Geeks on Tour tutorial video #473. If your photos are in Google Photos, using the same account as the Google account you use for Blogger, then it is a very simple matter to add any of those photos to your blog. This video shows you how to add your photos from Google Photos to your blog.
Tag Archives: Blogs
July 2017 Newsletter: Smartphone Photography, Member: Bill McKibbon, Internet while Traveling
Monthly Issue #116 July, 2017
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Geeks in June
For most of June, we were still in Europe: Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, and Berlin. Living out of a small suitcase, and traveling by train was quite enjoyable. Different from RVing, but I think our RV background gave us a good foundation for free-wheeling Europe travels.
The best part of travel is the first-hand education you get. We were prepared to be in awe of the ancient history of the towns, churches, and castles. What was surprising was to realize how new the actual countries are. In the US we think of ourselves as a new country. Our historic buildings are from the 1700s where castles in Italy dated from 400 B.C! But on July 4 the USA celebrates our 241st birthday. The oldest country we traveled thru is Italy, whose current republic was formed in 1946.The others are even newer: Croatia-1991, Slovenia-1991, Germany-1949. See our photo album for more pictures and our personal travel blog for more stories.
We also continue to learn about technology! And, we share it with you on our live weekly class, What Does This Button Do?
- Episode 119 Photo Albums with Google Photos
- Episode 118 Google maps and Google Translate in Europe.
- Episode 117: Chromebooks, the Senior’s Computer
By the way, our pictures, Blogs, Web Albums, maps, and videos are all examples of what we teach. You can learn how to plan, preserve, and share your travels (or your life.) It makes the experience that much more enjoyable to get creative and share pictures, maps, stories, and movies with friends and family. Check out our Learning Library of Tutorial Videos, just go toGeeksOnTour.com and click the menu for Tutorial Videos. There are plenty of free videos in addition to our members-only content to whet your appetite for learning.
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July-August Calendar
Every Wednesday “What Does This Button Do?”
Even when we’re not doing our live show, we post an encore episode every week.
- 7/12 – 7/15 FMCA Crossroads to Fun International Convention Indianapolis, IN
We’ll be presenting 4 topics plus 2 hands-on smartphone photography workshops. - 7/16 – 7/20 Tri-Chapter Rally in Richmond, IN (Military Vets, Elks, and Full-Timers)
We’ll be the Smartphone Help desk offering free 1 on 1 sessions and a seminar or two. - 8/3 – 8/6 Northeast Area Rally in Syracuse, NY Seminars and help desk. TBD
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for notifications of Live Streams from Geeks On Tour! Be sure to click the little bell to confirm delivery of notifications.
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‘Ask the Geeks’ Q&A Forum
Here are some of the topics that have been discussed recently. Anyone can read the forum, only members can ask questions. This is a valuable benefit of membership. Join Today!
- New Member Help
- Uploading Photos in Picasa 3 to the Cloud
- Contacts (for GMail, etc.)
- Storing Some Google Photos in Win10
- Photos.Google.com
Facebook Live Session from Vinkovci, Croatia
We had hoped to have better Internet connections so we could do our weekly “What Does This Button Do?” show while in Europe, but that didn’t happen.
Surprisingly, the best Wi-Fi we’ve had so far was in the apartment in Vinkovci, Croatia, so we did a little Facebook live session.
Member Spotlight: Bill McKibbon
By Gail West
A Canadian who is now an ex-pat in Panama, Bill McKibbon has been an “early adopter” of technology and has used it in some very interesting ways since the late 1970’s. Below is my interview with him which reveals aspects of his adventurous life, his reasons for moving to Panama, and the ways he has used technology and benefited from his membership with the Geeks on Tour.
Thru the Keyhole … a photography lesson
by Chris Guld
This was written during my writing retreat in Tuscany. The prompt was: “Thru the keyhole” I wanted to write about my experience taking pictures with a smartphone and making them better.
I didn’t miss my DSLR camera
In packing for our month in Europe, I reluctantly left my Canon Digital Rebel T3i behind. See our video where we talked about what we packed to take with us.
