Category Archives: About Me - Page 25

Christmas Startup Costs

Posted by on December 13, 2015 No comments

This is the first year I’m going to be celebrating Christmas.  When I say that, I mean this is the first year I’m going to be doing the traditional tree and trimmings.  In years past, I did a tiny 3-ft, pre-lit artificial tree.  You know, the bare minimum.  I’m approaching this as a multi-year project, building up a little each year.  Maybe next year will be exterior decorations.

The point I’m making is that I’m starting with nothing.  I don’t even think I have a single tree ornament of my own.  So, if you are considering doing your first Christmas, consider this list for the things that you will need.  But, keep in mind, most all of these will be reusable next year, so you can spend a little more and get quality stuff that will last year after year.  Normally, I would factor in whether I wanted to have something new each year and budget for disposable items.  But I think Christmas stuff should have a sense of stability and memories each time they are used.  And if your approach is also a multi-year vision, decide what you want for next year and hit the after Christmas sales.

So, this is what I started with:

Tree Skirt

This was the first advance purchase.  The GF and I were evaluating our options at Old Time Pottery and we found one with the fabric we liked, but not the right colors.  Later, we were at Lowes and saw one we both immediately liked.  We noticed that Lowes’ Christmas supplies were really selling out (impressive), so I grabbed it right then to avoid any remorse over missing something we both agreed on.  Price: $30.

Tree Lights

Wow, so many options.  When I was growing up, we had one option for bulbs.  I think they are classified as C7.  But now, you have the LED lights and all these different shapes and colors.  This is where I had to start thinking.  I could do a themed tree, like all gold or silver or blue, in which case, I’d probably get a single-colored set.  Or, I could go traditional and get the multi-colored sets. 

I like the look of themed trees, but they seem so boring to me.  I wanted a more interesting tree, with ornaments of all different types, to encourage exploration and to capture different moments.  So, the lights I choose will either be multicolored or dual colored.

I started at Lowes.  What the hell.  They’re down to less than a full isle of Christmas stuff.  Less than a full isle! They didn’t have the lights I wanted.  Ok, let’s try Sears.  Sears usually surprises me with prices and selection.  Nope, Sears is down to thin pickings as well. Ok then, I know Target has them because I saw them the day before when I bought my tree stand.

I bought a 200-bulb string and two 50-bulb strings, for a total of $63.  All LED, all sphere shaped.  The 200-bulb is shiny and faceted and the two small strings are solid pearl lights.  That’s about 100 ft of lights, at $.63/ft  Not cheap, but much better than I budgeted.

Tree Ornaments

Consistent with my choice to have a non-themed tree, the ornaments will be a collection of many different shapes, colors, and styles.  One thing I am against, though, is “shatter-resistant” ornaments.  These plastic bulbs with the visible molding seams are cheap and tacky.  I understand their place in families with dumb children, but for the record, I never broke a glass ornament when I was growing up.  And since my household is not and will not be child-friendly, I’m having nice high-quality glass ornaments.  Although, after discussing with the girlfriend, we’re going to have to put shatterproof ornaments of some sort at the bottom to account for curious cat and clumsy dog – their first Christmas with a real tree.

There’s no shortage of variety when it comes to ornaments.  And the prices are all over the place, too.  You’ll probably start with some multi-sets, then in future years, buy unique individual pieces to create memories.

I hit two places at first, Old Time Pottery and Michaels, and got some basic red/green/clear balls and a spire tree topper (which I’ve learned is called a Finial).  Total running cost: $47. Then I did another run at Big Lots, Sears and JCPenney.  The quality is getting better and plenty of diversity.  Total now: $104.  At this point the cat thinks this is going to be the best Christmas ever.

image

Then I hit Pier 1, Hobby Lobby, Bealls, Target (again), and Michaels (again).  And I think we’re done.  Total: $195.  We did decide to go with the fancy ornament hooks instead of the simple wire hooks.  I have to say, they’re worth the investment, both in looks and usability.

As far as what we ended up with, there’s probably close to 200 ornaments on the tree, between glass balls, icicles, bells, diamond and ruby gems, a few birds, a bird nest, individual personal items, and some novelty items.

