Things I like and approve of #1

I'm gonna give you something. It's something that has a intangible value of time invested. I'm going to share some things I like. Many of these things I have chosen after much research and extensive testing. So, here's a gift of time.

1. The BrookStone USB MP3 shower radio.

I know, it's Brookstone, you know, that store in the mall that sells every little gadget for everything.
This unit has a watertight USB port for a flash drive, AM/FM and clock. It sounds good, too. The only features it doesn't have is shuffle and folder navigation, but for a waterproof USB player, its very good. Portable too, take it to the beach et al. I like it.
For some reason, this unit is almost impossible to find.

Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Canceling Headphones

I travel alot these days. I wanted a decent set of cans without the cost of the Bose set. I went through every off the shelf noise cancelling set I could find, and a few in ear solutions as well. They all suck. I finally settled on this set. I love them. Serious noise cancellation, super comfort, decent sound. Removable 1/8 cord, harshell case. I like it.





Sansa E200 series w/ Rockbox


Ipod? No Thanks. $29 refurb Sansa 2GB E250. $12 4GB microSD. Rockbox installed. Whatever MP3 player you may have, see if you can put Rockbox on it. Way better. I've got a 6gb audio/video FM/voice recorder/player for $41. It plays DOOM. It has realtime audio plugins.
I like it.

Who needs an expensive music video?

Well, I was treated to the original MTV videos from Dino and Seal today. I must say, the Dino video made me say , WTF. Then I saw the video for 'crazy' from Seal . well, let me say I long for the days of simple video edits. I can accept poor cinematagrapy, or poor design or 'bold' fashion direction, but the dead simple video edits are the clincher for me. It's like watching an old film and commenting, 'they couldn't make this film today'. Because when someone reinterprets something, the original is lost without full representation and recogonintion of the original. So, FU hollywood, I don't want yer stinkin remakes. Anyway, I just want to make note that it only took ass-poor videos to make a song a hit. Not today.....

Cambrian reclaimation

Well, I've been on an ext-ended trip (more like a fall) into west TEXAS this week. See what I did there, with the word TEXAS, it's cuz, well, I can't say it. Anyway, Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Abilene, you are my destiny (this week). Due to departing weather , I was treated to several hours of layover in Dallas-Fort-Worth airport. I had previously read online about the 'd' concourse at DFW, and a short skytram later, the D concourse at DFW is indeed a fancy fancy place. Go ahead, book your flights with the strong layover at DFW, go enjoy the D concourse. It's the 'International' conrcourse, so you will have some ppl watching available. Oh, and it really does have a Proactiv vending machine.

Well paid stooges.

Would you get paid good monay evry night to be made fun of? how much would it take?
Would you take it evry night on national TV? I want to make a cry of 'soft shell sellout' to La Bamba. You know, the go-to guy for Conan to throw his cheap deprecating jokes at. Gheesh, I still watch Conan only to pray for the return of his first two seasons' humor. He may have gotten some mixed reviews then , but it was comedy gold. Dippy the Hippy, please. Still, tho, props for a the band and his embracing absurdity.

I have been there, it was very high.

I had no idea that that Hot Springs, AR has an obervation tower.
I have been thru Ft. Smith, Texarkana, Little Rock, and Hot Springs today. Arkansas is ok, but Texarkana stinks and the water is stinky. Its near Texas, so I would expect that. Hot Springs was having a horse race today, and Bill Clinton was there, we didn't see either. We did see steaming fountains and falls, and Lo! the Tower. If you want to avoid the locals, go here. Tourists only. It's funny seeing what's called mountains here in AR, coming from CO... but then again, I've lived in south mississippi for 12 years, so I used to not know what a mountain was at all....

Didnt need no welfare state, those were the days.

