by Dakota Noel This week's release of IOS 4.2 for iPad was just in time for my wedding anniversary. While I'm sure my wife would really like a husband upgrade which would provide multitasking capability such as "talk and drive", the ability to store papers in file folders, and a "where's my husband?" app, I thought an upgrade to her iPad which provided similar enhancements was the next best thing in gifts.
Our iPad rarely gets docked to the PC and iTunes, so about 3 hours were needed to upgrade iTunes to version 10.1, do synchs, and do back-ups. This worked out OK since I got it started and then went to watch a movie.The iPad/PC where still churning away when the movie was done and I went to bed.
When attempting to actually do the OS upgrade this morning, I got a warning that there were files on the iPad which had not been backed up. I poked around to see what they may be, didn't identify any, and went ahead with the upgrade.
To get the upgrade going, the iPad needs to be connected to the PC (or Mac) running iTunes 10.1. With my 1.5 Mbs DSL connection, it took a little over an hour to download the upgrade, another four minutes to extract and install, ending in a restart of the iPad (BTW the iTune 10.1 upgrade requires a restart of the PC). After the iPad restarted, it went into a synch operation which appeared to hang up. I restarted iTunes and it re-hung. Tried restarting the iPad and it was hung. Used Task manager to shut down iTunes a second time and went on-line looking for help. I noticed the iPad screen went blank, restarted the iPad, and it seemed happy. Restarted iTunes and the synch went quickly and OK. I seem to be good for the moment. There is online support if you have a different problem during or after the upgrade.
The iPad IOS 4.2 manual is at support.apple.com/manuals/ and is just under 200 pages in length. There are only a few minor cosmetic changes to the UI from IOS 3.2, so minimal training should be needed for my wife. Pandora does multitask with Safari, email, and Kindle.
With IOS 4.2 installed and apparently working, I downloaded the "Find my iPhone" app from Apple which is one of the iPad benefits from the upgrade (I suppose if the husband has the iPad it would provide the "Find my Husband" functionality mentioned at the start of this post). You need to set up a free "MobileMe" account and link it to the device. Instructions are given as part of the FindMyiPhone app install from the app store.
With MobileMe set up and "use current location" enabled, the iPad was located. Since our iPad is wi-fi only, the localization was not great...within half a block. But still, how do they know my location that accurately using wi-fi through my home wireless access point connected to DSL? Is it traceable to a "junction box" on a nearby telephone pole?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Coming of the Android Tablets
Last Sunday, very quietly in a number of flyers in the Sunday newspaper, the arrival of the Android tablet computers was announced. This week they occupy half of page 18 in the Best Buy Ad, but I'm not adding any I've seen to my 2010 Christmas list.
One, like Steve Jobs, can argue that the 7" displays are in the ugly spot between not being as big as an open book or as small as a smart phone. More concerning to me is the lack of resolution on the screens: 1024 x 600 on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, for example. The current versions of the Android OS won't support higher resolutions like 1200 x 768 which is where I'm at for the spec of the tablet I would like to have (iPad is at 1024 x 768 and iPod Touch is at 960 x 640 on a 3.5" screen) . This is mainly for eBook reading a la Kindle DX's 1200 x 824. Thus, I'm holding out for a winter release of Android 3.0 which will support the higher resolution and look nice on a 9.7" or larger screen. Bonus points for a USB port or three and a 1.5 GHz processor. If the Gen 2 iPad had those features, it would also be worth considering. Maybe in time for my spring birthday....
Notable in the Best Buy ad today was the Huawei Ideos S7 tablet for its $299.99 price. On the downside was the 800 x 480 screen resolution which is comparable to my droid phone. No word on processor speed, on-board memory, etc. This leads to one of my pet peeves with smartphones and tablets which is how hard it is to find that sort of basic information, if it is listed on a web site. Companies: please note there are sophisticated buyers out there.
One, like Steve Jobs, can argue that the 7" displays are in the ugly spot between not being as big as an open book or as small as a smart phone. More concerning to me is the lack of resolution on the screens: 1024 x 600 on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, for example. The current versions of the Android OS won't support higher resolutions like 1200 x 768 which is where I'm at for the spec of the tablet I would like to have (iPad is at 1024 x 768 and iPod Touch is at 960 x 640 on a 3.5" screen) . This is mainly for eBook reading a la Kindle DX's 1200 x 824. Thus, I'm holding out for a winter release of Android 3.0 which will support the higher resolution and look nice on a 9.7" or larger screen. Bonus points for a USB port or three and a 1.5 GHz processor. If the Gen 2 iPad had those features, it would also be worth considering. Maybe in time for my spring birthday....
Notable in the Best Buy ad today was the Huawei Ideos S7 tablet for its $299.99 price. On the downside was the 800 x 480 screen resolution which is comparable to my droid phone. No word on processor speed, on-board memory, etc. This leads to one of my pet peeves with smartphones and tablets which is how hard it is to find that sort of basic information, if it is listed on a web site. Companies: please note there are sophisticated buyers out there.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
A phone which is ... a phone
I swung by the Verizon Wireless store in the mall today to pick up a phone and add a third line. Now that daughter T has a license and winter is approaching, we wanted to get a floater phone that she and her sister can use as needed. The phone is to be used as a phone: no texting, no email, no web surfing, no apps, etc. Just a device which can be used for kids to reach parents and parents can use to reach kids. There aren't many devices which fit that bill anymore.
After checking in, I had 15 minutes to wait for a person to help me. That gave me time to look at all the smart phones in addition to the 3 basic models. I had previously decided on the LG Accolade which my wife has had since last spring. The other two models didn't change my mind. As for the smart phones, the droid X is still at the top of the list of what I would get today for myself.
It then took 30 minutes to go through the up, down, and side sales pitches; add a third line to the account; and activate the phone. That seemed like a long time to me. Once home, I entered some key ICE (In Case of Emergency) numbers and then sent it with my daughter to a birthday party. We needed to contact her about a left item only to be routed to voice mail. She doesn't know the voicemail code. We still have some bugs to work out of the system.
After checking in, I had 15 minutes to wait for a person to help me. That gave me time to look at all the smart phones in addition to the 3 basic models. I had previously decided on the LG Accolade which my wife has had since last spring. The other two models didn't change my mind. As for the smart phones, the droid X is still at the top of the list of what I would get today for myself.
It then took 30 minutes to go through the up, down, and side sales pitches; add a third line to the account; and activate the phone. That seemed like a long time to me. Once home, I entered some key ICE (In Case of Emergency) numbers and then sent it with my daughter to a birthday party. We needed to contact her about a left item only to be routed to voice mail. She doesn't know the voicemail code. We still have some bugs to work out of the system.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Movie Experience de Jour
by Dakota Noel
With Blockbuster Video filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it is probably worth noting the ending of the video store S-curve as other means provide the delivery of movie content on the upside of their own curves. The S-curve for video stores started in the early 1980s with the availability of VHS tapes. Rental stores popped up which not only rented movies, but the players to play the videos. Economies of scale for negotiating deals with movie companies for titles, dealing with real estate, marketing etc allowed Blockbuster to grow and thrive from the opening of its first store in 1985 until now, 25 years later.
Enter the DVD and the internet for ordering in the late 1990s. Add in two pieces of Netflix patent genius: First, a patented design of the mailer which keeps the DVD from being under the stamp for cancellation and allows the disc to travel each way for an ounce of first class postage. Compare this to almost $4 each way for a VHS tape. The second was a business method for making the most frequent viewers have a delay in getting the next DVDs. This prevents, or at least mitigates, the monthly fee for the heaviest users from being eaten up in postage and handling. This patent significantly impacted others like Blockbuster, Amazon, and Walmart who wanted to enter the space, but couldn't throttle the heaviest users.
Multiply the late 1990s dial up speed from 56 kbs to a late 2000s 1.5 mbs or better broadband connection, add in low cost disk storage, and we have streaming video. This has been on the horizon for quite a while and Netflix knew it had to plan for the eventuality when its mailer patent and business method patents would be made irrelevant. It saw the web experience including recommender software as being critical to leading in streaming as well as DVD movie distribution.
A few years ago, Netflix even sponsored a $1 million challenge for a recommender system which would improve the quality of recommendations by 10%. It took a few years, but the prize was finally claimed. Netflix has quite a bit of movie viewing data and uses advanced analytics (not just descriptive statististics) to understand viewers and and to better negotiate distribution rights with film companies. This is even more back office technology to support its business mote of largest market share, best analytics, and best user experience. In case you hadn't noticed, I really like Netflix as a business.
So at the end of 2010, my family's movie rentals from a video store or the public library are pretty sporatic: typically a stocking up for a blizzard or winter school vacation. We are down to maybe a DVD a month by mail, except in the November - March time frame when cold and dark Friday nights are spent watching a movie as a family. Then it is maybe two or three DVDs a month. Finally, with Netflix supported on our laptops, iPod Touch, and iPad, we are streaming more movies to more varied locations like the patio or garage. We've also done a few rentals to the iPad from iTunes which has a nice 30 days to watch, 24 hours once started policy. This works well for vacations when we want something for a rainy day or the airplane, but don't know quite when we'll start viewing.
So with Netflix gobbling away at the high end of the video rental market via DVD-by-mail and streaming video, Redbox has been nibbling away at the low end with its vending machines in stores (eg Hornbachers) and restaurants (eg McDonalds). The brick and mortor costs and video store clerk labor costs are eliminated. They are as or even more convenient than video stores.
Blockbuster faces a shrinking market as a movie distribution channel, it is heavily in debt, and Carl Icahn as a major bind holder will have a major say in what happens next to Blockbuster. If it isn't completely liquidated, it will likely emerge from chapter 11 as a much smaller company with location sin those places where the old model still works: places with low income, low bandwidth, and a desire for more titles than a vending machine can provide. As bandwidth becomes cheaper or at least more available to those with lower incomes, Blockbuster's last haven will disappear and the video store S-curve will be finished.
With Blockbuster Video filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it is probably worth noting the ending of the video store S-curve as other means provide the delivery of movie content on the upside of their own curves. The S-curve for video stores started in the early 1980s with the availability of VHS tapes. Rental stores popped up which not only rented movies, but the players to play the videos. Economies of scale for negotiating deals with movie companies for titles, dealing with real estate, marketing etc allowed Blockbuster to grow and thrive from the opening of its first store in 1985 until now, 25 years later.
Enter the DVD and the internet for ordering in the late 1990s. Add in two pieces of Netflix patent genius: First, a patented design of the mailer which keeps the DVD from being under the stamp for cancellation and allows the disc to travel each way for an ounce of first class postage. Compare this to almost $4 each way for a VHS tape. The second was a business method for making the most frequent viewers have a delay in getting the next DVDs. This prevents, or at least mitigates, the monthly fee for the heaviest users from being eaten up in postage and handling. This patent significantly impacted others like Blockbuster, Amazon, and Walmart who wanted to enter the space, but couldn't throttle the heaviest users.
Multiply the late 1990s dial up speed from 56 kbs to a late 2000s 1.5 mbs or better broadband connection, add in low cost disk storage, and we have streaming video. This has been on the horizon for quite a while and Netflix knew it had to plan for the eventuality when its mailer patent and business method patents would be made irrelevant. It saw the web experience including recommender software as being critical to leading in streaming as well as DVD movie distribution.
