Life of Newbrew

Red Ring of Death

This is what a teen calls a failure of an Xbox 360.  It refers to the 4 red lights that surround the power button on the front of the Xbox.  These only come on when the box, or Xbox, fails.

Well, we caught the red ring of death this past weekend.  Seems I caused it.  Of course, my thought is, "I don't think so"!  It appears that these machines have had real problems with cooling.  And when they overheat, they fail.  Thus, you can't leave them on for too long.  STUPID I say.  I have a Mac Mini that's been on since January of 2005 and a Sony Vaio that's been turned on since mid-2003.  No failures.  My other Mac Mini has been on for over 1.5 years.  Nothing.  And Mac Minis don't even have fans!

We were ready to throw it away.  Not only would the kids lose a game box.  All of us would lose our Netflix streaming machine.  So, I did a bit of research at the Xbox site.  Found out the warranty for extends to 3 years when you have 3 red lights.  Well, alright!  They are shipping us the label to send the Xbox to the repair facility.  They fix it and send it back.  No charge.  And an extended warranty.  OK Microsoft, I'm singing your praises on this one.  Don't let me down.  I'm using Macs, iPhones, iPods.  Once Microsoft loses us with this box, we will be Microsoft free.  The coming Zune HD shows promise.  But, my iPod (160GB Classic) can be controlled by my car stereo and fits in my Logitech doc (as does my iPhone.)

Well, Microsoft has us for a bit longer.  We shall see how the repaired Xbox 360 lasts.

OK, This is Cool

The Wizzer, from Mattel:



and of course, Hot Wheels!

Excited and Depressed

OK, these should be mutually exclusive.  But, in this case, they're not.  I went into the Apple Store at Northpoint mall today to get a technical question answered.  That took about 1 minute.  On the way out of the store, I stopped to look at the newest MacBook Pro 15".  The same model I bought just over 1 year ago is WAY better than mine.  It's the new single shell aluminum body (less flexing, high quality), 2.53 GHz processor, twice the ram to 4GB (faster too), 250GB of disk (more than my 200), the new LED screen, an SD card slot, 256MB shared VRAM (OK, mine is dedicated!), faster bus speed than mine (1066 vs my 800).  Here's the kicker, it's $1,699.  I paid $1,999 for mine.  The only thing I got that was better was the dedicated video memory.  If I wanted to pay the same today, I'd get a 2.66 GHz processor (mine is 2.4 at present), all the stuff above, 256 of dedicated VRAM with a faster video processor and a 320GB hard drive, And this machines is REALLY fast. 

OK, must make tons of money so I can get this and hand down this old clunker I have.  Just 1 hour ago I loved it.  Now, I feel cheated. 

Not a Good Thing

South Carolina.  A place for good beach vacations.  Golf courses.  Good restaurants.  Fun times.  PRIDE.  In the 1830's, South Carolina threatened to succeed from the union.  TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.  President Jackson (my hometown was named after him) talked them down.  Then 30 years later, South Carolina was fed up with a growing central government which wanted to control everything.  South Caroline left the United States.  NO (for those folks who know nothing about history), not because of slavery.  Why?  TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!  Slavery was going away (I wish due to moral reasons, but more so in this case due to economic reasons.)  South Carolina, like most southern states, did not want it's economy to be "controlled" by an overbearing federal government, much like the original 13 did not want their economies controlled by the crown. 

Read this!  http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/04/south.carolina.sanford.stimulus/index.html.  The federal government and now the South Carolina State Supreme Court is forcing South Carolina to take funds it does not want nor need.  Why?  The Feds are doing this so they can then control the state.  The State Supreme Court is because even they are out for the power they believe comes with this money.  The governor is doing the right thing.  But, not so with the "masses".  When the governor announced his plans, lawsuits were filed by two students and a school administrators' association that sought to force the state to accept the stimulus money, some of which will go for education needs.  These lawsuits have now ended with this ruling.  It was bad enough fighting the feds  But to have to fight your own people?  Where do they think this money comes from?  Do they think it's just 'free money"?  It's not.  It's either our money or it's borrowed from China.  It all has to be repaid.  I'm all for funding education.  It should trump welfare, healthcare, sports stadiums and more.  BUT, if you don't have it, you don't have it.

