Wow. I knew my blog celebrated an anniversary this week. I thought it was seven years but it turns out I've been doing this for nine years. My first post was July 5, 2003. Actually, my first post was late on July 4 but blogger didn't have a save feature back then and, well, The Internet Ate My Homework.
I have gone through periods of prolific blogging and periods of sparse blogging. The reasons for both are various. I have learned lessons, thankfully none of them hard-learned, and (I think) I've found a voice. Overall it's been a lot of fun. I still thank Wil Wheaton for being such a cool frood and showing me how awesome blogging could be.
I'm going through one of those sparse periods right now but that doesn't mean I'm not publicly active. I'm just concentrating on something else right now. Back on March 2, 2012, my friend Kevin and I recorded episode 1 of the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast (TRIP). We have produced a show every week since then and just cranked out episode 20.
The podcast is a little more work than putting together a blog. Sure, Kevin and I could sit there and yap free-form for an hour no problem but how would that be interesting to anybody but us? The editorializing is almost exclusively free-form but covering tech news requires a little bit of preparation. For one, you actually have to review the tech news in order to cover it. Plus, I try to make the story my own, at least in some way, so I spend a good amount of time writing summaries. That way I'm not just regurgitating what other people publish. If you do that it's a lot harder to defend yourself against plagiarism by calling it "research."
Just like I thanked Wil Wheaton for getting me into blogging, I'd also like to thank Todd Cochrane for getting me into podcasting. It's his Geek News Central Podcast that TRIP is modeled after. Plus, he's kind-of an authority on podcasting. You could say he wrote the book on podcasting.
So, thank you, Wil. Thank you, Todd. And, most importantly, thank you, my dear readers, because without you I'd just be talking to myself.
Showing posts with label Podcasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Podcasting. Show all posts
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Idiots Are Still Rambling
Check out episode 2 of the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast at http://tworamblingidiots.blogspot.com. Recorded 3/9/2012.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
The Idiots Are On The Air!
Check out episode 1 of the Two Rambling Idiots Podcast at http://tworamblingidiots.blogspot.com. Recorded 3/2/2012 by myself and Kevin Sesock.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Big Ol' Grin On My Face
My favorite podcast, Geek News Central, recently hit show 500. As a celebration of that milestone, the host, Todd Cochrane asked for a new intro. The previous intro was produced by a member of the 'ohana' (Hawaiian word meaning family) but had been in use for about 300 shows. It was time to freshen things up a bit.
As an incentive to get our creative juices flowing, and because it is an as yet unreleased shiny gadget, Todd offered a brand new Zune HD to whoever created the new intro.
Guess who will be getting a brand new Zune HD. If you want to hear the winning entry, it can be listened to here. Frankly, now that it's had some time to sit, I think it's a little long (it's almost a minute) but Todd liked it.
:::: G R I N ::::
As an incentive to get our creative juices flowing, and because it is an as yet unreleased shiny gadget, Todd offered a brand new Zune HD to whoever created the new intro.
Guess who will be getting a brand new Zune HD. If you want to hear the winning entry, it can be listened to here. Frankly, now that it's had some time to sit, I think it's a little long (it's almost a minute) but Todd liked it.
:::: G R I N ::::
Monday, January 28, 2008
The New Zune Review
Shortly after I learned I was getting my 4-gig Zune, Todd Cochrane gave his list of criteria for the Perfect Podcast Player (P3) on the Geek News Central Podcast. I vowed to evaluate the Zune v. 2 based on that criteria so here goes.
Todd's P3:
1. Must be WiFi Enabled
One point for the Zune. Not only is the Zune WiFi enabled, it can use WiFi to synchronize content and the setup to connect to your home network couldn't be easier. The Zune software automatically detects the wireless network, lets you put in the security code and sends the information to the device at the next sync. It takes about 30 seconds - seriously.
2. MP3 Player
Honestly, Todd said this as part of a sentence to clarify what type of device he was talking about, as in, "...WiFi-enabled MP3 player" but I think it's an important point. I have owned and seen MP3 players that don't play MP3s. Come to think of it, the iPod falls into that category, doesn't it?
3. Ability to subscribe to podcasts via easy-to-navigate RSS feeds
Another point to the Zune. Podcast subscriptions can be accomplished via the Zune Marketplace, using special Zune subscription buttons that webmasters place on their sites or by manually entering the RSS URL into the Zune software.
4. Allows import of OPML lists for subscriptions
I may have this listed a little different than what Todd intended. Honestly, I had to look up what an OPML list was. Basically, as I understand it, the software would parse the OPML list (essentially a text file) and automatically subscribe to the podcasts on the list rather than having to subscribe to them individually. It doesn't really matter whether I understand this correctly or not, the Zune doesn't do it. We're 3 for 4 so far, not so bad.
