3 WORTHWHILE PROJECTS for SENIORS

We all look forward to the day when we can leave the workplace behind, and begin to live the good life. At some point after retirement, after all the sleeping late, leisurely reading the newspaper, playing golf, and along with any other "senior activities", boredom may start to set in. Sure, you can join new clubs or organizations, but how about some activity where the results will last beyond your years? I remember receiving some old photograph albums from my parents. They were falling apart, not to mention the condition of the pictures. There were also 35mm slides from another bygone era. It would be nice to leave these keepsakes to bequeath to your loved ones. However, the condition of the pictures will not get better, nor will 35mm slide projectors ever make a comeback, but there is something you can do to facilitate passing these precious gems on to the next generation. It is a tedious process, but I was able to transfer all my old 35mm slides which numbered around 1000, to CD's which I then labeled with a collage of our family. All it takes is a flatbed scanner and your computer. My HP 5000F scanner came with a plastic tool for placing the slides in position for the scanning process. I can only scan 2 at a time, but I could adjust brightness and contrast with software included with the scanner. Now the CD's will last a long time, and they can also be re-transferred to keep the condition of the media fresh. A second project is the transfer of 33 1/3 record albums, and 45 rpm records to CD. Half the fun of this project is listening to all the old music of our youth while recording them. They brought back many memories. I am using an Audio-Technica AT-PL50 turntable. It came with the turntable to USB cable. Cakewalk Software was included with the turntable. I don't know if my children will ever listen to them, but it is easier for me to play them on the CD player than constantly getting up to change the record. An additional upside is that software is available now to improve the sound quality. Most pops and clicks can be taken out. They actually sound better now than my original record. A third project to preserve memories is the transfer of VHS tapes to DVD. My children's younger years were captured on the newest technology of the time, but I don't believe the VHS players will be around much longer, and as the tapes age, they could be lost forever. This could be a little more expensive in that a requirement is a computer with video capture card. I was able to use the Windows Movie Maker software that was included with Vista. These projects all take time which is something I had an in abundance. I believe these are worthwhile projects which will give you much personal satisfaction.