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Category Archives: Gadgets

Most Frequently Used

21 Wednesday Dec 2022

Posted by crashdlanding in Arts & Crafts, Gadgets

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canva, crash landing, crashdlanding, creation, creator, frequently used, image editing, images, MagSafe, non-fiction, popsocket, popwallet, Procreate, Products, video editing., VideoLeap

Apps and Devices

This is a list of the things I currently use most frequently on this misguided and pointless journey to doing something amazing.

Procreate for iPad

Precreate is a paid app on the Apple App Store for digital art. It’s a non-subscription price of $12.99 I’ve made all sorts of art with it. I am currently obsessed with making poorly drawn stickers. Mostly because it took me forever to figure out how to get the white outline without hand drawing the whole thing.

You can download new brushes and textures for use in your app, and create your own. And since it is a widely used app, there are a million tutorials all over the internet for anything you might not be able to do.

VideoLeap for iPad

VideoLeap is a video editing app for iPad. It is subscription based, and I pay $35.99 a year. if you’ve ever used iMovie, it’s fairly easy to lean but with a ton more features. It also has its own section of music and images to add into your videos!

I’ve created multiple videos and posted one, the first drawing challenge, to YouTube. It’s only gotten, like, ten views but that’s only cause I’m unpopular.

Canva

Honestly it’s been a hot minute since I’ve used Canva, which is a free app, but if you pay for a subscription (monthly or yearly) you get way more features. I’ve created digital book covers, intro videos, featured images for blog posts, and covers for my podcasts

Even if I haven’t used it in a while its another subscription I don’t plan on letting go of for a while.

Apple Pencil

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit there are MUCH cheaper pen style stylus’ that work perfectly well with iPad, and also that I grief purchased this and my current iPad not long after my mom passed, but I don’t think I could go back or give up this bad boy now.

While the weight of it isn’t like a regular pen, and I purchased silicone tips because I didn’t love the TAPTAP of it on the screen, it really does make life easier when you need precision to do something, like drawing or video editing.

Honorable Mentions

  • Any kind of jump drive/flash drive that can connect to an apple device: I own two speedster flash drives with Apple connections. They make transferring of data—images, videos, documents—between devices and/or computers a cakewalk. Especially handy when emailing it to yourself seems cumbersome.
  • PopWallet+ MagSafe: these have nothing to do with work or productivity, but I have been an avid and adamant pop socket user for years. And I ordered a popwallet with interchangeable popsocket for myself last year and it became invaluable. But I recently obtained a new iPhone with MagSafe I didn’t want to lose my wireless charging capabilities with a stick on wallet anchor, so I risked my funds and purchased a MagSafe wallet, and case (case not pop wallet brand) and it’s absolutely perfect. The magnet is strong enough to hold and I have my cards where I need them, without any issues with the magnet.

This has been yet another quickie post. It is the holidays after all and I can’t be bothered with being productive before 11pm!

Coming soon: Drawing Challenge No. 2: The Video, Fiction Friday (still haven’t figured out what fiction), and my Year in Review (picture, if you will, a dumpster fire…).


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Stupid Things Crystal Buys

28 Monday Mar 2022

Posted by crashdlanding in Gadgets, Non-Fiction, Product Review

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chill out, convenience, crash landing, crashdlanding, ice maker, ice water, non-fiction, Product Review, way to waste money

I’m your host, “She who has a little extra cash”. On today’s episode: I bought an ice maker.

Specifically this one.

Growing up we can buy has what we could afford. Our refrigerator was no exception. And having a mom who likes cold Pepsi, we had ice cube trays. Ice cube trays that had to be filled up.

I remember being on a kick where I wanted to make sure we kept ice in the fridge. I would fill up the trays, wait for them to freeze and dump the ice into the tub we had in the freezer for that purpose.

We’re not buying ice, we have water and a freezer at home!

My mom, if she was around for the meme

But eventually I’d give up and then no one remembered to fill up the trays when they emptied it. and we weren’t about to get a new fridge with an ice maker. Things cost money.

When I got married, the fridge in our apartment was your typical non-ice maker. But when we bought our house, lo and behold. The glory of ready made ice!

But, when you can just put your drinks in the fridge to get cold why use ice? So the ice maker, and the little used dispenser rarely got used. Now that refrigerator is over 13 years old (wasn’t new when we bought the house it came with) and the water and ice it dispenses has an odd smell and taste, despite the filter being changed.

A year or so ago, I made another purchase. I got tired of having to throw away so many plastic bottles and wanted myself and the rest of my little family to drink more water.

So I bought a Primo water dispenser. This bad boy has hot and cold water. And we’ve used it like crazy and practically eliminated our plastic bottle use. I love reusable cups and The Hubs has a reusable bottle he fills up every night.

But while I love water, I much prefer ice water. I can practically guzzle ice water. And we’d been buying bagged ice from grocery stores and gas stations for a while. But every time I needed ice I’d have to beat the ever loving tar out of the ice. I may have cracked a plastic measuring cup and a plastic spoon is somewhere in the depths of my chest freezer.

