The Girly Anti-Geek

I have made no secret of the fact that I’m not necessarily up to speed on everything there is on the web (I know this SHOCKS you ALL).  I don’t know if you remember this post where I talk about my love for music, but have a lot to learn with respects to how it works.

One of the things I liked about Rhapsody at the time was the fact that I could listen to a Broadway station while doing my work online.  Well, when I no longer wanted to pay for my subscription to that program…you know RENT the songs… I no longer had access to those radio stations that let me listen to a random selection of Broadway music.  Did I mention I’m truly a geek about that stuff?

Well folks…let me introduce you to Accu Radio which has as many stations as you can think of.  It’s a free online radio station.  I’ve been working ALL DAY on my business plan that’s due tomorrow (which I need to rush back to) but I had to come online to share my new find with you all!!!!  You can choose from any of these types of music:

Grandy is having all sorts of fun with that Broadway channel…let me tell you.

Go off and get your music game on now!!

In January I was introduced to Adgitize.  I forget which site caught my eye with it first, but it seemed doable.

In this program you pay $14 a month to advertise your site and it brings people to you. Depending on how much work you put in with Entrecard, it can sometimes bring more traffic than Entrecard that day.

Since joining the community, it has been a pleasant experience. The staff is very responsive and helpful and it took me quite a while to realize that Ken Brown was NOT doing it all himself. He has help! He’s very helpful.

I was very pleased with the amount of traffic it was sending to both my sites (and I don’t really have too high expectations) but towards the end of January the service went down. It has since come back, but not to its full potential. I’m not sure what happened but it has been off and on ever since.

I really like the people and community I’ve found over at Adgitize, and I hope they are feeling better soon. I would hate to think that they might lose any business at all as a result of the glitches they were having. I really like them, and the cost seems to be working so far.

Get well SOON Adgitize!!!

One of the first true Girly Geek sites I’ve come across was Double X Geeks, somehow she and I found eachother at the same time.  What was it that caught my attention you wonder?  How about this question??

This site was speaking to me. She even linked me one time, at the same time I LINKED her! Kinda wierd. It’s almost like she and I are blogging in parallel universes of some sort…only she is good at it and I’m the universe where something went horribly wrong.

Here’s what she said about me a couple weeks back…

The Girly Anti-Geek
Now you might ask, why on earth would I be linking a blog with this title? (And upon double checking the URL, I noticed that she link me!.. on the 19th. I really have been out of the blogging circle a bit.) Anyway, many of us wish to be geekier, in the sense we can figure out why the hell that light is flashing, and why is my phone making that noise! It can be frustrating when your techier friends make technology seem as simple as breathing, but have no fear, The Girly Anti-Geek is here to remind you that knowing how to tell time in binary ISN’T normal.

In all honesty, yes I DID ask my BIL what the binary part meant when I saw this the first time.  But how way cool to get such a shout out from someone who actually gets this stuff!!!  This blog is way COOL!! 

I don’t know that I’m linking her pics correctly because I had to save them first…but go check her out here.

I am a HUGE music fan.

Did I say HUGE?  I meant GINORMOUS!!

So when Hubby & Son bought me a new MP3 player for Christmas I was elated! (I’ll write a nerds-eye-view about that later though.) 

One of the features that came with is was joining Rhapsody music.  It gave me a trial membership for 2 weeks.  I thought, WAY COOL!  I can totally listen to whatever I want through their channels, I can download a gazillion songs, and pay my flat $15/month.  I’m game!  After the first week, I had downloaded many songs and was thoroughly in music heaven.

In the second week I decided I better find out what happened if I ever stopped paying the $15/month.  You know, not like it’s that much money, but I thought it could be considered a luxury someday.  What I learned was that if you cancel the subscription you give up all the songs.

What?  I’m “renting” the songs? 

I suppose that in the iPod generation, the $15/month thing isn’t that big of a deal but the thought of having to give the songs BACK at the end, that bites…kinda. 

