Archive for June, 2008


this is why twitter sucks

6/1/2008

twit

I’m seriously considering dropping it altogether. I don’t care how many cutesy graphics they put into this thing. When it doesn’t work IT PISSES ME OFF.

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Some GPS users are absolutely retarded

6/1/2008

My Map Update 2009 article got linked here. On that page are some reviews. Not for my article but for the product. So I read them.

I swear, some of these idiots are fucking retarded.

Like this guy:

I live in Austin, TX and the roads are constantly under construction, but GARMIN is so far behind in mapping that it’s just pathetic. When you pay 500-600 for a GPS system it’s not unreasonable to expect FREE map updates for at least a couple of years….especially when they are SO out of date. GARMIN is at least 2 years behind in mapping Austin roads…and now they want us to pay $60 for an update that should have been included. I hope I-phone and or Google crush these greedy people!

First of all, Garmin does not provide the map data. NAVTEQ does. You know each time you boot your Garmin GPS it states at the bottom “NAVTEQ”? Try reading that next time.

Second, if your roads are “constantly under construction”, how in the blue fuck is NAVTEQ supposed to keep up with this? Anyone with a brain realizes that when roads are under construction you cannot enter that into a road database until it’s FINISHED, you fucking idiot. To place coordinate information into a db before the road is finished is like putting the cart before the horse. Get a fucking clue.

Third, it is unreasonable to expect free map updates because you’re not the one putting the data together. Do you expect cartographers to do their jobs for free? Hm?

Fourth, the iPhone and Google Maps uses an ultra-shitty method of using terrestrial towers (only) for position resolution. Want to know the resolution? Half a mile. Yeah. Read that again. Half.. a.. mile. The resolution for a Garmin GPS even without SiRF with WAAS enabled is less than 5 meters.

This guy is a stupid idiot who doesn’t have a fucking clue how GPS and map data works.

And it’s no wonder his “review” got 1-starred.

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Under the orange roof

6/1/2008

hojoHoward Johnson’s a.k.a. HoJo’s is a really good example of Americana, or at least what used to be Americana. Unfortunately I was born a little too late to experience what HoJo’s was really like. It’s something that’s one for the history books that will most likely never come back (but you never know…)

There’s a video from a few years back that shows what HoJo’s used to be. HoJo’s actually still exists but primarily as hotels. How many actual HoJo restaurants are left? Three. There used to be almost 1000.

So what happened to the company that used to rival Coca-Cola as one of the most recognized companies in the United States? Corporate crap, more or less. The distinction that Mr. Howard Johnson put into Hojo’s was killed in short order once the corporate mucky-mucks got a hold of it.

This distinction I speak was made up of 2 things: Family atmosphere and distinctive buildings. The atmosphere was done thru means of television advertising. It worked and worked well. The buildings had long sloping orange roofs mostly (although some had different shapes.)

What I find most interesting about HoJo’s is what happened to the restaurant chain after it was bought and sold a bunch of times.

Ready for this?

You’ve probably seen - and possibly eaten in - a HoJo’s and didn’t even know it. HoJoland.com calls these places HoJo Ghosts. These are buildings that were formerly HoJo’s but were then converted into another restaurant. And it was most likely an IHOP. All you have to do is look for that distinctive roof shape. IHOPs have blue roofs instead of orange. And if the shape is correct it was probably a HoJo’s in its former life.

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The heyday of HoJo’s is long gone. Like I said above, I was born one generation too late to really experience it.

Would this franchise work if it were revived? It might. All the people in their 40s and older (as that would seemingly be the only age group that actually eats out anymore) would remember HoJo’s and flock to it in droves.

Hey, it could happen..

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On a personal note, it would be cooler beyond words to get a girlfriend that actually likes places like this. The modern variant is IHOP as mentioned above and Denny’s. There are 5 Denny’s restaurants within less than 10 miles of me, and their breakfasts are fucking awesome.

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Living with Windows Live Domains (Hotmail)

6/3/2008

Okay it’s been a few days since I made the switch to Windows Live Domains for my e-mail. I have both pros and cons to report.

I’m also going to include “Gmail comparison” for each as well since I formerly used Google Apps.

Pro: WLmail client is solid

This is a well-done, well-programmed client.

Gmail comparison: Google has no mail client.

