Saturday, June 9, 2012

Google+ Hangout and Android

This post is for my friends, family, and people in cyberspace who ask me about Google Hangouts using their Android phones.  Google+ Hangout help and F1 are always your other options.
To have a Hangout, your Android device will need:
  • Android 2.3+
  • A front-facing camera
  • Hangouts will work best if you are connected to a high speed or wifi network. For the best audio quality, try using Hangouts with headphones.
1. If you haven't downloaded the Google+ app, download the Google+ app. For more information and additional options (iOS & web) click through the image.
2. Find your app, however YOU set up your apps. You can select the Google+ App or Messenger. Messenger is an option available on your Android device vice the computer. 

3. Select the option to start your hangout.  This screen capture displays one of many options for you to access Google+ hangouts depending on your device. Tap your expansion arrow next to your Stream and the drop down menu should display the options for you.

If you are using Android Apps in a learning environment or if you are an autodidact, check out Richard Byrne's, author of the Free Technology for Teachers blog, other blog Android 4 Schools where you can learn and tinker with the latest Android apps and devices that Mr. Byrne provides information about.

How do you help friends and family with stuff you have been using?
Comments, recommendations, +1s, and reaction box checks are welcome.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Update your browser or call your kids

A coworker shared this screen shot with us and it was the humor of the day:



Do you have a choice in the digital tools used in your work environment?

A previous post, How do you keep your stuff up to date? provides some additional screen shots when attempting to access Gmail or Google+ using the tools used in the work place.

Comments, recommendations, +1s, and reaction box checks are welcome.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Kids moving back home for the summer? Parents moving in for an extended stay?

Times are different for the generation suffering from the quarter age crisis. Today families are converging, whether it is to take care of a parent who needs a place to live or medical care, to young adults who realize life is not what they perceived once they crossed a high school or college graduation stage, or for financial reasons.

This Google Doc provides some basic parameters to document before the young adult child returns home for a temporary stay or if a parent, in law, or any other acquaintance moves in to your home for an extended stay. It is acceptable to set the ground rules, modify as agreed upon, and post them on a door in the home or on the net. Whether the cohabitants move is only for the summer break from school or for an extended stay, set the ground rules before those who are uber sensitive get their feelings hurt to the individual who thinks they are entitled to a place to stay without restitution.

It is also acceptable to have everyone come to the table with their top 10 rules and preferences, involve the digital devices, document the situation, and start a family blog. I am not the expert in this situation, but the 2010 census shows that 5.1 million households are considered multigenerational households sharing what we know, lessons learned, and what works in unique situations helps everyone involved.




Comments, recommendations, suggestions, and document ratings are always welcome.
Other external articles you may enjoy:
6 tips for living with boomerang kids by Steve Santiago @ Bankrate.com
Parenting Articles about Adult Children @ Empowering Parents
Adult Children Moving Home @ Frugal Dad

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Bugle Call apps iTunes and Google Play

One popular free app developed by service members and usable by many digital device users is the Bugle Call app. The Android app has 16 common bugle calls and the iTunes version contains 18 common bugle calls. This app is free and used with the military members and families, ROTC students, JROTC students, Girl and Boy Scouts, and others who use bugle calls for unique and diverse reasons. This app is available through iTunes and Google Play.
The iTunes version has 18 Bugle calls.
The Android version has 16 Bugle Calls
Bugle calls are also available on the web from a variety of sites and sources.
US Army Bugle Calls
US Scouting Bugling Merit Badge
Wikipedia Bugle Calls

How do you use Bugle calls? Ceremonies? Formal and informal learning environments? Family get togethers? Tinkering? Comments, recommendations +1s, and reaction check boxes are always appreciated.

Monday, May 28, 2012

VA National Cemeteries Gravesite Locator and ABMC

Memorial Day - A day to remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. If you have a friend or family member who is buried in a VA National Cemetery, state veterans cemeteries, other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, or veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker in the United States, you can use this tool to locate the gravesite. If you are looking for one of the sites overseas, the American Battle Monuments Commission manages that information.

Nationwide Gravesite Locator - Entering the last name is required, all other fields are optional. But as with any data search the more information entered the quicker and more accurate the results.
If you cannot locate the person you are searching for, you can provide the following information on each individual: Full name, including any alternate spellings, Date and place of birth, Date and place of death, State from which the individual entered active duty, Military service branch and mail the request to the address below.

Most requests take approximately four weeks for a reply. Include your return mailing address, phone number, or email address with the request. Mail your requests to: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
National Cemetery Administration (41C1)
Burial Location Request
810 Vermont Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20420

American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) manages 24 overseas military cemeteries, and 25 memorials, monuments, and markers. Nearly all the cemeteries and memorials specifically honor those who served in World War I or World War II.

American Battle Monuments Commission maintains databases which include:
  • Those interred at the American World War I and World War II cemeteries overseas.
  • The missing in action from World War I and World War II who are memorialized on Tablets of the Missing within the cemeteries and on three memorials in the United States.
  • Those killed worldwide during the Korean War.
  • War dead and veterans of the Mexican War, Civil War and Spanish-American War who are buried at the ABMC cemeteries in Corozal, Panama and Mexico City.
  • The missing in action of the Vietnam War memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial.
  • All interments at Corozal American Cemetery, including civilians who built and operated the Panama Canal.
How are you using the VA Cemeteries Gravesite Locator or the American Battle Monuments Commission databases? Comments, recommendations +1s, and reaction check boxes are always appreciated.