Mod-Blog

Truth on Fatherhood & Snow

2012-01-09T06:37:00.001-05:00

Brilliant - Why movie theaters are failing

2012-01-05T17:55:00.001-05:00

Source: http://ustelevision.com

Merry Christmas from Mod-Blog!

2011-12-25T07:45:00.001-05:00

iTunes Problem: Won't add new items to library

2011-12-20T15:24:00.004-05:00

I ran across a problem this morning and after scouring the internet found NO ONE who had an answer. So, I am posting it here in case anyone else has a similar problem in the future.

Running: iTunes 10.5.2 under MacOS X 10.7.2

Triggering Event: Due to my own lack of attention, I allowed my hard drive to run out of space. When iTunes tried to update its library file, it was unable to do anything due to lack of space and posted an error something like "Unable to complete operation because the file can not be found." (At the time, I did not know this would cause a larger issue, so I did not capture the exact text.)

Symptoms: After this point, new media (movies, TV shows, music) could not be added to my iTunes library. I could drag it onto the window, download it via Home Share, etc. - and it would go to the right folder - but it would never show as part of my library. Attempts to manually run the media via drag-and-drop from the file system were successful, but they were not visible in iTunes nor by AppleTV.

Resolution: It appears that the problem was a corrupted "iTunes Library.itl" file. To correct:

1. I identified the time of the last successful add to my iTunes library (select the movie, and select File/Get Info, check the Info tab)
2. I closed iTunes
3. I went to the folder %hard drive%/Users/%username%/Music/iTunes
4. I located the current "iTunes Library.itl" file
5. I renamed the file to "iTunes Libary Bad.itl"
6. I used Time Machine to navigate back to my backups to a time just AFTER that successful add.
7. I selected the "iTunes Library.itl" file from the backup, seleted it, clicked [RESTORE] (lower right of your screen)
8. When asked where to place it, I selected the same folder from step #3
9. There was a pause while the file was retrieved from backup
10. I opened iTunes and noticed all of my settings were back to before the hard drive issue
11. I went to %hard drive%/Users/%username%/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music
12. I located the media I wanted back in my library (movies are in the "Movies" folder INSIDE the "iTunes Music folder")
13. I dragged and dropped the media onto the iTunes window
14. The media appeared correctly in the window

That's it. Hope this is useful to someone, someday.

Happy Hanukkah!

2011-12-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

The festival of lights begins tonight at sundown.

Me too

2011-12-18T07:59:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Santa Vader

2011-12-15T14:01:00.000-05:00

Bumper Stickers: My Thoughts EXACTLY

2011-12-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

Things that make you go "Hmmmm...."

2011-12-06T07:33:00.001-05:00

I am one of a select group of humans on the planet who enjoyed Waterworld and who thinks it holds up well. But I must admit the Duck has a point.

Excellent review of eReaders (Kindle, Nook, etc.)

2011-12-03T10:07:00.003-05:00

If you're in the market for an electronic book reader this season, there are a myriad of different options: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iPad, Fire, etc. It is hard for a new consumer to know what to do. So, it is nice when someone sits down and really does the leg-work with a number of different readers, so consumers can see their real choices. In this case, the author focussed on the new eInk readers on the market.

The low-end, non-touch Kindle 4 is actually my favorite e-reader today. It lacks the easier text selection and periodical navigation of the touch readers, and it’s effectively impossible to type on, but neither of those interfere with the most common actions when reading. It’s faster, thinner, and lighter than all of the touch readers, the interface makes the most sense and is the most responsive, and it works best with Instapaper.

My own advice goes two ways:

1. If you are the kind of reader who needs to be able to sit down and read a book from cover to virtual cover in one sitting, or who reads dozens of books in the course of a month, buy a Kindle model. Amazon has the best selection, the best deals, and eInk is very easy on the eyes.

2. But if you're an average reader who reads a book for an hour or less a day, and tends to finish one book or less per month, consider an Apple iPad (or Kindle Fire, if you're cash-strapped). The iPad offers apps to read books from ALL the major bookstores, and offers you more options for non-book-related activities.

(3. The Kindle Fire is a cheaper choice if you want a color tablet that allows excellent web browsing. But since it locks you into the Amazon store, is much slower than the iPad, and lacks an eInk screen for long-term reading, it is not the better choice. Although if you want a 7" LCD tablet, it is your best choice.)

CarrierIQ Responds

2011-12-02T06:11:00.003-05:00

Posted here in the interest of fairness - Carrier IQ's official response to allegations of wiretapping and spyware.

“The software receives a huge amount of information from the operating system,” Andrew Coward, Carrier IQ’s VP of marketing, told AllThingsD. “But just because it receives it doesn’t mean that it’s being used to gather intelligence about the user or passed along to the carrier.”

“It’s the operator that determines what data is collected,” says Carrier IQ CEO Larry Lenhart. “They make that decision based on their privacy standards and their agreement with their users, and we implement it.”

The operating system makers blame the carriers. The hardware makers blame the carriers. The software company itself blames the carriers. Verizon says "not us!" This may not be a good holiday season to be a cellular company that sells smart phones.

The Joy of Tech on CarrierIQ

2011-12-01T21:23:00.001-05:00

CarrierIQ: Your SmartPhone Is Spying On You

2011-12-01T08:29:00.004-05:00

I've been tweeting about his for days, but it is now big enough that this issue requires a blog post. Independent security researchers (and hackers) have discovered a rootkit installed to most smart phones sold by the major American cellular carriers. Called CarrierIQ, this rootkit monitors and captures nearly everything you do on your smart phone including your location, every phone number you call, every web request you make, every key you type, and every App that you run. It has been found on Android phones, WebOS phones, BlackBerry phones, and other Nokia phones. It is unclear what information is actually being sent to each carrier, but there is the capability here for your carrier to literally know everything you do with your smartphone, whether you're on their network or on Wifi.

(Apple iPhones appear to have less-extreme version that tightly controls what is gathered and can be turned off in the Settings app. It is important to note that Google's stock Android phones (Google Nexus line, etc.) are clean of this rootkit. It is being added by manufacturers and carriers.)

This scandal is still blowing up, and it is unclear what the final fallout will be. But it appears your wireless carrier - in the name of improving service - may have been spying on nearly every aspect of your online life.

NOTE: To turn off CarrierIQ on your iPhone, go to Settings, General > About > Diagnostics & Usage, click "Don't Send". If you want to see what is being sent, check out "Diagnostic & Usage Data" instead. (At this point, I am leaving mine set to "Automatically Send."

It's funny what the little things tell people about you...

2011-11-30T11:20:00.001-05:00

HOW TO: Wrap Gifts

2011-11-29T09:00:00.004-05:00

Every Christmas season, I am thankful to QuizWedge's mother who taught me how to wrap gifts at my very first paying job. (I wrapped hundreds of gifts for her clients.) But every year, I have to carefully dig up the lessons from memory and work hard to warm up the old muscle memory. So, as a service to Mod-Bloggers (and everyone else), RealSimple.Com has up a great how-to on wrapping gifts. If your presents always wind up looking like a mish-mash, this may be the key to improving your presentation!

Made me laugh

2011-11-27T17:40:00.000-05:00

From here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday, CRChair!

2011-11-21T06:07:00.003-05:00

Let's all wish CRChair a VERY happy birthday. He's a good brother, a great friend, and a faithful member of the Mod-Blog team. Please leave your birthday wishes below in the comments.

If you need to laugh today...

2011-11-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

Zynga Takes Back Stock Options

2011-11-17T15:45:00.004-05:00

Zynga, a company famous for its many online games such as FarmVille and Words With Friends has issued an ultimatum to some of its employees: give up some of your unvested stock options or be fired. Being fired, they would lose all of their unvested stock options. When choosing to work at a startup, stock options are typically part of the benefits package and may be given in lieu of a market salary. Zynga said that they are trying to balance expected payout with performance and reclaim some options to give out to attract new talent. What Zynga is doing is wrong. Personally, I would be leery of joining a company with stock options that had just taken some back from employees.

A Moderate's Take on Occupy Wall Street's Eviction

2011-11-16T09:06:00.002-05:00

Being a moderate is not refusing to take a side. It is having a mind open to both sides of an argument, willing to listen and sensitive to perspectives. It also means willing to call out sloppy and foolish thinking when it rears its head. The eviction of Occupy Wall Street from Zucotti Park is a good example of this kind of thing. Liberals see it as black, Conservatives see it as white. The truth in in between.

