by Kathy Brasby | Mar 29, 2013 | Stories
I remember walking somberly into my church as a child on Good Friday, surprised at the dimness of the sanctuary and the absence of candles on the altar. A black cloth hung over the cross and no music played.
It was a powerful reminder of Jesus’ death and the hopeless of a world without God.
I had a time several years ago when I believed God had abandoned me and so I allowed a wall to form around my heart. But eventually I found I missed him. I didn’t want a world without God.
So today I reflect – again – on the thorns of my own pride and find my heart longing for the abundance of God’s fruit.
Fortunately he’s promised never to leave me or forsake me. I don’t have to wait until Easter to celebration.
My joy happens moment by moment.
by Kathy Brasby | Mar 27, 2013 | Stories
Personal assistants are a wonderful thing and, when one is built into your phone, it’s a free wonderful thing, right?
Let me tell you a story about that.
siri (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
One evening, I was busy and my hands were full. But I had my iPhone and my personal assistant, Siri, right? So when the text came to my phone, I instructed Siri to read it to me. She did, informing me that my husband was letting me know that we were out of milk at home.
“Would you like to repeat or reply?” Siri is so efficient.
“Reply,” I said. I dictated the reply: “I forgot about milk. Sorry.”
Then I got the bright idea to let my children know. My daughter was driving home with my teenage son so I instructed Siri to send him a message: “Dad just told me there is no milk—” Then Siri interrupted me with a beep and asked if I wanted to send the message. “No,” I instructed.
But I didn’t read the screen. I just repeated the whole message: “Dad just told me there is no milk. Do you want to go back and get some?”
After a longer pause than my son usually needs when it comes to text messages, I got his response: “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
When we got together to compare messages, I discovered that I had first replied to my husband like this: “I forgot about mountain sorry.”
And the text to my son read, “Dad just told me there is no mouth. Dad just told me there was no mountain. You want to go back and get baby?”
Siri may be very efficient but apparently I can’t trust her around milk.
by Kathy Brasby | Mar 20, 2013 | Stories
Technology and writing may seem odd companions, especially for  someone my age. In my defense, I do have a teenage son.  I admit that he claims I rode dinosaurs to school and took notes using a chisel, hammer and piece of slate.
Which I think is a pretty lame description considering I sent out emails holding him in my arms (well, arm while I typed with the other) and taught him how to operate a mouse before he could read.
And the coolest thing I did in the last year was uncover an old advertising sign I painted while selling Apple computers. I’m talking Apple IIe computers with the painted logo in vintage colors, not the new silveresque look. “You sold Apples?” He wasn’t quick enough to hide his surprise.
Well, a mother doesn’t reveal everything to her teenagers.
OK, after that digression, I’m here today to tell you about this cool blog that I enjoy reading. Author Media is devoted to melding technology with writers, including a few who didn’t sell Apple computers way back when dinosaurs marched through the streets.
A recent post made me laugh: “Why you need a hashtag for your next book.” If you don’t know what a hashtag is, check out their site. If you do know what a hashtag is, you may not have considered one for your next book. So it’s still relevant.
Their motto is to “help authors timid about media.”
And I might add, to help authors who can’t read enough about media and technology and all that. It is impossible to keep up with the expansion of technology and the internet. Author Media helps some.
I’m not sure they target writers with chisel and hammer but, on the other hand, maybe they do. If you’re not familiar with their site, check them out.
by Kathy Brasby | Mar 13, 2013 | Stories
I like ideas. I’ve told people that if they don’t like this idea, I’ll have another one soon. Ideas are building blocks for a writer.
I want to explore new ground, ask playful questions, look for a new angle. Get me out of the rut and into the fresh air so I can breath deep and dance to a new song.
OK, the dance stuff is melodramatic but you get the idea.
My newest tool in the adventure is Paper by 53, an app for an iPad. Paper is basically a sketching app but its beauty and simplicity caught my eye. Plus the promo said that this app was where ideas began.
