It freezes. It melts. It evaporates. Water exists in solid, liquid, and gaseous states and, given specific conditions, it transforms itself repeatedly throughout the course of time. It’s a wondrous thing. Humans also have the ability to transform themselves in many ways, and on an ongoing basis. If we choose wisely and try to better ourselves and the world, perhaps we, too, can become wondrous things.
#1 – A Better Life
Are you 100% satisfied with your life right now? Most likely not, because there’s always some aspect of our lives that can stand improvement. Here’s a list of 100 Ways To Live A Better Life. Sure, it’s a long list, but there’s probably at least one thing on this list that will make your life better.
#2 – Tilt-Shift
Using special camera lenses and techniques, photographers are able to keep their camera bodies parallel to their subject matter, while tilting their camera lenses at different angles to bring their subject matter into view with less distortion. Landscapers and architects employ tilt-shift technology when photographing their work, but as you can see in 16 Incredible Van Gogh Paintings Tilt Shifted, tilt-shifting can be used in creative photography as well.
#3 – Ways to Wear a Scarf
Scarves are indispensable fashion accessories; they transform ho-hum outfits into stylish ensembles. It goes without saying, that the the more scarves you have and the more ways you know how to tie scarves, the more fashionable and stylish you will be. In this short video, you’ll learn 25 ways to wear a scarf.
#4 – Is Your Future Green?
Please do your share and help planet Earth. Make 2014 the year you resolve to go more green. To help you, here is the Ultimate Guide to Going Green in 2014.
#5 – Choose Wisely
“My circumstances do not make me what I am, they reveal who I have chosen to be.”
Wayne Dyer
Now Go and Spread Joy!
What about this? 
Lunch With Mom
Posted in About me, Aging, Community, Helping Others, Parenting, tagged commentary, culture, family, friends, iChat, parents, seniors, Skype, technology, video, video conferencing on November 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »
My mother and I had lunch together the other day. We ate, we laughed, and we had a great time just being together. The only thing that would have been better is if we were in the same room. My mother lives about two-and-a-half hours away from me, so we lunched together via the magic of computers.
About a month ago my sister and I purchased my mother a new iMac. She’s no stranger to computers, but this new one is faster and has more bells and whistles, including a built-in video camera. Using the iChat video conferencing feature, we were able to sit at our desks that day and eat our sandwiches and carry on a face-to-face conversation. Also, by pivoting her computer screen around, the computer camera could scan the room, and show me the new furniture in her office, as well as my dad sitting in his recliner waving to me and watching television.
Despite her lack of formal computer training, my mom’s been an eager student and has become quite adept at Googling information, emailing her friends, working on Excel spreadsheets, and instant messaging and Skyping with family members all around the country. The screen grab above shows a three-way video conference with three generations of us laughing and having a good time. It’s been wonderful to see her empowered by her new knowledge of computer technology and it’s been a blessing for me to be able to spend time with my parents everyday.
Video conferencing could have a huge positive impact on senior citizens in general, but especially so for those who live in senior care facilities. The loneliness of these seniors is palpable. I volunteered in a senior assisted care facility for several years and found it difficult to observe residents who never had visitors. Wouldn’t if be wonderful if these senior facilities had video conferencing capable computers on site so that the residents could stay connected to the world by having video visits with friends and family? Of course, I know that this requires their friends and families also to have these types of computers, but I’m a dreamer and always believe that if there’s a will, there’s a way. Considering there are computers everywhere – surely neighbors, friends, employers all might be willing to share their computers periodically for these priceless visits.
Nothing can ever replace an in person visit, but sharing time together in any form possible is valuable. Thanks to computer technology, we have at our disposal the ability to stay connected with everyone we care about. With applications like iChat and Skype, which have basic services for free, we have few excuses not to include seniors as part of our connected group. So what about this – buy a relative you’d love to see more often a computer video camera for the upcoming holidays?
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