My previous MP3 player was as simple as they come, so this is all new to me.  But all I did was take all my old CD’s and burn them on there.  I never did burn TONS of songs, but I a little bit of math…12 months x $15/month = $180. 

I happen to be a member of a music club where I can buy CD’s at a major discount if I want.  I get offers for 4 CDs for the price of 1 a lot.  There are a lot of other deals too, especially for someone like me who likes older music that isn’t necessarily popular right now.  So to spend $180 would be at LEAST 10 CD’s.  And guess what…I get to keep that music.

Did I miss the point of the service?  It wouldn’t be the first time I missed the point, so if so…I encourage you to enlighten me. 

Since starting this blog (about a month ago already?) I have come across some really nice technology inclined people.  I was a little nervous about blogging about how I struggle with all things technical.  After all, I wasn’t sure how much patience you all would have for a crazy nut case who struggles to figure things out. 

Well, color me pleasantly suprised with how warm and welcoming you all have been.  Everyone has been so helpful!!

To honor all you pleasant techno-spirits, I am going to initiate a new weekly feature called “Grandy’s Geek Feature”.  It’s the only way I can show my appreciation for all you REAL geeks out there, working hard, and helping dorks like myself. 

For today’s maiden feature, I would like to introduce you to Geek Speak: My Geek Life, who has just started a new movement called Geekvolution.  This is apparently a Geek’s DREAM for Social Networking.  There are benefits and features for becoming a member, but I’m afraid most of them didn’t make any sense to me.  They must to you!  Here are their highlights:

Geekvolution is the solution to this problem. Developed on Flex 3, Geekvolution offers an engaging environment where:

-Members can customize their profile with other members contributed art

-Artists can contribute art to the system and receive social recognition

-Members can make friends, talk about geeky subjects, and join groups.

Additionally, we offer a full screen feature and member interactive controls. We believe in agile development and plan to add features based on members’ requests. This network is your network, not ours, and we realize that.

If you are a geek, and have stumbled onto my site…check out this video and get over there to sign up.  I get nothing for telling you this (and you’re not going to listen to me anyhow) but a girl can try.

(Let’s hope I did this right…)

One of the things that successful bloggers have mentioned, some of them even said it here, is to make sure that I get some pics on my posts. I don’t know if that means some pics from elsewhere, like the pic I have up there that I borrowed from Ken Rockwell (who has some great pics up from this camera, by the way) or if my pics should ALL come from me.

Well I will have to learn how to do a little bit of both here. 

A year ago my hubby and I got this camera as a family gift, in preparation for our trip to Mexico for Christmas.  It was the best thing we could have done, even though I was still learning how to work the different settings while I was in Mexico.  For instance, all these pics were taken at the same time, but just with me changing the setting. 

I’m still learning how to use it, but I’m having a lot of fun trying to figure it out…the hard way. 

So readers, what do you do for your pics?  Do you mix your pics up with some from online (by of course giving credit where credit is due) or do you only use your own?  What do  you find is the easiest?

If you are using your own, what kind of camera are you using?

Some of you may not realize this, but blogging is not my profession.

What’s that?  I’m suprising the POOP out of you?  Really?!?  Oh stop!!  I’m blushing… 

Blogging IS my new passion, however.  It’s a little hobby that grew into something more.  I’m grateful when I receive comments.  My little heart takes a twitter of a flitter when I get a new comment.  Even if it’s an accidental duplicate.  I never delete comment love…unless you are on here trying to solicit something that might remedy erectile dysfunction that is.

The point I am trying to make (I bet you wondered if there would be one) is that there are a lot of bloggers out there that get PAID to do this for a living.  This is their job…and their only job.  How cool is that?  There are so many talented bloggers out there, and I enjoy stalking and stealing ideas following many of you.