A few years ago, Netflix even sponsored a $1 million challenge for a recommender system which would improve the quality of recommendations by 10%. It took a few years, but the prize was finally claimed. Netflix has quite a bit of movie viewing data and uses advanced analytics (not just descriptive statististics) to understand viewers and and to better negotiate distribution rights with film companies. This is even more back office technology to support its business mote of largest market share, best analytics, and best user experience. In case you hadn't noticed, I really like Netflix as a business.
So at the end of 2010, my family's movie rentals from a video store or the public library are pretty sporatic: typically a stocking up for a blizzard or winter school vacation. We are down to maybe a DVD a month by mail, except in the November - March time frame when cold and dark Friday nights are spent watching a movie as a family. Then it is maybe two or three DVDs a month. Finally, with Netflix supported on our laptops, iPod Touch, and iPad, we are streaming more movies to more varied locations like the patio or garage. We've also done a few rentals to the iPad from iTunes which has a nice 30 days to watch, 24 hours once started policy. This works well for vacations when we want something for a rainy day or the airplane, but don't know quite when we'll start viewing.
So with Netflix gobbling away at the high end of the video rental market via DVD-by-mail and streaming video, Redbox has been nibbling away at the low end with its vending machines in stores (eg Hornbachers) and restaurants (eg McDonalds). The brick and mortor costs and video store clerk labor costs are eliminated. They are as or even more convenient than video stores.
Blockbuster faces a shrinking market as a movie distribution channel, it is heavily in debt, and Carl Icahn as a major bind holder will have a major say in what happens next to Blockbuster. If it isn't completely liquidated, it will likely emerge from chapter 11 as a much smaller company with location sin those places where the old model still works: places with low income, low bandwidth, and a desire for more titles than a vending machine can provide. As bandwidth becomes cheaper or at least more available to those with lower incomes, Blockbuster's last haven will disappear and the video store S-curve will be finished.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Music Moves
I've written quite a bit this year on how technology is changing my book experience. This time, I write about some changes in my music experience.
We'll fast forward past vinyl records (1960s), cassette tapes (1970s), and CDs (1980s through now). Entering the 21st century, add the enabling technology of solid state memory in excess of 1 gigabyte, home internet speeds in excess of 1 Mbs, and server farms in the 10s of terabytes. Voila, music one can buy on line, download, and listen to on the go.
OK, that's just mp3s and web sites like iTunes, Rhapsody, and others. What's worth blogging about?
Well, my annual Rhapsody-to-go subscription was coming due and I needed to figure out what to do. Rhapsody is a music subscription service which I subscribed to about 4 or so years ago at a good price which also allowed me to download music to my Sansa mp3 players. I have several play lists and can listen to albums, tracks, artist best-ofs etc. After the initial two years, the subscription price went up and I wasn't taking music-to-go as much as I would have liked.
Enter Pandora radio which is free and with patented technology, can put together play lists which I like better than my few constructed lists. This is due in part to the Pandora music genomes generated for each song and supervised learning of preferences (ie thumbs up or down for songs). The drawback is that I can't listen to specific albums or tracks when I want to. This limits access to favorites and hinders music exploration.
Also enter my Motorola droid phone with data plan which allows me to listen to Pandora and Rhapsody on line as well as on-board mp3s. The on-board mp3s are especially nice for when internet isn't available like on planes or some places I travel.
So Plan A looked like it was going to be to reproduce my few playlists as purchased mp3s, continue with Pandora radio, and drop Rhapsody. Things seemed to be going well for my 1960s and 1970s play list since most of the songs were available as part of "Best of" albums. They have been purchased and downloaded.
Moving on to the 1980s, it turns out I like a few songs from a lot of artists rather than a lot of songs from a few 1970s artists. I've wondered if that reflects a difference in music and talent between the two decades. At any rate, that would require a lot of a la carte track purchases that weren't appealing from an organizational perspective. By searching for tracks on albums, I was reminded how much I like the music exploration feature of Rhapsody.
As the date for non-renewal moved closer, I checked out Rhapsody plans and saw a monthly plan which was less expensive than my currently plan and retained the best of what I liked about Rhapsody. So I switched plans, leaving my music environment as follows:
* A growing number of my legacy CDs have been digitized for use on my Garmin nuiv or my droid phone.
* In the Digital Den, I listen to Rhapsody...either playlists or albums.
* At work and outside the Digital Den, I listen to Pandora radio.
* If Pandora isn't available or I want more control over what I'm listening to, I can listen to Rhapsody or mp3s.
* Driving around Fargo and Moline, I listen to the radio :-O
We'll fast forward past vinyl records (1960s), cassette tapes (1970s), and CDs (1980s through now). Entering the 21st century, add the enabling technology of solid state memory in excess of 1 gigabyte, home internet speeds in excess of 1 Mbs, and server farms in the 10s of terabytes. Voila, music one can buy on line, download, and listen to on the go.
OK, that's just mp3s and web sites like iTunes, Rhapsody, and others. What's worth blogging about?
Well, my annual Rhapsody-to-go subscription was coming due and I needed to figure out what to do. Rhapsody is a music subscription service which I subscribed to about 4 or so years ago at a good price which also allowed me to download music to my Sansa mp3 players. I have several play lists and can listen to albums, tracks, artist best-ofs etc. After the initial two years, the subscription price went up and I wasn't taking music-to-go as much as I would have liked.
Enter Pandora radio which is free and with patented technology, can put together play lists which I like better than my few constructed lists. This is due in part to the Pandora music genomes generated for each song and supervised learning of preferences (ie thumbs up or down for songs). The drawback is that I can't listen to specific albums or tracks when I want to. This limits access to favorites and hinders music exploration.
Also enter my Motorola droid phone with data plan which allows me to listen to Pandora and Rhapsody on line as well as on-board mp3s. The on-board mp3s are especially nice for when internet isn't available like on planes or some places I travel.
So Plan A looked like it was going to be to reproduce my few playlists as purchased mp3s, continue with Pandora radio, and drop Rhapsody. Things seemed to be going well for my 1960s and 1970s play list since most of the songs were available as part of "Best of" albums. They have been purchased and downloaded.
Moving on to the 1980s, it turns out I like a few songs from a lot of artists rather than a lot of songs from a few 1970s artists. I've wondered if that reflects a difference in music and talent between the two decades. At any rate, that would require a lot of a la carte track purchases that weren't appealing from an organizational perspective. By searching for tracks on albums, I was reminded how much I like the music exploration feature of Rhapsody.
As the date for non-renewal moved closer, I checked out Rhapsody plans and saw a monthly plan which was less expensive than my currently plan and retained the best of what I liked about Rhapsody. So I switched plans, leaving my music environment as follows:
* A growing number of my legacy CDs have been digitized for use on my Garmin nuiv or my droid phone.
* In the Digital Den, I listen to Rhapsody...either playlists or albums.
* At work and outside the Digital Den, I listen to Pandora radio.
* If Pandora isn't available or I want more control over what I'm listening to, I can listen to Rhapsody or mp3s.
* Driving around Fargo and Moline, I listen to the radio :-O
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Summer / Fall 2010 Books
By Dakota Noel
A few years ago, this post might have been titled "Summer Reads", but as I've posted recently, books are decreasingly made of paper and read. This year, book season extends from my June Moline road trip to our anticipated Black Hills trip in October. Most of my book reading occurs during this time when their are miles to pass or, as in the case pictured, vacation days to spend.
Audio Books on Garmin Nuvi, iPod Touch, and Motorola droid
When the family is traveling with me, the choices are typically not my own. The memorable family audio books of summer were The Cardturner (Oregon trip) by Louis Sachar who also wrote Holes (North Shore trip) which was another selection.
When I'm traveling by myself, it's pretty much all business, especially leadership. I try to select titles, from audible.com, which are one's I'll want to listen to multiple times as I build an audio library and also have a good likelihood of being good listening on drive segments of up to 8 hours by myself.
For my June Moline road trip, I listened to a couple Patrick Lencioni books which were really good: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Three Signs of a Miserable Job. I also got a start on Kouzes and Posners Credibility. For a day trip from Moline to Dubque, I got through most of Kouzes and Posners Encouraging the Heart. Will try to finish it up during the upcoming September Moline road trip.
Speaking of that road trip, I've gotton three more books to round out the estimated 24 hours on the road. From Patrick Lancioni, I've picked up Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars and Death by Meeting. I've read Silos previously. For the Moline to Fargo segment, I've gotten Larry Osborne's Sticky Teams.
I don't know what we'll be listening to during the 12 hours each way between Fargo and the Black Hills. I will lobby to listen to a section of Francis Parkman's 1848 classing, The Oregon Trail. Specificly, the chapters dealing with the Sioux hunting expedition to the Black Hills.
Kindle Books on iPad, Motorola droid
This summer marked my return to reading science fiction after an approximately 30 year hiatus. I've been working my way through The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty First Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois. I like the short story anthology because I can make it through a story in a sitting. My sittings can be several weeks apart and a full book could drag on for a long time. I've been stimulated mentally by the reading which is what brought me back. Sci fi had been a summer staple for me in the 1970s, but I left it behind a few years into college for science and engineering reality.
I've also gotten Francis Chan's Crazy Love, but haven't started it yet. Maybe in the Black Hills...
Old Fashioned Paper on, well, paper
I've finished one patent book and started another in support of my invention and patent portfolio management work activities. The completed book is Invention Analysis and Claiming, Patent Lawyers Guide by Ronald Slutzky. I'm about 100 pages into the 600+ page Patent Law by Janice M Mueller.
During our 2010 North Shore vaction, I made it through two books. The first was Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Garner Dozois and including essays from authors including Isaac Asimov. I have ideas for a numbe rof short stories which I hope to put on paper whenever I get sufficient free time. I m also finding the disciplines and activities needed to generate a good sci fi story also apply to my inventive and futurist activity.
The second, my best read of the summer and maybe the decade was John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. The last few years I've been trying to answer some questions about career as I look ahead to retirement and more generally, get a game plan for the second half of my life (assuming a long life). I had been reading some books by Bob Buford like Halftime, but he assumes a person has enough money to retire early or enough staff and authority to semi-retire. I'm not quite there. Piper has good theology and practical application which applied nicely to my current life situation. Good for all ages.
Audio Books on Garmin Nuvi, iPod Touch, and Motorola droid
When the family is traveling with me, the choices are typically not my own. The memorable family audio books of summer were The Cardturner (Oregon trip) by Louis Sachar who also wrote Holes (North Shore trip) which was another selection.
When I'm traveling by myself, it's pretty much all business, especially leadership. I try to select titles, from audible.com, which are one's I'll want to listen to multiple times as I build an audio library and also have a good likelihood of being good listening on drive segments of up to 8 hours by myself.
For my June Moline road trip, I listened to a couple Patrick Lencioni books which were really good: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Three Signs of a Miserable Job. I also got a start on Kouzes and Posners Credibility. For a day trip from Moline to Dubque, I got through most of Kouzes and Posners Encouraging the Heart. Will try to finish it up during the upcoming September Moline road trip.
Speaking of that road trip, I've gotton three more books to round out the estimated 24 hours on the road. From Patrick Lancioni, I've picked up Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars and Death by Meeting. I've read Silos previously. For the Moline to Fargo segment, I've gotten Larry Osborne's Sticky Teams.
I don't know what we'll be listening to during the 12 hours each way between Fargo and the Black Hills. I will lobby to listen to a section of Francis Parkman's 1848 classing, The Oregon Trail. Specificly, the chapters dealing with the Sioux hunting expedition to the Black Hills.
