Sunday, March 16, 2025
The last computer I purchased was in November 2020 just before starting my Maryland Real Estate course. I discuss the purchase in this post.
Since then, I have also purchased the following tablets:
- iPad Mini - May 2022 (related post)
- Samsung Galaxy Android - November 2023 (related post)
Forgot, I purchased a new laptop in November 2022, however it was a holiday gift for my mother.
For work, I primarily use the mini PCs with portable high resolution monitors or one of the tablets. The problem? The mini PCs are not mobile enough and my older laptops and desktops cannot handle today's technology.
Another issue? The space on one of the mini PCs was not adequate enough to handle the Visual Studio installation I wanted to experiment with. Yes, most of my development work (mainly Java) is done with the Netbeans IDE and Xampp, however, I wanted to experiment with Visual Studio on the non-production mini PC.
On both mini PCs I installed additional storage in the form of Seagate 500GB internal hard drives. In addition, both are setup with my software development tools, however, I do not install software tools I only want to experiment with, like Android Studio and Visual Studio on the production mini PC.
All this to say, last week, I ordered a new HP laptop.
New HP Laptop Specs (I paid under $600 on sale):
- Screen Size 14 Inches Touch Screen
- CPU AMD Ryzen 3 Processor (4 cores, 8 threads)
- Hard Disk Size 1 TB high-speed PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Ram Memory Size 32 GB
- Operating System Windows 11 Pro
- Display Resolution 1366 x 768 Touch Screen
- Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 5
- Various Ports USB A (2), USB C, HDMI, SD
- Included Microsoft Office Lifetime License
- Included HP Original H10H Wireless Earphones
Applications I installed on the new HP Laptop, include:
- Netbeans IDE
- Java
- Php
- c/c++
- Xampp
- MySQL
- Php
- Android Studio
- Git
- Vim
- Microsoft Office 21 Professional (added Access & Publisher)
- Active Presenter
- Print Drivers for Konica Color Laser & Brother Monochrome Fax Laser
- FileZilla
- Canon EOS Camera Utilities
- Visual Studio
- node.js
- Python
- Chrome
- Thunderbird
- Any Video Converter
- FastStone
- Zoom
I am happy, I can pull out this new laptop wherever I am and work on tasks I cannot do on either my tablets or phone. No, the display on the laptop is not the 2560x1600 resolution of my portable monitors, however, I can live with that.
Monday, December 30, 2024
In April 2023, I installed a subscription version of Microsoft 365 Professional onto a new laptop. Earlier this year the subscription expired and I chose to use read only versions of the Microsoft Office Suite, including the database app, MS Access for the computer in question. I maintain several other systems with fully licensed versions of Microsoft Office 2021 Professional.
Yesterday, while checking some of my Amazon affiliate links, I noticed Amazon no longer offers the downloadable version of Microsoft Office 2021 Professional.
Googling "Microsoft Office 2021 Professional" provided
several purchase options for obtaining the software from other online
retailers including the two shown below.
I purchased the software through Walmart as shown above, and very happy with the product and installation. Software installed included:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Access
- Publisher
- Outlook
- Skype
- OneDrive
- OneNote
- Microsoft Teams
I discuss often, how I use the Microsoft Office 2021 Professional suite of applications, including:
- MS Access Database Amazon Best Seller Books Category
- MS Access Amazon Stores Database
- MS Access Updates To Amazon Stores Database
- Publisher Custom Bank Checks
- Power Point Presentation converted to an animated GIF
- Business and financial Excel Spreadsheets.
- PowerPoint + Active Presenter for Youtube Videos
- Microsoft Access Database for personal and professional contacts.
I maintain licensed copies of the professional versions of Microsoft Office on my hard drives because I use the applications quite a bit. I use a reliable and powerful Verizon FIOS network so I could use online versions of MS Office, however I simply love owning this software and accessing it in local mode. I even have it installed on androids and my iPad mini.
