The iPod Touch - A Mini Review

Ok, I have to admit I am not a big fan of the iPod. Looking at them from their first release through the Touch mostly they looked small, fragile and a pain to use.

However Palm previously announced they were going to retire their current operating system. I love the program Life Balance on my Palm. It is available on the Palm OS, which is going away eventually, and the iPhone/iPod Touch. Sigh. Since I have found some items dating back to 2001, giving up Life Balance would not be easy. I could follow some of my friends' advice and stock pile Palm devices so that I can keep using Life Balance indefinitely. However I figure time marches on and many of the programs I do use for the Palm have fallen in complete abandon-ware or purely bug fixes. It is time for something new, and the iPod Touch is just the ticket.

I have a 32 gig iPod using version 2.2.1. My thought was to use the Touch to listen to podcasts as well, maybe as a complete replacement for my existing iRiver Nomad that has also fallen into the abandoned hardware pile. More on my reasons why I am skipping that later.

Physical - I thought the physical size of the Touch was going to be a problem. Now my hands & fingers are not huge, but having seen the controls on past units, and the size of Shuffles, I was worried.  I have used some of those little phones in the past and not felt comfortable with them.

Actually I like the feel of the Touch in my hand. I would not mind it being a hair wider, but it fits easily into my shirt pocket and my thumb hits just right to adjust the volume. I would move the on/off button more toward the edge. Could be I am holding it all wrong, but usually one of my fingers just about hits the edge of the button. I have yet to accidentally turn it off, but it is something I am aware of.

The earphones do leave a lot to be desired. They look nice, sound good enough, but for me they do not stay in the ears that well. When I bought the Touch the sales guy suggested I get a better pair of earphones. I have a good pair so passed, but now see why he made that suggestion.

Battery Life - Since I use my Touch primarily as a PDA, the batter life seems good. I usually get 2 days use out of a full charge. Now I realize my usage is not typical - I play back audio maybe a half hour a day and video another half hour. I do lots of on/off with getting into Life Balance or a game or two of Euchre. I do leave WiFi on, and use it to check the weather & stocks (still have pending options to sell...).

Audio Playback - This is what disappointed me the most. My current MP3 jukebox allows me to play any audio file back at 1.5 speed. This is great for podcasts that are all talking - everything is still easily understood but it takes less time to listen to. A win-win in my book. The Touch only allows audio books to be sped up. At least from what I have seen in the menus and from a quick online search. iTunes is the same way. Until my MP3 player completely dies, looks like the Touch is going to be left to hold some transitory audio files and new songs to listen to.

Video Playback - I had a few videos from the Dawn & Drew show, 5 to 6 minutes each, a longer video from Scott Sigler, and a couple of episodes from TV shows I had previously downloaded. All played back fine. Not sure I would want to watch a whole movie this way, but the occasional TV show would be great. Now if I could get my TiVo to start downloading shows to my computer again, maybe I could get caught up on all the recorded stuff :).

Apps - The main reason I got the Touch. After getting Life Balance set up and making sure it was going to work (a review in a separate post), it was time to dig through the App Store to start replacing apps.

What comes with the phone is not great, but will get you up and running. One thing I had gotten used to on the Palm was having apps interact. For example, Life Balance could pull/push items  to the ToDo app, the calendar app and others. This made for some interesting work flows with apps. This kind of interaction does not seem to exist in the apps. Pushing something out to a calendar, or a text file, does not seem to come easily. This is where I am going to miss DayNotez - it was great to check something off, have it pushed over to DayNotez and if ever questioned when something was done I can look back and find the reference in DayNotez easily. I should grab the desktop version and hope for an iPhone version.

Aside from Life Balance, the next 2 biggest apps I need to get was something to record receipts in to upload to Quicken desktop and a list maker.

There are lots of apps out there, and the biggest problem is finding something that is actually useful. Useful being defined as 'works close enough to how I work.' Sure there are lots of list programs out there. I only found one that works for me. You see most of my lists are lists I use over and over, so I need a way to clear out the selected items the next time I use the list. Most of the list programs to not handle that.

Although all the apps I have seen so far look good, I would like to see more apps that capture data for off-line viewing. The PocketFlicks app ties into your NetFlix account and pulls down your queue. It does some queue management features, but to me the biggest sell for the app is it stores the queue info so I do not have to have WiFi to view my queue. So if I am renting or buying a video, I can check my queue for things I know I want. I would love to find a similar app for my Amazon wish list. I have been using that as a parking lot for various things that I would like to get but never have access to it while I am the store.

So far my only complaint on missing apps is something that will work with Quicken on the desktop. Part of the problem is Quicken - you cannot send transactions to some account types anymore. Sure there are hacks, but why jump through hoops. All I really want at this point is an app that will let me enter & classify receipts and then add them to Quicken, much like what PocketQuicken did on the Palm. Actually Pocket Quicken did much more, but I just described my primary use. Balances, reconciliation, etc. are nice but far from necessary.

Aside from spending much more time in Quicken, the biggest adjustment has been in using various Google Apps to get things onto the Touch. I have switched over to Google Calendar, Notes (which is no longer being developed, but I found an app for) and Gmail's contacts. It is taking some getting used to, but now I am getting 1 calendar, 1 list of contacts, etc. instead of having one set on my Palm, one set on my desktop and 1 set in the cloud. Once I get it all sorted out I should be more efficient.

One thing I have noticed about apps though - some sync with the desktop through iTunes and some do not. Reading from the Life Balance advice book, they claim they are not allowed to sync through iTunes and go through Bonjour. MPG uses some desktop sync software it created. I have yet to see what SplashShopper does. Yet gNotes, which works with Google Notebook, syncs through iTunes. A little consistency here would be nice.

Time Warner Expands Internet Usage Pricing - Could Stifle Web Video Use

 

Update: AT&T is testing 20-150GB DSL plans, and I'm wondering if Netflix should show you how many gigabytes you've streamed in the past 30 days.

Businessweek reports that TIme Warner will be expanding the Internet usage pricing model to additional markets. 

Time Warner Expands Internet Usage Pricing - Could Stifle Web Video Use
mikek
Fri, 03 Apr 2009 06:14:13 GMT

As I have said in the past, tiered pricing like a cell phone bill is the wrong approach. This just goes to prove it.

This is designed to do one thing - get you to spend more money with either Time Warner or AT&T. Ignoring video downloads for a moment, I am willing to bet your VOIP phone service through Time Warner will not count against your Internet usage, however using Vonage or other such VOIP service will. Same with AT&T land lines. In a way I hope that is true and they get slammed by the SEC.

One big problem is there is no competition in most places for high speed Internet. Last I checked I can only have Time Warner. Right now I do have Earthlink, however it runs on 'Time Warner's lines and once the contract with Earthlink is up I will get stuck with Time Warner's crappy data plans. Not that other choice is any better: AT&T is currently the only other option in town, but I am literally 1 block out of DSL range.

The tiered plan benefits no one. Most people, regardless of what they say, will end up paying more overall with no real benefit. If they REALLY wanted to help the average customer, they would go with a metered plan like electric or water. Grandma who only gets a few emails and photos of the grandkids would pay considerably less per month for the faster access, and those "bandwidth hogs" they talk about would pay appropriately for their usage.

Professional Development

Back when punch cards ruled and dinosaurs roamed the Earth I knew going into programming would mean almost constant development of my skills.

The technology is always changing - MS-DOS to Windows to Web to Web 2.0. Simple compile & run to fancy IDEs (integrated development environment). Objects to dynamic and functional languages. Even just different languages - my old job switched from Visual Basic to C# when we switched to using the .Net framework. The Pragmatic Programmer recommends learning a new language every year (among other things). As they point out - it gets you to think in different ways.

One of the big problems with any kind of education for programmers is good projects. The infamous 'Hello World' program just does not cut it anymore even as a first attempt at getting something to run. Some of the projects in books are OK for learning the basics of a new technology/language. Most, however, lack depth. Programs like Baby Smash give a little more to chew on and has the right size in my opinion.

Still, as I have gotten older sitting around writing code as an academic exercise just to be tossed out has lost a lot of appeal. Especially when I am not getting paid :). Don't get me wrong, digging into a DLL or other system on my own time that would benefit my work time is useful. But when I am just looking to exercise my brain it would be useful if I could work on something that would benefit me at home as well.

Project size has always been an issue. Too often I start down a path, the project grows (hey, just like at work!) then I get bored and move on. That or I get to a point where I cannot move forward and abandon the project. Moving forward may mean new hardware (not my strong suit) or the time investment does not seem worth the eventual payoff.

I have been reading about Casey Chesnut's eva project. Eva is a speech based virtual assistant, to quote the project site. I have to say there is a lot there to like. Casey has an interest in ubiquitous computing, something I find interesting but had not explored. Home automation was something I have always had a little interest in, but just never got around to exploring beyond setting mom up with some X-10 switches when she was on a walker.