Kindle Books on iPad, Motorola droid
This summer marked my return to reading science fiction after an approximately 30 year hiatus. I've been working my way through The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty First Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois. I like the short story anthology because I can make it through a story in a sitting. My sittings can be several weeks apart and a full book could drag on for a long time. I've been stimulated mentally by the reading which is what brought me back. Sci fi had been a summer staple for me in the 1970s, but I left it behind a few years into college for science and engineering reality.
I've also gotten Francis Chan's Crazy Love, but haven't started it yet. Maybe in the Black Hills...
Old Fashioned Paper on, well, paper
I've finished one patent book and started another in support of my invention and patent portfolio management work activities. The completed book is Invention Analysis and Claiming, Patent Lawyers Guide by Ronald Slutzky. I'm about 100 pages into the 600+ page Patent Law by Janice M Mueller.
During our 2010 North Shore vaction, I made it through two books. The first was Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Garner Dozois and including essays from authors including Isaac Asimov. I have ideas for a numbe rof short stories which I hope to put on paper whenever I get sufficient free time. I m also finding the disciplines and activities needed to generate a good sci fi story also apply to my inventive and futurist activity.
The second, my best read of the summer and maybe the decade was John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. The last few years I've been trying to answer some questions about career as I look ahead to retirement and more generally, get a game plan for the second half of my life (assuming a long life). I had been reading some books by Bob Buford like Halftime, but he assumes a person has enough money to retire early or enough staff and authority to semi-retire. I'm not quite there. Piper has good theology and practical application which applied nicely to my current life situation. Good for all ages.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
My Last Summer of Paper? (part 2)
by Dakota Noel
Back in mid-June, I had posted about that possibility. Things are certainly headed in that direction. My wife got an iPad in late June (which I get to borrow). It has the Kindle reader on it. I also have Kindle reader on my laptop and on my Android phone. Its nice not to carry physical books. I haven't read a lot of Kindle books where I have wanted to highlight text, but that will happen in the near future. It should be OK on the iPad.
I had a litmus test last weekend when I ordered a book for other family members and wanted to fill out the order to qualify for Supersaver shipping. As I went through my Amazon wish list, there wasn't anything I wanted in paper. I settled for a paper study guide and accompanying DVD to go with a paper book I already had (John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life). Everything else I wanted either in Kindle or Audible formats.
Yesterday, one of my daughters asked if I had a copy of CS Lewis's Mere Christianity. I said "yes" and directed her to a shelf in the Digital Den to search. That was unsuccessful, so I volunteered to check in the utility room. In the third banker's box I selected, I found my copy which was purchased in 1988. The exercise gave me pause for how much space my books take up and how it would be nice to have so many of them as eBooks. Later in the evening, I shared with my wife my idea for a business which scanned in old books and captured and transfered highlighting and written notes to Kindle format. Once the Kindle book had the personalized information, the paper version could be disposed of.
There was another litmus earlier in the summer when my wife showed me a book she had bought. It was a reprint of one originally published about 100 years ago. I asked her why she had spent money on a book. I was able to download it for free on to her iPad from Amazon.
There was yet another litmus this week. My younger daughter has her school's annual magazine sale fundraiser. I think they only sell paper and not Kindle. I blogged back in June that I plan to have a couple magazines in paper to efficiently use time below 10,000 feet when I'm flying...that portion of the atmosphere where it is potentially unsafe to be reading eBooks. But there are others that could just as well be electronic rather than clutter up the Digtial Den and bedroom.
I'm not sure Kindle magazines can be use with anything besides a Kindle device. Amazon tempts me everytime I go to their web site with the $139 model, but I click through to the recently updated DX for its screen size. It has come down in price over the summer and is now $379. At $199, Amazon would have an easy sale to me. The readability of eInk is not a major benefit for a shade-dweller such as myself. Kindle DX does have the largest screen size and highest screen resolution of the Kindle platforms out there. It also supports magazines. But I wait for now, not willing to part with my money for three features I don't have on my other platforms.
I like that I can have books available on multiple devices and have my places in a book synchronized across them. They same is supposed to hold for highlighting and annotations. Amazon released a new feature this summer which allows a person to see the passages most highlighted by OTHERS. I see this as a valuable addition, though the books I have read so far haven't had enough highlights to show. I've also pondered the market power Amazon will have wiht publishers from the analysis of the data...what's being read, what's hot, what's significant (cf Davenport and Harris' Competeing on Analytics ).
Back in mid-June, I had posted about that possibility. Things are certainly headed in that direction. My wife got an iPad in late June (which I get to borrow). It has the Kindle reader on it. I also have Kindle reader on my laptop and on my Android phone. Its nice not to carry physical books. I haven't read a lot of Kindle books where I have wanted to highlight text, but that will happen in the near future. It should be OK on the iPad.
I had a litmus test last weekend when I ordered a book for other family members and wanted to fill out the order to qualify for Supersaver shipping. As I went through my Amazon wish list, there wasn't anything I wanted in paper. I settled for a paper study guide and accompanying DVD to go with a paper book I already had (John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life). Everything else I wanted either in Kindle or Audible formats.
Yesterday, one of my daughters asked if I had a copy of CS Lewis's Mere Christianity. I said "yes" and directed her to a shelf in the Digital Den to search. That was unsuccessful, so I volunteered to check in the utility room. In the third banker's box I selected, I found my copy which was purchased in 1988. The exercise gave me pause for how much space my books take up and how it would be nice to have so many of them as eBooks. Later in the evening, I shared with my wife my idea for a business which scanned in old books and captured and transfered highlighting and written notes to Kindle format. Once the Kindle book had the personalized information, the paper version could be disposed of.
There was another litmus earlier in the summer when my wife showed me a book she had bought. It was a reprint of one originally published about 100 years ago. I asked her why she had spent money on a book. I was able to download it for free on to her iPad from Amazon.
There was yet another litmus this week. My younger daughter has her school's annual magazine sale fundraiser. I think they only sell paper and not Kindle. I blogged back in June that I plan to have a couple magazines in paper to efficiently use time below 10,000 feet when I'm flying...that portion of the atmosphere where it is potentially unsafe to be reading eBooks. But there are others that could just as well be electronic rather than clutter up the Digtial Den and bedroom.
I'm not sure Kindle magazines can be use with anything besides a Kindle device. Amazon tempts me everytime I go to their web site with the $139 model, but I click through to the recently updated DX for its screen size. It has come down in price over the summer and is now $379. At $199, Amazon would have an easy sale to me. The readability of eInk is not a major benefit for a shade-dweller such as myself. Kindle DX does have the largest screen size and highest screen resolution of the Kindle platforms out there. It also supports magazines. But I wait for now, not willing to part with my money for three features I don't have on my other platforms.
I like that I can have books available on multiple devices and have my places in a book synchronized across them. They same is supposed to hold for highlighting and annotations. Amazon released a new feature this summer which allows a person to see the passages most highlighted by OTHERS. I see this as a valuable addition, though the books I have read so far haven't had enough highlights to show. I've also pondered the market power Amazon will have wiht publishers from the analysis of the data...what's being read, what's hot, what's significant (cf Davenport and Harris' Competeing on Analytics ).
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
My Android Summer
by Dakota Noel
Fargo Public School starts tomorrow, so I guess I can write the classic "How I Spent my Summer" with an Android phone spin. It's been a good summer. Some of the software and features missing when I got my Motorola droid last spring have arrived. The Andorid OS upgrade from 2.1 to 2.2 came last week, but Flash support is still coming. No word on Audible being available for audio books.
Kindle for Android arrived in June. It is really nice for conveniently reading free flowing text which I don't want to highlight, eg fiction. I bougth a sci-fi short story anthology which I've been reading on my phone and the iPad (more on my iPad experience in another post). I've started reading sci-fi after a 25+ year hiatus. More on that in another post.
I've been listening to Pandora Radio, primarily at work. That has contributed to my 500 MB - 2 GB month data usage (my plan is unlimited data). imdb (Internet Movie Database) which I had missed from the iPod Touch made it to Android.
Email, Facebook, and (Bible) verse of the Day are my most frequent applications. I'm averaging maybe one phone call a day (so why is it still called a phone?). Weather Channel is nice for hour-by-hour forecasts and radar.
I don't use the turn-by-turn directions much. For major road tripping, Mavis, my Garmin personal navigation assistant, still guides and misguides my way. My droid is handy for incidental navigation needs in Moline, ie I'm going someplace off my regular routes. Mavis will show up in her own post.
The camera isn't up to Canon standards, but for the incidental picture, particularly of whiteboards and papers, its pretty handy.
If I had to get a new phone today, it would be the Motorola droid X. My middle-aged eyes and fat fingers would appreciate the larger screen. I has dissapointed that they didn't up the resolution of the screen as the size whent from 3.x to 4.y inches. The new iPhone upped the resolution but not the size. Resolution doesn't help when you can't see it clearly. I would really like a 4.y" screen with 1024 x 600 or especially 768 resolution.
Fargo Public School starts tomorrow, so I guess I can write the classic "How I Spent my Summer" with an Android phone spin. It's been a good summer. Some of the software and features missing when I got my Motorola droid last spring have arrived. The Andorid OS upgrade from 2.1 to 2.2 came last week, but Flash support is still coming. No word on Audible being available for audio books.
Kindle for Android arrived in June. It is really nice for conveniently reading free flowing text which I don't want to highlight, eg fiction. I bougth a sci-fi short story anthology which I've been reading on my phone and the iPad (more on my iPad experience in another post). I've started reading sci-fi after a 25+ year hiatus. More on that in another post.
I've been listening to Pandora Radio, primarily at work. That has contributed to my 500 MB - 2 GB month data usage (my plan is unlimited data). imdb (Internet Movie Database) which I had missed from the iPod Touch made it to Android.
Email, Facebook, and (Bible) verse of the Day are my most frequent applications. I'm averaging maybe one phone call a day (so why is it still called a phone?). Weather Channel is nice for hour-by-hour forecasts and radar.
I don't use the turn-by-turn directions much. For major road tripping, Mavis, my Garmin personal navigation assistant, still guides and misguides my way. My droid is handy for incidental navigation needs in Moline, ie I'm going someplace off my regular routes. Mavis will show up in her own post.
The camera isn't up to Canon standards, but for the incidental picture, particularly of whiteboards and papers, its pretty handy.
If I had to get a new phone today, it would be the Motorola droid X. My middle-aged eyes and fat fingers would appreciate the larger screen. I has dissapointed that they didn't up the resolution of the screen as the size whent from 3.x to 4.y inches. The new iPhone upped the resolution but not the size. Resolution doesn't help when you can't see it clearly. I would really like a 4.y" screen with 1024 x 600 or especially 768 resolution.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
ALSV Day 8 (7/13/10): Last Day
(Posted 12 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
The lake had been quiet for our stay so far, but yesterday afternoon, the wind started coming up from the east, bringing with it some waves and a few whitecaps. This morning we got to wake up to the sound of the waves. Ilene and I enjoyed coffee in bed with the sound of the waves and a view of the lake. Classic Bob’s.
While the classic start made it a glad day, it is also a sad day since now that I’ve finally in the groove of vacationing, I fly out of Duluth this evening to Moline for three days of meetings. I take some solace in the fact we are not driving to Fargo today to fly out from there. That gives me a few more hours to enjoy the sound and sight of the waves with my family.
