Best Mouse Ever! – A Bluetooth Mouse

Best Bluetooth Mouse Ever!

While browsing through Best Buy several months ago, I was shocked to find how they have lacked in getting bluetooth mice to sell in the store. I looked very hard, but could not find any mouse that offered bluetooth capability. I could not believe it. Here is a huge computer tech company that sold everything from iPads, to cameras, yet they didn’t have the latest technolocial advancement for a mouse.

Last month, I purchased the Connectland CL-MOU23014 Bluetooth Wireless Optical Mouse. This is by far the Best Mouse Ever. Even Bluetooth.com said so. (They’re the official website for Bluetooth devices).

http://bluetoothreview.info/bluetooth-mouse-keyboard/connectland-cl-mou23014-bluetooth-wireless-optical-mouse/

Very Affordable

And the best part, at less than $20 (shipping included) it was the cheapest mouse that I’ve ever bought. I really like the design and feel. In fact, I even like it better than the $50 Microsoft Wireless USB mouse that I had earlier. It has a very nice comfortable grip, fits easy in the palm of my hand, and it scrolls very smoothly. It’s the perfect size for my hand, yet it’s still compact enough to fit in my laptop bag.

The mouse has 5 buttons. Your left and right click buttons, a scroll button in the middle, and then two side buttons by the thumb that are used for going back and forward on your browser.

It has an on/off switch on the bottom so that you can easily turn it off, and not worry about it wasting battery. And speaking of batteries, it uses just two AAA batteries that last a long time. I’ve had my mouse since the first of January, and I still haven’t changed the batteries. It has a cool feature that makes the mouse go to sleep after so many minutes of not being used. And then it wakes right back up as soon as the mouse moves.

I would suggest this mouse for anyone looking to purchase a new mouse. I got mine from Buy.com, but Amazon has it as well. But make sure you have bluetooth enabled on your laptop. (Or buy a USB bluetooth adapter)

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth technology was originally intended to be a wireless replacement for cables and wires between things like phones and headsets or computers, keyboards and mice. It is a big deal for mobile phones, and used a lot of times to share ringtones and pictures. However, it can be put to many more uses as well. The best way I can relate it is that it’s wireless USB. Just about anything that could work with USB, could be designed to support Bluetooth. Keyboard, mouse, headphones, printers, speakers, controllers, and many more devices.

Bluetooth technology has continued to mature and now you can create new connections that weren’t possible using wires, like connecting your mobile phone to your car stereo, or printing a picture directly from your camera phone.

If you have a Bluetooth adapter (USB) on your laptop, (or have it pre-built inside) you can support many Bluetooth devices at the same time. It’s easier to use than USB, because you don’t have to plug anything in to make it work. I have a small Bluetooth adapter that plugs into 1 USBusb port on my laptop. I can sync my phone, tablet, headphones, mouse, and a keyboard all at the same time without using any more USBspots.

Here is a simple Bluetooth 101 Post written by the bluetooth officials that’s really easy to understand. http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Fast-Facts.aspx

This is a summary of what tablets are best…

In today’s world there are so many tablets going around that one can be easily be confused as the the many differences between them and whether they are truly getting what they want. So I’ve compiled a list of the top tablets of today (beginning of 2012) to help many who may be confused on which route to go. This is part 2 of a 2 part series with the first detailing all current top tablets. This is a summary, with the top of each category.

This is Part 2, Part 1 lists many more top current tablets. It can be found here. (http://splog.samuelpaasch.com/2012/01/which-android-tablet-part-1-android-review)

The following tablets are the ones that I suggest to buy in each price range.

$150-$200 Range (Settle for Good Enough)

