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Friday, August 31, 2018
Friday, July 20, 2018
Moon Day
Today is a day that I will never forget. For that matter, anyone who was living in 1969, will never forget this day.
The Summer of '69 was not a happy one for me. The previous year, 1968 had been a year filled with strife, riots and killings of major historical figures. These events were difficult for children to understand and I was still a child. I could not comprehend why anyone would kill a Christian minister(April 4, Martin Luther King, age 39) and a presidential candidate(June 5, Bobby Kennedy, age 42). I would not understand the historical value of these two men until many years later. The Vietnam war raged on and there were riots in most major cities of the United States due to the murder of Dr. King. These images were bombarded on our television screens which (thankfully) some of us were still watching in black and white.
The one positive thing that seemed to dominate the news was the upcoming moon walk. We questioned the possibility. How could this be? The news covered each and every NASA flight. We knew the names of all the astronauts on the flights. Our schools would roll in the television sets so that we could see the various space walks. The Moon Landing was something that we were excited about and looking forward to.
The Summer of '69 arrived and we were barraged with instructions on how to take photos of the moon landing. I remember my father preparing his camera, making sure that there was film in it, he took practice shots, had them developed to see the results. (In those days our cameras were not digital, they used film and film needed to be developed.) The big challenge in taking photos from the television screen was the use of a flash. The flash would reflect onto the TV screen and the photograph would be ruined. These were the more mundane concerns of the Summer of '69. Would men land on the moon and would my father be able to take a photo of men landing on the moon.
The day arrived and our family watched with such excitement. We sat around the television set and no one spoke a word. We wanted to hear every word that the Frank Reynolds had to say. Frank Reynolds* would explain each and every detail of the lunar module and we were mesmerized. (Everything that I ever learned about space I learned from Frank Reynolds. I can still hear the sound of his voice in my head explaining every little detail) Dad took his pictures, using an entire roll of film...there were 12 shots!
The photos didn't come out, they were all thrown away...eventually. I laugh as I write this because things have changed so much. Today we would simply pull out our smart phones and take video and photos without worry of the flash or the number of shots that we could take.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" These words by Neil Armstrong would be etched in our vernacular for the rest of our lives. They would, also, be misquoted...a lot.
Neil A. Armstrong, Commander, Apollo 11Our interest in the moon landing and the astronauts didn't end on July 20, 1969. We watched the news and the special reports to see them come back down to earth. The command module would be separated from the service module...etc. There would be a few minutes when we would lose all contact with the astronauts as they were re-entering our atmosphere. Everyone would take a big sigh of relief when we gained contact again. Coming back to Earth was no easy feat since they landed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and there was always the possibility of burning up while entering Earth's atmosphere! After "splashdown" it might take quite a while to locate the pod and once the men emerged from the capsule they would be quarantined for three weeks to ensure that they had not returned with any undesirable lunar microbes.
The crew of Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Commander; Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot, Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr., Lunar Module Pilot.
Photos courtesy of Pixabay.
These are simply memories. Ones which I will never forget. Please don't read this expecting scientific knowledge, they are simply the memories of a very eventful day in the life of a child. Click here for a more accurate and historical account of Apollo 11.
*No Joke...I can still hear the voice of Frank Reynolds in my head.
Ana Maria Batista
Monday, April 2, 2018
April, In Like a Lion!
The New York Yankees just cancelled today's home opener due to SNOW! The dreaded "S" word is getting to feel like another four letter word that I would rather not utter.
This morning we awoke to more snow than predicted, schools were closed. The "nuisance" snow that we expected has turned out to be a bit more than a nuisance! Just when I was looking forward to seeing my daffodils in bloom, this is what they looked like this morning. The one saving grace for the weather that we are having is the predicted warm up for later this week. The weatherfolk have forecast temps in the 60's for Wednesday.
Even the birds were angry this morning. They woke me up to a song that sounded like "what the F is this today? My workout for this morning will consist of getting out the shovel. I guess it will be an "arm day."
He wouldn't look into the camera because he was too busy eating snowflakes. He thinks he's the boss of me.
BTW: Yesterday was Easter...unbelievable!
Winter does not want to go away.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Stop Stealing my Work!!!
"Watermarking your creative content"
I know just how you feel. You have spent hours editing an image for use on Facebook, Instagram or any of the myriad social sites on the planet. You have invested your heart and soul coming up with a catchy line for your picture. Finally, it's online and you're excited because you know it's fabulous and will get tons of likes, shares and comments.
Then the unthinkable happens...you see your work in someone's else business page....SAY WHAAAAT! %#&#.
Imagine that you have taken a photograph, then spent hours choosing the font, the color, the graphics. You are thrilled with your work and now someone has stolen it. They could have simply shared it, and given your site the credit, but this individual chose to copy and paste instead. Simply put: This is theft.
Once you get over the anger at seeing that your words and image have just been stolen. You need to know how to protect your work in the future.