The Tree

The tree is going to be a live tree.  The initial reason for this is to have the more traditional experience.  If I find I don’t like it, I can always go artificial next year.  But I think I owe it to myself to try the real tree first.

We went to a tree stand that’s always been coming to town since I can remember: “Booger Mountain”.  We picked out a tree.  A big tree.  8 feet high and dense and wide.  They only took cash, and it was a chunk of cash.  $90.

Tree Stand

Since I’m going natural, I’ll need a tree stand.  I might as well get a nice one.  I had a couple of gift cards from Target, so I figured I’d use them there.  I ended up with a nice plastic stand with an easy watering opening for $20, $10 after gift cards.  I thought that was a good deal until I stopped at Walgreens and saw a stand on clearance for $7.  But what’s done is done.  My stand is good for an 8’ tree.  It did the job just fine.

The Complete Damage

Adding up everything, I’ve spend $390 on this project.  All but $90 will be reusable in future years.  The girlfriend spend $300 on her own exterior home decorating (first year for that, too) and all of that will be reusable in future years.  So, it looks like we’re even.

Behind-The-Curve Savings

Posted by on December 10, 2015 No comments

There was an XKCD comic a long while ago that made the joke that if you consistently remain behind the curve, technology still advances and is just as impressive, it’s just that the experience is delayed for you.  It doesn’t say anything about the great savings you will have if you adopt this strategy.  For example, I can pick up a Wii pretty cheaply now.  I think I saw a bunch for $30 at local pawn shops.  I’ve not really experienced the games a lot, so it’s still all new to me.

So, last Friday, I was a little klutzy and dropped my phone.  It was fine.  I’ve dropped my phone a few times in the years I’ve had it (photo history looks like I’ve had my Lumia 810 since March, 2013).  It’s always taken the falls like a champ, even if the case back flies off and makes you think the phone has exploded into pieces.  I have never used a case on my phones – never seen a need to.

Later on that night, I dropped my phone, again.  Geez.  This time, it landed on its side on my chair’s base and when I picked it up, I saw something I’d never seen on a phone of mine before.  It wasn’t cracked, it was shattered.  I was shattered, too.  Now, I had to find a new phone and pretty quickly, too.  This phone still worked.  Touchscreen still worked.  Swiping and dragging was a bit more risky since I don’t like cuts all over my finger.  So, I wouldn’t want to be using it more than a couple of days.

image

I am a Windows Phone user.  What does that mean for me?  Well, I don’t have the massive selection of devices that Android users have, and I don’t have to pay outrageous prices like iPhone users have to.  I had just read a couple of reviews of the newest Microsoft phones to come out and I was a little surprised at the retail prices.  Over $900!  No, that’s not going to happen.

Saturday, I hit some pawn shops looking for a cheap phone replacement until I could figure out what my plan was.  Surprisingly, no one had phones.  I didn’t get it, they used to have craploads of phones.  When I asked about that, I was told that people were pawning phones that weren’t fully paid for and the phones would get blocked, so the next buyer could never activate their phone.  Damn scammers.

So, Amazon it was.  I was amazed at the prices of Windows phones.  Most were less than $200.  And these weren’t cheap phones, either.  The one I ended up getting was the Nokia Lumia 925.  A phone from 2013, discontinued in 2014.  Windows Phone OS is very lightweight, so older phones have no trouble running it, either.  This new phone will still be an improvement over what I had and was under $200.  I don’t need to spend $500 or $800 or $1000 for a new phone.  That’s awesome.

Since it’s a new phone, obviously I need to buy more accessories for it.  This time, I’m going to invest in Qi wireless charging.  The 925 has an optional wireless charging back in a few different colors.  I picked up a white back for cheap (because discontinued phone, right?) and Qi chargers seem to have become commonplace since when I last remember researching them.

And the best thing is, it’s still all pretty much new to me.

It’s Happening Again

Posted by on December 4, 2015 No comments

A couple of years ago, I wrote about tea.  I had casually mentioned that I found a new tea brand and I was enjoying it.  That brand was Te Bustelo.  Well, over two years later, I am still very much enjoying it.  My GF, ever-thoughtful, bought me two huge cans of tea mix, and they lasted me, well, two years.  I’m just finishing up the second canister now.