I'm almost back in the south. Riding past the nucleer plant on I-40 near Russellville, Arkansas makes me think of GWB and his 'Orange Alert'. It's so 'Prisoner' esqe. You are here because you know too much, it's like we are being retro-actively pressed into subservient know-how. Ya, there's something dangerous there, and we want to look around it, not at it. Wow, Archie Bunker was soo racist. It's cool to see a guy with union steel balls actually stand firm on his beliefs, unlike any show since that tries to match Archie Bunker. If that show was made today, I'm certain Edith would be a hot broad, and not the realistic whiny sounding homely wife.

It's like ZZ Top, I like the old television good, the new television, not so much. Velcro Fly, no thank you. Legs, nope. Eliminator, WTF. Tres Amigos, yes, more please.

I approve, yes, keep them coming.

My son asked me why I'm always fixing everything. I've had a difficult time resting since we bought a house a few years ago. Homeownership is a full time hobby one old-timer told me. It never ends. My recent excursions into the uppper attic have dispelled some of the last bits of mystery about my house. My cat, Gibby, she wanted desperately to get up the ladder to explore one of the last areas unseen by feline eyes. Now that I have closet lights, cable and ethernet upstairs, I'm ready for clobberin time. Like Star Trek where something can't be seen until something is phase shifted, we realized that we are losing about 100 sq. feet of space due to poor door layout and closet door choices. So, hack and wack, that's what's next. I'm going to see if I can get a $20 Sawzall at a pawn shop and make a mess, or inspire another 'Dad broke the house' comment from my 3 yr old.

My McGyverness

Q: Does anyone have any string?
A: Would a network cable work? I have a shoestring in my car too.
R: Hmmm, I'm not sure, but I will note your McGyverness.

The new phone solution.

So, if the communication companies are splicing our lines and providing the NSA with open access on all lines, then shouldn't those lines be free? Really, I don't give a flip about how easy or hard it is for someone to snoop on me, I don't give a care if I am being watched. Normally, when my opinion on something is needed, I get paid for it. (surveysavvy, prognostics, et al.) So, AT&T, Qwest, you can split my data lines off to the NSA, but you better not charge me full price for my service. I forget the sci-fi author (probably P.K.Dick) who put it in writing first, but in the future, communications are all free, just subsidised by a short advert at the top of each call. So, instead, imagine, free service that is up front about the monitoring of that service. The way I figure it, in this day and age, if you have something to hide, you had better communicate with pencil, paper, and homing pigeon, and even then, you are going to be on dozens of security camera logs.

Oh yea, another new job.

So, the office I was working in for Maptuit is closing, I'm not interested in relocating, so I started looking for new jobby job. I am now a Deployment Consultant for Gambro BCT. I travel around the country and install data collection appliances in blood centers. It's a wonderful place to work, the best crowd of co-workers ever. My commute to the office is a little long, but I don't mind at all.

Geocaching discovery

I've been on a determined Geocaching mission. I've been using my Moto i850 Nextel/Boost phone with Geocache Navigator. It's great having one device that has instant geocache searching in it. Yesterday, I found myself at a famous grave:

The Adolph Coors grave. Crisp coors banquet beer, yum. I havent had a beer in many months. Anyway, I've been aiming at one or two caches a day for lunch.

I'm alive and I approve this message.

Empty blogs, dead blogs, yup, this is another one.
So, I'm going to start blogging things I like and approve of.
Maybe share a few shortcuts.

Choosing an RV by name, what does it tell about you?

There is an abundance of conspicuous consumption here in Denver. You know, the new Lennar home with the boat (in colorado?) and the R.V. and the pickup truck and the trailer with either ATVs or snowmobiles on it. The smell of debt is strong here. Anyway, this brings around my thoughts on RV / camper naming.
The names are meant to invoke a sense of adventure or excitement. Take a look around, the names are proudly splashed aross all four sides. I look at the name and try to see how much the owner/driver resembles that name. I've never shopped for one of these things, but I would insist on a crazy name first. One that I wouldn't mind being associated with. I can overhear the fictional conversation at the RV park now: "Nice Tradewind you got there. I wanted a SandPiper, but would up with a Tsunami. It represents my chaotic, washed out retiree lifestyle much better."

