according to jeff

As mentioned in the previous post, the boot drive in my Windows computer has started making the click of death. The chassis, processor, and memory are about 8 years old, but I’ve cycled various hard drives in and out as the original deathstar drive didn’t last very long. I’ve used it as my primary development computer, as a network file server, and again as my primary Windows computer. Now, the CD-drive has failed and the primary hard drive is failing.

So, I’ve opted to cut my ties and move solely to my MacBook and Lu’s iMac. The process was mostly easy. Here’s what I did.

1. Make the Windows data available to my Macs (cost: $30). I had a bit of a hiccup on this one. My Windows PC had two hard drives, and each night the data from the boot drive was copied to the second drive. My initial plan was to pull this second drive and make it a network drive via my Time Capsule. I purchased an external hard drive enclosure (3.5″ IDE with USB 2 interface), mounted the hard drive, and connected it to the Time Capsule. Unfortunately, the Time Capsule required a Macintosh formatted disk. So, I reverted to PLan B, shared My Documents on my Windows PC, formatted the second disk, and copied files to the new network drive. Now my data was available to all of my Macs.
2. Moved my contacts from Outlook to Address Book (cost: free). I exported all of my contacts from Outlook into a comma-separated file, then imported those contacts into my Mac’s Address Book. The import process allowed me to pick the fields to import and map them to the appropriate Address Book fields. All of my contacts came in just fine, but none of the distribution lists imported. These were easy to recreate.
3. Move checkbook data from my Win application to a new Mac application (cost: $6.99). I know that a lot of you either use an Excel spreadsheet or simply rely on the bank to keep track of your money, but I’ve been using a shareware checkbook app since 2005. I wanted to move the unreconciled data to my Mac. (This will also make it easier for Lu to manage should the need arise.) I exported the data into a tab-separated file, made a few edits, and imported it into the Mac application called simply Checkbook. Conveniently, it was on sale this weekend.
4. Installed Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac (cost: $105 for a three person / three computer license). I’ve been using Pages on the Mac, but haven’t been happy with it. Using bullets and numbered lists was always awkward. Since I’ve been happily using Word and PowerPoint on my Windows PC, and needed to continue to make PowerPoint slides on my Mac, so this seemed like a good move.

And that was that. I think I can do everything I could do before, and for less cost than repairing or upgrading the slow Windows machine.

With Lu’s help, we removed the Windows PC, monitor, KVM switch, and various cables. What a nest of cables. Removing the PC and monitor cleared some space on my desk. So, for at least a few days my desk will look less cluttered.

Since the Windows PC still boots and runs, it’s temporarily assembled in another room. Once I’m convinced that I don’t need it anymore, it can go into storage.

I can still run Windows 7 on my MacBook — in fact, I must run Windows 7 for some work tasks. So, unfortunately, I haven’t totally cut ties with Windows (yet).

A few months ago, I wrote an article regarding suggestions on how to encourage a cancer patient on my cancer blog. The suggestions may be appropriate to others as well.

While you might not frequent my cancer blog, perhaps you’ll find that article helpful.

Yesterday’s “Ask Marilyn” was interesting.

Say that I place a 25,000-mile-long metal band snugly around the earth. (Assume a smooth planet.) Then I cut the band and splice another 50 feet to it, thus loosening it all around. Can I get my finger between the new-length band and the earth? Can I crawl under it?
— Zen White, Elkins, W. Va.
 
Amazingly, even the tallest basketball player could walk under that band, which be float about eight feet off the ground around the planet. The circumference of the object is irrelevant. Adding 50 feet to any size band — one that wraps around a cantalope or the moon — will produce the same answer: the longer bound will be about 8 feet from the object it circles.

“Surely not. That’s just wrong!” were my initial thoughts.

But then I did the math.

c = circumference
r = radius
x = increase to radius

c = 2(pi)r
(c + 50) = 2(pi)(r + x)
(c + 50) = 2(pi)r + 2(pi)x
2(pi)r + 50 = 2(pi)r + 2(pi)x
50 = 2(pi)x
x = 50 / (2pi)
x = 25 / pi
x = 7.958

Algebra to the rescue!

This weekend, I installed some bathroom hardware to a wall. This item needed to be anchored to wall studs using wood screws, which were included. Sadly, even with pilot holes drilled, 2 of the 4 screw heads stripped while being screwed in.

Are quality screws really that much more expensive that this manufacturer couldn’t have afforded to include them?

Since I have boxes and boxes of screws in my garage – deck screws, dry wall screws, etc. – and have never stripped the heads of any of these screws – I find it unlikely that the cheap screws are really that much cheaper.

After stripping two heads, I removed all four screws and replaced them with “quality” screws from my supply, and it all worked out just fine. But it shouldn’t have been necessary.

See this Fox Trot cartoon from Sunday, December 19, 2010.