For Christmas, I suggested she replenish my stock.  Te Bustelo could only be had at Wal-Mart, and that’s not a place I go.  A few days later, she reported she was unsuccessful in finding any.  So I searched Wal-Mart’s website.  It said the product was no longer available.  Panic starts setting in.  I jump on Amazon.  The only thing available is a 6-pack of canisters and there’s only 8 cases left of them. At a little over $7/can, this isn’t really a great deal.

Oh shit.  This is just like what happened with Nestea.  I find something I really like and it disappears.  So, without delay…

WP_20151202_001

Today, Amazon only has one case left in stock.  You can’t find Te Bustelo anywhere else online.  This is the end.  So, I guess I’m probably good for 2-3 more years and then it’s on to something else.  But what?  Back to Lipton?  Try the 4c brand I see everywhere?  Will they even be around in 3 years?

Door-To-Door Windshield Replacement

Posted by on November 5, 2015 No comments

Yup, that’s right.  I had two people in my neighborhood going door to door telling people they would replace their windshield for free by submitting claims to their insurance.  Oh, this is right up my alley.  First, a story from my past.

Somewhere around 5 years ago, when I had my Acura, I had a small crack develop on my windshield.  Here where I live, there’s some deal that insurance companies have to fix cracked windshields for free.  So, I call my insurance company and say I need my windshield fixed because there is a crack.  They say no problem and send a company out for the repair.

The repair company looks at my car and calls me outside.  They say I need to replace my windshield.  The Acura is at least 8 years old and has like 150k miles on it.  I say, you can patch that, the technology will handle this.  They say they’ll check it again and I go back inside.  They call me back and say that I need my windshield replaced.  I tell them I want a second opinion and I’ll call my insurance company again.  They weren’t happy, but what could they do?

I call the insurance company and explain to them that I felt they were being ripped off by the company they sent first and I wanted someone who would come out and patch my windshield.  They obliged me and when I went out to meet the new repair people, I went to show them the small crack I wanted patched.  The crack wasn’t small anymore.  The previous company had pressed on the crack and expanded it before I dismissed them.  I was furious.

Despite that, the new company was able to patch the larger crack and it never grew for as long as I had the car.  So you can say I am a fan of patching whenever possible.

Jump forward to today and I have this hyper dude telling me that yeah, I have some chips in my windshield and they can replace it for free just by getting my insurance information.  I start my objection by saying I am a fan of patching, not replacing.  He makes some claim that if you have more than 6 chips (and he’s sure there’s at least that many), your insurance will recommend you replace.  I think that’s bullshit, so I just say that replacement is unnecessary.

He says that I don’t pay for anything.  The insurance company pays for it.  I hold up my finger like the educated man I am and reply, “Ah, but I do.  The cost of replacements is reflected in everyone’s insurance cost.”  Deftly countering that argument he says, “You realize you’ve paid for this many times over already, right?”  So I don’t have to pay for this but I’ve already paid for it many times over.  This guy is an uber-salesman.  I just shrug and say, “Hey, I’m just doing my part to keep costs down for everyone.”

I explained to him my glass has already been replaced once and I like the one I have because it’s a little more tinted than the factory glass.  Somehow he still thinks he has a sale, so he says he can put a tint strip along the top.  That’s fucking ugly.  He throws out another option.  No.  Not interested.  So that starts a whole new argument about how this isn’t the right windshield for my car.  What?  Then he says the manufacturer of my glass isn’t that good of quality.  He will guarantee his glass with a lifetime warranty.  Eye-roll.

So I educate him that the car is 5 years old, has been through a flood, is on its second engine, has 190k miles, and just got repaired from a rear-end accident.  The windshield is really the least of my concerns.  At this point he is laughing at me.  Not the kind of laugh that I’m out-arguing him, but more of a mocking laugh.  Fuck this guy.

He shakes my hand and thanks me for my time.  I decided to give him an honest offer that I would call them if I did choose to have my windshield replaced.  I asked for a business card.