I offer Publisher Bank Check templates and custom Access databases (e.g., Contacts, Recipes). Submit the form on my Contact page to get more information.
The software I purchased was a digital download and several pre-conditions existed to enable successful installation of the software. If you are not used to installing your own system software perhaps check with your systems person or drop me a line.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Today, I had a non-business related meeting which did not require I leave the house. I chose to wear a pair of old military pants my sister (ex Federal Officer) gave me.
Normally, I pair those pants with my brown suede jacket and my Bass heeled boots (shown below), however today I simply put on a sweater and the sandals I normally wear around the house.
Lately, I have been working a number of software projects so in addition to my normal routines I have been busy. This the reason I have not posted as much.
Some of my recent software projects include:
Monday, October 21, 2024
In July 2024, CJ, a leader in affiliate marketing announced a new partnership with Amazon. Read more about the announcement in this article.
I did not notice the original announcement, however, on October 16, 2024 I
logged into my CJ account and noticed a large banner ad for the Amazon Sellers
Affiliate program. I decided to sign up and was notified on Thursday, October
17, 2024 I was accepted into the program.
One of the program's offerings is an API resource enabling software developers a means to access product data dynamically through program calls.
I began developing a program interface (Java Servlet) on Saturday (October 19, 2024), after much thought on how I would integrate the affiliate
program's offerings. Shown below, backup copies of the time stamped Java files
showing progress I made over the weekend with the development efforts.
The screenshots of the new program interface shown below- are my efforts through this morning.
I have minor cleanup work- yet to complete on the new interface. I want to install the new program as a product demonstration interface on the main area of qisoftware.com under the products section, however this is not definite.
Friday, September 13, 2024
Sometimes I get questions.
- Is that hair all yours? Yes, every raggedy strand.
- Why don't you do something with that hair? I keep my hair pinned up until I have to go out or depending on the visitor. It needs color and a good cut, however hairdressers never do what I want. My hair is very thin and a hairdresser tends to want to make it very straight. I prefer more of my natural body to cover how thin my hair is. Not bald thin. Just thin.
- Why are your legs so white in coloring? Though my skin color changes from very pale on some days to a bit darker on others, for some reason my legs always seem very light. A relative once told me I had poor blood circulation. I believe I have a rare blood type like my mother's- AB negative. Not sure if this is the problem.
- Why do you dress old? These days I am old. That said when I was 20 I wore the same style suits. Classics. Did you watch the Gilmore Girls? I have always preferred Emily's style to that of her daughter's or granddaughter's on that show.
- If you are a techie, why is your style more a TV lawyer or the old Charlies Angels wannabe look? I love style and spend time and money in this area. I also like makeup. I like being a girl. When I first started my career, there were not many girls doing the same thing. There were secretaries and support staff, however I was often at the Pentagon or NAVSEA and the support staff was not. Sometimes I had lunches, meetings, travel. That said since high school I have liked what a business suit could do for me. I interned in offices in high school.
- Did you really develop all of the applications found on WiredPages and other areas of your sites? Yes.
Just a few of the old suits in my closets. Yes, some need to go to the cleaners for a good pressing.
Why am I showing you these suits? Because I wanted to show my style is the same as it was 30 years ago. Should I brag that I wear a dated look? My old style suited me and is similar to the outfit I have on in the top right photo of the series. I have a lot of business suits. I have no plans to get rid of them. The problem? The sizes. I am now beginning to fit many of my old suits.
Why don't I look like a vlogger claiming to be a software developer? Software developer roles have changed over the years. In my day, someone with my role owned the software project. Requirements definition, all areas of development, debug, documentation, and customer interaction.
These days, software developers on Youtube own a bug and they have to fix it. Then go through many levels of review to make a change. They also do not wear suits.
I do all of my own work- from soup to nuts and continue to wear suits.
Software development has changed. I like understanding the whole project. I own the project.
I love working, coming up with new business ideas, developing software applications, reading, old movies, shopping for new outfits, and tennis.