The lake had been quiet for our stay so far, but yesterday afternoon, the wind started coming up from the east, bringing with it some waves and a few whitecaps. This morning we got to wake up to the sound of the waves. Ilene and I enjoyed coffee in bed with the sound of the waves and a view of the lake. Classic Bob’s.
While the classic start made it a glad day, it is also a sad day since now that I’ve finally in the groove of vacationing, I fly out of Duluth this evening to Moline for three days of meetings. I take some solace in the fact we are not driving to Fargo today to fly out from there. That gives me a few more hours to enjoy the sound and sight of the waves with my family.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
ALSV Day 7 (7/12/10): Hanging Out
(Posted 12 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
We’ve hit the groove of vacationing at Bob’s: sleeping in, waking up to the sounds of the lake (although we would have preferred loons to crows this morning), and reading. It has been sunny in the 50s to 70s and very nice to be outside.
Just before lunch, the John G. Munson went by, en route from Duluth to Two Harbors to pick up a load of iron ore pellets. We had salad in the cabin and then resumed our reading, writing, drawing, walking, and other lakeside activites.
We read and hung out until suppertime. We decided to try a restaurant new to us, Lighthouse on Homestead, which is just beyond Knife River heading towards Duluth from Two Harbors. We wanted something that was a step up from fast food, close by, and reasonably priced. The Lighthouse met the bill, especially their award winning Beacon Burger which featured cream cheese and berries on the burger. After supper we came back to the cabin and hung out until bedtime.
We’ve hit the groove of vacationing at Bob’s: sleeping in, waking up to the sounds of the lake (although we would have preferred loons to crows this morning), and reading. It has been sunny in the 50s to 70s and very nice to be outside.
Just before lunch, the John G. Munson went by, en route from Duluth to Two Harbors to pick up a load of iron ore pellets. We had salad in the cabin and then resumed our reading, writing, drawing, walking, and other lakeside activites.
We read and hung out until suppertime. We decided to try a restaurant new to us, Lighthouse on Homestead, which is just beyond Knife River heading towards Duluth from Two Harbors. We wanted something that was a step up from fast food, close by, and reasonably priced. The Lighthouse met the bill, especially their award winning Beacon Burger which featured cream cheese and berries on the burger. After supper we came back to the cabin and hung out until bedtime.
Friday, July 23, 2010
ALSV Day 6 (7/11/10): Blogging, Eating, and Reading
(Posted 12 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
The day started with more thunder and rain from the cold front which had also brought the previous night’s storm. Once again, the worst went north and south of us. It was a nice morning to get caught up on blogging.
With scattered showers still in the area, we drove down to Duluth for lunch at the Chester Creek Caf̩ near the University of Minnesota РDuluth campus. We then swung by Whole Foods with no particular shopping list and left with freshly made peanut butter and almond butter. Our final stop in Duluth was Lief Erickson Park where Ilene had hoped to view some peonies, but they were past and the rains picked up. There were a couple ships anchored outside the Duluth harbor which made for nice picture taking.
The rain let up and the skies were clearing as we got back to the cabin. Having finished my first book, Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper, I started my second book, Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh. We had supper at the cabin and then drove to Flood Bay State Wayside on just the other side of Two Harbors where Ilene and the girls hunted for sea glass. The pickings are best just after storms. Besides a beautify evening, we were also treated to a nice sunset.
The day started with more thunder and rain from the cold front which had also brought the previous night’s storm. Once again, the worst went north and south of us. It was a nice morning to get caught up on blogging.
With scattered showers still in the area, we drove down to Duluth for lunch at the Chester Creek Caf̩ near the University of Minnesota РDuluth campus. We then swung by Whole Foods with no particular shopping list and left with freshly made peanut butter and almond butter. Our final stop in Duluth was Lief Erickson Park where Ilene had hoped to view some peonies, but they were past and the rains picked up. There were a couple ships anchored outside the Duluth harbor which made for nice picture taking.
The rain let up and the skies were clearing as we got back to the cabin. Having finished my first book, Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper, I started my second book, Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh. We had supper at the cabin and then drove to Flood Bay State Wayside on just the other side of Two Harbors where Ilene and the girls hunted for sea glass. The pickings are best just after storms. Besides a beautify evening, we were also treated to a nice sunset.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
ALSV Day 5 (7/10/10): At Bob’s
(Posted 12 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
The day was sunny and warm. Reading filled the time until we went to Two Harbors where the annual Heritage Days festival was in progress. We specifically went in for a late lunch at Immanuel Lutheran Church where they had a meatball dinner. Very good. We then walked the craft fair where Ilene bought a birch bark lamp shade to go with the lamp whose base will be made from rocks collected at Grand Marais.
Back at the cabin, we read, we had some supper, we read some more, and then had some Riesling white wine with the smoked gouda we had bought at Thunder Oaks farm a few days earlier.
About 10:55 PM, there was a crack and the electricity went out for the second time this day. The first time, late morning, was attributed to a squirrel which had shorted out the lines and whose crispy body was actually found before the power outage was noticed. There was no corpse found for this outage, however, and the power was restored by midnight.
The outage did get us outside to watch the fantastic lightning from thunderstorms about 20-30 miles to the south. The lack of electricity got us to thinking about vacationing here in the 1920s when the cabins were new as was the highway which brought tourists to Jake’s cow pasture. Did they have candles like we were using? Did they cook with wood?
The day was sunny and warm. Reading filled the time until we went to Two Harbors where the annual Heritage Days festival was in progress. We specifically went in for a late lunch at Immanuel Lutheran Church where they had a meatball dinner. Very good. We then walked the craft fair where Ilene bought a birch bark lamp shade to go with the lamp whose base will be made from rocks collected at Grand Marais.
Back at the cabin, we read, we had some supper, we read some more, and then had some Riesling white wine with the smoked gouda we had bought at Thunder Oaks farm a few days earlier.
About 10:55 PM, there was a crack and the electricity went out for the second time this day. The first time, late morning, was attributed to a squirrel which had shorted out the lines and whose crispy body was actually found before the power outage was noticed. There was no corpse found for this outage, however, and the power was restored by midnight.
The outage did get us outside to watch the fantastic lightning from thunderstorms about 20-30 miles to the south. The lack of electricity got us to thinking about vacationing here in the 1920s when the cabins were new as was the highway which brought tourists to Jake’s cow pasture. Did they have candles like we were using? Did they cook with wood?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
ALSV Day 4 (7/9/10): Grand Marais to Two Harbors
(Posted 12 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
After breakfast at the hotel, we packed up and started our leisurely drive from to Bob’s Cabins. We stopped in Schroeder for restrooms and a walk through of the community museum. We then stopped at Temperance River State Park for a quick hike from the highway to Hidden Falls. A picnic lunch was eaten at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Finally we arrived at Bob’s Cabins and started reading.
About supper time we went into Two Harbors to the Super One grocery store get the groceries for our stay. It was then back to Bob’s for more reading and a nice sunset. It should be noted that when I take Lake Superior sunset pictures, I am typically facing directions other than west as the hills block the sunset. What I capture is the setting sun reflecting off the clouds and the lake. I have a photo album on Facebook called “Superior Sunsets” which has my best sunset (and sunrise) pictures from over the years.
After breakfast at the hotel, we packed up and started our leisurely drive from to Bob’s Cabins. We stopped in Schroeder for restrooms and a walk through of the community museum. We then stopped at Temperance River State Park for a quick hike from the highway to Hidden Falls. A picnic lunch was eaten at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Finally we arrived at Bob’s Cabins and started reading.
About supper time we went into Two Harbors to the Super One grocery store get the groceries for our stay. It was then back to Bob’s for more reading and a nice sunset. It should be noted that when I take Lake Superior sunset pictures, I am typically facing directions other than west as the hills block the sunset. What I capture is the setting sun reflecting off the clouds and the lake. I have a photo album on Facebook called “Superior Sunsets” which has my best sunset (and sunrise) pictures from over the years.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
ALSV Day 3 (7/8/10): Thunder Bay to Grand Marais
(Posted 12 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
Once we had packed up at Blue Points Mine, we were ready to head to our next destination of Grand Marais, MN via Thunder Bay. Between Thunder Bay and the mines, we traveled on the Trans-Canada Highway which isn’t all that heavily traveled in the Thunder Bay area (eg Canadian truck traffic on I-94 in the US vs Ontario 11/17). I suspect the main reason is that true trans-Canadian travelers cut through the US for higher highway speeds and lower gas prices.
The road varied in number of lanes and repair with several construction zones with delays between the mines and Thunder Bay. Construction was one of the things I remember about my first trip to Thunder Bay in the mid 1960s when the road took people through town rather than around it. Ontario 61 between the border and Thunder Bay was also lightly travelled, especially compared to Minnesota 61 all the way up to Grand Portage.
We intentionally drove through Thunder Bay along the lake front to see it and other parts of town. Thunder Bay is a lot like Duluth without Canal Park: a working port without a lot of aesthetics. There is a recently started waterfront development to change that and it may be worth a trip back in a few years to see it. We had lunch at a McDonalds across the street from the new lakefront park.
We made two stops between Thunder Bay and the border. The first was at Thunder Oak Cheese Farm where we picked up some smoked gouda and some garlic cheese curds to enjoy at the cabin. The second was at Pigeon River Provincial Park where we took a short boardwalk trail to be treated to a nice bay on Lake Superior. After crossing the border, we stopped at Grand Portage State Park and made the short hike to the high falls of the Pigeon River.
Pigeon Bay, Canada
Grand Marais, 2010
Once we had packed up at Blue Points Mine, we were ready to head to our next destination of Grand Marais, MN via Thunder Bay. Between Thunder Bay and the mines, we traveled on the Trans-Canada Highway which isn’t all that heavily traveled in the Thunder Bay area (eg Canadian truck traffic on I-94 in the US vs Ontario 11/17). I suspect the main reason is that true trans-Canadian travelers cut through the US for higher highway speeds and lower gas prices.
The road varied in number of lanes and repair with several construction zones with delays between the mines and Thunder Bay. Construction was one of the things I remember about my first trip to Thunder Bay in the mid 1960s when the road took people through town rather than around it. Ontario 61 between the border and Thunder Bay was also lightly travelled, especially compared to Minnesota 61 all the way up to Grand Portage.
We intentionally drove through Thunder Bay along the lake front to see it and other parts of town. Thunder Bay is a lot like Duluth without Canal Park: a working port without a lot of aesthetics. There is a recently started waterfront development to change that and it may be worth a trip back in a few years to see it. We had lunch at a McDonalds across the street from the new lakefront park.
We made two stops between Thunder Bay and the border. The first was at Thunder Oak Cheese Farm where we picked up some smoked gouda and some garlic cheese curds to enjoy at the cabin. The second was at Pigeon River Provincial Park where we took a short boardwalk trail to be treated to a nice bay on Lake Superior. After crossing the border, we stopped at Grand Portage State Park and made the short hike to the high falls of the Pigeon River.
High Falls of the Pigeon River: US to left, Canada to right
Pigeon Bay, CanadaWe arrived in Grand Marais, MN late afternoon. While the sign entering town claims just over 1500 residents, that number swells in the summer with artists and tourists. It has more hotels, shops, and restaurants than a town that size would otherwise merit.
After unpacking, we browsed some of the shops including the picturesque Drury Lane Bookstore. Nothing like browsing a book with a breeze coming fresh off the lake and through the open window to where the paper is in ones hands. Very sensual.
