Colin vs. the Dragon!

Over the last three weeks or so, I have been trying to download and install "Dragon Dictation” for Mac, v. 4, with no success.
While my saga is not on the same scale as the trials of the legendary St. George, there are some parallels.
(A second 'St. George' — see below — had an easier time.)

You might ask, Dear Reader: Why do I use dictation software? Because of my poor finger skills on the keyboard, I use a dictation program when I have to write long documents.
I often have to prepare copy to post on our parish website, or the text of readings and announcements for a variety of liturgical ceremonies throughout the year.
Mac has an internal dictation program, which is so-so, and ’Evernote’ uses one which is better.
But neither of them come close to Dragon.

All the Best in 2015 !

For us, 2014 has been an ‘up-and-down’ year.
We welcomed our new family, Chris, Yannis, with Amélie, our grand-niece, now a busy 19 months old. It took place in late February, just after a furnace failure (fixed!) and just before the latest of our 24-hour blizzards.

Neither Mama or la niña had ever seen snow, so it was a treat to watch their reactions!
In June, my wife got to visit Cape Cod for the 50th Reunion of her Band (not a band like the ‘Eagles’ or ‘Rolling Stones,’ but her Class at the Sisters of Charity - Halifax).
In late July, she had emergency surgery, while I developed a flare-up of vertigo.
Since then, it has been a matter of ‘getting better.’

My Fave. Funnies

I love the 'Funnies.'
When I get my hands on the ‘morning paper’, I dive to the 'Arts and Life' section, and flip to the back page -- the comics page.

Here is what's available:
Baby Blues: with Zoe, Hamie (brother-from-hell), Baby Wren.
Born Loser: Wilberforce Thornapple, Hurricane Hattie, greedy / tyrant boss Vebbelfester’.
Overboard: Captain, Lab. dog, guest mice.
Betty: Mom, Dad, nerdy son.
Luann: 1st-year at college, and friends.
Blondie: Dagwood, Herb, Elmo, postman.
Dilbert: kamikaze office politics.
Zits: Jeremy, Pierce, in high school.
Jumpstart: cop, nurse, embryos, 8 pro-football brothers

Ah, the Newspaper …

When you pick up a newspaper, what do you read first?

Front page?
Local News?
Sports?
Obituaries?
Business?
Editorial?
Homes?
Movie guide?
or … perhaps … the Comics?
Even as newspapers shrink (classified ads, in-depth stories, pages, profits, staff), we still take our local daily, the Halifax ‘Chronicle Herald.’
There is still a tinge of discovery as we pluck it out of the box and unfurl the front page, to check the banner headline.
This news junkie also consults their on-line and e-editions several times per day, with alerts from them, and from CBC News, CNN, BBC News and NPR News.

A Great 'Small Town'

Small towns come up often in conversation, and are highly regarded ... in nostalgia.
Or, on the other hand, they get ‘a bad rap.’

The usual line goes: It was great to have been brought up in one, until … oh, until that day you felt the world (read ‘big city’) was passing you by.
Then, you couldn’t wait to get out and see the world!
For example, check out the biting lyrics in Paul Simon’s, ‘My Little Town,’ from 1975. Simon has stated that the song is not autobiographical; instead he says that it is about "someone who hates the town he grew up in. Somebody happy to get out."
But, I’m going to avoid nostalgia and praise a small town: Antigonish, N.S.
Recently, my wife underwent surgery at St. Martha’s Hospital, and I spent a week in town for support during her recovery.
I stayed at the nearby ’Maritime Inn,’ which has a room which is handicapped-equipped.
All I can say is in summary, the staff (as well as other townspeople) were great!
You notice right away that everyone seems to know everyone else,

TED Talks

One of the most fascinating Internet podcasts that I have run into is, ’TED Talks.’

The format isn’t fancy: ’TED Talks’ shows just one person talking for about 10 to 15 minutes, while standing alone on stage (perhaps with a minimal slide show) in front of an audience.
However, the subject matter is on a concept that might change the world, or as they state, ‘to stir your curiosity,’
The main attraction is simply that the talking is being done by many of the world’s brightest ’thinkers and doers' — in such fields as technology, psychology, sociology and literature.
My advice is to check out ’TED Talks’ on your computer, or better yet, get the App on your choice of platforms (I prefer the ‘video’ version, but please get the ‘audio’ if you listen while driving or walking).
It’s for those of us with eclectic interests.
And, be ready to be impressed!

My Favourite Podcasts

We may now be known by the podcasts we download!
I am a proud ‘news junkie,’ and I enjoy learning about all aspects of computers. (But don’t get me started on the terrible waste of time and resources on video / computer games!)

My downloaded podcasts reflect my tastes, and I really enjoy my daily walks while listening to good discussions on a headset on topics political and digital.
Here are a few that I proudly share:
— ‘Click:' BBC World audio, (Although there is a totally autonomous video version.) Tuesdays.