The Case Against the Protesters

On the one hand, the comments by protesters show their complete loss of context. They criticized police for "destroying my home", for "exercising authority I do not recognize", and "evicting people without due process". A park is NOT a home. You don't own it by squatting there. And the authority of the NYPD over a NY park is not in question. It was right to clean out and clean up the park. The violence and health risks in the camp needed to be addressed, and the NYC authorities have shown remarkable restraint up until now.

The Case For the Protesters

On the other hand, the protesters are exercising their rights of free speech, free assembly, and the vast majority were peaceful. So, they have a point when they object to being forcibly removed AND not allowed to return. While we are annoyed and bored with the whole thing, we can't deny them these rights. At the very least, we must ensure they have somewhere else to gather (although not necessarily to encamp). Remember, the whole point of free assembly and peaceful protest is to allow an airing of ideas that are contrary to the establishment without requiring violence. The annoyance that we feel is the weapon they have to draw our attention to what they perceive as great evils. If we deny them this outlet, their only alternatives will be to tolerate evil or fight it violently (i.e. with riots).

Ignore or deride Occupy Wall Street (or the Tea Party for that matter) at your own risk. Better to engage them in dialogue... if they are willing.

Breast Milk contains Stem Cells

2011-11-15T06:47:00.002-05:00

The use and harvest of stem cells has been a moral quagmire for the last decade. On the one hand, stem cells - the undifferentiated cells that will eventually form all of the highly-specialized cells throughout your body - could be extremely useful for treating diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, the primary source for stem cells is aborted fetuses, many of whom were created and aborted specifically to harvest these cells. When one believes human life begins at conception, it is a case of trading one human life for another, without consent.

But new research may offer hope for stem cell therapies without the moral complications. It turns out breast milk may be up to 2% stem cells. This may provide a cheap and renewable source of stem cells for research and therapy, and may allow pregnant women to "bank" a supply of stem cells during their reproductive years for use later on if they develop disease.

Star Wars vs Social Ills

2011-11-14T06:10:00.003-05:00

Can't help wondering if they had to can Jar-Jar's anti-drug campaign. "Meesa no like whoopie-whoopie pills!"

Equal Time - Rick Perry Fights Back with Humor

2011-11-11T12:11:00.001-05:00

Points for trying!

Farewell, Rick Perry Campaign. We hardly knew ye.

2011-11-10T07:20:00.004-05:00

Last Night: Governor Rick Perry

1992: Admiral Stockdale

REMINDER: 2 PM is the first NATIONAL test of the emergency broadcasting system

2011-11-09T07:44:00.004-05:00

Today is the first ever test of the National Emergency Broadcasting system, which can only be triggered by the White House. It will go off at 2 PM EST, and will preempt all television and radio programming for about 1 minute. Some radios and TVs may turn on automatically in response to the signal, and some may fail to show the "This is only a test" infographic. But don't panic - it is only a test.

Adobe Surrenders in the Flash Wars

2011-11-09T06:07:00.002-05:00

When the iPhone was released, Apple was castigated for one serious omission in their otherwise superlative web browser - THERE WAS NO FLASH PLAYER! Flash had been an important part of making the web more interactive. Surely, Steve Jobs wouldn't exclude this important technology, right? "Not so," pronounced Apple, "HTML5 could do everything Flash did, and better, with superior battery life for mobile devices." The critics grumbled, but consoled themselves that eventually Apple would come around. And competing mobile Operating Systems made "Flash support" a central part of their marketing campaigns.

Five years, five iPhones, and two iPads later, Apple still hasn't included Flash and yet remains the dominant player in the mobile space (although Android now ships more phones). And Adobe? Adobe has surrendered, ceasing all development of Flash for Mobile Browsers. Instead, they will focus all efforts on enabling developers to build Apps and deploy HTML5 solutions.

Election Day!

2011-11-08T07:53:00.002-05:00

It's election day! Use this Google Gadget below to find your local polling place!

Will Cain-Gingrich debates remind us of Lincoln-Douglas?

2011-11-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

Political debates have steadily devolved over the decades from critical discussions of important issues into soundbite showcases, where candidates struggle to belt out pithy one-liners in hopes they'll make it onto the evening news. This frustrates candidates - who feel their nuanced positions are reduced to slogans - and it frustrates voters - who feel like they're not voting for a candidate, but for a bumper sticker. So, it is exciting to see two of the major Republican candidates experimenting with a different style. Calling back to the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates which solidified Abraham Lincoln as the leader of the anti-slavery movement in the Republican party.

The long-form format of the Cain-Gingrich debate will consist of only three or four basic questions, a moderator who will try to stay out of the picture and a great deal of crossdiscussion.

The debate will focus on federal entitlement spending — on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Gingrich will be specifically required to defend his criticism — later retracted — of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to reduce a $14 trillion deficit.

Cain will be required to explain the intricacies of his “9-9-9” plan — a measure that includes a 9 percent corporate tax rate, a 9 percent personal income tax rate and a 9 percent national sales tax.

Will this work? Will it cause the fortunes of these two men to rise or fall? I have no idea. In modern America, we sometimes expect our candidates to be shrink-wrapped perfection. But it is a bold and interesting experiment, and if it can raise the tone and incrase the depth of the current cycle, I am all for it.

Rights can't be taken, but you can lose them

2011-11-04T11:57:00.004-05:00

Our society is obsessed with Rights. We invoke them at every turn to justify all kinds of stupid and antisocial behavior. So, it is nice every once in a while to be reminded that even the most sacred rights can be lost, if you actively abuse them. The Right to an Attorney is one of the most basic rights in the Constituion, guaranteeing fair trials, but even that is not absolute.

Monson, 28, already charged with attacking two defense attorneys, allegedly stabbed his third attorney Tuesday.

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge David Kurtz refused to declare a second mistrial. Instead, the judge ruled Monson has forfeited his right to be represented by counsel because of his courtroom behavior. The judge cited case law. He told Monson he's on his own in a trial on a felony drug charge.

Remember, folks, Rights aren't magic words that automatically get you out of trouble. They are cherished protections offered by God or by Law, to preserve freedom and ensure justice. Respect your Rights, or be ready to lose them!

OLPC continues its descent into madness

2011-11-03T06:59:00.004-05:00

I was very excited about the potential of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project at its outset. The dream of putting a working, low power computer into the hands of poor children to empower education was exciting. And the prospect of escaping a world of $1000+ portable computing was engaging as well.

But the reality of OLPC has been depressing. The OLPC XO-1 was delivered underpowered (both in terms of CPU and battery life) and overpriced. It failed to make serious inroads in poor nations, and generally wound up becoming expensive doorstops and showpieces for donors to the "Get One Give One" program. It's real legacy was showing computer makers that there was a demand for low-priced, highly portable computers, which lead to the Netbook revolution and ultimately set the stage for game-changers like the iPad.

But still, the OLPC project's founder continues to dream dreams with no connection with reality. The newest brainstorm of Nicolas Negroponte? Throwing tablets out of helicopters onto unsuspecting villagers in poor nations. No, really. The expectation is uneducated tribespeople would welcome these new and exciting tools... ignoring the fact that many have probably never seen a computer.

Oh, well. OLPC lost my faith - and my donations - years ago. Here's hoping they do more good than harm before the charity is finally forced to admit its failure and fold.

Loved, Missed, Never Forgotten

2011-11-02T07:35:00.002-05:00

"Occupy" protesters target Iowa Caucuses?

2011-11-01T10:26:00.003-05:00

Normally, when you are trying to make an argument, you lay out your facts, show how they hang together, express your strong sentiment, and then let your listener respond. Apparently, not so for the Occupy Wall Street Movement who is threatening to "shut down" the Iowa Caucuses (both Democrat and Republican) unless their demands are met. Those demands remain nebulous.

The plan, Cordaro told CNN, is, “people coming to Iowa, occupying every presidential (candidate’s) office, shutting them down until they start talking real turkey about what’s going on in this country, where the 99 percent of the people who are not benefiting, at the expense of the 1% who are getting away with murder.”

The irony of asking for an expression of the public mood, then threatening to shut down a public forum, is apparently lost on Occupy Iowa.

“It’s ironic that this group would choose to disrupt the most grassroots-oriented process in national politics – the Iowa caucuses,” he said, explaining that that those who volunteer in campaign officers are trying to make a difference in the country’s direction and demonstrating “true grassroots.”

