Issue 51.14
Today I wanted to share some ideas that you can use to make Christmas fun and new. These involve technology and some of the ideas are obvious but we don’t think about them. Others are innovative and even maybe a little strange.
One of the most wonderful things about Christmas is the music. Most cable and satellite tv providers offer music channels with different kinds of Christmas music free at this time of year. Just tuning to those and letting them play in the background can add a festive and beautiful tone to your home or business. This can also be done with your iTunes or Pandora accounts in addition to other music services available on your computer.
One of the more innovative things I have seen is the use of large flat panel televisions for specifically and even non-traditional Christmas content. One person I know scanned or photographed all the Christmas cards they received and put them on a flash drive which they played back as a slide show on their big screen. You could also put a bunch of Christmas artwork or scenery photographs together for a nice show. Another videotaped a Christmas tree for a few minutes (with the lights flashing and all the ornaments) and then looped it to view on a screen mounted vertically (portrait mode) instead of horizontally. The screen was large enough that it almost looked like a real tree but didn’t take up floor space or drop needles on the floor. I think he actually took the video at a festival of trees because it was a prettier tree than anything I have seen him decorate.
There are also a lot of “free” Christmas downloads available, but I would suggest you be very careful. Many of them come with viruses or other malware that you really don’t want messing up your holidays. It is best to do it yourself unless you can be sure of the source and it is one you can trust.
A popular gift in a related idea is the photo display screen. They come in a variety of sizes and capacities, but they are great for family photos and slide shows of holiday scenes or even the Christmas tree shots or other decorations. I have seen these as low as $40, but be sure you get one that is easy to use and one that is high enough quality that you don’t end up throwing it away in a couple of weeks.
Finally, Happy Holidays to all our wonderful readers. Have a great Christmas and New Year – and remember to always back up anything on your computer that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 33 years, 26 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.