Articles written by Birgit Starmanns

How To Guides |
Community

About me - Birgit Starmanns

I have been writing since I was young. Even after a long day of theater rehearsals, I would grab my trusty pen with the announcement to my family, "I haven't been productive today."

In my career in the software industry, I have published many articles and

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: A music mystery: 1 of 20

Who's "In the Mood" for a New Song? The Suspects: - Mark, the trumpet player - Janice, the female soloist - Jason, the male soloist - Melinda, the dancer - Mrs. Hall, the costume designer The Mystery: The buzz of anticipation was reaching a fever pitch in the band room, as the Tiger Jazz Band, named for their college mascot,...
Health & Fitness > Fitness & Exercise Tips Tips for bringing your workout on the road: 2 of 23

On a recent business trip, I sat in yet another airline seat, impatiently trying to stretch my legs. In a past life, I would have checked into the hotel, ordered greasy foods from room service, and spent the night working, only to wake up complaining about a stiff neck and back. Not anymore. Motivated by the many workout son...
Computers & Technology > Internet Software & Utils How to extract files with WinRAR: 1 of 5

While hardware has become less expensive over time, with the proliferation of photos and videos, computer files take up more and more storage space on a hard drive. Compressed, or archive, files decrease the size of a file, increasing efficiency for sharing and backing up data. The WinRAR compression program provides several...
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: The office mystery: 6 of 26

The Mystery of the Missing Moving Boxes The Suspects - Alexis, a colleague in the same project team - Jennifer, the project manager - John, project manager of a different project team - Peter, the manager The Mystery "I hate packing," sighed Lisa, as she sorted through one of the moving boxes underneath her office desk that ...
Travel > Air Travel & Airlines How to travel comfortably in economy: 5 of 20

It's simple economics. Pay business, fly less. Pay economy, and have money for an extra vacation or two. Thanks to my parents' philosophy, I am now the queen of long weekends, which I could not afford flying business class. I also fly economy on business trips, based on company policy. Sure, I always apply for an upgrade, bu...
Travel > Air Travel & Airlines Best perks in frequent flyer programs: 1 of 4

A few airline regulations ago, especially the rule concerning carrying liquids on board an airplane, a flight attendant recognized me on a regular "commute," and offered me a bottle of wine. To take home. It seems the foil had been cut, but the first class passengers were not as thirsty as anticipated, so the bottle was not ...
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Is 40 really the new 30?: 36 of 72

"Why aren't you married? Don't you want kids? You still could, you know..it's not too late!" Not so long ago, these were questions typically asked of women in their late twenties. While a pregnancy for women in their mid-thirties and older is statically riskier, more and more women now opt for a career before starting a fami...
Education > Adult Education Ongoing career education and training: Tips and resources: 3 of 6

You learn something new every day. For example that SNA (Santa Ana Airport) was originally named the Orange County Airport, and is now the John Wayne Airport. That "555" is the most commonly used telephone number prefix used in movies and television shows, but that "555-1212" in any area code gets you to the Information oper...
Arts & Humanities > Photography Tips for shooting during the golden or magic hours: 1 of 2

The first time I took my parents on a tour of San Francisco, my mother commented, "But the Golden Gate isn't golden!" I finally changed her mind with a photo I had taken from Baker Beach, just prior to sunset. To take the photo, I checked a Webcam to make sure that I would not be driving into the fog, and realized that it wa...
Home & Garden > Buying & Selling Homes Tips for renting a moving van: 4 of 7

Parting may be sweet sorrow, but actually packing up and moving is pure torture. During my last move, a neighbor knocked on my door, to inform me that my friend's SUV was in front of a sign that proclaimed "No Parking." When I asked her if we were blocking her, she responded, with fire in her eyes, "No, but there's a SIGN." ...