The Robinson House

Blog Resurrection II

2011-04-08T07:43:38-07:00

Posting has been sparse; putting it mildly.

I miss blogging. More specifically, i miss the writing. I miss the sharing of thoughts. A link here, a quote there, eh, just not enough. I also miss updating the family blog; pics of the kids, pets and the nutty stories that make life go 'round. I hope to tackle the latter by blogging directly from the iPhone. Yep, i finally entered the smart phone world last fall with the iPhone 4. I know, i know, just call me Buck Rogers.

I moved this blog to Posterous for a bit...but never posted anything from there. Posterous is now slow and Google finally gave blogger some lovin' so i'm back here.

I'm back because of 4 things. The first, mentioned above. The second and third are two friends who have been blogging of late: Josh Reighley and Carl Jones. And the last is a recent job change; i'm excited about work again.

North Carolina got a little bit of money from the President's Race to the Top Initiative and i'm delighted to be a part of the NC Education Cloud team. Our team has a short time frame to define, architect, procure and deploy services to assist the K-12 schools in NC. Here's to Gabe Kotter's SkyNet!

Adios Facebook

2010-05-19T19:50:10-07:00

I spent a few minutes starting to write a "Why I Deleted My Facebook Account" essay, only to decide that this has been done many times in the last few weeks. Follow the link for a fairly complete rundown.

In a nutshell, in all my internet affairs over the last 20 years i have never been concerned about my personal information being shared in some way without my knowledge. Facebook changed that.

You can still find me on Twitter and elsewhere. My Google profile has other links.

My FB account will be gone by months end.

Update: Please use this tool to be sure your Facebook account privacy settings reflect your expectations of the service.

Book Review: Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions

2010-01-14T07:14:31-08:00

Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World by James A. Beverley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: i received a copy of this book for review from Thomas-Nelson Publishers.

This book is interesting in a couple of ways. First, it as more of a reference book than something you sit down to read. I was expecting a more conversational book about various religions and their differences; however, the book is neatly organized with each religion, or sect thereof, in its own section. That's not bad, just not what i was expecting. Secondly, with each religion having its own section, i would have assumed a basic alphabetical ordered format of the religions. They are not. It is organized like a hierarchy with similar religions grouped together. This, too, is not bad, just not what i was expecting after discovering that each religion had its own section. Want to find out about [insert religion here], you will need to refer to the index to find it.

Setting organization aside, Beverly has done a good job with the content. The information is clear and concise and seems accurate. But i kept asking myself, if i wanted to learn more about [insert unknown religion here], why would i go to a book? Honestly, the Wikipedia articles for the religions i reviewed are more thorough and are illustrated as well.

I gave the book a 4/5 because i think the book honors the title pretty well.

Light Box Photography for Fun and Profit

2009-07-03T18:20:00-07:00

Just a few weeks ago at ACE/NETC 2009 in Des Moines, Iowa, i gave a short presentation on building and using a photography light box.

The short presentation is available on slideshare.

I also have a light box set on flickr.

Here is the blurb from the conference description:

In this brief session you will learn three things: (1) how to make your own light box for a few dollars; (2) how to use it to make professional looking images easily and without expensive equipment or software; and (3) how to sell the images for thousands of dollars. At the very least, we'll shoot for two out of three.

Sadly, my tongue-n-check description did draw one person hoping to learn about making money from their photos. I should really learn to be more careful with those descriptions as that has happened to me before.

Building

The inspiration for doing the presentation was finding a cheap light box how-to that shows how to build a complete light box for less than US$25. I had looked at light box/soft box kits for US$80 or more, but they always seemed over-priced for what you were getting.

A few notes about building the light box/tent from the site above:

You don't need CPVC; use plain PVC, it is cheaper ...unless you plan to seal the light box frame and pressure test with 200 degree water to 300psi.

You do not need to glue the frame together. The PVC pieces will stick well enough together to hold everything up. Additionally, it is quite hard to glue a rectangle and keep the corners square.

The caps for the legs are a nice touch, but also not needed.