Con: Web-based “full version” of Hotmail still too heavy

I seriously dig the right-clickability with the full version of Hotmail. Too bad it’s just too slow on the draw (literally). I purposely use the “Classic” version because it’s faster.

Gmail comparison: There is no option other than “old version” in the Gmail interface, and that’s also heavy.

Pro: Filter-into-folders is awesome

You can set message rules in the web-based version of Hotmail that sync up with the WLmail client - and that’s cool.

Gmail comparison: Gmail has no folders. Labels only. And they suck.

Con: Filter-into-folders can only be set in the web-based version

I could find no way to do this in the WLmail client. Or if it’s there I couldn’t find it.

Gmail comparison: Gmail has better filter options but the lack of folders is a serious drawback.

Pro: 5GB

I’m seriously not used to Hotmail having this much space in it. Nice to have.

Gmail comparison: Gmail has more space (almost 7GB).

Con: Finding how much space is left in your Hotmail account requires a click

Yes, I know this is a nitpick (especially just for one click), but to see how much space is left in your Hotmail account, you have to click the “Today” button in the web-based version. On that page is a bar that shows your usage as a percentage.

Gmail comparison: Space used is listed at the bottom once logged into Gmail - but you have to scroll to see it.

Pro: Contacts sync perfectly between web and client

This was the primary reason I switched and it works exactly like it should. Absolutely no complaints.

Gmail comparison: Gmail has no mail client and no built-in contact sync option.

Con: Flags/Watches/Priorities do not show in web-based version

In the WLmail client you can easy set and/or sort by flagged message, watched message or priority. You can’t do this in the web-based version and I could not find any way to enable the columns.

Gmail comparison: Gmail tells you even less than Hotmail does. All you have is name, subject and date. THAT’S IT. And there are no columns to click for sorting.

Pro: Size of e-mail easily seen - anywhere

Whether you’re in Hotmail or WLmail, the size of any mail is easily seen and can be sorted by such.

Gmail comparison: Size is listed NOWHERE.

Con: “Low” spam filter option is essentially worthless.

“Standard” (or “High” in WLmail) is better. Use your Contacts heavily and the spam prevention works much better.

Gmail comparison: Spam prevention is on the same level - but is not any better or worse. And like Hotmail you must heavily use your Contact list for best effectiveness.

Pro: Interface is easy, icons easily recognizable.

It’s little things like this that make Hotmail good:

image
WLmail interface

image
Hotmail interface

Arrow to the left means you replied to the message. Arrow to the right means you forwarded that message prior.

Gmail comparison: Gmail has no icons anywhere, save for the star. One would think this is good, but the interface is so bogged down with JavaScript it nullifies any speed advantage.

Overall - Web

This is a simple easy interface, the way e-mail should be. It does not bother me to use it whereas in Gmail it did. Microsoft does not try to reinvent the way e-mail works. Instead they just give what’s expected in a way that’s familiar.

I only wish it was as good as Yahoo! Mail who to this day is still king of the hill in the web-based mail interface department. No one at present can touch them.

Overall - Client

Not as powerful as Thunderbird and missing a few features (such as the inability to set message rules on Hotmail), but much faster. It uses less memory, is easier to search/sort mail and performs outstanding.

Gmail way is the wrong way

I have to take a stab (as if I haven’t enough in this post already) at Gmail here because only after you stop using Gmail do you realize how much it sucks donkey nuts.

Read up on the outright frustration people have when trying to sort Gmail. Yes, something as simple as sorting is a PAIN IN THE ASS when using Gmail.

Gmail sucks. Period.

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my new favorite video series on youtube

6/3/2008

Enjoy.

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it pays to ask…

6/4/2008

I called up Verizon yesterday to ask what my cancellation fee would be for my wireless plan. The reason I’m doing this is because the plan costs $39.99 a month. After taxes and that oh-so-stupid “Universal Service” fee, the cost per month is just over $48.

I almost never use this phone since I got my digital land line. In fact you’d be lucky to see more than 10 minutes of usage on it each month.

That $48 monthly is now wasted cash.

Verizon told me my fee would be $155 and change for the cancellation.

But then the rep asked me why I was considering canceling. I told him it was all about cost. Then I found out there are three plans lower in cost than the one I’m paying now. A $34.99 one, a $25 and a $20.

I went for the $25 a month which gives me 100 anytime minutes and something like 300 or 500 night/weekend minutes. It doesn’t matter because I don’t even put 30 minutes a month on the phone let alone 100.