Does the "Occupy" movement really have an agenda and a plan? Or are they just trying to keep the fun going as long as possible, regardless of outcome?

As a moderate with sympathies with their original stated goals (holding people accountable for the market meldown), I am losing patience waiting for an answer.

iOS 5 Tips: FIND MY FRIENDS makes you log in one way or another

2011-10-31T03:00:00.000-05:00

CRChair and I have been enjoying playing around with Apple's new FIND MY FRIENDS app, which lets you track the location of friends and family (but only with their express permission, revokable at any time). One detail that has been confusing us is the fact that every time he uses FIND MY FRIENDS, it forces him to provide his Apple ID password, where everytime I use it, it drops me right into the app without any friction. What's the difference?

It turns out FIND MY FRIENDS forces you to log in every time for security reasons. (This way a stranger can't pick up your phone and start stalking your friends.) If you have a passcode to unlock your iPhone, FIND MY FRIENDS requires no additional validation. But if you DO NOT have a passcode to unlock your iPhone, it will ask you for your Apple ID password every time.

There you go. To turn on passcodes, go to SETTINGS, GENERAL, Passcode Lock.

iOS 5 Tips: Location Services May Drain Your Battery

2011-10-30T10:33:00.004-05:00

One of the surprising issues coming out of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S is batteries which drain very quickly. Some users are even reporting drains of 10% per 15 minutes in certain conditions. For some cases, this has come down to identifiable issues like corrupt contacts. But a general trend of short battery life has come out.

Now, engineers have found a common thread - Location Services. It appears that in some circumstances, the "Setting Time Zone" function comes on when it is not needed, and can come on constantly. GPS drains significant power, when it is constantly on.

TIP: WORK AROUND THE BATTERY-DRAIN BUG IN IOS 5
To turn off the "Setting Time Zone" function to maximize battery life:
1. Open the SETTINGS app
2. Tap the "Location Services" option
3. Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap the "System Services" function
4. "Setting Time Zone" is 5th from the top. Slide it to OFF

Keep in mind that this means if you DO travel, you will need to set your time zone manually. But that may be a small price to pay for an extra 2 to 4 hours of battery life between charges.

This is not the ONLY reason that iOS 5 can have worse battery life than iOS 4. Be sure to check and confirm you are not overusing Notifications, Find My Friends, or other power-hungry features if you try this fix and are still getting poor battery life.

Snowtober

2011-10-29T15:16:00.001-05:00

iOS 5 Tips: Selecting which device for FIND MY FRIENDS

2011-10-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

One of cool new Apps available for iOS 5 is Find My Friends. It allows you to share your location with a friend (or coworker) for either a short time, or for all time. I can see it being invaluable for families, and used it myself when my brother went to pick up a friend at the airport - it allowed me to know how much longer until they got back.

But what if you have multiple iDevices (as many of us do). How does Find My Friends know whether to use your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch for your location? The answer is a bit buried, but pretty simple.

TIP: SELECT WHICH DEVICE IS USED BY FIND MY FRIENDS

1. Open the FIND MY FRIENDS app
2. Tap on the ME option to bring up your own position
3. Tap the [ACCOUNT] button in the upper right corner
4. You will be presented with a list of your active devices. Select any one (I recommend your iPhone, if you have one, as it is the most likely to be with you and NOT be left at home).

Please note, this also means you can change the selection at will. Going to buy a special present for the girlfriend, but don't want her knowing that you're stopping at a Wedding Band Jewelers? Set Find My Friends to use your iPad, and leave it at the office. Switch it back afterwards, and she is none the wiser. (Although, note that this kind of trickery, if discovered, could require some explaining!)

iOS 5 Tips: All of Siri's commands

2011-10-28T03:00:00.000-05:00

Today's post is not one of my own creations/discoveries, but something I have had a lot of people asking about. Siri - available only on the iPhone 4S for now - is a virtual assistant, who can respond to voice commands to do a large number of functions for you. But she can't do everything. So, what kinds of things can she do? What kinds of things will she respond to? CydiaHelp.Com has compiled a useful list of which I excerpt only a tiny portion below.

Requesting reminders
Remind me to call mom
Remind me to call my mom when I get home
Remember to take an umbrella
Remind me take my medicine at 6am tomorrow
Remind me to pick up flowers when I leave here
Remind me when I leave to call Jason
Remind me to finish the report by 6

Checking Stocks
What’s Apple’s stock price?
What is Apple’s PE ratio?
What did Yahoo close at today?
How is the Nikkei doing?
How are the markets doing?
What is the Dow at?

Checking the Forecast
What’s the weather for today?
What’s the weather for tomorrow?
Will it rain in Cupertino this week?
Check next week’s forecast for Burlington
What’s the forecast for this evening?
How’s the weather in Tampa right now?

The search capabilities of Google, Yelp, and Wolfram Alpha are the biggest wildcards. This is a window in a whole world of information. For instance, if you say "I have a flat tire", then Siri will look up towing services in the area. Or if you ask "What is the capital of Uganda?" it will look that up using Wolfram Alpha. I recommend playing a bit with it, until you get comfortable with the kinds of info she has available to you.

Also, keep in mind Siri's language parsing is server-side, so Apple may be able to add new functions in between releases of iOS.

iOS 5 Tips: Getting all iMessages on BOTH your iPhone AND iPad (or iPod Touch)

2011-10-27T09:03:00.003-05:00

One of my biggest frustrations on upgrading to iOS 5 was finding out that - unlike the demos that Apple had up - iMessages sent to my iPhone 4S were not appearing on my iPad, and vice versa. A major attraction of iOS 5 is the ability to have all of your messaging on all of your devices, and yet the promise remained unfulfilled. But several hours of trial and error finally worked it out. Here's hoping this TIP saves you the trouble that I had. (This is especially likely if you were a .Mac user who upgraded to Mobile Me, but kept both your Me.Com and Mac.Com addresses.)

TIP: HOW TO SYNC iMESSAGE ACROSS MULTIPLE DEVICES

As a default, iMessage on your iPad always goes back to your Apple ID. But as a default, iMessage on your iPhone always goes back to your phone number (to aid in making the SMS/iMessage divide seamless). The key here is to sync up settings on both devices to use your Apple ID for all iMessage functions. (And if you have multiple Apple IDs, to make sure the SAME ONE is selected on both devices.)

STEP 1: Go to the SETTINGS app on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and select MESSAGES (scroll down, it is under Safari and above Music in iOS 5.0)

STEP 2: Tap the RECEIVE AT setting (which will show one more Address count on your iPhone than on your iPad/iPod Touch). This will bring up a list of the addresses at which you can receive iMessages.

STEP 3: Make sure all Apple IDs are set up on all of your devices. Tap "Add Another E-mail" if you have multiple and one is missing on any device. This will ensure that your device is "listening for" any messages coming into any of those channels. (You can not add a phone number to your iPod Touch or iPad. Sorry.)

You will now be able to receive messages on all devices sent to any of your designated e-mails/Apple IDs.

STEP 4: Tap the CALLER ID Setting. This will bring up a list of addresses you can send out to other iMessage devices to say "This is me, reply to this." On your iPhone, your phone number is probably selected.

STEP 5: Select the SAME e-mail address on both your iPhone and your iPad/iPod Touch. Do not leave it set to the phone number.

You will now tell all future iMessage friends to reply back to your chosen e-mail. This will cause them to message you in a way that both your iPhone and your iPad/iPod Touch can understand.

Important Note: This will ONLY sync iMessages between your iPhone and other iDevices. Text Messages will not sync.

iOS 5 Tips: Location Based Reminders & Microsoft Do Not Mix!

2011-10-26T06:24:00.003-05:00

While we were being victimized by the infamous hacker, I was busy upgrading my iDevices to iOS 5, and ran across some small issues that it is likely Mod-Blog readers have also (or will also) face. Thus, our return will begin with a small series of IOS 5 TIPS, based on my experience.

TIP: LOCATION-BASED REMINDERS AND MICROSOFT EXCHANGE DO NOT MIX!

One of the big new features of iOS 5 is system-based reminders, which can be either time or location-based. Locations based reminders are great for keying you to do a certain things "when I get to work" or "the next time I go out". They can even be set up via Siri, if you have an iPhone 4S.