The screws are also optional. I just use plain 'ol transparent tape to hold my backdrops to the pipe.

All the PVC parts can be had for less than US$10.

Lighting

Keep it simple and cheap. I bought two 250 Watt halogen work lights (Workforce) from Home Depot. Cost US$4.95 each. If you have some lights around the house, give'em a shot.

Using the 250W lights had the added bonus of being able to take most shots without a tripod. You can certainly use lower wattage lights and set-up the tripod.

Color

Reading through the comments on the site above and other do it yourself light box pages, you will find a lot of folks struggling with color balance of the pictures. While you can certainly use most photo editing software to tweak the color by hand, there is a much simpler way that has been around a long time: the gray card.

Furthermore, check the photo software you use to see if it can use either white or black as a reference too, but all should understand a gray reference color.

The process is straight forward. Along with the item you place in the light box, place a gray/white/black card/paper/object such that you can include some area of it in your shot. When looking at the composition, just count on cropping that area out.

You can find gray cards for sale (also includes white and black reference cards too), or you can find a gray folder (i used a plastic one made by Mead US$2.49) at Walmart for a couple of bucks.

Time for Fun

Once you have the basic work flow going, have some fun! You can find lots of shots on the net (flickr, smugmug, to list a couple) and lots of inspirational ideas.

Ideas for experimenting:

light positioning - while a light box is great for getting rid of shadows, it is also great for creating the perfect shadows

backdrops - i bought a booklet full of colored construction paper at Walmart for dirt cheap; different types of cloth could also be used

placing items on mirrors, tiles, glass and the like

Anything you can fit in the light box is fair game!

Book Review: I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse

2011-04-07T07:11:41-07:00

I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss by Michael Franzese

Disclaimer: i received a copy of this book for review from Thomas-Nelson Publishers.

I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss was an interesting book. A more descriptive (less sensational) title would have been Business Ethics: Machiavelli v/s Solomon. Who would have thought that mobsters were given homework when they went off to jail?

Michael Franzese tells us how the mob lived by the principals outlined by Niccolò Machiavelli in his book The Prince. And that a copy was given to incarcerated mobsters to read while they were doing their time.

Franzese explains how the mob is a great example of Machiavellian principals in practice and why an enterprising business-person would be wise to avoid them at all costs. For a contrast, he offers that Solomon has far more wisdom than Machiavelli; which, at the very least, should keep you out of jail.

I had low expectations for this book; perhaps because i didn't know what to expect. The book was a very quick read, but really needed another pass from a copy-editor. Overall, i found it interesting and educational.

James' Rating: 4/5 Stars

View all my reviews.

Book Review: Kiss

2009-04-15T12:32:49-07:00

Kiss by Ted Dekker

Disclaimer: i received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

I enjoyed this book, but it was not what i was expecting .. which was actually a good thing. At first i was feeling a little disappointed: Was this another story about someone in an accident that lost their memory? So it seemed...then it got interesting.

The book is well-written and a pretty fast read. It has suspense, mystery, love, murder, politics and a sci-fi/paranormal aspect to it. The latter threw me off a bit; that was the unexpected, but definitely made for a much better story.

Sound remotely interesting? Grab it. You'll enjoy it.

James' Rating: 5/5

View all my reviews.

Book Review: Holding Fast

2009-01-12T04:20:00-08:00

Holding Fast: The Untold Story of the Mount Hood Tragedy by Karen James

Disclaimer: i received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

This book was a surprise. When the preface tells you how the story ends (yes, i know the title has tragedy in it, but i had not actually heard of the story -- i generally don't watch the news), it leaves you wondering how the rest of the story could be engaging. Wow, was i wrong.

Karen James walks you thru the period before the tragedy and after in a manner that is interesting and even suspenseful. As the characters are introduced, you are given enough of a glimpse into the their character, personality and relationships that you can understand the bonds that tie them together.

As the clues are unraveled, you are drawn into emotional moments; however, unlike other books i have read of late, the text is clear, concise and to the point. This book could have easily been a 600 page bore-fest (i.e. wouldn't have been published).

