Time for Glasses

I just had my birthday and have to say that getting old really sucks. While I tell everyone that I am still 17, my true age is slightly north of that. Ok, maybe a lot north of that. This year for my birthday I got a string of doctor's appointments and news that I had better start taking better care of myself. One of those doctor's appointments was with an eye doctor.

My vision has always been pretty good and so I have never felt it necessary to visit an eye doctor. This year I couldn't opt out of it as my regular care physician made me go. My wife celebrated that I was finally visiting the optometrist as she has been wearing glasses for most of our married life. She was in the room when I sat down for the eye exam. The eye chart went up on the wall and I got to read off a bunch of letters. Then I read the smaller ones and had it confirmed that I still have 20/20 vision. That was the good news and I had a smug look on my face as my wife accepted the news that I don't need glasses for distance.

Then it came time to test my reading vision. My wife knew the outcome as she has slowly watched my arms become too short to read the time on my watch. I wish I could say that I came away from the appointment without needing any glasses. Fortunately I only need them to read and I don't think they are that strong of a value. Furthermore I can get them at any drugstore without a prescription. So Friday evening I picked up a 3-pak of glasses: one for the house, one for the boat, and one for the office.

I have been wearing my glasses in the evenings and have felt a much stronger urge to read. I didn't think my desire to read had diminished that much in the past few years. However now I find it much more enjoyable and realize that my diminishing eyesight has had a negative effect on my reading habits. So if you find yourself not wanting to read as much as you used to, you might want to get your eyes checked. Of course you also have the option to get an electronic reading device like a Kindle and just use a bigger font.

Internet Reliability

"Don't believe everything to read on the Internet" -Abraham Lincoln

I am not sure who actually coined the above quote but it is funny because there is no way Abraham Lincoln could have made such a comment. It also illustrates the point that there is a lot of false information on the Internet. One has to be careful about where pearls of wisdom are found.

One benefit of newspapers is that there are editors to ensure facts are checked and lies are not printed. It doesn't always work, but it does most of the time. On the Internet, anyone with enough technical knowledge can print whatever they want. There is nothing to prevent the spreading of false conspiracy theories, non-working medical remedies, or untrue rumors. Therefore it is important to take everything you read on the Internet with a grain of salt.

There are a number of websites that do contain truthful information and it is important to be able to separate fact from fiction. It is rare that you will get bad medical information from the Mayo Clinic or WebMD. However I would double-check Jimmy-Bobs recipe for ridding yourself of the flu. If something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. One nice thing about the Internet though is that if you find an untruthful site, spin the wheel and search again. Chances are you will find a reliable site with the information you need.

Using Your Tablet as a Second Display

I recently added another computer to my desk at work. The new computer came with another couple of monitors and so now I have 6 huge monitors on my desk. If I wasn't so swamped I would have them set up already. I did get one set up with my Mac laptop and it has been very nice.

In a couple of weeks I will be headed back to Japan and am hoping the flight will be as empty as it has been in the past. If that is the case, I will be able to spread out to the seat next to me. I have gotten used to having multiple monitors and was wondering if there is a way to turn one of my tablets into a second display. Guess what? It turns out there is software out there that does just that. It is called Air Display and a lot of people think it works really well. The program is not free but is reasonably priced at $9.99. I have yet to buy it and try it out but am thinking I should before my next trip.

Air Display works with Mac and Windows computers as well as iPad or Android tablets. It may even work with iPhones and Android phones but they are too small for me to use them as a second screen; even the new larger-sized iPhone.