Nook Color

The Nook Color ($199) is an excellent tablet for reading books with. You have access to read any book for free while at a Barnes and Noble location. You can make reading friends, meet new people, discover new book, borrow and lend books, and even get books from your local library. Unlike the android app, you can also read subscribe and read newspapers, and also access the kids read-along books that will play the book as you read along. There are many apps that can be ran on the nook color as well, including Netflix, email, and the all famous Angry Birds. The nook accesses it’s own store from Barnes and Noble to purchase the apps, books, magazines, and newspapers.
Some of the cons include, no access to the Android Market, costly apps, and limited accessibility. The whole problem stems off of the fact that you cannot access the android market nor manually install an app without hacking and rooting your nook color. This leaves Barnes and Noble with the ability to choose what apps are supported, and the price. For instance, the Angry Birds app is only $1 in the Android Market, yet it costs $5 on the Barnes and Noble store. However if you are willing to hack the nook color (which is really easy) then you can install Android Gingerbread, and have access to all the apps.
The “Hacked” Nook Color can do so much more. You have all of the android market apps at your disposal, including but not limited to: gmail, Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Messenger, Kindle, Google Books, Nook for Android, Google Reader, Maps, Dropbox, and soo much more! All the apps work great, and are very stable.
So to sum it up, if you are a heavy reader, and like to read your books on the go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, and even borrow your friends books, then the Nook Color is for you! It proves to be a great inexpensive tablet that works great for the person that reads all the time. However if you are more interested in the apps and other features, then another tablet would suit you best, as the nook apps are limited and expensive.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire ($199) is becoming very popular today. It still has access to all the kindle books, but instead of the Android Market you have the Amazon Appstore. The Appstore has a lot more apps than the Barnes and Noble store for the Nook. Also the prices are very reasonable and similar to the Android Market. You can read Kindle books, magazines, and newspapers similar to the Nook. You can also access books from your local library. The Appstore gives you access to apps like Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Dropbox, Angrybirds and more. You even have the Amazon MP3 app for your music. Amazon also will host any purchased music or books on their cloud, so that you can access them from anywhere.
So in summary, if you like to read, have your books ready to go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, but are also interested in the apps, then the Kindle Fire is for you. It provides an inexpensive tablet to those you really want access to the apps and games, but also tailors to the reader as well. However if you are only really interested in the reading, then the Nook Color or Tablet would better suit you.

So in summary, I would get the nook color and hack it to install Android 2.4 (Gingerbread) on it. But if I wasn’t going to hack it, then the Kindle Fire would be for me. It can do so much more out-of-the-box than the “un-hacked” Nook Color.

$300-400 Range (Average Consumer)

Acer Iconia Tab

Acer Iconia Tab ($349) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This is an amazing tablet. It looks like the Motorola Xoom, but a but more bulkier. The bulkiness of the tablet is probably the only problem I had with it. It runs Android Honeycomb so it fits right in with most other tablets. One feature that in very interesting is that it comes with a full-sized usb port for plugging up thumb drives, joysticks & controllers, mouse & keyboard, and more. One of the coolest features is the ability to plug in a usb game controller up and play some of the games on the device. The tablet is really snappy, and very little lag in the graphics. A youtube video showing it’s gaming capability can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OezWF1BcpNM&feature=player_embedded. So this is definitely a must-have device for gamers. One interesting note is that there is no rear facing camera, just a front facing one. So no point and shoot pictures, which is alright with me, because I hardly every use the rear camera on my Xoom. The front facing camera is purposed for video conferencing, and is decent (not great, but decent). The tablet also has a micro-USB port as well as a headphone jack. Also on the side is a microSD card slot and a reset button. At the price, I think that the Acer Iconia Tab is the best deal. I would definitely suggest buying it over many other tablets. Front facing web camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8hr battery, USB, bluetooth, wifi, microSD card,

Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom ($379-wifi | $599 4G) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This tablet is one that I personally own. It is a very good tablet. Released summer of 2011. It was the flagship for Google’s Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). The features on it are rich and amazing. It matches the iPad 2 in just about every way, and even surpasses in some areas. For instance, while it keeps up the same battery life as the iPad, it charges within half the time. Xoom charges within 2 hours, while t can take the iPad2 four+ hours to charge. Also the Xoom features a higher-resolution rear-facing camera (5MP | 2592 x 1944) with dual-LED flash, which results in snapshots as good as many point-and-shoot cameras. The iPad2 rear camera is only 0.7 MP (960 x 720). Motorola announced that they are offering a free upgrade to the 3g tablets, to instal the 4g chip, and that all new Xoom being sold from Verizon will have the 4g capability already. This is awesome news for the Xoom owners. They can now surf the web at 4g speeds, and they don’t have to buy a new tablet to do so. Overall the Motorola Xoom is a fantastic tablet, especially since it was the first that had the Android 3 tablet software. Although it is already last year’s news, it still is holding its own among the many tablets in the market. The Motorola Xyboard is the replacement for the Xoom. The Xoom features front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, 10hr battery, Micro SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI, 3g & 4g, HD 720p

These two are so much alike, that from what I can tell, the main difference is the incredible camera and battery on the Xoom as well as the HDMI out port. The Iconia has the full-size USB port. So it’s just a matter of what type of person you are, do you want to transfer pictures on you tablet via a thumb drive or maybe plug in a keyboard, or do you want a better battery life and rear camera.