5. Unattended, automatic, wireless sync
The Zune comes close. If you have the Zune plugged into power via a dock or a power adapter*, it will perform a wireless sync. This is provided that the wireless radio is on and, presumably, not otherwise using it (I haven't tested that last part). If you don't have the Zune plugged in, you can initiate a wireless sync manually at any time. This works well for me since I can sync as soon as I get up in the morning or while I'm walking out the door. The reason for the powered-only automatic sync was described on GNC as being a power issue. Presumably, as battery technology improves, we will see this improve as well.
6. Stop and resume playback of podcasts
This makes 5 for 6 for the Zune. The podcast feature of the Zune remembers your last position and gives you the option of resuming from the last position or playing from the beginning. I did find out today that there is a way to short-circuit this. There is a key combination you can use to save battery power and put the Zune into a deep sleep (hold "down" on the squircle and also hold the "back" button). If you shut it down this way, the device loses your bookmarks.
7. Seamless transition from the device to your car radio and back
Okay, even Todd admitted that this was a fantasy criterion. To start with, digital storage and playback technology from within the radio itself is not widespread. For now, you'll still have to connect the device to your radio somehow. Moving on.
8. Fits in the palm of your hand
The 4GB and 8GB versions of the Zune fit this criterion well. With the advance of memory technology and development of Solid State Drives, I think we'll see larger capacity devices in a smaller footprint. The 4GB version is also quite light. Of course, one advantage of the 80Gb Zune is its larger screen.
9. Ability to remove played podcasts from device but not PC
This one I actually added after the fact but Todd agreed with completely. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Zune quite readily handles this automatically. When you've played a podcast all the way through, it is removed from the device at the next sync. You can always put it back on if you want but I like this as it keeps manual memory management to a minimum. Mmmm, feels good (sorry, couldn't help it).
So the Zune meets seven out of nine criteria. That's not bad... not bad at all. Next time, I will give a review of the Zune manual, device and software.
-----------------------------------
*Side note: Don't buy the $30 Zune A/C charger from Microsoft. It's just a 5v transformer with a USB port on it. You still have to use the sync cable included with the device - it doesn't come with an extra. For half the price, I got essentially the same thing as in the MS packaging AND I got a car plug with it.
Todd's P3:
1. Must be WiFi Enabled
One point for the Zune. Not only is the Zune WiFi enabled, it can use WiFi to synchronize content and the setup to connect to your home network couldn't be easier. The Zune software automatically detects the wireless network, lets you put in the security code and sends the information to the device at the next sync. It takes about 30 seconds - seriously.
2. MP3 Player
Honestly, Todd said this as part of a sentence to clarify what type of device he was talking about, as in, "...WiFi-enabled MP3 player" but I think it's an important point. I have owned and seen MP3 players that don't play MP3s. Come to think of it, the iPod falls into that category, doesn't it?
3. Ability to subscribe to podcasts via easy-to-navigate RSS feeds
Another point to the Zune. Podcast subscriptions can be accomplished via the Zune Marketplace, using special Zune subscription buttons that webmasters place on their sites or by manually entering the RSS URL into the Zune software.
4. Allows import of OPML lists for subscriptions
I may have this listed a little different than what Todd intended. Honestly, I had to look up what an OPML list was. Basically, as I understand it, the software would parse the OPML list (essentially a text file) and automatically subscribe to the podcasts on the list rather than having to subscribe to them individually. It doesn't really matter whether I understand this correctly or not, the Zune doesn't do it. We're 3 for 4 so far, not so bad.
5. Unattended, automatic, wireless sync
The Zune comes close. If you have the Zune plugged into power via a dock or a power adapter*, it will perform a wireless sync. This is provided that the wireless radio is on and, presumably, not otherwise using it (I haven't tested that last part). If you don't have the Zune plugged in, you can initiate a wireless sync manually at any time. This works well for me since I can sync as soon as I get up in the morning or while I'm walking out the door. The reason for the powered-only automatic sync was described on GNC as being a power issue. Presumably, as battery technology improves, we will see this improve as well.
6. Stop and resume playback of podcasts
This makes 5 for 6 for the Zune. The podcast feature of the Zune remembers your last position and gives you the option of resuming from the last position or playing from the beginning. I did find out today that there is a way to short-circuit this. There is a key combination you can use to save battery power and put the Zune into a deep sleep (hold "down" on the squircle and also hold the "back" button). If you shut it down this way, the device loses your bookmarks.
7. Seamless transition from the device to your car radio and back
Okay, even Todd admitted that this was a fantasy criterion. To start with, digital storage and playback technology from within the radio itself is not widespread. For now, you'll still have to connect the device to your radio somehow. Moving on.
8. Fits in the palm of your hand
The 4GB and 8GB versions of the Zune fit this criterion well. With the advance of memory technology and development of Solid State Drives, I think we'll see larger capacity devices in a smaller footprint. The 4GB version is also quite light. Of course, one advantage of the 80Gb Zune is its larger screen.