“I don’t have any cards.  All I have are invoices.  Invoices for people who are getting windshield replacements.”  Well then.  You can go fuck yourself and your fly-by-night scam business.  Boy, I wish I paid more attention when he talked about his company so I could report them for fraud.

30 Days of Gratitude For Being Awesome

Posted by on November 2, 2015 No comments

Thanks to Thanksgiving and thanks to social media, we have a ritual each year where everyone tries to show off to all their friends how grateful they are for what they have in their life.  I can’t help but think this supposed show of humility is nothing more than a mask for narcissism.  To that end, I decided to list a bunch of things I’m grateful for.  Things that show I’m better than you, more fortunate than you, more deserving than you, and yet, more thankful than you.  Let’s start.

  1. November 1st is a Sunday.  I don’t have to work on weekends because I have a white-collar job and get paid really well for it.  So, I’m grateful my job is awesome.
  2. Monday the 2nd.  I don’t have any kids that I have to get ready for school or deal with any of their whining or “I’m tired” bullshit.  Thank god for that.
  3. Tuesday.  Hey, Tie Tuesday!  I’ve got a great selection of ties to choose from.  I don’t have to wear the same old ties over and over.  I’m thankful I found these ties on sale, probably paying a lot less than a bunch of people did for the same tie.
  4. Wednesday.  Like just about any day, I eat out for lunch.  Most people have to bring in their lunches and usually stay in the building.  I get to leave for a while.  I am very fortunate.
  5. Thursday and the weekend is coming quickly.  Since I don’t have a lot of obligations, my weekend can be pretty much whatever I want it to be.  It’s good to have options like that.
  6. Friday now and the weekend is here.  I think I’ll give the car a wash and wax so I can turn some heads when I’m driving top-down around the beaches this weekend.  My car isn’t new anymore, but it’s still an uncommon car and gets attention.  It’s been a good car to me.
  7. On Saturday I spend some time cleaning the pool and spa.  I don’t get a lot of use out of them, but they are an attractive feature of the house when they are taken care of.
  8. Sunday again.  I think today is going to be a sleep/eat/nap/eat/sleep/eat/sleep day.  Yeah, I can do that.  Got to be thankful for days like that.
  9. Monday, back at work.  Had some code issues, but I solved them quickly because I really know what I’m doing.  I’m thankful that my mind is well-tuned to solving coding problems.
  10. Another Tuesday.  Hey, Thai Tuesday!  I have my choice of Thai places to eat at because the area I work in is great with food.  I’m fortunate for that.
  11. Wednesday, my cat greeted me at the door, like usual.  She’s a pretty cool cat, with the best qualities of a dog and yet still a cat.  I’ve always had great cats for pets.  I’m pretty lucky there.
  12. Thursday, I was at work and a got a compliment on the mouse pad I use.  Sounds odd, but the mouse pad is really nice.  Thick, stitched, oiled leather.  It wasn’t cheap, but it’s going to last forever and look great doing it.  I’m glad I found it and had the opportunity and funds to buy it.
  13. Friday.  Another weekend is here and another chance to spend time with my awesome girlfriend.  You want to talk about being grateful, you need to have a good relationship to understand it.
  14. Saturday out at the premium outlets.  It’s one thing to window shop and imagine what you would do with that kind of stuff.  It’s quite another to know you could buy it if you really wanted it.  It’s even yet another to know when the value is worth the price (it rarely is).  I’m grateful I have the knowledge of all three.
  15. Sunday at the beach.  Yeah, it’s November and I’m roasting at the beach.  10 years ago, I would not have had this opportunity.  I have to be grateful of the direction my career has taken me.
  16. Monday, I spend a bit of time reviewing my retirement accounts.  I may fret and worry that I’m not saving enough to meet my goals, but really, what are goals?  You have no idea you’ve reached them when you get there because your goals have stretched.  So I am grateful that I have anything in savings for retirement.  So many people don’t have anything and that’s sad.
  17. Another Tuesday at work and I have the opportunity to explain some interesting code with coworkers.  Being able to share knowledge and make everyone’s skill a little better is a great reward.  It’s good to have that ability.
  18. Wednesday, hump-day, a day out at lunch with co-workers commiserating and having good food.  It’s good to not be a loner all the time.
  19. Thursday is a day all to myself.  It’s good to be able to be alone when you want to be.
  20. Friday I ride my motorcycle into work.  I should be grateful I haven’t had any accidents on my bike.  And I should be grateful the bike still runs with as neglectful I am of it.
  21. Saturday, I review my upcoming bills.  Everything is well under control and can be paid.  I’m grateful I have both control of my spending and a job that affords me to spend what I want.
  22. Sunday again…  One more week of awesomeness/gratitude/narcissism.  I spend a little time playing keyboards.  I’m not a rock star, but I play good enough to please myself.  Since I write all my own stuff, that must count for something.  It’s a great talent to have.
  23. Monday at work, I’m listening to co-workers discuss the subtle nuances of the comedy of Family Guy and the skill of their Fantasy Football picks.  I’m pretty thankful I couldn’t participate in either of those discussions.
  24. Tuesday, I leave work early for an appointment.  It’s no big deal because my job doesn’t micro-manage your time.  They know it’ll come back to them some day when I have to work late to fix a critical issue.  That flexibility is pretty nice and I’m grateful for it.
  25. Wednesday, I’m making plans with the girlfriend to have a great holiday.  We’ve had a lot to be thankful for together.
  26. Thursday – Thanksgiving.  I am grateful that although my cooking is limited to soup, grilled cheese, burgers, and spaghetti, I can still crock-pot a turkey and it’s fairly edible.  And my cat is grateful for that, too.
  27. Friday (black), It’s good that I know back roads to avoid the shopping clusterfucks.  I’m not taking the day off, but a lot of people will, so it will be a very light work day.  That’s great, too.
  28. Saturday I go looking through some of my bills and I see that I have a lot of rewards racked up for my credit cards, like $300 worth.  I’ll probably let them grow because I don’t have a pressing need for them yet.  That’s something to be glad about.
  29. Sunday, chilling with the girlfriend and realizing how good life has been to me.  It’s not perfect, but the good definitely outweighs the bad.  You can do some people-watching and overhear a lot of misery in the world.
  30. Monday, Grateful this post is over and grateful I don’t have any social media that I would have to do this kind of crap for real and wonder whether I has being too vapid or too self-centered or too insulting.