South Carolina should say "NO".  Our declaration of independence and the constitution are sacred.  Perhaps the only things better are the words of Jesus himself.  I hope South Carolina defies the Federal Government and shows them that the STATES are sovereign lands.  THEY and their people own the Federal Government.  And power flows from the STATES telling the Feds what to do.  At the state level, elected officials and employees there work for the people.  That doesn't mean they do what the people/masses want them to do.  It means they do what best represents their interests.

OK, I"m glad that is out!  Time to enjoy life.  And perhaps only with power at the people level can we really enjoy life.  With our rights to Life, Libery and the Pursuit of Happiness!

Is Democracy the Killer of Liberty? Interesting Article

See the article (link) below.  Many folks not too much younger than me (and some older) rant on and on about democracy not realizing that our founding fathers specifically did not want our country to be a democracy.  And for many good reasons.  Here's an article that talks about why TODAY we don't want a pure democracy but more so, why we DO want to preserve our liberties.

Read On!

Chris has Graduated

My son graduated from Alpharetta High School last week.  Last Saturday was the ceremony, held at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, located here in Alpharetta.  The pics are located here.  Below are video clips.  I'd love for these clips to be in 1 file, fully size and HD.  But, the modern world just isn't there yet.  I've had to down sample and reduce size just to get these to publish here at Smugmug and also at Blip.tv.  It's even harder to publish good stuff at YouTube.  Oh well, there here!

A Great Picture Book

My oldest son, Chris, is about to graduate from high school.  My wife and and I really want to leave him with as many memories about home as possible.  One of the cool things we've done is produce a picture book for him.  A real book!  Bound and with a dust cover.  These are now SO easy to design and have bound.  I used a service called Blurb.  They provide book designing software at no charge (OS X and WIndows) called BookSmart.  When you're done, you merely upload the book and then order it.  You can order hardback and softback.  With a dust jacket or not.  Premium paper or not.  Then you can make the book public or not.  And then of course share it with family or friends who may want to buy a copy.  Great stuff!

Go look at my book about Chris!

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/665960

Pressure Washer on my Driveway

Last week I purchased a Husky electric pressure washer.  It was only $99.  To rent a gasoline engine pressure washer costs this much.  Sure, these rentals have many more PSI than my electric one (1500).  But, my electric one won't break the concrete apart.  

Now that I've finished the driveway and the walkway to the front door, I got to thinking.  How nice it would be to have the driveway my grandparents had.  It was just oyster shells.  When my grandfather or grandmother pulled into the driveway, you'd hear this crushing sound.  The dogs got excited and so did the grandkids. WOW, I sure miss that.  It was SOOOOO real.  If you needed more shells, you just drove out to Mayport and took them off of someone.  OK, it hurt to walk on the driveway barefoot.  So, we wore shoes.

I also remember that the asphalt on our streets had shells mixed in to bulk up the asphalt.  Here in Georgia, we have rocks.  It was so fun on a hot summer day to find sharks' teeth in the street!

We even had dirt roads around my house up to the early 70's  Where are the shell driveways, the dirt roads and the use of sea shells in our roads?  What do kids do on a hot, boring summer day?

Oh well, back to pressure washing!

Are Times Bad or Good?

I was chatting with a friend today discussing whether times were down a little or really bad.  So, I ran a few numbers on one of my favorite devices.  My HP12C (see below).  I found some interesting comparisons from 1983, when I graduated from the University of Florida, and today.  Here goes:

 - My first job was with Atlantic Bank in Jacksonville, FL (now part of the Wells Fargo company).  I made $15K per year (well below what my friends were making.)  If you assumed 5% per year inflation over those 26 years (average), that would be equal to $53K today.  Are most college grads getting out of school and getting at least $53K per year?  I don't think so.  That's deflation you can believe in!

 - Gasoline back in 1983 (April) was around $1.25 per gallon.  If we assume the same 5% inflation and 26 years, gas should cost $4.44.  It is much lower than that!

 - GDP per Capita in 1983 was $15,008.21.  Given the above variables, it should be $53,364.28.  It is estimated to have been $47,000 in 2008.  A little slip there.  Not keeping up with inflation.

 - 30 year fixed rate mortgages went for about 13% in 1983.  They are now around 4.75%.  That's a huge drop.

 - Phone bills are dead cheap today.  If you are young and need a phone, you can get an all you can eat service from Boost Mobile for $50 per month.  That covers the entire US.  OR, for $3 per month for Skype Unlimited US.  DSL from AT&T will run $30 (and includes hotspot access all across the US.)  The two cost $33.  $33 is $9.28 in 1983.  I know I paid more than that back then.  You had to pay for the line, the phone lease, wierd taxes and the dreaded long distance.

