No getting around this! Travel computer headaches

I must say that my travel computer has really been a gem when it comes to behaving, and what do I mean by this? Well, it all has to do with her not causing too many headaches for me.

But when she decides to cause a headache?  It means that I need to be patient, stick with solving the problem, and to not give up too quickly.

The most recent headache was when I visited Mom in late 2025 and for some reason my Dropbox folders kept being updated on my hard drive. Enter Tevin the super technician and after a bit of a challenge, Tevin had it all fixed for me.

The travel computer resumed purring like a kitten.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured for ever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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The beat continues: Challenges of signing up for online exams

 

This continues to be a huge challenge for persons with vision loss. The inability to sign up independently for online exams.

First off, many websites are difficult to navigate and forms are a challenge to complete.  This is what happened to me when I went to sign up for my Cyber Security Course with the Pearson Brunei company.

The online website was difficult to navigate and even my very capable and qualified sighted friend had problems doing it for me. It took months before we could finally schedule a date.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Not much hope: Expecting the worst for my computer

It is always so hard to accept whenever one’s computer decides to take a nose dive and this is what happened to my new girl. I only got her a few months ago and now I wait to see what news Imad is going to give me.

Technology can be a real challenge at the best of times. One day it is fine and the next day it is not.

For me, I depend heavily on my computer and when it decides to either misbehave or simply refuses to work then there goes my day.

Oh, well!  It is as it is!

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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One more time! The Great Computer Crash

 

Seems as if these computer crashes are happening much too often for me.

Once again it happened and this time it was me inadvertently pressing the enter key too quickly and not paying attention. It was early morning and maybe I was still trying to wake up.

Down she went and then it began all over again. I had to seek immediate help from Imad and Shane.

Yes, it got fixed, but time was spent worrying. Good thing that the cost was much lower than the last time.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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New Horizon: My new computer

I don’t think that anyone should expect things to be mostly smooth when switching to a new computer. And it's a good thing that I managed my expectations.

Shane worked overtime to make sure that everything went well. Most things worked for the most part but there were, naturally, a few minor things that didn't.

All I can say is that all’s well that ends well.

Thank you, Shane.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Great expectations: Getting ready for the new computer

All I can say is that I need to take a very deep breath before embarking on this new phase.

Yes, a new computer and saying goodbye to the old one.

Shane and I have already scoped out the specs for the new computer and now we hope and pray that it will not be too challenging for the setup stage.

I have done my best to provide Shane with all of the files and programs that he will need to make the transition. Now we wait to do it all.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Thank goodness for him: Imad to the rescue

 

Imad has never disappointed my requests and this time he came to the rescue to try and resurrect my very sick desktop computer.

Yes, he managed to get my desktop back up and running but at the end of the day I knew that I had to get a new computer.

This particular computer lasted me for six years. We certainly walked the walk together and she served me very well. I am not ashamed to say that I shed a tear after finally deciding to put her to bed.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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What a disappointment: Cancelling my chess tournament

I am going to blame the demise of my computer for this cancellation.

Yes, I had already set everything up: 3 games to play against Maria, Tony, and John. I had already begun my games when my desktop computer decided to bite the dust.

On the one hand I was relieved, but on the other hand I was sorry because I was really looking forward to being in the tournament. Oh, well!  Another time then!

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Unexpected surprise: When my desktop computer stopped working

 

It was a typical early morning for me and I had just begun the day’s work. I was typing away and then! I heard a few popping sounds and then the computer practically died on me.

What to do?

I tried everything that I could think of and after an agonizing half hour I gave up and sent Shane an SOS note. OMG, my beloved computer seems to have died on me.

What do ? First Pray!  Then to come up with a plan! Time to think of a new computer!

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Laughable anyway! When the keyboard was not plugged in

This was a very laughable experience and I sure laughed to myself.

There I was pressing the keys on my USB keyboard attempting to interact with my travel laptop computer. I spent about a minute doing this. Then I began to worry and panic! What was going on? Was my travel laptop computer going to misbehave today? Had it decided to stop working?

