Monthly Archives: August 2013

DROID’S RAZR MAXX HD Vs. the iPhone

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in Product Reviews

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The DROID RAZR HD's "self-portrait-by-screenshot"

The DROID RAZR MAXX HD’s “self-portrait-by-screenshot”

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

I’ve learned a lot about my iPhone since using the DROID RAZR MAXX HD. (Gosh, I wish Motorola’s smart phone had a simpler, more elegant name.) In an earlier post I shared some thoughts about the DROID, which I’ve been testing for nearly three months, and the iPhone, which I’ve owned for more than three years. In this post I’ll say a word or two about the differences in the two phones, including the battery life and the network speed. For those of you wondering if I’m ready to jump the Apple ship, there are two major factors I’ll be considering first: security and cost. After I’ve talked with a representative at my local Verizon Wireless store to compare apples to oranges, as it were, and after I’ve reviewed some issues concerning malware and the DROID, I’ll render my final verdict.

Before I begin, I’d like to revisit two aspects of the phones covered in my earlier post—sound and syncing—and you can blame a representative at the Apple store and David Pogue of the New York Times for the redundancies.

At the Apple store, I learned that I’m not able to use the Cloud to sync my iPhone with my MacBook Pro because of my iPhone’s outdated operating system. This is why it’s so clunky for me to get photos from my iPhone to my laptop, and why the Android’s seamless operating system allowed my pictures to magically appear on Google+ (and hence my laptop). Moreover, I am unable to download the current iPhone operating system precisely because I have too many pictures on the phone. There’s just not enough room, and so I’m taking the time to (laboriously) delete photos from the iPhone’s camera roll.

Having iOS 6.1.3 will not only allow me to Cloud-sync my iPhone with my MacBook Pro (calendar, apps, and photos), it will also allow Siri to do more for me than I previously imagined. Siri herself told me that she cannot open Facebook (something the DROID can do on command) even though I asked her nicely: “I can do that if you update to the latest version of iOS.”

“The Voice-Off: Android Vs. Siri,” the title of Pogue’s insightful “State of the Art” column for the August 21, 2013 edition of the Times, taught me even more about Siri and the DROID’S voice, which I call “Gigi.” I prefer Gigi to Siri for a number of reasons. I happen to think her tone conveys more warmth, although Pogue notes that this fall, with i0S 7 (which will probably become available as soon as I’ve updated to iOS 6-whatever), “Siri will gain a more pleasant speaking voice.” But Pogue maintains that Siri has it all over Gigi when it comes to a sense of humor. He asked his Siri, “Who’s your daddy?”. She replied: “You are. Can we get back to work now?” Here’s the dialog when I posed the same question to my Siri:

Me: Who’s your daddy?

Siri: What?

Me: Who is your daddy?

Siri: My daddy?

Me: Yes, Siri. Your daddy.

Siri: That’s what I figured.

Pogue pointed out another thing I’ve come to prefer about the DROID: as you dictate a question or a command, the words appear on the screen as you say them. Siri won’t transcribe what you’re saying until you’ve finished saying it. Pogue’s thorough assessment is so wonderful that I encourage you to read it.

These Are Phones, Right? Well, How Do Those Work?
While we’re on the subject of sound, I should say a word about the intrinsic purpose of the DROID and the iPhone: their ability to make and receive phone calls.

For clarity and ease of dialing, the iPhone wins hands down. I don’t care for the distracting way the DROID runs through my contacts when I’m entering a telephone number similar to that of another person. I also prefer the iPhone’s quality and clarity of sound during a phone call.

Now what I’m about to say next has nothing to do with the DROID or the iPhone, and everything to do with one’s wireless carrier. The company I’ve been with since the beginning (I won’t name it here but you can guess), has scant receptivity in one of my favorite towns. It also kept dropping calls when my husband (who uses the same provider) and I tried to have a conversation while he was on a business trip. (Our conversation improved markedly when I phoned him back using my Verizon-Wireless-powered DROID.)

Size Matters. So Does Speed. And Longevity.
At first I found the DROID RAZR MAXX HD too large for my hand, too alien. I quickly grew accustomed to its girth and actually prefer it to the iPhone. I simply find the DROID’S larger screen easier on the eyes, and find myself reaching for the it to view websites and photos when my iPad isn’t at hand. The iPhone feels far too small to me now.