Still, how to make something along the lines of Eva useful to me. Being a bad programmer I do not have a server setup at home. Yea, I know, hard to believe. I have no X-10 interface for the computer. Being out of work I am not sure this is the time to rush out and get a server & other hardware. I do have an old PC sitting around. Windows ME no longer works on it and I was going to scrape it out. The hardware was fine, it just needed paved over with a fresh OS. It might be able to take Windows XP if I upped the memory. It might be able to take Vista, except there is no DVD drive. I have thought about putting Ubuntu on it just for fun. Not sure how much time I would get to spend with it though.

I have a couple of little projects to explore in C#, maybe even in Ruby. After I clear them up I hope to start on something along the lines of Eva.

Operating Systems Don't Matter - I agree

 

Joe Wilcox over at Microsoft Watch today wrote a piece entitled "Operating Systems Don't Matter".

...

That, in my humble opinion, made all the difference.  Digital Research never went public and by 1991 had been bought by Novell and eventually faded into computing history.  Microsoft went public, kept buidling applications and, to my continuing bemusement, I now work there (not building applications mind you but creating tools for those that do).

Operating Systems Don't Matter - I agree

I have to disagree, to a point. The OS that does the best job supporting developers that make the applications matter. One thing Microsoft has done well is to suck up to cultivate relations with developers. Microsoft has tried to provide a way for not only professionals, but the casual developer as well to program. Even now you can get free versions of Visual Studio. Linux is free as well, but Visual Studio has more, or at least more civilized, support for the novice. Some of the Linux crusties can be brutal when presented with 'stupid questions.'

If another OS was to make programming easier, or offer more to the developer, they would switch OS's in a heartbeat.

Joining the gainfully unemployeed

Last week I was laid off from my job of 15 years. I wanted to hold off posting about it to let and residual anger subside. Not that I am really angry with the company, but like any ending or death, there are the stages that one goes through. Better safe than sorry.

Knowing the people who were let go in my department the whole thing looked rather random. There is a severance package that looks good on second glance. When you just learned that you will no longer have a steady income, no amount of money and/or other services looks like enough.

Officially I am still employed into next week, but there is a lot of things I need to do in the mean time (like get a resume together). Once I am officially separated from the company I will kick the job hunt into full gear.

Text to speech != audio book

 

wil wheaton vs. text 2 speech
wil@wilwheaton.net (Wil Wheaton)
Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:20:27 GMT

 

I am not sure what the big deal is with this. When I first heard about the Kindle 2 and the complaints about text to speech feature I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I doubt even in my life time that a program will be able to as good a job as J. Random  Human. Even longer for someone with even a little acting talent, let alone a skilled voice actor.

The biggest issue I see with audio books vs. text to speech is timing. Seems that most books do not have an audio version at the same time as the print version, if any. For those who have a choice between the two it is no big deal. For those without a choice, like the blind, I cannot imagine the frustration of having to wait for the audio book to come out. If it comes out.

Netflix Customers To Stream More Movies Than DVD in 2009?

 

 

The only problem with FeedFlix's data is that there are only a small number of subscribers that are using the service, so I believe that the information reflects early adopters that are more likely to be using Netflix's streaming service. 

Netflix Customers To Stream More Movies Than DVD in 2009?
mikek
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:04:53 GMT

I have to agree with the above statement.

If I can stream (or download to a set top box) the entirety of Netflix's library then it a great idea. No waiting for the DVD to arrive. Being able to easier switch films based on how you are feeling is great. Hey I have run to rent a DVD just because I wanted to watch something funny and had only dramas at home.

However just as streaming/large downloads are becoming more common ISPs (Internet Service Provider) are looking to go to a tiered pricing plan. What do I mean? Think how your cell phone works - you get X number of minutes and have to pay, a lot, if you run over. The problem though is some ISPs are cutting off service when you hit your data limits. This is the wrong model for using the Internet, but that is a whole other rant :).

Getting caught up

I like getting caught up, or at least mostly caught up. Still have some emails to dig through.

At least on the up side, my Blockbuster queue is not accessable. I cleared out about a dozen or so movies that I had already rented.  I also got caught up with the Spiritual Cinema Circle DVDs.

Now to watch my birthday DVDs...

Blockbuster Eliminating Due Dates on In-Store Exchanges; Counting In-Store Exchanges as Part of Plan

 

Blockbuster is quietly testing the elimination of  due dates for in-store exchanges in two markets, and will roll this out to all customers in March. Blockbuster is also updating the website so that in-store rentals will appear in a customer's queue and rental history, helping to eliminate duplicate rentals.

Sorry guys, this is stupid. This will do nothing but confuse customers. Customers who are paying extra to have  TotalAccess. Customers who have gotten used to having the whole process of getting the next DVD in the queue sped up by exchanging the DVD in the store.

Don't try to pass this off as a service to the customers - this is a way to make money. That DVD we exchange at the store pushes off the shipping fees to the customer.

Between this move and not being able to get into my queue for about 2 months now I will have to seriously consider dropping my membership. (Oh, and yes the Blockbuster tech guys are 'working on it', and even offer free in-store rentals. Never mind that I have chewed through most of the in-store movies that I want to watch.)

Palm pulls the plug on Palm OS, bets the future on Pre's webOS - Network World

Palm pulls the plug on Palm OS, bets the future on Pre's webOS - Network World

I love the Palm OS - it is small, fast and perfectly suited for hand held use. This leaves me in a bit of a pickle. I love Life Balalnce software, but it only runs on Palm & iPhone, at least mobile. I also like to use Quicken and Pocket Quicken in particular to enter transactions on the fly. Quicken's on-line options do not sync with desktop Quicken. That is fine, for those who spend all their time online AND have a data plan on their cell/smart phone. Pocket Quicken also comes on Windows Mobile, but having used that in the past I do not really like it as well as the Palm interface.

No real rush - my current unit is still in good shape. Just need to make some time to do some research. I am sure I can find replacement for several the apps I use. Just one thing I did not want to deal with.

Getting caught up

January was a busy month, but I am finally getting some things cleared out. I hope to have more time to post, but right now I am still need to do some work.

R. I. P. Majel Barrett Roddenberry

I missed this  one over the weekend. I remember with every new Star Trek that came out mom and I would listen closely to see if she was doing the computer voice. A sad day for Star Trek fans indeed.

Edited to add: User Friendly's salute to Majel

An Interesting Lecture

 

I just got around to watching this 20 or so minute talk from a brain researcher who had a stroke. The end maybe a little esoteric for some, but it is interesting to hear her perspective of what happened.

 

Time & Attention Presentation: "Who Moved My Brain?"

 

Who Moved My Brain? Revaluing Time & Attention (slideshare.net)

 

I have read 43Folders for awhile now, and this is a quick reminder for those of us who are in knowledge work. Having not seen Merlin's presentation I am not sure how much you loose, but I still found it useful enough. One of those things everyone needs to review from time to time.

The Boston Globe on Netflix's Unlimited Vacation Policy

 

The Boston Globe featured Netflix's Steve Swasey in a story about companies that offer unlimited vacation time, Is Unlimited Vacation a Good Thing?

"We're always on, 24/7," says Swasey, a Netflix spokesman, who admits to checking his BlackBerry throughout a recent trip to Chile with his wife. Still, he insists cheerfully that he and his colleagues are "not being workaholic. It's being engaged with your job because you love what you do." Thanks to Netflix's unlimited vacation policy, Swasey leaves the office a lot. But the office usually goes with him.

The Boston Globe on Netflix's Unlimited Vacation Policy
mikek
Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:27:39 GMT

 

Going through some old articles I had marked on feeds. I have mixed feelings on the idea of 'unlimited' vacation. On the plus side as long as you have your computer, Blackberry, etc. you can work. Wife presenting a paper in France? Want to spend an extra day? Flight gets canceled? Want to fly standby? No worries! Also can help out with a spouse that has lots of vacation at their job. Sure you may be in the hotel working part of the day, but at least you can be with the family.

On the down side it does not sound like people get time away from work. I find that the whole 'getting away' from the office helps to not only recharge the batteries but it gives you a chance to clean up the to do list, update all your notes and just generally make sure everything is organized for people who have to pick up any work while you are away. In fact the organization factor is possibly more helpful than recharging your batteries.

John Williams & Star Wars Goodness

I just got around to watching this and want to thank Brian over at Coverville for posting An A Capella tribute to John Williams. It is just weird to hear quotes/themes from Star Wars as lyrics but all sung to John Williams soundtracks. Worth the listen!

Bush says anxiety feeding market instability - Yahoo! News

Bush says anxiety feeding market instability - Yahoo! News

My one word response to the headline: Duh!

There is a quote of the movie 'Men In Black' that is very appropriate: "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

Many of the people saying 'all will be fine' do not have the confidence of the public anymore. We have been lied to too often by them. The sky-is-falling crowd tend to get the ear of media. This does not help the panicky nature of people.

I am not saying everything will be fine, but the sky will not fall. It may lower a little :). Belts will have to be tightened. Things will change. We have been through this type of thing before and survived. This will be no different.

10 Amazing and Magnificent Trees In the World

10 Amazing and Magnificent Trees In the World

Some of these trees are too cool to not share. I like The Tule Tree (#4 on the page) - it has lots of character in my opinion.

