WiFighter

You are looking at my first post using this new tool from Microsoft. This does seem to be the wave of future web blogging. These web based apps really make the blogsphere more accessable to everyone. Let me upload this post, before issuing a verdict.

DSL, Digital Subscriber Line. Do you remember that? It is back in my life, and it is unwelcome. A word of warning to my fellow travelers out there. Most of the larger hotels in Asia are providing “Broadband” to their customers now. As I continue to learn in my old age to read the fine print of life, I have some bad news for my friends out there. More likely than not, that “Broadband” is going to provided by the cheapest means possible. At my hotel / residence that is DSL. They installed a server, and piggyback off of the existing telecom lines. That stinks any way that you slice it. It even screws up our phone service. Additionally, all of those great web devices in you travel bag, such as a Vonage adapter, will not work, through a switch, because DSL requires each web appliance to log onto the network. Expect posts in the near future to be titled. DSL vs Xbox Live. What do you mean my Linksys Router came with a 110V power supply. Cheers.

At least it is Friday and I can look forward to cheap beers.

Did I mention that I love unlocked GSM phones, and cannot rationalize any prosumer (did I just invent a word?) angles to the locked phones and contracts we are all too familiar with in the States. Here’s the deal. I can walk up to a vender and buy any phone that they have in stock. For less than two USD I buy a SIM chip, which holds the phone number I will use, and has flash memory that will store phone numbers. I buy a scratch card (load), and input a code into the phone, and press send. I now have a working phone, that has no paper trail back to me. That took me all of fifteen minutes.

“The price of tea in China”

You have heard that saying before. What about the price of a next gen game console in China? I have spent nearly a year here in the Philippines and I am familiar with the demographics. I witnessed the late arrival of the next gen consoles. I was stunned that in a Country with an average income of xxxxxx the price of gaming systems are almost double the price paid by US consumers.

The gamer is still out there. Most malls here have a store named DataBlitz that caters to PC, XBOX, XBOX 360, PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo Gamecube, Wii, DS, and Gameboy. Their stock of next gen consoles is may be one or two units, but if you have the Pesos they are yours to be had.

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preconceived notion – Noun 1. - an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence; “he did not even try to confirm his preconceptions”

“You are what you eat.” That is what I was told growing up to keep me from eating too much junk food.

Life has made me realize that often it is whom you eat with by which you are identified. At least that seems to be the preconceived notion that I spend a lot of time trying to disprove.

A comedian once performed a shtick about how much better off we would be, if people had thought bubbles over their heads telling you their intentions. Maybe we can print some t-shirts.

I encountered a nice, intelligent lady yesterday, but I know she sees me as just another westerner out for a good time.

What is a guy to do? Whatever you call that voice in your head; well, both of mine argue with each other a lot. So, do not think I am glazing over, imitating David Blaine with his creepy gaze; of course he was with Fiona Apple, or staring down your shirt. I am just trying to decide which one to listen to this time; the one that says to go out of my way to try to convince someone that I am more than meets the eye, or that other one that tells me do not try so hard, because I might just be assuming that beauty on the outside means beautiful on the inside…

Big day for us yesterday, with the delivery of six notebooks for the new office. The joy of the unpacking ended shortly after we were four hours into preparing them for deployment. From 4PM to 3AM two of us were uninstalling 40 pieces of bloatware, installing an office suite, critical apps, anti virus, applying AV updates, Windows updates, and other patches. Well the first two units were handed out at 3AM, to some tired souls. No major problems so far, but we could tell that two of them had some usage prior to us buying them. An observation that we made was that all six of them ran a little different even thought they are identical. Of course I would have loved to have seen six MacBooks come out of those boxes, but it is still a windows world.

Speaking about companies that get it and take care of the consumer. I have owed Xeric Design Ltd. the makers of Time Palette and EarthDesk props for several months now for doing the right thing. If you have not used there software, give it a shot. Every asks about EarthDesk, which puts picture of the earth on your desktop, and shades it in representing real time light conditions. You can even download real time cloud imagery. To make a long story short, through their web based store, I purchased updates for both of their programs. A couple of days later, I received an email from the company’s president telling me that I did not need to pay for the upgrade to Time Palette, and offered either a refund or a full license to give to a friend. That is getting it right…

I know there are a few out there that have actually filled an iPod full of media. In my case that is a 60GB iPod with video. My first Powerbook had about an 80GB HD, so that means you’ve got to put your information somewhere else. The Apple Store sold plenty of USB BUS Power drives. So, it was a no brainer to get one of those. I just have to warn you that it is going to be pretty frustrating trying to make this a reality. Firewire is in my opinion the best way to power an external HD without a separate power supply. I am sure someone out there can tell me that Firewire will trash my on battery power time. Good luck and buy your stuff from somewhere that will give you a refund or an exchange.

This seems to be a huge talking point these days. I was involved in the initial MacBook Pro recall. I have to say that the crew over at the Houston, Texas Apple Store Memorial City Mall Genius Bar made that process painless. I went to the Genius Bar with a naked battery on the recall list. The Genius confirmed the recall and my AppleCare status, and I was out the door within fifteen minutes loving Apple just a little more. I fear that that is not going to be the case for everyone and in particular those that own Dell laptops. I have always doubted the effectiveness of the Dell Kiosk in malls throughout the states. It is hard for me to come to terms with dropping a thousand USD or more in the middle of a mall and walking away with, I do not know, a note? But what if… Stock each Kiosk with ten batteries of each type being recalled. Be completely up front about it, to the masses. Hand out post cards to anyone that comes up and asks about the recall outlining which models and SNs are applicable. What would we think of if Dell or someone like that did this? How many companies are on it when it comes to doing the right thing for the consumer…