~ John Norley

NIFTY GADGET

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I wonder if you can relate to this?  My husband has many record albums (something the younger generation don’t even know about!) that he’s had for many years. But like most people he now buys his music on CDs.  His LPs have been stored very well for several years, and recently he decided to convert a lot of that music from vinyl to digital, so that he can play those songs on CDs, or on his iPod.

Actually last year he tried the same thing, but the two units he bought really didn’t work well.

But just last week he bought a great new turntable, that plugs into the computer – and transfers the music being played on the turntable into a digital music file, that can be saved onto the computer.

Once the digital music file is on the computer, it can then be burned onto CDs to play in the car CD player, or on the home stereo unit.  The files can be converted into MP3 files to play on MP3 players and on iPods and iPhones.

And because the music is digital – ‘behind the scenes’ it’s all 1s and 0s, it can then be edited.

The editing of the files is just amazing.  You probably know that when playing records there are times when they ‘pop’ or there might be a slight scratch in the album and there’s an unwanted noise.

Well, that is no problem with digital music.  You play the music file in the music editing program – and you can take all those unwanted sounds out (if you can be bothered). You can tweak almost anything in the music – sound levels, of course all the sounds such as bass, treble, etc, as well as cut out long silences, set a certain amount of space between songs … the list goes on and on.

If this is something that interests you, why not do your research online, or look out for specials from retailers.

John bought his unit from City Software – they really have some amazing specials and are really helpful. The unit cost $150 and I think it’s money really well spent, as he now has some fantastic music to take anywhere he goes.

If you also have your own record collection that you’d like to bring into the digital world, then why not book a one-on-one session or use your Platinum Member’s monthly one-on-one session to get your digital music collection underway.

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HOW ARE YOU
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I read this really interesting article from a University of Queensland newsletter that I subscribe to.

I am a big fan of the Wii, for people of all ages. I like it mostly because it is fun!  But also it is a way for people to physically move their bodies whilst they are having fun. And when you’re having fun, you don’t notice so much that you’re actually exercising!

I know that video games and computer games get a bad rap, because there are lots of people who just sit in front of their television or computer screen and don’t move a muscle. They get so involved in the game that hours pass without their realising it.

But with games that are played on the Wii, there is all sorts of physical movement and activity that is possible.

For instance, you can play bowls or golf – there are skills to be learned and perfected. There are racing games where your body moves, there are exercises where you are guided through various sorts of exercises that also challenge your brain.

HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM:
Nancy A. Pachana, Ph.D., FAPS
Associate Professor
School of Psychology

Co-coordinator
Ageing Mind Initiative

http://www.uq.edu.au/ami

Seniors are being encouraged to give video games a go after a study found some games improved mood and quality of life in older adults with subsyndromal depression (SSD).

‘Exergames’ that incorporate game play and exercise significantly improved mood and mental health-related quality of life in nearly 20 older adults (aged 63-94) with SSD who took part in the 12-week pilot study.

Seniors who played tennis, bowling, baseball, golf or boxing for 35-minutes, three times a week had significantly improved depressive symptoms and cognitive performance than those who did not take part in the intervention.
Most participants also reported high satisfaction and enjoyment from the intervention; however, video games did not improve physical health-related quality of life.

Writing in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study authors said exergames may lead to sustained exercise in older adults, but added that the findings were based on a small study and that more randomised controlled trials are needed.

“It should also be noted that exergames carry potential risks of injury and should be practiced with appropriate care,” they concluded.
END ARTICLE

This has got me thinking …. again … is anybody in our group interested in a ‘virtual Wii game’?
I’m really keen to explore how we as a community can band together and get fit and healthy. We could arrange a ‘virtual’ session once per week, or else we could check up on one another and compare notes, and keep each other on track. Let me know if you’re interested!

HUMOUR ME

Just keep scrolling down. This is very interesting!   After reading it, you’ll go ‘duh, I didn’t know that.’

‘Stewardesses’   is the longest word typed with only the left hand

And ‘lollipop’   is the longest word typed with your right hand.
(Bet you tried this out mentally, didn’t you?)

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

‘Dreamt’ is the only English word that ends in the letters ‘mt’.? (Are you doubting this?)

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears   never stop growing.

The sentence: ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ uses every letter of the alphabet.  (Now, you KNOW you’re going to try this out for accuracy, right?)

The words ‘racecar,’ ‘kayak’ and ‘level’  are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).  (Yep, I knew you were going to ‘do’ this one.)

There are only four words in the English language which end in ‘dous’: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. (You’re not doubting this, are you?)

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: ‘abstemious’ and ‘facetious.’ (Yes, admit it, you are going to say, a e i o u)

TYPEWRITER     is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.   (All you typists are going to test this out)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. (Some days that’s about what my memory span is.)

A ‘jiffy’ is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

The cruise liner, QE 2,  moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.