Category: Technology

Trust Not the Outlook Update

I have learned, for so many times that I can’t say I’ve learned it at all, that Outlook cannot be trusted to send “updates” to meeting attendees even when it says it has done just that.

Sometimes it prompts f0r sending updates, when you change a meeting detail, such as the time (that’s a big detail). Sometimes it does not.  Then, when you say Yes Please Update The Attendees Won’t You Please, sometimes it just does not, even if it looks like it did.

I am not one to stand up my colleagues, but the technology has led me to do just that, way too many times.

Lesson learned: When sending an update (or thinking you are), specifically look for the reply and/or check your colleagues’ calendars to make sure that the change “took”.  We should not have to do this, but the alternative is risking wasting the time and productivity of others.

Whistle or Die

Although I always tell people that if I had a whistle-less teakettle (like my mother-in-law’s) I would probably burn my house down.  And my family bought me a wonderful electric espresso maker after my fear that I would do the same with my stove-top model for that.  Yet, if I forget to close the whistle/cover on my teakettle, I’m in the same scary boat and the water boils out and it’s not a pretty thing.   Or a safe one.

Lesson learned again today: always always ALWAYS close the whistle on the kettle!

P.S. I know that one of my beloved blog-followers is going to hate this.  But I’m sure she would rather I posted and learned!  Right?

Plug In Here

I learned that my Boston Express bus (at least the model I was on yesterday) has little labels way up high above the seats, on the luggage compartments, to indicate which seats have electrical outlets available.  There are very few but it turns out they are well marked.

Now if I can remember to have the cord with the electronic item (an OFTEN-learned lesson of 2010), I’ll be all set!

FB Pix on BB

Kat and I learned that you can, indeed, find your Facebook Wall Photos on the Blackberry, if you look in the right place.

Of course, if you don’t figure that out, it’s also great to have friends who are willing to go online for you and look up pictures from a year and half ago and find the photo/name/phone number of that great diner.  Thanks, Dott!  And Gale, who was ready to do the same!

Back It UP!

Lesson learned from Gale:

“From an IBM article I just read…

If your blog or website uses WordPress, grabbing a backup file of all your posts, pages and comments is easy.

In the WordPress dashboard, just go to Tools, Export and choose what types of posts you want to export.

If you want a backup of your entire WordPress database, the excellent WP-DB-Backup plugin can make scheduled database backups for your WordPress site at intervals you choose and even e-mail you the backup”

Now I just have to do it!

 

Secure WiFi? Why, Yes!

Today I learned how to password-protect my wireless router, about 10 years late but what the heck?

Kat and I followed the instructions on HowToDoThings.com, which were much more accurate and complete than the ones from the router manufacturer!

I also learned how fun it is to do techie things with Kat, who got her new laptop running just minutes ago (and wanted to connect to a secure network).