9. Ability to remove played podcasts from device but not PC
This one I actually added after the fact but Todd agreed with completely. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Zune quite readily handles this automatically. When you've played a podcast all the way through, it is removed from the device at the next sync. You can always put it back on if you want but I like this as it keeps manual memory management to a minimum. Mmmm, feels good (sorry, couldn't help it).
So the Zune meets seven out of nine criteria. That's not bad... not bad at all. Next time, I will give a review of the Zune manual, device and software.
-----------------------------------
*Side note: Don't buy the $30 Zune A/C charger from Microsoft. It's just a 5v transformer with a USB port on it. You still have to use the sync cable included with the device - it doesn't come with an extra. For half the price, I got essentially the same thing as in the MS packaging AND I got a car plug with it.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Inner Squircle*
I have recently become a member of the inner squircle or, as Microsoft likes to call it, The Social (tm or something, I'm sure). I am the proud owner of a new 4GB Microsoft Zune. The device was a gift from Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for helping him with his podcast intro. I am eternally grateful to Todd for this gift because he exponentially improved my podcast listening experience.
Prior to the arrival of the Zune, I had two media devices. My first device was an RCA Lyra 1070. It has 512MB of internal storage and can be expanded through an SD card. The biggest problem is that the 1070 is an MP3 player that won't play MP3s. The only native format the 1070 will play is WMA. So, in order to use the 1070, I would have to either use the supplied version of MusicMatch Jukebox (long since lost) or convert the files to WMA for direct transfer. Too much time and effort involved to use that solution.
My other option involved my Lyra 2780 media player. This is a large unit that encases a 20GB laptop hard drive. It is easier to get files onto this unit since it shows up as a drive in Windows Explorer and can take MP3 files as drag-and-drop. The shortfall with this unit is the interface. First, it doesn't have a specific podcast "section" so I have to navigate to the podcast folder I created and select the show I want to play. The workaround was to create a playlist but, again, extra time, extra effort. The biggest problem, however, was with my car. I don't have a cassette deck or any sort of auxiliary input so I have to rely on an FM transmitter to get music from my device to my speakers. Since the 2780 houses a laptop hard drive, the mechanical movements create a headache-inducing electrical whine behind the audio.
Since I didn't have a long commute, I often got behind on my podcast listening. What I would do if I were going for any sort of long drive was to load up the Lyra with the podcasts, then create a playlist to play them in a desired order with minimal user intervention. It was workable but not terribly practical for a process to be performed daily.
When I started my long daily commutes, I eventually came up with the idea of burning the shows to CDs. The sound quality was wonderful (no electrical whine) but after my first proof-of-concept run I determined that this could become an expensive proposition burning a couple of CDs per day for one-off listening.
I decided to do an experiment. I went to the local mega-mart and purchased a 5-pack of CD-RW (rewriteable) discs. When I got home, I burned a couple of songs to the first disc and headed out to the car. As luck would have it, my car is new enough that it is compatible with CD-RW media... I had my solution.
Of course, the CD-RW solution was not without its shortcomings. The first was inherent in all of the solutions so far. I was using a podcast aggregator but had to manually check to see which podcasts had new episodes that had downloaded overnight. Then, I had to locate, by file name, which were the newest files that I wanted to burn to CD. The next shortcoming was that setting up the burns took several minutes out of my morning preparations then took about 20 minutes per disc (I bought 4x discs) and I often found myself having to wait for the burn to complete to be able to leave with my podcasts. The final shortcoming is podcasts that last over 80 minutes (max burn length for a CD). It doesn't happen often but it does happen. When it did, I would have to use another program to split it into smaller chunks.
Enter the Zune and my reason for being so grateful to Todd for this gift. First, the Zune does not create that high-pitched, headache-inducing, electrical whine when used with the FM transmitter. The sound quality is not as sharp as I would prefer but it is much preferable to the 2780. Second is the podcast handling of the Zune. All I have to do is subscribe and set a few preferences and the latest shows are automatically sent to the device when I sync. On the flip side of that functionality, the shows on the device that I have completed (listened to all the way through) are automatically deleted from the device but are retained on the computer. Finally is something unique to the Zune: wireless synchronization. The Zune has an 802.11 wireless radio and can synchronize through my secure home wireless network. The setup requires some information (such as my encryption key) to be entered into the Zune software on the PC and a single wired sync. From then on, all I have to do is get up in the morning, kick off the wireless sync, and go take my shower. When I'm ready to go, it has long since completed it's sync. It couldn't be easier.
On a recent show, Todd gave several criteria for his perfect podcast device. I plan to review those criteria and evaluate the Zune against them. Whether it meets all the criteria or not, the Zune is incrementally better as a podcast player than any of my previously available solutions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*Why squircle, you might ask? The main navigation button on the series two Zunes is not quite a square and not quite a circle... it's a squircle (pronounced with a hard C).