Drury Lane Books, Grand Marais, MN
While the Angry Trout Cafe had been the intended supper venue, the family made a spontaneous decision to go to the classic Sven and Ole’s Pizza for an Uff-da (supreme) pizza. It was good, don’t ya know.
After supper, Ilene and the girls tended to the task which had brought us back to the town and the hotel: rock hunting on the beach. In our previous visit, they had found a number of smooth black rocks which ended up in a wooden frame purchased at a farmers/crafters market the following day to house a beautiful sunset picture.
2007 Souvenir of Grand Marais
This night’s hunting yielded rocks for two projects: an animal paw and the base for a lamp. Ilene thinks she knows someone in Fargo who can drill the rocks to run the cord from the bottom up to the fixture.
2010 Souvenir of Grand Marais
We were also treated to a nice sunset with photo opportunities which were enjoyed with some frozen custard on the beach. (Note how the gilrs have grown between the picture below and the one from 2007).
Grand Marais, 2010Monday, July 19, 2010
ALSV Day 2 (7/7/10): Of Sleeping Giants, Heroic Indian Princesses, and Clabbered Milk
(Posted 10 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
Once we were done at Amethyst Mine Panorama on Day 2, we were hungry and in a mood for some sight seeing. We headed to the Bay & Algoma shopping district and the historic and famous Hoito Restaurant located in the Finlandia Club building . The décor has a 1950’s feel to it and the menu is a mix of Finnish and Canadian food items. Thunder Bay has one of the largest Finnish populations outside of Finland and I heard Finnish being spoken at the restaurant.
Daughter L had pancakes, almost large crepes, with egg; Ilene and T split a Finnish sausage with mashed potatoes and corn; and I had veal steakettes with mashed potatoes and corn. Pretty good stuff. We did pass on the clabbered milk dish (viili) which seems to be a soured milk yogurt. Our culinary adventurousness has limits. After lunch we walked down the street to the Finnish Book Store and poked our heads into a few other stores before departing the neighborhood.
Our next stop was Hillcrest Park for a scenic overview of the city and the Sleeping Giant across the bay. The Sleeping Giant lies in a provincial park on the Sibley Penninsula. The head of the giant is on the far left, arms folded on chest are next, and then the legs and feet are on the right. One can hike on the giant, be we opted not to.
Once we were done at Amethyst Mine Panorama on Day 2, we were hungry and in a mood for some sight seeing. We headed to the Bay & Algoma shopping district and the historic and famous Hoito Restaurant located in the Finlandia Club building . The décor has a 1950’s feel to it and the menu is a mix of Finnish and Canadian food items. Thunder Bay has one of the largest Finnish populations outside of Finland and I heard Finnish being spoken at the restaurant.
Daughter L had pancakes, almost large crepes, with egg; Ilene and T split a Finnish sausage with mashed potatoes and corn; and I had veal steakettes with mashed potatoes and corn. Pretty good stuff. We did pass on the clabbered milk dish (viili) which seems to be a soured milk yogurt. Our culinary adventurousness has limits. After lunch we walked down the street to the Finnish Book Store and poked our heads into a few other stores before departing the neighborhood.
Our next stop was Hillcrest Park for a scenic overview of the city and the Sleeping Giant across the bay. The Sleeping Giant lies in a provincial park on the Sibley Penninsula. The head of the giant is on the far left, arms folded on chest are next, and then the legs and feet are on the right. One can hike on the giant, be we opted not to.
Sleeping Giant seen from Hilcrest Park
Grain terminals viewed from Hillcrest Park
Readers who graduated with me from Henry Sibley Senior High School might be wondering if there is a connection to the peninsula and yes there is. Henry Sibley, an early European resident in our school district who gained fame as a fur trader, general in the US/Dakota conflict, and first governor of Minnesota, had a brother Alexander Sibley. Alexander has an entry in Wikipedia as does the peninsula. To summarize, he was president of the Silver Islet Mining Company which operated a silver mine on the south end of the land form which now bears his name.
Following the stop at Hillcrest Park, we headed west of Thunder Bay to Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park to see the falls. At 130+ feet, the falls is second highest in Ontario, a distant second, to Niagara Falls. There is a nice set of boardwalks and observation points near the falls and a visitors center where we got to see a 13 minute presentation on the area, including the story of the Ojibwe Indian princess Greenmantle.
Kakabeka Falls
Observation platform at Kakabeka FallsAccording to legend (with several variants), Greenmantle was with attacking Sioux warriors who were unfamiliar with the area. She feigned betrayal of her people in return for her life. In leading the Sioux down the river to her tribes encampment, she led them to the falls. By the time the Sioux warriors figured out what was happening, it was too late and almost all were swept over the falls. The anguish of the perished Sioux can be heard in the roar of the falls and the beauty of the heroic princess seen in the nearby rainbows.
After enjoying the falls, we headed back to Thunder Bay in search of a restaurant which served perogies, an eastern European food commonly eaten in Manitoba and this part of Ontario. On about the third try, we found them as an appetizer at Swiss Chalet Rotissarie & Grill. The dipping sauce was perhaps better than the perogies, but the standard is homemade or church served.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
ALSV Days 2 & 3 (7/7-8/10): In Search of Amethyst
(Posted 10 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
Amethyst, a purple quartz, was a major reason we came to Thunder Bay. The back story begins in Grand Marais, MN in 2007 when we bought some Canadian amethyst from a street vendor who told tales of the quarry from which the stone had come. Our purchases ended up as decorative stone in our garden. Last year in Two Harbors, Ilene and the girls were in a store when a mine owner came in with some premium pieces to be sold there. Ilene struck up a conversation with him to find out more about the mine.
Amethyst, a purple quartz, was a major reason we came to Thunder Bay. The back story begins in Grand Marais, MN in 2007 when we bought some Canadian amethyst from a street vendor who told tales of the quarry from which the stone had come. Our purchases ended up as decorative stone in our garden. Last year in Two Harbors, Ilene and the girls were in a store when a mine owner came in with some premium pieces to be sold there. Ilene struck up a conversation with him to find out more about the mine.
Garden statue holding 2007 purchased amethyst
So this year, with passports in hand, we went to Thunder Bay and then drove the 40 miles to each of two mines to find our own stones. We did one mine/quarry each morning for a couple of hours. We are bringing home about 10 gallons of rocks from the quarries. Some rocks are larger ones intended for the garden while my approach was to find a lot of small slivers which can go into a bottle on my desk in the Digital Den.
The first mine we did was Amethyst Mine Panorama which is the more expensive and geared to tourists of the two. They charge CAN$ 6 for each person who comes and then CAN$ 3 per pound of rock taken (isn’t Canada supposed to be metric?). The admission also includes a brief guided tour and some interpretive signs about amethyst, it’s origin, and the mining operation.
The main vein is professionally mined with prime pieces getting cut and polished for sale at the mine or the amethyst store in Thunder Bay. We had stopped at their in-town outlet before heading to the mine and got a tour of their workshop.“Scrap” material from the mind is brought up to an area where tourists equipped with pails and picks and search for treasure.
Commercial quarry at Amethyst Mine Panorama
T. and L. surveying one of the tourist digging areasThe second mine we went to was Blue Points Amethyst Mine which is owned by the man Ilene met in Two Harbors last year. After driving less than 10 mph on a three mile gravel road after about 5 miles of better road off the trans-Canadian highway, we got to the parking area. The owner lives and works out of an old school bus and shack during the summer. We were greeted by an assistant living out of a camper. He gave us some instruction, gave us buckets, and directed us up a road to the quarry.
Some serious rock hounds were pounding away on rock to access the amethyst inside. Hammering was prohibited at Panorama due to the eye hazard. There was also a couple from the Twin Cities looking for a garden stone. We set to work looking through the rock for quantity and quality to put in our garden. Once we had our fill, we carried the buckets back down the hill and paid $20/bucket for our treasure.
Quarry at Blue Points Amethyst Mine
Rock washing, amethyst for purchase, and pailsFinally, I offer links to a couple YouTube videos others have made about the Amethyst Mine Panorama and Blue Points Amethyst Mine.
Some of our amethyst and Grand Marais rocks
Saturday, July 17, 2010
ALSV Day 1 (7/6/10): Outward Bound
(Posted 10 days delayed by Dakota Noel)
We left Fargo on Tuesday morning, July 6th about 9:00 AM for Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was kind of an odd departure day and time given that we had been in Two Harbors for 4th of July the last few years and had enjoyed fireworks over the harbor. This year, however, daughter T had a church youth conference and didn’t get back until 10 PM Sunday night. It seemed kind of rugged for her to turn it around in less than 12 hours, so we opted for a Tuesday departure.
We left Fargo on Tuesday morning, July 6th about 9:00 AM for Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was kind of an odd departure day and time given that we had been in Two Harbors for 4th of July the last few years and had enjoyed fireworks over the harbor. This year, however, daughter T had a church youth conference and didn’t get back until 10 PM Sunday night. It seemed kind of rugged for her to turn it around in less than 12 hours, so we opted for a Tuesday departure.
The later departure worked especially well for me as I didn’t finish three work projects until Monday morning. Ilene and daughter L went to Ilene’s sister’s for the 4th and got back Monday morning, so I didn’t feel bad about a series of long days at the office which included the weekend.
Like many people leaving Fargo, we had a stop to get last minute supplies. Rather than beer or ammo or bait, we stopped at the Fargo Public Library to pick up books and audio books for the trip. Outbound we listened to Holes.
We took our standard route to Duluth going through Park Rapids and Walker. The drive up MN-61 felt a bit odd as we sped by places which are usually destinations for us. We did stop for gas and ice cream (Culver’s) at Two Harbors, supper at Naniboujou Lodge beyond Grand Marais (known for its Cree dining room and French onion soup), and gas at Grand Portage. We did all our Canadian touring on that tank which cost US$2.79/gal vs fuel in Thunder Bay which was CAN$1.10/liter. Between exchange rates and sales tax rates, we just used a straight 1-to-1 conversion when evaluating costs in Canadian dollars.
The border crossing in both directions wasn’t much of an event for us. We were tourists and we had our passports. There was a single line open for cars each way with about 4 cars ahead of us. About an hour after crossing the border, we arrived at Days Inn & Suites on Sibley Drive which was our base for two days. I had picked this hotel after looking at reviews on the internet. It is a newer property which was conveniently located by major highways, restaurants, ATM, etc. The continental breakfast was low in choices and high in carbs, but in line with other Days Inns I’ve stayed at. It worked well for us.
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Last Summer of Paper?
by Dakota Noel
OK, so I plan to keep my paper subscription to two personal finance magazines so I can feel superior when reading during the time between airplane door getting closed/opened and an altitude of 10,000 feet. But other than that, will my purchase of paper books become less frequent?
With Kindle coming this summer to Android and being available for iPad, iPod Touch, and PC already , I'm feeling pretty comfortable with that format being around a while. The Kindle device has been luring me with its sunlight readable display and the Kindle DX would be an easy choice at half its current price (after all, Father's Day is this Sunday). The pixel resolution of the smaller Kindle just doesn't provide much viewable content beyond my Motorola droid. One person I saw reading recently a smaller Kindle was a middle aged guy with the print so large I could easily read it from the seat behind his on the plane. Get a pair of bifocals, man!
So Kindle is my eBook format of choice and it helps that my wife is getting an iPad which I might get to use on occasion (details at the end of this post) and it helps that I'll get the Android Kindle reader software as soon as it is available. Kindle vs paper may be coming down to availability and price for us.