But when I got to iOS 5, I found no way to set a location-based reminder. Every attempt to set one up via touch or via Siri failed entirely. I wasn't even given the option. And yet, there was no indication of an error or failure.

Well, it turns out the issue was the fact that I was syncing my Reminders (as Tasks) to my work's Microsoft Exchange server. This is automatic if you have an Exchange e-mail account set up. But Exchange is incompatible with iOS5's method of storing geographical information. This is mentioned in Apple's documentation, but buried deep and hard to find.

The simple solution? Turn off syncing of Reminders with the Exchange server. Sync with iCloud instead. Once that is done, the option for location-based reminders will "magically" appear.

Also, remember that Location-based alerts are only compatible with the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. If you have an iPad, or older iPhone, reminders can only be time-based.

Mod-Blog is back!!!

2011-10-25T17:06:00.003-05:00

Well, it was a long, dark night. But the sun is rising again, and it is the start of a new day!

For those who missed it, about a month ago, Mod-Blog was hacked by some who claimed to be a foreign political activist. He claimed to want to raise awareness of certain international issues... but all he really did was insert Google AdSense links all over the page, and collect the pennies that rolled in. We were not the only ones impacted - there were literally dozens of blogs stolen.

But after a month of waiting patiently for Google's infamous customer service, we're up. We now hope to return to our irregularly scheduled programming.

I love dinosaur humor

2011-10-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

The Reality: An Economy Runs on HOPE

2011-09-22T13:29:00.005-05:00

While reading a report today on the current economic "meltdown" going on in overseas markets, I came across this paraphrase of George Soros.

Billionaire investor George Soros said he believed the United States was already experiencing the pain of a double dip recession and that Republican opposition to Obama's fiscal stimulus plans was to blame for sluggish growth.

Of course, Mr. Soros's actual words were far more nuanced. But this reflects the current reality of politics - both sides are more interested in blame than giving the electorate a clear view of their choices.

So, let me give it a try. I add the disclaimer that I am NOT an economist, and I am sure many economists would ridicule my explanation as overly simplistic. You judge for yourselves.

Everyone agrees we are in the middle of a bad situation. To use a fairly standard analogy, the economy is on fire.
--> Democrats want to beat the fire by spending more. They want to use borrowed money to build the economy faster than the fire can destroy it.
--> Republicans want to beat the fire by spending less. They want to fix the underlying causes of the fire right away, trusting the fire to go out on its own, which will eventually allow new building to resume safely in the future.

But both sides are dismissive of the opposition:
--> Democrats say the Republican plan is like revising building codes in the middle of a fire - it does nothing for those suffering NOW.
--> Republicans say the Democratic plan is like adding fuel to the fire while it is still burning - it may make it harder to see in the short-term, but in the long term it just makes the fire worse.

The problem is, a "fire" is a bad analogy for analyzing the Economy. A fire attacks concrete things, destroying them, requiring people to grow new trees, mine new steel, and use human labor to put it all back together. The Economy, on the other hand, is a more nebulous concept. Value is something which exists in the mind of a human being, based on some "real" factors (like supply and demand) but also based on intangible factors (like desire and status). Value can be created from nothing - consider what you are buying when you buy a baseball card or purchase a Netflix subscription - and can be destroyed without anything concrete having been destroyed (as when a writer is found guilty of plagiarism or fraud). The economy is not built on debt or savings, but rather on HOPE.

Look at it this way.
--> If you have HOPE to have a family, you'll buy a house for them. If you have no hope, why bother?
--> If you have HOPE that you'll have a job tomorrow, you'll take the time to buy more than the essentials. If not, you'll hoard what you have.
--> If you have HOPE to eventually become employed, you'll invest time, money, effort in education. If not, you'll look for ways to pass the time.
--> If you have HOPE that you'll be repaid, you'll extend a loan. If not, you'll keep the money to yourself and invest in treasury bonds.

So, do Democrats or Republicans have the right solution? Neither. Both. It is not a question of finding the right value for a variable in the equation. It is a matter of convincing people there is HOPE for the future, so they will act, spend, and invest. And at the moment, all the Federal Government has done is convince people to look elsewhere for HOPE.

Keep that in mind this next election season.

Wendy's Remakes its Burger

2011-09-19T13:52:00.003-05:00

Wendy's has decided after 42 years, it is time for a change. Facing declining market share, Wendy's knew that something needed to change. So they decided in 2009 to start the process of changing how they make their burgers. They went on sale today. Let us at Modblog know if you try one.

Remembering

2011-09-11T08:11:00.000-05:00

From Over the Hedge.

Star Wars + Anything = Good

2011-09-10T04:12:00.000-05:00

Well...That Was Unexpected...

2011-09-08T18:28:00.000-05:00

Ann Althouse just posted that she had retaken the Political Compass test for the first time in a couple of years and was surprised to find that she had, as some of her commenters suspected, moved a little to the right. I was curious to see where my own standing was these days on a somewhat objective scale. Well, here I am:

Holy liberal, Batman! When did that happen?!? I'd be curious where some of our other contributors/readers are on the scale. You know you want to see for yourself.

Yeah, I've done this

2011-09-01T05:02:00.000-05:00

The X-Muppets?

2011-08-29T17:59:00.001-05:00

Not mine. Via Reddit.

United Illuminating's Power Outage Information

2011-08-28T15:59:00.002-05:00

Here is a link for United Illuminating's Outage information. UI services much of South Western Connecticut.

Now That 85 Million Dollars Isn't Much Money...

2011-08-26T07:25:00.001-05:00

At least, that's the impression you'd get if you've been keeping up with baseball news lately. Angels pitcher, Jared Weaver has decided to re-sign with the team, sighting his love of the west coast and the team as his main motivation.

Immediately, the baseball press made a very large deal out of his decision. Why would he not go into free agency where he's sure to get a better deal than the one he received from the Angels? One MLB Network anchor even suggested that he should have gone into free agency just to come back to the Angels with a better deal. And so Jared Weaver has become a poster boy for loyalty and for team pride over money. And don't get me wrong, I appreciate that Weaver wanted to stay with the team he loves even if he got less money for it.

But here's the thing. The Angels contract is 85 million dollars for five years. That's right, Jared Weaver is going to make 17 million dollars a year and the baseball press is acting as if the guy is going to be suffering. True, he could have gotten more but in his words,

“How much more do you need?” Weaver asked. “Could have got more, whatever. Who cares?”

Indeed, at that level of money, who cares about another 10 or 20 million?

Welcome to a Post-Steve Jobs Apple

2011-08-25T05:03:00.003-05:00

It has been coming a long time - his illness has been quiet but well-documented, and he has been on medical leave 3 times - but it was still a shock to see the headlines: Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple. Today likely begins a panicked sell-off of Apple stock, as touchy investors flee a company without the iCEO at the helm. But tomorrow likely begins a smug buy-up of all open Apple stock by bargain hunters, who realize Jobs leaves Apple with a well-trained executive team, molded in his own image, with a strong vision for the future.

First, as an Apple investor and owner of Apple products, I want thank Steve for his many years of service. A life is not to be judged on its wealth, which can be accrued thru virtue or thru sin. But a life is to be judged thru its accomplishments, and Steve has had many. He was part of the personal computer revolution with the original Apple. He was part of the GUI revolution with the Macintosh (technically starting with LISA). He was part of the network revolution with NEXT computers and then the iMac. And he is at the forefront of the mobile revolution with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Few men have lead through more transformations of the way we live and do business, and few have kept a consistent focus on customers.

Second, I want to reassure my fellow Fanboys that Apple will not die without Steve at the helm. Tim Cook has been CEO for several years now, de-facto, and the iRevolution has been as much about the executive team he leaves behind, as it is about Steve himself. Surely, he was the unifying visionary behind it, but there are many years of that vision left to go. I doubt the iPad is the last "One More Thing" to come out of Apple... perhaps not even the last one this year.

Third, I want to encourage Mod-Blog readers not to lose sight of the real base of this story. It is NOT a CEO resigning, or a visionary stepping down, or a world-class business changing hands. It is a human being fighting a difficult illness. Likely in the process of dying (although Steve Jobs is notoriously private about such things). Please be praying for him and his family - for healing if it be God's will, or for comfort if it is his time. While others are hand-wringing about supplies of the iDevice they lst after, let us show compassion for the man himself.

