Last night Winter, Lodi and I did our first Belly Casting of Winter's pregnant Belly. I'm not sure where Witner got the idea of how to do this, but it was a lot of fun. We first had to cover Winter's belly in petroleum jelly, and then we were able to apply these strips of cloth (they have a name but i don't know it) until we covered her belly and breasts. The slide show will give you a better idea of how it works. After the Cast hardens you are able to add artistic touches to the casting.
Anyhow, we are planning on doing a few more belly casts every month from here on out.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Keep missin the kicks
I guess the Baby has been pretty active in Winter's belly, but I haven't been able to really feel the kicking. Every time I put my hand on her belly the kickin' stops. It's rather frustrating, but i am sure when Winter is nice and big I'll be able to easily feel and see movement.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Ultrasound
On October 8th we had our first Ultrasound. Both my parents and Winter's were able to watch with us as we "saw" our child for the first time. It was an amazing thing to experience, though the ultrasound wasn't as clear as I had expected it to be. What made it real for me was seeing the little hands and feet move around. The babys was really moving it's arms around, and at points looked like it was prating, saluting and giving us the thumbs up. It was pretty entertaining. Before the appointment Winter and I decided not to find out the sex of the baby, so it''ll be a big surprise in the end.
After the ultrasound we were given an approx due date of Feb 27th. The date was based off of measurements of the Fetus' skull. With that being said, we now have received three due dates, Feb 16th, 23, and 27th. Winter is hoping for the earlier date, I'm kind of shooting for a Leap year baby.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP)
New technology provides new obstacles
Over the past few years there has been a lot of rumbling over a new type of telephone service known as Voice Over IP, or commonly called VOIP. VOIP is a new form of telephnoy that works over an Internet connection, and being a new technology there are a lot of pro's and con's that come with it. There many reasons why a person or business may consider switching to a VOIP service, as well as many reasons to stay with your current Plain Ol' Telephone Service (POTS).
Pro's
VOIP has many features, but the most common reason for switching to VOIP are the cost savings. Some VOIP providers actually offer free service such as Skype (skype.com) Though the free service is limited to only calling other Skype users it does come in handy for people in need of speaking with relatives or friends in distant countries. For a Small fee Skype's next level of service gives a person the ability to call actual phone numbers with the cost being only $29.95 per year. For an additional $38 per year a subscriber can receive a Skype phone number. Compared to a monthly telephone bill the savings there is huge, however, keep in mind that you'll need an Internet connection. Make sure to factor that into your overall budget.
In addition to cost savings there are other features to enjoy with VOIP. Companies such as Vonage (vonage.com) or Packet8 (packet8.net) offer instant access to call logs, voice mails and account settings all through their website. Accessing your account on the website also gives you control over the special features that a local telephone company would normally charge you for, instead these features are included with service. Some features include Call Forwarding, Call Transferring, Voice-mail, Call Waiting, Conference Calling, and Call Hunting. A few VOIP providers also offer a feature called "Click to Call". Click to Call is a slick add-on for your computer's web browser and comes in handy for people who spend a lot of time at a desk in front of a computer. Imagine this; you want to order a pizza for lunch, you look up your favorite pizza shop's info online and now, because of this add-on, there is a "phone number button" included with their info. With a click of a button a call with the Pizza shop is started for you.With all these features and competitive pricing switching to VOIP seems like a no brainer, but hold onto them horses. Before making the leap into the world of VOIP there are some things to consider.
Con's
The largest and most common problem with VOIP is related to the big telecommunication industry's rule of thumb. The 5 9's or simply 99.999% rule. This refers to your up-time or the percentage of time your service works. Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) has everyone beat when it comes to the 5 9's. Try to remember the last time your POTS line did not work?
In addition to up-time another issue faced with VOIP is call quality. An easy way to relate VOIP quality is to compare it with cell phone service. Though Cellular call quality is getting better as the years go by there are occasional calls that echo, have static, and or even drop. VOIP users should expect to experience all of these same problems and possibly with more frequency. Certain VOIP providers even state on their websites that VOIP is NOT a replacement for Telephony, which leads me to the final reason for not making the switch.
911!
VOIP service is reliant on your Internet connection and/or your computer. If your power goes out, then phone service is not available to you. With a POTS line, when the power goes out service still works. Emergency calls can still be made. As well as being reliable POTS lines are also associated with specific street addresses this due to the required compliance of the Communications Assistance Law Enforcement ACT (CALEA). CALEA was passed in order for both Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Units to pinpoint where emergency calls are made. VOIP services don't entirely follow these guidelines and since a VOIP service can be moved anywhere an Internet connection is available the ability for Emergency services to locate where a person in distress is calling from may be difficult. The big point here is in an emergency situation a POTS line WILL get the help you need, whereas a VOIP call MIGHT. With that being said, VOIP providers are making efforts with to be in line with CALEA by providing reliable service with guidelines for address verification though an equivalent to that of a POTS line has yet to exist.