This book was a fast and interesting read; your time will be rewarded.

James' Rating: 5/5

View all my reviews.

Book Review: Born Standing Up

2011-04-07T07:12:13-07:00

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin

James' Rating: 5/5 -- My review on Goodreads.

I'm moving all my reviews to Goodreads. It appears to be one of the better review sites that i have seen. As always, FriendFeed has feeds from all the services i use and has great filtering to weed out the cruft.

Book Review: It's Not About Me

2008-10-15T14:42:33-07:00

There are many times when i want to whine about life being unfair, complain about some circumstance, get a little depressed over some issue, or even get a little concerned when some health issue arises. That's when you need the reminder...

It's Not About Me serves as that reminder nicely. Despite being a New York Times bestseller, Max Lucado does a good job of taking the reader on a journey; stopping first to remind us who God is, then taking the next step to talk about what that means for you and me.

The first couple of chapters are a little too wordy, using just too many words (examples, metaphors) to get the point across. I actually took a break from this book to read another one. I was happy that this book got better the farther along i read.

Find yourself thinking too much about yourself? If you answered, "no, i'm too important to do that," then this one is for you. :-)

James' Rating: 4/5

Book Review: Through the Storm

2008-10-12T11:06:15-07:00

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review. What? You ain't reading this blog yet?

Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World from Thomas Nelson Publishers is nearly an autobiography of Lynne Spears. Mother of Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears.

Why read this book? If for no other reason than to glean some wise words from a mother who has rode waves that few of us will ever see. I believe that is reason enough. If you are a pop-culture addict, this will likely give you a fix too. I'm pretty pop-ignorant so several issues were new to me.

The book is an easy read; set aside a mere four hours to make it cover to cover. It is well written and is formulated similar to a screenplay -- a foreshadow perhaps? The primary story arc is about Lynne, with a second encompassing the eldest daughter; however, there are other subplots which are diverse and interspersed enough to keep you engaged. The book has thirty chapters and i only found myself frustrated with a couple of them (ie. screaming move along).

Lynne is a mom who loves her children and is forced to deal with some surreal circumstances that sound sadly familiar coming from Hollywood land -- the Sheen/Estévez family comes to mind. While Mrs. Spears is quick to tell you where the media was wrong in their portrayal of her in the many public sagas, she makes no attempt to paint herself as a perfect mother.

Lastly, i had no idea that paparazzi is the plural form of paparrazo.

James' Rating: 4/5

Book Review: The Legacy

2008-09-22T16:40:43-07:00

Subtitled "Ten Core Values Every Father Must Leave His Child", The Legacy by Steven J. Lawson is a great resource for the Christian father who wants to teach and model his values for his children.

The book would be well suited for a small group setting. It was a little tedious reading it straight through. It got to feeling a tad repetitious with an over abundance of examples. While part of that is due to my personality, i think it could have been tightened up a bit.

Not part of a small group? Start one! And here is a great text with which to start.

James' Rating: 4/5

Book Review: The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers

2008-09-22T16:41:10-07:00

This was a real treat after finishing that last book. The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers offers a real insight into the man we all knew as a kid. It is also from Thomas Nelson Publishers. Amy Hollingsworth, the author, had a unique relationship with Mr. Rogers. This relationship provides the materials on which the book is based; these include letters, phone calls, voice mails, and meetings with Mr. Rogers.

I wasn't surprised to discover he was the same off camera. I saw the Candid Camera episode and find my memory of it to be quite vivid. I found this description elsewhere, but could not find the attribution:

An episode of "Candid Camera" had hidden cameras in a hotel where there was a TV critics' convention. As the story goes, a hotel employee would come into a TV critic's room and announce that, unfortunately, they must remove the television to give to another room. Each of the critics responded in a better-than-thou fashion that they were television critics and that they must have a television.

It so happens that Fred Rogers was at this same convention and "Candid Camera" made a visit to his room for their gag. His response?

"Sure. That's OK."