Star Trek: The Experience is closing

 

 Star Trek: The Experience is closing

As a fan of Star Trek, I am glad I got to this and sad to see it closing. Maybe with the new movie some new interest will be drawn in. It seems the last few series & movies that Star Trek lost its way. A shame given the times - which do not seem much different than when Star Trek first hit the scene.

Maybe Star Trek has run its course. Although we can all use a TV show that has an underlying positive message, maybe today we have grown beyond the relative simplicity of the message/possibility that Star Trek showed. Maybe instead of sitting back, people are creating their own ways of connecting with people.

Wow! Been awhile

It has been awhile since I last wrote. Things have been busy, but that is still no excuse. Sitting here at the laundromat waiting on my clothes to dry. No open WiFi, so this is getting posted later.

I went to PodCamp Ohio a few weeks ago. I was hoping to pick up some computer recording tips. Good info in the sessions, but not what I was looking for. I did talk with some people there though that helped out. Still feel a little lost, but at least I have some other places to look.

Geocaching wise, I finally passed the magical 1000 finds. The 1K seems to be a point of earning some street cred in caching. I am still heading out to a lot of local events, which I do enjoy. Cachers are in interesting lot.

That is about all I have time for right now. I have some things that have been swimming around in my brain that I need to write down. For now, I need to fold my laundry and get home.

Weird Twitter Follower

Yes, I know I need to do a lengthier update, but I thought I would share this.

I was scanning my email for anything important and killing some spam when I saw I have a new follower on Twitter, Lock3Live. I thought this odd, but it turns out to be the Lock 3 park/outdoor stage in downtown Akron. A very cool use of Twitter!

I'm sure they sent invites out to people living in/around Akron, but I found a few other interesting people they follow, such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer. If the Plain Dealer also follows Lock3Live then late changes to events could be quickly put up on their site, even if it never hits the newspaper. I like it.

Fancy new keyboard

When the first ergonomic keyboards came out, I did not get it. I learned to type on an actual typewriter, albeit electric. In high school I would spend several hours typing a day. We never really worried about carpel tunnel.

When I started using a computer keyboard I had no problem, and again I could spend many hours a day without any problems. I have actually had more problems with my mouse than with the keyboard.

Then, one day, I saw an ad for a cheapy ergonomic keyboard. Reading all the literature at the time I figured I would give one a whirl. Worst case scenario, I'm out $50. Best case - I save my self a lot of pain and maybe surgery.

The switch was weird, one of those split keyboards angled to allow for a 'more natural' alignment of the hands. Mine even had the little feet at the top AND bottom so I could put the high end of the keyboard closer to my body. After getting used to it though, it was not that I noticed a huge benefit in my wrists but in my shoulders. The reverse tilt though is what I noticed first that seemed to help the most.

Unfortunately I dumped tea into that keyboard. I went out and got another, even picked one up for work out of my own pocket. Never did find one of the reverse angle keyboard again, but even just the split keyboard left me feeling, relaxed I guess, at the end of the day.

I have been without an ergonomic keyboard at work for a couple of months. I broke yet another hard drive, so the IT powers that be decided it was time to get me a new computer. Unfortunately the new computer only has USB ports. My old keyboard was PS2. Since the keyboard was a big harry looking it was decided that I should get a new one. It finally came in today - Murphy LOVES the holiday season.

The keyboard is huge, which I LOVE! I do not have huge hands, but big enough that some keyboards are a problem. The keys are responsive but not too clicky. Lots of bonus keys to pull up the web, mail, adjust volume, pause Windows Media Player, etc. It even has a piece to do the reverse angle that I loved in my first ergo-keyboard.

Downsides? If you looked at the picture the keys have a that wave configuration of modern keyboards. I am not used to that. The mouse that comes with it is VERY sensitive and may need an adjustment. There is an extra button on the side that I may need to disable. I use my mouse left handed and the button is not in a good location. The only thing that I can't change about the mouse that I would like to is the wheel. The wheel is nice and smooth, but I am used to something that has clicks, for lack of a better word. Since I have used it for all of 15 minutes though, I will wait to pass judgement on it :).

CBS to borrow "Dexter" from Showtime - Yahoo! News

CBS to borrow "Dexter" from Showtime - Yahoo! News

Not sure about Dexter, although it sounds interesting, but I do like that we will be getting some Monk & Psyched on NBC. I love both shows, but found it tough to justify the $40+/month extra to get the cable teir that includes USA Network since I was not getting near that much entertainment value. I can almost BUY both series when the come out on DVD for one month's worth of unused cable.

Now if they would just get Tremors: The Series...

Ok, now the writer's strike kick's in

Since the writer's strike is really starting to kick my viewing habits around, I am getting caught up on some of my podcasts. I caught an episode of Stranger Things and they mentioned the post what I shall be doing while reruns and crap reality tv abound. Interesting reading if you are looking for some fill in. Make sure to read all the comments because there are some good recommendations.

I have already finished 7th Son, and would recommend it also for you 24 viewers. I never got into 24, but from the clips I have seen it looks right up your alley.

Although I am a fan of Scott Sigler, to the uninitiated his stories are not family friendly, but still great stories. With football season winding down, The Rookie might fit the bill. Not typical Sigler, but still good. His Infected/Infested/whatever-it-is-being-called-today is my personal favorite, although it seems to have disappeared from his site. I would recommend listening to Ancestor then Earthcore. Although I enjoyed Earthcore, I like Ancestor better.

Playing For Keeps was recommended for those who like Smallville, but would also work for those who follow Heroes. Playing For Keeps reminds me a lot of Mystery Men as far as the characters & their powers, but still a well told story. (Now to get my picture in my Keepsie's Bar t-shirt.) Although it comes out every other week (or so), the Secret World Chronicles is interesting. Lots of existing material though.

Although they have not come out with an episode since October, Mondays is a non-family friendly comedy/geek show that might fill in your need for a sitcom. Some computer geeky talk, but mostly just funny stuff. Mark Miller's 'Dumber than Me' segments should not be listened to while eating or drinking.

Ooops - nice weather

We got a couple of nice days here in NE Ohio, which threw me completely off. I have been working on some time-sensitive things that have kept me inside though. I was out and about doing my normal things this weekend, such as shopping, but that is not really enjoying the weather.

A time to clean

I had noticed a pile of crap on my dresser. Lots of caching stuff, loose change, random pieces of paper, etc. that is just piling up.

Well the paper was pretty much useless. Found out I had 3 different stacks of geocoins and 3 different stacks of path tags going right there for no reason other than it is where I empty my pockets. A bunch of zip lock bags later and there is some order to the chaos that is my life. Now if I could just find something a little sturdier but that closed up just as tight. Everything is just heavy enough to cause some problems with the baggies.

I also took the time to put my path tag collection together in a fancy album. I really like the way the album looks and it seems sturdy. Most importantly though it does not seem to come loose and send the tags flying around like a lot of other things I have tried. Unfortunately it looks like some of my collection has come up missing. Given I was storing them in an envelope it is not surprising. They are probably lurking somewhere, just need to turn them up.

Happy New year

Happy New Year! yea, I'm a day late but I was out most of New Year's Day running around in the snow at a geocaching event. Lots of fun - even if I slipped in the snow and fell.

Tivo, one month later

It has been about a month since I bought a TiVo. Although I missed 1.5 weeks of using it, that is one reason I got it.

So far I have to say it has not affected how I watch TV, but how I live my life. With the season pass option, I no longer need to concern myself with getting home to watch a show, remember to record it ahead of time, or even worry about when a show gets moved around. If I miss a schedule change, TiVo will get it for me. I can even set it to only get new shows. Bonus! This is even better than my VCR since I can have it record 2 shows at the same time.

One other thing I like is how it will fill up the space with recommended programs. This has also changed how handle my entertainment. Many times when I come I would just watch a DVD out of my Netflix or Blockbuster queue. It is better than watching some syndicated show for the 100th time. Instead TiVo gathers up programs that I may like, so I can get some variety. It also records things from off hours. I love that it gets Frasier for me at 11:00 PM when I would never watch it on regular tv.

I still have not gotten used to pausing live TV though.

Stranger Things » Blog Archive » Episode 3: One of those Faces

Stranger Things » Blog Archive » Episode 3: One of those Faces

I love Stranger Things. Reminds me a lot of the old Twilight Zone. This particular episode hit home to me since, well, I seem to have 'One of those Faces'. I do not get a lot of strangers walking up to me, I have been told I can be intimidating. However I have had people who barely know me spill their guts and, at some point, usually say "I don't know why I am telling you this." Interesting to see a story that mirrors part of my life.

The days of blogging, already out of ideas

Sad, but true.

I am just about all caught up from being on vacation. Still need to send out some emails, but otherwise ok.

One of the weirdest things is my TV has stopped receiving remote signals. Now this is not a huge deal, except that I cannot switch the TV to watch DVDs. I do not mind walking across the room to turn the TV on and off, and the TiVo handles the channel changes, but not being able to get to the DVD player is tough. No button for that on the TV. I am getting fresh batteries and some window cleaner to see if I can get it all working again. Fingers crossed I do not need a new TV.

