Confessions of a Graphic Designer

Through The Seattle Public Library The Sally Goldmark Library in Madrona is our local branch. Sometimes I think my husband, David, and I are the only people in Seattle who don’t subscribe to Netflix or Hulu. I guess one reason why is, we aren’t huge consumers of video content and we'd regard it as wasteful to pay for something we won’t use. We like watching films and television series, but since we opened Alki Surf Shop , we have even less discretionary time, including TV time. We spend an average of about an hour each evening watching films or programs. Truth be told, we’d dearly love to "cut the Comcast cord," but there are certain channels that would be a bummer to lose, like Bloomberg News, and any channel that airs "Law and Order" episodes :) The concept of getting rid of cable became more of a possibility when David discovered a treasure trove of content available through The Seattle Public Library (SPL). He regularly visits the SPL web ...

I'm a long-time consumer of new technology, which is unusual since I'm old enough to be the mom of a huge percentage of people on social media! Many of my peers are befuddled by technology and social media. Some have joined Facebook and Twitter and now blog, and some are now using tablets, smart phones and e-readers. I have been often asked for help and advice. This year I've had the opportunity to access new products, from portable drives to smart phones, back up batteries and gadgets. Some have been amazing and great; others have been okay, and yet others have been disappointing. I'm writing this recap of some products I've either purchased, funded, or have been given to test this year. I hope you find some of my opinions useful! Smart phones: I'm a long-time iPhone user (currently using the iPhone5), but recently was given the chance to use the Samsung Galaxy S4 . It was my first encounter with the Android operating system. Those alread...