"You don't mind if we take your TV?"

"That's fine. I'm reading a good novel. I'll just read."

Mr. Rogers knew something about talking to kids ... you have to be real. Authentic. Genuine. Why would he act differently when he was not knowingly in front of a camera? He wouldn't, of course. He stood in stark contrast to the others that Alan Funt toyed with that day.

Mr. Rogers is an excellent role model for kids and adults alike.

Additionally, the most important aspect of this book for me was that it made me think a little differently about how to raise kids. Even if you are not religiously inclined, this book still provides a lot of insights for parents or hopeful parents-to-be.

James' Rating: 5/5

Book Review: The Faith of Barack Obama

2008-08-21T19:38:56-07:00

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of a promotional offer extended on Michael Hyatt's blog, From Where I Sit. He is President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

From Thomas Nelson Publishers comes an interesting sounding book, The Faith of Barack Obama. Written by Stephen Mansfield, the book provides the reader a great view of the home into which Obama was born and raised and how that affected his journey of faith and practice.

The good news (pun not intended) and bad news is that the first three chapters tell the story of the Faith of Barack Obama. The first three chapters plus ten pages of photos (that seem out of place in a book of this type) comprise 80 pages, or over half the book. So what about the last half?

The last 70 pages are split in to two pieces that i would label as "faith in politics" and "healers".

The faith in politics section was interesting, but did not flow as well as the first three chapters. In addition to providing an overview of how Obama has brought his faith into his campaigns, Mansfield also touches on the faith of George W. Bush, John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

The last section (and chapter) of the book is where the author jumps the shark. The basic summary:

Perhaps we have come to a moment when a common devotion to God may fuel a national resolve to break cycles of poverty, challenge strongholds of racism, reinforce ethical conduct among the powerful and the powerless, deliberate on the morality of war before it is declared, and end the moral scourges of our time. If this is so, then part of the impact of Barack Obama in our generation may be for just such a purpose: to help wed faith to a political vision that leads to meaningful change in our time.

As if healing the nation hasn't been among the phrases used for every new tenant of the White House for the last thirty years. As if all previous U.S. presidents have been card carrying atheists. Yeah, that last chapter didn't resonate with me at all.

In spite of the last chapter, i liked the book. The biographical nature of the first three chapters made it interesting. Mansfield does a great job of handling the Trinity United Church of Christ and its former pulpit occupant Jeremiah Wright.

Thomas Nelson Publishers did give us bribed bloggers permission to share a PDF of the first two chapters (actually 48 pages, or one-third) of the book. Enjoy.

James' Rating: 3.5/5

House Maintenance

2008-07-16T23:02:25-07:00

After a catastrophic hardware failure at textdrive and two days of downtime, i was forced to either start losing mail or move email to a different service.

I already had my eye on Google Apps. I was actually prepared to cough up the $50/user/year, because i forgot they had a free edition.

I jumped on the free band-wagon. Told them about my existing domain. Added a DNS alias to confirm i was the domain owner. Enabled Gmail for my domain. Add my wife as a user and set-up some useful aliases. Added the seven (7) MX records Google provided -- a mere six more than i had before! And voila. Mail started coming in almost immediately.

I had been using Gmail for my home mail for more than two years. I wasn't about to start using two browser tabs to track email, so i promptly set-up the Google Apps robinsonhouse.com account to forward all email to my gmail.com account.

Google now owns my email; the final piece of the hosting puzzle. I have no need for a hosting provider now.

Are you still paying for hosting? If so, why?

I Am Tagged, Too

2008-07-02T07:46:28-07:00

Anne Adrian tagged me, so here it goes:

What i was doing ten years ago

I was working as lead systems programmer for NCSU campus networking. According to the wayback machine, i was "working on developing network management utilities, network security tools and administering various campus services."

