mosker

A gift for the Star Trek fan who has everything

 

 

Via: ThinkGeek

I think this is very cool. $25 is a little pricey to slice pizza, but it's still very cool.

iPod Touch (4th generation)

I had a chance this week to get a little hands-on time with a new iPod Touch. I use an iPhone 3GS that runs iOS4, so the software is already familiar, but I have been looking forward to checking out the much ballyhooed retina display.

There's no way to avoid comparisons to the hardware I have been using:

 The iPod Touch (on the right) is slightly smaller than the iPhone 3GS from the front, but it is much thinner:

While that does contribute to a lighter weight, it is almost too thin to hold comfortably. That, and the slick (slick as in slippery) back, always makes me feel as though it could slip out of my hand at any moment. I suspect a case would alleviate that, but I haven't seen many cases for the new design yet.

And that slick metal case seems to attract scratches like the old plastic case never did:

Still, it's about function as much as form, right?

Unfortunately, so far there aren't any hardware improvements that make me wish I was eligible for an upgrade to the iPhone 4. The retina display is nice, but it doesn't seem to be a dramatic improvement from the old pre-retina hardware. That could just be an issue with my less than crisp vision, but it seems that the improvements are wasted on me.

I am less than impressed with the camera for still images (click for a larger view):

but a brief test of FaceTime shows it is very easy to use and might be useful. If you know someone else with a FaceTime capable device, of course.

I would never choose an iPod Touch as a replacement for my iPhone, but if I needed everything but the phone (and if I could live with the disappointing camera), I'd be happy to use an iPod Touch. With a case.

Lunch time entertainment

I spent part of my lunch break watching these guys maneuver large sections of ductwork into the window right below mine. Other than knocking into the building now and then, it was pretty impressive. 

Around the web

At the risk of sounding like a complete and rabid Apple fan, I have to share this post that has been making the rounds: a blind user describes getting an iPhone. I would never have expected that a sightless person could use a touchscreen, but his description of the the experience is enlightening. 

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From "A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette": 

Win sympathy from your library coworkers by telling them that you are too busy to keep up your blog.  This works best when it is communicated via your Facebook status updates.

This would qualify as an inside joke in so many ways. I, however, would not be so foolish as to announce that via Facebook because the people waiting for me to reply back are the ones who contacted me via Facebook. I don't think they know I have a blog, so I might be safe posting here.

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And finally, if you've really been wanting to get an iPhone and just can't afford it, you could enlist in the Army. The U.S. Army has implemented a pilot program that distributes smart phones to new recruits at Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Sill, and is even paying the bill. No, really. For the moment, recruits have to return the phones at the end of their training, but if the program is expanded, soldiers may get to keep them as they move on to their next duty assignment.

 

Television and the new fall season

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, because I have plenty of other things to do and most of them would be a much better use of my time, but I but I always look forward to the new fall television season. Even knowing many of the shows will be awful and some will only last a couple of weeks, every premiere seems so hopeful, as though this will be that really interesting idea we haven't seen yet, or maybe just a new take on an old idea that really works. 

Way back in the dark ages when nearly everyone subscribed to the TV Guide, I studied the issue that highlighted the new shows. I haven't seen a printed TV Guide in years (are they still printed), but I do check out the new shows online to see which ones I want to make time for. So far all I've watched is Hawaii Five-O, but thanks to the magic of Hulu and the DVR (what would we do without time-shifting technologies?), I don't have to worry about when the shows actually air and can instead watch when I get around to it.

As to Hawaii Five-O, well, I realize now that I don't remember much about the original show other than the introductory montage of surfing shots and the theme song, so I don't have to compare it to the original. Thankfully they kept the iconic theme music, but it does seem shorter than before. The setup was implausible and some of the acting seemed forced, but I'll watch again to see if they can shake out the pilot bugs.

Taking a moment to appreciate the little things

There is, I'm sure, a lesson here about enjoying the moment while basking in the glow of the lamp and hanging out with your favorite people.

