TechGirl

Compact camera strike

TechGirl — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:00:53 +0000

No sooner did I welcome my new Nikon D5100 until my compact camera, a Casio Exilim H-15 decided to throw a tantrum and refuse to co-operate. The strike has taken the shape of a black display making it impossible to in any way determine what you are doing. Taking pictures is still possible, as well as navigating the menu, but without the display using the camera is quite pointless.

This is the second time I have to return this camera for repair. The first time I ended up with soundless movies, resulting in the support changing some chip inside the camera. Now the entire display has given up. It is quite frustrating because, not considering all the technical problems, this is still by far the best compact camera I have ever had. My mother, sister and sister-in-law all have this camera or a later model, without experiencing the problems I have run into. I really hope that this time support will simply give me a new camera!

Computer Engineer Barbie – my bookshelf trophy

TechGirl — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:00:50 +0000

I was never a Barbie-girl. As a child I preferred Lego, My little Pony, Forrest Family and more, but I never like Barbie. I even remember one Christmas where my sister got the coolest hippest My Little Pony (well in my eight year old eyes it was!) while I got a Barbie in a fancy dress. My sad puppy eyes had my mother rectify the problem the next day by taking me to the toy store and returning the doll in favour of a pink horse, with wings. I was as happy as I could be and I never got a Barbie ever again.

Now, as an adult, I proudly display my very first Barbie in my bookshelf. Well why shouldn’t I? It’s Computer Engineer Barbie, complete with her own laptop and smartphone. I strongly believe that if we are to encourage more women to consider careers in the IT-business we need to make the notion of women as carriers of technology know-how as something natural. Perhaps Computer Engineer Barbie will spark a tech-interest in young girls and open a new world of possibilities for them. It is our responsibility as adults to change the view of women in IT, beginning with our children.

At least I know exactly what I will give my niece M when she turns five later this year!

Subconcious headache?

TechGirl — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:00:43 +0000

It’s that time of the month again. As an entrepreneur running your own business you can’t avoid certain paperwork, no matter how tedious it is. I have gotten in a pretty good routine now, which means that I only have to spend a couple of hours in the beginning of each month getting these things done. However, as I grabbed my administrative “tool box” the other day, I found a bunch of aspirins inside. I must have put them there by accident cleaning up earlier, but still. Perhaps it is my subconcious sending me a message to be prepared for all eventualities?

Cable Box cleanup

TechGirl — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:00:39 +0000

We all have them, cables which are “good to have”, cables you just can’t bear to part with. Over the years, those cables have a tendency to multiply by themselves, hide in every nook and corner, but when you are actually looking for that specific USB or HDMI cable they are nowhere to be found. I decided to deal with this once and for all and have spent a number of hours hoarding them all together in one box, like a shepherd gathering up his lost sheep.

In the process I ran across a lot of old stuff, like a powercord to my Dell laptop from 2004, four USB hubs which have been lost for ages and enough network cables to last me a life time. After a tough process of sifting through the content and only keeping that which I actually will use within 1-2 years I now have a nice cable box in my wardrobe. Now the trick is to make sure that all new cables actually end up in this box…

Welcome to the family Nikon D5100

TechGirl — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:00:27 +0000

In the TechGirl advent calendar, I recommended the Nikon D5100 camera as a Christmas gift. I have now followed my own advice and invested in this model, as well as in a 15-200mm lense. So far, I can only give praise to my choice of camera. Others in my family have the Nikon D90 which is an excellent camera as well. However, as I had certain requirements such as the ability to film in HD, option for external microphone in addition to be able to rotate the display 360 degrees, I had to look else where in the Nikon family.

Within the Canon brand I found the Canon EOS D60 which has roughly the same specifications as the Nikon D5100. In essence I could have choosen either camera. I went to the store several times and tried both camera models, trying to get a feel for which one I would prefer working with. The Nikon D5100 felt more “right” in my hands, and this together with the fact that any lense I bought could also be used by the Nikon D90 owners in my family made the choice easy.

Now I only have to have the courage to “refuse auto” and start experimenting with the different settings. Perhaps I’ll take a photography course later in the spring? As for now, I simply say welcome to the family Nikon D5100. I predict we will have many great adventures together!

The brilliance of Smartphone gloves

TechGirl — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:00:40 +0000

The best investment I have done this winter is without a doubt my new gloves suited for the use of smartphones. With these beauties my fingers stay warm and I can continue playing Wordfeud, hatching dragons in DragonVale and chat with friends on Facebook while waiting for the bus in the cold.

Since it would not be fair to keep this lifechanging discovery all to my self, family members with smartphones also received these as a Christmas gift. The reports coming back all agree with my own conclusions.

These gloves are from a local swedish brand, but there are tons of similar products out on the market. I strongly urge you to make a little research and try some of them out. Be kind to your fingers, they deserve to stay warm!

Sneak-peak of a new Facebook page

TechGirl — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:00:59 +0000

This weekend I have spent a lot of time working on a new Facebook page for the Swedish Women in IT blog community which I am a part of (www.ittjej.se). I can easily loose my self in working on tab app designs, Facebook strategies etc, it’s all so much fun! The page should be ready for launch soon, it just need a few more tweaks. In the mean time, here is a sneak-peak on the final result.

What do you think makes a compelling Facebook page?

Merry Christmas

TechGirl — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:00:42 +0000

Wish you all A Merry Christmas
May the Joys of the season
Fill your heart with goodwill and cheer.
May the chimes of Christmas glory
Add upp more shine and spread
Smiles across the miles,
Today and in the New Year

In Sweden Christmas is celebrated on December 24th. Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and loved ones, eat good food, dance around the christmas tree and relive the magic of christmas from the eyes of a child. I hope all you readers will have merry christmas, and who knows, maybe some of my holiday gift tips will be found under your trees?

As say in Sweden: God Jul!

Holiday Gift Tip 23: Amazon Gift Card

TechGirl — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:05:23 +0000

“At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year.”

What: On December 23d, also called “Little Christmas Eve” here in Sweden, there’s no reason to join stressed out people gone Christmas shopping in town. Instead, take a deep breath and surf into Amazon and click home a e-gift card. Choose when it is supposed to be delivered, charge it with an amount of your choosing, then go back to your Christmas celebrations.

Where to buy: Amazon