Disclaimer: Some or most items may have been altered or exaggerated for effect.

I Guess It Was My Turn.

Posted by on September 15, 2015 No comments

The last couple days have been pretty hard for me.  Not difficult, just hard.  I’ve been having a hard time getting along with the human race, specifically on the roadways.  My outlook changed last Saturday when I was driving home on the interstate, cruising along with the other cars and I glance in my rear view mirror and see someone right on my ass.  I mean, right there.

“Surely they realize how close they are and how unsafe that is.  They’ll slow down now.” is the thought I had in my mind when the impact occurred.  Everything in the car went flying. drinks spilled, shifter thrown into neutral, GF screaming.  Even though we were surrounded by cars, it’s surprising how quickly openings appear when cars collide.  I was able to quickly get over to the right hand median.  But my assailant didn’t.  Nor did he have any intention of doing anything of the sort.

Still in shock, I hadn’t realized yet that the car was in neutral, so trying to take chase of the other car was delayed by a few precious seconds while I wondered why the car wouldn’t move.  Did I take so much damage that my tires were pinned?  Nope.  I got back in drive and took off in pursuit.

Unfortunately, traffic worked hard against me, blocking me in lane after lane.  And I was disadvantaged because I’m clearly not as reckless as the one who hit me.  My hopes of catching the assaulter fell quickly.  One of the cars I caught up to and tried to get around started gesturing at me.  They kept pointing to the right hand side of the road even though we were in the left lane.  Eventually, we both pulled off to the left side.

I immediately went and looked at my damaged bumper.  Honestly, it wasn’t bad.  The other people got out of their car and explained that the car I wanted just got off on the exit we just passed together.  Well, that’s lost.  But, they said they got the plate number, so hooray!  We traded info in case I needed a witness (tip: highway patrol and insurance really want a witness).