Funny, this doesn't feel like a recovery from where I'm sitting

I got this "breaking news" email this morning:

It doesn't matter how often they tout the recovery and argue the recession is over, I just don't see it. The U.S. unemployment rate is running at just below 10%, making the fear of losing one's job is ever present, and I have little hope of seeing raise any time in the next few years. My employer does not offer cost-of-living-adjustments, ever, and it feels like everyone from the utilities to the government to my own employer is reaching into my pocket to make up their shortfall. 

Glancing around my neighborhood, it looks like most of neighbors are in much the same boat. All of the homes are modest (no McMansions) and I don't see anyone driving a new car or splurging on home renovation. 

Maybe the economists are seeing an improvement in the national numbers, but I'm not seeing it one the ground, and it's hard to feel optimistic when there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.  

Morning nap

I think the real question here is "Where are they getting all of these iPhone 4s to break?"

Amber Alert for Popeye

Apparently Popeye has gone missing. No suspects have been identified.

Deadlines

 

Painful to contemplate

I am not going to pay $400 to upgrade early, so I won't be getting a new iPhone 4, but this video showing what happens when you drop your phone, over and over and over, is still a bit painful to watch:

The drops were all from waist-high, and rather than flinging the phone down to break it right away, it looks just like what might happen when you fumble a bit taking it out of your pocket.

I have dropped my 3GS several times, but I do have a case, and it's always been from the nightstand or footstool and onto hardwood floors instead of pavement. Thankfully, it still looks almost new, unlike the one in this video.

Heat and humidity

It's that age-old question: is it the heat or is it the humidity?

It's definitely the humidity. 76 degrees would be lovely, but 98% humidity can make even the mid-seventies feel awful.

Except for the friend who bought his iPhone last month (I know, I know, I tried to get him to wait!), everyone I know who has an iPhone is already eligible for a fully-subsidized upgrade to the iPhone 4. Even the guy who got his after me. Except I'm not eligible until February 2011. How does that work?

Neighborly?

Is there an etiquette among neighbors for how fallen tree limbs should be handled? If a limb from your tree falls into your neighbor's yard, should you go pick it up? Conversely, should your neighbor collect fallen limbs from trees that grow in their yard if they fall in yours? Does it depend on the size of the limbs, and what about if the limbs fall on the other side of a fenced area?

When limbs from my trees fall in my yard, I collect them, and generally, if I can reach them without going into my neighbor's fenced back yard, I pick those up as well. When debris from neighbor's plantings end up in my yard, I pick it up and haul it away with everything else I collect. I figure it's more a question of where it lands rather than where it starts, like leaves. I am beginning to suspect that I have this all wrong, because this is not how my neighbors seem to operate.

When I left the house this morning, I noted that my tree had dropped a couple of dead limbs. Nothing very large, but nothing you'd want to try to mow over. When I returned home this evening, the neighbor's boyfriend was busy scalping the lawn (including about 5 feet of mine, per usual) and all of those branches had been shoved over into my yard. This isn't the first time, but of course they are more than happy to leave me to clean up their debris, and they're always happy for me to do the work trimming away the overgrowth on our shared fence line.

I know this is not a terribly important gripe when taken in context, but it's one of those quality of life issues that grate away at neighborly relations.

Hunter and prey

It's good to be home

An item for my life list

Maggie Mason of MightyGirl.com has been posting about the progress she's made on her life list. I like the sentiment, but I haven't really made progress on a list of my own. I tend to be rather serious and practical and it feels ridiculous to have a list of things I have no realistic expectation of having any way of doing. Of course, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all that, but I still figure I should start with the reasonable rather than the fantastic.

I read this sentiment on my coffee cup yesterday and decided this is a good place to begin:

I did a quick review of the people I know who could teach me how to say thank you in a language other than English, and so far I have the following:

1. German
2. French
3. Spanish
4. Italian
5. Farsi

It's a start.

Home again, home again

The good thing about getting back into town around midnight at this of year is that the heat and humidity is lower and it's easier to breathe.

