Category Archives: Technology

Goodbye Landline Phones + MSN Messenger, Hello Skype

Leave a reply

skype_logo_onlineHow many of us still have landline phones? Those living in urban, modern cities probably only carry a cell now. If you’re not a business, then you’re likely out with school, work, eating out and socializing all day. You only come home to rest and sleep. It would be inconvenient for anyone to reach you through your home landline.

I got rid of mine 2 years ago. Strangely, it was a bit hard to let go at first. Growing up with landline phones, they seem to be more secure and cheaper for long distance calls. But that’s not the case anymore. With my unlimited minutes on my cell, I can call anyone for as long as I want. If I need to call any long distance number, I now use Skype. I used to buy those calling cards. They saved me a lot compared to being in a landline or cell plan for long distance since I didn’t call outside of the local area that much. Inconveniently, they usually lasted 6 months from the first time you activate the card. But with Skype calls, the savings are even greater and more convenient.

With Skype, you can chat, voice+video calls much like MSN messenger. If you purchase Skype credits, $14 increments as needed (active for 6 months) or opt for a monthly subscription that allows you to make unlimited calls for a flat rate. You can call most landlines and mobile phones, locally and around the globe. For the most part, the audio quality is pretty good. You can also receive and answer phone calls on Skype (you will need to get a Skype Number first but will help your caller have cheaper long distance rates). Download the Skype app on your mobile phone or tablet, and you call also make and receive calls from your device as well.

If you’ve been using MSN Messenger, you might have received an email saying that the Messenger will no longer be used after March, and all user should switch to Skype. For the longest time, I was a messenger user until I finally completely switched to Skype over an year ago. I kept both accounts, and they both had their pros and cons. But now messenger is telling us to switch to the competitor? Weird? Not at all. That’s because in October 2011, Microsoft bought Skype for 8.5 billion dollars. It’s they’re baby now.So goodbye to messenger…goodbye to landline phones in most people’s homes, and hello to Skype. No emergency calls with Skype

QR Generator

Leave a reply

Ever wondered what those weird looking pixelated barcodes were?
They work the same way as the barcodes on products – they have information stored or coded, and are decoded once scanned by a device.
By using our smartphones and scanning them in, we can be taken to any website.
This is a great way to promote your company, esp if it’s new. It’s free, and simple for users to use.

I know that this was already in use back in 2005 when I lived in Japan. It’s quickly catching on here in Canada as more and more people are using smartphones.

Go and generate your own QR code to promote your website or company!
It’s really simple. Just plop in your web address, and click the button “Get Your Code!”, and viola, the QR code is created instantly!

http://app.qreateandtrack.com/#/create/url

qr-20130423054010This is the one I generated for my IDEA rabbit blog. Hold your smartphone up to the computer screen and using a QR coding app, scan the QR and you should be taken to this blog! :D

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Leave a reply

You don’t have to be a designer or artist to know who Steve Jobs was. He was everywhere and his products were everywhere, and it changed how we viewed our world. He was the co-founder of Apple and the iconic logo could be one of the most recognizable symbol along with McDonalds.

I still remember being fascinated by those old black screens with the green text (Apple III). When you wanted to make a simple box, you had to use commands like ‘RT 90′ and took forever to do any simple shape. Then in junior high, I was blown away with the model Macintosh. It was the first colour computer that I had seen and was amazed at it’s complexity, especially with graphics. I stayed after school to work on projects or play games whenever I could. I knew around that time that I wanted to be a graphic designer or computer animator.

The art college I went to used Macs because of it’s colour correctness, usability, durability, and integration with graphic software. But it was a time when Macs and PCs weren’t all that compatible, so transferring files from one platform was a headache.

Soon, the music industry was revolutionized with ipod and itunes, though I never really got into those. It allowed other companies to make similar products, but Apple kept the lead. Same with the iphone, though I must say Android is doing well…

I still prefer using a Mac for work, and wonder what the future holds for Apple.
Nonetheless, whether you use any Apple products or not, our lives have been greatly changed by this man.

He struggled with a pancreatic cancer and liver transplant. He was 56 years old.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs
http://www.apple.com/