Happy Thanksgiving!

I have discovered a new drink and thought I'd pass it along to you. It's Lipton's Diet Citrus Green Tea. I'm not a lover of water which you should drink plenty of each day, but I'll drink this and I love it, besides it's good for you. That's got nothing to do with nothing but what the heck.....

From our house to your house, may Diane and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for and our lives are greatly enhanced when we are grateful.

Click on the Photo for your piece of pumpkin pie!

Digital Cameras

I recently purchased a Canon SX110-IS point & shoot digital camera for day to day use. I have an expensive Nikon D80 with a lens that cost as much as the camera. It is a sophisticated piece of equipment with advantages over this one, but the Canon costs 1/10th as much. On most occasions this camera will do the job and probably take as good a picture as the Nikon, or any other expensive DSLR for that matter. For comparison, I walked outside and took the same picture with each camera using the same settings. You will read a full explanation in the upcoming December edition of Cyber News. You can also click on the photo of the Canon for a larger view of the back and the beauty on the LCD.

Take a look at the two photos and you decide if one is better or if they are equal, then come back here for the answer. Don't read any further.......

Did you pick Test A or Test B? Both pictures are almost identical in content, and both were hand held. I had Diane sit down in front of my monitor and asked her opinion. After quite a few minutes of deliberation she picked Test B. Test A was taken with the Nikon which cost over $2,000. Test B was taken with the Canon which was $249. Believe me after that little test I'll use my new friend with confidence!

Bill O'Reilly, Christmas, & Spam Calls

I was shopping at COSTCO yesterday and picked up a copy of Bill O'Reilly's new book "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." It didn't break the bank as it was only $14.00, and when I got home I couldn't put it down until I had read the whole thing. Interesting, informative, and entertaining. I enjoyed it because I could see a lot of my life in his. If you like Bill you'll love his new book!


On another note, I think it's time for us to seriously consider how much money we should spend on Christmas. This can be a very stressful time of the year because we feel compelled to fulfill the thousand wishes of our children and grand kids. They don't need every item that they see on TV and we don't need more debt on our credit cards! Be honest and explain that there isn't enough money for their entire wish list. Scale down, spend less, enjoy family, and everyone will be happier!

While writing this my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway and it was a recording about having my carpets cleaned. It's one thing getting these calls at home but I detest this on my cell phone and I'm steamed! Pardon the pun.

There is a way to hopefully put this to a stop and here's how to do it. You can call 1-888-382-1222 from your cell phone, or go to this web site to register all your phones, which is exactly what I did.

Email Virus

As mentioned in Cyber News, one of the purposes of this blog would be to keep you up to date on computer stuff during the month.

Here is an example: There is an email virus floating around and I have actually received it myself. It makes you think it's from UPS and asks you to fill out information so you can retrieve a package at your local UPS office. If you fall for it you get bit with a virus! Keep alert for these kinds of emails and don't be gullible.

Details from Snopes.

Magazine Cover Shot

I took this photo last Saturday evening while attending a Hot Air Balloon Festival west of Phoenix. It was a beautiful day and we had a fun afternoon shooting the colorful balloons. See the last 6 shots in my Balloon Gallery.

We were munching on a cheeseburger and fries when we noticed the beauty of the sunset. I grabbed my Nikon, walked about 100 yards from where we were sitting and snapped some frames.

Using Paint Shop Pro X2 for a little post editing fun, I created a magazine cover in which I escalated my photo talents. I only wish I was a Master Photographer, but I'm learning and it wouldn't be much of a challenge if you started off knowing it all. Arizona sunsets are breath taking and I always look forward to the next one. I also look forward to the next pleasing photograph that comes from my camera.

Find Happiness Today

I receive a motivational email each day from a man named Ralph Marston. Most of them are inspiring and "food for thought." Here is today's message:

What is the path to true happiness? How far must you go to
find happiness?

You need not go very far at all. For happiness is always
inside you, ready whenever you are.

No object, no person, no circumstance will make you happy.
You are always happy when you decide to be.

The good things in life do not cause happiness. It is
precisely the other way around.

Allow happiness to flow out from you, and the good things in
life will surround you and fill your world. Choose to be
happy, with no conditions imposed upon that happiness, and
you'll create the ideal conditions for your life.

Happiness is a beautiful gift you can give yourself no
matter what. Give it freely and it will change your world.

You can visit his website at http://greatday.com/

I hope you find happiness today!

French Fried Green Beans

Now I'm a few years older than the average guy, but never in my life have I had french fried green beans....until last night. I've had them in a casserole, but never made like french fries.

We met some friends at TGIF for happy hour. We do this every Friday night at a different place here in Phoenix, and believe me there's lots of places to choose from. In a two mile stretch near our home there are more restaurants than anywhere in the world.

So this was our first visit to Friday's and the hostess recommended that we try their french fried green beans. We did and we couldn't get enough of them. Umm good....give them a try sometime!

This morning I was playing around with some photos that I took last month in the Smoky Mountains. I came across one that was really a "throw away." It was way over exposed and I almost hit the delete button, but that's the nice thing about a good photo editor is that you can take a bad picture and turn it into something that looks pretty good. So I darkened it, tweaked here and there, gave it a paint effect and put a frame on it. Not bad....

Click on it for a larger view.

The Weather & Internet Scam Alert

The biggest reason why we live in Phoenix is the weather. Today's forecast is for plenty of sunshine with a high of 76. That's my definition of joy.

South Dakota today had 4 feet of snow with 50 mph winds. Now that's my definition of miserable!

There's no doubt about it, sunshine just puts you in a better mood.

This morning I walked around the house with my camera shooting this and that. One of my shots was a painting hanging on the living room wall. I imported it into my computer, modified it somewhat, gave it a painted effect, added borders and a frame and here's the final product.
You can click on it for a larger view.

OK, so much for the weather and fun stuff, but now I have to warn you about new email scams since the election of Senator Obama. Details from PC World.

Have a nice weekend!

A New Future for America

November 4, 2008 is an historic day for our Country. America has spoken and elected Senator Obama as its 44th President.

John McCain gave an elegant concession speech saying that America now needs to be strong and work together for common goals. Senator Obama gave an outstanding acceptance speech in which his words were the same.

We have come a long way and each of us must have a positive outlook for our Country. We must become one people, one voice, one nation.

We are all glad the campaigning is over. Now let's get on with our lives, and build an image of the world we want to live in!

Welcome Cyber News Readers

People on the Internet have been blogging for years and I'm just getting on the band wagon. The word Blog is a derivative of Weblog, kind of like a Captain's log on a ship. It's essentially a diary and you can write about anything you like.

I originally started this for a few family members and some friends so they could see the progress of a recent trip we took with our RV.

After the trip I thought maybe this would be a good way to supplement Cyber News with timely comments about things we write about. Whether this is a good idea or not only time will tell.

Thanks for dropping by. Stop back again and I'll keep an eye out for you. If you're reading this and haven't seen Cyber News, here's the link.