Why am I telling you I am not really an agile software developer? Because I do more, which is not really wanted in software developers anymore. Businesses do not want programmers 'owning' the software project. They cannot afford to allow one or two programmers to own the project. I own my software consulting firm.
When I have a problem with a resource I have to work out the issues. For example, Google notified me earlier this year that the Representatives API resource I use for the "Who are my representatives?" application on the WiredPages Government page will retire in April 2025. I have been researching for a new resource, and thought I had a good option, however, today I found out I need to continue searching.
Today, most developers are not required to do this type of research nor engage with outside organizations. Well not the ones on Youtube, in any case. Okay, a little annoyed I thought my problem was resolved.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Over the last three months it seems an inordinate number of household appliances have gone into disrepair.
- Dishwasher
- Dehumidifier
- Freezer (Garage)
- Kitchen Sink Leak
- Iron
In addition, replacement batteries or recharging has been required for the following:
- Camera Batteries (enlarged with overcharging)
- Car Battery
- Smoke Detector
Coupled with the replacements and repairs to things I use, these days it seems that all I do is try to maintain the status quo.
Recent or pending Amazon purchases for replacements or repairs...
Will be getting a new dishwasher next week and purchased a new dehumidifier several years ago in case something like this happened. Repaired the kitchen sink leak and learned to use the new tool.
Miscellaneous replacements include two plants I had in the den. A lot of
traffic in the house last summer proved fatal for two of my favorite plants
and I am just now getting around to replacing them. See here and here for
the earlier versions of the plants.
The following illustration shows some of my recent Amazon purchases.
I think there was a problem with the surge protector used in the guest
bedroom/sewing room where the iron is kept. I have another iron, so this is
not a high priority, however I am not happy with the loss of the old Rowenta
iron.
I have also been taking inventory with other issues in my closets and found I need to implement several fixes or repairs before the cooler seasons arrive. One of the issues shown below.
This is just for information. The six pack of undies I purchased to go with my new white and tan slacks were on sale for $7.99. I think I got a good deal, and they are not uncomfortable, however I will not be using those undies for every day use. Here is the link if you want to try them for yourself.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention several of the organizations that provide the API resources I use to develop some of my tools, have sent notifications about updates to their services. I have some major software rewrites/repairs coming up.
Areas affected include the government representatives application on the WiredPages Government page and some of the CareerOne applications on the Employment page.
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Every Wednesday The New York Times updates its fiction best sellers list. So every Wednesday (sometimes Thursday) I update the WiredPages Libraries page to reflect updated Amazon links for the new list.
The following list of books shows the new list for Wednesday, August 21, 2024 and is the same HTML generated and inserted to the WiredPages Libraries page.
For the week of: 8/21/2024
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How did I generate the HTML for the above list?
The following graphics show elements of the Microsoft Access database I use to maintain my Amazon Stores and affiliate links.
The next illustration shows the Windows directory where the HTML file generated by the Access Module Function is written.
Finally, the type of queries I develop to build the forms and reports I use within the database.
I use the same Microsoft Access database to maintain most of my Amazon stores and associate's links. I have found that I save quite a bit of time using this method to maintain my affiliate links, however would love the Product Advertising API resource activation reinstated. No sales prevents usage of the programs I have developed for use with Amazon's Product Advertising API resource.
Wednesday, July 03, 2024
I cannot remember the last time I saw someone writing a check in the checkout line, that is until yesterday.
One of my errands yesterday, stop by Costco for these staples:
- Water
- Bathroom Tissue Paper
- Fruits
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
While there, a lady two customers in front of me in the checkout line- paid with a check. This seemed to take forever.
Do you want to ask why it is taking so long to put the Microsoft Publisher Check Writing Template on a WiredShops product page?
The answer is complicated. I want to say something like DOJ is allowing sales from my online site to be blocked, however, I cannot say for sure because my information is only abstract in nature.