Then lo and behold!  I checked my keyboard’s connection and voila!  Problem solved!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly award-winning, sight-loss coach and accessibility advisor wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and  @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at
www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

 

An unexpected surprise: The black screen

I can laugh at this now but at the time it was a bit embarrassing for me. Yet again, it should not have been, given that I am vision impaired.

I discovered that my screen was black when I used my Aira app to phone an agent in the US to ask them to take an image of a document.  They informed me that the screen was black.  Sure!  Some may say that I should have known but my screen reading software reads what's on the screen no matter if the screen is lit up or not.

So, I had to find a workaround for the Aira agent to help me.  Then I asked my neighbour, Sandra, to verify the black screen for me and sure enough!  It was black!

The matter was solved when my technician, Shane, visited a few days later and fixed the problem.  There was a loose connection to the screen which he rectified.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly sight-loss coach and accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as a sight-loss coach and author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as a sight-loss coach and author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan.   And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan 

One great way to stay organized: Rearranging my gadgets

I would openly admit that rearranging my gadgets is just another way for me to stay organized. Some may call me picky and probably wasting time but I truly believe that this is the best way to keep myself on track, to be efficient, and to save lots of time.

So, my gadgets are arranged in a way that makes sense to me. For example; the two phones in my office sit side by side.  My iPhone sits very close to the Apple keyboard that I use to navigate my iPhone if needed. The travel computer sits apart from the desktop computer and the backup computer is also on a different desk. Finally, printer and scanner sit side by side.

Not to forget my Mac, it sits on a separate desk with the Mac external keyboard very close by.

That's the layout of my gadgets.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day!

 

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

An old adventure revisited: Setting up my new computer

In late 2019 I decided to take the plunge to get a new computer.  My present computer is still working like a charm but now it is time for me to get new technology.  So, after discussing my requirements with my super technician, Shane, he purchased the new computer on my behalf and then we began the tedious chore of setting it up.

There are so many moving parts to take care of, to ensure that all of the relevant pieces of software are moved over to the new computer. Ranging from installing dropbox, free rip, all of my special programs, and screen reader software. But most of all, to ensure that the present environment on my old desktop is duplicated on my new computer.

Shane and I will need to work for a bit to make sure that it is well done. Most of all, to test and ensure that everything is good.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A humourous experience: Showing photos with no screens

This is probably one of the most hilarious experiences for me: showing photos with no screens. I'd like for you to think of it like this.

I am sitting at my computer and I invite my mom to come into my office because I wish to show her some photos that were sent to me by someone who had taken the time to snap them with their iPhone.  

Of course, I have no idea what I am showing her and even worse is that I do not even know if the screen is on or off.  Mom sits and waits and after a moment's silence she tells me that my screen is off!  Bingo, and now I am aware that in order for her to see what I think she should be seeing I hasten to turn on my screen.  

From here on in things run very smoothly. Mom does not comment on my faux pas and I do not even try to complain or defend myself but truth be told we are both laughing inwardly.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A new and exciting experience: Working with Aaron remotely

This is probably one of my most challenging experiences; working remotely with anyone, at best. Aaron is probably one of the best developers/support persons that I have ever had the chance to work with. But still, for me, it always makes me so very nervous.

On this particular very early Monday morning, we got together with me in the Caribbean and Aaron at his post in Ohio. Aaron was so very patient! He guided me to set up Teamviewer and then he installed Malwarebytes for me.

After this Aaron performed all of the updates; from updating Windows 10 to Google Chrome and Firefox. Then he cleaned up other pieces of software for me.

This took two sessions and each session lasted for about an hour. What an experience, but at the end of it all I was extremely grateful to an ever-patient Aaron!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A tedious challenge for me: Guessing when there is no speech

This does not happen very often but whenever either my computer decides to play tricks on me or my screen-reading technology decides to take a break, this is what happens.

I am left stranded with no voice output to tell me what is on the screen and it is the same when I type. I do not hear what I am typing.  So, when this happens I have to guess or rather make some educated guesses in order to get things back on track.

How do I deal with this?  If the offender is the computer I would shut down my computer and start all over again. If it is my screen-reading technology I would need to uninstall and install once more.

