Remember Roaming and settings when travelling

 I have arrived at events such as exhibitions and conferences and tried to load up photos. I got a connection through roaming, but it was slow.

When somebody reminded me to use the venue's WiFi, my pictures loaded up much quicker. I also reduced the risk of running up charges.

WIN-WIN !

How To Buy And Use A Mini-Tripod With Your Mobile Phone

I just took a photo with my mobile phone on a tripod, for the first time. Success? What took me so long?

Problem
For years I had seen people setting up their mobile phones on desks to record themselves giving a speech. I had also seen people set up a mobile phone on a tripod to take a wide-angle photo of a group, set the timer and run to join the group.

I had suggested that a group I belong to should invest in a tripod so that members and visitors could record themselves speaking.

I recall the format: attention, interest, desire, action.

Why record yourself?

Attention
You can share your photos and make friends and win kudos. Keep in touch with guests.

Equally important, look at the photo. The camera makes you pay attention to yourself and your surroundings. The camera does not lie. Friends will be polite. You look in the mirror and from the front you look okay. But from the back, the mobile phone photo or video reveals, your hair is uncombed.

Hair - Bald Patches and Roots
Your camera says that when you walk onto the stage everybody can see your bald spot. Back view shows the roots of your hair are a different colour. Nobody will tell you that. The camera will tell you.

Interest - Your Outfit Analysed
The camera shows if your shoes are down at heel, or your shirt is hanging untidily below your jacket. If you got your appearance, your look, just right, the camera tells you that you looked wonderful, even if everybody else was too busy to take time to congratulate you.

The Room Revealed
The camera will tell you that the room looks a mess and a fire hazard with bags in the aisles. The Sargeant-at-arms responsible for the room set up and health and safety should be like the air hostess before take-off. He or she should walk up and down the aisles to check the route to the exit is clear and ask for obstructions to be removed, before they trip up somebody running up the aisle to speak on stage.

Desire
Yes, I had wanted to record for years. The camera can be set up on the front table. No need to have yourself on recorded telling somebody else, 'Press here'. If other people are too busy with their own speeches, never mind, you can record youself.

In Focus
The other great thing about the tripod is that you can take photos indoors, at night, in poor light and artificial light, with less risk of camera shake.

Action
How did I do it? The first surprise was that the tripod was so cheap. I already had a tripod. I must have bought it from the Poundland Shop in Harrow, London, England. The tripod was still attached to its backing, which said that it came from Birmingham, which is on many items supplied to the Poundland Shop.

So it had cost me only £1!

First step was to cut the plastic ties, relasing the tripod from the instructions and backing and pop the tripod into my bag. The tripod folds up small.

At the venue, second step was to attach the camera. I struggled with this. I was trying to pull the supports sideways and they clearly would not go. I asked my friend Anand for help and the problem was isntantly solved. You really have to be logical. It's like those taps in toilets. Process of elinination. If the door won't push, try pulling. If it won't go up sideways, try up and down. The camera was fixed by pulling the grip upwards, inserting the camera into the space, and letting the grip back down.

USING THE TIMER
At the end of the evening, we took a group photo. Another expert came to my aid. He set the camera up at the back of the room, checked everybody could be seen (small epople at the back come forward into the front row). He set the timer and ran to join us.

Afterwards, I went to take a photo but nothing happened. The camera was still set to timer so there was a delay.

REMOVING THE TIMER!
I ran after the photographer and asked him: 'How do I turn off the timer, and set the timer?'

He showed me that on an LG phone, the timer is in settings. You can move the timer through three settings, three seconds, ten seconds, and off.

Practising Using A Tripod
Before setting off to a meeting, try out your new tripod. Go onto the internet and type in the brand of your phone and the question, how do I set the timer.

Practice doing it at home. No tripod? Ask to see somebody else's and ask how the delay device works. Now that you know how to use it, you will be more inclined to buy one for yourself.

Buying a Tripod
If you don't have a tripod, look for one next time you are in a camera shop. You don't see one displayed?  Ask if they have one? Too expensive? Ask if they have a cheaper model. They might have a different one. Or they might mutter, "You can get one down the road in ... shop.'