But that leaves audio and trying to figure out Kindle vs paper vs audio. Availability comes into play, but more significantly the venue in which I intend to consume the content: audio if by car, Kindle if by air or earth, and paper if by sun. I'm wrestling with those choices for some of my summer reading when availability of the formats permit. The Kindle device has a text-to-speech capability when publishers permit, but I don't know how tiresome the voice would become on a standard Fargo-Moline road trip.
The iPad Plunge
iPads are in short supply. Saturday night my wife, Ilene, and I swung by Best Buy where the only model available was the 64 GB with cell. The 32 GB wifi-only model we sought has been sold out for several weeks. Yesterday (June 13) I went on line and order the iPad (to be delivered July 1), the "folder" case (to be delivered July 14) and the camera kit (to be delivered July 29).
While the iPod Touch was to be an easy email etc vehicle for Ilene, the screen and especially the typing input is too small to be comfortably used. While the iPad doesn't give a full keyboard experience, it is certainly better than a smartphone. There will also be easy access and large access to weather, Facebook, etc. Finally, it will provide here improved access to digital photos.
Another factor influencing her decision to get the device now is to have it for our summer travels which include some 5-10 hour driving days. Having a gaming/movie/etc options for passengers beyond the standard audio books will help break things up. With checked luggage fees on one trip, the small size of the iPad vs books etc should help us maximize content for space.
OK, so I plan to keep my paper subscription to two personal finance magazines so I can feel superior when reading during the time between airplane door getting closed/opened and an altitude of 10,000 feet. But other than that, will my purchase of paper books become less frequent?
With Kindle coming this summer to Android and being available for iPad, iPod Touch, and PC already , I'm feeling pretty comfortable with that format being around a while. The Kindle device has been luring me with its sunlight readable display and the Kindle DX would be an easy choice at half its current price (after all, Father's Day is this Sunday). The pixel resolution of the smaller Kindle just doesn't provide much viewable content beyond my Motorola droid. One person I saw reading recently a smaller Kindle was a middle aged guy with the print so large I could easily read it from the seat behind his on the plane. Get a pair of bifocals, man!
So Kindle is my eBook format of choice and it helps that my wife is getting an iPad which I might get to use on occasion (details at the end of this post) and it helps that I'll get the Android Kindle reader software as soon as it is available. Kindle vs paper may be coming down to availability and price for us.
But that leaves audio and trying to figure out Kindle vs paper vs audio. Availability comes into play, but more significantly the venue in which I intend to consume the content: audio if by car, Kindle if by air or earth, and paper if by sun. I'm wrestling with those choices for some of my summer reading when availability of the formats permit. The Kindle device has a text-to-speech capability when publishers permit, but I don't know how tiresome the voice would become on a standard Fargo-Moline road trip.
The iPad Plunge
iPads are in short supply. Saturday night my wife, Ilene, and I swung by Best Buy where the only model available was the 64 GB with cell. The 32 GB wifi-only model we sought has been sold out for several weeks. Yesterday (June 13) I went on line and order the iPad (to be delivered July 1), the "folder" case (to be delivered July 14) and the camera kit (to be delivered July 29).
While the iPod Touch was to be an easy email etc vehicle for Ilene, the screen and especially the typing input is too small to be comfortably used. While the iPad doesn't give a full keyboard experience, it is certainly better than a smartphone. There will also be easy access and large access to weather, Facebook, etc. Finally, it will provide here improved access to digital photos.
Another factor influencing her decision to get the device now is to have it for our summer travels which include some 5-10 hour driving days. Having a gaming/movie/etc options for passengers beyond the standard audio books will help break things up. With checked luggage fees on one trip, the small size of the iPad vs books etc should help us maximize content for space.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Old Lefse, Priceless Memories, Last Patrol
by Dakota Noel
We thawed the package of lefse in the fridge for a few days and then I was brave enough to try some. It was surprisingly well preserved...a bit dry and a not as tasty as I had remembered, but still tastier than the store-bought lefse we've been eating the last nine years. Besides the taste, it had the consistency and brown-spot pattern that distinguished my parent's product.
After graduating from high school, my dad entered the Navy and ultimately ended up on a submarine in the Pacific. The relatives back home in Minnesota wanted to send a piece of home to my dad and had packaged up some lefse. Without refrigeration in the humid tropics, the precious cargo didn't arrive in edible condition, but the thought was appreciated.
My dad joined a submariner's veterines group and for several Memorial Days in the late 1990s, our family trekked to the town they lived in. My dad would put on his submariner hat and jacket and we would go to Memorial Park for a brief ceremony remembering the service of our veterans.
Recently we got a quarter beef and my wife thought it would be a good time to clean out the freezer. Tucked away in a corner, she found a package well and carefully packed by my mom probably nine or ten years ago. It was the last lefse that we had from my parents. The last lefse made in their basement from potatoes grown in their garden: an art they shared with my daughters that Christmas before my dad was diagnosed with cancer, that Chrirstmas before he died.
We thawed the package of lefse in the fridge for a few days and then I was brave enough to try some. It was surprisingly well preserved...a bit dry and a not as tasty as I had remembered, but still tastier than the store-bought lefse we've been eating the last nine years. Besides the taste, it had the consistency and brown-spot pattern that distinguished my parent's product.
The fact it had been so well preserved was in stark contrast to some recent store-bought lefse which got moldy in the unopened plastic package. The mold today also serves as a segway to a story my dad told about his service in WWII.
After graduating from high school, my dad entered the Navy and ultimately ended up on a submarine in the Pacific. The relatives back home in Minnesota wanted to send a piece of home to my dad and had packaged up some lefse. Without refrigeration in the humid tropics, the precious cargo didn't arrive in edible condition, but the thought was appreciated.
My dad joined a submariner's veterines group and for several Memorial Days in the late 1990s, our family trekked to the town they lived in. My dad would put on his submariner hat and jacket and we would go to Memorial Park for a brief ceremony remembering the service of our veterans.
So today I will eat some old lefse in honor of those who are serving today and separated from family as well as in honor of those living and dead who, like my dad, have served our country in times past. Thank you for your service.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Androids and iPads and Kindle! Oh, My!
by Dakota Noel
Quite a bit has been announced and transpired since my last post on the topic. OS 4 for the iPhone and iPad was announced. My iPod Touch is too old to take advantage of the multitasking, but in general it looks like a good upgrade. Steve Jobs also made it explicitely clear that Flash won't be coming to iPhone and iPad any time soon due to its performance and design for keyboard and mouse. Will be interesting to see if Android and others, when they support Flash, benefit from Apple's hard line stand on the subject.
Last week in Moline I got my first hands-on with an iPad and then took my wife to Best Buy on Sunday for a test drive. She is looking for an easier way to do email than booting a PC and using AOL web mail. I think the iPad would fill that role well. I was pleasantly surprised by the on-screen keyboard. I was more effective with it than the keyboards on my Touch and Droid, but then when every-other keystroke isn't a wrong one, that helps. The display was crisp and responsive. Ebooks looked nice. In fact, the bigger screen as a whole was nice. Weight is OK.
So while the temptation to get an iPad is greater than before the hands on, it's not enough to overcome the possibility of a fuller featured, lower cost Android tablet at some point in the next couple of years. It's definitely a "nice to have", but with my current stable of consumer electronics devices, it's not a "need to have".
Road Trip
I made my first Fargo to Moline road trip of the summer with a couple days in Des Moines. It was also the first outing in a while for Mavis, my Garmin personal navigation assistant. I reactivated my Audible audio book account and got a couple Patrick Lencioni books for the drive: Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Three Signs of a Miserable Job. Both were in his engaging fable style and very edifying to pass the miles.
Support for Audible is still lacking on Android but not iPhone. It was just announced that Kindle is coming to Android this summer, so maybe I'll need to get some additional Kindle books to supplement my paper-based summer reading. I've got plenty of paper to get through. I think Amazon has played the eReader situation well by not restricting Kindle books to the Kindle reader, but supporting a variety of platforms.
Bringing Mavis on a road trip is an invitiation to adventure. An invitation I took up on the Worthington MN to Des Moines segment when I was told to exit I-90 shortly out of Worthington and head south on MN-86. I succombed and confirmed that Mavis doesn't know anything about stop light delays in Spencer, Iowa or any other town. I would have been better off taking I-90 and I-35 as planned. The cross country route did allow me to see white cap waves on lake Okiboji on a cold, grey, windy day.
I also got an adventure when I directed Mavis to guide me to Panera Bread in Coralville, Iowa. Instead of the eatery at the Coral Ridge Mall, I was taken through parts of Iowa City I had never seen to the Panera at the Sycamore Mall. This time I wasn't late for a meeting and didn't mind the extra sights.
Wired
Since I knew I was going to be at least an hour late for my Des Moines meeting, I prepped to call in from the road. Last weekend I did some hurried research on Bluetooth speakers and headsets only to conclude that wired earbuds were already in hand and would probably work better than the wireless version. I was not disappointed. Same was true of listening to audio books on Mavis: wired beat out the FM transmitter (hard to find an empty channel) and the built-in speaker. My Mazda 5 doesn't support the preferred audio input jack or cassette adapter to the vehicle sound system.
In fact, I am so enamoured by the crytsal claity of wire that I recently bought a wired speakerphone for my early morning calls to India. I was tired of the wireless handsets that sound like a bowl of Rice Crispies on steroids in the crowded 2.4 GHz Digital Den. I suppose the next step of regression beyond wireless to wired is to vacuum tubes.
Quite a bit has been announced and transpired since my last post on the topic. OS 4 for the iPhone and iPad was announced. My iPod Touch is too old to take advantage of the multitasking, but in general it looks like a good upgrade. Steve Jobs also made it explicitely clear that Flash won't be coming to iPhone and iPad any time soon due to its performance and design for keyboard and mouse. Will be interesting to see if Android and others, when they support Flash, benefit from Apple's hard line stand on the subject.
Last week in Moline I got my first hands-on with an iPad and then took my wife to Best Buy on Sunday for a test drive. She is looking for an easier way to do email than booting a PC and using AOL web mail. I think the iPad would fill that role well. I was pleasantly surprised by the on-screen keyboard. I was more effective with it than the keyboards on my Touch and Droid, but then when every-other keystroke isn't a wrong one, that helps. The display was crisp and responsive. Ebooks looked nice. In fact, the bigger screen as a whole was nice. Weight is OK.
So while the temptation to get an iPad is greater than before the hands on, it's not enough to overcome the possibility of a fuller featured, lower cost Android tablet at some point in the next couple of years. It's definitely a "nice to have", but with my current stable of consumer electronics devices, it's not a "need to have".
Road Trip
I made my first Fargo to Moline road trip of the summer with a couple days in Des Moines. It was also the first outing in a while for Mavis, my Garmin personal navigation assistant. I reactivated my Audible audio book account and got a couple Patrick Lencioni books for the drive: Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Three Signs of a Miserable Job. Both were in his engaging fable style and very edifying to pass the miles.
Support for Audible is still lacking on Android but not iPhone. It was just announced that Kindle is coming to Android this summer, so maybe I'll need to get some additional Kindle books to supplement my paper-based summer reading. I've got plenty of paper to get through. I think Amazon has played the eReader situation well by not restricting Kindle books to the Kindle reader, but supporting a variety of platforms.