I believe there is a similar issue with Maryland Bloggers. I get Maryland Bloggers emails from the online forms, however there is no contact information. It is as if the email information is being stripped. Yes, I installed the email forms correctly.
In abstract, I am also told DOJ is trying to correct this situation. That said, I have been told many things over the years, however, I am not holding my breath.
I tend to move on and come up with my next plan of action. These plans are mostly to do with business and not anything to do with hiring a lawyer. I have become a serial entrepreneur of sorts.
What I wore yesterday while out running errands? The dress is a long sleeve t-shirt type dress that I belted to distract from my slightly lumpy midsection. The good news, my midsection is a lot less lumpier so I did not wear shapewear nor a blazer. These days, the less I wear the cooler I am.
What I put on upon my return? Biking shorts and a t-shirt.
In some of the photos, I am trying on a leather blazer I hope to wear in the fall and winter months to hide unwanted curves. Need to lose a bit more weight. Happy with the purchase of all that fruit from Costco.
What are you having for the fourth?
Sunday, June 30, 2024
It has been so hot in my area, I hate having to think about going out.
That said, on Thursday, June 27, 2024 I did have to go out and my worst fears were realized, when the van I wanted to use would not start.
A brand new battery was installed about a year ago, however, the van is used less than once a month and I think the combination of hot weather and disuse drained the battery.
The good news, the van started right away with the amp charger I reference in this post.
I am seldom jealous of anyone with a pool. Allow me to explain. About the time I was completing my sophomore year in college (1979) and my sister was graduating from high school (always think of it as her graduation present), my parents had a pool installed.
Though I was never home (college, work, other interests), I perhaps used the pool less than 5 times before my parents sold the house in 1984. I thought when the pool was open (May-October), it was a lot of maintenance. And then there was the bunny that could not swim. I was simply never interested in that pool.
Several years ago, one of the neighbors had a pool installed. See below, the view from my office window. I have never wished I could just jump into that pool- that is, until this year.
Maybe it is because I have been working in my office more this year and the room seems hotter than other areas of the house, but I have wanted to dive into the neighbor's pool. That said, I do not want my very own pool.
Though, the next topic is not heat related, I was hot under the collar when the issue first came to my attention.
Facebook decided my business verification was no longer valid in 2022. I mention this issue in this post. I was baffled by this, however, let it go. At the time, I was a developer using Facebook APIs, however, there seemed to be no impact to my Facebook applications (see here and here), so I did not worry about it.
On Thursday, June 27, 2024, after notification earlier in the week related to the state's renewal of my business entity, I resubmitted the business information (state & business bank documents) to Facebook.
As noted from the graphic below, Facebook verified my business and also verified that my business is a tech provider for their services- mainly dealing with their API resources.
Glad most of my heat related issues worked out. I am currently working a number of business related projects and planning for the holiday.
Saturday, April 27, 2024
The latter part of this week was busy. The following list shows some of the things I worked on or happened, starting late Wednesday, 24 April 2024.
- Became a member of Reddit (my profile link).
- Finding, debugging, and correcting a problem with the Yelp application I maintain on the WiredPages Dining & Travel page.
- Unboxing an Amazon order.
- Preparing to update my ZipCode applications to use the Developer API USPS tools because the USPS Web Tools I currently use will retire in January 2025.
- Happy, I received the $50 reward for opening my new Mastercard account.
So many online services and offerings are changing including my advertising resources. Some of these include Google Adsense, Google Ad Manager, and Amazon's Unified Ad Marketplace (UAM) which I use in conjunction with Google Ad Manager for header bidding. I also have various affiliate and marketing partnerships and relationships, however, on qisoftware.com related site areas I use mainly Amazon's UAM header bidding resource.
Because I do all of my own integrations where advertising is concerned, I
have to keep up with new services being offered and sometimes it is a little
overwhelming. I found a forum on Reddit that seems to cover a lot of ground
in this area and I decided to join.
