Defects

2015 Washington, DC Orchid Show

A clear light seems to fall upon us all -- when we open our eyes. Since blindness is caused by our own defects, we must first deeply realize what they are. Constructive meditation is the first requirement for each new step in our spiritual growth.
(As Bill Sees It, Day 10)

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I didn't do any blogging, or daily reading, this week.  I needed an attitude check. 

I'm pleased to report that I finally figured out why I couldn't make all of the songs in a Box account folder play sequentially.  They made changes in the appearance of Box and I fell behind.  It turned out to be something simple to fix.  Click on the Gear, then turn on Auto-play. There are many music files on my Box account which I can now enjoy listening to in the background while doing genealogy or while spending time on Facebook.

Dick Henthorn 

1 November 2015

Immatuity

Little Free Library at University Park, MD

A person remains immature, whatever his age, as long as he thinks of himself as an exception to the human race.
(Harry A. Overstreet in Night Light by Amy E. Dean, 21 June)

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I wrote a blog post about using Facebook messages for file sharing. I uploaded the post today to my Genealogy blog.  I also shared the post with my "secret group" on Facebook.  I also posted a link to my Obituary blog about the legality of using obituaries in our genealogy projects.

Melva and I went to four thrift stores yesterday looking for something we didn't find.  I found one book that I was seeking, a like-new hard-bound copy of Daily Guideposts - 2014. For several years I purchased a year-old copy of this annual publication shortly after the start of the new year. I enjoy using this book in my daily reading program. I'm still reading the 2013 copy because I set it aside for a while last year. I probably mentioned before that I have read all of these books published between 1978 and 2012.  I no longer own copies because I needed to free up some space.

I also bought a copy of Moravian Daily Texts - 2013 which is also designed for daily reading. I remembered that I own an earlier edition of this publication and enjoyed it.  There were about a half dozen annual copies, for different years, on the shelf.  I thought one year would be enough.

The third book I purchased was Prayers from the Heart - Inspiration for Every Day!  This book is also designed for daily reading, with each day numbered.

I bought the self-titled CD, Lawson Creek Grass.  I'm not familiar with this Bluegrass band from Alton, VA.  I think it is fun to buy an album once in a while by someone I've never heard.

This morning I'm listening to some Aker Bilk music downloaded from Freegal the county library free music service.

Dick Henthorn

9 March 2015

What You Think

What you think upon grows. Whatever you allow to occupy your mind you magnify in your own life. Whether the subject of your thought be good or bad, the law works and the condition grows. Any subject that you keep out of your mind tends to diminish in your life, because what you do not use atrophies.
(Emmet Fox, Around the Year with Emmet Fox found in Since Strangling Isn't An Option by Sandra A. Crowe, p. 163)

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On the 26th and 27th of February I worked on a project to create playlist folders for various artists on Spotify.  Many of my favorite Bluegrass artists have 14 or 15 albums on this music service. 

Consolidating the albums into playlist folders on the left of the display will make it easier to quickly find something I want to play.  I learned that if I click on the playlist folder all of the albums are aggregated into one big temporary playlist for immediate play.

While working on this project I discovered that an application upgrade to Spotify eliminated the feature that allowed us to post a song to the wall of our Facebook friends.  I can still easily post a song to my own wall where all of my friends can see it.

Mr. Dickie

1 March 2014

Ordinary People

Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people.

(The One Year Book Of Bible Readings, 30 June)

26 January 2014

Pay Attention

Whatever you put your attention on will grow stronger in your life. Whatever you take your attention away from will wither, disintegrate, and disappear. (Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, p. 70)

... getting a great idea without acting on it is like inspiration with no perspiration.  Most people never make it past the inspiration phase. (Doug Sahlin and Chris Botello, YouTube For Dummies, p. 10)

Fight bravely, for habit overcomes habit. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 21, p. 52)

Life thrives on possibilities and options. (Touchstones, 10 January)

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I asked my Facebook friends for comments about Costco.  I was pleased with the number of replies.  Most  wrote favorably about their shopping experiences.  Our membership in BJs will expire at the end of this month.  For a long time I have been complaining about the lack of open checkout lines.  It's my opinion that a membership store that charges $50.00 a year ought to provide people to checkout the merchandise.  Several times I've told management, "If I wanted to do checkout work I'd apply for a job."