Eyeing my bathroom for some work. There is a wall that my brother fixed for mom that needs sanded. He wanted to, but mom, for some reason, would not let him sand it. A few tile have fallen off as well. If I can get the money together I also need to replace the faucets on the sink. I love the sink, although it also could use replacing, but the faucets are 50+ years old and I could not find stems to replace what is there. I fear that I will have to replace the whole sink as well. Not a big deal, but more than I want to spend. Plus paint of course. I would love to completely replace the gray & maroon tile, but that is more than I can swing at this time. For now smooth walls with fresh paint and running water in the sink are my goals.

Interesting observation

Since my car was in the shop most of the day (brakes), I got a late start on doing things. I was running around tonight and took a swing by 'stripper row' as I like to call it. Because of the zoning laws, many strip clubs have come up along two roads not far from home. With so many I find it hard to believe they can be doing much business. Tonight I got to put my theory to the test.

About 10 PM I was out and decide to take a bit of a detour. Of the first 4 I drove by, 2 seemed to be doing pretty good, one not so good and the other was tough to tell since it was in a strip mall with another bar. Turning the corner the other 4 did not seem to be doing as well. One actually looked closed, based on the number of cars in the lot and one only had 2 cars in it. This assessment is very biased and based purely on how full the parking lots looked.

Given how things have been going here in Ohio, I am surprised these places can stay open at all. I have done bachelor parties at strip clubs before and I do not get the appeal. Apparently though enough people do find it interesting.

NaBloPoMo

For those of us not up to writing a novel, NaBloPoMo is right up our alley. For the month of November you need to post a blog entry every day. For a slacker such as myself this is encouragement to get out and do some writing, but not quite the hunk of writing that is needed for the NaNoWriMo that is also going on. Wonder how many people are doing both?

Just in time for Halloween

Although I am not a huge horror movie fan, I have seen most of them thanks to my mother's & brother's obsession with them growing up. Plus, I was an avid role player in my teen years, so I have seen my share of shambling zombie death.

However this was a little too real for my liking. Yea, overall the probability of zombie hordes wanting to dine on my brains is low. But it was laid out a little to logically for me to over look.

Thanks to Mac for pointing it out to me.

pesky'apostrophe: always better than an unexpected period.

pesky'apostrophe: always better than an unexpected period.

Being 6' tall and a guy most people don't mess with me. I also keep aware when walking alone, so I can avoid a bad situation.

The karate teachers at the local community center used to offer a self defense class for women. They came in with all the pads (much like you see on TV) and hung paper over the windows so the women did not feel on display. With the pads the women could really hit, kick, scratch, throw, etc. the guys around. Lots of confidence building.

Even if you can't take a class, carrying yourself with confidence and being aware of your surroundings can go a long way to not having problems. It sends out a "don't mess with me" vibe that will push those that want to harm you away. If you are fearful, people will sense it and prey on it.

I'll have the double-fudge fritter, too, please - OregonLive.com

I'll have the double-fudge fritter, too, please - OregonLive.com

A guy who gets service. I wish Best Buy would get it. I don't want a trial magazine subscription. I find it a huge disconnect that a store that makes most of its money from TVs, DVDs & music even offers books for sale, let alone some weird advertising scheme with magazines.

Life in the cloud?

Over the years I have fought putting large parts of my life 'on the cloud', aka on the Internet. In part it is a control issue - I like knowing where my data is, who has their fingers in it, etc. Even after hearing the easy of machine changes that Adam Curry went through: Between GMail, Flickr, etc. he really did not loose much.

The breaker for me was loosing a semi-important spreadsheet. I had it on a thumbdrive that I carried around. Somewhere along the line things got out of sync, the thumb drive lost (and then found again) and in general it all became a mess. I decided to throw the sorted out worksheet into Google spreadsheet in an effort to avoid this mess in the future.

Working with Google spreadsheet has been good. Granted I'm not exactly pushing the envelope of power, using more as a poor man's database than for what spreadsheets were really meant for. I did upload a spreadsheet that does a lot of adding rows & columns and so far it has had pretty good performance. This may not be for everyone, but for typical home use it has more than enough horse power.

Right now I am so tired of having an address, or an email, or whatever, on my home computer, or on my work computer, or on a thumb drive that I can't put my hands on (probably because I left it at work) that I figured it is about time for me to consider moving parts of my life off the laptop and into the cloud.

The first obvious thing to move is email. Right now I have 5 or 6 email addresses. Most forward to one account, although I am too cheap to pay to get Yahoo to forward. I am playing around with GMail now. So far I like the interface. Yahoo and even my ISP's internet email tries to emulate what happens on the desktop. The web needs a different interface and GMail seems to have the best one. I still need to work out some labeling on some emails. I get a lot of emails from geocaching that I do not need to deal with immediately. I am still also getting used to the whole conversation way of dealing with things, but it does look slick.

I have also signed up for Twitter. I have to admit I did not get text messaging until I started to monkey around with Twitter. I still am not setup to Twitter from my phone, not sure I could ever get used to using just 9 keys for typing. However I do think that constant internet hookup is part of the key to living in the cloud. It would be nice to be able to check my Netflix Queue while at a video store. The way people are getting Twitter to work with other services I can see where SMS (aka text messages) could be a simple and quick interface to the cloud. I guess the next step would be to get a phone that has a full QWERTY keyboard (hey, don't ask me to give up ALL my ways at once), SMS & internet.

I am looking to move other parts of my life to the cloud. I am not sure how much I want to move up there yet. Right now I am typing this entry from Blogger's web interface instead of using a local web editor. I guess that is some progress :).

Real Life Mouse Trap

Ok, not a real mouse trap, but this so much reminded me of the game Mouse Trap. Someone had WAY too much time on their hands.

Wil Wheaton's PAX Keynote

 Original post

 

Ok, I admit that I am not much of a gamer these days. I was never much of a computer gamer - my reflexes are too slow for shoot 'em ups and long adventure games just don't interest me anymore. Trying to scrape up people for a role playing or a board game is tough. I was dabbling in collectable card games, but at the time it was almost a full time job just to keep up with everything just in Magic:The Gathering. Not sure if that has changed.

I finally got around to listening to this talk. Even though I am not much into gaming today, a lot of what Wil talked about in his gaming life mirrored my own life path. Gaming, for me, was a huge socializing experience. Could have been playing Space Invaders after our bowling league, sitting around playing various games on the Atari 2600, hacking & slashing our way through the latest D&D module or sitting around playing a huge multi-player M:TG game. Who won or lost was never important. Well, at least not after 5 minutes :). It was social. We spent more time talking, eating & drinking than playing sometimes. And that was OK. 

He concludes the post with some advice for online gamers, but goes for everyone:

 

One of the core messages of my speech was "don't be a dick" when you play games online, and a lot of people told me how glad they were to hear that. I think I may just go ahead and make it my new motto:

Wil Says, "Don't be a dick!"

Blockbuster Drops E-coupons for Some

 

It looks like Blockbuster is also dropping e-coupons for some members, while grandfathering others. Blockbuster Drops E-coupons for Some
mikek
Mon, 20 Aug 2007 21:16:26 GMT

I am one of the "grandfathered" plans, so far.

My first thought on this was 'are they that stupid?' However when you think about it with the Total Access program, do you REALLY need another rental each month? As it is I sometimes have trouble using my free rental, free 'favorites' (old movie) & exchanging in all my movies-by-mail to get new ones. Throw in my gold rewards program (also grandfathered I believe) where I can get a favorite for each new release I rent Sunday - Thursday and I rarely pay full price for a movie.

But I do not want to give up those free rentals. They do help fill in when I have nothing to return.

UI Stupidity

I was nosing around Twitter since I just setup an account there. I hit the Design page and saw......hex numbers? Not real helpful. I HATE working with colors this way.

The Joys of Budget Billing

For years Dominion East Ohio, previous East Ohio Gas, offered budget billing to its customers. This allows us to average the $300+ bill in January with the $20 in July. Although some complain about the $1000+ bill at the end of the year, I & my family have never had a problem with it. Dominion has also gotten better at estimating, and adjusts the budget quarterly instead of annually as the did.

One downside though is it takes awhile for them to figure out things have changed. I had my furnace replaced a few years back. I went from what was estimated at an 80,000 BTU gravity furnace to a 20,000 (as I recall) BTU high-efficiency forced air furnace. The first winter my budget as $125/month, in part because of expected high energy cost from hurricane Katrina. The spike in price never happened. Add in a mild winter & my keeping the house on the cool side (65 while I am there, 60 while I'm not) and I built up a bit of a credit.

In fact since I have yet to get a replacement dryer my current bill is < $20. I just checked and I still have a $300+ credit on my bill. And that is after NOT paying anything for at least 4 months, and only paying $25 on my budget before that. I'm guessing I will finally catch up this winter, unless they do something wild with my budget again.

IPHONE BILL - The Stupidity of it all

 

I came across this post from Gary about iJustine getting a 300 page phone bill. Primarily from her 30,000 or so text messages. For an old fart like me that seems like a lot of texting. My thumbs hurt in sympathy ;). She does explain what seems like a high number of texts in a follow up entry.