On Thursday, I noticed I had a problem with the Yelp application I maintain on WiredPages. I had errands to run on Friday, and thought I would get to it later in the day. I did not get to it until today, and happy to report the quick fix I decided on is working.
Recently, I ordered several items from Amazon which arrived today. I am very pleased with everything however wanted to talk about two specific items, the new lids for my glasses and a set of shawl scarfs.
The shawl scarfs I ordered were a great price and I am going to find all sorts of ways to use and wear them.
The last item, the USPS Developer API updates. Sometime ago, I developed two
applications using the USPS Web Tools APIs. Both applications are found on
this QiSoftware demonstration products page. As noted from the email shown
below, the USPS Web Tools resource will retire in January 2025.
I set up new applications with the USPS Developer service to allow calls to the new API resources. I do not foresee problems with this changeover, however, as of this date, I have not fully completed the task.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Yesterday, I ran around town doing the weekly shopping. I only went by two stores- Costco and Food Lion. Normally, I also stop by Safeway, however, I only needed one item the others did not have, so decided to wait.
Before I left yesterday, I did not check my emails, however, later in the evening I did review and research issues related to the email (shown below), I received at 9:09 AM earlier that day.
As indicated in my last post, I am having too many issues with the APIs, XML, and RSS feeds I use to create my applications. The services are mostly being retired.
Highlighted in the illustration below, the application, Who Are My Representatives? affected by the latest "end of life" notice for a resource I am using.
Refer to this February 2017 post- New Political Officials Interface, which discusses the development efforts related to the application.
Research provides, I should be able to update my application by April 2025 to use a new resource that should be available in September 2024. As indicated by the email, the resource "downturn" (their term), will not go into effect until April 2025, however this is a big deal to me if all does not go as I hope.
All of this noise about my applications, do you want to know what I purchased from Costco? Are you worried about Mother's Day? Things I will get to next time.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Lately, I have been trying to update my look, however, I have been distracted with a number of issues related to my software applications and sites.
Thursday evening, I noticed a problem with the FCC application I developed for the WiredPages Media page. I think I have a solution, however I am not happy about the number of recent problems with my applications. In most cases, the API, XML, or RSS feed I am using has changed or was retired.
In addition, hosting-q.com, the site I use to host most of my software applications has gone down too many times in the last week. When it rains it pours.
Now, why am I working on my personal appearance? Earlier this year, I noticed I had lost quite a bit of weight (due to physical exertion), so I made a determined effort to lose more.
This has not exactly worked out as planned, in that I am not losing at the same rate. A bit slower.
A week ago, I was pleased with how my hair turned out- so yesterday, I thought I would look through my makeup bag and try somethings in hopes of reigniting my efforts insofar as my diet.
I am not sure if that red lipstick is going to do the trick, and I am really not sure why I would want a darker lipstick as we approach summer.
Maybe I should smile more, however right now I am rather annoyed with each new problem.
Monday, April 08, 2024
I have been working a number of projects, mostly business related.
- Integrated an AliExpress/Amazon plugin to my OpenCart e-commerce shop (WiredShops). The interface allows me to automatically add products from Amazon or AliExpress to my shop.
- Integrated another OpenCart plugin to enable live price updates based on options selected by the buyer for each product.
- Applying to AliExpress for access to the Drop Shipping API to allow more control of how products are added to my shop.
- Added a new category to my e-commerce shop, Digital Products.
- Preparing to offer my first digital product (MS Publisher Bank Check Template) for purchase. Ordered labels, flash drives, packaging and began the product brochure.
- Responsible for several tax return filings and happy to report I completed those tasks last week.
- Several business related filings to the State of Maryland to update records and access new services that became available at the beginning of the year.
I am very pleased most of these projects worked out well, however I have run into several problems with shipments and access to the AliExpress Drop Shipping API.
Allow me to backup. My order for custom flash drives (40), labels (210), and packaging (100) came to $63.84. Because of my past experience with business related projects, I wanted my initial investment to justify any failings I might incur.