So, to speed the story up a bit, the police were unable to find a matching car with that plate number.  I have to pay my insurance deductible because no one can find the hit-and-run bastard.  But, I’m grateful things didn’t turn out much worse.  Getting hit at 75mph, I could have swerved, flipped, gotten t-boned, hit a pole, and maybe even taken out other cars (and who would then be responsible for that?!).  Things aren’t that bad.

But they are.  I had been slowly getting more and more frustrated by the behavior of other drivers on the highway.  Insanely unsafe driving with no regard for others.  I’ve recently had to keep my composure when delayed by accidents.  It takes a lot for me to not get to the accident site and yell out the window, “You motherfuckers!  Do you see what you’ve done?!”

When I see a car coming up behind me now, my first thought is, “Are you going to hit me, too?  Why don’t you?”  Every time I see someone weave through traffic, I think, “Are you going to run away?  Do you even know what risk you’re taking?  Do you even fucking care?”  I know the answer.  They don’t.  I used to not let that worry me, because these self-centered assholes never affected me.  But now they have, and I want to wage war.

Right now, I’m debating on buying a dash cam.  I feel I need to document this insanity.  I’m also giving thought to creating a website exposing these ridiculous drivers.  I will probably need to get some council to determine if such a thing is legal, and I really hope it is.  To have a searchable database of license plates with user-submitted video proof of the owner’s dangerous driving habits, that may make a difference.

And if it doesn’t, or if such a thing can’t be done, well, I guess I just have to suck it up and pay the deductible.  The assholes win again. 

And So It Grows

Posted by on August 24, 2015 No comments

Lately, I’ve been looking and dreaming about getting a true stereo audio system like what I used to have.  A bit of research showed me that dedicated stereo systems aren’t dead, they’re just brands I am unfamiliar with.  So, I’ve been spending lots of time reading and thinking and drooling over the idea of having a listening space.

And my CD purchases keep going.  Completing my collection of the MCA Master Series wasn’t the end of my music collecting.  Even though I’m not into modern music, there still remains a wealth of older music available for me to purchase.  There are benefits to this.  First, the music is cheap, because it’s old and used.  Second, there is a chance of getting a collectable for cheap.  A collectable CD?  Worth more than a drink coaster?  You’d be surprised.  Especially in the era of music I purchase, there are a couple specific things to be on the watch for in order to get a CD that has collector value. 

The thing to know is that when CDs first came out, in the mid-1980’s, the primary goal was to get as many titles available for sale as possible.  In order to do that, record companies made glass masters of CDs straight from the master tapes used to create records of that time.  Later on, when there was more available time, the record companies would remaster those original master tapes.  The remastering process would include different EQ and effects, sometimes an improvement, sometimes not, but always different than the original.

Knowing that, when I say that there is an audience that insists on having the pure, original sound (defined as being the LP version), and that CDs that contain that sound are limited to early, early pressings, you can easily see the scarcity-to-value premise.  Yes, the original pressings of CDs are more prized by audiophiles.  That’s not to say they are always superior.  As engineers’ mastering and remastering skills became better, CDs got better sounding, with better stereo separation and more dynamic range, but the “purity” of the original sound is still prized.

There’s a couple of simple clues to finding a first-run CD, and naturally, there’s a ton of subtleties that I can’t get into.  But, if you want to get one of these CDs, you need to be looking for an album recorded pre-1990, and manufactured in either Japan or West Germany.  One sure clue that you are getting a first-run CD is that the case spine is frosted smooth, instead of ribbed.  Another sign, and one that raises the CD’s collectability, is if the CD is printed with a “target” design.  Search for Target CD if you want to know more about these.

Yesterday, The GF and I made an impromptu stop at a local CD store.  I was hoping to pick up an Ultradisc or two (Ultradiscs are gold-plattered CDs with highly-reputed remastering and are very desirable).  Not finding any, I bought a couple of CDs by The Cars.  $3 and $5 – not bad at all.

We stopped at Sonic and I took a closer look at my purchases.  One CD I was immediately disappointed in myself with.  It wasn’t a retail CD; it was a CD Club pressing.  These are easily identified and I should have passed on it.  Slightly depressed, I opened up the other CD and was shocked to see a target CD inside.  I quickly closed the case and checked the case edge.  It was frosted.  I just got a target CD for $5, which would be sold by a knowledgeable seller for $15-$20.  Mood immediately elevated.

