the letter ‘a’…
by ratman on Jan.03, 2010, under technology, the alphabet
sundays will be the weekly letter post. i figure i will try to take a letter and exploit something that starts with it. ought to be able to go through the alphabet twice this way, right?
a:
android. or the moto droid phone is just the greatest thing. i have some apps on mine. i am pretty picky. but i do have a list of favorites so far…
barcode scanner
places directory
layar
where
shopsavvy
sportstap
google voice
goggles
facebook
listen
evernote
ourgroceries
twidroid
touchdown
life stories
my real world use of the phone is this. i have tried any number of ‘smart phones’. windowss devices. palm. and i even made an attempt at the blackberry, which was my favorite of them all. i have many friends that own iphones. i like them. really. but i already own a touch, so it seemed stupid to me to ditch it for an iphone. the touch does exactly what i want it to do.
the droid however, has exceeded all of my expectations. it makes calls (thanks verizon). it runs assp. it gets my mail, all of it. it has some pretty cool accessories. like the car mount. stick it on your dash, or throw it in the windshield. once you place the phone in it, it turns into one of the smartest gps machines on the planet. turn by turn, finding the destination with just the entry of where you want to go. get a power cord though. it does use some juice. or the moto dock. it’s more of a toy for me since i have the touch. but it does give me the time, date and weather at a glance. i have a photo frame at work that rotates pictures, so i don’t know that i will ever use it that way. but ya never know. it oes charge the phone while it’s in it so that is a good thing. i can also reach out and hit it for the feeds, twitter and facebook things that i need to do fairly easily.
the google voice part of this is another great thing. i make calls. not 100′s but enough. now, i let gv do the work instead of the regular vw network, and all seems to be great. i also like the sms part of that application.
have already made use of the scanner things to date. yes. they saved me money. and where got me to cheap gas today. 3 cents cheaper in the area that i was shopping today.
what i want is an app that reads emails and the like to me. i had one on the bb, and with the laws correctly changed to no longer allow texting or the like, it would be really beneficial. still haven’t found one. but i know one will show up soon…
my impression so far is that it is every bit the equal of the iphone. i admit quietly, that i miss a couple things on the bb, but it wasn’t that much of a loss.
well. that’s it for ‘a’ this time round. next sunday, the letter ‘b’.
big day ahead…
by ratman on Jan.02, 2010, under family, friends, shameless plug, things
well. not really. have to finish 2009 for techjoe. doesn’t that sound like fun?
trying a new project this year. it’s the whole 365 pictures which = 1 picture a day. i took 13 yesterday to get one that i liked. guess i’ll put it up sometime today, along with a new one.
sat around the coffee table this morning gabbing with the wife over a cup of java. best part of the day. no fighting kids. the dogs are lounging. we can talk like adults!
don’t really want to go outside today. it’s 0 here in beautiful aurora. 0. that’s cold. snickers hobbled back in from his run this morning. didn’t see a problem with his pad. guess he was just cold.
let me say it again. i love my droid phone. it just works. and with the google voice hook up. it makes calls cheap and that has lowered my phone bill. love that. plus the network support for whilst being in the house? what could be better! who cares that there are 100000 apps for the iphone. most are bubble apps anyway. better to have quality than quantity.
my newest feature here will be the saturday shameless plug. i search a lot for software. i am kind of a junkie. this years new years resolution is to find free, or really cheap software that makes my life easier. to that end, here is my plug for the saturday shameless plug:
i am a news junkie. i also have a fb and twitter account. flock makes the use of social networks and news feeds, well, easy. there is a sidebar that controls all the action. you can post between all the social networks almost effortlessly. it’s based on the firefox browser and does a wonderful job. i highly recommend giving it a try.
my year in review…
by ratman on Jan.01, 2010, under family, friends, things, work
to all… i hope that you had a terrific holiday season! that it was safe and that it was warm.
i think that first, i would like to say kudos to my far better half. she has worked hard at her schooling to become a teacher. i have no worries what kind of teacher she will be. she is a caring and understanding individual. and that is just a part of what will make her a great teacher. her grades throughout the year have been high, with a 3.9 4.0 average. she still also manages to keep things going on the kid front at home.
frankly. she remains my best friend!
jonathan continues to amaze. he’s got good grades and is continuing to grow into a young adult. it is so interesting to watch. his hand eye coordination has improved, thanks to any number of shoot um up games that he plays constantly. he takes drivers education classes this summer. going to be a long year. i can feel it.
devin is moving along in his normal direction. being an adhd kid has it’s drawbacks, but even though his studies have suffered a bit this year, when he’s on, he is really on. i presume that he has what i have. too many things going on and never enough time to complete any of them. he enjoys some of his subjects more than others, as was my way in school as well. in his 5th grade year, he had a teacher that believed kids wouldn’t have any homework to take home, and worked very hard at making that happen. however. i really believe that it has hurt him more than helped him. ultimately he will be fine. he knows it. and so do we.