Prior to the arrival of the Zune, I had two media devices. My first device was an RCA Lyra 1070. It has 512MB of internal storage and can be expanded through an SD card. The biggest problem is that the 1070 is an MP3 player that won't play MP3s. The only native format the 1070 will play is WMA. So, in order to use the 1070, I would have to either use the supplied version of MusicMatch Jukebox (long since lost) or convert the files to WMA for direct transfer. Too much time and effort involved to use that solution.
My other option involved my Lyra 2780 media player. This is a large unit that encases a 20GB laptop hard drive. It is easier to get files onto this unit since it shows up as a drive in Windows Explorer and can take MP3 files as drag-and-drop. The shortfall with this unit is the interface. First, it doesn't have a specific podcast "section" so I have to navigate to the podcast folder I created and select the show I want to play. The workaround was to create a playlist but, again, extra time, extra effort. The biggest problem, however, was with my car. I don't have a cassette deck or any sort of auxiliary input so I have to rely on an FM transmitter to get music from my device to my speakers. Since the 2780 houses a laptop hard drive, the mechanical movements create a headache-inducing electrical whine behind the audio.
Since I didn't have a long commute, I often got behind on my podcast listening. What I would do if I were going for any sort of long drive was to load up the Lyra with the podcasts, then create a playlist to play them in a desired order with minimal user intervention. It was workable but not terribly practical for a process to be performed daily.
When I started my long daily commutes, I eventually came up with the idea of burning the shows to CDs. The sound quality was wonderful (no electrical whine) but after my first proof-of-concept run I determined that this could become an expensive proposition burning a couple of CDs per day for one-off listening.
I decided to do an experiment. I went to the local mega-mart and purchased a 5-pack of CD-RW (rewriteable) discs. When I got home, I burned a couple of songs to the first disc and headed out to the car. As luck would have it, my car is new enough that it is compatible with CD-RW media... I had my solution.
Of course, the CD-RW solution was not without its shortcomings. The first was inherent in all of the solutions so far. I was using a podcast aggregator but had to manually check to see which podcasts had new episodes that had downloaded overnight. Then, I had to locate, by file name, which were the newest files that I wanted to burn to CD. The next shortcoming was that setting up the burns took several minutes out of my morning preparations then took about 20 minutes per disc (I bought 4x discs) and I often found myself having to wait for the burn to complete to be able to leave with my podcasts. The final shortcoming is podcasts that last over 80 minutes (max burn length for a CD). It doesn't happen often but it does happen. When it did, I would have to use another program to split it into smaller chunks.
Enter the Zune and my reason for being so grateful to Todd for this gift. First, the Zune does not create that high-pitched, headache-inducing, electrical whine when used with the FM transmitter. The sound quality is not as sharp as I would prefer but it is much preferable to the 2780. Second is the podcast handling of the Zune. All I have to do is subscribe and set a few preferences and the latest shows are automatically sent to the device when I sync. On the flip side of that functionality, the shows on the device that I have completed (listened to all the way through) are automatically deleted from the device but are retained on the computer. Finally is something unique to the Zune: wireless synchronization. The Zune has an 802.11 wireless radio and can synchronize through my secure home wireless network. The setup requires some information (such as my encryption key) to be entered into the Zune software on the PC and a single wired sync. From then on, all I have to do is get up in the morning, kick off the wireless sync, and go take my shower. When I'm ready to go, it has long since completed it's sync. It couldn't be easier.
On a recent show, Todd gave several criteria for his perfect podcast device. I plan to review those criteria and evaluate the Zune against them. Whether it meets all the criteria or not, the Zune is incrementally better as a podcast player than any of my previously available solutions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*Why squircle, you might ask? The main navigation button on the series two Zunes is not quite a square and not quite a circle... it's a squircle (pronounced with a hard C).
Friday, January 04, 2008
Announcement Forthcoming
It's no secret that my favorite podcast is Geek News Central so when the host, Todd Cochrane, asked those of us who blog to mention something for him, I stepped right up.
What I've gotten so far is that he was made aware of something special this morning that should break this weekend or on Monday. I'm sure it's tech related but he says it has nothing to do with his trip to CES. He's quite excited about it so I'm sure it's BIG, whatever it is.
Stay tuned here or at the GNC homepage. As soon as I know, you'll know.
What I've gotten so far is that he was made aware of something special this morning that should break this weekend or on Monday. I'm sure it's tech related but he says it has nothing to do with his trip to CES. He's quite excited about it so I'm sure it's BIG, whatever it is.
Stay tuned here or at the GNC homepage. As soon as I know, you'll know.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
24 Hour Podcast
I'm listening to the last few minutes of the Geek News Central 24 hour podcast. Todd Cochrane did it to raise money for One Laptop Per Child. He's covered all sorts of topics, mostly about podcasting though.
Over the next few days, he will be posting the segments (in 1 hr chunks) at 24hrpodcast.com. Check out the segments or just listen to Geek News Central.