There are also a lot of very talented web designers out there.  I have been introduced to many of them through dropping my card via Entrecard.  As someone who lacks the technology DNA gene, I can very much appreciate the work that goes into designing a webpage.  The pressure for the web page or blog of a web designer must be pretty great because I would think it would be like an online resume.  I mean a writer would never consider presenting a submission filled with typos, so a web designer must probably feel the pressure to make things look special. 

Or at least they should?

While dropping my Entrecard the other day I focused on Web Development sites, because I’m really trying to learn about all the sites I’ve been introduced to.  I saw many web design pages that had nothing.  I don’t mean “nothing” because they had plenty of google ads, other ads, pay per posts, etc.  But what they were lacking was…um…a little flare. 

Really…like I said…I’m no expert. But maybe if you are wanting people to consider your services for Web Page design, you might consider possibly doing more than the basic blogger template. I mean, go ahead…design your own web page.

I’m just sayin’.

Have you tried this game?  Guitar Hero II is really fun!  I even joined in the fun and schooled the boys on a couple of the songs (hey, they were still on the easy level and we’ve only had the game since Christmas).  It’s a family friendly game, if you’re not my hubby and tire easily of the song repition.  The boys liked to dance around in front of the console.  What else do you do while rocking out with the guitar?

 Well, the Grandy family learned an important lesson tonight. I’m truly beginning to grow into the theme of this blog, “Figuring it out the hard way”. Only this time it’s not even just me but the little Grandy.

He has learned the hard way that apparantly the Xbox 360, although it looks stealth and cool standing up as a tower, is not necessarily designed to “stand up” to this game.  Well not stand up as that stealth and cool tower in front of 3 boys while playing this game. 

After having played the game for a few hours, it suddenly stopped.  It gave an error message that indicated there was a scratch on the disc and couldn’t be read.  When we took the disc out, there was a complete and perfect circle etched on the disc.  What?!?  He is very careful, and even if I wanted to suspect he was wreckless with it, there is no way he could have scratched it like that.  He’s not the most artistic type and can’t even make an “O”, much less a perfect scratch in the perimiter of the disc.

I then spent the next painful eternity 30 minutes trying to talk to the system generated phone system.  Did you know those electronic phone systems don’t recognize swear words?  Anywho…I learned a lesson after talking to “John” who said that there can be no vibration in front of the machine, or around the machine, while playing it.  Well, I don’t think my son had it on a sturdy surface, just the floor.  And because it was standing in the stealth cool mode, I think it was subject to a little more rocking out than it should.  I promise I didn’t see any of that in the manual.

I was told, when I called Xbox, that I might try to call the company that made the game and see if it can be remedied.  I tried to find a phone number, but no luck.  There is an email address and a website, so we will have to see. 

Wish me luck that I might salvage this for the boy.  It’s not the easiest, but you’ll do anything to mend the broken heart of your child. 

Stay tuned for more developments at a later date.  The adventure will continue…I’m sure.

Welcome to The Girly Anti-Geek! 

If you have come here to find the latest and greatest in all technology, be patient.  What you have found is someone who is technically challenged trying to learn what she can about the latest and greatest in all technology.  I lack the genetic make-up for immediately understanding what a lot of the bloggy jargon, techno jargon, and random geek jargon means, my twin got that side of the brain. 

What I do promise you is some random, basic 101 “how to” guides on some of these things.  I find that many of the smart “How To” sites speak to people as if they already understand most of the language.  Slow down people!!  Not everyone understands geek-speak out of the gate, but we’re willing to learn. 

As with my personal creative writing blog, Functional Shmunctional, I truly hope for this blog to evolve into some good things.  I’d like to think that I’ve developed a sense of community on my blog there and hope to find others that struggle with most things technical but have enough geek in them to want to learn more.

And remember…I take requests. If you have a product you would like to hear about, or you would like me to review your particular product, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

But for now, please put your trays in the upright position, and secure your belongings, we are about to experience a wild ride!!