Finding a favorite old tool again: PaintShop

I did not know that PaintShop still exists! I used the Jasc versions in Windows 95 and XP.  Granted, I didn't use it particularly well. Using speech recognition to draw is… INTERESTING. Still, I could do what I wanted to do for the most part.

Then Jasc was sold to Corel. I could not afford the next upgrades, so I made-do. It worked. I could still do what I wanted to do for the most part. It was really getting clunky to use software that was designed for Windows Xp on a Windows 7 machine, but I've always been the slowest part of my computer.

I've tried installing on Windows 8. Yeah… It was time to find ANYTHING Else. I knew that Photoshop prices were way out of my league and I want all legal software. Besides, my niece showed me her copy. It didn't do anything that PaintShop used to do at well under $100, it just was slicker…

I tried GIMP, and did not like it. It was well worth the price. Other people swear by it, but I would wind up swearing at it.

Aviary had some interesting online editors for a while. SUMO Paint is really good for what it does and has an inexpensive desktop thingy. It just doesn't quite work with my brain.

My nieces and nephews still think that PHOTOSHOP is the gold standard. Next time I win two or three lifetimes worth of Publishers Clearing House, I will think about thinking about trying that overpriced bit of fluff.

For now, this fits my budget:

Help and Kudos for Caregivers

From the gentleman who invented "Granny Pods" so we can keep our elders out of nursing homes comes another Tool. It is an app called MyPart. For the most part, one or two members of the family tend to have most of the caregiving duties when there is a need. This seems to be true whether we are talking about Elder Care or a family member with a long-term disability or a catastrophic illness.

MYPART tries to spread the caregiving among a greater number of families and friends. This is a KICKSTARTER project that I would love to see funded.

Next week…

Sometime next week, I will begin learning something new. :-)

:-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will see what kind of student I will be.

Who knew? ReelAbilities Film Festival

My occupational therapist at the Methodist Hospital, Judi Joseph, happened to mention something that is starting this weekend. To be specific: February 9-13 is Houston's ReelAbilities Disabilities Film Festival for 2014. I had never heard about this! It looks intriguing, maybe even beautiful.

Here is Monday's listing:

How to Train Your Dragon Rated: PG
Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION
Registration not required

My Spectacular Theater Rated: PG-13
*Special appearance by Christine Ha, winner of MasterChef Season 3!*
Chinese Community Center, 5:30 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION
Register online here

Getting Up Rated: PG-13
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 7:00 p.m.
In collaboration with Houston Cinema Arts Society
$10/Non-MFAH & HCAS Members, $8/MFAH & HCAS Members
Tickets available for purchase soon!

Of course, when it came out, I thought that "How to Train Your Dragon" was about learning to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking. ;-) People still say that hearing from me is sort of like receiving messages from the Oracle at Delphi. It's a matter of interpreting…

"Getting Up" is another one that looks terribly intriguing. TEMPTONE is a graffiti artist (OK, not exactly the center of my art tastes, but…) with Lou Gehrig's disease.

I think I want to see this

This story was familiar to me. Tempt1 was my introduction to KickStarter. I heard about his desire to keep his artistic efforts alive in 2010.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/571943958/tempt1-and-eyewriter-art-by-eyes

It's funny how things sometimes cycle back…

NOT keeping up with my New Year's Resolutions…

My goal was to post here for days per week. I think I have met that goal twice this year.

And it's already Friday this week!

Updates on my Tobii PCEye…
From Channel 11

Feb 4, 2014

Disabled woman: ‘I have always known that Houston is a city with a lot of heart’

Donations are coming in for a disabled woman we profiled last week in Spring named Lisa Stapp. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA, a disease that breaks down muscles. Lisa spent most of her waking hours on a computer, but that computer crashed.

http://www.khou.com/community/Disabled-woman-I-have-always-known-that-Houston-is-a-city-with-a-lot-of-heart-243621981.html

So many people are emailing and calling with words of encouragement. It's delightful and awesome. I decided that there would be a better way to keep this information together than simply blogging, although I am continuing to do that.

I created a page to let everyone know where things stand: "Funding my Tobii PCEye Go"- http://joyfullyrollingalong.blogspot.com/p/funding-tobii-pceye.html

 

I guess this is CROWD-FUNDING. I've heard of it, but didn't know anything about it. It kind of reminds me of KickStarter…

I am GUILTY! I want this robot!

I was just sitting here minding my own business and reading my email, when I got a link from TED Talks.  I should NEVER have clicked on that link!  You see, it showed me a control device to connect to the computer (and, by the way, an Assistive Robot Device) that I deeply desire.

We are not just talking, "O, that's cute.  I'll put that as item 420,612,008 on my list of things I might like someday…"

I

WANT

THIS control and robot!

I have to find what this guy uses for his "minute movements" for control.  I don't know that head movement trackers are the answer for me, but I'll bet these people know how to to be creative. http://www.ted.com/talks/henry_evans_and_chad_jenkins_meet_the_robots_for_humanity.html

In some ways, it's an even more creative approach than makeymakey.com, although I often prefer the DIY approach.

Even bigger mistake…  Now ANOTHER short story is forming in my head.  I need to get off this fairly quickly…

But here is the link for "Robots for Humanity" <http://www.willowgarage.com/blog/2011/07/13/robots-humanity> before I go.

A Tiny Home of My Own? Looking into "Granny Pods"…

Finding good care when you have a disability can be…  Interesting sometimes.  Yes, I currently have wonderful attendants.  And no, that hasn't always been true.

Living arrangements and another layer to the question.

Here is one possible solution…

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Source: medcottage.com via Lisa on Pinterest