$500 and up range (Tech Savvy)

Transformer Prime in Dock

Transformer Prime

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime ($499)- Android 4.0 – Very sleek, thin and stylish. The perfect tablet for the tech-savvy. It’s size is similar to the Galaxy tab, and the iPad 2. This is the hottest tablet that is currently on the market. The best yet! And you really get your $500 worth as well. This new tablet boasts the Tegra3 processor, making it the world’s first quad-core tablet. Also makes it up to 5 times faster than the tegra2, which is on most other tablets. And the best part, It’s all wrapped in a package that measures only 0.33 inches thick (even skinnier than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1)! And despite its metal construction, it’s still lighter than the Galaxy Tab. The metal case makes it feel that much more durable than many other tablets.

One of the coolest features of the Transformer Prime is its dock ($150), the accessory that turns this thing from being a merely very nice tablet into a potential laptop replacement. The keyboard dock station, purchased separately, fits right on the tablet, and turns the tablet to be styled like a laptop. Once plugged into the dock, you then have use of its full-sized USB 2.0 socket and SD card reader. The dock is even complete with a trackpad for a mouse, and scrolling gestures.

The tablet boasts a 10+ hour battery life, and 16+ hours when plugged into the dock. It has front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, bluetooth, wifi,

I only have one tablet listed in the $500 range because if you’re going to spend $5oo, then get the best. The Prime is it! The Galaxy Tab comes close, but has too many bad features like bad battery, camera, and no media slots. The XYBoard is nice, but incredibly overpriced. So if you’re going to spend $500, then get the Transformer Prime!

In today’s world there are so many tablets going around that one can be easily be confused as the the many differences between them and whether they are truly getting what they want. So I’ve compiled a list of most of the top tablets of today (beginning of 2012) to help many who may be confused on which route to go. This is a 2 part series with the other part showing my favorites list. I have separated them into certain categories to make it even easier to understand the difference.

Read Part 2 – Sam’s Favorites Here. It’s a quick summary of the ones I suggest to purchase. (http://splog.samuelpaasch.com/2012/01/which-android-tablet-part-2-sams-favorites)

The Following is a full list of current top Android tablets. All are available for purchase at Best Buy (except the XYBoard).

E-reader tablets (Kindle Fire, Nook Color, Nook Tablet). These tablets are all running a modified version of Android. They cannot access the same apps as a regular Android tablet would but are great inexpensive alternatives. ($150-250 range)

Nook Color

The Nook Color ($199) is an excellent tablet for reading books with. You have access to read any book for free while at a Barnes and Noble location. You can make reading friends, meet new people, discover new book, borrow and lend books, and even get books from your local library. Unlike the android app, you can also read subscribe and read newspapers, and also access the kids read-along books that will play the book as you read along. There are many apps that can be ran on the nook color as well, including Netflix, email, and the all famous Angry Birds. The nook accesses it’s own store from Barnes and Noble to purchase the apps, books, magazines, and newspapers.
Some of the cons include, no access to the Android Market, costly apps, and limited accessibility. The whole problem stems off of the fact that you cannot access the android market nor manually install an app without hacking and rooting your nook color. This leaves Barnes and Noble with the ability to choose what apps are supported, and the price. For instance, the Angry Birds app is only $1 in the Android Market, yet it costs $5 on the Barnes and Noble store. However if you are willing to hack the nook color (which is really easy) then you can install Android Gingerbread, and have access to all the apps.
The Hacked Nook Color can do so much more. You have all of the android market apps at your disposal, including but not limited to: Gmail, Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Messenger, Kindle, Google Books, Nook for Android, Google Reader, Maps, Dropbox, and soo much more! All the apps work great, and are very stable.
So to sum it up, if you are a heavy reader, and like to read your books on the go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, and even borrow your friends books, then the Nook Color is for you! It proves to be a great inexpensive tablet that works great for the person that reads all the time. However if you are more interested in the apps and other features, then another tablet would suit you best, as the nook apps are limited and expensive.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire ($199) is becoming very popular today. It still has access to all the kindle books, but instead of the Android Market you have the Amazon Appstore. The Appstore has a lot more apps than the Barnes and Noble store for the Nook. Also the prices are very reasonable and similar to the Android Market. You can read Kindle books, magazines, and newspapers similar to the Nook. You can also access books from your local library. The Appstore gives you access to apps like Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Dropbox, Angrybirds and more. You even have the Amazon MP3 app for your music. Amazon also will host any purchased music or books on their cloud, so that you can access them from anywhere.
So in summary, if you like to read, have your books ready to go, subscribe to magazines and newspapers, but are also interested in the apps, then the Kindle Fire is for you. It provides an inexpensive tablet to those you really want access to the apps and games, but also tailors to the reader as well. However if you are only really interested in the reading, then the Nook Color or Tablet would better suit you.

Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet ($249)  is like a mixture of the Kindle Fire and the Nook Color. You access all the heavy reader features that the nook gives, but also gives more functionality for apps as well. Honestly I was very disappointed with the new Nook Tablet. It looks the same as the color, yet it really only upgrades the software instead of the hardware. There are some changes, like an 8 gig internal memory instead of the 5gig inside the Nook Color. It also comes preloaded with Hulu and Netflix apps. The user interface is more like that of other tablets.

So out of the three, the Kindle Fire is the best for the money. A good selection of apps at a decent price. Next is the $300-400 range.

Lenovo K1

Lenovo K1 ($319) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. Although the body is made of matte aluminum, there’s a glossy panel on the back that sits off center, taking up about three quarters of the back side. Lenovo has said that it’s going after mainstream consumers by pre-installing tons of popular apps and adding a more user-friendly skin on top of Honeycomb. The software, I think, is a bit dumb down, as if they tried to make it easier for the low tech-savvy consumer. Engadget even said in their review that it seems to be targeted for those who may find a tablet a bit intimidating. They suggested it to be the tablet to buy our parents and such. One other downfall to the tablet is that there is no usb port on it. Front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, Micro SD, wifi, bluetooth,

Acer Iconia Tab

Acer Iconia Tab ($349) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This is an amazing tablet. It looks like the Motorola Xoom, but a but more bulkier. The bulkiness of the tablet is probably the only problem I had with it. It runs Android Honeycomb so it fits right in with most other tablets. One feature that in very interesting is that it comes with a full-sized usb port for plugging up thumb drives, joysticks & controllers, mouse & keyboard, and more. One of the coolest features is the ability to plug in a usb game controller up and play some of the games on the device. The tablet is really snappy, and very little lag in the graphics. A youtube video showing it’s gaming capability can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OezWF1BcpNM&feature=player_embedded. So this is definitely a must-have device for gamers. One interesting note is that there is no rear facing camera, just a front facing one. So no point and shoot pictures, which is alright with me, because I hardly every use the rear camera on my Xoom. The front facing camera is purposed for video conferencing, and is decent (not great, but decent). The tablet also has a micro-USB port as well as a headphone jack. Also on the side is a microSD card slot and a reset button. At the price, I think that the Acer Iconia Tab is the best deal. I would definitely suggest buying it over many other tablets. Front facing web camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8hr battery, USB, bluetooth, wifi, micro-USB, microSD card,

Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom ($379-wifi | $599 4G) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This tablet is one that I personally own. It is a very good tablet. Released summer of 2011. It was the flagship for Google’s Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). The features on it are rich and amazing. It matches the iPad 2 in just about every way, and even surpasses in some areas. For instance, while it keeps up the same battery life as the iPad, it charges within half the time. Xoom charges within 2 hours, while t can take the iPad2 four+ hours to charge. Also the Xoom features a higher-resolution rear-facing camera (5MP | 2592 x 1944) with dual-LED flash, which results in snapshots as good as many point-and-shoot cameras. The iPad2 rear camera is only 0.7 MP (960 x 720). Motorola announced that they are offering a free upgrade to the 3g tablets, to instal the 4g chip, and that all new Xoom being sold from Verizon will have the 4g capability already. This is awesome news for the Xoom owners. They can now surf the web at 4g speeds, and they don’t have to buy a new tablet to do so. Overall the Motorola Xoom is a fantastic tablet, especially since it was the first that had the Android 3 tablet software. Although it is already last year’s news, it still is holding its own among the many tablets in the market. The Motorola Xyboard is the replacement for the Xoom. The Xoom features front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, 10hr battery, Micro SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI, 3g & 4g, HD 720p

Sony Tablet S

Sony Tablet S ($399) | Android 3 | 9.4 inch screen. I did not like the design of this tablet. It was not easy to hold, nor was it very stylish. It was as bulky as the old portable DVD players, not something that fits very well in a purse or backpack. It did feature a mini usb port and a SD card slot. It has great speakers and sound. Front and back facing cameras, 1GB Ram, 16GB storage, SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI.