I recently had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: “Do you think you’re going to put the I.V. in the hand or the forearm?”

Nurse: “Do you have a preference?”

Me: “No, I was just wondering.”

Nurse: “Are you an engineer?”

Within just a few minutes of normal conversation (and by “normal”, I mean discussing the interesting medical details of what was happening and going to happen), the nurse had (correctly) identified that I was an engineer.

What I find most interesting about this is that what I perceive as totally natural (inquisitiveness and interest in the details) must not be totally natural after all. My behavior was enough outside the norm that the nurse was able to attach the engineer label.

Can it really be that there are people who aren’t interested in details? People who aren’t curious about why things work the way they do? People who don’t really care to know what to expect ahead of time?

And can it really be that such people are in the majority?

I find it difficult to even imagine what it would be like to not have an interest in the details. That is, no doubt, another marker for the engineer personality.

Yet, while I find it difficult to imagine, I am no less thankful that everyone isn’t like me. I am reminded of Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12: “If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?” God makes us (and made me) as part of a bigger whole. We need detail-oriented people, just as we need those with empathy that cares for people beyond the details, those with vision that rise above the details, and, yes, those that can start an I.V. in my hand while good-naturedly talking about it at the same time!

I’ve had some extra time for thinking this week, and one of the things I’ve been thinking about has been technology. The result is this stream-of-consciousness article tied loosely together around the concept of technology.

As many of my faithful readers know, I work for small company and don’t have a “normal workplace”. On two days a week, I meet my friend and partner at a local coffee shop and spend the workday there, but on most other days of the week, I work from my home office which is located on the main floor of our two story home. It’s a wonderful arrangement, and I love being able to work right from my home. Technology, and specifically the Internet, have made that feasible.

(Off-topic tidbit: you know the two temptations of working at home? (1) You never actually work. (2) You never actually stop working.)

Since my work is in the mobile technology field, I tend to have some of the latest gadgets (such as the iPad). And since my home is my office, I tend to have some office equipment (networking, printer, local backup, etc.) available, too. As hard as it might be for your to imagine, I sometimes take some grief for it. On the other hand (let’s be honest with one another), “I need it for work” is sometimes a good excuse. Crazy technology.

Since things change in the mobile technology market so quickly, I have quite a collection of “historical” mobile devices: a Nino palm-size PC, an HP handheld PC, an engineering prototype of a Handheld PC 2000, some Palm devices, and more than a few iPods. Why do I keep them on a shelf in the basement? Will they ever be of interest? Unlikely. But since I wish I’d kept my original Mac SE with two floppy drives, I vainly keep these boxed up in the basement. Crazy technology. Or maybe just Crazy Jeff.

One of the news shows this morning had a segment on pre-holiday bargains, and a sub-$300 laptop from Compaq was featured. The entertainer pointed out that it only had a 2.2Ghz dual processor, so was unsuitable for stuff like video editing. However, it was still a full-size laptop for the same cost as a netbook. Crazy technology.

I still maintain a Windows desktop PC (running Windows XP) and a Windows Laptop (also running XP). Neither were a $300 bargain. Neither have dual processors. Neither of them runs as fast as 2.2GHz; the fastest of the two runs at 1.7GHz. Neither are what would be called a hot rod, but they are both entirely sufficient. In fact, my laptop is out on loan right now to another co-worker (at least, I think it is) and my office PC is my primary email machine. Even though these computers are both past what some would consider their useful life, they are both still very useful to me. OK, maybe not “very useful.” But at least “useful”. Or, “useful, most of the time.” Crazy technology.

I’ve been transitioning more and more from Windows to Mac, but there are still a few things that I rely on my PC for. For instance, there are some obsolete development tools on my laptop that would be hard to install again, but every day it becomes less and less likely that I’ll ever need those obsolete tools again. So, that’s one less tie to Windows. With the addition of Office for my MacBook, I think I could disconnect totally from Windows and not miss it. That’s not something I would have anticipated 3 to 4 years ago. Crazy technology.

I can use my iPad to remotely control my PC. Just this morning I used technology on my iPad to allow me to use my PC in my office, while I was sitting in the upstairs bedroom. It’s not how I’d want to use my PC all the time, or even regularly, but this technology that allows my to access it from upstairs also lets me access it from across town, across the state, or even across the country. Crazy technology.

I can video conference with my family, just like the Jetsons. Crazy technology.

I can connect a little box to my TV and instantly choose from and watch any number of movies. Crazy technology.

I can pull a little box, not unlike the famed Star Trek Communicator, out of my pocket and talk to someone around the planet. Crazy technology.

I’ve decided to handle spam emails in my blog comments a little differently. Instead of quietly deleting them, I will now be lampooning the good ones. And by “good”, I mean the ones that are most easily lampooned.

Check out the comment list to the right to see how it’s working out.