After taxes and universal service fee bullshit it should round out to $32 a month.

If this works without any b.s. and I find that I’m still barely using my phone, I’ll switch to the $20 a month plan. Then my monthly cost shouldn’t be any more than $25.

I’m both pleased and pissed off at the same time, because if I had known about these I would have switched months ago.

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a few drops

6/5/2008

I’ve made a few changes that I personally think are for the better.

I’m not using MySpace anymore (for now)

I haven’t closed my account but the sidebar link on my site is gone. It would seem that no one really gives a shit about MySpace anymore, and the people that stay do so just because.. well.. I’m not really sure.

The next time I use MySpace will be for music promotion. Yes I know there are million and one crappy bands/artists on MySpace, however it is seriously a good way to “get the ear out” if you do it the right way. And yes there is a right and wrong way to do it.

I’m not using Twitter anymore

This has also left my sidebar. I was only using Twitter in combination with TwitterFeed to broadcast whenever I wrote a new post on my blog. I wasn’t getting too many click-thrus from it and I don’t use it as a social tool so I just stopped using it altogether. But I’m leaving the account open just in case I ever decide to use it again - although I doubt I will.

I stopped using Digsby

Digsby is a kick-ass instant messaging client. If you are one of the people that is using it based on my recommendation, stay with it - I’m not telling you to stop.

I stopped using it because I switched to Windows Live Domains and am now using the Windows Live Messenger full-time. I can chat with people on MSN or Windows Live or Yahoo - and that’s all I need. Furthermore the WLM is also connected to my e-mail.

I’ve finally reached the point where my e-mail address is a one-for-all. It’s my e-mail and my IM. I get it all working using one client. Just one. Very convenient.

Addition: AIM Lite

There are still a few contacts I have that use AIM so I needed something light and simple to connect with those people. I found AIM Lite. It is actually an AIM product. Very tiny; lightning fast. ALL instant messengers should be like this. I seriously dig it.

If all you do on AIM is text-chat and nothing else, you have no reason to use the regular AIM client. Use AIM Lite instead.

Why?

Here’s a screenshot from my Windows Task Manager:

image

This is how much memory an IM app should take.

As a comparison, WLM uses 30000 to 35000K on average. That’s really good but not even close to AIM Lite.

And by the way, AIM Lite has a Windows and Mac version. So if Adium isn’t your thing on OS X, you now have a decent light alternative.

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the list

6/5/2008

As an Aries I sometimes have a hard time getting things done. Why? Most of the time it’s because I simply forget. This isn’t to say I’m absent-minded. When I get on track with something I see it thru.

Online to-do lists and things of that sort are darn near worthless to me. That’s because I can tune out online stuff easily since I’m on the internet so much.

I got an e-mail reminder to do something? Okay, yeah whatever. Read it. Moving on…

That’s what happens for personal stuff. For work stuff I give that 100% of my attention, but for personal… nah. :-)

What I’ve started to do is write a list. Yes, the good ol’ pen-to-paper kind. I have a little memo pad that currently has 20 to-dos listed. Eleven of them are finished currently. And the number of things I have to get done will obviously increase.

It’s nice to cross off stuff once finished.

My advice to anyone that says “Hey that sounds like a good idea” and wants to start writing list(s) of their own is to make your items realistic.

For example, don’t write down “Buy a house.” That’s just way too huge. Just break down what you need to do into realistic goals.

Physically writing down what you need to get done cements it in my mind much more than any online means.

I guess it just goes to prove that some things are better left off the computer.

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Ensoniq SQ-1 Plus, Deep Purple style

6/6/2008

I broke out the ol’ Ensoniq SQ-1+ and ripped it up a bit Deep Purple style, a.k.a. Jon Lord. The SQ-1+ in particular has one of the most spot-on Hammond sounds you can get - no question. There’s something about the way it does it that just sounds right.

And just in case you don’t know who Deep Purple is, prepare to get yourself wrecked:

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grandiloquent

6/6/2008

You’re about to get some insight into the way I argue - and win.

I’m going to give you a 5-dollar word today, grandiloquent.

To be grandiloquent means to be lofty in style; it’s a description of someone who blasts out so much high-brow bullshit that no one can understand what the fuck the guy is saying - or why he even said it to begin with.

(more…)

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