So out of all these tablets ranging from 3-4 hundred bucks, I’d say that the Iconia Tab wins with it’s low price, good battery, full-size usb, and nice feel. Although a little bulky, its a really good deal. Next is the $500 and up range.

Asus Eee Pad Slider ($475) | Android 4 | 10.1 inch screen. Very good idea, but pretty bulky. It features a built in keyboard that you slide from underneath it. It also has a full-size usb port for thumb drives and such. 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, bluetoooth, wifi, HDMI

Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1  ($499) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This tablet is so thin and sleek that it looks like an iPad2. One bad feature I’ve found is that the recharge time can take 5 hours or more before fully recharged (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html). So the battery is not as good as the iPad2. The camera (3MP) hardware on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is significantly better than the iPad 2, but it falls short compared to other Honeycomb-based tablets (which surprises me since Samsung is also a camera company). The Xoom (5MP), for example, has a higher-resolution rear-facing camera with dual-LED flash, which results in snapshots as good as many point-and-shoot cameras. Samsung uses a single-LED flash for its rear camera. The thin, plastic case makes the tablet feel cheap. Samsung was the first to release a 2nd generation Android tablet which was a big enhancement from their Galaxy Tab 7. However they missed the mark on productivity, especially in the area of the camera and battery. Also on a side note, there is no media card slot at all found on the device, which makes no room for expanding memory, or transferring files. Front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8hr battery, bluetooth, wifi,

Motorola XYBoard

Motorola Xyboard  ($499-wifi | $529 4G) | Android 3 | 10.1 inch screen. This is sold at Verizon. This is the 2nd generation for the Xoom. It has a lot of nice enhancements and really gives the iPad2 a run for it’s money.  The design is like the Droid Razr’s big brother. The back is predominantly aluminum, with black rubberized sides to make it grippier (is that even a word?). There is even splash-resistant nano-coating, just in case your coffee cup tips over. It comes with InfraRed so that it can control your living room devices, and even has a universal remote app pre-installed. This tablet has very interesting edges that some may consider awkward, but several reviews report that the clipped edges make it much easier to hold. Although the enhancements compared to the Xoom are welcomed, the features really do not justify the cost. Even though I am a huge Motorola fan, I would probably go with the Transformer Prime and get an overall better tablet. Front and back facing cameras, 32GB storage, 10hr battery, Micro SD card, bluetooth, wifi, HDMI, 3g & 4g.

Transformer Prime

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime ($499)- Android 4.0 – Very sleek, thin and stylish. The perfect tablet for the tech-savvy. It’s size is similar to the Galaxy tab, and the iPad 2.  This is the hottest tablet that is currently on the market. The best yet! And you really get your $500 worth as well. This new tablet boasts the Tegra3 processor, making it the world’s first quad-core tablet. Also makes it up to 5 times faster than the tegra2, which is on most other tablets. And the best part, It’s all wrapped in a package that measures only 0.33 inches thick (even skinnier than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1)! And despite its metal construction, it’s still lighter than the Galaxy Tab. The metal case makes it feel that much more durable than many other tablets.

Transformer Prime with Keybard dock.

One of the coolest features of the Transformer Prime is its dock ($150), the accessory that turns this thing from being a merely very nice tablet into a potential laptop replacement. The keyboard dock station, purchased separately, fits right on the tablet, and turns the tablet to be styled like a laptop. Once plugged into the dock, you then have use of its full-sized USB 2.0 socket and SD card reader. The dock is even complete with a trackpad for a mouse, and scrolling gestures.

The tablet boasts a 10+ hour battery life, and 16+ hours when plugged into the dock. It has front and back facing cameras, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, bluetooth, wifi,

Transformer Prime in Dock

IN SUMMARY

I would suggest the Acer Iconia Tab ($349 at Bestbuy) for most potential buyers looking for a tablet. It is bulkier than the iPad2, but matches it in most hardware specs. It has the full-sized USB jack, hdmi, and such. View part 2 of this article to see my top choices for buyers.

Still confused? Read “Which Android Tablet Part 2 – Sam’s Favorites” here. It’s a quick summary of the ones I suggest to purchase. (http://splog.samuelpaasch.com/2012/01/which-android-tablet-part-2-sams-favorites)

This will probably be my last post on the top Android Tablets because there are getting to be so many of them. Within the next few years, tablet shopping will be just like laptop shopping. Give them the specifics you want, and they show you the tablet that matches it.