I love my Canon, it takes great photos, but, so does my iPhone 7+ and the iPhone is a lot smaller! Besides, I’ve always believed that what makes the most difference in the quality of a photo is a few seconds spent with good editing tools after the photo is taken. I believed that back with Picasa, and I believe it now with Google Photos and Snapseed. I have no ambition to be a professional photographer, that’s a completely different story. I just want to capture my memories and make them nice to look at.
Internet while Traveling: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
We’ve been using Internet while traveling for 14 years. Most of that has been traveling by RV in the U.S., but this past month we had some new experiences while traveling in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Germany.
Whether we need to find a campground in Arkansas, or rent a kayak in Venice, an Internet connection makes it possible!
Internet connectivity has improved dramatically since we started. In 2004, the only way to have connectivity while we traveled in our RV was with a $6,000 2-way satellite on the roof (Datastorm) and $115/mo service. Now, there is free Wi-Fi everywhere you go, and cellular Internet service from the likes of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile can be carried around in your pocket. Cellular costs range from pay-as-you-go $15/mo minimal service from Tracfone, to $80 (+taxes/fees = $100+) per month for Verizon Unlimited.
My iPhone is full of pictures, can Google Photos help? |
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That’s all for now. We hope you learned something. Your next issue will be next month. Any questions, please visit our forum. If you like this newsletter, please forward it on to your friends! If you received this issue forwarded by a friend you can subscribe to get your own copy delivered to your in box – it’s free. You can also visit the archives of past newsletters,
Happy Computing!
The Geeks on Tour website is an online learning library for Travelers who want to learn to use their computers and mobile devices for managing digital photos, making blogs, using maps and other online resources. Anyone can watch our free videos, read articles on our Computer Tips for Travelers Blog, sign up for our free monthly newsletter. A small fee makes you a ‘member‘ and you can then view any of our 450+ video tutorials on these subjects in our Learning LIbrary.
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Sincerely,
Geeks on Tour
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GeeksOnTour.com Website Tips
We’re updating the website all the time. There are nearly 1,000 articles, 500 videos, and 116 What Does this Button Do Episodes. How do you find what you want? Here are some tips on how to get to the best stuff!
- Finding Articles
- Finding Videos
- Finding What Does This Button Do Episodes
- Surprise Me!
Click here for more Articles by Geeks on Tour
That’s all for now. We hope you learned something. Your next issue will be next month. Any questions, please visit our forum. If you like this newsletter, please forward it on to your friends! If you received this issue forwarded by a friend you can subscribe to get your own copy delivered to your in box – it’s free. You can also visit the archives of past newsletters,
Happy Computing!
The Geeks on Tour website is an online learning library for Travelers who want to learn to use their computers and mobile devices for managing digital photos, making blogs, using maps and other online resources. Anyone can watch our free videos, read articles on our Computer Tips for Travelers Blog, sign up for our free monthly newsletter. A small fee makes you a ‘member‘ and you can then view any of our 450+ video tutorials on these subjects in our Learning LIbrary.
Sincerely,
Geeks on Tour
I didn’t miss my DSLR camera!
In packing for our month in Europe, I reluctantly left my Canon Digital Rebel T3i behind. See our video where we talked about what we packed to take with us.
I love my Canon, it takes great photos, but, so does my iPhone 7+ and the iPhone is a lot smaller! Besides, I’ve always believed that what makes the most difference in the quality of a photo is a few seconds spent with good editing tools after the photo is taken. I believed that back with Picasa, and I believe it now with Google Photos and Snapseed. I have no ambition to be a professional photographer, that’s a completely different story. I just want to capture my memories and make them nice to look at.