My thoughts. I am interested to read yours in the comments, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Nuns a Literally Dying Breed

2011-08-22T11:38:00.002-05:00

Very few of know any Nuns who are young. I must admit, that I haven't even been aware of any campaigns in the last 10-20 years aimed at encouraging young women in America to become Nuns. One area where this is having an impact is Catholic hospitals. Today, very few hospitals have Nuns as administrators, where as 20-30 years ago, the majority of these positions were filled by Nuns. This has caused a more profit centric view of the healthcare at these hospitals, instead of a view based on mission. It will be interesting to see how religions role in our health system evolves in the next 20-30 years.

Mammoth Find

2011-08-19T09:10:00.003-05:00

A Russian reindeer herder stumbled upon a frozen woolly mammoth carcass in the arctic. The mammoth is said to be very well preserved and may be a great find for both scientists and mammoth lovers alike. The Russian government hope to excavate the mammoth and transport it to a facility where it can be studied and then displayed for the public.

Entire US Stealth Fighter Jet Fleet Grounded

2011-08-16T06:59:00.003-05:00

With the current debate between the need to provide our military with the best technology and the need to cut some spending, you would think that our government would make the most of what they had. But instead, news comes out that our entire stealth fighter plane fleet is currently grounded because of one or two problems. What is worse, is that the fleet has actually been grounded since May. It is unthinkable to me that with all the best engineering minds, neither the military or the manufacturer can figure out how to fix these problems. On top of that, our government just committed to spend over a half a Billion dollars on more of these planes. I agree that we need to make sure these planes are safe before we risk our pilots lives in them, but how can it take more than 2 months to diagnose the problem? This should be the number one priority for the manufacturer and the government should withhold any future payments until these problems are fixed.

Is it Cheaper to Demolish a Home than to Repair it?

2011-08-01T11:53:00.002-05:00

A new trend in the home market, is for banks to demolish foreclosed homes instead of reselling them. Banks have found that in some of the least sellable areas of the country, it is actually better for them to demolish a home and donate the land to the local municipality than to fix up the homes and then try to resell them. The companies also have the added bonus of not having to pay taxes or upkeep on the homes that they demolish. It will be interesting to see if this helps the housing market by taking cheap, but undesirable homes off the market, or if it just ends up creating places for people to illegally dump their trash.

Best served cold

2011-07-24T09:05:00.001-05:00

From Speedbump

It's so hot. How how is it?

2011-07-22T08:24:00.003-05:00

A friend passed this along and I HAD to share.

Entire Apple Stores Being Faked

2011-07-21T07:31:00.001-05:00

We've heard of electronics and designer clothes being faked in China. (How else did I get my genuine Rolex watch in NYC for $25?) Now it seems that some merchants in China are taking it up a notch. Fake Apple Stores have begun to pop up in China. They are patterned after the real Apple Stores and even the employees can be seen wearing the same clothes as true Apple Store employees. The main way to tell the fake from the real seems to be to look at quality of the construction in the store and to test the knowledge of the sales people. If your salesman doesn't know more than you do about the iPhone, then that should raise a red flag.

Burnout & the Great Recession

2011-07-14T06:59:00.002-05:00

My company has become obsessed with efficiency. This is not a bad thing in itself - every company should be looking to cut waste and build on their strengths. But I have noticed we have passed the point of cutting fat, and have begun running our best people harder and harder in order to meet deadlines. This is "efficient" - fewer people doing more work - but the stresses and strains are starting to show. And people are starting to ask the deadly question, "Is this really worth it?" And the obvious answer is "No."

Turns out, the same problem is all over in the Great Recession. As employers are forced to do more with less, and then realize they can exploit employers because there are no other jobs to go do, eventually employers are asking the impossible. And burning out their most valuable resources.

Of course, in the long run this strategy is horrible for business. Losing the expertise of one top-performer means hiring someone new, training them from scratch, and perhaps requiring 5 to 10 years to reach the level of productivity that the lost employee had. But in an economic time when companies are living quarter-to-quarter, there is little incentive to think even a year in advance. Burnout is mortgaging the next decade to pay for luxury in the next month. Sounds a lot like the thinking that got us in the Great Recession in the first place.

Is Pakistan the solution to the budget impasse?

2011-07-12T10:45:00.003-05:00

So, Pakistan has decided to begin restricting their support of anti-terrorism. And the USA has pushe back, threatening to cut off military aid. And finally, Pakistan has threatened to pull out of anti-terrorism efforts altogether. There seems like a simple solution here - end all aid to Pakistan and pull our troops out of Afghanistan.

We save $2 billion in aid, plus the trillions we are investing in the War. In return, Pakistan suddenly has to face its own internal problems without an international scapegoat, while simultaneously having to face what they have made in Afghanistan by refusing to fight the Taliban.

It's time for our allies to understand that we can't afford to pay extortion money anymore. We're looking to fill trillion dollar holes in our budget. Pakistan just volunteered to do that for us.

REALITY CHECK: Simplifying the Budget Impasse

2011-07-11T11:23:00.003-05:00

The debate over whether raising taxes or cutting spending is the way to avoid default has moved into high gear as the President issued a "Grand Compromise" to the Republican Congress that includes significant tax increases, as well as long-term spending cuts. So far, the GOP is having none of it. But I think we can simply the political calculation going on in the halls of Washington:

IF the US Government goes into default, we will vote everyone out.
IF the only spending cuts are to take place 2, 3, or 4 years out, we will vote out every Republican
IF there are tax increases, we will grumble but live with it. Your job is probably safe.
IF there are ONLY tax increases and no substantive spending cuts, we will vote out every Republican.
IF Medicare, Social Security, and Military Spending remains off the table, nothing will be resolved and we will vote everyone out.

Hopefully, the President and Congress are keeping these important realities in mind as they play hardball in their negotiations.

iPhone as an SLR?!

2011-07-11T06:19:00.003-05:00

There's brilliant, there's crazy, and there's Photojojo. They created a mount to attach your Canon or Nikon lenses to your iPhone in order to take network-connected SLR-quality photos. The problem, of course, is two-fold. (1) This turns your ultra-portable pocket camera into a bulky and awkward camera. (2) The sensor on even the best iPhone is still FAR below that of a low-end digital SLR. And if you want the ability to be able to quickly share SLR-quality photos on your iPhone, there is Apple's camera connection kit or EyeFi wireless cards + iPhone app

But you still have to admire their moxy. Or shamelessness. Can't decide which it is.

Perhaps the Greatest Fake Trailer Ever

2011-07-08T08:23:00.002-05:00

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

From FunnyorDie.com. Watch from Antonio Cromartie of the Jets doing what he does best in real life... hitting on women with reckless abandon.

Happy Birthday Nomad

2011-07-06T06:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to the best brother and blogger in the world.

Shelton CT Fireworks 2011

2011-07-01T21:29:00.001-05:00

Men, This May Save Your Life Someday

2011-06-28T05:12:00.004-05:00

There are ways to get around learning how to tie a tie properly. (In college, I'd find a motherly type at church and beg for help - always made them smile.) But every man should eventually learn how to tie their own tie. This handy-dandy chart is the best illustration I have seen. Save this on your own machine, and keep it around for that formal emergency!

(This is not my own invention. Found it online and am not sure how to get back to where I found it. If it's yours, let me know and I'll give full attribution. In the meantime, it is too valuable NOT to share!)

Sitting Can Kill You

2011-06-27T17:53:00.002-05:00

I have an office job, which means most days I spend 8 to 10 hours in a desk chair - either at my desk of in a conference room. While I have lost 70 lbs in the last few years, which is sure to add to my life expectancy, it turns out my sit-down job may be undoing all of my hard work. Apparently, sitting is almost as bad as smoking... from a statistical standpoint, anyway.

In particular, the American Cancer Society study finds that women who sit for more than six hours a day were about 40% more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day. Men were about 20% more likely to die.

That large study focused on the numbers of people who died. Other studies have focused on specific conditions affecting the most Americans, things such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and depression. In those studies, too, extended periods of sitting increased risks of illness.

I used to work with a man who brought his own desk to work, so he could stand all day while working. At the time, I thought he was crazy. Now, I wonder if he wasn't a genius ahead of his time.

Are limited plans or quasi-unlimited plans for data a better idea?

