Clever s*ds - help required please!!

[Bunnylump]

I don't think it can be to do with the bobbin because it's the needle which is unthreading, the bobbin thread is staying put. I will have a look at what I can do with the tension thingy then. I have the thread going through a hook, then down a slot, then up another slot, round the top of the bit that goes up and down, back down the slot, through the thread guide, then through the second thread guide next to the needle. I THINK that's right - I've read the instructions about 30 times!!

[giraffe]

If the tension underneath is wrong it affects the top ad well. Do the stitches look right or is one thread or the other pulling tight? When I said bobbin I meant the bobbin of thread on the top of the machine not the one underneath. I think.

[Bunnylump]

Yes, the stitches look OK. And I have the thread the right way round. I'm just trying to work out what this tension malarkey is all about now!! This machine is too clever for its own good...

[gill216]

Take the underneath bobbin and bobbin case out, thread it and then hold it up by the end of the thread. The bobbin should drop about 6 inches and stop. If it doesn't the underneath tension is too tight. My underneath bobbin casehas a tiny screw on it to adjust the tension for it.

The other thing might be thread quality. I buy machine thread from the sewing machine shop. Its not expensive but is worth paying a bit extra for.

[Bunnylump]

OK thank you for all your suggestions ladies. I will try them all!!

[Wulfruna]

I agree that it could be the tension. Mine has two controls - one is the wheel above the needle (or on the slot where the thread goes round on its journey down and then up again) - this controls how tightly the thread is held as it goes through; and then there is another one at the top on a sort of ratchet that you press down to tighten and can then release with a lever - this controls how hard the foot is pressing down on the plate, which affect the rate at which the fabric goes through - so you can vary it for thicker fabrics (which this may well be).

[Bunnylump]

Can one of you clever people please tell me how to set up a new Google docs joint spreadsheet thing, or how you register it in the first place please? It's just that D is having trouble keeping the ten band members up to date with what's going on calendar-wise with their gigs and it struck me that might be an easy option for them all to be able to access and update. Or any other suggestions for SIMPLE solutions for this purpose please?

Ta muchly.

[MBH]

I've not done it, but I imagine it's a simple act of creating a new account (like a new but 'fake' email address) in the Docs website. That log-in and password can then be passed to all participants much as rebels@puzzlebrains.co.uk was.

One thought... we all have varying success in logging on to GoogleDocs, so a prime consideration is a machine that can DO IT

If you want me to do some tricks and make the spreadsheet look professional [wink, wink] Any sentences beginning, "It would be brilliant if it could..."

[LAT]

Yes I would have thought that a spreadsheet kept up to date and emailed round regularly would be an easier option. Having a Google docs thing would surely mean D would have to be confident the others kept logging in to check. But I suppose it depends on whether the bookings etc can be made by any of the members, or whether it all comes through D. Google docs would come into it's own if any of them could take bookings and therefore they would all need to be able to amend it.

[giraffe]

Are there online diary type things? Could you set up a diary thing for a fake person and give everyone the log in details? (Making this up as I go along, but my husband has a diary that can be accessed by his secretary and him, so something along those lines.)

[Bunnylump]

Well that was the kind of thing I think he needs. The trouble is that one person e mailing stuff out inevitably gets out of date very quickly, and if things are mentioned verbally, people tend to forget to say if they are available or not on the main copy. So when I mentioned about us using Google Docs to collaborate on, he was thinking that it would be good from the point of view that (hopefully) people could access it on their phones and add information as and when they thought about it. But yes, I do take MBH's point about the trouble that so many of us have experienced in accessing it.

[LAT]

What he really needs is a secretary then!
But if several of them could take bookings then you will need something they all can access. And you will need to be sure they all do get in the habit of checking it regularly. I don't think Google docs would send out reminders to look at updates.
Having said that I wonder if they could set up something on Facebook. And then they could all make sure they turn on notifications so that they get an email when someone has posted to it.

[Bunnylump]

Have you ever tried that? It is SOoooooo annoying. K linked my phone to my FB account (which I ignore for months on end) so that I could use Draw Something. And the buzzing with all the alerts to tell me that "X is making a lasagne" etc. drove me so mental that I had to turn the internet off unless I needed it.

D won't even have a FB account, and actually, if it wasn't for me wanting to occasionally see other people's photos, I wouldn't either. I did laugh, K was here yesterday and found a photo of Dibble, aged about 8, in the garden by the paddling pool dressed in home made NEWSPAPER swimming trunks. Why, I have no idea, but nothing would surprise me with him! Anyway, she sent him a copy and apparently it is now his cover photo on FB.

[LAT]

Well I managed to turn off all notifications other than when someone actually posted something to me, or if the birthday of one of my contacts was coming up. So those are the only emails I get now other than the very occasional one suggesting I log in to see what my friends have been up to. (Presumably all the lasagne making etc!!
I think it all depends on what would work best for all the band members. Could they be relied on to check Google docs regularly? Do they check e-mails regularly?

I don't think I've worked out how to look at other people's photos yet, not sure I knew you could unless they wanted to share them with you. But after all the only reason I joined Facebook was supposedly to help Puzzlebrains so I don't use it at all really. I think the last time I logged on was my birthday as I had had messages which I thought I should try to reply to!

[eirian]

I'm not sure how sites like Dropbox work - I think if everyone knows the log-in/password you can just upload files onto it that everyone has access to. Not sure how easy it would be to edit them though.

[SparkOut]

I'm not sure what issues you have had between you regarding logging into Google Docs, but it really does seem that this is exactly the collaborative idea that they had with this concept. With the transition to "Google Drive" I believe that is really the way to go for D's situation. As for notifications of updates:

Notifications


You can set notifications to find out when your collaborators have modified your spreadsheets, and learn what sheets or cells they've modified. You can also choose how often you'd like to be notified. Here's how you can enable notifications:
1.Go to the Tools menu and select "Notification rules."
2.In the window that appears, select when and how often you want to receive notifications:
When changes are made to the entire spreadsheet
When changes are made to a specific sheet
When changes are made to specific cells
When collaborators are added or removed
When changes are made to forms
By 'daily digest' or 'right away'

3.Click Save.

In the notifications, collaborators will see the usernames of people who have made changes. Viewers can set notifications but can't see usernames.

You won't be sent notifications about your own changes. You'll only receive notifications when your collaborators make changes.

[Bunnylump]

Aaah thank you. I have passed on all your thoughts. He said thank you very much.

[SparkOut]

Also, "online diary thing" - might that mean Google Calendar? which could possibly be an even simpler solution? It can be set automatically to synchronise with an Android smartphone, and also could be used in conjunction with Microsoft Outlook.
Alternatively, and possibly even more simply than trying to get MS & Google things to work together, a shared Microsoft Live Calendar would be an option.

[Bunnylump]

Again, thank you.

[MBH]

Me back with another technology one - LOL

i;ve got myself a Tablet PC (no company name I can spot). Designed to give downstairs access to the internet for only 64 quid from a London company on eBay. Android operating system.

So what do i need to know about tablet based technology? Protection?? AVG seems to have a free download... do i just treat this as a normal computer and download as normal?

What about Apps and Widgets? How are they different to Software and how do i know (and trust) what i want?

To those that know, these questions may be obvious - but i'm hindered by PAST knowledge and don't know how this new stuff fits with what i alreay know.