What's the answer?  Not sure.  I think times are better.  Much better.  BUT, I do miss one thing from back then.  The "party line".  My grandparents had one at their lake cabin.  It was so much fun to listen in on other people's conversations!

Chris in the Alpharetta High Talent Show 2009

A Lego Jesus

I have copied this story from the Gates of Vienna blog.  If you know me, you'll understand this story.

Christians Outraged by Jesus Made out of Lego

April 12 (Associated Reuters) — Christians took to the streets all across Scandinavia today to protest the unveiling of a statue of Jesus made entirely out of Lego blocks.

Gangs of rioting youths threw paving stones and bottles, broke shop windows, set cars on fire, burned Israeli flags, and chased hapless Jews down side streets.

One angry demonstrator, dressed in an “I (heart) Jesus” T-shirt and wearing a cross around his neck, told reporters that Christianophobia must not be tolerated. “They can’t insult our Savior this way! There are 2.1 billion Christians in the world, and we will not sit idly by while our Messiah is dishonored!”

He added, “I believe in free speech, but there are limits.”

The Swedish government assured the Christian community that the perpetrators of this cowardly act would be found swiftly and brought to justice.

For more, go here.

Skype on iPhone and iPod Touch

Since I've been working mostly internationally since 1996, I've seen my share of high phone bills.  High speed Internet connections, at hotels, at home, at Wifi hotspots all have made the Internet a more interesting place to made and receive phone calls.  We have all heard of voice or IP or VOIP.  Many of us have tried Vonage at home.  Or if you're a techie, you've downloaded Asterisk and tried to run your own PBX at home (or at the office, I've done both.)  And since the founding of Skype in 2003, many have used it on their Macs and PCs for it's ease of use and for it's cost savings on international calls.  BUT, the real win is the use of Skype is on a handheld, anywhere, anytime.

I purchased a Nolia E61 back in late 2006 (see post here).  It has Wifi and a built-in SIP client.  SIP stands for session initiation protocol and is THE VOIP standard.  Great I thought.  Unfortunately, Skype is proprietary and does not use SIP.  I have been using the phone with Gizmo (www.gizmo5.com).  HOWEVER, it takes a while to get it all setup.  The phone has a horrible and difficult to manage user interface.  Each time you go somewhere else, you have to go through painful setup (for Wifi and for the SIP settings.)  And nobody KNOWS Gizmo.  And I don't want to run an Asterisk PBX in my home office anymore.  And even if I did, I'd have to pay for outbound calls via a voice service plan.  YUK.  So, I use the phone now and then, primarly with other SIM cards when I am somewhere else in the world.  And for the occasional cheap call back home via Gizmo.

Skype is simple, at least on my Mac it is.  I have a Skype world plan which for $10 per month.  I can call land lines all over the world at no additional cost and I can call mobile lines in the US, Canada, China and Singapore.  For calling mobile numbers elsewhere or land lines in more remote countries, I can use Skype Out credit.  UNFORTUNTELY, there is no Skype client for my Nokia E61.  Only for the Nokia N810 (which will not support mobile communications.)  It look great and is as easy to use on the 810 as it is on my Mac. 

Well, we are almost there now.  Skype for the iPhone is now here (and works on the iPod touch.)  On the iPhone, you can use Skype via the Wifi part of the iPhone.  COOL.  BUT, you cannot use it over a mobile connection.  Damn you AT&T and Apple.  Skype should work well over 3G, at least for voice.  Oh well.

Skype soon too will support SIP.  This means that a Skype can connect with corporate phone servers that support SIP.  Damn, it's all almost there.  I guess we have a few more years before Shangri-La.

I would like to buy a minimal iPod Touch, just for Wifi Skype calling.  I would love to be somewhere in the world, find a free hotspot, pull out my iPod Touch and use Skype to call home.  FREE.  When I login to Skype, I'm a US subscription user.  So, calling a mobile in Atlanta, from, say, Tokyo, via Skype on an iPod Touch, would be included in my subscription for no additional charges.  Unfortunately, the iPod Touch, even with 32GB, is hardly an iPod.  My iPod is 160GB.  So, this device would merely be a "Skype" device.  ARGHHH.  I want an unlocked iPhone which supports WCDMA and HSPDA (for 3G), MMS, Skype over 3G and Wifi, Skype via SIP, with Twitter and Facebook apps, with 160GBs of space, all on a solid state drive and all for only $199 and of course on T-Mobile.  Are all these vendors listening?