During the checkout process, PayPal offered a $50 reward if I applied for the PayPal Cashback World Mastercard. (Link provided does not include the reward. Reward I was offered- provided through the e-commerce organization I purchased from, via PayPal.)
I was approved almost immediately and thought the $13.84 investment to experiment with my digital product offering was something I could afford to risk.
What about my FICO score? I did not think it would be affected as much- because of the limit offered by the new card. I only had about $13,500 in overall credit before I applied- with no liabilities. The new card provided an additional $9,000 in credit. I also justified the new card in case I wanted to acquire more on-hand shop inventory with a great cashback offering if I checked out through PayPal.
Credit ratings are based in part- on the overall amount of credit a consumer has versus the amount owed. It is also based on the number of creditors, i.e. credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, etc.
In my case, I did not want to apply for more credit, that is until the incentives became worth my while, as was the case with the one presented in this instance.
I received the labels and packaging on Saturday, April 6, 2024, however was issued a refund for the custom logo flash drives for $49.61 because the shipper did not ship.
I researched and this was a great deal for 40 custom logo flash drives for just under $50.00. To add to my dismay, the $50 I was going to get from PayPal for opening the credit account is probably not going to be credited because of the refund. I wanted to scream.
My other annoyance, AliExpress has not yet approved my access to the Drop Shipping API. Something about, I am stuck in their legal department.
Friday, March 22, 2024
I have been researching delivery and marketing options for digital products I wish to offer, specifically the Microsoft Publisher Bank Check Template I developed several years ago.
- Bank Check Template Evolution- Related Posts
- Automation Enhancements
- Conversion to Microsoft 365 Publisher Version
- Microsoft Publisher Office 2000 - Original Template Development
In light of obvious security concerns, I have decided to ship rather than enable download of the Microsoft Publisher template for bank checks.
There are several required files that will ship with the package including the template file, setup files, and the readme (instruction) file. The files will be stored on a USB flash-drive and I am thinking of offering several pages of a security blank check stock that most banks prefer.
Note, Microsoft Publisher is not part of the package and is sold separately.
Yesterday, I put together a short video providing a first look at the usage of the template using the MS Publisher software.
I am still researching marketing, investment options (paper-stock, flash-drives), and the legal aspects of this offering, however, hope to be able to make available this digital product in the near term.
FYI: I have been using these templates for personal and business checks for years (since 2016) and have never had a problem with either of my banks (Bank of America and Wells Fargo).
Years ago, I researched correctly the requirements for development of this type of template. My research provides, sometimes this type of offering (bank check template) does not always work as expected.
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
I power the applications and tools I develop for online consumption using a myriad of different Application Program Interfaces (APIs) from different sources.
One of the more popular pages on the WiredPages News Service is the Employment Guide.
Listed below are the APIs and XML feeds used on the WiredPages Employment Guide.
- CareerOneStop APIs
- Jobs Board
- Occupation Wage Data
- FRED® API
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate
- U.S. Employment and Training Administration, Initial Claims
- FRED Per Capita Personal Income By State
- FRED Military Employment Stats Graph
- Google Career News Info
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics -JOLTS XML Feed
On January 27 & 28, 2024 the CareerOneStop API site will be down for maintenance so the two applications (Jobs Board, Occupation Wage Data) on the Employment page that use the corresponding CareerOneStop APIs will also be unavailable.
What does FRED stand for? Federal Reserve Economic Data.
In addition, certain areas of the FRED site will be down for maintenance on Friday, January 26, 2024 which will affect different graphs on not only the Employment page, but several other WiredPages that use FRED graphs and/or the FRED API. The WiredPages Business & Markets page also relies heavily on FRED data.
Upcoming downtime notices from different resources used on WiredPages.
Monday, January 08, 2024
In November 2023, I obtained a JSON formatted data file containing the 2020
CIA World Factbook.