Over the next few days, he will be posting the segments (in 1 hr chunks) at 24hrpodcast.com. Check out the segments or just listen to Geek News Central.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Echos From The Road (Day 1)
When we left Stillwater, I made sure my microcassette recorder was in the car with me and I recorded a few thoughts along the way. I had intended to post this long ago but just hadn't gotten around to it. I cleaned out my car and finally took the recorder into the house so I could listen to what I had recorded.
----------------------------------------
April 3, 2007 7:22pm CST
We've been on the road about an hour and a half. It was really odd leaving the house and actually watching the mailbox fade into the distance in my rearview mirror - even though I'm going to be back in a couple of weeks to make some attempt to get all of stuff out of there. We left a lot behind. They put a lot on the truck but we left a lot behind. Most of it junk. A lot of older clothes that we just didn't have a chance to get rid of. (note: I had a HUGE garage sale when I returned and donated what was left to the Salvation Army. What was left still took up half the garage.)
I'm really tired. I slept okay last night. I'm tired but not exhausted. We started about six hours later than I really wanted to. Even though we had things semi-gathered together that we wanted to take in the cars, none of it was packed up. It was in 2 or 3 rooms, some items were unpacked and repacked, we added some last-minute items and finally got the cars packed. We had some errands to run and just got on the road late.
The vet gave us some sedatives for the animals. It doesn't seem to have really affected the dogs but they've settled down now that we're on the road doing a constant speed. Teddy is in my back seat and Shelly has JD. We stopped about ten minutes ago because both cats were restless. The sedative (something called ACE) got the mildly doped up. They were calmer than normal but Nikki was still trying to climb out of her carrier and Anabelle has been restless and vocal. We gave them each another 1/4 of a pill and I hope that will take care of it.
My brain is mush - I'm just too tired. The last two weeks being occupied with nothing but packing really exhausted me. We were up a little early this morning. It would have been better had we left closer to our noon estimated departure time but between having to visit the tag agency, going by the bank, feeding ourselves, and having to actually stuff the cars, it just didn't happen.
Being this tired, I had a bit of a freak-out this morning because of everything going on and realizing this was our last day in the house , I sat down and just let go. My mind is bouncing between anxiety attacks, minor breakdowns, excitement, and just wishing that we were somewhere that we could stop already - even though we've got 6 or 7 more hours to go.
---------------------------------------------
April 3, 2007 8:55 pm
We have not made it nearly as far as I had hoped. We keep having to stop and walk the dogs. I forgot what it's like traveling with animals - and when you have all four of them, it makes it that much worse. To top it off, Anabelle has awakened and turned into Ms. Talky-pants (you can hear it on the tape). Maybe it's the sedative and she's all freaked out because she's not feeling right and she's been confined to a box for more than three hours.
I knew this part was going to be stressful on me but I'm all sorts of paranoid about the critters and how they're handling it.
---------------------------------------------
April 3, 2007 10:21 pm
I'm listening to the Geek News Central podcast from March 27. Todd is talking about spaceports. Apparently, New Mexico is trying to get voters to pass a tax to help pay for the spaceport. He's also mentioned that there are others being built in Singapore, the UAE, California... and Oklahoma. Really? That's interesting. Anyway, the question he's asking is where all the passengers are going to come from?
Personally, I think they're putting the cart before the horse. First, you have to have some sort of vehicle, don't you? They built airplanes before building airports, right? So why are we building spaceports before building space planes (for lack of a better term)? Unless the builders of these spaceports know something we don't. Even though NASA has plans to revamp the space shuttle, it's still in the conceptualization stage. Where do they think the transport vehicles are going to come from? It just doesn't make sense.
---------------------------------
April 3, 2007 10:37 pm
I'm sitting here at the Flying J just East of Salina Kansas off I-70. Anabelle and Teddy seem to be quite stressed out which is increasing my stress. JD seems okay. I've brought him water a couple of times and he laps it right up but Teddy won't drink. I'll offer him some when he gets out of the car in a couple of minutes.
Anabelle has calmed down some but I'm sure the sedatives are making them feel weird. Plus, they're not used to traveling, other than JD. The two I didn't think I'd have to worry about are in my car and are not doing as well as I expected.
It has to be done and we'll press on. Hopefully they'll all unstress when we reach to hotel tonight and tomorrow will be easier.
----------------------------------------
April 4, 2007 1:30 am
We are about 175 miles outside of our first stop. It might be 3am or later before we check in. Right now I'm dictating just to keep myself awake and keep my brain occupied. Everything on me is going numb from sleep deprivation and lack of movement, including my ears because listening to music is no longer providing stimuli.
Anabelle has been awake on and off and has complained now and again. I think if I were in a box that small for that long... actually, I wouldn't fit in a box that small... proportionally, if I were in a box that small for that long... wait a minute, I'm driving a car. I think I have been in a box that proportionally small for that long... and it sounds like I'm complaining, too.