Sandalwood Commencement 1979

A scan from almost 30 years ago.  Should be interesting at the reunion this summer.

Download Sandalwood Commencement 1979

Filmed in Atlanta

A media group here in Atlanta called TechDrawl filmed me a few weeks ago talking about my company, Salestrakr.  The founders of TechDrawl are Ben and Celia Dyer.  Ben is famous in Atlanta as he founded Peachtree Software back in the late 70's.  Since that time he has founded other firms and invested in many.  

Take a peak!

Salestrakr from Celia Dyer for TechDrawl on Vimeo.

Must have more garage space!

2002 Sea Doo GTX 4-Tec

Rarely used (40 hours), 2002 Sea Doo, GTX 4Tec model. Kept in garage. Includes a Sea Doo cover, 4 Sea Doo vests (2 adult size, 2 children size), a battery charger and of course the trailer. Includes 1 full digital key and 1 learner digital key. New battery. Garaged.

Information

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Steve Youngblood

+14044513943

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Price: $6,000.00

Flexibility: Firm

Other Details: 4 Stroke Engine. Garaged. Only run in fresh water.

Features

Make: Sea Doo

Model: GTX 4Tec

Year: 2002

Condition: Perfect

Exterior Color: Blue

Category: Personal Watercraft

Hull Type: Fiberglass

Warranty: none

Horsepower: 155

Engine Type: 3 cylinder

Engine Size: 1.5 liter

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What's Rena Up To?

Rena has been with the Georgia Charter Schools Association for the past six months as their Director of Membership and Member Business Services.  Here is a news brief from the Atlanta NBC affiliate on their group!

Information Syndication

Many of my friends keep up to date on my personal status.  Some see it on Facebook, some see it on this blog, some see it where I updated it.  I update my status via Twitter.  I do this on the web, via a Mac app called Twitterific or via Twitterberry on my Blackberry.  I use all of these to create Twitter posts.  These in turn are made available to other web properties via "Really Simple Syndication" or RSS.  That RSS feed is then inserted into this blog.  Further, my Twitter posts are repurposed into my Facebook profile as a status update.  

If that's not enough, this post will show as a post in my Facebook profile.  And when I move pictures to my smugmug site, those pictures show as a feed here in this site.

Further, this post is automatically posted to blog aggregation sites and even makes it to places like Plaxo (as does Twitter posts.)  So, be careful what you say out there.  

Mac vs. PC

OK, it's funny.  And some good movie making.

Streaming Netflix

We've had a Netflix account for a while now.  I forget what we pay.  But, we receive DVDs in the mail, watch them, send them back and then others arrive.  We logon to the Netflix site and constantly keep a list of desired movies up to date.

In 2007, Netflix began to allow subscribers to stream movies direct to the PC.  Unfortunately for me, PC means Windows.  And I have Macs.  Well, OK.  My MacBook Pro has a Boot Camp partition that runs Vista. But, that partition is for testing only. 

Well, in 2008, Netflix allowed XBox 360 owners to stream movies via their consoles (if you have an XBox LIVE Gold membership).  And FINALLY at the end of the year, Netflix allowed Macs to stream movies.  On the PC, streaming works with IE and Firefox (via Microsoft Siliverlight.)  On the Mac, streaming works with Firefox and Safari.  See the graphic to the right.  The quality is outstanding on my Mac.  And the player allows for full screen.  The quality is also good on our Xbox 360 (to a Vizio 37" 1080i LCD TV.)

I just watched a 9/11 conspiracy documentary yesterday.  A great slam documentary on Enron.  There are over 15,000 titles.  TV?  DVR?  TiVo?  What are those?  They are so 2008!

 

A Country Funeral

This past Monday we went to the funeral for my wife's grandmother.  Her name was Lassie Payne.  She turned 89 on January 10th.  It just so happens that's my birthday. 

http://www.accessnorthga.com/access/obituaries.php?m=detail&id=33639

If you haven't been to one of these events in the countryside, you've really missed something.  Funerals in the city are somber and sad.  There are usually tear jerking sermons in a church with a closed coffin all pointing to the "end" of a person's life.  Funerals in the countryside are always different.  Family and friends gather in a small funeral home with an open casket.  Yes, you see the person.  While you see their resting body, the site of it says somehow "they are still alive".  And if you are a believing Christian, this is definitely true.  Family and friends don't seem somber.  They seem happy.  After all, this is a reunion of sorts.  All the arrangements on this day were managed by Whitfield Funeral Home of Baldwin, Georgia.