You have two simple options:
- Put your website on your image
- Copyright your work
This will not protect your work from getting stolen, but it will show that the images are yours.
Putting your website on your image is quite simple. If you have done any graphics work on sites like Fotor, Canva or Pixlr, you can simply add another field of text with your website. These sites, also, give you the option of tweaking the transparency so that your site can be quite prominent or more subdued.
Here is the same image with one of my sites:
Some businesses chose to include their sites right in the middle of the image. They include their sites in a prominent spot so they cannot be cropped out.
The second option is to copyright all of your work. You can start this process from the very beginning...when you are tagging your images. When you are tagging your photos, be sure to go into the Properties setting and include your name under the copyright. In addition, place your copyright on the image prior to any online distribution.
This is how it's done:
Hold down the ALT key and type in 0169. This is what you get:
©
Practice that a few times, until you become comfortable with the process.
The next step is to add your name to the © symbol.
Like this: ©AnaBanana413
If you use Photoshop, you can do this to each and every photo that you take prior to releasing them. This way you don't have to think about it later. Personally, I don't like doing this because I crop and change the size of my pictures. Sometimes I have done this and the copyright watermark is just too prominent for my aesthetics.
Photoshop will, also, give you the ability to multiply your watermark all over the photos. Stock Photography sites like Fotolia and Shutterstock use this feature to protect the work of their photographers. The watermark is removed once you have paid for the images.
PLEASE NOTE:
You can copyright your own artwork and photography.
If you are using photos that you have not taken yourself, you don't have the legal right to claim them as your own, therefore, don't put a copyright watermark on them. If you have paid for the right to use a photo, you have only purchased the right to use it - you have not paid for the right to claim it as your own. That photo is someone else's artistic property. A copyright watermark tells the world that a specific work of art is your artistic property, because it was created by you.
This is not intended as legal advice. It is intended to show the reader how to identify their work as theirs prior to publicizing it on the Internet.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Windows 10...CATASTROPHE!
This is basically what I saw when I turned on my computer after downloading Windows 10. Where was that familiar screen that I had become so accustomed to?
Once I began to work a serious problem arose: WHERE ARE ALL MY FILES!!!!!
I began to open each and every file only to discover that they were all labeled: Empty Folder.
After a minor meltdown, I decided to post the question out to the Internet Gods. Lo and behold the answer came immediately. My old files had been stored in my Network folder.
Now I had to begin the task of re-filing back to where they belonged. Why has Windows decided to screw around with our files...who knows?
If you have the same problem, don't freak(like I did). Simply open your Network Folder and you will find all of your familiar files. You have the option of leaving them there or filing them away as you see fit.
WHERE ARE MY OLD FILES?
In the Network Folder
I have yet to experience the Windows 10 experience, because I have to return my files to where they belong! They keep asking me to review the new system...hmmm; it's not a very positive experience thus far.
FINDING YOUR APPS:
On the lower left hand corner, you will see the Windows icon...click on that...at the very bottom you will see "all apps"...click on that. You will find all of your apps there. From this point you can choose which ones to pin to the start menu, just like the old Windows 8.1.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Garden Hacks: Homemade Weed Killer, Does it Really Work?
Does this simple recipe really work? Watch the video and decide if it will work for you.
Recipe and before and after video to help you decide if this homemade recipe for a weed and vegetation killer will work for you.
Weed & Vegetation Killer Recipe:
1 Gallon of White Vinegar
2 Cups of Epsom Salt
1/4 Cup of Dawn Blue Dish Washing Liquid
THIS IS NEITHER ORGANIC OR CHEMICAL FREE:
There is nothing chemical free or organic about this recipe. The formula is somewhat safer for skin, pets and children than what you would buy pre mixed at a hardware store. You don't ingest this, it's for weeds and vegetation.
The formula is considerably cheaper than those pre-mixed formulas that you would find at hardware stores.
TIPS:
Do spray when the temperature is between 60 - 80 degrees.
Do remember protect your skin by wearing sunscreen and shoes with long pants. If this gets on your skin it might irritate your skin.
Don't use this when pets and children are nearby. Be safe.
Don't spray it on a windy day, or even a breezy day or you will kill plants that you don't want to kill.
Don't spray it if it will rain within 24 hours, or if has rained within 24 hours.
In the video you will notice that the walkway didn't stay weed free. I had used a product called Spectracide in the past and it lasts for the entire Summer. I usually put it down in April or May and it will keep my walkways weed free until the Fall.
Weed & Vegetation Killer Recipe:
1 Gallon of White Vinegar
2 Cups of Epsom Salt
1/4 Cup of Dawn Blue Dish Washing Liquid
PLEASE NOTE:
This recipe is all over social media as an easy and inexpensive way to kill unwanted weeds. Most of us are very concerned with the chemicals we are being exposed to. The chemicals used in this weed killer recipe are less harmful to our environment. This recipe works quickly; however, the effects of the weed killer don't last as long as more potent and toxic options.
Friday, February 20, 2015
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