ARTISTIC DEXTERITY.....MAYBE

I played with a few digital drawing/doodling/sketching application on my iPad. One which seems favoured by a few artists certainly demonstrated some real merit.  As you play with it for the first time, you find that fingers and capacitive pens do interesting things;it is almost controllable. The fingers and styli generate swirly coloured lines and non-specific shapes. It is almost like magic, if you don't think about the amazing technology that allows all of it to show up. This playtime is quite seductive.

It doesn't take long for the seduction to lead you to interesting-looking purpose made pencils.  Pencils and computer tablets? You might well ask.  They let you take all sorts of fascinating actions according to the information,  they allow you to manually [digitally] sketch, soften lines and work with the colours. You are urged, "BUY NOW".  These pencils can even be purchased on a well known web seller's web site.  Eeeeek! One pencil,  on the website, (it shows a brown one) costs the princely sum of £49 (sterling).  Replacement capacitive rubber tips exclusively for the pens, (top tip and bottom tip) are £8 a pair. I have not looked at the selling prices of pens on the app's own site. For one pen that is some price, plus maintenance. You will not be surprised to hear, I have decided I am not that serious an artist.

I have bought an A4 pad of general drawing paper. I did not need to buy lead pencils, I have various grades, I have coloured ones too.  So far, I have not had the urge or inspiration to open up the pad of paper and draw anything. Perverse or what!

PApeRLeSs OfFICe....Yeah Right!

I’m trying really hard to gird my loins for daily activities in 2014. Having a dead bulb replaced in the light fitting might help to brighten things up a bit!  There is such an awful lot of sorting to do.  You know, stuff you keep in case it’s needed; some of it might be, a lot of it is not. 

Housekeeping the computer files is on my ‘to do’ list before they get totally out of hand. The photographic ones are a daunting thought.  No, these are not new resolutions for 2014, I gave up creating those years ago.  This is digital administration.  It should be less back-breaking than my memories of the paper filing variety and  instead, they will be more of a headache I think.

If the truth be told there is a bit of paper file sorting to do as well. I do  not have a paperless environment, I have yet to meet anyone, or, any business that has become completely paperless.  I reckon they are fibbing if they say they have.

I kept my eye firmly on dates when starting my archived paper sort. There were plenty of historical business headings, no longer in existence.  It was going to have to be an exceptional piece of writing, if it was going to be returned to my archive.   I eventually went out to give the shredder a rest!

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk

IT'S THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF.........

There's been too much domestic technology this week. Certain parts of the UK are slowly being brought into the digital age. We decided to cave in and get a new TV just in time for switch on. Do we need an external aerial? Maybe not; best to wait till the two switch over dates have passed and see what happens, we were told. Okay, they're very soon. Meantime, I am wondering if the new technology warms up to the full bloom of colour, (it does seem to) or if it's hunting for brilliance. The bobbing from horizontal to stretch limousine style pictures I can temporarily live with, since I don't watch much on the box, (ooh I can't say that now, it's not a box)..... Darn, that's another change.

Our new router is ever so easy to set up, said the salesman. Are they ever! Not if you have some old technology in the house which stubbornly refuses to acknowledge anything except through a lovely yellow cable. A specialist arrived tonight to unknot the blocks. To work, the router's new age security level had to be reduced a bit, but then the equipment had to be set on a slightly different technology footing as well. Either that or buy another new computer.... too expensive, so no, not for now. An obscure setting was causing bother as well. Oh, and just for good measure, the system password had to be modified to match the restyled arrangements.

I'm not sure why my old printer isn't talking to my programmes. It's probably kicking up because it's competing with a new one. I haven't got my head round it yet. It's still got plenty ink in the cartridge, (its mono so no colour worries there) and I intend to use up the ink before the printer - wobbly on its metaphoric legs but usable - bites the dust.