After a certain amount of time, we said a prayer and then went to our cars, already lined up, and headed to the cemetery.  Each of our cars had a flag on it saying "funeral".  On the roads there were 4 police cars waiting for the processional.  Then we were escorted, front and back, by the police with their lights flashing.  Our cars had their headlights turned on.  Cars pulled off of the road and waited for the processional to go by.  Just like when I was a kid in Jacksonville, FL.  This is exactly how it went with Lassie's ride to the Tate’s Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. 

At graveside, a country preacher from nearby, gave a brief sermon and a remembrance of the life of "Mama Lassie".  Instead of a final prayer, he sang, and really good I might add, "Amazing Grace".  WOW.  Preachers out there can move you with words and song.

See you in the future Mama Lassie!

Christmas at Johns Creek Baptist Church - 2008

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Video Seven

Chris Goes Acoustic

Chris plays at an acoustic show on Saturday, December 13, 2008.

Who Reads This Stuff Anyway?

One of the great things about a blog is having a select readership.  My family never comes here.  Perfect.  I can say things I don't want them to hear, publish those things to the Web and never worry!  So, here goes.  For Christmas, I bought my wife and kids a karaoke machine.  A very popular one.  Last month I was in the Philippines.  And there, karaoke is big time.  So, I searched down the top system by the top maker and bought it.  It's the Magic Sing ET-18000 (WOW Concerto). 

Here are some of the key features:

• Easily follow songs using the new Multiplex Function.
• My Mic (100 customized songs)
• Customizable Picture Background using an SD Card
• Picture Background Themes
• Name That Tune Game
• Musical Notes
• Jump Feature (Prelude/Interlude)
• Score Board Function
• Real Time Song Search
• 35 feet wireless distance (open site).
• Dual microphone base.
• Remote control.
• 2 wireless microphones.
• All-In-One digital karaoke with improved picture quality and clearer vocal sounds.
• 2,064 built-in English songs.
• Upgradeable with 4 song chip expansion slots.
• 17 melody instruments for background music.
• Built-in USB Interface
• Ability to change voice/pitch to male or female.
• Battery charge status indicator.
• Team game and competition functions.
• Singing tutor function. Green color if you are too fast or too slow. Blue color if your pitch is too low. Red if your pitch is too high. Black if you are in perfect sync. * Full karaoke functions including adjustable key/tempo/echo.
• 20 song reservation while in play.
• Built-in memory for 8 minutes recordings & playback.Built-in external video background input (VCD, DVD, Video Camera).
• Audio output mode (Amplifier or TV).

I look forward to having fun with my family and friends with this.  Just have to get them all OK with not worrying about how good or bad they think they sound.  It's all about PARTICIPATION.  Fun just naturally follows.

Damn, that's fast!

I sent off my MacBook Pro this past week to Apple to be repaired.  I purchased this machine in the spring.  Somehow, I needed to have the "top case" and the keyboard replaced.  Apple sent out a box to me with instructions on how to pack my Mac for shipping.  On Monday, I set out to DHL to drop off the box.  Before I exited my neighborhood, I saw a yellow DHL van go by.  I chased the van and driver down and sure enough, it was the guy who delivered the box earlier.  I handed him the package and off it went.  The next day, election day, it was in Houston ready to be repaired.  It was repaired on Wednesday and shipped.  On Thursday, it was brought to my front door.  And my machine is like new again.  AMAZING.  I'm glad I bought the full 3 year warranty called AppleCare. 

Now I have to plan on how I can take best advantage of my new MacBook.  I think I'll give it to my son as he heads off to Georgia Southern next fall.  He's using my older PowerBook G4 12" and it's still a kickin' machine.  But, the new MacBook has a web cam and I'm sure we'll want to be able to see him while he's off at school.