Bringing Mavis on a road trip is an invitiation to adventure. An invitation I took up on the Worthington MN to Des Moines segment when I was told to exit I-90 shortly out of Worthington and head south on MN-86. I succombed and confirmed that Mavis doesn't know anything about stop light delays in Spencer, Iowa or any other town. I would have been better off taking I-90 and I-35 as planned. The cross country route did allow me to see white cap waves on lake Okiboji on a cold, grey, windy day.
I also got an adventure when I directed Mavis to guide me to Panera Bread in Coralville, Iowa. Instead of the eatery at the Coral Ridge Mall, I was taken through parts of Iowa City I had never seen to the Panera at the Sycamore Mall. This time I wasn't late for a meeting and didn't mind the extra sights.
Wired
Since I knew I was going to be at least an hour late for my Des Moines meeting, I prepped to call in from the road. Last weekend I did some hurried research on Bluetooth speakers and headsets only to conclude that wired earbuds were already in hand and would probably work better than the wireless version. I was not disappointed. Same was true of listening to audio books on Mavis: wired beat out the FM transmitter (hard to find an empty channel) and the built-in speaker. My Mazda 5 doesn't support the preferred audio input jack or cassette adapter to the vehicle sound system.
In fact, I am so enamoured by the crytsal claity of wire that I recently bought a wired speakerphone for my early morning calls to India. I was tired of the wireless handsets that sound like a bowl of Rice Crispies on steroids in the crowded 2.4 GHz Digital Den. I suppose the next step of regression beyond wireless to wired is to vacuum tubes.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Oh, Sweet April! Where Art Thou?
April 2010 was the nicest April I can remember. That should be the case since it was the warmest April in fargo since 1881. We had sunny warm (60s and 70s) afternoons which made for great lunchtime walks and wonderful evenings on the patio. Warm, sunny, little wind, no mosquitos: life doesn't get much better in this northern town.
Then the last couple days of the month it got cool and rainy...about an inch of rain. And we've had rain, it seems, every day since. The winds have been stronger and the temp has dropped. Today it was rainy and in the upper 30s. At least we've avoided the snow of central and western North Dakota.
Assuming we don't get snow tonight or tomorrow, we'll continue towards our record of a no measureable snow spring (March, April, May). The first time that would have happened since record keeping started.April was only the seventh April since records were started in 1885.
I really liked my April 2010 and I want her back.
Then the last couple days of the month it got cool and rainy...about an inch of rain. And we've had rain, it seems, every day since. The winds have been stronger and the temp has dropped. Today it was rainy and in the upper 30s. At least we've avoided the snow of central and western North Dakota.
Assuming we don't get snow tonight or tomorrow, we'll continue towards our record of a no measureable snow spring (March, April, May). The first time that would have happened since record keeping started.April was only the seventh April since records were started in 1885.
I really liked my April 2010 and I want her back.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Apple iPad is Here! ... Long live Android!
by Dakota Noel
The big day is here for the launch of the Apple iPad. See some of my earlier posts for additional discussion.
A few weeks back Apple had sent me an email which reminded me of the upcoming availability. I mentioned it to my wife who thought it would be a good birthday present for me :-O . So if I had approval, would I get one now?
This took me to further consideration of my PIA, my personal information architecture comprising a laptop, a tablet, and a smart phone. This is critical to choosing a tablet (eg iPad) with just wi-fi or with wi-fi and cell data capability. My decision was that my primary data link would be through my cell phone since it is "always" with me, whereas the laptop and tablet would not be.
In March, Verizon ran a special special on the Motorola Droid smart phone such that with "new every two", rebates, etc I was able to upgrade my phone for about $99 plus case, taxes, etc. I had been paying $5 for email on my previous phone and my work group discount applies to the data plan, so was down to a net $20/month for unlimited data. That was painless. (reminder to self: still need to send in rebate).
I've generally been impressed with the Droid and really liked it on my last business trip to Moline. On the plus side, the Droid has the POTENTIAL to replace the following devices I currently drag around. I had planned on a group photo, but in the interest of time, will just be doing a list:
(1) Canon digital camera
(2) Garmin Nuvi GPS for directions
(3) Magellen GPS for hiking
(4) Apple iPod Touch for social networking, eBooks, media, email, etc
(5) Palm Tungsten E for foreign language dictionaries, personal data (eg long term post-it note replacement)
I say "potential" because the Droid and software is not quite there. So here are my "buts"...
(0) Battery life is greatly diminished when the screen brightness is high or GPS is enabled. I might be getting a second battery to address this. I've also heard that Android 2.1 helps this, but the upgrade from 2.0 has yet to be deployed to a large extent in North America. The 850 * 480 screen is nice, but I would be game for a slightly larger phone with 1024 * 600 resolution which could be a netbook killer. A slighterly larger device could also support a larger battery.
(1) The 5 megapixel with flash is very handy for my business trip photography (eg whiteboards, occasionaly scenery) but for vacation photography it lacks optical zoom and image stabilization for high quality pictures.
(2) The Google Maps Beta turn-by-turn directions works pretty good. I prefer my Garmin for the user interface in announcement of turns. Since I travel outside of Verizon coverage areas, loss of a data link leading to loss of directions is unattractive. Finally, my Nuvi supports Audible audio books which Android doesn't. Mavis, my Nuvi, will still be coming on major road trips with me.
(3) The Google My Tracks app is OK as a first cut for off-road GPS. It uses Google maps including satellite view and is better than my Magellen in that regard, but there doesn't seem to be support for topo maps which are really handy for hikers. Business opportunity? There are apps which can export tracks in GPX and KML formats. With the GPS in my side holster in rolling terrain with a few buildings, I was getting errors up to 100 feet. As mentioned earlier, the battery life is much reduced from the 17 hours I get with my Magellen.
(4a) Social media...email, YouTube, Facebook work well.
(4b) Other media..Unlike iPhone, it's nice to multitask Pandora Radio with other apps. I still need to load some MP3s for those times I can't stream audio. While iPhone supports Rhapsody, Droid doesn't. The Star Trek episodes I bought on iTunes won't play. Flash isn't available for Android, but supposedly will be available when Flash 10.1 gets released. Kindle isn't available for Android yet, but is supposed to be available when the Dell Stream cell phone is released. I want to be able to share books between my smart phone and my tablet. Kindle is not just available for the iPad but is getting enhanced to take advantage of the bigger screen and faster processor.
(5) I think my Tungsten can be completely retired, BUT I have data that needs to get migrated and I don't want to do it by hand AND I want it to be backed up and in a format which won't be a pain to support in the future. MS-Word and Docs-to-Go software is a strong option. I also have liked my foreign language dictionaries. I'm finding replacements for Android, but cooler is Google translate which allows me to speak a phrase in English and it will translate the phrase into like 50 languages and for some, even say the phrase in that language. I suspect this only works in Verizon coverage, so doesn't help me when I'm in a foreign country and actually need to say something in the language or understand the restaurant menu.
So with a second battery, Flash 10.1, and Kindle for Android, I should be in good shape for a smart phone. So where does that leave my tablet desires?
I think there will continue to be rapid evolution of eReader devices and the eBooks market over the next year or so. That is where I continue to see the tablets filling a key niche as I don't care for smart phone screens for reading other than unstructured text for short periods. I also don't care to carry around copious mass and volume of books when I travel. For example, for the Annual Lake Superior Vacation, it can be a backbook of books plus my laptop backpack. It would be really nice to drop that to a tablet.
So I want something like Kindle which can be used on multiple platforms, specifically tablet and my Andorid smart phone. I don't like seeing eBook prices rising and I'd like to offset the cost of the device through book savings, magazine subscriptions, and especially my local newspaper subscription. Bonus points for a device I don't have to turn off for half of my short hop airline flights.
The iPad meets a fair amount of my tablet criteria, but doesn't multitask, doesn't support and is unlikely to support Flash. Android tablets will be coming, and I'm not in a particular hurry to buy. I still have my iPod Touch and all the other devices listed above. Stay tuned...
- - -
Some of my Techie friends, especially Jim and Alex, have been forwarding some neat iPad links which I pass along below.
The big day is here for the launch of the Apple iPad. See some of my earlier posts for additional discussion.
A few weeks back Apple had sent me an email which reminded me of the upcoming availability. I mentioned it to my wife who thought it would be a good birthday present for me :-O . So if I had approval, would I get one now?
This took me to further consideration of my PIA, my personal information architecture comprising a laptop, a tablet, and a smart phone. This is critical to choosing a tablet (eg iPad) with just wi-fi or with wi-fi and cell data capability. My decision was that my primary data link would be through my cell phone since it is "always" with me, whereas the laptop and tablet would not be.
In March, Verizon ran a special special on the Motorola Droid smart phone such that with "new every two", rebates, etc I was able to upgrade my phone for about $99 plus case, taxes, etc. I had been paying $5 for email on my previous phone and my work group discount applies to the data plan, so was down to a net $20/month for unlimited data. That was painless. (reminder to self: still need to send in rebate).
I've generally been impressed with the Droid and really liked it on my last business trip to Moline. On the plus side, the Droid has the POTENTIAL to replace the following devices I currently drag around. I had planned on a group photo, but in the interest of time, will just be doing a list:
(1) Canon digital camera
(2) Garmin Nuvi GPS for directions
(3) Magellen GPS for hiking
(4) Apple iPod Touch for social networking, eBooks, media, email, etc
(5) Palm Tungsten E for foreign language dictionaries, personal data (eg long term post-it note replacement)
I say "potential" because the Droid and software is not quite there. So here are my "buts"...
(0) Battery life is greatly diminished when the screen brightness is high or GPS is enabled. I might be getting a second battery to address this. I've also heard that Android 2.1 helps this, but the upgrade from 2.0 has yet to be deployed to a large extent in North America. The 850 * 480 screen is nice, but I would be game for a slightly larger phone with 1024 * 600 resolution which could be a netbook killer. A slighterly larger device could also support a larger battery.
(1) The 5 megapixel with flash is very handy for my business trip photography (eg whiteboards, occasionaly scenery) but for vacation photography it lacks optical zoom and image stabilization for high quality pictures.
(2) The Google Maps Beta turn-by-turn directions works pretty good. I prefer my Garmin for the user interface in announcement of turns. Since I travel outside of Verizon coverage areas, loss of a data link leading to loss of directions is unattractive. Finally, my Nuvi supports Audible audio books which Android doesn't. Mavis, my Nuvi, will still be coming on major road trips with me.
(3) The Google My Tracks app is OK as a first cut for off-road GPS. It uses Google maps including satellite view and is better than my Magellen in that regard, but there doesn't seem to be support for topo maps which are really handy for hikers. Business opportunity? There are apps which can export tracks in GPX and KML formats. With the GPS in my side holster in rolling terrain with a few buildings, I was getting errors up to 100 feet. As mentioned earlier, the battery life is much reduced from the 17 hours I get with my Magellen.
(4a) Social media...email, YouTube, Facebook work well.
(4b) Other media..Unlike iPhone, it's nice to multitask Pandora Radio with other apps. I still need to load some MP3s for those times I can't stream audio. While iPhone supports Rhapsody, Droid doesn't. The Star Trek episodes I bought on iTunes won't play. Flash isn't available for Android, but supposedly will be available when Flash 10.1 gets released. Kindle isn't available for Android yet, but is supposed to be available when the Dell Stream cell phone is released. I want to be able to share books between my smart phone and my tablet. Kindle is not just available for the iPad but is getting enhanced to take advantage of the bigger screen and faster processor.
