New Phone on the Way
Feb 8th
Finally have a phone upgrade to replace my cell phone. My current phone, a Samsung Eternity, has worked well for the last 10 months but lately it has been shutting off, rebooting and there are icons missing on the screen. So now I have an ATT / HTC Pure on the way. Have had Windows Mobile based phones before and that has been a pain for me with the Eternity which had no easy way to synchronize with my computer. My service is with AT&T so I breifly looked at the iPhone but paying that much for a phone that has mediocre support for Microsoft Outlook. Plus I don’t like the Apple arrogance that they can charge so much for products, why buy an iBook for $1500 when I can but a Windows based notebook for $300, and still perform the same exact tasks. Makes no sense. Next AT&T does not have an android based device yet. But does anyone really want the first version of any phone device? Ask the iPhone early adopters, cut and what? Android is also linked back to the Google mothership, anything you do is online and pushes up to google, wait till AT&T makes a mandatory $90 a month data plan for that phone. No thank you.
So along comes Windows Mobile 6.5, supposed to be a leap above previous versions of Window Mobile. I have used v 6.0 devices and they all worked quite well and synced up with my computer easily. This screen on the Pure is 480×800 resolution so it should have great detail. My device is set to arrive on Wednesday, I will post a full review of the phone shortly after that.
Portable Applications
Feb 1st
I have come to love portable applications. These are programs that install or simply copy to a USB drive, USB hard drive or even an microSD card found in many cell phones. Today was my day to update these applications on my drive. I keep email, documents, utilities, connectivity tools and more here to use on any Windows PC. To get these applications you can visit PortableApps.com or PortableFreeware.com.
I have almost completely moved away from installing applications on my computer. This way I can move freely from PC to PC and still have my email, documents, development tools and utilities quickly accessible. USB application do not have to loaded on a USB drive however, you can just as easily copy More >
Romantically Challenged S01E01
Jan 29th
There is a new show coming to ABC called Romantically Challenged staring Alyssa Milano, Josh Lawson, Kelly Stables and Kyle Bornheimer. This show is centered around these four characters, mainly how Rebecca (Milano) and Perry (Bornheimer) are trying to get back into the dating world. Rebecca plays a lawyer that is newly divorced (5 months) and has a teenage son, Justin (Israel Broussard), she goes through the challenges of her first post divorce date. Perry gets a date with a girl who takes him into some uncomfortable situations, which is where Darth Vader comes to the rescue. The episode was directed by the one and only James Burrows, his list of hit shows and success speaks for itself.
Mr. Burrows directorial style was different from other shows that I have seen filmed. During each scene More >
Good to be out of the Rain
Jan 28th
Wow, it is so good just to be in Los Angeles. The weather has been so bad in Northern California and there is so little entertainment. Down here we are going to the taping of Romantically Challenged, then a few days at Disneyland, Buzz Lightyear oh yeah! Perhaps we will relax at the beach one day. No work and all play is a good thing.
Just put on the tires, dude.
Jan 25th
Not to rant about service on my car but, when I am at the shop and the service guy comes out and tells me I need 4 tires when I am getting 2, dont you think that I noticed that all my tires are fairly worn? That, hey, are you, the service guy gonna pay for the other 2 tires? Wait can’t put 2 more tires on today anyway because they are special order and you don’t stock anything that will fit my car. Then they wont move the old tires around for me and I have to have them put the new tires on the back and drive home jack up and put blocks under the car and switch the tires around myself. Does the word customer service mean anything anymore. O.K. in my youth I worked at a tire shop and know quite a bit more than say the average person when it comes to wheels and the like, but really. Can you just do what I need done without badgering me? And anyway the last thing you want to do is try and act smart when you are talking to a guy with 150 I.Q.
Linksys Network Products.
Jan 22nd
Just tried to upgrade my Linksys WRT310N router to a newer firmware. The current firmware (1.0.0.7) is has a bug in it that does not allow you to use the 5 preset port forwarding settings. The previous firmware (1.0.0.6) had problems with wireless stability. Now the latest verision (1.0.0.9) drops the internet connection. What is it with Linksys? Ever since the name changed to “Linksys by Cisco” they have been unable to produce a decent working product. I am a Sr. Systems Engineer for a retail store with 6 locations. I had used some Linksys devices, within a few months I had to replace them all with Netgear routers because the Linksys either overheated and failed or the VPN would not stay connected. Needless to say I will not purchase another Linksys product. And as soon as I can I will be replacing the router that I have at home. Have been looking at a D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Router . A friend has this router and it has been rock solid.
Great Castle Episode
Jan 19th
Castle episode from Monday was intense. Great television is so hard to come by. All the characters have realy come into their own. Hopefully the writers can continue Becketts mothers killer thread as the series goes on. Third season??? Lets all hope.
Bad Computer Day
Jan 19th
The complexity of making an ERP system connect to a Windows Mobile device through a VPN running over the cell phone network is not as easy as it sounds. Just don’t connect using the mobile web browser that will disconnect as soon as you close the application. You have to go to connections and manually connect to the VPN. Its a pain for the users but that is the way to make it work.
Rules of Engagement March 1st.
Jan 18th
Rules of Engagement returns to the air on March 1, 2010. I was in the audience at the taping of several episodes that will air this season, they are better than before. The scripts, directors, cast and crew have put together one of the best situation comedy shows I have seen. Set your DVR for this season!
Donate via your Cell Phone
Jan 18th
You can donate $10 dollars to the Red Cross quickly and easily. Just text “haiti” to 90999 and you will send $10 to the support efforts in Haiti. This will be added to your cell phone bill.