December 2006

Calendars and new years

December 31, 2006

Today marks the end of 2006 and the start of 2007. A calendar sporting a beautiful picture of a snowy wilderness hangs just above the computer. Tomorrow it will no longer have value as a planning tool. I realized a few minutes ago, with a tinge of panic, that I've not purchased any 2007 calendars yet. The new year will come and I'll have no idea what my schedule is.

That's not really the case. I'm sold on Google Calendar. Sure Google is behaving badly in many ways and is out to prove it is little different than many technology companies that have come and gone before. I'm still stuck on the convenience of Google Calendar and it keeps getting easier.

Even with the modern marvel of keeping schedules entirely online I will still get several calendars this year. There have not been stories in the news reporting on the vast decline in calendar sales. Quite the opposite appears to be the case as the isles of the bookstore are filled with any shape calendar one can imagine. From page-a-day to multi-month views it seems whatever one might want to have pictured on them one can get. For those whose tastes aren't satisfied at the local bookstore there are even do-it-yourself options. So even with the blossoming of the online-calendar market it turns out we're still hooked on the good old fashioned paper kind.

Best and worst of 2006

December 30, 2006

The 10 best and 10 worst communicators of 2006 is worthy of reading if one is the least bit interested in communications. In this post Bret Decker outlines not only the best and worst communicators of the year but offers a thought or two about what makes them great.

One of my favorite lines is the coining of the name The Mice Pack. "Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Nicole Richie are beautiful young women who don’t have a voice, even though some of them can sing. And when they speak – only the paparazzi listen," Decker's post says.

Apple says Jobs did not benefit from options

December 29, 2006

Shares of Apple Computer rebounded on Friday with news that CEO Steve Jobs knew of options back dating at the company but did not benefit from the practice. According to a New York Times article "Mr. Jobs did not benefit financially from any questionable stock awards."

My reaction to this is mixed. Certainly as a long-time user of Apple hardware and someone who hopes to continue using the best hardware on the market I'm glad to hear it. On a personal note I have some stock I was planning to sell next week and buy Apple shares so I'm disappointed the price rebounded today.

Google Data API for Drupal

December 29, 2006

One of the projects for Google's 2006 summer of code was the GData Module in Drupal.

My thoughts on the applications of this range from a community event calendar and either a supplement or replacement for the event module that would interface to Google Calendar. Also the ability to have a Google Calendar tied into a Drupal work flow would be excellent.

Cars make final exit in 2007

December 28, 2006

Several cars sold in the United States won't make it to 2007. Gone are the awkward Honda Insight, the ostentatious VW Phaeton's $70,000 price tag didn't sit well with consumers and the the gas and repair bills for those Hummer H-1's left it seeing sales slumping as gas prices soared.

New laws for the new year

December 27, 2006

The National Council of State Legislatures has a list of some of the new laws that become effective January 1, 2007. Several states will see increases in minimum wages, some will have new criminal penalties on the books and others will have new health care law. The list does not include states like Nevada where laws enacted in the last election are already in effect.

The cable guy

December 23, 2006

Part of this weekend's activities includes fixing the in-laws TiVo system and getting their home entertainment system working. Since we were to help set it up initially they've moved it to a new cabinet and had the local cable guy out to help troubleshoot.
TIVO

Somewhat unsurprisingly the cable guy's answer is to give up on TiVo and go to the cable company's second rate DVR system. Ultimately the problem stemmed from two cables that the cable guy wasn't sure what to do with and just stuck in the back of the case. Low and behold when the TiVo says it can't connect it is possible that the network connection cable is important. Similarly when the cable guy says "TiVo doesn't work with our system," it really means he wants to sell you something else more than help you. It also means that he won't take the time to read the one-page instruction sheet or think for a few minutes about why the TiVo can't control the cable box without the connectors. Imagine.

Basic advice for everyone. Don't let the cable guy do more than pull the cable to your house. If you need help with your system find a local independent expert and get them to come help you. You'll get a much better deal and you'll have hair left at the end of the process.

Crazy Amazon Cutsomer Service

December 20, 2006

Customer Service note makes no sense The reindeer are running the asylum over at Amazon I'm afraid. Pardon the insult my reindeer friends. I placed an order a few days ago. Amazon said it would ship in two packages. One item was available from several sources but I went to the trouble of making sure it shipped from Amazon and not a third party. I paid extra to buy it from them.

Long story shorter, one item shipped as promised. The others continued to show they would be delivered December 20th. Oddly enough it showed them as not shipped so I sent an email asking about it. Customer service sent back the email pictured above. Funny that something which hasn't shipped by 5:30 p.m. on the 20th will arrive by the 20th. Must be using super fast reindeer to get the packages out. Espresso, check, teleporter, check.

You can take the kid out of the desert

December 19, 2006

More proof today that you can take the kid out of the desert but you can never take the desert out of the kid. One might not guess that I'd lived in Colorado for more than a decade when the first thought on a snowy December morning is to run outside and take snapshots. Proof that you can never take the desert out of those of us who grew up here.

Frosty Fall Morning

December 18, 2006

frosty leavesA frosty fall morning as autumn prepares to yield to winter. The weekend brought the first snow down to the lower reaches of the high southern desert. Watching sunset through the crystal clear air it becomes apparent there is a connection to the high desert that those who have not been a part of it never fully grasp. There are two ways of looking at the mountains of the basin and range. Some look and see barren bland mountains. Those with the place in their blood see a unique beauty.

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