Technology: I can't find my iPhone 5! Yikes!

Thief Beware...I will find you and/or ruin your day!

Even the best iPhone apps are useless if you can't find your phone! And lost it was. If you are an expensive cell phone owner, you know what I am talking about. My new iPhone 5 must have cost a lot. My husband bought it for me and I did not ask how much it cost. I felt sick to my stomach and I knew the illness had nothing to do with the flu shot I had yesterday.

iCloud

So what do you do when you lay your cell phone down and cannot remember where it is? My first thought is to call my cell phone from my husbands phone. Usually I will hear it ringing and then I will go get it. But this time there was no sound what-so-ever! Not in my back pocket (seriously), the car, the laundry room, the bath, bedroom, or the Arizona room. I began to think about where I had been. Did I leave it on the table at the Mexican Restaurant? Should I call and see if anyone turned it in? But people love these devices so that was not even comforting. Had it been stolen?

When I began to control my panic, reasoning took over. I went to my computer and opened my iCloud online backup storage. That is where I sync all my Apple equipment online. There it was...the i am an idiot and have lost my phone button. Find My Phone sits in the very middle of the page and when I clicked on it, I was taken to a screen that looked like this:

Click image to enlarge.

First I had the application play the I know where you phone is sound. I could hear a loud sonar beep somewhere in the house so I knew I was saved. Really, I thought it was like magic and I suppose it was in a lot of ways. If the phone had not been hiding under a plant with the sound button turned off, it would have been lost until I cleaned...some time in the far distant future. But there it was.

The beauty of it all is that if it had been lost, I could have locked it forever or until I found it. I could have erased all the information on it. AND the thief would have been very annoyed by the sonar sound. The pleasure would have come in knowing that I had ruined the thief's day!

How would I have known it was stolen. Well the application actually shows me where the device is located...so if it appeared somewhere I had never been, I would know that it was probably gone forever.

I just tested it again with my iPad. It is wonderful. What if my car were stolen with my iPhone or iPad in it? Locations services that allow me to track the device as well as lock and erase it's functions. How cool is that! Incidentally, my iPad was right by my chair where I had put it down.

I am locking my phone when I am not using it. An additional step only would take a second and it would be worth it. Why? Well, a thief probably could go into the settings and reset that button if my security is not set right. I will be looking into that.

I keep adding to the reasons I love these Apple devices. I just can't stop talking about them and have to be careful about annoying my friends that own other smart phones! They tell me that they have the same services. I hope so.

Listen up...! If you are a thief, beware of the tracking devices. They can burn you soooooo bad!

Have a great day.

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New York Times: Everyone is doing it? Take a guess!

Have you ever wondered why a long prison sentence does not deter crime or why people don't vote? What if someone were to tell you that we have it all wrong. The socially accepted wisdom does not work. Prison terms do not deter crime because we just can't focus on what might happen in the distant future and voting does not connect people in anyway. 

Op-ed columnist for the New York Times, David Brooks, posted an article this morning talking about a book written by Eldar Shafir of Princeton called The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy. Brooks called the book "weighty" probably referring not only to the subject matter but also to the book's length.
The article's title was Beware the Stubby Glass. The theme for the article was that a lot of the commonly held psychological beliefs are just a bunch of bunk!

The Behavioral Foundations
of Public Policy

I was especially interested in the idea that people don't vote even though they know that it is very important. Humans, it seems, really don't care about what is important. What they really care about is being in...they want to be perceived as trendy and cool and part of an crowd. When a group of people are led to believe that everyone is voting they are more apt to vote.

What is everyone doing...getting older. That's what!
Why does this concept that people are more willing to participate if everyone is doing it interest me? The number of people falling into my age group is growing by the hour. And that sector of society is trying to rename themselves because the negative connotation for "senior" is "old" and they don't look or feel old. Even the "boomers" are worried about what to call themselves. Hence the dreary talk about the post working years. Being in the "senior crowd" does not work for them. It is not about the people that they associate with, it is all in the name we have given that group of people. Society has held the view that growing older is just terrible. Could society be wrong? As Brooks pointed out, it could be that making some small changes could make a big difference. When people do not want to be who they are, no one is happy. But by changing a few words we could change a commonly held psychological belief.

So what if we just quit using words that labels a whole segment of society as less useful? In a previous post I vowed to quit talking about "retirement" and I am trying very hard to quit using the words that have a negative connotation. I am ready to move on to a time when I don't think about numbers and instead focus on what each day holds. I think that if those people approaching a new stage in their life were to do this, they would be more apt to move on with enthusiasm just as people are willing to vote if they see that it is what others are doing. After all, everyone is aging...everyone.