Another Mac in the Family

I bought a MacBook Pro 15" earlier this year.  Great machine.  But, even the greatest can have problems.  Seems that since June or so, the keyboard and trackpad would quit responding.  I tried everything.  Archive and install, erase and install.  Nope.  I could most of the time close the lid, wait and reopen and they'd be back.  Only to out again.  Sometimes I'd remove the power supply, shutdown the machine (using my bluetooth Might Mouse) and then remove the battery.  Many times that would fix it for hours.  Then, out again. 

So, I have a full 3 year warranty and thus I sent it back for repair.  BUT, I need a machine.  I gave my Powerbook G4 to my son.  I can't go without a machine.  I can do nothing without one.  So, I used Time Machine and backed up my MacBook Pro before shipping it.  I then went to the Apple store here in Alpharetta and bought a new MacBook (13").  I then attached it to the Time Machine backup drive and instantly, I had my old machine resident in the new machine (minus the trackpad/keyboard problem).  I shipped the MacBook Pro on Monday, it arrived on Tuesday and was fixed today.  It should be back here by Friday.  So, luckily, I have a great back up now at all times.

Technology Utility

I took a trip this past weekend to the sticks.  I used a driver to get me there (that's right, a driver, I'm not in the US).  I brought with me my Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 compact speaker unit.  Of course, I had my iPod too.  The two together can fill a room.  And a Toyota Corolla too.  Was our boombox for 6 hours of travel time. 

This device may not represent something really new.  But, a great repackaging it is.  I love this device.  We eliminated our kitchen boombox and now use this when we want music there.

It supports the iPhone too (which is a phone/iPod combo actually.)

 

OK, this is cool!

I downloaded yesterday the draft bill of the ‘‘Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008’’.  All the news sites had it posted the moment Congress posted it here:  http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/financialsvcs_dem/ayo08c04_xml.pdf.  Sure, secrets and national security items cannot be made available to all, but this is something that should be viewed by all and analyzed heavily to ensure that no wasteful inclusions are present.  This bill should be not designed to enhance "green" initiatives or improve home ownership stats.  It's not here to punish STUPID bankers.  I don't even care to punish STUPID and GREEDY and MARXIST Democrats who lowered lending standards in the 90's and ushered in financial instability.  At this point, we just need to fix the situation, change the rules and move on towards economic growth.

Anyway, I liked being able to see this right as it was being published.  I've actually read it and am writing my congressman today.

Is the world really that small?

I don't think it is yet. From a technology point of view. Sure, Skype, Gizmo and Yahoo Voice are good ways to reach out to friends across the globe and have a conversation for free. Including video. Assuming both sides are using the same service. But, most of us are out and about and our common communications medium is the mobile phone. In our cars, in trains, in our homes, at the ball field.

Unfortunately, the rates charged by mobile phone companies for calling internationally are still very high and so, we don't call each other.  Sure, you can subscribe to Vonage at home and get free calls to land lines in Europe.  But, we are a mobile society.  I want mobile to mobile anywhere in the world at a good price.  Well, it just isn't here. And the US is cheaper in this regard than most other places.

Recently, I received a mobile phone bill with $1000 in additional charges.  Mind you that I have an unlimited US minutes plan, with unlimited US SMS, unlimited Blackberry email all for $130.  The $1000 was for calls made around the globe as I launch my new company Salestrakr (http://www.salestrakr.com).  This is in sane.  If I had stopped at a wifi hotspot, I could have used Skype Out minutes and paid substantially less.  But, I'm usually in my car or somewhere away from my computer. So my mobile phone is my lifeline. And I guess the mobile phone companies know this is the case. And even if there were everywhere wifi (wimax), the mobile and telephony companies would be the owners and would still find a way to make communications expensive and thus limited.

Of course, the 747 still rules the sky.  It entered commercial service in 1970 and still carries the bulk of the world's passengers on long haul flights.  It still flies at a cruising speed of 567 mph.  So, I guess if we can't fly any faster in almost 40 years, why should we be able to communicate any easier.  Moore's law may be at work for some time, but humans have found a way around it and charge money for nothing.

 

 

Back Even More

I went to an ears, nose and throat doctor this week to address the tinnitus and smell/taste problems I'm having. Unfortunately, I hear well and thus it's harder to see what's going on in there. I can smell and taste some too. So, the nerves in there just need time to heal. And, the inner ear bones that are causing the tinnitus just need time. So, I just have to be patient.

The good new is my head. I am able to rest on the back of my head now with no problem. And, the scar is disappearing in hair. I said HAIR. I think I have more than before. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking. Take a peak for yourself.