2011-06-25T09:19:00.004-05:00

Last year, AT&T killed their unlimited data plans, just before the release of the iPhone 4. Now, it is becoming clear that Verizon is going to kill their unlimited data plans prior to the release of the next iPhone. As a power-user of my iPhone and iPad, this has caused me considerable upset. While I am grandfathered into the unlimited plans on AT&T (for now), no other users like me can ever get this kind of plan and if I ever want to interrupt my service for any reason (i.e. hospital stay, financial hardship) there is no way for me to get it back. It seems like a use of the duopoly power that AT&T and Verizon hold over the American cellular market.

But as I fumed and thought about this, I realized that I was only looking at this at a very shallow level. The fact is no one ever offered truly unlimited plans. Like your home internet, every "unlimited" plan has a limit after which the company will throttle your traffic or cut you off entirely. Under the "unlimited" monicker, they simply won't tell you what that limit is. Instead, one day after a bout of downloading (hopefully) legal video, you'll find your internet connection cut with a message to "contact us immediately". The saving grace of the "unlimited" plan is the cap is usually flexible, so if they have a (for instance) unspoken 4 GB cap and you hit 5 GB one month and 2 GB the next, most companies are forgiving. Whereas under a "limited" plan, as soon as you hit your cap you are either cut off or double-charged.

So, I ask Mod-Bloggers, which do you prefer and why? An "unlimited" plan which is really just "limited but we won't tell you how" or a limited plan where at least you can plan your usage? Do you prefer a false sense of security or honesty? Comment here or vote in the poll to the right.

(And no, it isn't fair to answer "I don't have a data plan, so there!" Because it is likely you at least have a dial-up or broadband internet service that got you to Mod-Blog. Same issue.)

We call this kind of thing "Checks & Balances"!

2011-06-24T12:40:00.003-05:00

I am sure many will decry today's vote by the House of Representatives to deny the president authority to continue the war in Libya as a political stunt. However, it is an excellent example to our children of the many Checks and Balances that the founders put into the Constitution to ensure each branch had the ability to limit the power of the others. This is exactly how our government is supposed to work:

- Congress declares War
- Congress funds War
- The President wages War
- The President negotiates a Peace
- Congress ratifies the Peace

It is not this action which is an aberration, but rather the last few military operations where Congress minimized it's involvement. Except in times of national emergency - and even then - we need to maintain a balance of power in our government to ensure our freedoms are protected.

All too true

2011-06-24T07:49:00.002-05:00

From DogHouse Diaries. Click on the image or the link for a closer look.

Leaving Afghanistan is the right thing to do

2011-06-23T07:29:00.003-05:00

Voices from both sides of the aisle are already charging that President Obama's plan to begin drawing own troops in Afghanistan is a political ploy to win re-election. They see a man who ran as Anti-War - who escalated one war, and began another in Libya - looking to reestablish his credentials with the Democratic base.

But sometimes we do the right thing for the wrong reasons. It is time to leave Afghanistan. We entered the country with two goals: (1) capture Osama Bin Laden, and (2) punish the Taliban for sheltering and incubating Al Qaeda and the bombers who struck us on 9/11. We have accomplished both of those goals (though Bin Laden died in Pakistan). And we have invested over 10 years and hundreds of billions of dollars in turning Afghanistan from a third-world war-zone into a functional nation state. It is enough. At this point, the Afghani people have to decide their own fate, and a continued American military presence is merely allowing them to put off the hard decisions and the tough compromises needed to knit together their fractured nation.

Many of my Conservative friends will disagree on this. They'll say that without us, Afghanistan will collapse into chaos and the Taliban will rise again. They may even say that without us in Afghanistan, Pakistan may radicalize and transform into a proto-Iran. But there comes a time in every intervention - whether in our personal lives or the world at large - where the object of the intervention needs to stand on its own. Or fall. Unless we're willing to decide that Afghanistan is the 51st state, it is time to go.

Focus your camera AFTER the picture is taken

2011-06-22T06:08:00.003-05:00

As an amateur photographer one of my greatest frustrations is when I get that perfectly-timed shot, and then find out the camera focussed on the wrong thing. Thousands of my photos have had to be discarded for poor focus, despite the fact that what I was capturing would have been stunning. A new company is about to introduce a new light field technology camera which claims to be able to focus your shot after the fact, allowing you to shoot now and choose the focal point later. It also allows 3D pictures to be taken with the same shot.

This has the potential to transform digital cameras, and to allow fewer photos to tell a more complete story of any event.

The breakthrough is a different type of sensor that captures what are known as light fields, basically all the light that is moving in all directions in the view of the camera. That offers several advantages over traditional photography, the most revolutionary of which is that photos no longer need to be focused before they are taken.

That means that capturing that perfect shot of your fast-moving pet or squirming child could soon get a whole lot easier. Instead of having to manually focus or wait for autofocus to kick in and hopefully center on the right thing, pictures can be taken immediately and in rapid succession. Once the picture is on a computer or phone, the focus can be adjusted to center on any object in the image, also allowing for cool artsy shots where one shifts between a blurry foreground and sharp background and vice versa.

Prison is better than being without Health Insurance?

2011-06-21T06:56:00.004-05:00

Color me skeptical, but a man robbed a bank of $1 and claims it was to get Prison Health Care. James Verone claims to have been out of work for 3 years since being laid off from his job at a Coca Cola plant, and is facing several challenging health issues.

In an interview with WNCN-TV, first broadcast Sunday, Richard James Verone said he has no medical insurance, but has an undiagnosed growth on his chest, two ruptured disks in his back and a problem with his foot.

The 59-year-old has no job and no money, so he said he decided to rob a bank in a bid to get medical care.

Last Thursday he walked into a branch of the RBC Bank in Gastonia, N.C. and handed a teller a note which asked for one dollar -- then he sat in a chair waiting for the police to arrive.

This looks more like a publicity stunt than a true cry for help to me, but it is possible I am wrong. However, I know there are a number of public and private charity organizations out there to help those without health care who are in dire need. And let us not forget that no Emergency Room can turn away anyone for lack of ability to pay.

If you are in dire need of health care - and are without insurance - I encourage you to let your needs be known to your local church and civic organizations. Let people help. Given the opportunity, Americans are known for their willingness to help their fellow man.

Pakistan is NOT our ally

2011-06-20T05:06:00.002-05:00

With the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden, it is time to face an uncomfortable truth. After a decade and trillions of dollars in aid, Pakistan is not really our friend or ally in the War On Terror. This has been evident for years, became obvious during the OBL capture, and is now something we can no longer ignore. During a recent set of sting operations on terrorist bomb-making factories, the Pakistani military or intelligence warned militants time and time again before raids

The two sites' locations in the tribal areas had been shared with the Pakistani government this past week, the officials said Saturday. The Americans monitored the area with satellite and unmanned drones to see what would happen.

In each case, within a day or so after sharing the information, they watched the militants depart, taking any weapons or bomb-making materials with them, just as militants had done the first two times. Only then, did they watch the Pakistani military visit each site, when the terror suspects and their wares were long gone, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.

It is an uncomfortable truth. But clearly it is time to scale back our aid to this nation, as we prepare to eventually pull out of Afghanistan.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all those who were fathers to us, our best wishes and prayers for those who are fathers to the next generation.

Google's Civil War

2011-06-17T11:42:00.004-05:00

I've been having a conversation (some would say "spirited debate" or "argument") over Google with a friend online. He's a big fan of Google's suite of hardware - Android, ChromeOS laptops, etc. - and sees great things in their future. I appreciate Google for its work in Search, it's free GMail, it's excellent Google Voice transcription service (yes, it also redirects calls, but all I use it for is voice mail transcription), and the fact that Android is keeping Apple honest on iOS. But more and more, it is becoming clear that Google is in trouble. There's a simple fact that almost everyone is ignoring.

Google is at war with itself.

Google began as a creature of the Web. Search was it's be-all, end-all, and contextual ads paid the bills. (The last part is still true today.) The vision of Google was that ultimately the Network would make Mac vs PC distinctions obsolete. Ultimately, their leadership preached, everything will be done online. (Today we'd say "In the Cloud.") Their new ChromeOS is the ultimate expression of that vision - a computer which exists ONLY to be a gateway to applications that are online. Take a ChromeOS device off the web... and it is little more than a large paperweight. Samsung and others are trying to build a whole platform for Netbooks around this OS, which of course primarily runs Google Apps.