I have three screen-reading pieces of software installed on each of my computers and this certainly helps me to troubleshoot.  Most of the time the reasons for all of this are not too difficult for me to solve.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit
www.donnajodhan.com.

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
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Using light switches to help me remember

As things stand, I am no longer able to see the lights in my condo but for some odd reason I still turn them on and off.  Not sure why but I can only say that it somehow helps me to remember.

So I turn them on whenever I enter a room and then I turn them off whenever I leave the room.

Every now and then I forget to turn them off and then I remember some time later.  This has certainly led to some very funny incidents.

For example:  When I turned on the lights in my office to help my friend Imran see what was going on with my computer screens only for him to tell me that the lights were not working.  I never knew that the bulbs had blown.

Or when I do not know that the lights are already on and I go to turn them on.

It is all very entertaining to me and just another facet in my life.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit  jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author
There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids with their wide-eyed smiles and infectious laughter is secured forever.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

When my software stopped speaking

I can still remember when this very thing happened. Thank goodness that it does not happen very often but the most recent time when it did there was a brief period of panic until I decided to settle my nerves and ask my mom to check the screen.

I had been recording one of my audio mysteries and upon completion of recording I decided to disconnect the microphone from the computer. That did it! My software stopped speaking immediately and I was literally left hanging, so to speak. I tried all kinds of things. I kept pressing the escape key then the alt and F4 keys but all to no avail. I then rebooted the computer and nothing. Then I called in sighted help in the form of my mom who came into the room and with a gentle demeanour she read the message on the screen. The message told me that a piece of hardware had been unplugged and that I needed to plug it back in. I knew immediately what I needed to do.

So, with my mom standing by, I reinserted the connection from my microphone to the computer and voila! My software recommenced its speaking. Since then I have had two incidents of a similar nature but I was ready when they occurred.

I am a bit wiser now and more prepared for any future similar incidents. A great learning experience for me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com.

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

The black screen

This is what it is like for me any time my software stops speaking to me. The screen may have something on it but, alas! I can no longer see the screen so it might as well be black to me. However, I recently discovered a very useful app that can help me anytime I run into this type of situation.

It is called the KNFB reader app and this is what I have started to do. Each time my software does not speak to me, that is it stops speaking to me, I take out my iPhone and load my KNFB reader app. Then I take a picture with it and presto! I am told what is on my screen. Nifty, aye?

Now I am able to better handle those so-called black screens and I do not need to panic or go looking for sighted help.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day.

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can even take advantage of our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

When the computer became disconnected

Ah yes! One of the more routine challenges for me to keep in mind. In the normal scheme of things, my computers are all in one place in my own home and are always connected. But when you go to spend vacation at someone's home and take your computer along, here is where the challenge comes in.

At Christmastime last year, I took my netbook along as I spent Christmas vacation at my mom's home. I had set up my computer but on this particular day, Mom and I had decided to do some decorating and we had to move things around. We moved the computer temporarily and after I had put it back in its place I forgot to check to make sure that it was well connected to the outlet in the wall.

So how did I discover this? Well, here goes. Each time I turned it on it booted up fine. But then each time I left it for just a very brief moment, it went into sleep mode and when I returned to it the screen was blank and my screen reader's voice had gone silent.

At first, I thought that my poor little computer was dying on me. But luckily for me something clicked in my mind and I decided to check the connections. Sure enough! Yes, the plug was securely connected to the outlet in the wall but the connector from the computer to the second piece that was connected to the wall was not connected. I found both ends lying lazily on the floor and very much unconnected.

As soon as I had connected both pieces I could tell that all was well as the computer beeped and this told me that current was now flowing happily into my computer.

This, of course, can happen to anyone but for a blind person it is even more important to make sure that connections are properly in place. Now, please go out there and share my experience with others.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come by and check out my heart warming audio mysteries at www.donnajodhan.com. I write and record my very own mysteries and I can tell you that my audio mysteries are completely void of explicit descriptions of sex and violence. It's all about drama, suspense, and intrigue. It's my way of helping to create listening for leisure and leaving imagining crime behind.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/author.jodhan

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day.Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"