during the year, i was also able to hear from my oldest son ian. he seems to be doing fine. there were some bitter moments in our initial conversations, but we seemed to get through them. i miss him. there are times, when i find his early pictures, that i can think back to the fun times we had when he was younger. i soured those times by trying to get him to follow a more traditional path. i know what it is like to not follow that path, and i didn’t want his life, nor jon or devins, to be like it has been for me. but. he is his own man, and for that, i am thankful. here’s to you, ian. i hope things are going well.
my dad is doing terrific! he turned 79 this past october. i always feel bad for him in the winter because owning a miata makes winter drives more like skating with sheet metal. but he’s doing fine and is a pleasure to have around. when ever i think about it, i realize that he has seen everything. from the beginnings of sound and video, to blue ray disks, the internet and our first african american president. he is, without a doubt, a wealth of information. and i cherish every moment we have.
barb and john were able to visit us a couple times this year. they are influenced by the ‘grandchildren’ effect. that’s when the grandchildren use the powers of their minds and cause you, as a parent or grandparent, to have a need to see you in person, instead of on a skype call. it’s always a good time. and we are guaranteed to eat browns chicken (though. as of this writing, browns had filed for bankruptcy protection. bummer.)
the year itself was full of surprises. we elected a new president that is working hard to help get the country back on it’s feet. the whole experience has taught me that as much as you can wish for change, one man can not do it alone. it takes far far more. i hope that some more of our fellow countrymen and women learn that lesson. i am still a strong supporter of our president, but i admit to being a little bit sour of some of his attempts at change. i believe that his voice should have been much stronger during the health care debate. though i understand the idea of allowing the congress create the bill, it is his leadership that should have helped keep the fox and friends gang from becoming a detrimental voice in its creation. if i have a wish, for 2010, it is that any nmuber of fox folks become unable to speak. its not that i don’t believe in the ability to speak freely. it is that fact that when you speak, the truth should be what is spoken, not the twisting of words to fulfill your own agenda. glen, rush, michele and the like do that almost constantly. and their stirring of the pot can only do harm instead of good. that is just a pity.
it’s like the bears. at the beginning of the season, with the addition of a new and previously successful quarterback, it seemed that the bears would be almost unstoppable. yet. it proves the point that it takes more than a single change to reach the outcome that you want. i think that the addition of cutler to the bears showed the other, previously hidden holes, that weren’t visible prior to the addition. that we need receivers. that our offensive line is old yet also young and less experienced. yet. i don’t blame the coach. i think he did, and does, a fine job.
work was ok. i have lots of respect for most of the people that i work with, and for. reiling is there from back in the comark days which make the sap part of my job bearable. and i also work with a very bright group of ‘techies’ which makes the day go by well.
past that, the year went by pretty much like i expected with all the things that have happened. the economy sucks. the value of our house isn’t what it was. nor are any of the other houses that we have lived in, with the exception of the house in elgin. but. i believe that will change over the next year or two, yet i hope that the changes are gradual and are not the same as they were before.
but. i am thankful that my family is healthy. my job is secure for the moment. my friends are all in pretty good shape. and coffee hasn’t been outlawed!
i hope that this is a great year. i believe that it will be.
i hope that all is good for you as well. that your world is full of happiness and that all goes well for you.
thanks for reading. enjoy your day!
of these ends…
by ratman on Dec.17, 2009, under friends, politics, things
here is a friend of mines site. i enjoy his humor and his drawings. political slant. good humor. give it a try. what can it hurt?
http://oftheseends.com
see ya there…
health care…
by ratman on Dec.17, 2009, under last time i mention this, politics, soap box, things
today i removed the sign up that had been a part of my site for months. the way that health care is being directed, isn’t the change that i voted for. it’s just such a shame. i was so supportive of real change, and instead seem to be getting much the same with a government bill. i tried my best to support it, but the direction is just wrong.
i don’t blame president obama. he gave the congress a job, and they went at it. unfortunately, there are so many congress-people with their own agenda’s (not the peoples) that it just won’t pass like i would like it to. i most certainly blame the old guard. those congress folks that have been in place for far too long. i think that there should be term limits. i think there should be a way for them to then get and be able to use the feedback from their districts in more ways. i am tired of listening to them say that they don’t support something. they are supposed to be the mouths of us, and their personal opinions should carry little to no weight.
but that’s just not the way it is. so. the next voting season for me will be to work on getting the current out and a new breed in, if there is one. if not, i will simply keep my vote in my pocket. i will however vote for president obama in the next presidential election, unless he does something that no longer warrants that vote. again. i don’t blame him. i think, instead, that he has allowed the short comings of both parties to come to light.
and that light, is considerably dull.