Network speed has been iffy with both of the phones. The DROID’s 4GLTE is supposed to be the fastest thing going, but I haven’t always found this to be the case. Still, it’s faster than my iPhone’s 4G, which takes longer to pull up emails.

The battery lasts longer on the DROID than on the iPhone, which I seem to have to charge on a daily basis. I’ve gone several days without charging the DROID. This is an important consideration during an unexpected power outage.

What Next?
As I noted at the start of this post, the final clincher for me will be cost and security. I’ll be back with my final assessment after I’ve done additional research. For now, given that I’ve addressed sound and phone function in this post, I’ll let David Pogue have the last word and leave you with this sobering thought from the conclusion of his article:

Cellphone speech recognition is getting better fast. Very soon, we’ll do less talking through our phones—and more talking to them.

Sicilian Biscotti

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Food for Thought

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Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti, bakingAbandon all hard, twice-baked, coffeehouse biscotti, ye who enter here. I propose a softer, gentler biscotti—just like my Sicilian grandmother and mother used to bake. Are they a lot of work? Sì, sì. Are they worth it? Assolutamente! These delicious cookies, unfrosted, freeze beautifully, so you can prepare them in advance. When you’re ready to serve them, thaw them and frost them the day before you’re ready to serve. Or frost them the day you bake them, as soon as they’ve cooled. Or don’t frost them at all. I guarantee you’ll love them. (And if you enjoy them with coffee, remember: it’s all right to dunk.)

Oh, and by the way…bloggers from The Midlife Boulevard are sharing their favorite recipes. Click where it says “Click here” to find out what’s cooking!

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SICILIAN BISCOTTI

—Makes approximately 14 dozen cookies

Two sticks unsalted butter, softened
Six eggs
Two-and-a-half cups sugar
One-and-a-half cups milk
Three tablespoons baking powder
One teaspoon vanilla*
Eight cups unsifted flour (more might be needed)

*Some people prefer anise flavoring, or even lemon. I’m not one of those people.

STEP ONE: Cream sugar and shortening in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Here’s how the dough should look after all six eggs have been incorporated into the batter.

STEP TWO: Combine vanilla and milk. Add baking powder to five cups of the flour. Add some of the vanilla/milk, and alternate with some of the enhanced flour. Beat after each addition and continue to alternate liquid with dry ingredients until the five cups of enhanced flour have been used up.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Here’s how the dough should look after the vanilla/milk mixture and five cups of flour (with baking powder incorporated) have been added.

STEP THREE: Add remaining three cups of flour a small amount at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. At this point we begin to bake the way my grandmother did; she spoke very little English, and never wrote out her recipes—my mother was her scribe. You will absolutely have to add more flour—I can’t really say how much, because, like my grandmother, at this point I work by instinct. Just know that you’ll know you’ve hit the sweet spot when you pull apart a small amount of dough and it begins to hold shape and no longer feels sticky. You’ll also find, shortly before reaching this point, that the mixer has given you its all and it’s time to add the additional flour by hand, stirring well. At this stage you’ll want to use either a heavy spoon, or what I like to call a culinary carpet beater. If you’ve ever read my recipe for spätzle, you’ll recognize this utensil.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Time to switch out the mixer and use some elbow grease, along with either a heavy spoon or a utensil like the one depicted here. I also find it helpful to transfer the dough into a larger bowl.

STEP FOUR: You deserve a break after using the carpet beater. You’ll also have used your hands to knead the dough. Note that I’ve transferred the dough to a larger bowl for easier handling. Top the dough closely with wax paper so that no air gets to it, Put plastic wrap over the entire bowl, and refrigerate it while you grab some lunch or a cup of coffee.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti

Here’s what the finished dough should look like. It’s now ready for a brief sojourn in the refrigerator while you put your feet up.

STEP FIVE: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and prepare your work area. I like to use a large cutting board at my dining room table. (I’m careful to spread a heavy-duty vinyl table cloth on it first.) You’ll also need extra flour to dust the board, plenty of greased cookie sheets, and a knife for cutting the dough.

