What do you do online?

[Cat Dancer]

I live on line. Well, not literally. I spend a bit of time here, but nowhere else related to MS. I use the web to look up medical issues for me and Tom Cat. I use allrecipes.com. I spend time on a legal forum at delphiforums. I do my ministry for my church, managing a couple of email lists for them, attend church, participate in several facebook groups they provide. I'm on facebook, and read it every day. (Most of the people I "friend" there are actual real life friends, or at least people I know through my church connections; I don't just randomly "friend" someone because they've read a post of mine and "liked" it.) Only a very few relatives also have Facebook pages. Since we rarely interact in real life, our facebook interactions are pretty random, too....although I did find out about an illegitimate grandnephew that way.! :)

I shop on line, and have for years, without any problems with hacking or lost credit cards or any of the horror stories people tell. AmazonSmile (amazon, but with a charitable wing) is my site of choice. (If you sign up for AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 5% of your purchase price to a charity of your choice. Same products as the regular Amazon, same price, but a donation to your charity. Mine goes to my church.) Occasionally I'll shop on ebay, once in a very great while on craigslist, but usually I'll use craigslist to get an idea of what people are paying for stuff that I'll sell "live" in my home town.

I also have several bills paid through automatic drafts on line, and have my bank statements on line. When I was so very sick last year I had a lot of that moved back to paper statements and bills because Tom Cat is basically computer illiterate, and would not have been able to find them if indeed I'd died. I haven't yet moved it all back to on line.

On my Kindle I watch movies and TV shows free (as an AmazonPrime member). I play games at pogo.com, and a few on facebook. but mostly card games that I play with robots, or solitaire type games. Gotten hooked on Canasta, lately, but have never played with real people. I always beat the robots, though!

I do a lot of "looking up stuff' for Tom Cat, who comes up with these random questions, like "what is the life expectancy of a bald eagle" as if I'd know off the top of my head. so I look for it on line, try to find a reliable source, (like the Audubon society), and tell him. He thinks I'm SO smart!!! I don't trust Wikepedia, use it as sort of a beginning source, then look for verification elsewhere.

I also check the news on line. NBC, MSNBC< CNN, NPR as primary sources. Occasionally Al-Jazeera for international news. Never Faux ..uh..Fox news....

[nuthatch]

Thanks Cat for telling us about AmazonSmile, I didn't know about that. And for mentioning NPR (National Public Radio) too.
There are so many great podcasts on NPR that are free. I used to always tune in to NPR on the radio every Sunday at 11 to listen to This American Life, but often missed it. Then I found out that you can go online to thisamericanlife.org and listen to years of past episodes, they're all archived there and so simple to listen to if you don't want to sign up for the podcast.
NPR has many great programs to listen to, which is good for people with low vision or folks like me who simply fall asleep reading. Just a few favorites - The TED Radio Hour, This American Life, How to Do Everything, Car Talk (Gary, Howie, you might like this), Wait Wait ... Don't tell Me, A Prairie Home Companion, RadioLab, Planet Money, The Hidden Brain. There are so many good programs to listen to over the computer, I can't even begin to list them.
You can also see lots of TED talks online. Here's a link to just 2000! Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...
Listening to this now about a guy who survived a brain infection, unable to communicate - Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Hope I'm not overloading you guys. I'll shut up.

[Frog42]

I love Wait Wait. We listen to it every week.

I don't buy enough on Amazon to justify buying their more expensive service but I get things there and on eBay. Depends on which is cheaper.

I've used Google Earth but not for a while. Google seems to be buying everything on the internet and that bugs me.

Blair for pants that fit someone my height (5'2"). Not that easy to find, especially with a bit of elastic at the back.

Trader Joe's.

Various cooking sites.

I'm sure there are more but enough for now.

[agate]

I used to listen to "Car Talk." It was very funny even for someone carless.

I loved the name of the law firm they mentioned sometimes: Dewey, Cheatam and Howe.

[Howie]

Very close to How-i-e! I used to listen to Car Talk in another life. NPR had some great shows. I don't know how I moved away from listening to it. I guess moving here. I can't pick it up here.

[nuthatch]

You may have seen this already. If not, watch this touching TED talk video with Roger Ebert all the way to he end. At the end he sums up just what we're talking about.
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

This is another TED talk of interest to those with a neurological disease.
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

[SuzE-Q]

Great idea for a thread!