I'm scanning a book about the WordPress blogger that I bought the other day at the library bookstore.  It's very similar to the Google Blogger.  I'm thinking about trying it out.  I could use it to create a private journal that I would use for making some notes when I'm at the computer.

Mr. Dickie

10 February 2012

Charlie Byrd

Today maintain an attitude of thanksgiving.  Be thankful for all events in your life: sorrows and joys, failures and successes, the valleys and the mountains.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 29 October)

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I was trying to make Skype work with Facebook.  That didn't go well.  I have no idea what happened.  Now I can't get Skype to pop out of the tool tray.  I thought it was going to be easy to install and use Skype.  It's beginning to look like I got ahead of myself.  There's always something.

I'm listening to some Charlie Byrd music from his album - Brazilian Byrd this morning.  Yesterday I copied some music from my Oasis device to the Toshiba laptop.

Mr. Dickie

7 November 2011

Photo Project

Today display enthusiasm, confidence, commitment, and determination.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 7 October)

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Rainbow over the house behind ours.)

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I'm working on a Facebook photo album project.  So far I've created six new albums: Quilts, Christmas, Winter, Capitol Hill, Panama, and Flags.  I'm moving appropriate photos into the new albums.  The idea is to make it easier to find photos and to reduce the number of photos in each album.  I found it hard to figure out how to move photos.  Once I found the places to click it wasn't that difficult.

Mr. Dickie
17 October 2011

Quicksand

Don't get stuck in the sands of half-hearted commitments.  (Selwyn Hughes, Every Day Light, p. 260)

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Google offers several new blogging formats.  I took a look at some of them.  They are quite nice.  At first glance it looks like the new formats don't offer some of the options I'm currently using for the sidebar.  For the time being I think I'll stick with what's work for me.  I might try it out if I could come up with an idea for another blog.  I already spend too much time blogging and doing Facebook.

Mr. Dickie

28 September 2011

Links to Useful Facebook Pages

Guard against developing a soft head to go along with a soft heart.  (after Larsen and Hegarty, Believing In Myself, 7 September)

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Links to Useful Facebook Pages 

Facebook

Resources

Blog

Blog Archive

Discover Facebook Pages
To see the pages you "Liked" click the appropriate spot (My Pages) in the upper right corner of this page.

Mr. Dickie
26 September 2011

Why'd I Buy That?

Today make the most of small opportunities and tasks.  They could just be the start of great things.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 16 June)

Let us see in others not their little imperfections, but let us find the good things that arouse our best affections.  (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Hear, 14 September)

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This morning Melva and I went to a multi-person yard sale.  I missed the corner going into the neighborhood.  So much for the extensive map check I did before we left the house.  The ladies at the sale were selling sewing items.  Melva bought an About.com book on quilting and a bag of thread.  I bought a hard cover copy of Iyanla Vanzant's book - The Value in the Valley, a two-light book-light, and a Sharp fax machine which I thought Cyndi needed.  I couldn't reach Cyndi on her cellphone because she was busy at Zumba class.  It turned out she resolved the problem she was having with her fax.  What will we do with two fax machines?  Silly me!

Facebook announced this morning the new way of creating Lists, Subscriptions and Notifications.  I tired it out.  I think I will like it.  In the past I didn't always remember to add people to my Lists when we became Facebook friends.

Mr. Dickie

17 September 2011

Quiet Time

If you are not in the state of either acceptance, enjoyment, or enthusiasm, look closely and you will find that you are creating suffering for yourself and others. (Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth, p. 295)

Most of my "bad luck" is directly attributable to conditions I allowed to develop. (Larsen and Hegarty, Believing In Myself)

I will ... include ... quiet time in each day, remembering this especially in times of family upheavals and dissension. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 29 July)

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I installed a button on my copy of Picasa 3 which will allow me to upload photos from Picasa to my Facebook albums. I tested one time and it worked. I'm not certain how often I will use it.