If you talked with me about my career path within the last 6 months you would know that my eyes were set on Missouri S&T in Rolla. For the last several years, my focus has been on civil engineering; I have taken several physics and mathematics courses along the way. I’ve toured the campus 2-3 times already, and even had a job lined up.

I had my classes lined up, a job secured, and even found a local church of like faith. The only thing that I needed was my living quarters. It seemed that everything was lining up perfectly. It was clear that God wanted me to go, or was it? For the last two months, I fought with doubts, and kept going back and forth. Was this move actually good?

I was considering the field of structural engineering, possibly even a focus on earthquakes. It was all very interesting. I enjoyed learning about it. Enjoyed the physics applications that were taught in calculus, and even enjoyed the real life situations that were brought to me in Mr. Berry’s physics classes.

I enjoyed learning it, however, I didn’t enjoy actually doing it. The more I immersed myself into it, the more I found that I disliked it. Yes it was really cool to learn about the science of forces, measuring how much energy and mass an object would have at any given location, and the rate of acceleration. But actually solving the problem was not my cup of tea. Yes, I liked knowing that if the ball’s speed is given as it rolled toward the stairs, that I could calculate what step it would bounce off of. But I didn’t like calculating it. I thought to myself, do I really want to be doing this my whole life?

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Physics is very interesting, and I do think that it has been beneficial to me. But lately I’ve been questioning myself on my future. I understand the problems, I can solve the problems, but it doesn’t appeal to me, neither do I enjoy the process.

I have been very interested in programming for a long time. It started out with building my first website. I taught myself all the basic website programming languages. I have been working with websites for so long, that I generally keep to directly coding it myself, from scratch. It has been an interesting journey. But it is something that I work in every day.

Lately I’ve been learning to program and develop Android apps, but I soon realized that I need more knowledge of programming before I can make a successful app. The more I researched, the more it dawned on me that the science of programming was what I needed to study. It appeals to me, I understand it, and I can actually do it.

The more I researched, the more I was convinced that it was the perfect match. I finally found something that I really enjoy doing. But there was one problem, I was already registered for classes, and everything ready to graduate this spring, then transfer to Rolla in the fall.

So I prayed for a whole week, trying to find out what God wanted me to do. I was given peace about this new career path, something that I had not had these last 2-3 months. I went ahead and signed up for the extra classes I needed at OTC. I will say that I was never so excited to go to school as I  headed to my first programming class. I couldn’t wait for the next class. I even read two chapters ahead of the class schedule. I had not been so enthusiastic about classes since my first college class 5 years ago.

Right now I am working on a technical degree in Computer Information Services. I will be learning website design and software programming. This can then be put toward a degree in Computer Science, or Software Engineering.

My degree that I am now working toward is software engineering. It is very similar to computer science but different too. Although the shady boundary line is crossed from both sides, and both degrees do the same type of work, CS is generally approached from a mathematical standpoint, fun algorithms and analyzing problems, while SE is more hands on software programming.

I view it like this, computer science is like the civil engineer, software engineering is like the architect, and graphic design is like the interior designer. The civil engineer lays out the ground rules of what can or can’t work. The architect draws up the whole plans and architecture, creating how the user’s experience will be. And the interior designer works on the eye appeal of each area, taking special care as to how things are presented.

Was all those classes of physics and math wasted? I surly wasn’t supposed to take them, right? I don’t really have a great answer right now. I do know that I did believe it was God’s will at the time, and maybe I WAS supposed to take those classes for some unknown reason. Maybe somewhere in my future I will be thankful for those classes. I don’t know. What I do know is that, it is all behind me, in the past. I can’t change it, and it doesn’t matter now. Most of the classes will transfer over to my new degree, so there is no loss academically. I know that before me is a career that has been given to me. A new goal, one that I am very excited to embrace.

You need two programs. One to copy the video file to your computer, and another to convert it to a video format that works on your iPod or other device (Zune, Coputer, or PSP).

DVDFab 5 – Program to rip movies from DVD to your computer -
http://www.dvdfab.com/free.htm

HandBrake – Program to convert the ripped movie to MP4 -
http://handbrake.fr

These programs are free, and are excellent! It works on all Movies or TV shows that are on DVD. Also Handbrake will convert any flash (like youtube) videos to mp4. It also converts the digital camera .mov files too! So ENJOY!!

If you have any questions just comment on this post