Techie Preparations

(Before I get started, don't forget to check out the last post, asking for prayer.  Thanks!)

Right now I seem to be obsessed with preparing all of my technology to take to China. I've got my Kindle Fire (thanks, Dad!) (which I have loaded with kid-friendly games and books), Tim has his iPad, and Boopa has loaned us his voltage adapter and a hand full of pocket video cameras for the kids to use. (Last time they proved themselves able camera-men.) We also have another video camera that we may or may not take and our regular camera. Jacob is bringing travel adapters and checking into other things for me. We have headphones, battery chargers, and a surge protector.

I am still on the fence with the laptop. On the one hand, it is much bulkier than the Kindle and ipad, but on the other, our first 3 hotels don't have wireless, so we need to actually plug into a wall, which the other two items can't do. We could purchase a portable router, but they are pricey, and I really am most comfortable typing on my laptop. It's my friend, and I know it's quirks.

I have also been making blogging preparations. We are trying to figure out how/if I will have access to Blogger on the trip, since it is a blocked site. I have set up the blog for email posts (I probably need to double check that again), and Tara D has agreed to be my back-up blogger.

The other day I noticed at the top of my Blogger dashboard a notice that they were changing the layout for Blogger in April, but I had the option to go ahead and update. I figured the last thing I would want to do is play with a new set-up in China, so I went ahead and made the switch. My Internet Explorer also recently updated by itself, and I am still adjusting to that.

So I go to log-in to my Blogger Dashboard (where I can make changes and track my own posts, plus keep up with the gazillion blogs I follow), but it doesn't load. I click refresh, and I get a message that Blogger (owned by Google) no longer supports my browser, and I should switch to Google Chrome. What the heck, Google? I didn't make a fuss when you combined all of my life's information into one place so you could better "market" your products to me, but telling me I can't use my preferred browser? You are crossing a line, man! What's next? Will you block Google Translator from IE users?

So I did the passive aggressive thing and went back to using Firefox to do all of my blogging. It doesn't seem to have any compatibility issues with Google, thankfully. And on the plus side, the new Blogger layout is easier to use, now that I am used to it.

Oh, and today I am updating my virus protection and doing a big scan. I'm sure it will take forty-leven hours. (That's for all of you who knew my Ma-Ma. I like to use her sayings every now and then to keep my family on their toes:)

At this rate, it will take me longer to plan my tech than my wardrobe.