But at the same time, Google introduced Android as a way to ensure that the Mobile future included Google, and left no room for an upstart competitor (like Apple's iOS) to lock them out. They followed the Windows model of "license to everyone and anyone" as a way toward massive growth, and Android now runs on more SmartPhones than Apple or any flavor of Windows Mobile. But this has required repeated compromises to keep phone makers happy and to keep wooing iPhone addicts, and now Android is increasingly becoming App-centric with data living locally on the device. The Google of Android is not a company "of the Network" but a company of the cellular carrier, the hardware vendor, and the software maker.

These two parallel courses are fundamentally incompatible. Ultimately, the computer will have to either move "to the network" or remain in our hands. By pursuing two incompatible courses here, Google is not hedging their bets, but rather showing a split within the company and its philosophy. This split now has Google Android devices competing directly with Google ChromeOS devices for the same customers. And that is unlikely to end well for either of them, especially in light of the Apple juggernaut which has a simple message and a clear alternative.

Here's hoping Google figures this out soon, and drops one path. Or at worst, decided to merge ChromeOS and Android, so there is one code base for customers to worry about. Otherwise, the Google of the future will be the Microsoft of today - out of ideas, out of gas, and praying to hold on for just a little bit longer so the execs can cash out.

Fukushima Daichi: How did I miss this?!

2011-06-16T09:18:00.003-05:00

I've been following the Japan tragedy closely, and somehow I missed big news on the U.S. impact of the disaster. Did I miss it, or is the news media not reporting it?

In the US, physician Janette Sherman MD and epidemiologist Joseph Mangano published an essay shedding light on a 35 per cent spike in infant mortality in northwest cities that occurred after the Fukushima meltdown, and may well be the result of fallout from the stricken nuclear plant.

The eight cities included in the report are San Jose, Berkeley, San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Portland, Seattle, and Boise, and the time frame of the report included the ten weeks immediately following the disaster. [Emphasis mine.]

This disaster is starting to look Biblical in its proportions.

UPDATE 10:42 PM EST: Here is the essay It is merely suggestive, not definitive. No study has been done, merely an overview of infant mortality rates before and after the Fukushima Daichi disaster.

Turning the tables...

2011-06-15T05:08:00.000-05:00

Hmmmmm....

2011-06-13T05:00:00.002-05:00

Each Detox makes it easier to fall off the wagon

2011-06-02T11:02:00.000-05:00

We all know the stereotype of the local drunk who quits drinking with every hangover, but is back on the sauce by sundown. But it turns out there is more to alcoholism than normal human short-sightedness. A new study suggests that alcoholism - or the process of quitting - actually damages the part of the brain that allows us to control our urges. Thus, each time a recovering alcoholic goes back to the bar, he or she may be reducing her ability to quit long-term.

Researchers looked at the behaviour and brain activity of alcoholic patients who had recently undergone detoxification, and found that the very act of detoxification from alcohol results in damage to the areas of the brain that veto spontaneous desire - such as the desire to drink.
And the really bad news is that repeated detoxifications cause further damage, making it even harder for alcoholics to remain dry.
...She adds that, when planning detoxifications of alcoholic patients, they, their medical advisers, and support teams need to ensure that everything is set up to give the optimal chance that a single detoxification is sufficient to accomplish control over drinking. "If it fails, and the patient relapses, it will become progressively more difficult to abstain on future occasions.

Tennessee bans sharing

2011-06-02T05:12:00.001-05:00

The music industry continues to push for draconian solutions to simple problems. Their newest assault on their customers is a Tennessee law which bans the sharing of your Netflix or Pandora password, which can now be a felony, depending on the level of infraction that the company can prove.

At issue for me is not whether sharing a password is wrong - unless it is within a family, it clearly is wrong - but that somehow the recording industry thinks a law like this is a better solution than simply putting in a technical fix. Why treat a stupid college kid like a Master Criminal, when you can simply lock the door (by limiting a streaming account to one stream at a time)?

It is a mistake to fix simple technical problems, with complicated, life-altering laws.

Parenting is all about setting priorities

2011-06-01T06:44:00.001-05:00

PBS ends uninterrupted programming

2011-06-01T05:09:00.002-05:00

One of the distinctives over the years for the Public Broadcasting System has been uninterrupted programming - the idea that you can watch an entire episode of Sesame Street without having to see commercials pop up every 15 minutes. This is coming to an end. Coming soon, PBS shows will contain commercial blocks in line with your average television station. Removing yet another reason to separate public broadcasting from the general herd of television.

The switch is intended to combat the problem of viewers “fleeing” to other stations during the network’s blocks of commercials between programs, which can last up to eight minutes. Under the new model, PBS will adopt a “hot switch,” with no break between programs. John F. Wilson, PBS’s chief programmer, told the Times that viewers will never be more than 100 seconds from actual content.

The change will present obstacles to writers accustom to producing content watched in uninterrupted blocks, the kind of viewing many say is vital for in-depth documentary work like Frontline and dramas like Masterpiece Theatre. PBS’s Wilson said that some programs may be spared from commercial breaks, but that many producers will be forced to adapt.

Rest In Peace, T-Mobile Sidekick

2011-05-31T05:12:00.002-05:00

It wasn't my first Smartphone - the Kyocera 6035 running PalmOS was that - but the Sidekick may have been the best pre-iPhone smartphone. It provided the killer e-mail experience of a Blackberry at about 1/10th the cost, and also offered excellent texting, good-enough web surfing, and a real App Store years before Apple. It was the T-Mobile Sidekick. And it's best feature was full cloud integration - years before anyone else got it right - your contacts, e-mails, photos, everything was always available online from any computer. But that cloud service goes away starting today, relegating a titan of smartphone usability to being just another Android phone.

Rest in Peace, Sidekick. You will be missed.

Thank You on Memorial Day

2011-05-30T03:00:00.000-05:00

Glorious sunset

2011-05-26T06:51:00.001-05:00

Romantics, this is your last chance tonight to share the sunset with someone special!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Just a beautiful image to share with my Mod-Blog friends.

Most days, I wish I could say this

2011-05-25T05:05:00.001-05:00

Apologies for so few posts. Blogger and Firefox have not been getting along, so I've been unable to log in the last few days.

New Muppet Movie Trailer

2011-05-23T17:22:00.000-05:00

I can't wait!

A Great Marriage Proposal

2011-05-21T01:15:00.000-05:00

Social networks as Big Brother

2011-05-20T05:19:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed those "Like" and "Tweet" buttons that are popping up all over? A new study suggests they are being used by Facebook and Twitter to track your browsing, even when you don't click them!. It may be time to consider logging off of Social Networks, as these companies are going overboard in their efforts to know everything about their users.

The widgets, which were created to make it easy to share content with friends and to help websites attract visitors, are a potentially powerful way to track Internet users. They could link users' browsing habits to their social-networking profile, which often contains their name...

For this to work, a person only needs to have logged into Facebook or Twitter once in the past month. The sites will continue to collect browsing data, even if the person closes their browser or turns off their computers, until that person explicitly logs out of their Facebook or Twitter accounts, the study found.

Facebook, Twitter, Google and other widget-makers say they don't use browsing data generated by the widgets to track users; Facebook says it only uses the data for advertising purposes when a user clicks on a widget to share content with friends.

I don't want to be one of those paranoid people who assumes the worst of every company. But these days, the Social Networks are giving us every reason to be suspicious.

My thoughts on May 21st "Doomsday"

2011-05-19T08:26:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to ignore the Family Radio madness predicting Doomsday on May 21, for fear of giving a false prophet publicity. But now it is all over the news everywhere, so my little blog is not adding to the noise.

My thoughts?

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. - Matthew 24:36

And also...

For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. - 1 Thessalonians 5:2

So, first, anyone who claims to know when "the End" will come is claiming to have knowledge the Jesus Himself did not have. But, second, all Christians are called upon to live as though Jesus were returning any second.

Please, be kind on May 22 when we all wake up and find the world still here. There will be many people disillusioned and shocked that they were wrong. And most of them were not deceivers - they were deceived!

Our Canoe Trip down the Delaware River

2011-05-19T05:31:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Bowhunter for captaining our little vessel!

Actually, I wonder if this isn't a good idea

2011-05-18T05:10:00.000-05:00

I got a visit from Bambi this morning!

2011-05-14T06:32:00.001-05:00

I got a visit from Bambi this morning! a video by nomad7674 on Flickr.

While visiting Bowhunter in Bushkill, PA at Camp Mont Lawn.