I think it is wonderful to be part of a active involved group of people that I love to be with and share a common bond. But isn't that true at any age? When you begin to think this way, you can see that age has nothing to do with the way you live your life. We are all in the same boat, have the same concerns and love life. I think the way to age positively is to stop worrying about what number you are or the labels and continue to be the person you have always been.

Let's do away with the psychological bunk. Everybody I know is living a beautiful life and I can only think that if they can do it then I want that too. I am much more willing to join when I realize that I am not alone and my peers are a very interesting group of people.

And please, don't label me now or ever!

Just a thought.

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ps. I have hesitated to publish this post for some reason. I could use a little feedback. Click the google+, twitter or facebook sharing function. It helps me.  Thank you.

Related articles:

Satisfying Retirement: Don't Be Average: 4 Tips for Being Uncommon
NYT's: Over 50 and Under No Illusions (doing what society says can't be done!)
Related articles:

• About My Age...don't label me please!
• Aging: Is it a problem when you feel younger than you are?

Nike's Portland: "Nice Orange Shoes!"

The orange shoes seem to have a life of their own. They are taking me to some very interesting places but better yet they have introduced me to people that I would never have noticed before.

The first indication that they were special came as I was walking through the Pearl District in Portland. This is that part of the city where the very, very rich rub shoulders with the homeless panhandlers working from the curbs. Just a short walk will take you to the water front and when you cross Burnside you are in a wonderful no mans land of mixed cultures and means. That area is called the Skidmore district.

We stepped off the Max line in the Pearl and were making our way to The Oyster Bar in Skidmore when I heard a voice yelling "Nice shoes!" A pretty young woman sitting at the curb smiled back at me when I turned to look.  The orange shoes were doing their thing and I didn't even know it.

I love these shoes. They are teaching me that, no matter where they are sitting or how old they are, the people love happy and beautiful. I think the orange shoes are both! There may be hope after all. Remember the Dr. Suess quote: A person's a person no matter how small!

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ps: this is the color I am buying next time!

#Technology for Fitness in 2013: The Biggest Loser and my Fitbit

I love it when technology can be used to get me up and moving instead of sitting in front of the computer or sitting with my iPad in my lap. Moving is good...sitting is bad! A new pattern for my life comes a result of a Christmas dinner discussion and dare. Who can become the healthiest during the next six months? Would you believe I raised my hand and said ME! Don't let it be said that I shrink from a dare. My family sees to that.

So we have all bought into a "Biggest Loser" family contest. Each adult will put in $50 and each younger adult $25.  At the end the biggest loser will win over $400. That is a big incentive for us all.

Available on Amazon here"
Limited Edition Doernbecher Nike+ FuelBand

Starting in a hole
Our children and their spouses already participate in a weight control programs of different kinds. Either Weight Watchers or a device that tracks activity is a part of their lifestyle. My husband and I have always been active but have never kept track like our children have. This year we are starting in a hole but here is what we are all doing:

Available at Amazon here:
 Sportline 1060 Unisex Duo Speed and Distance Heart Rate Monitor

• I own a Fitbit and use it to track fitness.
• My husband wears a Sportline watch that tracks steps, miles, and heart rate. 
• My son went on the FitBit regimen last summer and lost 15+ lbs. along with a huge amount of cholesterol points and a heart murmur that has plagued him since childhood. 
• His wife has done the same thing and is breathing better, has lost a lot of weight and is looking great.
• My daughter ran 12 half marathons last year. Her running friends have challenged each other to run a half marathon each week tracking the distance for their routine runs. 
• Her husband attends Weight Watchers meetings. 
• My youngest son attends Weight Watchers and now has the Nike Fuel Band.
• One grandson will be joining the Marines in March.
• Another granddaughter is on her high school dance team and will practice for up to 5 hours on weekends and some during the week.

Available here on Amazon for $99 here:
Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker, Black 

Here we go.
Now you can see why my husband I are inspired to take on the challenge too. So that is where my Fitbit comes into play. This little device allows me to track sleep patterns, number of steps and distance walked along with calories burned and connects to my computer wirelessly. I can go to the online website and record food choices and measure how much I have eaten in comparison to how much I have exercises.

We all weighed in together and took pictures so we can see if there is an improvement. We are weighing in each month and using a Google form to stay connected. Those of us that have the Fitbit can also connect online, watch our progress and encourage each other.

Join in the fun.Join the "Biggest Loser" challenge too. Just record your weight the same day each month wearing approximate the same clothing. Walk really fast someplace everyday...even to the corner is better than no place at all. It really is fun to have a goal. Get a couple of friends to join you. I dare you!

Screen Shot of Fitbit online link!

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take a look at this: You can't cure obesity with bigger pants!