Even as an e-bill this is stupid. If you are on an unlimited plan why can't they summarize the number of text messages per day? Someone pointed out that AT&T does that already with unlimited internet usage. Same goes for cell bills. My brother gets unlimited nights & weekends (and to his wife) with Sprint. He gets a detail for every call made that falls into his unlimited plan. Why? A summary of the minutes falling into 'unlimited' would be fine. Detail anything that would fall outside of that. Has anyone REALLY looked at each number they call on a cell bill?

I finally got my first bill from AT&T in a cardboard box containing 300 pages of it. Apparently, they give you a detailed transaction of every text message sent and received. Completely unnecessary.

Sign up for e-billing! Stop the madness!

[ repost? ]

IPHONE BILL
ijustine
Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:27:43 GMT

Code Monkey

I've been sitting on this for awhile now only because there was a warning on the link I had and I wanted to wait until I had some time at home to watch this. Nothing I think would get you fired, but some workplaces may have problems with 1 scene. You've been warned.

I loved Jonathan Coulton's song Code Monkey. Never even thought to see if was available through places like iTunes. Doh! Actually he has many places to pick up his songs & albums. Added to my list of things to buy.

Actually I never connected Jonathan with Code Monkey, or his folk cover of 'Baby Got Back' which I have heard on Coverville. Never connected these were the same singers. One of the side effects of having music in the background I guess.

The reason all this has come up is I was recently catching up on a video podcast that had an interview with Jonathan and one of the things talked about was the  Thing-a-week project. Now over, you can still pick up all 52 songs he wrote over the course of a year for free.

I find the Thing-a-week project interesting. It sounds like a great way one can focus on honing a skill. Song writing makes this easy - one new song a week. Most creative outlets could do this - one new story, painting, photo, sculpture, etc. a week. Really anything that can give 1 complete something in 1 week's time would be ideal for this.

Wonder if I could apply this to programming? I am a code monkey after all :).

 

Natalie Portman, cognitive neuroscientist

 

Natalie Portman is best known for her roles in Hollywood movies like Star Wars, Cold Mountain and V for Vendetta. What is less known is that she was co-author of a scientific paper on the neuroscience of child development. This is about her research.

 

Source: Natalie Portman, cognitive neuroscientist
Originally published on Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:03:54 GMT by vaughan (vaughan@backspace.org)

 

Very cool! Not too long ago, relatively speaking, Danica McKellar had coauthored a math proof. I find it interesting that these people better known for acting are also in science. Maybe this will break down some stereotypes about scientists. I realize that people in the hard sciences need a creative streak - I have seen it first hand. Many play instruments, draw or even write poetry.

Well, I did not die

It has been awhile since I entered anything here. I have been trying to get back into something the resembles my usual routine with no real luck. Add onto that another dead laptop and you get no blogging for a wee bit.

Today I was out and about Geocaching, which has been taking up more of my time that I should allow it. I am very close to getting my goal of 400 caches this year, so I have upped my goal to 600. Last time I checked, I was about 30 caches behind my total number of finds last year and we still have 6 or so months left in the year. This year I am going after some caches that require more walking, but I am still going to be doing some 'number runs', particularly at Midwest Geobash. Even melting at Geowoodstock 5 I was able to get 20 or so caches for the weekend.

I have been getting back into walking, although not every day. I did cut my goal back to 600 miles, although at this rate that will still be tough to get.  I am getting somewhat better at it, but I still have trouble getting out every day.

The biggest change of late is that I signed back up for tai chi. I have not been to a class in over a year due to various schedule issues. I can tell too, I do not sleep right and the stress level is higher than normal. I am sure that I will be a walking muscle cramp after the first class or two, but I will get into the swing of it.

Well, better wrap this up now. I am currently doing laundry at a laundromat and the laptop battery is looking a little low. Hopefully in the next week or two I can get a dryer and start doing laundry at home again.

How DVD-by-Mail is Helping the Environment

 

AskPablo has done the math on the environmental impact of sending one billion DVDs throught the mail:

So the total emissions from sending one billion DVDs to its customers is 320 tons (3,200,000 tkm x 100 g/tkm). Keeping in mind that those DVDs are also returned to the same facility we need to double that result to 640 tons of CO2 emissions. If Netflix wanted to offset this amount, which I hope they will, they could do it for around $4500 with DriveNeutral or $8448 with Native Energy.

 

Source: How DVD-by-Mail is Helping the Environment
Originally published on Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:18:01 GMT by mikek

 

There were two things not taken into account in his the calculations by AskPablo, or at least two points not in the original post.

1) The assumption was that most people are within 1 shipping day of a NetFlix center. That maybe true, however at least half of my movies no longer come from my nearest shipping center. Still a lot better environmentally than even the 3 DVDs/trip number listed in the original post, but the numbers above should be bumped up to account for that. Also there is an assumption that every time you went to a video store you actually got movies and did not walk away empty handed.

2) Exactly how big of a store would you need to store the 60,000+ videos that NetFlix has? I have no idea how many titles my local Blockbuster has, but I would say 10,000 would be at the very high end. Probably more like 5,000, and maybe even less sense the games are taking over more and more of the "favorites" (AKA old movies) section of the store. From my experience, few people rent videos multiple times - it is either once or the DVD is purchased. Even when people re-rent a DVD, it is many times because there is nothing else in of interest (see the end of #1). With dwindling demand for older titles the stores and either a) shrink in size or b) carry more of what the customers will use, minimizing fruitless trips (again, see point #1).

 

I don't see video stores going away any time soon, but this makes a good point.

Moon the RIAA

<a href="Bum Rush The Charts"><img border="0" src="http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/brtcbadge.gif"/></a>

 

Tired of $20 CDs that have maybe 2 good songs on them? Remember when it at least seemed like the audience was thought about when music was produced instead of playing to the lowest common denominator? Think American Idol is a cancer on humanity?

 

It's time to stick it to the man! Bum Rush The Charts is an attempt to get an indie-band to the top of the iTunes best selling chart. The group selected, Black Lab, has been dropped twice by big labels. Please follow the Bum Rush links to read more about it. They are even setting up an affiliate link to help fund a scholarship.

 

We can show that music does not have to be distributed by "the man" to become popular. Maybe then artists will think twice before signing with a big label.

Brain Overload

 

Tell me, please, when exactly it is OK to park here?

This is perhaps the most complicated set of parking rules I have seen. I am glad that a) I do not have a car, and b) I do not live anywhere near these street signs!

Source: Brain Overload
Originally published on Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:30:00 GMT by micahel

My eyes! My eyes! I thought international tax law could be complicated. My advice: Don't bother parking unless you enjoy paying tickets.

Contaminated Peanut Butter

 

It looks like I'll never be eating Peanut butter again, but it's not b/c of Salmonella:

"While rodents and birds commonly get into peanut storage bins, germs are killed when raw peanuts are roasted. When making peanut butter, the nuts are again heated — above the salmonella-killing temperature of 165 degrees — as they are ground into a paste and mixed with other ingredients before being squirted into jars and quickly sealed."

I know, I know, this is probably mild in comparison to other gross stuff that happens, but once you *know* about it, it's hard to get it out of your mind.  So much so that I'm

Source: Contaminated Peanut Butter
Originally published on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:52:31 GMT by William

I can fully understand his point of view, however given the FDA's guidelines for chocolate that I found knowing that rats get into the peanuts before they are roasted is child's play. I know it is even worse for things like hot dogs. Having read The Omnivore's Dilemma I can say this is small potatoes.

I blog, therefore I am (0 comments)

Originally published on Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:22:06 GMT by wil@wilwheaton.net (Wil Wheaton)

Think Geek has a new T-shirt design that is near and dear to my heart: Blogito, Ergo Sum.

I guess I am not given how long it has been since I have blogged. My work machine went caster's up a couple of weeks ago and I am just getting around to installing Microsoft Live Writer. I am upgrading some data, which is about as much fun as watching paint dry. I was looking through my feeds and I came across the above post from Wil Wheaton. I need to get one, which should inspire me to blog more often.

Simplicity Ain't So Simple, Part III: Don't Add Features You Can't Support

 

Making software simpler for end users is incredibly important, but sometimes simplifying your software means making things simpler for you, the developer.  And the best way you can do that is to avoid adding any feature that would bury you in support costs.

I'll give you an example: a number of FeedDemon customers have asked for an integrated blog publishing tool, which certainly sounds like a good idea. 

Source: Simplicity Ain't So Simple, Part III: Don't Add Features You Can't Support
Originally published on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:12:19 GMT by Nick Bradbury

As a developer myself, I have to say HUZZAH! (Why is that not in spell check?)

I do use FeedDemon. I love a good 95-99% of it. No software, even the stuff I write for myself, ever hits 100% in the 'love' category. Why? A couple of thoughts.

Ask any 10 users on what a piece of software needs to do, and you will get 10 different views. Hopefully you will find some common themes, but no matter what someone will be disappointed. There are times it seems that half your users a function work way A, half want way B. Of course A & B are polar opposites. So now we either piss off half the clients or add options. Add the option then all the users complain there is too many options. Bang head here. I could make a mint on selling those posters to programmers.