the state of climate change…
by ratman on Dec.06, 2009, under politics, soap box, things
personally, i believe that we are slowly killing the planet. however. even if we aren’t why are we fighting to keep oil companies in place? oil has it’s problems, and there can’t be a everlasting supply of it, because there just can’t. what’s wrong with trying to move forward on different alternatives? why can’t we create transportation around cheaper better fuel sources? what is the cost if we do? nothing. we simply have another choice. another option.
if there weren’t a problem with oil and the burning of it, would the skies of California be clearer? would ozone action days become a thing of the past? whatever you believe, you can because you live in america and are able to have a choice. but come up with the reasons not to have a choice of offerings that doesn’t include shareholders, profits and bonuses.
i dare you.
bye bye… lou dobbs…
by ratman on Nov.12, 2009, under last time i mention this, politics, soap box, things
bye bye lou. wonder how long it will be before you are on the faux network.
i was reading some blogs tonight….
by ratman on Nov.06, 2009, under last time i mention this, politics, quote of the day, soap box, things
and one that i read really ticked me off. not knowing that there was a limitation as to the number of characters that were allowed, i had at it. well. it wouldn’t save. so. for you folks that started and couldn’t finish, or really just want to flame, here it is in it’s entirety… ( and you regular readers of my spaces enjoyment as well………)
We are not less safe. If you think we are, where’s your proof.
The health care system is more or less, a large monopoly that takes your money, and changes your terms, at will. And you are worried about what the government takes?
The free market that we once backed as Americans, is now solely on our backs, and frankly it hurts.
The cost to produce in the United States has gone up because corporations realized just how much money they could make. Then, when we got tired of being paid little for all the work, the corporations said, ‘Yep, you’re right. We’ll just let you go and find somewhere cheaper to make the same goods that you will buy for a higher price to support our shareholders and executives.’
Sure taxes are high. We like freshly paved roads. Bridges that support the weight of more than a donkey cart. A military that is second to none anywhere in the world. Medicare. Medicaid. Social Security. Educational Funding. Various other programs designed to enhance and make better, our daily lives.
President Bush is a good man. But he allowed us to be lied to, often. It was during his administration that the employment and economic meltdowns began. His administration was given a surplus of cash and they screamed through it like a 12 year old in a Toys-R-Us.
Would you rather that President Obama let the car companies go down the tubes (the last of what manufacturing we still have, that we can call our own.)? Would the loss of many more financial institutions have made you happy (as you watched everything that you had saved or put into stocks and bonds loose all value right before you’re eyes disappear)?
Had these things, and more, been allowed to happen, you would be screaming about how he doesn’t do enough. How he let our country go into financial ruin and the worst depression ever. How he is destroying the country.
All of the things you are saying today.
It is so very easy to find fault in others when you are certain that you are right. And, you might even be right about somethings. But fortunately, you are in America, where you can say, without worry, whatever it is you want to say, whether it is based on fact, or, fiction. And certainly, you will be able to find an audience in either case.
This country is the greatest on earth. We have simply gotten greedy. We used to create, and now we purchase and use. We can go back to creating and being a leader in the world by simply working together and getting back to what we did best. Lead with compassion and brilliance. And frankly, under the leadership of President Obama we have a very good chance of doing that if, and only if, people, like all of us, allow him the chance to work at it a bit. He’s only been in office for a little over 10 months. Do you think that you could have fixed all of this by now? If so, why didn’t you run for a seat in the government?
Two last things to say.
If you were on a deserted road, and got into an accident, with your family, and as you opened your eyes and saw them hurting and bleeding, I would think, even hope, that you would be wishing for someone… anyone… to come by and find you. What if that someone did come by, looked into your car, smiled and walk away. That is what you are suggesting by not at least attempting to look at Health Care Reform with an open mind.
Here is an idea for helping to save someone from that situation. It’s not mine. I am certain that I heard it somewhere else. A dollar a month. Just one single solitary dollar donated by every man, woman and young adult put towards an open account that would help with the care of others would raise enough money to protect the 30 million or so people that are less fortunate than those of us that have the ability to afford health care. Lets say that there are 200 million of the 300 million populous that could contribute that amount per month (cause paper routes are a thing of the past, so kids should get a pass.) That would be 200 million a month, or 600 million a quarter, or 2,400,000,000 a year. That would be a step in the right direction. And all of us probably loose that in change in a month anyway.
That’s it. That’s all I have to say. Sure I’ll get some grief for it, but it pains me to believe that we live in a time where a person that is trying to make a difference, with a couple houses of old, tired and out of date people that do nothing but try to protect themselves from becoming obsolete, can convince us that these things are wrong. (last dig… term limits should apply to all the elected house of the federal government as well as the state government).
Take care all. I mean that. Really. I might be walking by your car one night.
God Bless the USA and the troops that are fighting for our security and freedom day in and day out to protect your right to disagree.
nothing more to say…
by ratman on Oct.29, 2009, under last time i mention this
President Obama in Dover