Five snacks i enjoy:

pistachios

peanuts

popcorn - natural sprinkled with lemon-pepper

dark chocolate

dark chocolate covered espresso beans

Five things on my to-do list today:

patch pubsite

run by Target

put pack-n-play in the attic

research replacing foundation vents

plan screencast for a PD session

Five favorite recipes:

Stir-fry Turkey

San Juan Venison

Pan Seared Rib Eye

Country Style Steak

Steamed Asparagus drizzled with Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

Five jobs i have had:

I actually covered that in an earlier blog post. To recap:

selling software

janitor

sweeping floors and stacking stuff

pulling cable/network installation

stock-boy

Five of my bad habits:

structured procrastination

picking at the cuticles on my fingers (yeah, TMI, sorry)

drinking too much coffee

joking when i am supposed to be serious

eating too much

All the places i have lived:

High Point, NC

Raleigh, NC

Cary, NC

Holly Springs, NC

Apex, NC

Five random things:

I only have 24 teeth; i have a small mouth. Both my second molars (12 year molars) and third molars (wisdom teeth) would not fit and had to be removed. Yeah, ouch.

I co-wrote a book.

I also write for my church magazine, and even have a few photography credits.

I don't communicate well with folks that aren't very bright, good thing i married an NCSU valedictorian.

I have never had a beer.

Five Folks i Would Like to Know Better:

Retta

Josh

Randy

Mary

Something Different

2008-06-16T05:17:32-07:00

Last week at church was a little different than most weeks. It was my week to help out in the nursery during the first service. Never know what to expect in the baby room, fortunately it was one of the better weeks in there (few babies, lots of workers, no major screamers).

After scrubbing-out of the nursery, i headed off to sit through the second service. As i sat down, i decided to browse through the weekly bulletin. I usually don't bother since i get any pertinent info via email anyways, but i did read through the order of service.

Included in the order of service was the song selections for the day. My eyes were drawn one song in particular: Who Am I?. I knew the song. It was originally recorded by Point of Grace for their 1998 Steady On album, it is a great song complimented by four beautiful voices.

I was excited to see that beside the song listing was a note that it was going to be performed by a quartet. "This should be good," i thought.

The service began and it was soon time for the quartet. The first thing i noticed was that the stage had two chairs set-up where the quartet would be performing. A little different.

The quartet was actually students; middle school girls best i could judge. As they took their places, one girl needed some assistance to get over to the chair for her to sit. Another sat beside her and the other two took their places standing on either side of the chairs.

The orchestra began the familiar tune and after a brief issue with a microphone, the girls began to sing. The song is usually sang in parts with each singer taking a part, then joining in together (full video - Point of Grace w/ John Tesh).

After the second girl sang her piece, i thought "they are doing a great job with the song." Then the third girl, then the forth. Except things seemed to fall apart at that point. Did the girl forget the lyrics? Even so, why would the orchestra be struggling? Missing notes, losing time and slowing down ... playing softer.

It became clearer. As the orchestra struggled to play slower and quieter, you could finally her the words to the song coming from the girls lips. No melody to speak of, words, broken words, some difficult to understand.

Once the girl finished her part, the orchestra picked-up the tempo and the girls continued to sing. Until it came time for the forth girl to sing again. This time the orchestra was able to react faster, slowing down, almost stopping, and playing softer so that the girl could at least be heard.

I don't know the girls name. I do know she has cerebral palsy.

I know many folks took away different things from that musical performance as many tears were shed that morning. As the phrase goes, context is everything.

For me, it was three things: i've never cried after that song before, i no longer think of a harmonizing quartet when i hear the songs name, and there are times when God wants you to step outside of your comfort zone.

Snob, I Am

2008-04-24T05:30:15-07:00

snob n. One who tends to patronize, rebuff, or ignore people regarded as social inferiors and imitate, admire, or seek association with people.

Early this year i made the transition from coffee aficionado to coffee snob. It was no coincidence that this transition coincided with starting to drink black coffee. Without additives to mask the bitterness (or take the edge off the carbon taste that appears after the carafe has been on the burner for 5 hours), i tend to notice poor tasting coffee more often now.

I have determined that i am also a pistachio snob. Unlike the transition to a coffee snob, i grew up as a pistachio snob, but did not fully understand that until recently.

