My windows 10 installation experience

Now my computer is like my baby. So when I first heard about the free windows 10 upgrade, I said 'no, no thanks, I'm happy with 7'.

But then, some events took place to change my mind.
During a bad thunderstorm, lightning ran in through our phone line and toasted hubby's computer. He's having to use our old XP computer in order to have something to get online with. Here's the link to an event I created about that:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1151459831537335/

Watching him scour around checking on what he could and couldn't upgrade on that computer, that's what settled me on upgrading to 10. I didn't want to get there with 7, on my baby. So I clicked the button and reserved my upgrade and set back and waited.

Today, I was on my computer doing my usual stuff, when it froze up on me for a moment. I've come to recognize that as meaning that it has some updates to install. Baby is hinky that way. So I checked updates, and low and behold, the windows 10 box said it was ready to install. That's when I checked the windows 10 app, and it said it was still downloading, so I waited till it said it was ready to go.

This screen below is where you want to get your info from, and it's where you'll start when the download is ready to go.

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Windows 10 rolling out in 190 countries as a Free upgrade from today, Download ISO files hereDownload it from here: http://goo.gl/90asUr
Posted by Windows 10 on Wednesday, July 29, 2015

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So, when it was ready, I followed the instructions. Here are a couple of screenshots of when it was upgrading. It took all of about 2-1/2 hours to do, from start to finish. As you can tell from the photos, it has some really nice graphics that let you know what it's doing.

It has the big circle graphic in the center that gives a total percentage of how it's progressing. At the top, below the upgrading windows, it says: "Your PC will restart several times. Sit back and relax."

 At the bottom, there are three word groups:
- Copying files
- Installing features and drivers
- Configuring settings

They start out as all grey colored. The one that is being worked on will be white, with a percentage of how far along it is. When the first one reaches 100 percent, it will restart; then start working on the next one. Just remember: grey means it hasn't been done yet, white means it's being done, and blue means it's finished.

When it got done, I didn't have much of any trouble finding stuff and getting going. My desktop and taskbar looked a lot the same, but it was the start menu where I noticed the changes. Here's a peek at my desktop and the start menu:

The main issue I had afterwards was with my HP printer. It wasn't recognizing it at all. But, I solved the problem by going to the HP website and downloading the software for my printer. That took close to an hour itself. But, the printer is all installed now and working fine.

Everything has a different look to it, but the print and pictures seem sharper, and my computer is just as fast as ever. There's a lot I have to learn about it, but I'm liking it a lot, and am glad I upgraded.

Just wanted to share this info with everyone. Take care.
-- jd --

Respecting others' right to choose

Great points made in the above video. Wish more people on facebook would put into practice what this video says. Unless it's illegal or severely insulting, let others choose to take it or leave it.

I miss the 1980s, part 1

For the first time in my life, I truly do miss another time period. I miss the 1980s. The world was a simpler, kinder place back then. The seeds planted in the 1960s had taken root and were flourishing. I miss the peace that existed in the world back then.

Computers were just beginning come into their own, and the internet was still in it's fetus stage. When I graduated business college in the mid 1980s, they were just beginning to teach desktop computers. I learned computers on a big IBM system 34.

People were nicer then. Television was much better then. Yeah, we have more channels, but there's not a lot on them sometimes. There's way too much reality t.v. today. I was much slimmer then, and in much better shape, both physically and financially.

It was at the tail end of the 1980s that I met my hubby. I took karate in the 80s, and got in probably what was the best shape of my whole life. I think the 80s were my golden decade, in a way. Life held such great promise back then.

With the 1990s, came a lot of changes, both for me and the world. That's where it all started. Some of the changes have been good, and some have been bad. There's not really much of anything about the 90s that I miss; it was not a good decade for me nor my hubby. The only redeeming thing about the 90s is that I married my husband and moved out of my parents' home, and finally began to truly discover myself. Instead of trying to fit into the mold that my mother constantly laid out for me.