Roll the dough, by hand, into desired shapes—I like to make braided wreaths, straight braids, S-shapes, and coils. This photo gallery will show you the process for making a braided wreath.

Place the shaped biscotti on greased cookie sheets, and bake at 400-degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are very lightly browned on top. Do not overbake. Once they have cooled, they are ready for frosting.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

—Makes enough frosting for about 10 dozen biscotti

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti, bakingOne stick unsalted butter, softened
One teaspoon vanilla extract
One pound Confectioner’s sugar (no need to sift)
Three to four tablespoons milk

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, cream butter with extract. Gradually add Confectioner’s sugar, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in milk and beat until frosting is of spreading consistency.

I find it helpful to prepare my workspace ahead of time, spreading my trusty tablecloth on the dining table, using freezer paper as a way station for the unfrosted biscotti and a finishing room for the ones I’ve already frosted. You’ll want to let the frosted cookies sit out in the air for several hours so the icing hardens up and makes it easier to transfer them to either a serving platter or a Tupperware storage container, using waxed paper to line the layers of cookies. Once frosted, these should keep for about a week if kept in an airtight container. No need to refrigerate them.

One final note: if you find yourself intimidated by the amount of work these take, do what I do and make them once or twice a year only during holiday seasons. I recently made a large batch for my future daughter-in-law’s bridal shower, and shaped a few longer braids into hearts.

Marci Rich, The Midlife Second Wife, biscotti, baking

Do Advertisers Care What Boomers Think?

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Current Events, Money Matters, Technology

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VerizonBoomerVoicesDisclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and will be provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Earlier this month, Pam Flores of ComBlu—a social business and influencer marketing firm—interviewed me for her company’s blog, Lumenatti. One of ComBlu’s clients is Verizon; you might recall my earlier post (“Hey Boomers—Verizon Will Hear You Now”) in which I discuss my participation in the Verizon Boomer Voices program.

I want to share Pam’s article with you because you are either a Boomer (in or out of midlife), or you love someone who is. And here’s why you should care:

According to an article in Forbes.com (cited in my interview), five misconceptions come to mind when advertisers think about the Boomer demographic:

1. Boomers aren’t tech-savvy.

2. Older people aren’t cool.

3. Older adults don’t spend.

4. The “golden years” are a time of relaxation.

5. The older generation is always loyal to a brand.

Do you agree with any of this? After you’ve had a chance to read the interview, I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can share your comments below, or directly on the ComBlu site.

Thanks—and happy tech-ing and spending, you cool people, you!

And the Winner of the KitchenAid Food Processor Is …

15 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Giveaways

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The Midlife Second Wife, Viewpoints, KitchenAidDrum roll, please! Viewpoints and I are happy to announce that the winner of the KitchenAid Pro Line Dicing Food Processor giveaway is Lorena from Chicago, Illinois. She was selected from all combined eligible entries in a random drawing that was held at Viewpoints. Lorena will receive her awesome prize in a few weeks.

Congratulations, Lorena! And thanks again to all who entered the contest!

An Artist Before Radiation… and After

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Inspiring Women, Special Events, The Cultured Life, Transitions

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Leslie Miller (American, 19xx - )

Leslie Miller (American, 1949 – )
Birds on Map I, 2003
Mixed media
Copyright © 2003 Leslie Miller. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Ohio artist Leslie Miller was working on this collage—part of a planned series of mixed-media bird paintings—when she was diagnosed with uterine cancer in December of 2003. It is one of the last painted works she was able to complete before losing function on the right side of her body.

In one of cancer’s mystifying quirks, rogue cells bypassed Leslie’s lungs to cross the blood-brain barrier—a highly unusual occurrence—nestling themselves near the center of her brain. Her original cancer, cured after months of chemotherapy and radiation, proved relentless after all: she now had brain cancer. She endured Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (a closed-skull procedure), 10 weeks of radiation, and, finally, traditional open-skull surgery. Her brain—arguably the body’s most sensitive organ—could take no more. Radiation necrosis stilled the hand that had coaxed charcoal, oils, and brushes into astonishing works of art for nearly five decades.

Chemotherapy and radiation saved her life but made it worse.