So there you have it. A slight intro to the world of VOIP. If you have any questions about VOIP, or the tech industry in general, feel free to email me at whatthetech@bridgeband.com
New technology provides new obstacles
Over the past few years there has been a lot of rumbling over a new type of telephone service known as Voice Over IP, or commonly called VOIP. VOIP is a new form of telephnoy that works over an Internet connection, and being a new technology there are a lot of pro's and con's that come with it. There many reasons why a person or business may consider switching to a VOIP service, as well as many reasons to stay with your current Plain Ol' Telephone Service (POTS).
Pro's
VOIP has many features, but the most common reason for switching to VOIP are the cost savings. Some VOIP providers actually offer free service such as Skype (skype.com) Though the free service is limited to only calling other Skype users it does come in handy for people in need of speaking with relatives or friends in distant countries. For a Small fee Skype's next level of service gives a person the ability to call actual phone numbers with the cost being only $29.95 per year. For an additional $38 per year a subscriber can receive a Skype phone number. Compared to a monthly telephone bill the savings there is huge, however, keep in mind that you'll need an Internet connection. Make sure to factor that into your overall budget.
In addition to cost savings there are other features to enjoy with VOIP. Companies such as Vonage (vonage.com) or Packet8 (packet8.net) offer instant access to call logs, voice mails and account settings all through their website. Accessing your account on the website also gives you control over the special features that a local telephone company would normally charge you for, instead these features are included with service. Some features include Call Forwarding, Call Transferring, Voice-mail, Call Waiting, Conference Calling, and Call Hunting. A few VOIP providers also offer a feature called "Click to Call". Click to Call is a slick add-on for your computer's web browser and comes in handy for people who spend a lot of time at a desk in front of a computer. Imagine this; you want to order a pizza for lunch, you look up your favorite pizza shop's info online and now, because of this add-on, there is a "phone number button" included with their info. With a click of a button a call with the Pizza shop is started for you.With all these features and competitive pricing switching to VOIP seems like a no brainer, but hold onto them horses. Before making the leap into the world of VOIP there are some things to consider.
Con's
The largest and most common problem with VOIP is related to the big telecommunication industry's rule of thumb. The 5 9's or simply 99.999% rule. This refers to your up-time or the percentage of time your service works. Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) has everyone beat when it comes to the 5 9's. Try to remember the last time your POTS line did not work?
In addition to up-time another issue faced with VOIP is call quality. An easy way to relate VOIP quality is to compare it with cell phone service. Though Cellular call quality is getting better as the years go by there are occasional calls that echo, have static, and or even drop. VOIP users should expect to experience all of these same problems and possibly with more frequency. Certain VOIP providers even state on their websites that VOIP is NOT a replacement for Telephony, which leads me to the final reason for not making the switch.
911!
VOIP service is reliant on your Internet connection and/or your computer. If your power goes out, then phone service is not available to you. With a POTS line, when the power goes out service still works. Emergency calls can still be made. As well as being reliable POTS lines are also associated with specific street addresses this due to the required compliance of the Communications Assistance Law Enforcement ACT (CALEA). CALEA was passed in order for both Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Units to pinpoint where emergency calls are made. VOIP services don't entirely follow these guidelines and since a VOIP service can be moved anywhere an Internet connection is available the ability for Emergency services to locate where a person in distress is calling from may be difficult. The big point here is in an emergency situation a POTS line WILL get the help you need, whereas a VOIP call MIGHT. With that being said, VOIP providers are making efforts with to be in line with CALEA by providing reliable service with guidelines for address verification though an equivalent to that of a POTS line has yet to exist.
So there you have it. A slight intro to the world of VOIP. If you have any questions about VOIP, or the tech industry in general, feel free to email me at whatthetech@bridgeband.com
Thursday, February 15, 2007
This past month Microsoft inc. released their newest version of Windows to home users, Windows Vista . Vista has been 6 years in the making, and Microsoft hopes their newest addition of the Windows family will amaze you with new flashy and visually pleasing design. Vista boasts new and improved security against viruses, spy-ware, and all the other things that make techies cringe. Now that there is a new Windows Operating System out there the thoughts of upgrading to Vista may soon be crossing your mind. Before you make that leap of faith you may want to consider finishing this article.