Having been in a situation where I was told by someone else, who they thought I should be, how I should act, what I should do - I have sympathy for those in the same situation.

A bad thing that the 90s held for hubby and me was the beginning of a financial downslide that we still haven't recovered from yet.

It's getting late, and I'm getting tired. So I'll continue this another time.

Reviewer basics - What would you like to know?

There are lots of articles for writers, about various things, various how to topics. But how about getting reviews? More specifically, about how to contact reviewers? What to say? What they'll expect? Should you pay for a review? 

What would you say to a series of articles, for writers, written by a book reviewer, on how to get reviewers and contact reviewers. Well, that's what I'm planning to do. I'd also like to know what questions you have? What is it that you would specifically like to know?

Share your questions with me either as a comment to this post, or use my contact form:

http://goo.gl/forms/fMOkka0Uu0

--jd--

Scotty McCreery totally nails "Hello Darlin'" at the Grand Ole Opry

Just had to blog about this one. I'm a big Conway Twitty fan from way back when. So when I run across a young singer who can totally nail one of their songs, like Scotty McCreery does, I have to give him his props.

Just sit back and enjoy the video.
You know, there's an awesome story behind that song. Maybe one day I'll write it, and dedicate the book to Conway and Scotty.
--jd--

Trying this out - emailing in a post

So, I ran across where you can email in blog posts, and I just have to try it out. So here goes, this is a test, it is only a test.

HAPPY FACE ME!

This so totally worked!

You can even set it where it will automatically post it too!

Yay!

If you want to do this yourself, go to your blog overview.
Then click on settings.
Then click on mobile and email.
Then under email, just under mobile, which is at the top, . . .
find - post using email -
Next, choose your secret word, then copy down your post by email address.
Then choose from save as draft or publish immediately.
Don't choose disabled, or it won't work.
AND BE SURE AND CLICK THE 'SAVE SETTINGS' BUTTON,
or else, your efforts will be for naught.

Then kick back and relax, and enjoy being able to email in posts to your blog.

Things to do while you're writing that book

So hey there, all you writers out there.
Yeah, you folks pecking away at the keyboard, or scribbling away in that notebook,
writing your novel.

While you're writing, just what else are you doing?
If you're asking, 'I'm supposed to be doing something else?'
then you're definitely missing it.

Writing that book, that's only 1 part of the self-publishing process. And even if you plan on submitting it to a publisher, writing is still only part of the process. While you're writing that book, you need to be busy promoting

*you the author*.

The cover, you can hire someone to do that, maybe even work out a exchange of services deal with some artist for the cover work. Same goes for formatting. It's the promoting that's the thing --

and if you wait till the book is published to start promoting, 

**** you've waited too long. ****

You, the author are a product, a brand, if you will, that you are going to endeavor to sell. For example, there's the big brand name of Kraft, and they make a lot of different products. They promote the big brand of Kraft, and also promote the different products too. When they come out with a new product, they automatically have a ready audience of Kraft users who will be interested; but only because they actively promote Kraft.

While you're writing that book, you need to be hard at work at promoting you, the author. Then, when the book is published, hopefully you will have some people already interested in reading what *you the author* have published. Think of yourself as Kraft, and your books as the products that Kraft makes. While you're writing, be busy telling the world who you, the author, are. It's all part of how the world, and publishing, works today. It's a social world, and readers want to connect online with the authors whose work they read.

Here's a list of some of the things you should do while you're writing your book:

• establish a facebook page, and post there daily; 
• establish a google plus page and post there occasionally; 
• set up a website, which you can do for free on sites like wix.com; 
• start a street team group and post there occasionally; 
• start a personal blog, to blog about what you're writing or whatever; 
• start a writer's newsletter via mailchimp and send it out monthly. 

And that's just a start. That's stuff you do while you're writing, in prep for when the book is finished. When it's finished, then you head out into another, completely different to do list, to promote your new book.
-- jd --