Ask her what kept her going throughout her health crisis, and her placid demeanor grows slightly emphatic: “I’d just get disgusted with myself for being a crybaby, and tell myself: ‘Stop it! Stop whining and get busy!'”

And so she pushed back against the changes in her life. Eager to return to the bird series, she compensated for her increasing paralysis by resorting to more controllable surfaces on which to work. If she could no longer stand and manage a canvas, she could sit at her dining room table and draw on envelopes.

Leslie Miller (1950 - ) Untitled Pencil

Leslie Miller
Wood Pidgeon, 2006
Pencil
Copyright © 2006 Leslie Miller. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

By 2006, however, the loss of the fine motor skills so essential to drawing was complete. In a masterful reinvention, Leslie exchanged brushes and pencils for a Panasonic Lumix digital camera, finding art in the ordinary elements of daily life: bowls of green apples and cherries (“Because life is a bowl of cherries,” she says with wry humor); a bunch of beets on an enamel table; photographs of every friend who stopped by to visit. No one, myself included, escaped without getting their “portrait” done.

A portrait of the artist with her friends. Photo credit: Marci Janas Rich

A portrait of the artist with her friends. The curator of her exhibition can be seen at the far right of the top row; I’m at the far left. Photo credit: Marci Janas Rich

Now, at 63—10 years after her first diagnosis—Leslie is overseeing preparations for a retrospective solo exhibition of her life’s work at the Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery on the campus of Lorain County Community College in Northeast Ohio. It is a dream come true, she says; she has fantasized about such an exhibition for years.

Born and raised in the college town of Oberlin, Ohio, where she lives today, this solo exhibition, appropriately titled Paper Painting Before Radiation, is the first to be presented in her native Lorain County.

Guest curator Jean Kondo Weigl has selected 81 examples of Leslie’s works on paper in mixed media—representing drawing, painting, printmaking, and collage—for the retrospective, which will be on view from August 26 through September 28, 2013. The works represent only a fraction of the art Leslie created between 1981 and 2006.

Even though Leslie’s art has won awards and earned her grants, residencies, and solo and group exhibitions—including one at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s prestigious May Show in 1993—much of it has never been seen before.

“Leslie has received significant recognition throughout her career,” says Kondo Weigl, “but her focus has always been the practice of her art, rather than its promotion. As a result, she’s received considerably less public attention and critical acclaim than her work deserves.”

Leslie Miller (American, 1950- ) Pink Sky II, 1996 Mixed media

Leslie Miller (American, 1949- )
Pink Sky II, 1996
Mixed media
Copyright © 1996 Leslie Miller. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

I asked her what her art means to her. (Even though she is no longer able to paint, even though taking photographs has become more difficult, I cannot use the past tense.)

“It’s just a passion,” she tells me. “Something I get lost in. A kind of escape from myself.” She repeats a quote attributed to Mark Rothko that she recalls reading. “He said, and this is a paraphrase, ‘It’s nice when people come to see me in my studio, but it’s nice when they leave. It’s even nicer when I leave.'”

Leslie will just have to put up with the throngs of art lovers who will be clamoring to see her work. I suspect she knows how much pleasure this will give her.

 

About the Artist
Leslie Miller earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion from Bates College, and a Master of Arts diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She has been awarded professional development grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Contemporary Artists Center in North Adams, Massachusetts; she was in residence at the latter for three consecutive years in the 1990s and was part of group exhibition there. She has also held a residency at I-Park in East Haddam, Connecticut. She won the Best in Show prize at the Beck Center in Lakewood, Ohio, where her work was part of a group exhibition called Proscenium ’92.

Other group exhibitions include shows at the Erie Art Museum in Erie, Pennsylvania; the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art; the College of Wooster Art Museum; the Mather Gallery at Case Western Reserve University; the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts in Oberlin, Ohio; the Pearl Conard Gallery at the Ohio State University; and the May Show at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which was juried and curated by Evan Turner, director emeritus of the museum.

Solo exhibitions featuring her work have been held at Jamaica Plain Gallery in Boston, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation in Miami, Florida; and in Israel at the American Cultural Centers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

She began writing poetry in 2006, and Foothills Publishing released a chapbook of her work, Boom Time: 1946-1964, in 2007. She has since completed a nearly book-length manuscript.