We had 4 cameras with us even without the Canon! My phone, an iPhone 7+, Jim’s phone, a Pixel XL, Jim’s Samsung Camera 2, and Jim’s GoPro video camera. I enjoyed having only one camera, no decisions to make about which one to use, just learn all I could about using the iPhone. The only time I even thought about my Canon was when we were on a train or a boat. It is so much faster to grab the Canon, put it to your eye, twist the lens to zoom in and snap. That can all be accomplished in one smooth motion, 3 seconds top. With the phone, there is always a lot of fumbling to get to the right screen, squinting to see the image on the screen before snapping, and changing your grip to be able to snap the picture. I’m sure I missed a few good shots because I was too slow, but I still got plenty of nice photos. Here are a few, with notes. Many of these would not be possible with the SLR – e.g. in-camera Panoramas, selfies, animated gifs. See lots more (445 to be exact!) in our Album.
| 1. Duomo in Florence, Italy
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2. Water lily in gardens at Florence, Italy
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| 3. Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany Italy
Pixel XL – panorama with a run-around-behind subject |
4. Begonias on our terrace at El Santucce
iPhone 7+ using Portrait mode |
| 5. Assisi
iPhone 7+ Snapseed HDR-scape, text added with Snapseed |
6. St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy at night
iPhone 7+ – selfie (front lens) so good at night exposure. no editing other than crop |
| 7. Venice
Samsung Camera 2 – panorama with Google Photos Pop |
8. Kayaking on the Grand Canal in Venice
iPhone 7+ on a selfie stick |
| 9. Jim at Miramare castle, Trieste Italy
iPhone 7+ using Portrait mode |
10. Boat ride in Ljubljana, Slovenia
iPhone 7+ Edited in Snapseed, HDR-scape filter, Text added |
| 11. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
iPhone 7+ Live Photo, converted to animated gif with Motion Stills app |
12. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Samsung Camera 2 on Waterfall setting! |
Smartphone Photography WorkshopsWe will be teaching 2 sessions of our Smartphone Photography workshops at Thursday July 13, 2017 |
Friday July 14, 2017
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Technology for Travelers: Geeks Teach at an RV Rally
We just spent last week at an RV rally called “Living the RV Dream Gathering.” People from all over the country who travel by RV gathered here to learn, make friends, and have fun. We presented 4 seminars and one day-long smartphone photography workshop. For RVers, we almost always start with the seminar we call “Technology for Travelers.”
What IS Technology for Travelers?
We have a very specific meaning of Technology for Travelers. We aren’t talking about the satellite dishes, tire pressure monitors, or GPS devices. Although that could also be called Technology for Travelers, we like to teach what can be done with computer technology to Plan, Preserve, and Share your travels.
We have been traveling by RV since 2003 and our most prized possessions of those years are our pictures, maps, and blogs. If you enjoy your memories as much as we do, we think you need to learn how to use your smartphone and/or your computer to do the same!
Photos
We take hundreds of photos every month while we’re traveling. We use our iPhone and Android phone most of the time, but also some ‘real’ cameras. We gather our best pictures, using Google Photos, and put them into albums for each month. Then we make a page on our blog to show off those albums. You can learn how to use the free Google Photos from our Book, Tutorial videos, and more on our website.
Maps
We use Google’s free My Maps to make our own maps for each year. We start planning for the next year by creating a map like “2017 Geek Travels.” Then as the year progresses, we keep modifying that map. We change destinations, add destinations, and populate each stop with photos and descriptions. At the end of each year, we add the map to a Maps page on our Blog. You can learn how to make these maps with the tutorial videos on our website.
Blogs
Pictures and maps tell most of the story, but I also like to write out my memories journal-style. Facebook is great for sharing small moments, but to have a complete journal I like using Google’s free Blogger.com. As noted above, you can also use your blog to create pages for other things, like pictures, maps, and videos. The blog is where I put it all together! I created our blog when we were first just thinking about RVing. That was in early 2003 when Blogger.com was the only option available for a free journal/website. I still think it is the best option, and it is free and easy. Since our beginning in 2003, we have written nearly 2,000 posts. We are now ordering hard-bound, 4-color, coffee table books for each year on the road. Thumbing thru those books is one of my favorite things to do!
Even if you don’t travel by RV, if you have memories you want to keep, check out our Tutorial videos on Photos, Maps, and Blogs. If you do travel by RV, we hope to see you at a Rally sometime down the road! There are hundreds of possible RV rallies to choose from. Most of them are organized by RV Clubs. Living the RV Dream’s website lists all the major clubs here. You can see where we’ll be on our calendar.
Audible Books are Great for Drive Time
Listening to books being read to you is such a great way to pass the time when you have long drives. 