So, like a lot of Americans I’ve come into a small amount of money distributed by the government. I ordered the parts my truck needed, paid a bill or two, and bought materials for a project (doggie door here I come). So, with a little left over, I decided I needed an ice maker.

Granted I told The Hubs a few weeks prior I wanted one, so when I brought it home he said, “luckily I hadn’t ordered you one yet!”

Yes, because I’m so glad I didn’t wait. I’ve drank a lot more water. Also, if I don’t used all of the batch of ice it makes in a day (or less ten cubes at a time but I like to let it build up so I get a lot) it melts right back down into the reservoir. I haven’t had to fill it back up in the three days I’ve had it.

The Kid, who 1000% needs to drink more water LOVES ice water (and eating ice). And the fact I bought some color changing cups with straws and lids makes it even more fun for her.

It takes about ten minutes to make one batch of ice but it will keep cooking it up as long as it’s not full and left on. Eventually I’ll get a tub to put the ice in, so I don’t have to keep it on for long periods.

But one day when people actually come to my house, I’ll be able to share fresh ice with them. Until I decide I need to see what other nonsense I can make with it.

Literal ICE coffee anyone?


Thanks for reading

-c

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22 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by crashdlanding in Family, Gadgets, Non-Fiction

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Apple, crash landing, crashdlanding, family, iPod, mom, non-fiction

When my husband and I first started dating, I was a broke college student. In our many conversations and in our many dates, I told him, “when I graduate and start working, I’m going to get myself an iPod Nano.” This statement really dates me, but at the time he’s just purchased himself one and I loved it. And I couldn’t wait to be able to get myself things.

You see, growing up we weren’t always able to get the unnecessary things we wanted. It was more or less “do you need it”. Sure, there was Christmas, and nothing made my mom more proud than being able to get us the things we would want. But I was never upset or angry because I didn’t get what I wanted. I understood.

Okay I might have had my moments. But I never resented it and always got over it. Eventually.

So, being college educated meant that when I was employed I’d be making good money, and could provide for myself. So coming up with things I wanted that I’d be able to have was like a game for me.

Well, Mr Man beat me too it.

Our first Christmas he surprised me. And if I remember correctly it was in a box, in a box. He bought me the iPod Nano. I was shocked, surprised, excited, and told him over and over that he didn’t have too. It’s a lot of money for someone you’d been dating for less than six months.

We eventually got married (he proposed with the second thing I told myself I’d get once I got my first post-college job: a Nintendo DS). And I eventually got a job, just not in the field I went to school for. This time I did but the thing I wanted. An iPod touch.

I gave the Nano to my mom thinking that since she liked music she could learn to use it and have a slew of songs to listen too while cleaning. I’m honestly not sure if she ever used it.

She died nine months ago, and I miss her terribly. I miss her nagging and griping and laughter and “I love you” and her cooking and her smile and her hugs and, well, everything. But my sister was recently helping my dad by going through some of Mom’s things and guess what she found.

That tiny iPod Nano.

I brought that bad boy home and, not only does it have songs I forgot about but also solitaire and sims bowling and best of all, pictures. Of her.

*normally I will not share photos of myself or my family here, but this is special.

I love and miss you silly woman, thank you for being such a good mom and hoarder and never throwing anything out.

Thanks for reading

-c

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More Gadgets!

19 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by crashdlanding in Gadgets, Non-Fiction

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Tags

bluetooth, gadgets, music, Philips

2015/01/img_2614.jpg

I’m thinking of making this a new regular feature!

If you’ve read a few of my posts, I like gadgets. My last purchase was a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard for my iPad Mini.

Now, I’d been looking into getting a wireless Bluetooth speaker for ages. I finally broke down and bought one!

This little bugger is my new favorite thing! I’d been after one for a while, and this one is compact, but has great sound! I bought it with the intention of using it in the bedroom to help my tiny human sleep. It’s quiet in there at night and I’ve grown to assume she prefers noise. So I needed something small and easy to control.

Since its Bluetooth I can use my iPod. And since its tiny, it’ll fit of my very cluttered night stand. Heck, I could carry this little guy around in my pocket!

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GADGETS!

11 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by crashdlanding in Gadgets, Non-Fiction

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gadgets, posts, writing

Hello, my name is crystal and I’m an addict. I am addicted to gadgets.

Well, more specifically, stuff. New stuff, stuff I can play with, fiddle with. For example, the keyboard I just bought for my iPad.

i’d been wanting one for some time. I use my iPad Mini for just about everything I can, which is why my actual Toshiba laptop gets little to no use now. That’s also cause my office is cold. But I wanted the keyboard so I could work on writing without traveling into my office to use the old ‘shiba. Also there’s lots of stuff in there that distracts me.

it’s gonna take some getting used to, the keyboard is tiny compared to an actual people sized one (more like a hobbit sized versus elf sized). but I am using it now, and slowly getting the hang of it. I plan on doing a lot more blogging and writing. Hopefully!

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