-----------------------------------------
April 4, 2007 2:30 am
You know you're on the road late when you don't even see any more semi's.
------------------------------------------
April 4, 2007 ???? am
It's after 4 o'clock in the morning. We've got about 15 miles to go and I'm sure I sound exhausted on this (I do). I'm trying to do anything I can to keep awake and I'm having a conversation with myself.
It's been a really long f-ing day. I hope tomorrow will be an easier day and I also hope Teddy will have something to eat and drink when we get into the hotel. (at this point, I'm rambling, singing made up songs and generally making a fool of myself)
-----------------------------------------
That's it for the first day. I'll post more of this saga later.
----------------------------------------
April 3, 2007 7:22pm CST
We've been on the road about an hour and a half. It was really odd leaving the house and actually watching the mailbox fade into the distance in my rearview mirror - even though I'm going to be back in a couple of weeks to make some attempt to get all of stuff out of there. We left a lot behind. They put a lot on the truck but we left a lot behind. Most of it junk. A lot of older clothes that we just didn't have a chance to get rid of. (note: I had a HUGE garage sale when I returned and donated what was left to the Salvation Army. What was left still took up half the garage.)
I'm really tired. I slept okay last night. I'm tired but not exhausted. We started about six hours later than I really wanted to. Even though we had things semi-gathered together that we wanted to take in the cars, none of it was packed up. It was in 2 or 3 rooms, some items were unpacked and repacked, we added some last-minute items and finally got the cars packed. We had some errands to run and just got on the road late.
The vet gave us some sedatives for the animals. It doesn't seem to have really affected the dogs but they've settled down now that we're on the road doing a constant speed. Teddy is in my back seat and Shelly has JD. We stopped about ten minutes ago because both cats were restless. The sedative (something called ACE) got the mildly doped up. They were calmer than normal but Nikki was still trying to climb out of her carrier and Anabelle has been restless and vocal. We gave them each another 1/4 of a pill and I hope that will take care of it.
My brain is mush - I'm just too tired. The last two weeks being occupied with nothing but packing really exhausted me. We were up a little early this morning. It would have been better had we left closer to our noon estimated departure time but between having to visit the tag agency, going by the bank, feeding ourselves, and having to actually stuff the cars, it just didn't happen.
Being this tired, I had a bit of a freak-out this morning because of everything going on and realizing this was our last day in the house , I sat down and just let go. My mind is bouncing between anxiety attacks, minor breakdowns, excitement, and just wishing that we were somewhere that we could stop already - even though we've got 6 or 7 more hours to go.
---------------------------------------------
April 3, 2007 8:55 pm
We have not made it nearly as far as I had hoped. We keep having to stop and walk the dogs. I forgot what it's like traveling with animals - and when you have all four of them, it makes it that much worse. To top it off, Anabelle has awakened and turned into Ms. Talky-pants (you can hear it on the tape). Maybe it's the sedative and she's all freaked out because she's not feeling right and she's been confined to a box for more than three hours.
I knew this part was going to be stressful on me but I'm all sorts of paranoid about the critters and how they're handling it.
---------------------------------------------
April 3, 2007 10:21 pm
I'm listening to the Geek News Central podcast from March 27. Todd is talking about spaceports. Apparently, New Mexico is trying to get voters to pass a tax to help pay for the spaceport. He's also mentioned that there are others being built in Singapore, the UAE, California... and Oklahoma. Really? That's interesting. Anyway, the question he's asking is where all the passengers are going to come from?
Personally, I think they're putting the cart before the horse. First, you have to have some sort of vehicle, don't you? They built airplanes before building airports, right? So why are we building spaceports before building space planes (for lack of a better term)? Unless the builders of these spaceports know something we don't. Even though NASA has plans to revamp the space shuttle, it's still in the conceptualization stage. Where do they think the transport vehicles are going to come from? It just doesn't make sense.
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April 3, 2007 10:37 pm
I'm sitting here at the Flying J just East of Salina Kansas off I-70. Anabelle and Teddy seem to be quite stressed out which is increasing my stress. JD seems okay. I've brought him water a couple of times and he laps it right up but Teddy won't drink. I'll offer him some when he gets out of the car in a couple of minutes.
Anabelle has calmed down some but I'm sure the sedatives are making them feel weird. Plus, they're not used to traveling, other than JD. The two I didn't think I'd have to worry about are in my car and are not doing as well as I expected.
It has to be done and we'll press on. Hopefully they'll all unstress when we reach to hotel tonight and tomorrow will be easier.
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April 4, 2007 1:30 am
We are about 175 miles outside of our first stop. It might be 3am or later before we check in. Right now I'm dictating just to keep myself awake and keep my brain occupied. Everything on me is going numb from sleep deprivation and lack of movement, including my ears because listening to music is no longer providing stimuli.