I remember buying cassette tapes, then CDs to listen to “books on tape” over the years. Now all you need is an App on your phone and a way to get the sound to play thru your vehicle’s stereo system. If your car or RV stereo has a headset jack, you’re all set. Otherwise you need to pair your phone’s bluetooth connection to the radio. If you don’t know how to do that, you can watch our Bluetooth segment of episode 24 of What Does This Button Do. If your radio has neither, there are FM transmitters to make it work.
So, what’s the catch? Well, you have to buy the books and they can cost anywhere from $3 to $30 each! One option is to get the app Overdrive, which allows you to borrow books for free from your local library. But notice the word, “borrow.” You don’t own the book and must return it in a specified time period.
All of this has stopped me from getting audio books until now. I am an Amazon Prime member and I use it all the time to get free shipping, and to watch free movies online. Starting September 13, 2016, you get free audio books with your Amazon Prime membership. Audible is an Amazon company. Just like Amazon Prime Movies, they offer a selection of book titles and more that you can listen to for free with your audible app if you are an Amazon Prime member. The selection changes and is rather limited, but I actually enjoy not have too many choices!
- App: Audible, an Amazon company
- Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows phone, Amazon Kindle
- Cost: Free
GeeksOnTour.com Website Tips
We’re updating the website all the time, here are some tips on how to get to the best stuff!
Find an Article
All the articles you see in this newsletter, and more, are individual posts on the website. There are nearly 1,000 of these articles! Want to see them all? Just click the menu item for Blogs/News and choose All Articles. You will see all the titles in reverse date order – the most recent articles will be first.
- Menu: Blogs/News
- Option: All Articles
Want to see if we have an article on “XYZ”? Use Search. There are 2 kinds of search:
- Search the page: if you are looking at the page of All Articles, you can search the titles by using the Ctrl-F shortcut. Ctrl-F (or Cmd-F on Mac) will Find search terms on the currently viewed page. Notice the search box that pops up in the upper right corner, just type what you’re looking for, e.g. Evernote, or Gmail, or CoPilot. Then press Enter, and every occurrence of that word on that page will be highlighted. See this piece from our weekly show that demonstrates search on page. Search on Page using iPad, Search on Page using Android
- Search the Site: Right on the home page, you should see “Search this Site” Simply type your search term or terms in the box and click the magnifying glass. Note: Normally you just type a word or two in here, but you can even type in something like “How to manage my mobile data usage”
Find a Tutorial Video
We have nearly 600 Tutorial videos divided into 12 categories. We encourage members to watch all the tutorial videos in the categories that interest you.
- Menu: Tutorial Videos
- Option: All videos and Categories
You will see links to each of 12 categories here, but, if you scroll down, you will see one complete list of all the tutorial videos in numeric order. Every video is assigned a sequential ID number. If you know that number, it’s easy to find the video – either by scrolling thru or use Ctrl-F to search.
What if you’re looking for that one particular video about Google Maps on an iPad and you’re not sure if it’s in the Google Maps category or the Smartphone category? Use Ctrl-F to search the page for a word or words you believe to be in the title. For example, if you’re looking for a video that taught something about Facebook Friends, you could search for “friend.” Note that this is an exact search, each character you type will instantly be highlighted in the body of the page. Searching for “friends” will not find you titles where Friend is singular.
Find a “Button” Show Episode
We’ve recorded 167 episodes of our Live Weekly Show: What Does This Button Do? We keep track of them all on the Weekly Class page. All you have to do is select it from the menu and scroll down to see the listing of every show. The listing includes a few words about the topics covered in that show, so you can use the Ctrl-F “Search This Page” technique discussed above to find any one show.
- Menu: Weekly Class
Quick Tip Videos
These short, eclectic, tutorial videos can be found on a YouTube playlist.
Ask a Question
Can’t find an article or video for what you want to learn? Use the Q&A forum and ask the Geeks anything. We especially like questions like, “I want to learn xyz, what videos should I watch?” We will guide you in the right direction. Asking questions is available for members only, but anyone can view the answers. Perusing the Q&A forum will teach you lots!
