Printing Via The Cloud

as many of you may know from listening to some of my past shows, I'm a google nut. Google runs all of the planet Texas email and Internet phone connections used here in the studio. And they do it for free. A free email server and phone service, you can't beat that.

now you may also know I am absolutely in love with my iPad too. Very light, versital, and just plain cool too.

one gripe I had with my iPad is what to do with the documents and spread sheets I create while sitting out by the pool with a cigar and a cold drink. With out paying for some sort of printing app that had limited functionality like I did when I purchased pro print.. It was hard to print much of my material

I've known about google docs for a very long time but never used the service until the other day. Simple enough no surprises until I looked at the printing feature. The google cloud print feature is very cool

if your printer isn't cloud ready don't worry. If you have the google chrome browser installed on a pc with a printer connected your good to go.

you simply configure the cloud printing feature within chrome, do the same within google docs and your ready to print.

so now, while sitting out by the pool, I can print my documents with ease. But the cool factor doesn't stop there, remember its called cloud printing. I can send documents to the printer from any where I am connected. I tried this while at work on a secure network and the pages were sitting on my printer when I got home. Very cool stuff indeed google.

oh and you don't have to leave the chrome browser running either

You're Own Studio Line - FREE

If you're like me you're probably using Skype to talk to your listeners during your broadcasts. Skype is a great way to connect to people AND add live content to your shows. Sometimes Skype isnt enough. You want an actual phone number to to give to folks for interviews etc. Skype has such an offering. By the time you pay for everything you're out of pocket expense might be in the $25-$50 doller per year range. There is a FREE option to consider (U.S. only i think) and that is a Google Voice number. This is really a free virtual number for your cell phone but it will work as a fully function studio line too.

Step #1 Get a Google voice number.

Go here to sign up for your FREE Google Voice number

http://www.google.com/mobile/voice/

Step #2 Forward your calls to Google Chat

Sign into your Google Voice account and go into the Settings

You want to forward your new Google Voice number to your Google Chat account (Also Free)

Here's how that looks:

OK thats the hard part. Now, 2 more steps and you have a working Studio Line.

Step #3

Download and install GTalk (free) from Google. (its the voice add on to Google Chat)

One important note with all these Google apps....Use the same gmail account to obtain and sign into each of the apps.

Make sure you're start/load gtalk (it can even be via the gtalk chrome/mozilla plugin)

Sign into your gmail account too. All this activity can be minimized or acheived via a browser plugin

that's it. you're Google Voice number will now ring (in gtalk)

You can mke outbound calls, receive inbound calls etc. You're new Studio Line is ready to go.

Last note. I might be confused but i do think you must be logged into gmail to make this all work I think its the glue that holds everything together. Maybe its the only thing that has a real account login to tie everything back to your PC.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your FREE phone line. Google says its FREE thru 2012. they also said this in 2011 and 2010 so fingers crossed it happens again in 2013

--PT

Plantation Update

Well the growing season is coming to an end. We may have frost in the morning here in North Texas. Its early November so its about time for that. I have been harvesting some of the leaves here and there over the past couple of months. The plants have topped off with some nice flowers during the past month too.
I have been tinkering with the process used to make chewing tobacco, thats not as easy as it seems but i'm getting closer.

Here are some of the leaves during the curing stage. I have them air curing for about 3 to 6 weeksToday i have placed my 2011 seed order. I'll be experimenting with a couple new varieties next year as I expand the Plantation. Its been a fun project, i like being a Gentleman Farmer.
Next year the seed will start on time. Good thing we have a long growing season!!

Plantation Update

Well we're into the summer heat now. August in Texas is always hot. well over 100 degrees is in the forecast for the next few weeks but the Plantation Project is going strong. The Virginia Gold tobacco plants are growing fast and getting bigger every day. Several of the transplants are still kind of small but there are a few that are really going to town. Here's a picture:

The Dining Room Project

Spanning 2 weekends we finally finished the flooring/painting in the Formal Dining room.
Last weekend (Saturday) we moved everything out of the room and ripped out the carpet. At the end of the day the entire room (and ceiling) was painted. The room looked like this at the end of the daySo Sunday morning I started with the flooring. By lunchtime the room was about halfway complete.

And by the afternoon all the flooring was done. I even managed to hand a new blind too.
During the week the new molding was installed and painted along with some minor touch up work. Then today we moved stuff back into the Dining room.

Here are a few pictures of the finished project.This project went pretty fast and I think the room looks great. Now on to the next one......

Project Complete

Well, for now ayway, the construction has stopped. We have finished the flooring project. Lots of work, lots of painting (i hate to paint) but everything is looking great!!! We start in the dining room hopefully next weekend. My goal is to get stuff moved out of that room (its been a staging area during the flooring project) rip out the old carpet, paint, get the floor installed all in a single weekend. Can it be done??? stay tuned.

Here are some pictures of what has been completed so far:Its been a lot of work but its also been fun to do. Can't wait until its done!!!

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