My friend John and I used to joke about starting a business, where a guy could get the oil changed in his car, get a haircut, and go to the dentist all in one stop. Our theory was that these are three things that men hate to do, so getting them done all at once would be better than the alternative of three different trips.

What “necessary but no-fun” things would make your list, that would be better done all at once to get them over?

I’m not a very important person.

However, I’ve discovered a few things that make me feel like a VIP. If you’d like to feel like a VIP, too, check these out.

• The I-Pass electronic toll collection device: this small and inexpensive device gives you VIP treatment on many tollways in neighboring states to our east. For more details, see this article: i-pass makes the nice list.
• Holiday Inn Priority Club Membership: one of our favorite hotels to use while traveling is Holiday Inn Express. The rooms are consistent, clean and quiet and the hotels tend to be newer and in good condition. Holiday Inn provides a free rewards club called the Priority Club. Many individual hotels provide amenities specifically for Priority Club Members. For instance, express check-in, free or discounted parking, and so forth. At one check-in, we were even surprised by a small fruit basket. Most hotel chains offer similar programs. If you travel at all, take advantage of these free services to feel like a VIP.
• Amazon.com Prime: this annual, fee-based membership with amazon.com provides free two-day shipping on all orders from this online retailer. By not only removing additional shipping charges, but also providing expedited delivery, amazon cleverly breaks down barriers to placing orders. Since I no longer have to worry about individual shipping charges, I don’t need to “pool” my orders together. I can take advantage of the savings of a particular item without needing to add a shipping rate, making price comparisons easier. The fee is rather high, but if you place many orders with amazon.com, you’ll come out ahead. Plus, if you break even financially, you’ll get the added benefit of feeling like a VIP when your orders arrive two days later.

Maybe you have other suggestions to add to this list. If so, leave a comment and let me know!

It’s here at last — National Donut Day! I trust that it will be a joyous occasion for you!

How many donuts do you plan to have?

I just learned from Neighbor Mike that May 25 is Towel Day. Since I didn’t yet know that, there’s a slim possibility that you didn’t know that either. If not, then now you do!

The spate of “reader” comments continues. Here’s just a sample of the insightful comments that I’ve been receiving.

Staples Coupon Codes: You have a great Blog here Mate. Love your content very informative, Please keep up the good work.

Where to buy Ab Circle: Hiya website owner may I use some of the facts from this post if I offer a link back for a site?

Alfie: i love watching GI Joe, both the cartoon series and the movie. I am hoping that they would make a sequel.

Jen: Hello, I belive this is actually a superb web site with quality stuff. Which may be why I wish to ask you if I can talk about your web page on my blog if I present you with hyperlink back again?

It has been a while, dear readers, since I offered any new fare. However, I make it up to you now by publishing some of the random comments that have made it through the WordPress spam filter.

Joe: I am a huge fan of this site and I read it regularly. Keep up the great work!

Brad: Of course, what a incredibly good web site furthermore informative posts, I will add backlink – bookmark this web site?

Jacquelin: You’ve got the point through much better than I at any time could, many thanks!

Zynga: Nice blog, this a superb post

Tamisha: nice put up, this will likely help me with some odd stuff i ought to do for varsity, thanks my pal

Tanner: One important thing I really like about blogs is the fact that they trigger a thought in my head. The moment that happens, I feel like I must comment with the hope it is interesting to other people. For the reason that there are so many blogs and forums with unique points of view, they test your understanding. It is at these occasions when you have helpful insignt many others might not have had, this includes the blogger himself/herself. I find myself coming back to your blog site mainly because you have lots of very good insights and you have been at this a while, which is very exciting and tells me you know your stuff. Keep triggering imagination in others!

Proven Work At Home Income Opportunities: Hi there, I found your weblog via Bing while searching for thoughts on this subject and your post looks very interesting for me.

Virgilio: Hello. Initial I desire to say that I genuinely like your website, just determined it the past week but I’ve been following it since then. I appear to agree with most of the ideas and opinions and this post is no different. completely Thank you for a good web site and I hope you hold up the excellent work. If you do I will continue to browse through it. Possess a excellent evening.

Shamwow: Great write up.. keep on writing these great posts! I will be subscribing

What do these commentators all have in common? Is it:

• They are all excellent writers themselves?
• They all (well, mostly) have a wacky name? (I’m looking at you, “Proven Work At Home Income Opportunities”)
• They all are huge fans of my blog (but then, who isn’t?)?
• They all are, shall we say, punctuation challenged?
• They all are unfailingly polite?
• They all have an ingenious plan for how to promote their own link by adding an inane comment on an otherwise excellent article?

Hmm. I don’t know… so hard to choose.

Stephan Pastis, author of Pearls Before Swine, has a funny blog article about a lame email scam: http://stephanpastis.wordpress.com