You see, i grew up on Iranian pistachios. Each year my grandfather would receive two or more large cans of pistachios from Iran through a business contact. I remember them quite vividly as they always had the picture of Ayatollah Khomeinin on each can.

Fast forward 30 years: now i find myself not really enjoying the tiny, bland nuts labeled as pistachios at the local grocery. This fact was highlighted when i recently purchased some "California Jumbo Pistachios". The Fiddyment Farms pistachios actually reminded me of those from my youth.

I don't see me buying any more from the local grocery; i'll save up and enjoy a tasty treat once a year or so. I can be a snob like that.

The Sickness: Update

2008-04-22T17:11:07-07:00

At the follow-up doctors appointment the doctor had me do the two laps around the office again. The results showed that my lungs were functioning much better; however, my pulse was quite high given that i was simply walking (110 bpm).

The doctor was also still concerned about my fatigue; he ordered another blood panel to be sure i was not anemic (the results from the ER visit showed slight anemia). He also ordered an echocardiogram stress test and referred me to a cardiologist.

So the good news is that the blood test results were fine. It is also good news that the echo-stress test was perfectly normal as well.

The bad news is that all the tests were fine. :-/

The diagnosis has been amended to simply "nasty virus". Ideally we'd all love to know exactly what attacked my system, but things aren't always ideal.

The best news is that currently i am at about 98% of "normal" and feel pretty well.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers. I really appreciate it.

The Last Three Weeks

2008-03-29T08:16:42-07:00

Have you been out of the country?

Have you taken any trips?

No, those aren't questions being asked by friends who have missed my smiling face, er, avatar. [Those are more like "whazzup dog?" or "sup hos?" or "hey sweetie pie?" (the latter from somone called SpringBabe9783 via AIM)]

No, those questions are being asked by my doctors; the physicians being charged with fixing my physical condition. Oh, the problem? Well...

It all started the 7th of March (or so we believe), ran a fever for one night, felt horrible, and spent the next two days recovering.

Two days later the fever returned and i went to the doctor for the first time. The diagnosis was walking pneumonia. The doc prescribed avelox and home i went.

Five days later -- having spent the majority of that time in bed -- i still had a fever and felt horrible. Back to the doctor i went.

After checking me over, the doctor decided to hook me up to a pulse oximeter. At rest the SpO2 reading was 94%. A tad low to start. The doctor asked me to take a couple of laps around the office.

After lap one, the reading sagged to 90%. After lap two, we watched the reading plummet to 84%. After sitting down again in the exam room, i began to feel hot and my vision got blurred...yeah, i was headed for la-la land; fortunately, the doc got me some water and up on the exam table pretty quick.

After recovering on the table for while, then receiving a shot of rocephin and a prescription for a Z-pack, i headed off for a chest X-ray. I also had a new pet name from my bride, hypoxic man.

The diagnosis was amended to community-acquired pneumonia.

But now it gets interesting. The nurse calls the next day to let me know the chest X-ray is clear.

Three days later things are looking-up, sorta. I was no longer feverish (yah!), but still hypoxic man; any exertion would leave me sucking-wind, literally. And by exertion i don't mean dance aerobics, i mean simply standing-up or walking. :-/ My wife called the doctors office, explained my condition. Their advice? Take a trip to the emergency room.

Simply getting checked in to the emergency department was a chore. The person in front of me had fell from the "second story" of a building and had head and back pain. The question posed by the check-in nurse must have been worth a million dollars: "how far did you fall?" It had to be worth that much because it necessitated twenty minutes and using all three life-lines out to spanish-speaking staff members to ask the question. Apparently the difference between 12 or 17 feet had huge ramifications for the questionnaire in front of her. Of course, it wasn't until she got her question answered that she offered the guy a wheelchair.

ER Tip #1: "i'm having shortness of breath" produces a wheelchair immediately.