WHAT IF? Microsoft & Skype

2011-05-13T13:38:00.002-05:00

There are many people second-guessing the Microsoft acquisition of Skype. And for good reason. $8.5 billion is Microsoft's largest acquisition ever, and it was for a service which largely duplicates the existing MS Messenger application. The only two features that Skype has which MSN does not are: (1) the ability for telephones to call into it, and (2) the ability to call out to telephones.

And I am wondering if that is EXACTLY what MS wanted to buy.

A little while ago, Google rolled out Google Voice as "the last phone number you'll ever need". The idea was that you could give people your Google Voice number, and it would "bounce" the calls to whatever other phone you chose. It was paired with a clever speech-recognition system which was able to transcribe voice mails and send them to you as text messages and/or e-mails. The whole thing is quite clever, but it is ultimately a hack looking to work around the existing phone systems.

What if, rather than just adding Skype to XBox, Microsoft wants to change Windows Phone such that all calls thru it are done via VOIP, routed thru Microsoft servers. If Microsoft "owns" your phone number, then all calls are over data connections and it doesn't matter if you are calling on a Verizon phone, a Sprint phone, an AT&T phone, or even over your home Wifi or your XBox's ethernet connection. It could provide true phone number portability - perhaps better regarded as phone number "agnosticism" (so long as you stay with a Windows Phone). You could even, theoretically, have a "family phone" where all members of the family have their cell phones/laptops/XBoxes/Zunes ring when anyone calls their Microsoft phone number.

This would truly be thinking outside the box, and could free the customer from the control of the cellular companies. Of course, I doubt the cell phone companies would be too fond of that idea.

REVIEW: LOVE WINS by Pastor Rob Bell

2011-05-11T07:25:00.003-05:00

BOOK: Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell
MOD-BLOG RATING: *

THE SHORT VERSION:

More of a college bull session on paper than a serious discussion of the doctrine of Hell, Pastor Bell's book is thought-provoking but not particularly useful. It is recommended only to those interested in what Bell is hearing from non-Christians, rather than to current Christians looking for a real analysis or study of the historical doctrines of Hell.

THE LONG VERSION:

Since the time of the Jesus, the Church and it's leaders have had to keep a close eye on Doctrine - the right teaching about Jesus and God. First century heretics wanted to do away with Christ's humanity - arguing that his flesh was merely an illusion because all that was physical was evil. Later heretics attacked the idea of morality - arguing that Christ had brought complete freedom from ethical living. Still later heretics wanted to abandon Christ's deity - arguing that it was enough for Jesus to be a good teacher. Separating well-meaning questions from sheep from evil-intending questions from wolves has been a major preoccupation from Jesus to Peter to Paul to Augustine to Martin Luther to the present.

The newest charge of heresy within the Evangelical community is against Pastor Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan (not to be confused with Mars Hill Church in Seattle run by Pastor Mark Driscoll). In his new book "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived", Pastor Bell questions the existing prevailing doctrine of Hell - specifically the eternality and finality of eternal punishment - and points out how the doctrine has done much to alienate non-believers.

Bell's book is not a comprehensive treatise on the doctrine of Hell, neither an analysis of its historical underpinnings nor a detailed philosophical argument for a particular position. It is even hard to really figure out what his exact position is on the doctrine of Hell. (I suspect Pastor Bell would see this as "nuanced", whereas to me it was simply "vague".) But I believe this is a fair encapsulation of his views:

Hell does exist. However, it is neither eternal nor inevitable for any human being. Hell is not "punishment", but rather God allowing us to choose to be without Him, which is necessarily misery. God's love and omnipotence is paramount over his wrath or judgement, and ultimately all will come to Him, whether it takes a lifetime or millennia.

Pastor Bell's arguments are actually limited to only a single chapter of the book (all others are preamble, or reflection afterwards) and come out to these:

1. From the very earliest Church fathers, there have been those who believed Hell was not eternal.
2. References to Hell in scripture are vague. (He has digressions into discussions about the Hebrew "Sheol", Greek "Tartarus" and "Hades", and a dismissive look at Gehenna.)
3. God is absolutely sovereign, and absolutely wants all to be reconciled to Him.
4. Most of Jesus's references to "the coming wrath" were references to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, and not to Hell. (A statement he does not spend much time defending.)
5. "Forever" is an incoherent concept, and not one recognized by the Biblical writers.
6. A temporary Hell is "a better story" than an eternal place of conscious torment.

I am not going to address each of these in turn - I leave it to other more educated men and women to do that. But I will note that none of these arguments are novel, convincing, or in many cases even compatible with a plain reading of the text. And Bell ignores many, many more scriptures dealing with Jesus speaking words like "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41) Nor does he dedicate much time to the "lake of fire, which is the second death" in Revelation, which is the most clear reference to an eternal place of torment in all of scripture.

However, in the end, it appears to me that #6 above is the core of Bell's argument. "An eternal Hell makes for a bad story. A temporary Hell where all are ultimately saved makes for a much better one!" Bell is known for embracing the Arts more than the average Evangelical pastor, and his book is full of shifts from a prose to a poetic style (something I found jarring as a reader). As such, he is clearly bothered by the idea of an unhappy ending for many, and by the fact that there are many who reject Christ because they can not accept a God who would sentence a plurality or majority of the human race to a place of eternal torment "for a few short years of sin on the Earth." And he is even more disturbed by the number of people who have rejected Christ because of the traditional doctrine of Hell.

But Christ warned that the gospel, while being "Good News", would be an offense for many. And that "the way to life is narrow, but broad the way to destruction". Over and over in scripture - both Old and New Testaments - we see God saving a "remnant" from destruction - a relatively tiny number out of the mass of humanity.

But the weakness of Bell's argument is actually a saving point. I said to someone after reading the book, "What Bell proposes is heresy, but I do not think Bell is a heretic." This book is not intended to set a new standard for critical analysis, or preach that anyone who teaches Hell is against Christ. Instead, it is like a late-night college bull session, where a bunch of guys stand around saying "What do you think about THIS?" or "Have you ever thought about THAT?" These discussions are not intended to be the last word on any topic. They're intended to stimulate thinking, bat around ideas, and provide a safe forum to ask questions that no college professor would take seriously. Ultimately, they strengthen the orthodox, by allowing each person to figure out why the heterodox fails for him or herself.

Overall, I do not recommend this book to most readers. It's not a serious discussion that shows both sides of the issue, or even provides a coherent argument for its own side. It is more likely to disturb and weaken than to edify. But if you are someone who enjoys playing with ideas, and are comfortable doing lots of your own research afterwards, it can provide a diverting read.

And be aware, if Pastor Bell does shift from "What if?" to "This is the only way", he will truly have become a heretic.

Microsoft to buy Skype?

2011-05-10T05:02:00.003-05:00

According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is set to acquire VOIP company Skype for almost $8 billion. This would rank as the largest acquisition in the history of Microsoft, bringing to mind their failed bid for Yahoo three years ago.

It is unclear to me what, exactly, Microsoft would be gaining with this purchase. Skype is a great service for video-conferencing and internet telephony, but it is already having problems with profitability and security. And these core technologies are widely available and cheap to deploy without buying the core technology. eBay purchased Skype in 2005, and has found little to do with it since then. Then again, they have also invested relatively little, since then.

Perhaps this will give Microsoft something to compete with Apple's FaceTime and Google's GoogleTalk. Or maybe it is just a landgrab for Skype's millions of users, who can easily and quickly switch providers in a heartbeat.

How do we respond to the death of OBL?

2011-05-09T05:02:00.002-05:00

The day after the assassination of Osama bin Laden, I was surprised and saddened to see just how many people not only took no joy in the news - but actually took it upon themselves to condemn anyone who viewed his death as good news. Some were simply killjoys - people who took great pleasure in robbing others of happiness - but some were truly thoughtful people struggling with the situation. Religious leaders were equally split this weekend, as they tried to teach their congregants how to react to death of this mass-murderer.

My own read is simple. It is appropriate to rejoice in justice done - especially for those of us in the NYC area who were closest to 9/11 and knew those who died. But it is also appropriate to mourn at the necessity of killing, and at the fact that he will now never have a chance to repent.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T03:00:00.001-05:00

All of us here at Mod-Blog want to wish our mothers a VERY happy Mother's Day. (And one JUST as happy to one Mod-Blogger who IS a mother.) We thank you for your love, sacrifice, and for your part in giving us all life.