gate D and pretty much stayed there—the specific gates ranged from
1-60, while in Orlando there were only 20 at most. So we walked the length as
exercise and to keep the blood flowing to my legs. We stopped at Starbucks for
coffee for Bob and Venti Passion Unsweetened Ice Tea for me and later for my
sweet.

We met up with the National Geographic folks in Miami, but
they didn’t have us on their list since we came down a day early. Bob wanted
time to recover from the late arrival. On the flight we watched “Fast Break”, a
fairly plot simple movie about a courier who picks up a secured delivery
package and finds that a crazy police crook is after him. A bicycle police
officer also chases him. Eventually he wonders whether he should carry the item
or not or pass it to the police. He finds it’s a ticket so returns it to the
office. Meanwhile, the its revealed that the chick who wanted the ticket
delivered wants it sent so she can have her child back (she’s Chinese). Meanwhile,
the ticket is passed to another delivery person and sent to a new location and
so the race through traffic is on. All’s well that ends well. Afterward, they
showed a premiere of a show called Smash, about a Broadway Theatre purchased by
a woman who plans a new show and has lots of squabbles between the changing
priority of the cast.

We arrived at Guayaquil and disembarked quickly and the line
through immigration and customs went smoothly. When we came through, the
National Geographic people waved us over—we were on their list. We took their
bus to the Hotel Colon Hilton Guayaquil. Check in for us differed from the rest
since we had a coupon for an extra day. The offered us free drink coupons and
free breakfast coupons for the morning. We dumped our bags and went for drinks
in the lounge. The lounge had a band that played progressive jazz—Dave Brubeck
style (according to Bob). The bar waiter was kind and explained our free drink
options were local beer or pina coladas (I don’t like sweet coconut pineapple
drinks). I tried two of the local beers—Club amber and Club pilsner. I liked
the amber much better—its sweeter slightly and has a better kick. The pilsner
tasted like water afterwards. Bob had his usual gin, water and lime juice. We
tipped the waiter well since he brought lots of drinks and answered all our
questions about what the drink of Ecuador was—he said local beer, cerveza.

Meanwhile, the hotel was sponsor to a wedding (we think) and
a graduation party (for sure). There were lots of young women in formal gowns,
many quite tipsy wandering the halls and looking stunning. One elderly couple
were also dressed to the nines.

The bed felt really good when we finally crashed at 2 a.m.

Improving My Technology Skills--Movies on My Nikon D5100

Today my skill building involves using a previously untested feature of my Nikon D5100 camera. I bought the D5100 after I dropped my camera in Panama, smashing the lens and damaging the lens connection, sigh. I need to remember to go slowly while carrying expensive equipment.

The easy start guide from Nikon explained how to make the movie in a step by step fashion.

First step was to put the camera in live view mode (the same mode that the Coolpix automatically starts in).

The second step was to set the automated focus and other features for use when making movies.

The third step was to make the movie.

The fourth step was to post it on Youtube. When posting the movie, Youtube flagged the movie for having different length audio and video tracks and provided a helpful guide for editing it into shape. That's tomorrow's lesson.

What I learned about making a movie with my Nikon D5100 camera was:

1) you use up your EN-EL14 lithium batteries very quickly with continual autofocus and movie recording

2) I was introduced to BestBatt.com, where I found I could quickly buy 2 more batteries and a charger and get a free mini tripod delivered to me in two days--why go on vacation and not try a movie or two?

3) you should plan what you will say before you record

4) moving slowly helps keep the camera in focus

5) closed in areas complicate recording since it is hard to step back and bring items into focus

6) movies made with the Nikon D5100 can be stored in two formats,(I used the common one for the US)

7) movies made with the Nikon D5100 are stored as QuickTime movies

8) I can record up to twenty minutes with the Nikon D5100

9) It takes a long time to upload a long movie (I guess that's why people keep them short)

All in all, my experience recording a movie with the Nikon D5100 was much happier than the result with my Canon Camcorder since I had an easy start and stop and play and upload.

When my movie is finally uploaded, you can see it at:  

 

I made it about my trellis garden, showing the frame, the flowers, the hedgerow and other plants. I didn't remember all the names.

Improving My Technology Skills--Technical Illustrations

I was advised to produce illustrations for my haiku chapbook so I've taken this on as a challenge to re-remember my technical drawing class. I would do drawings of the visions I had while writing the haiku to offset the image that popped into mind. 

I worked with an illustrator Angela Powell when I worked at Boeing, and several others. But she produced the illustrations for our local newsletter. She'd often make the drawings on hand, then very carefully recreate them in electronic form using a drawing pad. I picked up the Wacom Bamboo Create which has 8.5 by 5.4 drawing surface and I can use Adobe Photoshop Elements as the software for using the input. At least one of the drawings I make, I'd like to join a drawing with a photograph--that may mean quite a bit of manipulations with the images.

My technical illustration class was very basic--mostly focused on how to build various views of objects and at various angles. I had to pick up a few tools at Staples--a flexible curve (it helps make your curves smooth, a variety of sketch pens (varying in sizes from .1mm to .8mm), sketch pencils (including a white pencil, eraser, and a template with small circles, and tracing paper.

To get the drawing pad to work, I have to connect it to my computer and install the software. Following that, I may need to try out a bunch of the tutorials they have provided. I'm not sure how much I will get done before I leave on vacation.