Ok, then. Ideas are good. I downloaded it.
I’m still playing with Paper but, so far, I like it. The app store describes it as a digital cocktail napkin but that limits it too much.
Paper lets me write or draw in an attractive notebook with a quill tip pen. A very nice blend for a writer: lush paper and a great pen.
Using either my fingertip or a stylus, I can write, doodle, sketch, draw to my heart’s content. I’m not a good artist but doodling helps free ideas and make associations.
Plus, I get to play with ideas in a digital atmosphere that I can then email to someone or post on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.
I tend to lose notebooks (and pens) but this app hangs onto those ideas for me until I’m ready to develop them. And the overall look of Pages soothes my right brain and lets my analytical side take a rest.
The basic app is free. You can add watercolor pens, brushes and more through in-app purchases.
At this time, Paper is only for the iPad. But if you have one, give Paper a spin.
You may explore new ground, ask playful questions, and find a new angle. What can it hurt?
by Kathy Brasby | Mar 8, 2013 | Stories
The photo came via a text on my phone along with a message:. “Tell Mom the daffodils have finally pushed through.”
Our mother loves to garden. She ordered the bulbs for her yard last summer, before her stroke felled her. The bulb package showed up the week after Mom’s stroke.
My sister and her family managed to get 75 bulbs in the ground before the temperatures plummeted.
You plant bulbs with hope. The bulbs look too dead to endure a harsh winter. But the vision  of the spring’s new life and colors spurred the family on.
Here in Colorado, we’ve been hammered by the lack of snow this winter. The ground is so dry that many farmers are considering parking their planters this year. The cost of buying seed and fuel may be greater than the potential harvest.
Our family has  been hammered, too, this winter. Not by lack of snow but by loss and disappointment. As I’ve mentioned before, my father died in September and my mother suffered a major stroke in October. Our winter has been consumed with therapy and fear.
For a time, we wondered if we’d lose both parents back to back. Then we wondered if Mom would regain anything stolen by the stroke.
Mom has learned to sit up again, lift herself with one arm and a grab bar, and swallow again. The therapists have her walking – stiffly, awkwardly, but one foot in front of the other.
“She’s doing great,” they tell us.
My sister’s photo of the emerging daffodils made Mom happy. “We’ll have to go see those one of these days,” she said.
When those bulbs went in the ground, we all wondered about Mom.  Would we be able to show her the new plants? Would the bulbs even grow in this drought? Would she survive the winter?
Yes, yes, and yes.
And I think those daffodils mirror our hearts as well. It’s been a long dry winter but spring’s coming.
by Kathy Brasby | Feb 27, 2013 | Stories
Last week we discussed using voice dictation on your iPad or iMac. This week we’ll look at the Windows version of dictation.
In the Windows environment, dictation is available as an accessibility feature. That makes it a little more challenging to activate than the Mac’s function key access. But not impossible.
Both Windows 7 and 8 use a similar system for turning on dictation. Once dictation is available, it works in any application that accepts text.
The simplest way to turn on dictation is to press the Start button, type Speech and wait for it to show up in the search. A small window will appear. You click on the microphone button to turn listening on and off. You can also configure Speech Recognition by right-clicking the Speech Recognition button in the notification area of your task bar.
Another route to Speech Recognition is to press the Start button and selecting All Programs>Accessories>Ease of Access.
Microsoft offers a tutorial for using dictation.
If you don’t like Microsoft’s free dictation program, consider other add-on programs. The best-known is Dragon Naturally Speaking. Dragon not only can turn talk into text, but can follow commands. You can launch programs, open files, and much more by speaking to Dragon.
Dragon packages range from $75 to $180 so it’s pricey but highly regarded.
Whether you don’t type well or you’re plagued with a problem such as carpal tunnel or, dictation options in either the Windows or Apple environment might make your writing times a whole lot easier.