(5) I think my Tungsten can be completely retired, BUT I have data that needs to get migrated and I don't want to do it by hand AND I want it to be backed up and in a format which won't be a pain to support in the future. MS-Word and Docs-to-Go software is a strong option. I also have liked my foreign language dictionaries. I'm finding replacements for Android, but cooler is Google translate which allows me to speak a phrase in English and it will translate the phrase into like 50 languages and for some, even say the phrase in that language. I suspect this only works in Verizon coverage, so doesn't help me when I'm in a foreign country and actually need to say something in the language or understand the restaurant menu.
So with a second battery, Flash 10.1, and Kindle for Android, I should be in good shape for a smart phone. So where does that leave my tablet desires?
I think there will continue to be rapid evolution of eReader devices and the eBooks market over the next year or so. That is where I continue to see the tablets filling a key niche as I don't care for smart phone screens for reading other than unstructured text for short periods. I also don't care to carry around copious mass and volume of books when I travel. For example, for the Annual Lake Superior Vacation, it can be a backbook of books plus my laptop backpack. It would be really nice to drop that to a tablet.
So I want something like Kindle which can be used on multiple platforms, specifically tablet and my Andorid smart phone. I don't like seeing eBook prices rising and I'd like to offset the cost of the device through book savings, magazine subscriptions, and especially my local newspaper subscription. Bonus points for a device I don't have to turn off for half of my short hop airline flights.
The iPad meets a fair amount of my tablet criteria, but doesn't multitask, doesn't support and is unlikely to support Flash. Android tablets will be coming, and I'm not in a particular hurry to buy. I still have my iPod Touch and all the other devices listed above. Stay tuned...
- - -
Some of my Techie friends, especially Jim and Alex, have been forwarding some neat iPad links which I pass along below.
- NY Times article which does a nice job of reviewing the iPad from both antipodal perspectives (in case you haven't noticed, iPad reviews are either extremely positive or extremely negative...few in between).
- Interesting blog post on book design in the age of eReaders.
- The Street reports coming changes to the iPhone conistent with my use of the phone as the data link for taplets and laptops.
- WSJ review of the iPad.
- FCC teardown of the iPad.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Crest @ 36.99 Feet
Beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon with a high of 49 today. Took a walk with my daughters to take some pictures of the flood near our home as the Red River crested at 36.99 feet, making it the 7th highest flood on record and 2nd highest flood for March after last year's 41 foot crest. There was a dike problem which was fixed in a town just north of Fargo. Dikes in Fargo/Moorhead are holding so far.
The above picture shows the balls fields south of Mickelson Field on Oak Street.
This is 12th Avenue North leading to the submerged toll bridge which was shown just above water in an earlier post.
The clay dike on 14th Ave North, looking southeast towards its intersection with Elm Street.
Looking across the El Zagal golf course parking lot and then north along the submerged dike and bikepath. These were featured in earlier blog posts.
Standard gag picture looking across the flooded El Zagal golf course by the sign "Irrigated by the Red River". At last year's record 41 foot crest, the sidewalk was under a foot of water.
Unless something major happens, like heavy rains which bring the river to a second crest, I don't plan to blog any more about it. By God's grace, the river stayed well below the critical 40 foot level, and volunteers and government personnel got us ready for what did come. We are not out of the woods, but things look good the rest of the way.
The above picture shows the balls fields south of Mickelson Field on Oak Street.
This is 12th Avenue North leading to the submerged toll bridge which was shown just above water in an earlier post.
The clay dike on 14th Ave North, looking southeast towards its intersection with Elm Street.Looking across the El Zagal golf course parking lot and then north along the submerged dike and bikepath. These were featured in earlier blog posts.
Standard gag picture looking across the flooded El Zagal golf course by the sign "Irrigated by the Red River". At last year's record 41 foot crest, the sidewalk was under a foot of water.Unless something major happens, like heavy rains which bring the river to a second crest, I don't plan to blog any more about it. By God's grace, the river stayed well below the critical 40 foot level, and volunteers and government personnel got us ready for what did come. We are not out of the woods, but things look good the rest of the way.
This past week a metro flood study group unanamously recommended the $1.4 billion, 35,000 cubic foot/second flood diversion on the North Dakota side of the river. Local governments will be voting on the recommendation leading to an April 15th recommendation to the Army Corps of Engineers. From there, the project goes to congress in the fall and to state governments. Hopefully this leads to a solution that not only makes "25 year" floods like this one more manageable, but ultimately protects against a 500 year flood event. The EARLIEST the diversion would be completed is in the 2020-2025 time frame.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Ready and Waiting
Yesterday the students of the area, including my oldest daughter, were once again out in force to help with sandbagging. By the end of the day, Fargo had reached its 1 million sandbag goal (compared to ~5 million last year) and shut down Sandbag Central. It was a sunny, mid 40s March day. Today the kids were pretty much back in school. A couple busloads went out from North High this morning, but were back by morning's end.
The clay dikes were pretty much done today as well. This small clay dike by the El Zagal club house, 3 blocks from my house, showed up last night . It shores up a low spot and runs a few hundred feet. Last year it as wider and 5 feet higher. It extended four blocks beyond the end shown here, took a right turn to become a sandbag dike for 1000 feet behind some buildings, and then was back to clay for four blocks back to the river.
Today was my younger daughter's piano lesson, just across the river and a bit north from where the above picture was taken. Normally, we would go across the toll bridge, but per Tuesday's picture, that bridge is closed and now under water. Between two closed bridges and the dike on 2nd Street, we added about 5 miles to the trip.
After returning from piano lessons and eating supper, I took a walk up to El Zagal where the Red River, at 34 feet, was just breeching the dike. The mostly submerged fence right of the dike, is the same fence as the one in the left of earlier pictures taken from the bike path. The water flowing over the dike will flood the 9 hole, par 3 golf course and bring the river within a block and a half of my house. The river is still forecast to rise another 4 feet by Sunday, bringing it well up into the golf course parking lot above.
The national press is back. I've been disappointed with factual errors and choice of adjectives in the NBC reporting. It causes me to be more cautious when listening to their reporting of other natural "events". Same lesson as last year.
With the dikes in place and the water soon contacting those structures, we now go into a monitoring mode...watching for soft spots in clay dikes and excessive leaks in sandbag dikes. Pumps will be running to return leaked water to the river. The weather looks good through the crest, but we remain vulnerable to heavy rains after that for a while. By God's grace, things are looking very good for now.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Get R Done
This is the Red River as seen about 5:15 PM this evening at 28.5 feet or 10 feet above flood stage. A picture of the same location was posted on Sunday with the river 5 feet lower. Forecasted crest is still 38 feet, but pushed back from Saturday to Sunday.
My oldest daughter was sandbagging from 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM in south Fargo. About 70% of her high school had turned in parental permission slips to help in the effort today. Recall that college students are on spring break, so these younger students are shining in public service on the sandbag lines.
I picked her up at 2:45 so she could come home and shower before going to south Fargo for her weekly cello lesson. There were significant numbers of dump trucks with clay on University Drive and empty on 10th street (one ways heading south and north respectively). Based on where they were turning, it looked like the clay was going into the 2nd Street dike between the river and downtown.
As we got past 32nd Avenue South, we saw one sandbag convey. These convoys consist of police cars with flashing lights front and rear with several semis with flatbeds tarilers loaded with pallets of sandbags in between. The police escorts are intended to allow the trucks to not have to stop as they go between sandbag caches and the river. The south Fargo neighborhoods where sandbagging was done today are relatively low (her teachers house is at 38 feet - same as the predicted crest) and have back yards which don't allow clay dikes to be constructed.
As we entered the teacher's subdivision, we had to answer a few questions from a ND national Guardsperson. I don't think she had heard the answer "We're here to go to a cello lesson." yet. The guard is helping direct sandbag convoys into the target neighborhoods and also keeping them from getting congested from the cars of volunteers. To prevent congestion, volunteers are assembling in areas away from the river and being bussed in.
After getting home from the lesson, I took a quick walk around the neighborhood to get the picture at El Zagel above and at the 12th Ave North toll bridge below. Needless to say, the bridge is closed.
Monday, March 15, 2010
We Know the (Flood) Drill
The National Weather Service indicated that 38 feet plus/minus a foot next weekend is the projected crest. Barring extra-warm weather mid-week and extra-wet weather late-week, that's their number. In today's statement, the NWS indicated that not only was the 1.25 inches of rain last week a factor in the rapid rise, but also a record 8 consecutive days above freezing while the rain fell. The previous record was 5 consecutive days. Under more ideal conditions, having temps drop below freezing at night helps limit melt.
Today many cities and counties, including Fargo, announced plans for flood fighting. Fargo's is similar to what has been seen in 2009, 2006, 1997, etc. Clay dikes are being built in the usual places such as 2nd Street North between downtown and the river. Our stockpile of 750,000 sandbags is now being deployed to low lying neighborhoods for backyard dikes. Additional sandbags are being made.
I had been headed out to help a friend make a sandbag dike in back of his house tonight, but then my daughter noted that she had a Key Club meeting for which she needed an adult in the passenger seat to drive to. The parking lot by the high school (Coloseum) is being used for volunteer parking with bus service to "Sand Bag Central" (see video below). There were a fair number of cars their tonight.
(My wife is out of town, so I am pulling extra parent duty. When the trip was originally planned, it was under the assumption she would be back before any flooding. So much for that idea. Oner the other hand, it won't be so bad that she'll be making a one-way flight back to Fargo to prepare for evacuation.)
One difference between this flood and those of previous years is that two of our colleges are on spring break and many college students are out of town. Youthful volunteers are great on sandbag lines and college students have played a critical role in past floods. Today I signed a permission slip for my oldest daughter to be released from school to help with sandbagging, if needed. School remains in session.
The National Guard is being activated to help out, but it seems in smaller numbers than last year. For now, Fargo will have many miles fewer dikes to build, monitor, and maintain compared to last year.
The river was at 25 feet late this afternoon, so it has 13 feet to go in 6 days. A lot of work needs to be done in that time, but it is manageable. By God's grace, the available effort will meet the need.
Today many cities and counties, including Fargo, announced plans for flood fighting. Fargo's is similar to what has been seen in 2009, 2006, 1997, etc. Clay dikes are being built in the usual places such as 2nd Street North between downtown and the river. Our stockpile of 750,000 sandbags is now being deployed to low lying neighborhoods for backyard dikes. Additional sandbags are being made.
I had been headed out to help a friend make a sandbag dike in back of his house tonight, but then my daughter noted that she had a Key Club meeting for which she needed an adult in the passenger seat to drive to. The parking lot by the high school (Coloseum) is being used for volunteer parking with bus service to "Sand Bag Central" (see video below). There were a fair number of cars their tonight.
(My wife is out of town, so I am pulling extra parent duty. When the trip was originally planned, it was under the assumption she would be back before any flooding. So much for that idea. Oner the other hand, it won't be so bad that she'll be making a one-way flight back to Fargo to prepare for evacuation.)
One difference between this flood and those of previous years is that two of our colleges are on spring break and many college students are out of town. Youthful volunteers are great on sandbag lines and college students have played a critical role in past floods. Today I signed a permission slip for my oldest daughter to be released from school to help with sandbagging, if needed. School remains in session.
The National Guard is being activated to help out, but it seems in smaller numbers than last year. For now, Fargo will have many miles fewer dikes to build, monitor, and maintain compared to last year.
The river was at 25 feet late this afternoon, so it has 13 feet to go in 6 days. A lot of work needs to be done in that time, but it is manageable. By God's grace, the available effort will meet the need.
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