The hard part about getting back into town around midnight is there's no way I can wind down enough to go to sleep right away, so at 2 am I am still awake. I am going to regret this tomorrow when I'm trying to make it to my morning appointment.

iPhone

My iPhone stopped working this afternoon and the next available appointment is tomorrow afternoon.

I'm trying to be zen about it and just appreciate that I won't be bothered by any phone calls this afternoon, but it's not really working. It's not that I use the phone constantly, but it not working makes me want to use it for everything. How am I supposed to function without my phone?!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will have yet another positive customer service experience with Apple.

Tech support woes

I know people hate calling tech support. In fact, I know people who loathe the very idea of the experience so much that they would rather put up with technology that doesn't work rather than call and have to talk to those people with a script at the other end of the phone line.

A friend of mine is going out of town for a few days, and in anticipation of the trip, I agreed to update her laptop so she can stay on top of her email while she's gone. The hundred some-odd updates went much faster on my wireless network than they would have had I used her mobile broadband card, so I never even took it out of the bag. It turns out that was a mistake, because she called me while I was driving to work and asked what she was doing wrong because it didn't work.

She brought it over this evening, and when none of the normal troubleshooting steps resolved the problem, I called Sprint. The first level of support couldn't deviate from her script, so after about 20 minutes of her going back and forth and describing things that were nothing like what I was seeing on the screen, I asked for the next level of support. I think it's rude to assume that the first line of support won't be able to help me just because I'm in a similar line of work, but once it's clear that the script isn't working, I'm okay with asking them to escalate the request. The next technician escalated my call almost immediately, and I then I had a very nice chat with Brian from Kentucky (aged 32, married, he's gone back to school and regrets not having attended right after high school, and he's a fan of the Cincinnati Red. He didn't mind hanging onto my request for a little longer because the Reds were in a rain delay and he wanted to watch the game during his lunch break.) Sadly, he couldn't resolve the problem either, and we dashed off to the Sprint store that stays open late.

Several minutes after closing, we walked out with the now-functioning broadband card. It may not have been an ideal way to spend a Friday evening, but I get to feel good about helping my friend. And bonus, my driveway is very clean because she got got bored while waiting for call to progress so she busted out a broom and swept the entire drive. 

To list or not to list

I finally finished my tax returns. (Anyone who knows me is completely shocked that I would wait so long. I am known for filing my returns practically the day my W-2s arrive.) Now that that's over, I can spend some time getting the yard ready for the summer.

I'm trying to decide if I want to make a list of all the outside chores that are waiting for me. If I make a list, I can prioritize all of the work and make sure I don't miss anything important. On the other hand, with a list I will see that my list is impossibly long and I won't even want to get started.

Tomorrow I plan to start by picking up all of the downed limbs and sticks throughout the yard from the recent storms and then mow. And apply weed-and-feed. By then I am quite sure I'll be ready to move on to something indoors, because that list is never-ending too.

Recycled Press Pot

Those who know me well, know that I can be pretty hard on press pots. I love using them, but I always end up having a momentary lapse where I forget that you can't pick it up by the lid or when I drop a glass on it in the sink. Sad, I know.

I received an email from Starbucks today advertising this press pot made of recycled material and I thought it could be the answer to my problem. Sadly though, while the holder is plastic, the pot itself is still glass, and quite breakable. I'll have to just hope that I don't have butter-fingers while using the lovely (and much more affordable) pot that I got from the store that shall not be named when I was in California last fall.

Multi-purpose laptop bag

Via Lifehacker

I could have used this last week when I picked up my MacBook from the Apple Store. I was so happy they finished the work so quickly that I rushed out the door without a thing to carry it with. Fortunately, the wonderful Apple employee gave me a shopping bag/backpack to reduce the likelihood of my computer slipping out of my hands to take a permanent dirt nap. Even the bag is cool.

Workplace violence

Early this morning, an employee at Ohio State University shot and killed his boss, injured another worker, and then turned the gun on himself. link

The university's website provides a brief news item about the incident, reassuring everyone that "at no time were any students in danger, and no students were involved in the incident." Obviously that's a good thing, but I am disturbed that campus officials are giving every impression of moving right along because those affected are just staff.