After getting checked-in and triaged, i only had to wait about 15 minutes for a "room". Over the next 8 hours i would have: much blood taken, a flu test, another chest X-ray, two small cans of ginger-ale, some saltine crackers, and a chest CT. The latter was ordered after one of the blood tests (D-dimer) came back and the doctor wanted to rule out a blood-clot in a lung.

So after a day of testing they found nothing to warrant any further testing. Translated: it was time to go home.

So the latest diagnosis is generally: viral pneumonia. Which comes back to the questions the doctors are asking, because it would seem that i'm the only one around with this virus...or at least with this set of symptoms. The ER doctor actually came back in to the "room" twice to ask if i had been somewhere.

My wife and even my kids doctors are still concerned. The exertion => shortness of breath connection is also associated with many ticker-related issues.

The good news is that i am improving, but only a little each day. I'm sleeping a lot, usually taking a couple of naps during the day. This morning i stood up for about 30 minutes doing stuff in the kitchen and then needed to sit down.

On the improvement side, even though i am still having the shortness of breath it is taking a little longer to show-up when doing stuff and recovery after sitting down doesn't seem to be taking as long. Hey, i'll take it!

I have another follow-up with the doctor in another 5 days. He seems to expect me to be pretty well recovered by then and wants me to run laps around the office again. Should be interesting.

Freedom Zero versus Useful, You Decide

2008-02-03T19:14:48-08:00

Jeff Atwood posed the question:

Why Doesn't Anyone Give a Crap About Freedom Zero?

First, what is freedom zero? It comes from the GNU Free Software Foundation free software definition:

The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.

The context for the question is Apple Computer. Why is Apple so successful at selling hardware and software that forces vendor lock-in?

First, i should state that i don't believe in Freedom Zero. It is an ideal that can't stand alone, and never will. JP Rangaswami touches on many of the complex issues in his latest Walking the Plank: A Sunday Stroll through Piracy. One of the trueisms he touches on resonates with me and my desire to buy Macs:

People pay a premium for natural scarcity

In 2008, a computer that provides hardware that works consistently, software that works consistently and has a modicum of security, and provides a platform for getting work done is a scarce resource.

I will pay a premium (and ask my employer to do the same) for a computer system that works. I'm not saying that Apple nor the Mac is a perfect system; that will never happen. What i am saying is that the Mac platform takes care of problems and services that i would otherwise have to spend my time fussing over.

My time is worth something. Yes, i could play with a variety of back-up scripts/packages on an Ubuntu Linux system and mimic Time Machine, but why? I could go with a Linux system as long as i was willing to give up most functions on my printer/scanner. I guess that is my fault for researching the best value on a quality multipurpose print/copy/scan device.

Ten years ago, i would have (and did) build a Linux system for home use. I won't be doing that again; chalk it up to experience.

I love Linux and am a big proponent of open source software; however, Freedom Zero doesn't mean crap me. There are things of more value in life.

OpenID and Leadership

2008-01-23T14:23:33-08:00

Suppose you believe your web application to have a significant value proposition leading you to request a user sign-up with your service. What should you do?

In 2008 the answer is very clear: OpenID.

"We're taking a leadership role in bringing OpenID to the mass audience." -- Denis Roy, Yahoo! PR

OpenID is about the user. It is about empowering the user to take control of their online identity. Soon, users will be asking for it.

If you really care about your users, OpenID has to be a priority. As with any change, OpenID adoption does require leadership. AOL, Google and Yahoo! are stepping up. If you're in the position of technology education and leadership, better not let this pass you by.

Account Sign-Up Usability Redux

2008-01-21T07:22:28-08:00

There have been a few articles of late talking about usable sign-up procedures for sites wanting to provide user accounts; however, i think it bears revisiting is the "why" for accounts in the first place. The very number one mistake in the first article linked above:

Mistake #1: Having a Sign-in In The First Place -- Jared M. Spool

There are way too many sites that offer/require accounts to do the simplest of things:

site feedback

ask a question

leave a comment

provide location specific content

just to buy something

Some props to some sites that do it right:

Yahoo! - want to see TV or Movie listing for your area, just give them a zipcode

craigslist - post and manage your item/event/rant, no account required

etix.com - creates a convenience account post sales, because most likely you won't need it

Bed Bath and Beyond

most blogs - just ask for name/email to comment

The text at Bed Bath and Beyond says it perfectly:

You don't need an account to place an order. To make future shopping easier, you can create an account upon order completion.