Programming for all levels of expertise is tough. Make it too simple and you loose the experts. Make to too tough and the newbies will give up. Adding both adds complexity, and makes it tougher to maintain and enhance down the road. Sometimes you can find a 'just right' middle ground, but too often that leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Users have a nasty tendancy to want to use an app they way THEY work, not they way the PROGRAMMER works. Might inconsiderate in my opinion ;).

Let us not forget the limitations of our systems and conventions. Really cool, and useful, user interfaces are sometimes poo-pooed because they are 'too different' and viewed as too difficult to use. Never mind if the learning curve is worth the effort - kill the uniqueness. Why am I reminded of the Borg? Sometimes really slick user interfaces are just not doable given other requirements. Sometimes the 'typical' machine just does not have the horsepower to do what is needed. Sometimes the operating system throws up roadblocks.

Finally the user requirements keep shifting. The slick (and useful) UI of today is tomorrow's crap that gets in the user's way. Expert users will find new (and many times surprising ) ways of using your software that you never dreamed of. Other companies start supplying data that is a natural fit to your app. Sometimes your data would be a great fit for another app. Maybe your app data would make sense on a cell phone. Or PDA. Let's not even go into the infinte possibilities of Web 2.0 mashups.

As for FeedDemon, my main pain point is the "Blog This" feature, somewhat mentioned in the above post. I have no problem launching the blogging software of my choice. In fact I prefer that over using some weird, to me, software that Nick would provide. However I always have trouble finding the option. I want it on a particular view on the right click. However it is on the 'Send To' menu on an icon. I understand WHY it works the way it does, but it does not help when I want to blog about something I just read. The problem exists between chair & keyboard, not with the software. However until that little bit of knowledge finally leaks into my brain, I will have frustrations with FeedDemon.

Truth is all software development is a serious of trade-offs. Even with infinite time it is unlikely perfect software would emerge. You need to get something into the hands of the user. Many times something that is 70-80% (or less) of what the user needs is better than nothing. Search for 'good enough software' and you will find plenty of articles that discuss this.

Akron City Council approves debt refinancing

Source: Akron City Council approves debt refinancing
Originally published on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 08:01:00 GMT

It is odd to see a city refinancing a loan (bonds) that does not relate to other fiscal problems. However it makes perfect sense. People routinely refinance a loan when the interest rates drop. Maybe because bond interest rates are a little more stable (business-types like stability) than say home mortgage rates you don't hear about it.

Good to see someone in government applying the same common sense normal people use.

Today is "Support Your Favorite Small Software Vendor Day"

Source: Today is "Support Your Favorite Small Software Vendor Day"

Jeff Atwood makes a great point. If you read the comments of the post, and I do recommend it, you can get a lot of great little pieces of software. Granted most are aimed at programmers, but still worth the look. Like Jeff, I also registered WinZip back in the day when they shipped it on a 3.5" disc even if you downloaded it at no extra charge.

I tend to use a fair amount of Open Source software. Many times I find Open Source or shareware tends to get the software that I need and they respond well to bugs or exhancements. I prefer Open Source since if something happens to the primary developer the project is still there for someone else to pick up. I have run into problems with shareware when the developer has some problems (or worse yet, dies) and there is no one to pick up the project.

I registered MPG, a small Palm app to keep track of your milage and total cost of ownership for multiple cars. I have used it for years but never paid for it, just putting up with the nag screens.

Some others I will be registering are Euchre, a Palm-based Euchre game, plus sending some money to the nice people at Mozilla for FireFox and ThunderBird, plus digging through my pile of programs at home to see if I have been negligent in the past.

Some other programs I have registered - FeedDemon (RSS reader), TextPad (fancy text editor, primarily for programmers), Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (handling GPX files from Geocaching.com), Cachemate (Palm-based handling Geocaching info, works with Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) and Runners Log. Those are the biggies.

Update: Ooops. Runners Log can be found here.

Mayor backs plaza bill

 

Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Robart wants City Council to help him make good on his pledge to do something about State Road Plaza. The mayor is backing legislation introduced Monday to change the definition of a blighted parcel to include commercial structures that have been 75 percent vacant for at least six months, or 50 percent vacant for at least one year.

Source: Mayor backs plaza bill
Originally published on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 08:01:00 GMT

Now let me say, the State Road Plaza is in bad shape. I'll be the first to agree. They recently evicted a tenant who was $300 short for one month's rent after talking to the news about how it was to be a tenant. Keep in mind this place is at least 50% empty as it stands right now, and I given it how empty the place has been I don't see them filling up any time soon. 

However I hate to see government pass legislation that is clearly aimed at one person or business. This legislation may make sense in the long run, however I see a big court battle ahead if this passes and they go after this plaza.

Elections

Of course tonight was election night here in America. I do enjoy being able to at least have a little say in who will represent me, although I do hate the process. Before I get to far, let me say that any process is not perfect, and all have their problems. Here is my experiences.

 

First off there were were 4 precints at my polling place. The parking lot was not large enough to accomodate the number of people. The basement was not large enough to accomodate all the people and the new equipment. Fortunately I got right through, however all the other places were backed up.

 

First off I have never been a fan of how Ohio takes away my secret ballot. They put the number of the ballot next to where I sign. That ties the ballot to my name, which means you can figure out how I voted, which takes away my secret ballot.

 

Next I was not asked for an ID. This is the law in Ohio, and the table right next to mine they were checking IDs. Not that I think this is a great way to stop voter fraud, but it is the law. I expect it to be applied equally.

 

Here in Summit County, we use a scanner that scans a paper ballot right there. In fact I feed it in (with the poll worker watching, seeing how I voted). No apparent problems for that, although I am not sure if everything was read correctly. BTW I was #473 for that machine.

 

I love our system, although the implimentation can use some work. In a book by Marian Williamson, and I wish I could remember the name, she had suggested making the election "day" several days, moving it to a weekend, or making the day a national holiday to get more people to turn out. A step in the right direction. Here are some of mine:

 

I like how Ohio now has a "no excuse" reason to get an absentee ballot. That would relieve some of the pressure on overworked and over-extended polling workers/location.

 

As a programmer, I know that any system that can be touched by humans can also be manipulated by them. Keep in mind you only need a large magnet to wipe a memory card to screw up an election. Or even just a hammer. Getting the internet involved only makes the problems worse. Throwing technology at the problem is not necessarily the answer. There are various levels of "acceptable risk" that software goes through. The most mission critical software & hardware require extensive testing, years of work, and cost a ton of money. You can bet no voting system goes through that kind of rigor. It should, but no one will pay for the resulting system. The other problem is the people who usually work the polls are not exactly tech savy.

 

I like the paper ballots we used here, although I feel I might as well be yelling my votes from a mountain top with a megaphone. Filling out a huge piece of paper, handing my ballot around, putting the ballot number next to my signature. Ummmm.....what about a secret ballot?

 

I also feel that no one should be allowed to be handing out any policitical material with 1 mile of a polling place. I was in my way in and the Democrats wanted to give me a cheat sheet on how to vote. Thanks, but I don't always vote Democrat.

 

One other pet peeve - could we please allow an independant to vote issues only at a primary? Neither party truly represents my views, and in either case I believe in keeping a balance so I usually vote for 1 of each. The only reason I am a Democrat is so I can vote on issues during primary time.

 

Also, I think that leaving political messages on my answering machine should be punishable by taking a cattle prod to candidate's (or who ever's idea this was) dangly bits. A 30-60 second message is not going to get me to change my view on anything. Let me correct that - you may have just pushed me to vote against you.

 

Lastly, I would like all election night coverage to stop. Truth be told, no one can make any prediction based on 5% returns, even 50% returns. I don't want to hear about problems at the polls, which would cause people to not turn out. The only thing that should be reported election night is if some polls are staying open late. Outside of that, any coverage is a waste of time and effort. I can read about it the next day when everything is final.

 

No system is perfect. There is no perfect, it is a process that can always be improved. I think though there are a lot of things that can be done to help make it easier that do not require much thought or effort.

Even more fun with voting machines

Mac noted a problem with her voting machines - the final button to push is rather low, resulting in people not getting their vote counted. I also noted the "To Vote Straight Ticket Press Here" button, which I feel is a very bad idea.

More on my views of elections later, after I vote today.

Now coming to a library near you - Netflix

Hacking Netflix had an interesting post last week about how Palo Alto Library was considering outsourcing DVD rentals to Netflix. They ask "...should libraries be renting movies in the first place?"

The resulting comments were interesting (I recommend reading them). Many things were brought up - The need to stock hard to find movies is not needed because Netflix has everything. Netflix can keep good working copies of movies. One of the biggest points being made that with so much available to stream online, and the quality of various media, why bother with movies, CDs, and to a point even books & magazines?

There was one point not made though. Not everyone has a computer and/or internet at home. You maybe have a DVD player, say from a friend, but no money to join Netflix or even rent from a local brick & morter place.

Many years ago the first VHS machine our family got was from a friend who got a new machine with a remote (yes, that long ago) and they were going to throw out their old machine. Truth was we did not have the money at the time to rent videos so we went to the library and borrowed theirs.

