Fiona MacDonald

Bucks Fizz - what an 80’s pop delight! lol

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:19:21 -0400

Bucks Fizz - what an 80’s pop delight! lol

Yosemite and King's Canyon

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:30:00 -0400

Just back from a trip out West last week - touring around Yosemite and then down to King’s Canyon. I was impressive scenery with the soaring granite rocks in Yosemite, watching raging waterfalls crash down and wandering through giant Sequoia tree groves. Well worth a trip if you get a chance - and California ain’t too bad either!

You have to get the people in the shot to really see the size of these trees!

Me at Grizzly Falls

Looking into Yosemite Valley. El Capitan on the left and Half...

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:23:00 -0400

Looking into Yosemite Valley. El Capitan on the left and Half Dome in the distance.

Fitness gadget - the Jawbone Up

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:48:57 -0500

Fitness gadget - the Jawbone Up:

My experience with the Jawbone Up band for tracking activity, sleep and food.

Fiona MacDonald: Apple Store

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:31:21 -0500

Fiona MacDonald: Apple Store:

fionamacd:

I was reminded this week of just what a pleasant experience it is to go to the Apple store. I went to buy a Jawbone Up fitness band, but decided it looked much more unwieldy than it looked in the photos.

Below it I noticed a product purporting to do the same thing, but I had never heard of it….

Loving the Apple retail experience!

Apple Store

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:30:21 -0500

I was reminded this week of just what a pleasant experience it is to go to the Apple store. I went to buy a Jawbone Up fitness band, but decided it looked much more unwieldy than it looked in the photos.

Below it I noticed a product purporting to do the same thing, but I had never heard of it. After whipping out my iPhone to google the item, I was approached by an Apple employee. I explained what had happened and he went into a very frank discussion about the Up, the Nike fuel band and this other product. He was actually wearing the Nike one and showed me the app it uses.

There was no hard sell and he was just friendly and helpful. I ended up buying the LarkLife band. It wasn’t for me though - way too big, bulky, bright and ugly! The reviews of the app were also poor.

Stuck it back in the box, printed off my Apple emailed receipt(!) and went back to a different Apple store. It was still a very pleasant experience. The only downer was I now didn’t have a cute little Apple bag to wander round the mall holding!

Eurythmics

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:39:20 -0500

Eurythmics:

I love this station - got all my oldie faves!

iOS Facebook app updated

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:17:59 -0500

iOS Facebook app updated:

Thank goodness this article tells you how to sort your news feed again - I hate how FB defaults to Top Stories. I want most recent ALL the time!

To change sort options you need to tap the gear icon next to the News Feed bookmark in the left-hand menu

Songza

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:54:42 -0400

Songza:

Tired of the same old music?

Can’t be bothered creating another playlist?

Songza app and website are the answer. Based on the time of day it will suggest types of music (house cleaning, wake up, love moods) and from there give you options on playlists to choose from.

Oh and IT’S FREE!!!

Been a while...

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:49:51 -0400

Been a while since I posted anything here. You get busy with something else and then you forget how you did the other thing - in this case posting to tumblr.

So the new iPad Mini is being released along with another updated iPad. I was all gungho about getting the mini when it was released and now I am not so enthusiastic. Don’t know if it is the price point $329 - seems a bit much for something that does almost everything my iPad2 does, just in a slightly smaller package. Now I am thinking I should give my Mum the iPad2 and that would almost justify me getting the new-new iPad (can we just call it iPad4 and be done with it already?!).

The question is will she really use it? Of course she will - I got her a new laptop last year and all she does is play Words With Friends with me on it! At the same time though, I am wondering about whether I really need the iPad4 - I mean how much better than the iPad2 is it really? Better pixels and faster and a dock connector that doesn’t fit anything. Oh decisions, decisions!

I probably will get the iPad4 in the end - like why not!?! My gadget fund is pretty full at the moment so why not spring some cash from it and get me a new toy. When I was young and poor these shopping decisions were so much easier - Want vs Need. Want usually wins these days, but I still find I have to ask the need question. Do I really need an iPad4? Course not. The problem is I also ask the want question too. Do I really want an iPad4? I don’t know to be honest.

The problem is I have gotton so used to Apple gadgets being revolutionary and now that they are just upgrades I am not so interested. Kind of like getting a new laptop - its still just a laptop - maybe a bit faster, lighter and with longer battery, but still just a laptop.

Patience, I know. But that spurt we got with Apple makes me want the future even faster now.

Tech Etiquette Rules For Commuters and Travelers

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:19:07 -0400

Tech Etiquette Rules For Commuters and Travelers:

Businesses: Find, Reward Your Influencers With Yamana

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:36:21 -0400

Businesses: Find, Reward Your Influencers With Yamana:

Requiem for an iPad 1

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:29:52 -0400

Requiem for an iPad 1:

My iPad1 works fine, not really worried.

Apple's iOS 6 Includes Deep Facebook Integration

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:44:33 -0400

Apple's iOS 6 Includes Deep Facebook Integration:

Beware the Laptop Mutants! Intel Launches Ultrabook Ivy Bridge Chips

Thu, 31 May 2012 21:04:12 -0400

Beware the Laptop Mutants! Intel Launches Ultrabook Ivy Bridge Chips:

Bad Tech Etiquette to Avoid at Work

Mon, 28 May 2012 18:17:54 -0400

Bad Tech Etiquette to Avoid at Work:

Argh - speakerphones on the train!

What People Really Want vs. What They Share on Social Media

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:25:55 -0400

What People Really Want vs. What They Share on Social Media:

Interesting - only men want sex! lol

Paralyzed Woman in Bionic Suit Runs Marathon

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:52:43 -0400

Paralyzed Woman in Bionic Suit Runs Marathon:

Just add Segway capability for upper body balance!

Need IT Help? Startup Offers Tech Answers On Demand

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:59:50 -0400

Need IT Help? Startup Offers Tech Answers On Demand:

Buying Guide: How to Pick the Perfect Laptop(via @Lifehacker)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:23:41 -0400

Buying Guide: How to Pick the Perfect Laptop(via @Lifehacker):

When you buy a desktop computer, you can customize everything to fit your exact needs—from choosing the perfect mouse and keyboard to making the most of your case to selecting even the guts that keep your computer running.