Why the huge variety of names like this? It has more to do with the image that one word puts into a potential buyers head than the features. It's a box with wheels.
I may expound this article after I get in touch with RV manufacturers about how they choose names...

I suggest you pick one of these names and apply it to your vehicle of choice. Try it out. Here's a list of RV / camper names to choose from: (I've bolded my choices)

DUTCHMEN, FOURWINDS, DENALI, NORTH SHORE, VICTORY LANE, WINNERS CIRCLE, AEROLITE, KODIAK BY SKAMPER, TUNDRA, ADIRONDACK, ECO, ZOOM, WILD THING, T@B, COLORADO, GRAND JUNCTION, MONTE VISTA, NTENSE , BIGFOOT, LEPRECHAUN, COMPANION, EXTREME,
CANADIAN COUNTRY, CLASSIC, COTTAGE COUNTRY, DAKOTA, GEARBOX, LYNX, MALLARD, NITROUS, PIONEER, PROWLER, QUANTUM, REDLINE, RESORT, TERRY, TRIUMPH, WILDERNESS,
BAMBI, CLASSIC TRAILER, INTERNATIONAL, LAND YACHT, SAFARI,
BOUNDER, FIESTA, FLAIR, JAMBOREE, PACE ARROW, SOUTHWIND, STORM, TERRA, TIOGA ,
ALL-AMERICAN SPORT, BRONCO, CARDINAL, CEDAR CREEK, CHARLESTON, CHEROKEE, FLAGSTAFF, FORESTER, GEORGETOWN, GRAND SURVEYOR, LEXINGTON, MAVERICK, PONY, PUMA, ROCKWOOD, ROO, SALEM, SANDPIPER, SIERRA, SHAMROCK, SPINNAKER, SUNSEEKER, SURVEYOR, THOROUGHBRED, TSUNAMI, WILDWOOD, WILDCAT, WOLF PACK, WORK AND PLAY, YEARLING
CHATEAU, DUTCHMEN, FOUR WINDS, FUN MOVER, HURRICANE, INFINITY, WINDSPORT
CANADIAN SPORT, REFLECTION, WINDSONG , ARISTOCRAT, CENTURION ,
CRUISE AIR MINI, ENCOUNTER, EXCALIBUR, IMPULSE, LEAN MACHINE, MAVERICK, REBEL, SUITE, SWINGER, TRANS MASTER, EASY RIDER, INTRUDER, GOLDEN FALCON, ROYAL CLASSIC, TITANIUM, TRAVELAIRE, PRAIRIE SCHOONER, ATRIUM, CENDO, FRIENDSHIP, INDEPENDENCE, SCENIC CRUISER, SUN VOYAGER, TOUR MASTER, ULTRA SUPREME, YELLOWSTONE, AVATAR, CARDINAL, CRANE, EAGLE COVE, ESPRIT, FIRENZA, HAWK, HERITAGE, JAYHUNTER, KING, KIWI, QWEST, SPORTSTER, SWAN ,FREE SPIRIT, FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE, BEAVER, HOLIDAY RAMBLER, MCKENZIE, MONACO, SAFARI , BLAZE'N, DOLPHIN, ISLANDER, PALLISADES, RAGE'N, SEA BREEZE, SPLASH, TRADEWINDS, JAZZ, MIRAGE, TAHOE, WANDERER

Bang a gong, get it on.

Well, I'm currently in process of setting up a webpage that shows where I'm at, and where I've been.
Raytubes.com
There's some other things on thee, too. But, I'm getting OpenGTS setup. I've got Ubuntu 6.06 LAMP server setup. Using Mologogo on Nextel i850 to upload Lat/Longs to MySQL. Then PHP makes the googlemap. The phone setup is sweet. I bought a used nextel phone, put a boost mobile sim in there, it's $.20 per day for unlimited internet to upload coordinates.
Save yourself some time, and replace the free java that comes with Ubuntu with the official SUN version this way:
sudo apt-get install j2re1.4
it took me way too long to find that little dot of info...