If the victims had been students or faculty, would the campus be continuing with its normal class and work schedule? If you spend any time in academe you will hear the phrase "students, faculty, and staff" to indicate the priority higher education places on the campus community, but it is disheartening to see that staff appear to be held with such low regard that the campus is doing nothing more than securing the building.

I would like to be able to express outrage about the callous response by university officials to this horrific attack on people who just go in and do their job, day after day, but it just doesn't seem to surprise me so much as it just really disappoints me. Do we really place so little value on the lives of people who don't have high paying jobs and whose names don't get added to research papers?

Calling 911? Will that be cash or credit?

When's the last time you called 911? While I haven't needed emergency medical services from 911 for myself, I have called a handful of times to report that someone else needed assistance. Like that time I watched a car swerve out of control and flip several times before landing on someone's front lawn. It was kind of like a movie crash, but the property damage was quite real, as were the injuries I suspect the driver suffered.

If I lived in Tracy, California, I would have to think long and hard about whether I could afford the $300 the city would charge me for calling 911 to report a medical emergency. I suppose it would reduce the number of duplicate calls they get for the same incident, but what about when everyone assumes that someone else will call? Or when no one stops to help because they cannot afford to pay the fee and the victim dies from a treatable injury.

Even in communities where residents are afraid to report what they see to the police when a crime has been committed will call 911 to report that someone needs help. If this policy is actually implemented, there will be people who just keep their heads down and not report that their neighbors need help because they cannot afford the charge. The City of Tracy may be desperate to fill the giant hole in their budget, but what they will actually accomplish will be the destruction of any sense of community because the residents cannot afford to get involved.

I just want a cup of coffee

Last year was the year for broken coffee pots and now it looks like it'll be coffee grinders.

I'll admit it: I first tried a french press because I thought it was cool, but now it's my favorite way to brew coffee. (I also like not having yet another electrical appliance cluttering the kitchen counter.) I have found that I'm more likely to get coffee grounds in my cup than with with a drip coffee maker, but it's only disgusting when I use pre-ground coffee. So naturally I need a coffee grinder.

Apparently burr grinders are the way to go because blade grinders are more likely to give your coffee grounds a burnt taste. I'm not enough of a coffee aficionado to really appreciate the difference, and I certainly don't have a burr grinder budget, but I found this one by Black & Decker at Target for about $25:

Amazon reviewers gave this model pretty low ratings, but I didn't have any serious complaints about it--until it stopped working. It made the appropriate noises, but nothing I did would make it grind the beans any more.

I picked up this replacement at Target--another burr grinder from Black & Decker, but a different model than the old one. I figured that the first one lasted a few years, so I would be able to expect something similar for the new one. I pulled it out of the box, plugged it in, threw in a few beans to test it (and clean out any plastic or metal bits that might be left behind by the manufacturing process). It worked great, so I set it up and threw away the box.

Unfortunately, that was the one and only time it worked. Last night I put some beans into the hopper and pressed the button, and after a brief spurt of grinding, the button jammed and the machine turned off. 

Fortunately, I had the receipt handy and Target did not complain about the missing box. I've given up on Black & Decker grinders and instead selected a blade grinder that was on-sale. Hopefully this one will last more than a few days, because at this rate it might be easier to just drive to Starbucks whenever I want a cup of coffee.

Maybe I should look for one those old hand-crank models with the wooden case.

Last gasp

This is the last of the snow pile that started on Christmas Eve. Temps climbed into the 40s today and I thought it would certainly melt, but it's going to remain a little longer. (More is predicted tomorrow.)

Behind the scenes...is a green screen

Don't bother taking off your coat. You're going to need it.

Folks don't believe us when we report our office is cold.

Treat

I bought the one and only container of this yogurt/strawberry combo on the shelves at the grocery store this morning, but when I got home I could not find it anywhere. I double-checked all of the bags in case I hadn't unpacked it, I looked in the freezer thinking I'd just put it in the wrong place, and then I searched the car because it could have fallen out of the bag. I even looked at the receipt because maybe I hadn't put it in my cart at the store after all.

