Zoe'z Place » Technology

Girls & Their Toys

lucyzoe — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:30:28 +0000

For the last five years, I’ve had a good relationship with my Conair hair dryer. My previous dryer, also a Conair, lasted almost twelve years – I loved that old thing and was sad to see it go.

Just the other day I noticed an odd sound coming from it. Listen, when you’ve used an appliance for five years you get to know the sound of it. First it was a soft hum. It slowly progressed to a whiney buzz, followed by a clunking noise. And finally, the darn thing shook so badly I couldn’t hold on to it with one hand. I could tell a part had come loose, but my hair was really wet and, well, I haven’t left the house with wet hair since I was fourteen years old. So I held it as far away from my face as possible, for fear that a piece would fly out and stick in my eye, and managed to get most of my hair dry. My hands and arms were tired from fighting with it. Hey…a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Last night I bought a new hair dryer. I stood in the aisle for fifteen minutes asking myself, “If they make the darn things to fall apart after a couple of years, shouldn’t you just by a cheap one?” Hello, it’s my crown. So I opted for a Conair - known for hair appliances – and tossed my $23.50 on the counter. Actually, it was a debit card, but I digress.

So I get the thing home and inspect it. Oh My! It has eight more setting than my last dryer and two extra buttons. WeeeeHoooo! And it’s metallic red.

This morning, it took me twelve – that’s 12 – minutes to dry my hair. With my old dryer (may it rest in peace) it took me 37 minutes. I’m not kidding. Now, I’ve got my eye on the vacuum. Maybe it’s time for a new one. I’m just saying.

Google If You Got ‘Em

lucyzoe — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:14:58 +0000

The March issue of Fast Company showed me a side of Google I didn’t know existed. The truth is, I would still have a crush on Google even if I hadn’t read the article. They take good care of me.

How did I stay in touch with the blogosphere before Google Reader ? I didn’t. I rarely found time to click on all the links and I lost touch with so many people. If you’re reading blogs and you’re not using Google Reader (or something equivalent) you’re wasting a lot of time. But there’s …

Where would I be without my Gmail ? Easy to load when you’re halfway across the world using dial-up and it’s got a pretty good spam catcher, too. And, I can read my Gmail on my “Q” phone. But there’s …

It all fits so nicely on my iGoogle page. My Gmail and Google Reader sit sweetly on my iGoogle page. I picked a calming theme that changes throughout the day, added a calendar widget, a post-it-note widget, and a bookmark widget for my the “really” important links. I don’t have to fetch my stuff…it just comes right to me. How sweet is that?

Hi! My name is Zoe and I’m addicted to Google.

Wonders Never Cease

lucyzoe — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:42:15 +0000

It’s taken awhile but DSL has finally arrived in Potlatch, Idaho. Three cheers to Verizon for getting their act together and offering all 792 of us fast internet connection.

So, tonight I activated my account and set up the wireless network. WeeeeeHooooo! I walked around the house with my laptop and I get access everywhere. Even in the basement sitting in front of the pellet stove. How sweet is that?

My first blog post from home using DSL. I am a happy girl.

Rotary Phones, Albums, & Dial-Up

lucyzoe — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:26:36 +0000

The wireless network I was using a few weeks ago here in Greece is gone. My laptop card can’t get a signal and using it would cost a fortune. I asked the young man, Giorgos (George), who lives downstairs what he uses for internet connection and he began to explain. He told me I could buy access from the local kiosk where they sell newspapers and stuff. I was confused so he went to get his access card. A card with instructions and a username and password. He then demonstrated how he disconnected the cord from the phone and plugged it in to his hard drive. His English is good and when I said, “You use dial-up?” He smiled and said yes. I honestly thought he was describing some new method of connectivity I had never used.

We visited the kiosk and bought 20 hours of connectivity. It took me a few minutes to remember how to use dial-up, but I got it working. I never thought I’d get excited at the sound of my modem dialing out – but I did. And now we have access in our little flat.

When I told my sister Paula we were back up and running with dial-up, she asked if we were in Ancient Greece. We’re connected and I’m a happy girl.