I'm working on a project to create a Facebook Page for the Monroe County Ohio Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. As always with Facebook there is a lot to learn. There are some features that I like and some things that are confusing to "say the least."

Yesterday I attended the computer club meeting and afterward stopped at the Crofton library to check out some CDs. This time I found ten that looked brand new.

Mr. Dickie

19 August 2011

Facebook Page

[Don't pay attention to] ... fables and to rules and regulations made by men who persist in turning their backs on the truth. (after Titus I: 13-16 in The Letter To Titus by William Barclay)

I am responsible for facing my problems, however great they may be. Acting to resolve my issues is my job. I cannot evade them without turning my back on life itself. (after One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 11 June)

Everybody is ignorant only on different subjects. (Will Rogers in Believing In Myself by Larsen and Hegarty, 20 May)

Take time to think quietly and peacefully and enjoy the serenity that emerges. (Helen Steiner Rice, From The Heart, 3 August)

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This week I have been working on a new project. I created a Facebook "Page" for Monroe County Ohio Genealogy. The page will be sponsored by the Monroe County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. The idea is to provide a place where people interested in the genealogy of the county can share and exchange information. By the end of the week I had all of the components installed and two of us were designated as co-administrators. Three others had already "Liked" the page. The next steps will be to install the chapter logo and to announce the creation of the page on our website.

Last night, for the first time, I listened to The Grand Ole Opry from WSM in Nashville, TN using the radio stations streaming audio. The 20th Anniversary of Vince Gill was the featured performance. The show ran until about ten minutes before 11:00 p.m.

Yesterday I bought a nice Library of Congress paper weight at a flea market. I'll use it to hold papers in place around the computer.

Mr. Dickie

14 August 2011

It's Hard To Finish

[This] ... is precisely the difficulty in life. It is easy to begin; it is hard to finish. The one thing necessary for life is staying-power, and that is what so many people lack. (William Barclay, The Letters To Timothy, p. 241)

... we need to applaud our own progress (it's likely no one else will). (Casey and Vanceburg, The Promise Of A New Day, 19 May)

There is no satisfaction in all the world like knowing that we have done our best. (William Barclay, The Letters To Timothy, p. 241)

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This week I have been working on a couple of projects for the Monroe County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society (MCC-OGS). I removed a Bing search box, that wasn't working, from the homepage. I replaced it with a search box from Google that seems to work fine. I regret that I took so long to accomplish this task.

I'm also setting up a Facebook "Page" for the MCC-OGS. This will, for the first time, allow people who are willing to join Facebook to exchange queries and information in a timely manner. I completed most of the preliminary work yesterday. Next we need to establish a co-administrator, install the chapter logo, and announce the creation of the "Page" on the chapter website. I'm looking forward to finding out whether this will be something that people are interested in using.

Mr. Dickie

13 August 2011

Google Chrome

[Today I will] ... look at something in my behavior or attitude that might be stopping me from reaching one of my goals. (Eric V. Copage, Black Pearls, 15 June)

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I've been using the Google Chrome browser for the first time. I like the simple design. Yesterday I added a "TAG" button. This will allow me to quickly post new bookmarks to my Delicious bookmark account. Did you know you can access my bookmarks from your computer. There are bookmarks for sites to see in Washington, DC and for many pages of genealogy information.

I also have a BlogThis button that allows me to quickly post a link to any of my four Google blogs.

At the bottom of my Facebook "Info" page there is a place where I can list links to websites I want to share with Facebook friends. Yesterday I discovered that even though it appears that the number of lines is open-ended, it really isn't. Only five URLs display after I save the page. I added a link to Delicious in case someone on Facebook wants to easily find my bookmarks.

