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New To Blogging? Watch This Video!

If you are not sure what a blog is or how it works, the video called Blogs in Plain English will help.  This video explains why blogs are such a "big deal".  Just click on the large arrow in the middle of the video window below to view the video.

Whole-House Surge Protection

It's important to protect all your electronic devices, not just computers, from surges.  Printers, televisions, appliances and computer peripherals all require protection.  However, it can be inconvenient to use individual surge protectors on all devices that need protection.  One solution is to install a whole=house surge protector as shown in this photo.  The device is installed by an electrician and is attached to your circuit breaker panel.  Whole-house surge protectors function like other surge protection devices, but they protect all electrical devices in the house at once.  The typical cost of $200 to $300 (installed) is generally less than buying individual surge protectors for every electrical device in your home.

Google+

Although most of your friends aren't on it yet, Google+, I definitely recommend that you check it out.  The layout is very simple, but pleasing to the eyes.  The concept of circles is also a welcomed addition.  I can direct comments to specific users or to everyone ... it's all my choice!  Unfortunately, due to the lack of users, I have not yet had the opportunity to test out hangouts.  Hangouts is an area within Google+ where you can have multi-person video chat.

Google+

One Man Bands

As a kid, I remember watching Mary Poppins (don't hate me) and I was always amazed by the one man band concept.  A few months ago, my brother told me about loop pedals and showed me a couple of videos.  I was shocked!  Artists can truly be one man bands now.  Shortly after our conversation, James called me up and said: "Hey guess what! ... I got a loop pedal and just posted a video on YouTube."

Despite his messy room and that the song chosen was something that I'm not used to him singing, I was remarkably impressed.  He was able to preform the song, add in his own beat and harmonize with himself. Since that initial post on YouTube, he's made additional loop pedal videos, cleaned up the room, created a joke video and recently figured out how to improve the sound recording.  If you're interested in seeing all that a loop pedal can do, you can see for yourself by watching about a minute and 45 seconds of his latest video:



- Patrick

iOS5

My initial impressions of iOS5 have been pretty great.  Overall, I enjoy the new notification system built into it.  However, the swipe gesture feature can be a little annoying with some games, e.g. cut the rope.  I've noticed that my iPhone has slowed down slightly since installing though and that the battery tends to drain a little quicker.  I'd also like to see some additional features, such as the ability to turn on and off Wifi from within the notification swipe.

- Patrick