Snowbird Lifestyle: Here and There

Very loud bundles of joy!

It always takes me a while to adjust to the silence. We left Oregon immediately after a day with my grandsons. The noise is deafening...a short walk to my daughter's house moved the chaos from my house to hers for a few minutes. Somehow I have changed in the last 6 month. I can yell over the noise and not be alarmed when the children are pounding on the piano. It all just brings a smile to my lips.

On the other hand, we live on a corner lot here in Arizona and we are just across the street from the pickle ball and tennis courts. When I look out my back window I can see the bocci ball courts. We visit with neighbors when we work in our little plot of soil in the front. In fact we visit more than we work. The social part of this life is why we come here. But there are no noisy children at play! The tones are very hushed a great deal of the time.

Smiling Shay and her Furby

You can see the cold in the Oregon air!

The Santa Catalina Mountains have a little snow on the peaks and a chill is in the air. But the sunshine is glorious. When we left Oregon the temperature lingered at 29 degrees and it had rained more than necessary I think. The contrast is remarkable. Oregon and Arizona are two very different places.

I do not prefer one place over the other. Being privileged enough to have the best of both worlds leaves me feeling grateful.

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Arizona Snowbirds: What You Don't Know Can Cost You...buying and selling park models!

Mexico RV Resort Living

Tucson AZ Park

It is hard to know what is the law and what is the whim of the RV resort owner! Here in Arizona, for example, our owner has made it the "law" that the owner of a park model cannot put a sign in the front window of their park model advertising the model for sale. The residence have even watched each other to make sure that the law was followed to the letter. They would report transgressions to the office. 

Then one of the employees of the park put a for sale sign in the window of a relative's park model. That was when the information was "leaked" to the rest of the residents. Much to our park owner's chagrin, it has been revealed that the state has a "law" of it's own and it says that the owners of the park models do have that right after all. The revelation has caused the owners here in the park to re-examine every rule they have previously followed.  For example:

• The park owner has always said that the owners could NOT remove a park model unless he gave his approval. He buys park model for $10,000 or less and resells or rents the units.
• The park owner charges the residence for letting someone come into the park and visit. A family member or a friends is charged $10 per day for visiting. I am not clear if that is $10 per person or just a one time fee. No one can tell me. That is a charge above and beyond what the residents already pays each year to rent the land upon which the park model sits.
• If we allow someone to stay in our park model while we are gone, the owner can even force an owner to leave the park. In the past he has taken control of who and how long a guest can stay even though it is the same or less people that would ordinarily occupy the park model even if it is a relative.

The owner is in the business of selling to the public here. He would like for all the residents to be forced to work through him.  He makes a percentage of sales and sells the newer or remodeled units at a profit. That is his motivation. I suppose that because older people are more vulnerable, he has gotten away with a lot in past years. 

This is just a sample of what can happen when you live in a 55+ community/RV resort. In most cases, the rules don't bother us at all. We are just living our lives. I am always a little reminded of living in a communist country. It does not really matter 99% of the time.

But when it comes to state law, I begin to wonder where the line is in the sand. Should an owner be held to account for not being more transparent with their clients?  Somehow I think so. But then that is just me! What do you think?

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Travel: 4 Best Smartphone/iPhone Apps on a Road Trip!

GasBuddy.com
The cost of gas is outrageous no matter where we go.  California is the very worst because they require a lot of anti-pollution refining and gas tax is high. That is where my iPhone app GasBuddy.com comes in handy.  I downloaded the app and turned on the location service. When I go to the app. it tells me where the lowest price for gas is near to where I am located..

This morning we were in Pomona, California having breakfast at Denny's. The young man that waited on us was nice enough to point us to the cheapest gas around. When I went to my GasBuddy app. it came up with the exact same location. I recommend you get this if you are going to travel.

AroundMe
I think I have used the AroundMe app more than any other on my iPhone.  Whether I want a drug store or a good restaurant, it has always been perfect. It shows me the possibility and is linked to the map to help me navigate to the location.

Yelp
I downloaded Yelp today on a whim.  I use it in Portland on my computer for seeking out good eats locally. When I saw that it was the most used app for finding the best restaurants in Scottsdale, I decided to give it a go.  It lists restaurants by best liked along with $$ to help decide based on your budget.  We found a place that we really enjoyed not far from the Marriot Towne Place.  It was just what we were wanting.

Google Maps

I have also installed Google Map on my new iPhone 5 and use it as our travel GPS to back up our Garmin. It works very good for us. When the motel we were looking for was not to be found, our Google map showed others nearby.

Honestly, I do not know how we would do this without the technology we use. Traveling is a bit like a wild goose chase any way...I like to make it as easy as I can.

Be well.

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