Category: entertainment

Posted on

new phones for old

Dad's New Phone
Dad's New Phone

I think the last time I bought a new phone Aladdin was trading in his old lamp for a new one… and I felt the same way about it. My old phone ( a Treo) had great sentimental value to me as it had belonged to my daughter Kristin. The Treo was already getting fairly ‘long in the blu tooth’ but it was a big upgrade from the General Patton era ‘portable phone’ I had been using. Finally, I upgraded.

The htc phone from Sprint takes a bit of getting used to, but I am enjoying it immensely…. especially being able to see full screen versions of Facebook, tweet , watch video and all the typical stuff with 8 gigs of memory. My Uncle Cal ( a physicist by training ) would have loved it.

Now — as my daughters say — I won’t look too ‘hobo’ when I interact with the technophiles in San Francisco this weekend.

Roger Freberg


Posted on

How to build a good reputation with social media

Karen giving a Social Media Lecture at Cal Poly
Karen giving a Social Media Lecture at Cal Poly

Our daughter   Karen has always enjoyed the internet beginning with her first ‘Val Kilmer’ fan site  in the 7th grade.  Soon,  her site evolved to a discussion platform for her track and field friends along with publishing a popular web based newsletter. During this time, she encountered many of the troubling issues that face athletes, celebrities and almost everyone who frequents the internet. The same questions came up over and over: how do I make a good reputation?  How do I prevent a bad one from developing?  And How do I get old stuff  ‘off’ that continues to cause problems .

Today, Karen gave a lecture on the impact of social media on reputation management to a Psychology class at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and hoped to answer some of these questions for students. By ‘iclicker’ , she discovered that virtually all of the students were on social media! Consequently, many students find themselves haunted by embarrassing pictures of themselves on the internet and some deeds … well, that they wished others didn’t know about. By example, Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps learned this the hard way.  I am told, Karen offered helpful advice.

It was something to think about…

Roger Freberg

(too bad Cal Poly administrators weren’t around to listen)


Posted on

making great bbq beef ribs

they taste as fabulous as they look!
they taste as fabulous as they look!

There are not too many simple items that will get people talking like,”who makes the best ribs?” What always amuses me is that most folks who cook ribs take way too many shortcuts. The reason for the shortcuts is like that for all recipes: to save time and money. The major complaints I have heard about cooked ribs are: 1) too fatty, 2) too tough, and 3) some general complaints about the sauce. Each of these can be addressed easily.

Take a little more time and spend a little more money and it is all worth it.

Step 1)  I like to soak my ribs in a brine solution made with beer and a few spices familiar to those who enjoy curing meat. ( 1 week)

Step 2 )  I boil the ribs until the meat begins to leave the bone.

Step 3)  I season the meat with a general seasoning ( salt, black pepper and garlic powder) and follow up with a hotter seasoning containing cayenne pepper or pimenton.

Step 4)  I cover the ribs with a specially prepared tomato-y bbq sauce containing the sweetness of brown sugar and the bite of things. ( I have taken shortcuts here at times with various hot sauces) ( 3 or 4 days)

Step 5)  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes….

soaking in the beer brine solution
soaking in the beer brine solution

Okay… I didn’t give you the full recipe… my mother-in-law always tried to get it from me and if she couldn’t…. well..

Roger Freberg


Posted on

skype me, baby!

Skype is just plain fun!
Skype is just plain fun!

Video internet technology a decade or so ago was very disappointing ….and that is possibly the reason I stayed away from communication tools that incorporated audio with video over the phone or the internet. I found it all distracting.

However, Laura and Karen finally talked me into buying a Skype headset ( they already had theirs).

So, sitting at my computer , what appears as an instant message pops up from Karen asking me to chat with her on Skype. Soon, I figured things out and up pops a very clear and smooth video of Karen and one of me to her. If you look close enough at the picture above, there is also a P.I.P. ( picture in a picture) of me and Laura taking a photo of my first Skyping experience.

In our ‘plug and play’ world, getting the Skype experience was as easy as downloading the free software and connecting to one’s friends… it was very cool and easy (click on Karen’s picture above and you’ll get transported directly to Skype). I am into easy when I have a choice.

I don’t know why I put it off so long.

Roger Freberg


Posted on

kindle dx has finally got it together

Kindle DX
Kindle DX

I hadn’t been impressed with Kindle before… but with the larger screen, longer battery length, free wireless  and all my books backed up at Amazon.com … I don’t think there is a better way.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love my old books as you can feel the history… but for current newspapers, magazines, texbooks and light reading… it looks great!

Roger Freberg