Tag Archives: technology

9 Ways to Reduce the Stress of Technology

Ways to reduce the stress of technologyI feel like I have the physical stuff part of minimalism down pat. Give me clutter and I can conquer it! But the mental part, that part for me is much harder. I constantly want to fill my day with emails and websites and checking Instagram and Pinteresting ALL THE THINGS! Those things add little value to my life. Those things only add stress. To live a simpler, happier life, I need to let some technology go. Maybe one day, I’ll let all the technology go, but for now, here’s some ways to reduce the stress of technology. Continue reading →

Essential Technology for Traveling

tech setupI have to be honest with ya’ll. Technically, we haven’t taken the Airstream on the road yet. But I’m getting the travel itch bad. I think I’ve got the travel pox. That’s a thing right? Anyway, I thought it’d be helpful/mildly interesting to share my technology setup. We’re currently working out any kinks with our technology setup before we take the Airstream on the road.

Here’s what we use.

1. iPhones for hotspots
Our iPhones provide us with the Internet which is essential. I couldn’t blog and George couldn’t do his art without it. Also, I might die from Internet withdrawals if I didn’t have it. It’s been a bit more expensive to use our phones as hotspots instead of having a direct Internet connection through an Internet or phone provider. (Our phone contracts are through Verizon, if you are curious.) It’s the best option we’ve found so far because of the excellent coverage Verizon provides. And paying for extra data is still much less cheaper than rent.

2. iPhones for photos
Sometimes I don’t feel like lugging around my giant Nikon for photos, so I’ll just snap a few pictures with my iPhone. It’s lazy and the photos don’t look quite as sharp as with my “real” camera, but it’s convenient.

3. Nikon D5000
My “professional” camera was a gift from George and it may be the best gift I’ve ever been given. It has been worth every penny. My pictures with this camera look sharp, professional and are a much higher quality than any iPhone pic.

4. MacBook Pro
For most of my blogging and writing, I use a MacBrook Pro. I’d love to try out using an iPad for blogging, but currently, the MacBook is working great. I don’t want to throw down the cash for an iPad without knowing if it will fit all my needs.

5. iPhoto and Photoshop
In terms of picture editing, I use both iPhoto and Photoshop. I think iPhoto is easier and less time-consuming than Photoshop, but it isn’t quite as customizable. When I have time, I love to throw my photos into Photoshop and play around. The pictures always look so much better.

6. Kindle
I could probably cut down on my devices if I just bought an iPad, but the $600+ price tag is painful. Reading is still super essential to me and on the road, libraries will be hard to find. I also can’t carry 100 books with me, it’s just not feasible in such a small space. For now my Kindle is taking care of my reading needs.

That’s my tech setup. What are your favorite techie tools?

love,
melanie

What do YOU want from Love Library? A Reader’s Survey

Reporting to duty!

Your willing and able blog host reporting for duty!

 

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want to take this blog. And if I’m being honest, I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction of my life too. I’ve got some major life changes coming up– good ones I think– and I’ve had to put on my big girl pants more than once these past couple of weeks and woman up.

Which leads me to this question… What do you all want from this blog? I need sage advice from my loyal and beautiful readers. I’m by no means a professional blogger and some days I struggle with things like:

  • Topics – are there topics (specific or general) you’d like covered in the coming months?
  • Types of Posts – DIY, recipes, books, fashion, personal stuff…. have your say about what you like most/least
  • Posting Frequency – too many posts, not enough, just right?
  • Design – I am planning a blog redesign this summer – so your comments and ideas would be helpful at this point
  • Blog Features – what would make your reader experience better?
  • Community – Are there features that you’d like added to help connect more? Do you feel connected to me?
  • Services and Tools – what could I offer you to help you improve your life?
  • What Frustrates You about  Love Library? What is Best about it?
  • Other Ideas and Feedback – anything goes, big or little.

This list was heavily created from this post on Problogger.

Please leave your answers to one or all questions in the comments. I will leave the survey up indefinitely, but I will offer up the prize of a free book to one lucky, randomly selected commenter on Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The winner can be a previous winner and does not have to be a citizen of the U.S.A.

Please help me improve!

love always,
melanie

Media Monday

Hey ya’ll! Just dropping by to tell you about a couple of cool things I found today.

First off, I’m on Vine (find it on the App store). It’s a video sharing app and it is super fun. It’s kind of like Instagram, but with videos. If you are on Vine already, let me know! I want to follow you!

Also, I’ve watched this adorable, hilarious, inspirational video multiple times today.

Not cool Robert Frost!

love,
melanie