I found it on the shelf of the refrigerator with the other yogurt I bought. Hiding right there in front.

They say losing interest in your normal activities is a sign of depression. If I am not interested in watching any of the shows I've saved to the DVR, does that mean I'm depressed or has TV been pretty hum-drum lately?

Oh, never mind. I found an episode of Bones that was interesting. Maybe it's not me after all.

It must be nice to be wealthy and well-connected

This item came through CNN's breaking news feed this morning:

What exactly is there to negotiate? If you are charged with a crime, you either turn yourself in or the police come and arrest you. Or you go into hiding and hope they never find you. Are they thinking they can get a bigger cell or a private toilet? Perhaps he's hoping to bring his own sheets. Whatever.

I understand that the wealthy have the resources to secure the best possible defense and are more likely to make bail and generally spend less time behind bars than accused who lack sufficient resources, but I can't see where someone charged with a crime has any room to "negotiate" their surrender.

Just don't drive

I drive a Toyota--a 2003 Tacoma--that I bought new. I wanted something that would last a long time--I was buying a house and I knew that I wouldn't be able to get a new car for a long time. I'm also not car crazy and I don't need the latest and greatest vehicle on the road. I will admit to being won over to Toyota because of their reputation for quality and durability, and I like the idea that Toyota vehicles generally held their value better than other brands.

Oh, how times have changed. So far, at least, my model and year have not been included in any of the recent recalls (the floor mat is well-secured to the floor board and the pedal has never failed to spring right back), but I'm sure the resale value has plummeted. I wasn't planning to sell it because I still can't afford to replace it, but I can't help but eye it warily at times, and wonder if the recall will be extended to include mine as well. Perhaps the quality had already declined when mine was built, and maybe it won't last as long as I'd been led to believe?

Of course, it's even worse for owners of vehicles that have been identified as defective. Toyota took their own sweet time in communicating with their customers, and now the government has piled on by telling them that they shouldn't even drive their cars until they are repaired. Are they serious? How is that even feasible? Perhaps I am in the minority here, but I don't keep a spare car in the garage, just in case mine is subject to a recall. I suspect it will take weeks, if not months, before all of the affected vehicles are retrofitted (and that assumes Toyota has accurately assessed the problem and implemented a viable fix).

Maybe this will prove to be the edge that U.S. automakers need to challenge Toyota in the marketplace (apparently Ford's sales have climbed in the wake of this P.R. disaster), but it's hard to be enthusiastic when it is at the expense of the consumer--who can least afford the hit.

Groundhog day

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means we should expect another six weeks of winter. I know I am supposed to be disappointed that we won't be experiencing an early spring, but this year the idea that spring might only be six weeks away sounds pretty exciting. Somehow, I had started to feel like winter will never end, and it's nice to have the reminder that it eventually will.

Now that's honesty

I have to stay until when?

I was off work last week, and yesterday I left early to get allergy shots. Today I leave at five six (or so) and I cannot believe how long that seems. Shouldn't there be some sort of phase-in to a full workday? Like for every day you're off, you work as many half-days before you're back to a full day?

According To Venezuela Obama Is Responsible For Haiti Earthquake

I’m not even sure The Onion could make this stuff up. State-owned radio and television stations in Venezuela (Hugo Chavez state-owned) are apparently reporting that the cause of last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti was caused by “secret” U.S. “weapon of earthquakes.”

via www.mediaite.com

First Pat Robertson tells us that the Haiti quake was the result of a "pact with the devil" and now Venezuela tells us that the U.S. caused the quake with our secret earthquake machine. Which is really confusing, when you consider the earlier reports that Hugo Chavez thinks that Obama is the devil, which would mean that the Haitians had formed a pact with Obama? Wouldn't that be some kind of violation of the trade embargo? It's all a vicious circle which has left my head spinning. 