Would I support my library going to Netflix for DVD rentals? Sure. Would I dump my current Netflix membership? Probably not. My guess is that any library would have a 1 or 2 out at a time plan. At this time I am not looking to downgrade my plan. Now if I could get them to pay for my 3 at a time plan...

MMMM.....Yea....Riiight

Overfishing may harm seafood population

One word - Duh.

Two men enter, one man leaves

I had flashes of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome when I saw this article. I liked this "...with a typical Vermont dairy cow producing around 13 gallons of manure daily...". Now I am not sure how much a gallon of cow manure weighs, but a gallon of water ways about 8 pounds, so we could be talking 100+ pounds of manure per day per cow. And that is assuming they do not get any Taco Bell. For those a little more visual, check out the picture here. Scroll down until you see the picture with the text "horse poo-poo" on it. For reference, the guy with his foot on the pile is over 6 foot tall (I think I heard 6' 4", but don't quote me on that).

This is a great way to deal with two problems. I know 10 or so years ago Germany and other European countries were trying to get synergy between industries in using the waste from one industry as the raw material for another. It not only cuts down on stuff going to landfills and to reduce the need for raw materials.

If Green Mountain College wants to go another step further, they should be putting at least 1 solar panel on every roof top. Yes, they may not be able to provide all their power needs through solar power, but every little bit will help.

We will fry anything

When I first saw this I thought "oh my god now what". Fried coke?!? You have got to be kidding.

Then I remembered the tempura sampler at my favorite Japanese place. It includes things like green beans, yams and my personal favorite - banana bites. Of course that at least has SOME healthy bits in it.

Then again, people regularly fry things like Snickers bars. I guess if you have a deep fryer sitting around you just start throwing stuff in.

eMail Trouble

I was reading a post from Allison Randal over on O'Reilly Radar about the fun and joy she has with email. I can sympathize. I have a couple of different email accounts, meaning several inboxes, things spread across those inboxes, more mail than I can keep up with some days, etc.

Interestingly I was also playing some catchup on some other feeds and was reading Tim O"Reilly on the abandoning the power user in Windows Vista.

Now I do not believe the typical user has several email accounts. Most will have 1 for home, one for work (maybe), and possibly a third web-based account.

The problem is email is just getting worse, and it is not just a power user issue. Spam issues aside, more and more of our lives funnel through email. If you read Allison's article, you will see many of the things that goes through her inbox. Not to mention "friend spam" as Merlin Mann put it in the article on the LazyWeb.

Even the "new fangled" RSS does not do enough. Nick Bradbury talks about how much more RSS could be doing for us. One tip for the FedEx & UPS type of businesses - when we get the email notifying us of the tracking number, could we get a link so we can subscribe to the tracking RSS feed? It would make my life simplier. Also it would be nice if we could find a way to let our aggregators know when a feed is completely done.

Tag clouds and beefed up search only go so far though. We need some more horse power in our mail programs. Most seem to allow you to move/delete emails, but not much more.

Contrast that with the Geocaching Swiss Army Knife. One of the primary goals of GSAK is to read in files you get from Geocaching.com and convert it so it can be loaded into your GPS unit, along with various other mapping and other geocaching software. However the scripting language allows for almost all (if not all) functions to be scripted. I have just really began to work with it, but already I have a small script that takes my 3 weekly downloads from GC.com, loads them into a temporary data base, exports them into separate files to load into my Palm, load all 3 into one big database, then export the big database to my GPS. Even further, I can run programs outside of GSAK. One thing I am looking to add is running a small program that picks up all the finds from my Palm and then updates that info back into my main database and initiates another macro (already provided) to help automate the logging of those finds back at GC.com. I can even add a message box to remind me to synch my Palm before doing that process.

Why can't my email be like that? Geocaching, whereas fun, does not have near the volume of activity as my email. Why can't I automatically download the attachments from the emails coming from GC.com to a specific directory? Sure, I can set GSAK to handle it, but it is recommended I setup a new email (!!) specifically for that. Why? I have to do this every week. Why can't Merlin's LazyWeb idea above be easily implimented in all email programs? Why can't we have some kind of microformat that would allow us to easily pick up the amounts from an emailed receipt to import into our financal software? We pick the account, but the underlying info is all there. Why can't right click on an email and say 'mark everything in green from this sender' to draw attention to electronic bill presentment? Why can't we then slowly turn those to red as the bill date approaches? Microformats could somehow handle that. Even the current iCal could. Or maybe play a sound when a bill comes in? Or, as Allison suggested, have a special window at the side of important things, turning them into ToDos?

Interesting Take on American Politics

Tom Hollander has an interesting view of how the whole election process works here in the States. Truth is, I have to agree - the damn signs make little sense. Here in Ohio they are constantly getting bigger. Down the street from me is one that is roughly 4x6 foot! Fortunately it is not where it would obstruct traffic.

Since I live on a corner of a busy street, not far from a school, I get calls all the time asking to place a sign in my yard. This is one of the reasons I no longer answer my phone unless I know who it is.

I have yet to feel strongly about any candidate since I was able to vote. Mostly I feel I am picking between the lesser of two evils. However I do at least throw my vote in, even if I feel as though I am flushing it down the toilet.

At least then I feel semi-justified in complaining when things are not going the way I want them. I want to slap the people who complain about the state of country (or state, county, city, etc.) yet never get off their fat asses to go and vote. You may not find someone you like, but usually you can find someone you DON'T like. Don't complain if you are not exercising your rights.

Interesting video from YouTube

Saw this on YouTube and thought it was interesting.

I have been very busy, but I hope to post an extended entry tonight.

Another White Buffalo

Another White Buffalo

Interesting that in the last 12 years or so we have had 3 one in million occurances. Here is more on the lore of White Buffalo.

Post-It Note Heaven

Will's Room

I tend to use post-it notes at work like many people use small pads of paper, but this takes the cake.

A long time ago I read a book aimed at organizational techniques for creative people. I cannot come up with the title (there are several at Amazon), but one of the techniques they recommended was the use of post-it notes for your to-do list. One item per post it note.

A New Blog Editor

I know it has been awhile, but work has been kicking my butt. I just loaded up Windows Live Writer to play around with. This is a test post from there. I am curious to see how it works with Blogger.

Right now I am computer-less at home - my laptop is on loan to my brother.

This is just stupid

Stow has put price on police response




Stow's defense: Accidents are not part of what a cop does. Funny, Ohio law requires a police report to be filed for any accident where over $450 of damage is done. This is pointed out in the article. So, under Ohio law, any accident with over $450 of damage WOULD be part of a cops duties. This is going to fall pretty quick.

The alphabet groups becoming irrelevant?

Thanks to Geek New Central for bringing this article to my attention.

With groups like BPI, RIAA and MPAA all running around screaming how the sky is falling. I think the need for these groups is falling. What artist of all types are finding out, you do not need the industry anymore. You can connect directly with your audience thanks to the internet.

Consider the Podsafe Music Network. Just this week Alice Cooper, yes THE Alice Cooper, added 3 songs to their network. James Brown has also put a song on this network. This allows podcasters to play these songs without worries the RIAA will come to sue their house away. Why do this? Marketing! These two are willing to forgo the $10 or $20 they may get in royalties with the hope of selling more albums or songs.

Face it - some people will always refuse to pay for music (or movies). Some simply do not recognize you are not paying for the song, but the process that went into creating that song. Some feel all information, including music, should be free. In the internet age. the music industry will need to evolve or die out like the dodo.

An even better idea

Ohio pokes while others speed up




Bob does have a point, however more important would be getting trucks to go the same speed as the rest of traffic. Forcing the big rigs to 55 while the rest of traffic is trying to move at 65 cases many of the same problems mentioned.

Many years ago my friends and I agreed that 55 was a stupid number. If they had lowered it to 60 more people would have been accepting of it. At 60 it becomes easy to figure out how long a trip will take - a mile a minute. I do not mind 60 that much, what I do mind is people whipping in and out of traffic.

Funny - Mel Gibson's Netflix Queue

DVD Dossier got a hold of Mel Gibson's Netflix queue. Well worth the read.

I do feel semi-sorry for Mel, although I find that when drunk people actually say how the really feel. This is probably not the end of his career, but he will definately lost some of the "Mel Gibson is in it I will watch it" audience.

U.S. prepares for showdown in Cuba - Yahoo! News

U.S. prepares for showdown in Cuba - Yahoo! News

Ok, we have not learned yet. How many times have we sponsored someone to overflow a government only to have it bite us in the ass?

Iran warns oil could reach $200 on sanctions - Yahoo! News

Iran warns oil could reach $200 on sanctions - Yahoo! News

If I were in charge, my response to this threat from Iran would be to start a program much like was done with NASA to get us off oil, and push public transportation.

Wish I could read the whole article

Domain Of The Weird

GOP Senator’s staff member calls for the removal of Connecticut’s statehood because a newspaper editorial opposed ANWR drilling.

Does anyone engage their brain before speaking these days? The whole story (follow the links) appears to be behind a pay site ($265/year BTW), so I cannot see the entire context. Assuming the quote is accurate, yikes. Why am I reminded of the Borg?