Windows 7

Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand. (Native American Saying, The Book Of Choices by Mike Magee, M.D., p.193)

The threat of publicity ... [is not a] bad thing, if it keeps a man in the right way ... (William Barclay, The Letters To Timothy, p. 136)

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Yesterday I attended the computer club meeting. There was no scheduled speaker. Dan Lee let us hook up his laptop which is using the Windows 7 operating system. Bob Blum answered some of our Windows 7 questions using Dan's computer. This is rather disconcerting for the computer owner because things get changed on the computer. Another member brought in two desktop computers. They hooked them together with a cable and a program called Easy Transfer in an attempt to move her data and photos from one machine to the other. This didn't go well. Some of us made other suggestions of ways to accomplish her goal if she didn't want to keep the programs. Several other little discussions broke out in the room. I wasn't feeling well and my hearing problems all of the noise made it difficult to follow what was going on at the front of the room. I decided to leave early. I left with more knowledge of how Windows 7 works, or doesn't. I think my notes will help me solve the problem I was having when I tried to find Windows Explorer.

I'm trying to do a little more each day with the new laptop computer. It isn't easy. The Windows 7 interface is markedly different than Windows Professional 2000. I was able to get the sound working again on the laptop. I have no idea why it broke. Apparently a driver was selected that turned off the speakers on the computer. The speakers on the big monitor are still not working.

I have two Internet browsers installed on the laptop: Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome. I intend to install Firefox too. That's the browser I have been using on my desktop computer. I was able to start the Chrome browser for the first time. Both browsers display the Toshiba homepage when they start. I may change that later.

I noticed that it's possible to create photo albums for Facebook Groups. I created one for our family group and uploaded a couple of photos to make sure it works.

I also used Facebook to take two photos with the webcam on the laptop and upload them to Facebook.

Mr. Dickie
3/Jun/2011 8:40

Bluegrass Music

How sad that, right before our eyes, we see history repeating itself... (Selwyn Hughes, Every Day Light, Day 105)

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I'm pleased that I was able to share photos I put in albums on Picasa with friends on Facebook. This allowed me to include links to the photo albums in both my Google blog and in Facebook postings. I received some nice feedback, so I know it worked.

I continue to enjoy reading the Facebook postings of many old and new friends on Facebook. It's great fun to be in touch with classmates from Bellevue, Nebraska and Wichita, Kansas days. I'm a member of the Facebook LOC Group created by my former boss, Jim Stevens. We have twenty-one members now.

Years ago one of my neighbors told me about Milorganite fertilizer. It's relatively cheap and it works well on our yard. One bag which costs less than $13.00 is enough to cover our entire yard if I remember to use the right setting on the spreader.

I'm planning to attend the Bluegrass Festival at Granite Hill Campground near Gettysburg, PA on Saturday. I'll meet the Naylors at the campground. I've been there many times. The trip takes about ninety minutes.

Mr. Dickie
11/May/2011 8:02

Dick's Birthday 2011

Dick's 72nd Birthday Album on Picasa
(Click on the image to view the album.)

"Pain is a mighty fine teacher." (Lady in the Sauna by Julie Garmon found in Daily Guideposts - 2009, 2 February)

The first wealth is health. (Ralph Waldo Emerson in The Book Of Choices by Mike Magee, M.D., p. 82)

Human beings are weak. Goodness and self-control do not come easily to us. (Harold Kushner, To Life!, p. 19)

... avoid "aimless" running around by living purposefully. (Larry Ousely in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003, 13 February)

Is the past encouraging you or embalming you? (Warren W. Wiersbe, Chapter-By-Chapter Bible Commentary, p. 286)

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Cyndi surprised us when she took her mother and I out to eat a late lunch at the new Elevation Burger in downtown Hyattsville. We didn't know that the mother's meals were free if their children brought them. The owner also gave Melva a beautiful rose.

After lunch we went to Linson Pool where we parked the car and went for a walk on the paved trail. We walked south toward Hyattsville and Blandensburg. This time we walked past Riverdale Road before we turned around. On the way back to the parking lot we used some of the exercise equipment. The park beside the trail was full of people. There were three baseball games and one soccer game being played. There were several large groups cooking and using the limited number of picnic tables. Most of the people were Spanish speaking. The walk took about seventy minutes and covered a little more than two miles.

After the walk I asked how many calories we burned during the walk. Then I suggested that we go to the YogiBear in College Park to replenish those calories with some frozen yogurt. I had strawberry and Melva had mango/peach. Cyndi tried two flavors.