If you have a technology question, please ask in the forum. First you must be logged in. Click on Forum in the menu, and make sure you see “Logged in As you in the upper right. If not, then fill in the login form in the middle. Now find the topic appropriate for your question. Click on that topic, then you should see a link to “Add a New Topic.” Give your question a Topic Name – Subject. Then type your question in the body and scroll to the bottom where you will see a button to ‘Submit Topic.’
Quick Video: How to Post to the Forum
- Menu: Q&A Forum
- Option: to ask a question, select a category, then “Add Topic”
Adding Maps to your Blog Posts, using Screenshots
I really like the daily maps that Google makes of my whereabouts. It’s called my Timeline and it’s all done automatically as long as I have location services turned on. A few days ago, we took a cruise around Manhattan, and I think the timeline map will add a lot to my story. Don’t you agree?
Any map (or anything at all!) that you can see on your phone, or on your computer, can be captured as an image. Then it can be used in your Blog, just like any other picture.
To take a screenshot on a cellphone:
- View the screen you want to capture
- Phones with a physical home button: press and hold power button and home button at the same time, then let go
- Phones without a physical home button: press and hold power button and down volume button at same time, then let go
- You should hear a click and see a blink on your screen to indicate it has been captured
- Now go look in your photos/gallery app and you will see the screenshot along with your photos
If you’re using Google Photos on Android, be sure the Screenshot folder is checked in Menu, Device Folders - See this demonstrated as our tip of the week on our weekly show #81 about Location Services Here’s the part on
How to take a screenshot
To take a screenshot – of part of the screen – on a computer
- View the screen that includes a part you want to capture
- Windows: launch the Snipping Tool app (Start, Snipping, Enter)
click New, then drag a rectangle around the portion of the screen you want to capture
click File, Save As to save your picture in the My Pictures folder (or wherever you want) - Mac: Command-Shift-4 – you should see a crosshairs on the screen
Use the crosshair to drag a rectangle around the part you want to capture
When you let go, you’ll hear a click and the image file, a .png, will be saved on your desktop
F Instructions above use techniques built in to the computer’s operating system. To get more functionality with your screen captures, we recommend Snagit.
Use Screenshot in a Blog Post
You can now use the captured image like any other photo. For example, if you use Blogger, you can insert the camera screenshot
- Click the Insert image button
- If you’re using Google Photos: choose “From my phone,” Select the desired screenshot, Add Selected
- If you’re not using Google Photos, the image will need to be on your computer, then choose Upload to get it, select it and Add Selected
Example: here’s a blog post of mine using a computer screen capture of Google Maps in Satellite view. Click on the image below to go to the Blog post and see the whole thing, including 2 maps.
A Map of Visited States
Would you like to have your very own map of visited states? Many travelers include this as part of their email signature, or in their blog posts or on Facebook. It’s easy and free by going to http://epgsoft.com/. Just choose ‘Visited States Map’ and ‘Create Map.’ You should now see the choice of Visited States, Visited Provinces, or Visited Mexican States. Just click the one you want.
If you have visited lots of states, it’s easiest to click on Select All, then click on the states you have not visited to clear them. You also have the choice to select states by name, select none then add the states you have visited.
When you’re done selecting the states you have visited, select a map size – small, medium, or large – and a file format – GIF, JPG, or PNG. Any of the formats should work, I prefer PNG. Now click on Create Map. You may want to share your map on Facebook! But, if you want it for your email signature, you should “Download Map”
If you find that you’ve missed some states, or selected some by mistake, you can click the Edit Map button. Once the map looks how you want it, you click the Download Map button. Navigate to the folder where you want to store it and click ok. Now the map is a picture on your computer that you can use like any other picture.
How about the World?
If you travel the world and want to have a map of visited countries, check out http://douweosinga.com/projects/visited. It works similarly to the visited states above except at the very end. Instead of saving an image file, you get html code to put on a blog or website. It also only uses one color. I find for a world map that one color is better anyway.
Using your Visited States Map in your Gmail Signature
If you use Gmail, you can include your visited states map as part of your signature.
- Open Gmail.com on a computer
- Click the gear icon in the upper right and settings
- Select General and scroll down until you see Signature
- Choose the email address
- Use the editor box to type your signature
- Click the Insert Image tool:
and Upload, Select a File from your Computer, locate your map, Open
- That’s it!
