Page 10 - Boca Club News - November '20

Wilde Times
Page 10, Boca Club News
Computers... From Sheila’s Desktop:

Increase in Sales of Personal Computers During Pandemic

By Sheila Garber of Broken Sound Previous to the Pandemic, the smartphone dominated the The only thing that hampered growth to even higher
Club. Sheila was a teacher for 41 computer industry. Sales of PCs had continued to drop for numbers was the market having component shortages. There
years, the last 22 years as a Computer years, some by up to 26%. However, everything changed with is a shortage of Chromebooks, and schools have been working
Teacher. She is the recipient of an AOL lockdowns and school and business shutdowns. Now there was to get enough devices because of high demand and disruptions
Interactive Educational Initiative a mad scramble by families dragging out their old PC laptops in supply chains during the pandemic.
Grant and the author of an award- and schools needing to provide distance learning. According to Mikako Kitagawa, the research director at
winning website featuring virtual Many users found that their older PCs were insufficient Gartner, the supply-chain disruptions have been resolved,
reality panoramas of the historical to provide the level of usage needed by their businesses and but component shortages remain.
and cultural sites of Philadelphia. universities. They needed up-to-date laptops. Schools mostly Lenovo has been ranked as the No.1 vendor, followed by
Mrs. Garber currently resides in Broken Sound Country turned to Chromebooks for the distance learning necessary for HP, Dell, Apple and Acer.
Club and devotes her time to teaching others computer skills. online teaching. Both situations caused a sharp rise in laptop In addition, lines have been blurred between personal
When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, many businesses purchases. Chromebook purchases alone provided 11% of computers and devices such as tablets.
switched from working in-house to working from home. the combined PC/Chromebook market. Sales of desktops and Many suspect that working from home will become more
In addition, schools switched from face-to-face instruction desktop workstations declined 26%. Only games were the common, thus allowing families of wage earners to become
to distance learning. A new problem resulted from this switch. respite to falling desktop sales. more mobile enabled.
Many children did not own personal computers. If there Overall, PC shipments rose 3.6% to 71.4 million units in the Good luck, Sheila. garberse@aol.com
was one in the home, it had to be shared by multiple family third quarter driven by an 11.4% growth in the U.S., the first
members who might need it at the same time. time in a decade that the region has seen double-digit growth.
Health & Wellness

Reality Check √ - Healthy Answers on Living &

Loving Life: “Time to Make or Break a Habit?”

By Dale Brown, B.S., M.A., C.E.C. If you could change one thing, what would it be? • Surprise someone you haven’t seen or spoken to in a
Dale is a motivational speaker who Your answer to this might be difficult during this time, while. Go through your contact list and send a text from you.
has spent many years as a Certified but think about what you have in your life now that you can An example might be, “What are you doing right now? I miss
Life Coach and has written numerous control? It could be a change in your diet, less time watching hearing from you.” This could rekindle a relationship or start
articles and e-books relating to self- news, or spending too much time worrying about the future. a new one.
improvement and ways to build a There may be several items that come to mind. Pick one and • Start an “action board.” Find a poster, bulletin board, or
high-performance team. Her education give some thought as to what it would take to implement the a surface where you can post notes and pictures. This is fun to
and years of experience in physical change. do with children or grandchildren. Think of everything you’d
fitness and training of elite athletes has What matters to you most? like to do when the world opens up. What are you missing?
enabled her to sharpen her knowledge in many health-related This question might be the most difficult because it’s Cut out pictures of places, people, and things. Use post-it notes,
areas. The following is one in a series of columns devoted very hard to narrow down to just one thing. It might be your old photos, and inspirational quotes. Your action board should
to many topics that deal with the mind/body connection and relationships, accomplishments, or healthy living. Find at least reflect your feelings, hopes, and future dreams.
the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Dale, a Bocaire one thing you could do to make a positive change in your life • Find a way to escape. This might be a variety of things,
resident, can be reached at dalebrown@lovingmondays.com. now. I’ve come up with a few ideas; maybe one will resonate such as playing games on your iPad or computer, watching a
It has been nine months since COVID-19 was declared with you. video, taking a walk, or catching a cat nap. Take your mind
a pandemic. Living with this ordeal has drastically changed • If you’re stuck in a rut, try making a difference in off the stressors of the moment and do whatever makes you
the way people live, work and play. It shows the resiliency someone’s else life. Examples might be helping fundraise for feel good.
in humans, and the ability to adjust. We have almost become a needy family, organizing a food drive in your community, Change doesn’t happen overnight, but new habits can
accustomed to a new unwanted way of doing things. donating goods or money to a local charity. Finding ways to be formed if you put your mind to it. Wouldn’t it be great
How have you been filling your time? give back not only benefits others, it makes you feel good, too. to emerge from this imposed moratorium on life to a new,
When I question them, I get similar responses from people. •Spread some cheer; think like a kid. Organize a virtual improved mode of behavior? Sometimes even the smallest
They mostly cook, read, paint, walk, Zoom classes, and watch birthday party, baby/wedding shower, or happy hour. Set up change can make a big difference in how you feel. It can lift
TV. Other than that, much of their time is spent at home except parameters by designating a theme. Give an assignment ahead your spirits and give you a sense of satisfaction. Why not give
to run necessary errands, or make essential doctor visits. Many of time; come to the party with a joke or a funny story to share. it a try?
find it hard to fill idle time.
My friend Lisa is a good example. Her text read, “I’m so
bored. I wish I had something to do.” In her case, I suggested
she consider a 30-day challenge to de-clutter her home and
environment. This might seem a little extreme, but it beats
boredom and can be a fun way to get rid of “stuff.” This is how
it works: Find a very large bag or box because you’ll need it.
On day 1, toss out one item, day 2 – two items, day 3 – three
items, and so on until you get to day 30. This totals 465 items
in all that you no longer want or need.
Lisa thought she could easily fulfill her “daily dump quota.” Myriam
By the end of the month, however, she was frantically searching Leiva
for something, anything she could easily shed. In desperation,
she turned to her desk drawers, which accounted for enough
useless pens, pencils, push tacks and paper clips to complete
the challenge. Mission accomplished!
This is one way to use your time wisely and fill the void.
However, the pandemic has given us time to reflect on other
facets of our lives as well. It offers an opportunity to look
inward and search for answers that could make a difference
in how you live your life now and in the future.
Are there changes in your life you would like to make?
Now is a good time to give thought to how your life looks. Marty
Is there a habit you’d like to break, or a change you’d like to Silbernik
make? People are more likely to start and keep a new habit,
as opposed to breaking an old one.
Which would you rather do? Contemplate your answers to Your trusted medicare guide & resource
the following questions:
What in your life would you like to remain the same? 25 years experience
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and family, practicing a musical instrument, or following an Licensed Sales Agents • We represent multiple major national insurance companies
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down things you do each day that bring you pleasure. Your
response to this comes from your heart, one that gives you a
chance to reflect on what gives you purpose. 6401 Congress Ave., Suite 205, Boca Raton, FL 33487