The Hero Household

With all this buzz over SpiderMan and Heroes lately, I was happy luck to find this item at one of the many community garage sales around here this past weekend. This one guy had a garage full of cheap Chinese junk, resincast skulls and faeries, pocket knives, toys, etc... My little son picked this one up, I looked closer, and had to have it. No licensing, China is like the wild west of manufacturing. Note the straight image grab in the bottom right from Batman promo materials, and who the heck are these other heroes? Are they brothers? Is this a whole clan of Spidermen?
The figures themselves have little LEDs in their chests with a button in the back to light them up. Since they went the extra mile puttin LEDs in them , they skimped on the arms and legs, from the back, they are hollow, only the front is solid. Anyway, they are a welcome addition to the Smith household...

I'm back from my vacation

Since my last post, I've changed jobs. My former job at the DirecTV broadcast center expired. I am now working for Maptuit. I'm a support engineer, responsible for support of the Maptuit RealTraffic web app. It's the premeir traffic application on the web. Maptuit's primary business is commercial grade truck routing and location-based fleet management services. We just signed a deal with Qualcomm that will put Maptuit's Navigo app into thousands and thousands of trucks. I really like the company, what they are doing, where they are going, and the people I work with.

The Amazing Energy Machine of Joseph Newman is here!!!

OMG, it's finally here!!! the video is on Google!!! In short, this guy from Wiggins, MS has created a machine that generates more energy than is put in. He is religiously inspired and my hero. Joseph Newman and his contribution to humanity. This is a large file 404MB much better quality.

Metric

This is Emily from the band Metric. Metric rocks and does a mighty fine live show. Check em out. Search flickr for 'metric' for more pics and sets.

Emily Haines of Metric. Cedar Street Courtyard, Austin, TX. 16 March- SXSW 2006.
photo by yellowlinephoto on flickr

August waning.

Stuff I'm into:
Ubuntu Linux. It just works. Totally. Forget Windows (except for running Sonar, that's all)...
Cocteau Twins (BBC sessions are pretty good, all live and that...)
Firefox Verizon Minutes used extension (works for Tmobile too) -keeps easy tabs on usage, no more overages!!)

And as a side note, just to get this on the innernet:
I bought a Kenmore HE4t washer and dryer (he4). Stacked them up. Both front loaders, work great. previously the HE3 , he3t. Damn expensive units. Bought them from scratch and dent place, no warranty (yikes) but, I can fix anything.
So, the washer starts kicking up a 'suds' error then an F2 error and taking forever to finish a load. Open up, remove wet clothes, and see water standing in the bottom. Checked drain path, it's clear. Couldnt find anything on the internet about this. So, I removed the bottom front panel (screws on bottom front). and in the middle there is the pump catchall. This keeps coins and stuff from getting into the drain pump. Well, suprise suprise, I found my son's missing socks! three of them. 2 quarters, and some rocks as well. Totally clogged. I took that stuff out, put the thing back together and that's it. Wash away!!!
My band has added 'wipeout' What fun.

I lost a month in 10 days!

Wow, time flies when you are not paying attention.
Busy is as busy does, so here's a bunch of pics from my super secret hideout.
I've been incredibly busy away from work as well. I went paintballin one day, plenty of hits. I built a rock wall. I hid a geocache. I replaced a bunch of rocks in the yard. I sank a bunch of stepping stones. I cut grass. I chainsawed trees and my porch. I got my truck fixed. I bought an awsome old rolltop desk. I bought a canoe. I'm playing drums in a classic rock band. I rebuilt my home pc. I built a potting bench. I restacked the woodpile. whew.