The World Factbook data I maintain in my local development environment is a MySQL database from 2013.
When I first downloaded the 2013 data it was stored as a MySQL compressed (GZ) database file. I did not want to maintain all of the data in my local development environment so I went through each table, only extracting and importing the data I wanted to use with my application.
Though I completed work on the JDBC Java Servlet for the World Factbook Quick Reference Tool sometime ago, the amount of work I had to do to get the data I wanted was no minor task. Therefore, I never installed the online version of the application fearing those with access to my servers would want to use the data elsewhere.
The following video, produced in August 2022 demonstrates the World Factbook Quick Reference Tool running in my local developmental environment starting about 1:21 minutes into the video.
Because the CIA World Factbook data I am using for demonstration purposes is now over 10 years old and I have more recent data in my possession, I decided to install the World Factbook Quick Reference Tool on the WiredPages Reference page.
I have some minor cleanup work on the servlet and I also need to upload the custom World Factbook database to my site, however I think I will have it up and running by the time I finish this evening. It is about 4:20 PM my time and I have one or two other minor chores to take care of before I complete work on this project.
Friday, December 29, 2023
This holiday season will be memorable because in the week before Christmas, I was at the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) center in Columbia, MD on the Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the 25th, and on Tuesday, December 26, 2023. Why? Legal issues with transferring an automobile title.
A week prior to all of that, the automobile in question had to have emergency repairs. I thought the repairs were going to be about $1000. The repairs came to $250 plus my very first Uber ride to pick up the car for about $11.00.
Needless to say, along with preparations for the holidays and other business projects, I have been very busy.
Another successful project related to the holidays- getting my mother's holiday cards out the door.
Last year, I gave my mother a new HP Laptop for Christmas. In April 2023, I installed a new version of Microsoft 365 on the laptop. The version of the software I installed on her laptop did not include Microsoft Access, so in November (2023) I installed the Microsoft Access Engine (currently a free program) which allows users to run MS Access applications without the full MS Access installation. Now her contacts database is accessible from her new laptop.
This year, I convinced her to let my program print the recipient addresses on Avery labels I keep in my business stash.
Below, photos of the Avery labels I had on hand and the holiday cards in the mail box ready for pickup.
In November 2022, I ordered 100 USPS Forever postal stamps for about $48. I used 21 of the stamps for this mailing- costing about $10 for postage. The cards were cards she had on hand from earlier years, so the cost of each card was negligible. The return address labels were also free because various charities provide them without charge.
Research provided the following estimates for sending the 21 cards my
mother sent out and that of a 200 count order using an outside professional
service.
In 2024, I am going to be looking into any number of ways to cut costs. I decided to get started right away.
Hope you are enjoying the holidays.
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Since August 2023, I have been tweaking the new MS Access Database that maintains affiliate links and data for my Amazon Stores.
Yesterday, I added two new fields to each "store" table of the database:
- Video - if available the video I created demonstrating the product
- RelatedPost - if available the post where I discuss the product
The following graphic shows one of the forms with the new fields and the raw HTML output of the WriteHTML VBA module.
The second illustration shows the new fields on the store page.
I was going to provide a video of how the new database features work, however at this time I am just too overloaded with issues. A family member's unexpected health issues has left me scrambling to come up with alternative ways to handle errands that cannot go unattended.
I keep thinking, I just need one more me. No worry, I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sunday, November 19, 2023
For about six months, I have halfheartedly looked for a new android since the case on my old one is cracking due to an enlarged battery. I tend to use my iPad Mini when not on a PC.
In late September (2023), a Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM went on sale at Costco with a savings of $100.00 (Original Price: $299.99). I opted out at that time, however noticed on Monday, November 13, 2023 the same unit on sale for $110.00 off (my cost: $189.99), so I ordered it.
Some of the specs on the unit I purchased.
The android arrived, Wednesday, November 15, 2023, however, because of other plans, I noticed problems with my sites and the Chrome browser that came installed on the new unit, however, did little else.