If you own a computer that you are happy with, gets your work done, and doesn't seem to have any problems then you may want to delay upgrading to Windows Vista. Why, do you ask, am I against upgrading?
The first and most simple reason is that your current computer may not be able to run Vista efficiently or at all. Vista is a graphically intensive Operating System which requires a Large Processor, at least 1 Gig of RAM, and a Graphics card with at least 128M memory. For the minimum system requirements check out Microsoft's website at www.windows.com. Computers 2 years old may not have the appropriate hardware to run Vista efficiently, and an older computer running Vista may not be as responsive as one running Window XP.
Programs that you are currently using on your computer may be another reason to hold off on that upgrade. Vista may not be able to run those same programs. If that is the case, there may be additional purchases for the newest version of the software you currently use. A prime example being Inuit's Quickbooks or Quicken. In order to run Quickbooks or Quicken on Vista you need to purchase the newest version Intuit has to offer. Simply put, upgrading to Vista will not only have the initial cost of an Upgrade disk, but the cost of the latest release of the software you use as well.
Technical support may also be a problem. Though Vista has been available to those in the Tech industry for months and even years the average Joe Techie may have only just received his copy of Vista. So he or she may have problems trouble shooting your computer issues. Simple navigation though your computer with a Technician on the phone may pose problems. Give the techs some time to get to know this new product.
Last but not least is the standard Tech rule of thumb, wait for the first Service Pack Release. Microsoft has already scheduled a service pack release for the later part of 2007. Wait until the quirks are worked out. No Operating system is perfect, just about everyone can agree on that. It took Windows XP two Service Packs before most of it's kinks and vulnerabilities were worked out. Let the other upgrade crazy fanatics find the problems and have Microsoft figure them out.
I know there are those of you out there who will decide not to heed my advice, you may be a fellow Tech who needs to experience the latest and greatest in technology or you may just have an extra $250 burning a hole in your pocket, but before you do ask yourself these questions: Are you comfortable with your current computer? Is changing your Operating system going to affect your work flow? Do you really NEED to upgrade? In most instances there is no real reason to make that jump so soon after the release of Vista. Why not wait until you buy a new computer? Vista will be pre-installed and your worries about compatibility and performance will be answered for you.
If you own a computer that you are happy with, gets your work done, and doesn't seem to have any problems then you may want to delay upgrading to Windows Vista. Why, do you ask, am I against upgrading?
The first and most simple reason is that your current computer may not be able to run Vista efficiently or at all. Vista is a graphically intensive Operating System which requires a Large Processor, at least 1 Gig of RAM, and a Graphics card with at least 128M memory. For the minimum system requirements check out Microsoft's website at www.windows.com. Computers 2 years old may not have the appropriate hardware to run Vista efficiently, and an older computer running Vista may not be as responsive as one running Window XP.
Programs that you are currently using on your computer may be another reason to hold off on that upgrade. Vista may not be able to run those same programs. If that is the case, there may be additional purchases for the newest version of the software you currently use. A prime example being Inuit's Quickbooks or Quicken. In order to run Quickbooks or Quicken on Vista you need to purchase the newest version Intuit has to offer. Simply put, upgrading to Vista will not only have the initial cost of an Upgrade disk, but the cost of the latest release of the software you use as well.
Technical support may also be a problem. Though Vista has been available to those in the Tech industry for months and even years the average Joe Techie may have only just received his copy of Vista. So he or she may have problems trouble shooting your computer issues. Simple navigation though your computer with a Technician on the phone may pose problems. Give the techs some time to get to know this new product.
Last but not least is the standard Tech rule of thumb, wait for the first Service Pack Release. Microsoft has already scheduled a service pack release for the later part of 2007. Wait until the quirks are worked out. No Operating system is perfect, just about everyone can agree on that. It took Windows XP two Service Packs before most of it's kinks and vulnerabilities were worked out. Let the other upgrade crazy fanatics find the problems and have Microsoft figure them out.
I know there are those of you out there who will decide not to heed my advice, you may be a fellow Tech who needs to experience the latest and greatest in technology or you may just have an extra $250 burning a hole in your pocket, but before you do ask yourself these questions: Are you comfortable with your current computer? Is changing your Operating system going to affect your work flow? Do you really NEED to upgrade? In most instances there is no real reason to make that jump so soon after the release of Vista. Why not wait until you buy a new computer? Vista will be pre-installed and your worries about compatibility and performance will be answered for you.
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