Anabelle has been awake on and off and has complained now and again. I think if I were in a box that small for that long... actually, I wouldn't fit in a box that small... proportionally, if I were in a box that small for that long... wait a minute, I'm driving a car. I think I have been in a box that proportionally small for that long... and it sounds like I'm complaining, too.
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April 4, 2007 2:30 am
You know you're on the road late when you don't even see any more semi's.
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April 4, 2007 ???? am
It's after 4 o'clock in the morning. We've got about 15 miles to go and I'm sure I sound exhausted on this (I do). I'm trying to do anything I can to keep awake and I'm having a conversation with myself.
It's been a really long f-ing day. I hope tomorrow will be an easier day and I also hope Teddy will have something to eat and drink when we get into the hotel. (at this point, I'm rambling, singing made up songs and generally making a fool of myself)
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That's it for the first day. I'll post more of this saga later.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
In The News
I received these links from a podcast I (try to) listen to regularly called Geek News Central. I like the podcast because the host is so congenial to listen to and he doesn't talk about just tech or computers, although that's most of his show. I encourage you to give it a listen.
Item 1 - Will that smoke detector really detect smoke? In a series of articles/reports called Deadly Delay, Indianapolis, IN television station WTHR points out that there are two types of sensors that may be in your smoke detector. The more commonly used ionization sensor (the other is called a Photoelectric sensor) may not alert you to the danger of a smoldering, smoky fire.
As I understand it, an ionization sensor detects changes in the particles in the air when they become ionized by the flames of a fire. A photoelectric sensor, again as I understand it, detects a change in the visual density of the air. It almost literally "sees" the smoke as an interruption of the beam of light the transmitter sends out.
The story details two people who have had recent fires where the ionization smoke detector, in perfect working order, never went off and resulted in the death of others in the household. According to the article, photoelectric smoke detectors can be had for less than $20. I would encourage you to go out and get dual-sensor detectors or at least have one of each in your house. I know I will be doing some shopping this weekend.
Item 2 - This is an article about how two countries have passed laws eventually banning the sale of incandescent bulbs in favor of compact fluorescent bulbs and suggesting the United States do the same. According to the article, "If there was a worldwide shift from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents, the drop in electricity use would permit us to close 270 coal-fired (500-megawatt) power plants that are contributing enormously to climate change."
Based on a Mythbusters episode where they tested different types of lightbulbs, I have started using compact florescent bulbs in my house where I can. You see, I've discovered three problems that would hinder the acceptance of CF bulbs in the United States (or anywhere as far as I can tell).
Problem 1: Because of the difference in shape, many lampshades would be rendered unuseable. In one design, the shade actually clips to the bulb. This is not possible with a CF.
Problem 2: There is no consistency of size for CF bulbs. Larger wattages are physically larger and fixtures with glass domes or other decorative features may not fit.
Problem 3: Certain styles of CF bulbs, such as indoor flood lights, take several seconds (30-60?) to come up to full brightness. I stopped using that particular type in my kitchen because they made it difficult to see properly when they were first turned on.
Item 3 - You got hacked? Prove it! While you're at it, prove that you did everything humanly possible to secure your router or we're going to sue you.
Apparently, in the UK, "people accused of uploading the game ‘Dream Pinball’ who claim they are the victim of a hacker, are starting to get letters back from lawyers explaining what they should do next. Among other things, the lawyers are demanding that the accused demonstrate computer security skills in providing evidence detailing exactly how their equipment was exploited."
I don't see how anyone can defend themselves against this type of logic. For one, many broadband modems and routers are sold as plug-and-play devices and are factory-configured in a secure state. Second, the average person knows very little about IT and network security and really shouldn't have to know a lot about it.
My problem with this is that it throws out the ideas of burden of proof and innocent until proven guilty. It appears the lawyers don't care and are attempting to strong-arm innocent civilians into paying fines because they know the civilians won't have the resources to contest the accusations. It's a good thing for the lawyers that the UK doesn't have the ACLU.
Item 1 - Will that smoke detector really detect smoke? In a series of articles/reports called Deadly Delay, Indianapolis, IN television station WTHR points out that there are two types of sensors that may be in your smoke detector. The more commonly used ionization sensor (the other is called a Photoelectric sensor) may not alert you to the danger of a smoldering, smoky fire.
As I understand it, an ionization sensor detects changes in the particles in the air when they become ionized by the flames of a fire. A photoelectric sensor, again as I understand it, detects a change in the visual density of the air. It almost literally "sees" the smoke as an interruption of the beam of light the transmitter sends out.
The story details two people who have had recent fires where the ionization smoke detector, in perfect working order, never went off and resulted in the death of others in the household. According to the article, photoelectric smoke detectors can be had for less than $20. I would encourage you to go out and get dual-sensor detectors or at least have one of each in your house. I know I will be doing some shopping this weekend.