Bush signs Voting Rights act extension - Yahoo! News

Bush signs Voting Rights act extension - Yahoo! News

As a play to minorities, this is a slap in the face. If the Republicans REALLY cared, why not make the provisions of the Votings Rights Act permanent? So for another 25 years minorities will be able to continue to vote. What happens 25 years from now? Do we get to go back to what it was like before this law was enacted?

If you want minority support, show them they matter. Make this permanent.

Along for the Journey

Wil Wheaton pointed to a blog entry by Scalzi about Journey. A great walk down memory lane.

As someone who graduated high school in the 80s, Journey was pretty much at the top of my favorite groups. For most of my friends, it was a toss up between Journey and local favorite Michael Stanley Band for the #1 spot. (MSB lost appeal when I got into college because of a broken record in the student center's jukebox, but that is another story.)

For me the Raised On Radio album was when I started to loose interest. I, like many, were a little pissed with the change from the one-word album titles for new albums. Steve Perry was starting his solo work, which always felt like Journey-light to me. The firing of 2 band members, for no apparent reason, showed egos were becoming an issue. You could see the writing on the wall for the breakup.

Although I picked up Trial by Fire, it just did not feel the same. I even remember in interviews when the tour was cancelled one of the band members had said that the same issues from the original breakup were still there.

I did get a DVD of a Japanese concert from there Arrival tour. It had the feel of the old Journey. I have yet to get their latest album. Frankly Arrival was a surprise to me. One of the problems of becoming old - you just can't keep up with everything.

Even with my changing tastes in music, Journey is still a constant in my play list. And as Scalzi pointed out, Journey is up there with Barry White for make out music.

Gays accused of discrimination in US resort village
(Reuters)




I find this somewhat amusing. I don't like discrimination of any type, and especially the racial discrimination mentioned in the article. BUT I do like it when people get a taste of their own medicine. Maybe some people will get an understanding of what it is like to be at the wrong end of discrimination.

'Sixth Sense' star in hospital after crash - Yahoo! News

'Sixth Sense' star in hospital after crash - Yahoo! News

I found it interesting that he was driving a 1995 Saturn. Haley Joel Osment has been a lot of movies and TV shows before he turned 18. I am not sure if he is being frugal or just has no money, but still interesting.

Doing away with pennies

Penny saved is a penny spurned




Personally I am against this, but if we are getting rid of pennies, we might as well get rid of nickels. They also cost more than $.05 to make. If this is a purely economical reason, then why not change the materials they are made of. They have done it before - during WWII they made the pennies out of steel for a couple of years. No reason they could not make them out of steel, aluminum or any other material.

They have been debating for years on getting rid of pennies for years - worthless coins like the half penny. Maybe so, but the question becomes where does it end? Eventually we eliminate all coins. They would fall prey to the "worthless coin" mentality. So with no coins if your bill came to $5.10 (or even $5.01) you would have to pay $6 for that purchase - you know no business would write off that dime and they cannot give you change for $6.

Dollar bills have likewise been talked about as "worthless".

Netflix Anxiety

Newsweek on Severe Netflix Anxiety

Brad Stone in Newsweek writes about Netflix-related maladies such as Netflix guilt and Severe Netflix Anxiety (SNA), Netflix Guilt.

My worst movie, so far, is Fahrenheit 9/11 which I had for a month or so before watching. This does not count my Spiritual Cinema Circle discs I mention below.

There are sooo many options out there now for entertainment that people are paying for: Cable, Netflix/Blockbuster, satelite radio, music services, newspapers and the Internet (let's not get into the various free sources here). It is a miracle we are able to pay attention to anything. If I have been seeing a bunch of heavy stuff in the news, Fahrenehit 9/11 or Maria Full Of Grace are not going to be first on my list to watch. Weekend at Bernie's is more likely.

I was 6 months behind in my Spiritual Cinema Circle. The movies are great, but I have two issues with watching the discs immediately. First is time. I like to watch the discs in one sitting, but I need to plan 2.5-3 hours, more than the typical movie. Second is the subject matter. There is a mix of drama & comedies, but they all make you think. So if there is a chance I may fall asleep or will divide my attention I will not pop in one of these discs.

Banned Md. skateboarders find a refuge
(AP)




I am not surprised by the banning of public skateboarders, although for me skateboards were a mode of transportation. We were not allowed to ride bikes to school (even though there was a bike rake), so skateboards were a quick way to get to school (home was another matter). We could throw them in a bag and then in our lockers.

Times have changed of course. Now people sue anyone for any little thing, even when it was their own stupidity. That is why you see all those "NO biking, skatboarding, blades, drulling, etc." signs everywhere. I wonder if I was to ride up to one of the malls on my bike if I would be turned away even though I am just using my bike as transportation and not doing stupid human tricks.

Congress debates ban on Internet gambling - Yahoo! News

Congress debates ban on Internet gambling - Yahoo! News:

Internet gambling is addictive, dangerous and should be outlawed,...

Mmmmm....cigarettes are also addictive & dangerous yet you do not outlaw them. Same goes for alcohol. For that matter there are many addicted to sex, yet it is still legal. (At least as long as you are a man & a woman, with the lights out and ONLY for procreation. Did I get enough sarcasm in that?)

Is the drunk that looses his job any different from a gambler who looses his money? ANYTHING can be addictive, dangerous, and a "serious threat to families and our society" (from Rep. Tom Osborne). Interestingly you can still bet on horses online. Can you say hypocrisy? I knew that you could.

This reeks of two things. First an election year tidbit to the conservatives who think everyone is stupid and needs to be treated like a 10 year old. Second, and more likely, this is a way to drive more money into real-world casinos that are sprouting up more and more across the nation. Real-world gambling = more money for government.

I do not gamble, online or otherwise. I do not see the fun in it. At least with poker there is some skill involved and there is some control in your hands. If you are going to stop one type of gambling online, then ALL types must be stopped.

An interesting side note - there is a note that most sports approve this ban because they feel that "web wagering could hurt the integrity of their sports." There have been plenty of documented cases of thrown games before online betting, and there will be plenty after. As long as there is ANY betting there will be no integrity.

I'm a hard-core idler

Drivers tapped to fight ozone

Now I am all for cutting the ozone levels, and I don't mind (too much) paying an extra $.04/gallon for gas. However this struck me as odd:

A statewide anti-idling law for cars, trucks, buses and off-road vehicles. Municipalities in Northeast Ohio should adopt similar bans.

and

Strict enforcement of speed limits.

Ok, the point about trucks idling just to provide air conditioning to the driver sleeping the back, or worse yet just waiting to be loaded at the dock, however how is this going to be enforced? Will our already overworked cops be out with stop watches at the drive-up ATMs instead of out trying to catch speeders? Instead of directing traffic at the accident will they be handing out idling tickets?

And what about the strict enforement of speed limits? Right now most cops will let a lot go because if they did not traffic would come to a stand still. Which of course brings us back to the no idling rule.

Since we are talking some weird laws, why not just ban all gas-powered lawn maintenance equipment? Hell why not just eliminate gas-powered cars completely? Both are about as enforcable as the anti-idling law.

I also like the suggestion to increase the use of public transportation, including free on high ozone days, only works if you have a system that is actually useful in place. As for workplace changes, most employers are not willing to make ANY changes in how they do business.

Nanny sues hidden-camera manufacturer - Yahoo! News

Nanny sues hidden-camera manufacturer - Yahoo! News

Mmmmmm....no. Don't get me wrong, I think the lady has been seriously wronged, but I don't think the manufacturer should be held accountable. If they bill their recording as time-lapsed, I would think at least law enforcement would understand that and NOT arrest her in the first place.

cadavers to the left, explosives to the right

There is some kind of training program for cops, firemen, etc. is going on around work. Therefore there are a bunch of signs up to direct people to the right areas. It is weird to drive down the road and see 'cadavers' with an arrow pointing you, presumably, to where the cadaver are. Explosives, searches, aggression are just a few I remember.

Photo IDs for panhandlers

Strategy targets begging in Akron

This is just a law to allow the cops to arrest people for panhandling. Period. Do people REALLY think that just passing a law requiring a special photo ID and saying you cannot panhandle in these locations will magically make people stop doing it? I realize politicians are not necessarily the sharpest crayons in the box, but come on people.

I am not arguing that there is an issue with panhandling in Akron. I know there is. It does not keep me from going downtown. What keeps me from going downtown is a lack of things that I am interested in. Let me say that again - What keeps me from going downtown is a lack of things that I am interested in.

I have rarely felt unsafe in Akron. I have been told though my perception maybe skewed given I am a 6 foot tall male.

Are blogs the new borg?

Today's User Friendly was cool.

Virginity pledgers often dishonest about past - Yahoo! News

Virginity pledgers often dishonest about past - Yahoo! News

Wow, what a shock. Teenagers lie about having sex. Surveys that show abstinence-only sex education programs work maybe unreliable because teens lie. Oh my am I shocked.

As long as there have been humans, they have been lying about having sex. As soon as you make something "bad", teens are going to try it. Maybe people need to live in the real world and realize teens will have sex. They will lie about having sex. We should equip these teens to be able to at least protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy.

We will not even bring up the whole sexually transmitted disease thing.