On Friday, I began playing around with the Samsung Chrome browser settings without much success. Keep in mind, my sites and the many applications I develop and use on my sites, all render correctly on all of the old equipment and browsers.
Long story short, to get the Chrome browser on the new Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 android to render my sites correctly, I had to reinstall the CORS Filter to my Tomcat/conf web.xml file that for some reason had been removed by my web host.
In addition, I had to change most of the calls to my applications and update and recompile many of the Java servlets I use on my sites. Below, some of the Java source files I had to update.
The research, updates to site pages, and update & recompilation of the Java source files which execute my programs- took most of the weekend and I still have a bit more clean up.
I am happy I decided to purchase the new android, and very happy I was able to see problems that I previously had not known existed.
Monday, October 16, 2023
I have added a new category to this blog, WiredCreators. Posts to the category will provide statistical updates in the form of subscribers to the channel and annual revenue numbers for the Youtube channel being researched.
In addition, new content creators will be added to the growing list, so that I might continue my research for the WiredCreators.com project.
Learn more about the WiredCreators business plan and project in this earlier discussion.
| Channel | Description | Subs (Orig. Tracking Date) | Subs (Current Date: 10/16/23) | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Baldwin | YouTuber & Entrepreneur | 73.2K (05/13/23) | 73.2K | $21,6352 |
| Athan Wright | Living life at Duke University | 1.68K (05/13/23) | 2.34K | $2622 |
| Caitlin Blue | Small business owner | 10K (10/7/23) | 10K | $1,441.751 |
| Cherissa Lindsay | Lifestyle / College / Fashion / Travel | 2.04K (05/13/23) | 2.07K | $3392 |
| DominiqueSachse | YouTuber / Author | 1.84M (05/13/23) | 1.85M | $248,7812 |
| Hannah Elise | 24 Y/O College Grad Living in NYC | 758K (05/13/23) | 781K | $99,9542 |
| Hannah Meloche | Travel, Lifestyle, Fashion | 2.05M (10/16/23) | 2.05M | $154,6842 |
| kesalt | Brooklyn-based professional illustrator | 11.2K (10/16/23) | 11.2K | $1,872.451 |
| Leah Megan | Video Diary / Final Year at University | 36.1K (05/13/23) | 37.8K | $3,697.451 |
| LetsTurnItUpWorld | Tanya and Dave from ‘Turn It Up World’ | 62.7K (05/13/23) | 82.9K | $61,2632 |
| Life Uncontained | Texas Dream Build Debt-Free Off Grid Shipping Container Home | 1.37M (05/13/23) | 1.45M | $407,4792 |
| LivinFearless | Fashion / Lifestyle / Travel | 111K (05/13/23) | 117K | $75191 |
| lou | Video diaries of anything and everything | 31.8K (10/7/23) | 33.3K | $2,106.051 |
| Marcos Rico Peng | Cal Men's Swimming Team. Recent Grad. | 61.2K (05/13/23) | 92K | $15,888.451 |
| Ox In The Shop | Drew & Woodworking | 16.5K (05/13/23) | 16.9K | $1,9772 |
| ROSA GOLD | Mobile Home / Tiny Home Renovation / Online Shop 📍Germany | 30.3K (05/13/23) | 43.9K | $25075.501 |
| Scout The City | Fashion Content Creator | 51.9K (05/13/23) | 53.4K | $14,2282 |
| Simply Nikki | Lifestyle / Beauty / Decor / Mum Life | 529K (05/13/23) | 527K | $30,3972 |
| Tech Mentor Maria | Tech, Career, Personal Finance, Healthy Habits, Travel 📍NYC | 6.85K (05/13/23) | 10K | $1,098.651 |
| Young Lady Business | Lifestyle Vlogs / Decorating | 155K (05/13/23) | 159K | $56,4602 |
| 1noxinfluencer.com | ||||
| 2StarStat.yt | ||||