Item 2 - This is an article about how two countries have passed laws eventually banning the sale of incandescent bulbs in favor of compact fluorescent bulbs and suggesting the United States do the same. According to the article, "If there was a worldwide shift from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents, the drop in electricity use would permit us to close 270 coal-fired (500-megawatt) power plants that are contributing enormously to climate change."
Based on a Mythbusters episode where they tested different types of lightbulbs, I have started using compact florescent bulbs in my house where I can. You see, I've discovered three problems that would hinder the acceptance of CF bulbs in the United States (or anywhere as far as I can tell).
Problem 1: Because of the difference in shape, many lampshades would be rendered unuseable. In one design, the shade actually clips to the bulb. This is not possible with a CF.
Problem 2: There is no consistency of size for CF bulbs. Larger wattages are physically larger and fixtures with glass domes or other decorative features may not fit.
Problem 3: Certain styles of CF bulbs, such as indoor flood lights, take several seconds (30-60?) to come up to full brightness. I stopped using that particular type in my kitchen because they made it difficult to see properly when they were first turned on.
Item 3 - You got hacked? Prove it! While you're at it, prove that you did everything humanly possible to secure your router or we're going to sue you.
Apparently, in the UK, "people accused of uploading the game ‘Dream Pinball’ who claim they are the victim of a hacker, are starting to get letters back from lawyers explaining what they should do next. Among other things, the lawyers are demanding that the accused demonstrate computer security skills in providing evidence detailing exactly how their equipment was exploited."
I don't see how anyone can defend themselves against this type of logic. For one, many broadband modems and routers are sold as plug-and-play devices and are factory-configured in a secure state. Second, the average person knows very little about IT and network security and really shouldn't have to know a lot about it.
My problem with this is that it throws out the ideas of burden of proof and innocent until proven guilty. It appears the lawyers don't care and are attempting to strong-arm innocent civilians into paying fines because they know the civilians won't have the resources to contest the accusations. It's a good thing for the lawyers that the UK doesn't have the ACLU.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Are You of the Body?
I am now. I have finally joined the ranks of those who listen to podcasts. I figured with all the driving I'm going to have to do for the new job, I might as well keep current on tech news or at least get some entertainment out of it.
I downloaded a free podcast aggregator called Juice. There are a couple of features I wish it had but overall it's not too difficult to work with. One feature I'd like to see (and I don't know if any aggregators do this) is to create a rolling set of files for a podcast. For instance, I could tell it to keep three episodes of Distorted View Daily and it would delete the oldest file as it downloaded the newest file. My DVR does this and it would make it easier to manage the files on my MP3 player (a Lyra 2780).
I've already found some pretty decent Tech podcasts such as the Mike Tech Show, This Week in Tech (TWIT) and Geek News Central.
It's amazing what you hear when the companie's propaganda is filtered out. For instance, I learned that the virus scanner in Windows Live OneCare (a subscription service) has been recently found to be deleting Outlook .pst files (email archive files). The fix is to turn off the virus scanner until the patch can be released (it may already be out). You know, when you pay someone to provide a service like that, you don't expect that their service will delete one of their own critical files. Trustworthy computing.
I also learned of a handy little program. It's called Evernote. Evernote is very similar to OneNote by Microsoft. They have a free version which is pretty feature-rich already and a paid version (that's about 60% cheaper than OneNote) that includes Synchronization, Handwriting Recognition, Shape Correction, Advanced Note Recognition (ANR) and Ink-Note Search.
First it was blogging, now I'm listening to Podcasts. Next thing you know, I'll be producing a podcasts.
p.s. If you recognize where the title came from, you are a true Trekkie/er
I downloaded a free podcast aggregator called Juice. There are a couple of features I wish it had but overall it's not too difficult to work with. One feature I'd like to see (and I don't know if any aggregators do this) is to create a rolling set of files for a podcast. For instance, I could tell it to keep three episodes of Distorted View Daily and it would delete the oldest file as it downloaded the newest file. My DVR does this and it would make it easier to manage the files on my MP3 player (a Lyra 2780).
I've already found some pretty decent Tech podcasts such as the Mike Tech Show, This Week in Tech (TWIT) and Geek News Central.
It's amazing what you hear when the companie's propaganda is filtered out. For instance, I learned that the virus scanner in Windows Live OneCare (a subscription service) has been recently found to be deleting Outlook .pst files (email archive files). The fix is to turn off the virus scanner until the patch can be released (it may already be out). You know, when you pay someone to provide a service like that, you don't expect that their service will delete one of their own critical files. Trustworthy computing.
I also learned of a handy little program. It's called Evernote. Evernote is very similar to OneNote by Microsoft. They have a free version which is pretty feature-rich already and a paid version (that's about 60% cheaper than OneNote) that includes Synchronization, Handwriting Recognition, Shape Correction, Advanced Note Recognition (ANR) and Ink-Note Search.
First it was blogging, now I'm listening to Podcasts. Next thing you know, I'll be producing a podcasts.
p.s. If you recognize where the title came from, you are a true Trekkie/er
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