Our final stop was the new Ledo's Pizza in College Park. Cyndi ordered a salad to take home. It took forever to get our order. I took a tour of the entire restaurant. Then I went outside and sat on a metal bench. Finally Melva came outside to tell me there'd been a problem with the order. They didn't get Cyndi's name right. They wrote "Linda" on the box. Good grief!

I uploaded the birthday photos we took to a new album in Picasa. Some of the photos are similar because I did some editing and cropping. The colored borders were added to the photos using the camera editor. I included a link to the album in this blog posting. I've been investigating methods of using Picasa and Facebook together. It appears that I could accomplish my goal if I had a new computer.

Mr. Dickie
9/May/2011 7:12

Hard Drive Salvage Project

Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. (Will Rogers in The Book Of Choices by Mike Magee, M.D., p. 146)

If you really do put a small value upon yourself, rest assured the world will not raise your price. (Anonymous in The Book Of Choices by Mike Magee, M.D., p. 1138

When I am focused on what I am for, rather than what I am against, I am empowered. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Real Magic, p. 315)

Today, I will take one concrete action to further one of my goals. (after Eric V. Copage, Black Pearls, 5 March)

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Yesterday I didn't post to any of my blogs. I'm also behind in my daily reading.

Eileen, my longtime genealogy friend from England, friended me yesterday on Facebook. We had a nice long chat which brought back fond memories of the many chats we used to have on AOL. I also made friends with Larry, a boyhood friend from our days in Bellevue, Nebraska.

I went to the computer club meeting. Dan Lee gave a very nice presentation about how he removed the hard drive from my old Dell laptop and got it working with his adapter kit and the Senior Center's laptop. This was a demonstration the club had attempted earlier. This time everything worked. At the end of the talk I opened a folder with a genealogy report I created with Ancestral Author. Dan had prepared some photos that he used during the talk. I thought it went well.

Mr. Dickie
22/Apr/2011 8:00

Walk On

There is work to be done, new ideas to be learned, and for that the problems of yesterday and the fears of tomorrow must be put out of the way. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 21 March)

[Think about what needs to be done, do your work, accomplish your tasks and] if there is time left, fill it with walking. It is excellent exercise that is respectful of the body, mindful of the earth below, and well-tolerated by all ages. (Mike Magee, M.D., The Book Of Choices, p. 200)

Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far. (Thomas Jefferson in The Book Of Choices, by Mike Magee, M.D., p. 202)

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I woke up at 4:00 a.m. this morning. I spent the time trying to catch up on my reading and writing.

Yesterday I did some minor updates to the computer club website. I also installed a Google search box on the homepage. This is a project that I had in mind for some time. On the genealogy homepage that I'm working on I installed and tested the Bing search box. The Google box displays some Google ads. The Bing search box doesn't have any ads. I have no idea which search engine gives the better results. I think I am ready to install the new homepage on the genealogy website. In my opinion this is the most important step in the process of making it easy to maintain the website. The second step is to understand the folder structure and to create the necessary folders to simplify finding the files.

I created a Picasa photo album for the retirement photos I took at The Library of Congress on Thursday. I shared a link to the photos on Facebook.

Melva attended her quilting class. She reported that she had a good time.

Mr. Dickie
26/Mar/2011 6:44

Enough is Enough

I will not allow myself to be troubled by anyone else; my one problem is to improve my own way of living and looking at life. (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 7 January)

I do not know what course of action is right for anyone else. I can offer only comfort and compassion ... (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 26 February)

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The people of Miami, Florida recalled the Mayor and at least one commissioner. The process was financed by a rich individual who claims he isn't interested in becoming the Mayor. Could this be the beginning of a grassroots "Enough is Enough" movement?

I'm working on a project to create my own Verizon FIOS channel listing because I can't find a complete list of what's on all of the channels. It's not too difficult to create a file with my CSV editor that I can sort three ways: 1) channel name, 2) type of programming, 3) FIOS channel number. I pulled the information I used to create the file from several sources.

Yesterday I obtained a URL for a photo fo Blackwater Falls, WV from a photo album on my Google Picasa account. Then I installed this link on my Facebook wall. It worked. My Facebook friends were able to view the photo. Neat, if I do say so myself.

Mr. Dickie
17/Mar/2011 9:22