Sound, smell. I noticed that Mel specified "visual interest" in her original post, but it seems to me that many people are instinctively looking for non-visual sources of interest when they consider the problem proposed. I think this may tie in to what I was saying on the "mood" thread. Sometimes the visual element isn't really what creates interest. Even the bird watching, while it certainly relies on sight, seems to me to be engaging on an *intellectual* level, rather than purely a visual one. Static pictures really just aren't very stimulating. Even the loveliest static view will become boring if you're forced by circumstance (like being bed-ridden due to a long illness) to look at nothing else for a long period of time. This subject is rather near to my heart, as I was recently laid up in bed for a long time. My bedroom window is on the lee side of my house. When I was ill, I found myself wishing that it looked out instead to the windy side of the property. Motion makes a view less static and far more stimulating. Wind makes interesting noises, and wind through trees can create moving shadow plays on the walls of the room. The sound of the rain on the windows and roof is much louder on the windy side, and when the water hits the windows, it creates interesting rivulets on the glass. It doesn't do that on the lee side. Wildlife is also kinetic, and therefore stimulating. On the mood thread, I noticed that many people talked about wanting their gardens to be "relaxing." But I think that often, when planning for a view out a window, it might help to think more in terms of making things more stimulating. Part of what we like about the outdoors, after all, is that things are always *moving* out there. If I were planning for a view out a window for someone who might be forced to spend a lot of time with that as their only or primary view, I'd think in terms of motion. Also sound, smell, and wildlife.

This seems like a good start and would be very helpful to people seeking information about how to take good photos. My only critiques would be: 1. Make it more concise. The ease of reading will be amplified by the forthcoming instructional photos, but there still seems to be an excessive amount of text. 2. Keep the tone friendly. In many places, it comes off as self-important and condescending. I gather from both the length and the tone that you are frustrated with poor photos on the forums, however, a concise and friendly set of instructions will encourage more people to actually utilize them. Hope this helps! Cheers, Peren

Hey everyone....Thanks for all your tips and experiences... Larry....How are you? lol..You are too funny...I once almost hired a kid to water mine until he watered my fakes plastic ones too... Danielle..Congrats on that...If I meant away for a week and someone forgot to water my plants for just two days, many would croak..I've thought of having just succulents, but I can't seem to do away with my fragrant ones... Linda..Yes it has been a while..What's happening? I hope your fish made it this year..Boy it was brutal...All mine did. The water never froze because I kept it turbulent..Thanks for visiting and your ideas.. I'm sure you would do that for me. You are so kind:-))) Planto..Thank you so much..Yes, it is a bummer..It makes my heart heavy with sadness..Such a good guy and destroying his family...I hope he recovers. He loves my plants and the thought of taking care of them got him and I excited.. Purple...I am so glad you got to go away and came back to no issues...That's my plan...I hope you had a great time..You needed it I am sure.. Yes, being able to wake up and go to bed any time you want is something I have not done in years...Not to have to look at the clock is a luxery..I miss those days. I live in Northern Ma...Just on the border of N.H almost near the coast....So it can get cold here still by May which leaves me no choice except to wait until the end of May when all are safe outside. Ia m hoping to go to Florida..Far from here. I tried that stay home and relax thing and it did not work out. All I wanted to do was work on the house and more..Not good. I am talking about sleeping on a beach for days or reading a book on a chair at teh beach or by a pool, maybe Pugs house, Laurs or Patty's..lol I get up at 5 every day, run a cleaning buisiness, then work full time..Work out 4 days a week after work at 8 pm and then care for my parents about that. I also care for my home, feed the birds, cat, fish and plants...lol MIke

A couple of thoughts: I remember the last time I needed a copy of my birth certificate, it had to be a "certified" copy with an official government imprint. Merely photocopying a certified copy would not have been sufficient. Think about what you will need the birth certificate for and get the "right" copy. Better yet, take the video, burn it on a CD, make multiple copies and stash them in your safe deposit box, at home, and at your backup site. They're small, light, and hard to damage. While CDs or DVDs are easier to store and somewhat more resistant to damage through use than tapes, a looming issue is the future of digital storage. There already are reports of people who burned cheapo CD-Rs years ago who now cannot recover the information. Earlier this year, the company at which I work (a Dow Jones company whose name you all would recognize) had to employ four computer hobbyists to recover some legal-related information which someone had created on low-density floppies from a software program which is no longer produced. We recovered it, but the process of doing so wasn't pretty. And, even if the data is maintained perfectly forever, formats change. Seen an 8" floppy drive lately? Ever heard of a Bernoulli disk? MO? Zip disk? DC2000 tape? Does your current computer even have a floppy drive -- of any size? Do you know if you can open files you created in software that's three or four versions old, perhaps on a completely different operating system? I don't mean to be alarmist. And I'm pretty much as big a geek as they come. But, so far, the history of digital technology does not seem to offer the lifespan of simple ink-on-paper or silver-halide photographs or slides. People who want to store digital information either risk losing that information over time or must commit themselves to examining that information periodically and transferring the data again to avoid media failure and obsolescence.