Alternatively, look in a budget shop. You might also get one cheaply on the internet.

Happy snapping!

If you are running a speaking club or a photography training session, look for a cheap tripod to record your training, or to demonstrate the tripod to your pupils.

Harrow, London, England has both a Poundland and a One Pound Shop. Keep checking because their  stocks change all the time.

A miniature tripod from a budget store is also an inexpensive gift which is small enough to go in a Christmas stocking for children or adults. You'll be surte to get good use from it, taking pictures of the family's Christmas dinner.

Useful Websites
Lazada
A sturdy tripod at S$16.99
https://www.lazada.sg/products/heavy-duty-tripod-ubeesize-phone-and-camera-tabletop-mini-tripod-with-cell-phone-clip-holder-for-iphone-smartphoneswebcams-compact-camera

You Tube Demo of Poundland tripod


Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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Changing Your Watch Time - A beginner's guide

I buy watches which are water resistant to 50 metres. Then I don't have to worry about washing my hands, taking a shower, going for a swim in the pool or ocean, nor spray from rides on Duck boats and other sightseeing boats or even getting soaked in the rain, nor reaching down to retrieve a phone or item dropped in a basin.

A watch can have one, two, three or four buttons sticking out. Usually you press the buttons inwards.

Some watches have the four buttons labelled. When buying a watch, or printing instructions, look for a watch which has the buttons labelled.

 If your watch does not have the buttons labelled, you could print a copy of the instructions in large size. If necessary draw an arrow and write the name of the button larger. Then copy onto the picture which button is which.

The buttons will be:
Mode change - (time, alarm etc)
Time Set - time you want the watch to show
Alarm changer
Light on and off

The light, if you have one, is easiest to find. Normally you just push it in to turn on the light. Handy if you want to see the time in the middle of the night without waking yourself or a companion, whether sitting on the plane, or in bed.

Mode will have two or more settings. You want to change the time. Also any alarms if your watch has alarms.

Start with the time. Your watch should come with an instruction leaflet. If you are buying a watch online. you should check that the site promises an instruction leaflet, or has an instruction leaflet on the website. Unless you are fanatical about not wasting paper, print it out. If you prefer to be paperless, save the instructions on your computer or phone, and a backup elsewhere, or another family member's phone.

It's handy to have records of instructions for everything and give them to other members of the family or store them even if you don't need them now. I've been executor for my late mother, father, and uncle. Having instructions for watches is one less thing to worry about if you have the instructions for all appliances including watches. You want the instructions to use the watch, check it's still working, then when using it, giving it away, whether to family, to charity, or selling it second hand.

Most timers and clocks operate on variations of a simple system.
Press a button once to get from fixed to changeable time. Just like filling in the date for an online request for a credit card. Up comes a picture of two dots or lines. You must press something in or up to advance the time from 0 to 9. You have have 24 hours in the first column, or just numbers 0-9 in the first column and 0-9 in the second column.

You then press either once again to move onto the next activity, changing the minutes. (A few sophisticated watches also have seconds.)

You then have to press a button again to set the new time or return to normal time display.

If you go back to normal time display and you are not on the new time, you have missed out the last step which was click or press to say DONE/FINISHED/ENTER.

Don't burst into tears with disappointment that you still can't get things right. Don't stress your self in the slightest. You are doing well. You are one stop further up the ladder to success.

Go back and start again. This time it's easier and quicker. It's no longer a mystery. You know what you are doing. And by doing it twice you are telling your brain that it's not a fleeting incident to be forgotten, in the brain's waste bin department, but a repeated action so dear little brain has to file watch change instructions in the section of brain for I might need to remember this.

Holiday Time - how to turn off your phone in-flight

Go into 'settings' - an oblong icon or picture in the settings on you home page.
look for inflight mode.
Move the yes no or on off pointer to off. by sliding the button to the right with your fingertip.
See the symbol of an airplane at the top of the phone's screen.
Switch back to home or another page and the airplane symbol should still be at the top of the screen (reminding you to turn it off when you have disembarked.

Why not leave it on flight mode permanently? Because you cannot pick up your email, only play games.