Still, it's good to have this information, because otherwise I would have been forced to rely on the facts. 

Fog

I don't actually need to go anywhere today, but being fogged in gives me a bit of cabin fever. This is the third or fourth day in a row with a fog advisory, but it's not showing any signs of burning off like it did yesterday.

I.T. aggravation

I know that keeping up with all of the software updates is a losing battle. Really, I get that. But I simply cannot express how frustrating it is to deploy a computer and immediately discover that a critical update was released at roughly the same time you shut down the computer in order to deliver it to it's new user. What makes it worse is that there is usually no automated way to deliver said patches because there's always one or another that doesn't play well with the other software.

But the most irritating part? If I had been caught up with my RSS feeds (the ones I had been tempted to delete to eliminate the backlog), I would have known this vendor was getting ready to release this patch and I could have waited a couple of hours.

Catching up

I was sick for a few days last week and I slept for 14 to 18 hours a day for several days in a row. I'm glad I just gave in instead of fighting it--of course it helps that we had more snow and I didn't want to face the roads--but I feel like I will never catch-up on the backlog that built up while I was ignoring the world.

I kept an eye on my work email and acted on the stuff that needed immediate attention, but what's left now is stuff I actually need to read and process. Which seems ridiculous sometimes--are they paying me to think or something? My personal email seems to be taunting me though. I've replied to messages from friends and family, but everything else is waiting for attention. I could just delete it all and start fresh, I suppose, but that seems like asking for trouble.

On a positive note, we are expecting temperatures to rise above freezing this week, which has everyone around here pretty excited. 35 degrees is starting to sound pretty good.

Like it was meant to be

I received a $15 Amazon gift certificate and then the Wii game I had on my wishlist dropped to $14.99.

It can't be a coincidence, right?

Local channels

None of the local channels are available on DirecTV this morning.

How many calls do you suppose they got before someone suggested posting this announcement?

Happy New Year!

Judging by the mail I received on New Year's Eve, this must be resolution season.

I've been doing a lot of holiday baking over the past several weeks and I was convinced that I wasn't going to bake anything for at least a week or two. Until Suzanne sent me a picture of the quiche she baked for Christmas brunch tomorrow, and then I had to stop on the way home for swiss cheese and veggies. I definitely want that for dinner tonight.

I think this is my favorite Christmas commercial this year

Pressing pause

Like a lot of people, I've been trying to get all of those last-minute, pre-Christmas preparations finished. I've completed the gift-shopping, wrapping, and shipping, but I still have some promised food gifts to make, and I don't have time to spend making anything particularly interesting for my own dinner.

Yesterday, though, a friend gave me a wedge of Manchego cheese as a thank you (good friend, eh?) and the whole drive home I was trying to decide how I was going to enjoy it. I settled on shaving it over salad to serve with the last slice of mustard and leek tart I served at a birthday luncheon the day before. It wasn't a long break, but it was nice to hit pause for a few minutes to appreciate a good meal before getting back to work.

Mouse innards

This really is kind of worst case example, but it makes you look at your mouse a little more warily, doesn't it?

Press pots: Another one bites the dust

They have slipped out of my fingers, they have fallen off the counter, I have picked them up by the lid and had the rest go skittering to the floor, or like this one, when I have dropped a coffee cup on it. The consistent theme here is that I manage to break one or two press pots every year. I am beginning to imagine that when I approach the aisle where coffee pots are stocked, all of the press pots scream "No! Please don't pick me! I don't want to die!"

I am down to my last backup (although I still have the larger one I bought at an incredibly reasonable price at the store that shall not be named, but that can be too much coffee sometimes). At this point it would have been cheaper to have purchased the expensive metal model like this one from Starbucks in the first place.

Seriously though, there is no way I can rationalize $60 for a coffee pot, so I think I'll have to learn to be a little more careful. Obviously I say this every time I break a pot, and you see how far it's gotten me. 

A chill in the air

Rumor has it that we're going to reach 31 degrees today. I'm trying not to complain too much about the cold, however, because it could have been much worse.