Do you really want to serve your users? Stop creating artificial barriers that keep folks from performing the simplest of tasks. If you really think users want your email, ask them point-blank to join a mailing list (e.g. Birkenstock USA).

Forcing users to create an account to perform basic tasks as a means to collect their email addresses or generate some self-serving user statistics is just not user friendly nor customer centered.

Coffee Pains

2008-01-18T05:28:14-08:00

When our coffeemaker went belly-up after Christmas, i had no idea how difficult it would be to find a replacement. Reading reviews for coffeemakers is a waste of time because every Joe Brewer expects something different. For some it is (1) simply a drug delivery mechanism, for others it is a (2) topping on a mound of sugar and/or cream, and for yet another group it is a (3) hot morning wine. Those in the first two camps really skew the reviews because i believe they are the majority. Previously, i was a nomad roaming between the three camps; today i limit roaming to camps (1) and (3).

I've had a coffeemaker at work for more than three years that brews a consistent cup of coffee so i was pleasantly surprised to find the same/similar model on sale after Christmas. After a rebate, it would cost five bucks; however, after trying five(!) different coffeemakers and not being able to find one that worked properly, we gave up. The sad thing was that those units made fine coffee, but the electronic clock did not work.

I'm only interested in three features in a coffeemaker: coffee, 2 hour shut-off (for safety), and programmable start. The latter is actually not a hard requirement, but it is a feature i will use if available. However, without a working clock the two extra features are rendered worthless.

We decided to try another model from the same company because the coffee did turn out well. The new model had the same set of features, appeared just to be a new (poorer) design. Our first test yielded decent coffee and a working clock. Tests two and three yielded hot coffee leaking out on the kitchen counter. I could not identify the actual problem while trying to keep from getting scalded. We cleaned it out well and tried again, but still failure.

Black & Decker, we bid you farewell. Models tried: DCM2500 and DE755B

A friend was in the market for a coffeemaker too. He bought one, so i asked what he thought; his response:

it heats water up, and sends it through a basket of coffee grounds - and it looks like a robot, so those all fit the short term qualifications -- @jasonadamyoung

Can you sense the excitement of the new coffeemaker? Yeah, me too.

Earlier someone had given him some advice that i found most interesting:

Melita manual drip coffee cone. Even the cheapest makes the best coffee there is. http://tinyurl.com/2gp2b6 -- @rconlon

This was interesting because i actually had one! Never been used. Got it as a promo from Melitta. Additionally, i had received an electric water kettle for Christmas (to make using the coffee press more convenient...and does it). She was right, it makes a great cup of joe.

So now we have a new coffeemaker at home; it happens to be the one from my office. It is good to have consistent coffee again.

At work i'll use the #2 Cone Melitta Perfect Brew Coffee Filter Holder (pictured above). The only question now is whether i need another electric kettle for the office...i'm thinking yes. :-)

What's in Your Pockets?

2008-01-15T10:40:26-08:00

keys
1. house
2. office
3. office desk
4. van
5. P & C screwdriver

knife

coin pouch

front pocket wallet

2007: A Review

2008-01-15T04:25:41-08:00

* January 23 - joined twitter
* February 23 - moved from www to blog.robinsonhouse.com
* March 10 - started using Amazon S3
* April - eh, just worked
* May 21 - found skitch
* June 16 - met some colleagues in NM - closest to the left coast i have been
* July 24 - sick of rails, started playing with CakePHP
* August 16 - actually bought eye-glasses online
* September 27 - vacation at Tweetsie Railroad
* October 16 - introduced to Scrabulous on Facebook
* November 21 - discovered Amy Treadwell on youtube
* December 1 - 2 years at eXtension