Some great ideas here to explore, thanks!!

[agate]

Thanks so much for the links to the TED talks, Joan!

Roger Ebert was truly remarkable. At first I didn't realize that it was Roger Ebert I was looking at but then I remembered that he'd had so much drastic surgery done that his face was totally changed. (I used to watch his movie reviews on TV.)

The second one is a very clear presentation, especially in showing why stem cells are such a promising way to go with neurological disorders like MS.

[Virginia]

Thanks for the links to TED Talks. I use to go on google earth and one time I spent several hours exploring all around Orleans, France which is where I once lived for a year. I also worked in Heidelberg, Germany for a year and a half and I went to the U.S. Army Headquarters there. I wanted to spend more time around Orleans and also back in Germany, but when I went back on quite some time later I could no longer pull it up. I do not ever recall downloading Google Earth. I was just able to go into it. It appears now that you need to download it. I am always so wary of downloading anything onto my computer that I am not absolutely sure where I am getting it.

Joan, did you download it and does anyone else know if it is safe as far as your computer is concerned.

[nuthatch]

Virginia, I use Google Maps on my older Mac and have for years. When Google Earth came out, I tried to download it but my old Mac wouldn't support it, so I continue to use Google Maps on this computer. I do not remember ever downloading anything for it.

When you go to Maps, you can type in where you want to go in the search box and hit enter. It will show a street map, but all you have to do is click the box at the lower left of the screen that says "satellite" to see it for real. It will still show the streets, but also buildings, trees ect.. Then use the controls at the lower right of the screen to zoom in (+) for more detail. You can also drag the screen to move around.

To get a view like you're standing on the street, place your cursor on the little yellow man in the lower right hand corner of your screen. Click, hold and drag the little yellow man to where you would like to see. You can drag him to any spot or street that turns blue, then let go. Now you're in street view, just like you are there! You can then drag you screen to turn around just like you're turning your head around to see what's behind you. You can also do the same thing using the little compass thingy down in the lower right corner, but I find it easier to just drag on the screen. You can also "walk" down the street by clicking the arrow on the street. When you come to a cross street, you can turn a corner just like you're walking.

If you want to go back to satellite view, just click the ARROW in the box at the upper left corner of the screen, but before you do, that box has the address of where you are in case you want to note that, should you want to go back to that particular spot later.

Hope I haven't confused you. I took a screen shot of Orleans and another of a street view so you can see what I'm talking about on the screen. Looks like a lovely city!
Forgive me if you already know how to navigate Google Maps. I'm sure there are some who don't and I hope this will help someone. It's a fascinating world out there!

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[SalpalSally]

Thanks Joan, I'll try it!!!

[Cat Dancer]

Oh, yeah, TED talks. I LOVE those! My church introduced me (and the rest of the congregation) to them, and I tune in all the time, now.

By the way, AmazonSmile is free. It takes just a couple of clicks to sign in (you use the same username/password that you do for reguAmazon, and the same accounts). It doesn't cost YOU anything at all,,,but Amazon gives 5% of every purchase to the charity of your choice (there's a list there..if your favorite charity is on the list, the money will go to them automatically). I figure Amazon can afford it..and every little bit to your favorite charity is worth it! Works for books, too, and ebooks, anything you buy at Amazon. I don't know exactly how much my charity gets from this source, but since we do LOTS of shopping at Amazon (including groceries and dry goods), they have to get a couple hundred from us....

[Virginia]

Joan, I am going to write down the instructions you gave me re Google Maps. I am on my way out to dinner tonight and have a busy 3 or 4 days coming up. I have meditation tomorrow night and Thursday night I have book club, but I have not even started the book we are going to discuss, so I will be glued to that book for a couple of days.

Looking forward to getting back into Google Maps and/or Google Earth, but when I start I need hours because I get so involved I forget the time.

Thanks for all the info.

[Gary]

Joan, I am going to write down the instructions you gave me re Google Maps. I am on my way out to dinner tonight and have a busy 3 or 4 days coming up. I have meditation tomorrow night and Thursday night I have book club, but I have not even started the book we are going to discuss, so I will be glued to that book for a couple of days.

Looking forward to getting back into Google Maps and/or Google Earth, but when I start I need hours because I get so involved I forget the time.

Thanks for all the info.

Once you get started it is easy to loose track of time.

[Howie]

Gary, don't tell everyone our secret!