Uber for RV Travelers?
By Chris Guld GeeksOnTour.com
Uber is the new age ride-sharing service taking the world by storm. We’ve used it a couple of times. Once when we needed a ride to the airport in Miami, and another time when we wanted to go out on the town and not worry about drinking too much to drive home. Both times the service was excellent.
You put the App on your phone and you can see exactly where the Uber cars are and how long it would take one of them to get to your location. Just tap the screen and enter where you want to go and you know right away how much it’s going to cost. Once you’ve reached your destination, no money changes hands. It’s all done by the app and your stored payment information. It is especially useful in places like Europe when you are the stranger. The App you use works just the same as it does here in the US. It doesn’t matter that you and the driver can’t understand each other because you both understand the Uber App on your phone. It shows the destination. You can even watch the car as it travels the route.
What does this have to do with RVers? It occurs to me that many people who travel by RV don’t have a car. Uber might make this a more palatable option. Although you won’t find Uber rides available in truly rural areas, you may be surprised at the smaller towns where Uber is available. You can use the Uber.com website “Find a City” to see if service exists in your location. We are currently at an RV rally (the Escapade) in Essex Junction, Vermont. Although not rural, this is certainly not a major metropolitan area. I open my Uber app and see that there are at least 6 Uber cars in circulation nearby and it would take one of them 12 minutes to get to me and give me a ride where I wanted to go.
I thought about more rural places we like to stay, like just about anywhere there is a Thousand Trails park! I looked up Fair Play, SC and was surprised to see that Uber does provide rides there, so I asked for a Fare estimate from the Thousand Trails park in Fair Play, SC to Clemson University – an 18 mile drive:
I also got a fare estimate from the campground to the nearest grocery (7 miles away) and it came to $9-12.
Uber is a free app available on Apple iOS as well as Android. You must set up an account and a payment method, but it only takes a minute and you can be on your way!
Chris Guld is President and Teacher-in-Chief at GeeksOnTour.com. She has been in computer training and support since 1983 and owned a Computer Training Center called Computer Savvy from 1983-1996. She has been a Fulltime RVer, popular seminar presenter at RV Rallies, and regular contributor to RVTravel, for many years.
Save your Blog! Get a Printable Copy
It’s important to understand a little bit about how the web works as it affects our personal websites and blogs. Although you see text, pictures, videos, and links all on the same page – behind the scenes, all the pieces can be ‘hosted’ on different servers. Everything on the web is ethereal, one pulled plug or broken server and things can disappear. Images are especially vulnerable. Thru the years, I’ve made blogs and web pages with different systems that have come and gone. Sometimes the text stays, but the images disappear. It’s a fact of web-life. That’s why we make so many backups!
Keep that in mind the next time you look at your blog. How do you have that backed up? If you love your blog, get a printable copy! You don’t want to see red X’s where the pictures should be!
Here’s how I do it. I use Blog2Print.com and get a .pdf file of each year of my blog. All you have to do is give the address of your blog (Blogger, WordPress or other) and list the range of dates you want. There are a couple of options to specify, like photo size and page breaks. That’s it. Click Order, enter your credit card, and you’ll get your .pdf books emailed to you.
I also like them to print a hard cover, 4 color book, but that can cost up to $100 depending on how much content I have in the year. The .pdf file of the same book is a flat $8.95. So I get a .pdf of every year and I get the hardbound books whenever I can. When I see my blog pages in a printable format, complete with text and pictures, I can breathe easy. My life’s story is safe. Now, even if the entire Internet should crash and burn (I do worry about these things), I could show you the .pdf file instead. For example, here is 2006’s blog book
Do it now, before August 1
Realize that a printed book can’t show any videos, or slideshows. For that reason, I always post some regular photos on blog posts where I have videos or slideshows. I’ve been using Blogger for my blog and Picasa Web Albums, now Google Photos as the host for all my pictures. Picasa Web Albums is retiring on August 1. I’m confident (95% ?) that the pictures will still show in my blog. But …. it still seems like a pretty good time to make that backup, don’t ya think?