Webcams, internet, & granny

My chubby hands and fingers are so happy as I type today, because I'm on a new-to-me ergonomic split keyboard, plugged into my laptop. It might look like overkill with 2 keyboards on the table, but when typing more than a flick of a sentence, a proper keyboard is the way to go. This one was donated, and it was filthy. With nothing to loose I twirled my little screwdriver industriously, took the back off, and opened up the mysterious innards. Not too intimidating at all! Most of it ended up being sprayed with vinegar & baking soda added and then scrubbed with a toothbrush to get ALL the cooties out of there. Every inch was cleaned, then air dried for a while, followed with a hot blast from the hair dryer before putting it back together. Nice!!! It looks like new - I am so proud.

My friend had his choice between 2 keyboards, and he chose the cleaner one and nervingly gave me the grubby one! hehehe His is still kinda icky but now he is slack jawed at the sight of the "looser board" he handed to me.... transformed into the spiffy clickity-clacker keyboard which I worked for. *nyah, nyah!" "Will you clean up mine, too?" he asked. uhhh "NO" ROFL (my inner lippy child speaks for me).

Had to fiddle with my laptop a bit after some useful files vanished, for reasons known only to Microsloth. The DVD player wouldn't admit there was anything in the tray so I had to find a new program to work that. The sound adjustment files weren't there - so had to find what I needed and then copy them from the desktop (still clinging to Win XP on my 'puters). That made a difference in Skype, a good difference, so now I can voice & cam chat without problems. I see that gmail has introduced voice & video chat now, but I can't yet convince anyone of my gmail buddies to give it a try with me. Guess I'll have to sit someone down in front of my desktop, down the hall in the office while I pretend I'm not just 22 steps down the hall on the other cam.

It's useful though! Like, once when I was selling something over kijiji or some-such-site, and I chose to break my rule not to have anyone come when there wasn't anyone else with me (for safety purposes). I'd spoken on the phone to an elderly couple who couldn't drive at night, so would only be able to come for the item in the afternoon. What I did was set up the webcam to overlook the front hall & door and then my hubby was watching and listening to everything on cam from his office downtown. (clever me!) If anything had gone wrong he would have seen it all and been able to call for help... which, of course it did not. Still... "better safe than sorry". (Some of those sayings sure come to be absolutely appropriate the older one gets)

Funny how I don't like my picture taken most of the time, but on a webcam I have so much hammy fun. I have other brands (ie Logitech), but my favourite is a Creative brand, and it has such delightful software with it that it's a blast! In video or in a pic I can add virtual hats, glasses, disguises, frames, effects, etc. Maybe it's more entertaining to myself than it is to whomever I'm chatting with (like my brother), but so far they've claimed to enjoy it as well.

For several years now, each Christmas Day we've had a web cam connection to my only sibling, who lives waaaay down in Louisiana. He and I both turn our cams and mics on, in the middle of the action, and we keep the link on for hours. We can watch and talk into one another's living rooms, open gifts that we've exchanged through the mail and get to remark on each one, just as if we were sitting there. We eat our meals and wave our forks over at the other who is watching and talk to guests and family who happen to be passing by the computer. When our father was alive, I'd set up my laptop at his house so he'd get to see and talk with his son, so far away. He'd been down to visit several times so it was very familiar to him, but still, being "together" at Christmas was very meaningful, especially to Dad.

Sure, there are many nefarious ways that webcams are being used, but I have embraced it as a way to keep up personal interaction with family and friends. Imagine what our great grandparents would think of how we spend our Christmas Day looking into one another's rooms and talking back and forth, yet thousands of miles apart? hehehe There are so many things in my humble kitchen alone that would blow up granny's skirts, but the whole internet thing??? It would be easier to explain my electric kettle to her than a computer!

Ah well, speaking of kettle = kitchen --- I should go figure out the supper deal. Tonight I must make a quilt block of the month, to be turned in tomorrow. I've had an entire month to do it, but as usual, the night before I find myself backed into the procrastinator's corner. Friday night, and I'm in a time squeeze of my own doing. *rolling my eyes*