I had discounted the thought of ever getting any rare CDs from my local CD shops, because I assumed these guys knew what they were selling.  They should have identified that disc just as I had and sold it on the Internet for 3x what they sold it to me.  But, since I had recently bought an Ultradisc for $22 (valued online at $45-$50) and now finding a target CD for $5, this gives me hope for finding other collector’s items.

I’m With The Band

Posted by on July 31, 2015 No comments

Today is the one-week mark of my usage of the Microsoft Band.  It has been on my wanted list for quite some time, and with the recent price drop, I made my move.  This coincides with my recent reawakening in exercise from my trip out west, climbing mountains and whatnot.  I regret I didn’t have the Band then, but you have to start somewhere.

At this point, I’ve used the majority of the Band’s features, including Sleep Tracking, Running (hiking and walking in my case), Workouts, and Guided Workouts.  Next month, I plan to buy a bike trainer stand so I can ride my bike indoors and I’ll make use of the Bike feature then.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever use the Golf feature.

To get grievances out of the way first, there’s a lot of reviews out there that say the Band is big and uncomfortable.  The biggest part for the reviewers is that it’s unfashionable.  I will agree.  However, I think the utility of the device outweighs its appearance.  As far as uncomfortable, that’s a personal thing.  To me, it’s noticeable, but the strap is quickly adjustable for any wrist swells throughout the day.  It’s not a deal breaker.

Does it work?  Yes, and very well.  If the question is does it work for tracking activity?  Yes.  Does it work as a motivation tool? Yes, again.  Does it work as a smartwatch?  That’s difficult to answer because everyone has a different idea of what a smartwatch should do.  The Band is a capable notification center on your wrist and if using a Windows Phone, a simple response device.

The data collection abilities of the Band are impressive, but it would be all for nothing if the software displaying and analyzing the data was poor.  Fortunately, the Band’s mobile application and corresponding website are extremely impressive as well.  I hope Microsoft works with FitBit to allow their devices to log activity into the Microsoft Health dashboard because I believe the insights are great.  And, it would allow me to consider a FitBit Charge HR as a next device.  I’ll have to wait until the Band 2 comes out to see.

After only a week, I have become more aware of my activity.  The argument that the Band is noticeable on your wrist actually works in its favor here.  I am consistent in my walking on work breaks.  I’ve been very annoyed that the constant rain showers here are keeping me from the trails.  I started a Guided Workout using weights that will hopefully improve my chest definition and found the experience to be superior to any prior exercise attempts.  Having someone (or something) say, “Now do this.”  “Rest now.”  “Now do this.” is so much better than having a piece of paper and saying to yourself, “What do I do next?”  It seems like a small difference, but it isn’t.  Self-guided workouts leave you unaccountable; you can stop anytime.  Even having a device guide you is more motivating.  Obviously a personal trainer would be the epitome, but the band is less than $200.

I feel the Band purchase was money well spent.  To be honest, I was kind of at a do-or-die point in my life and I guess I decided to give it one more try to reverse the decline I’ve been in for the last couple of years.

Windows 10 Install Party

Posted by on July 31, 2015 No comments

Party of one, your laptop is ready…  So, another Windows milestone, and I have to see how this new version is going to work out.  First up is upgrading the laptop from Win 8.1 to 10. 

First thing I notice: the upgrade install takes a long time.  Over 2 hours in my case.  Once completed, I ran through a few apps to see how they performed.  I initially had a problem with Faststone Image Viewer where the windows taskbar would still be displayed when viewing pictures in full-screen mode.  That problem went away after my AMD graphics driver applied its proper settings.

Then I tried the Edge browser.  Nothing would connect.  Odd, because Skype worked, and I could ping Yahoo, I just couldn’t browse anywhere.  I disabled my HOSTS file and rebooted.  No luck.  I had Firefox installed, so I tried that.  Websites load fine in Firefox.  So what did I have different in Edge.  It seems to be a DNS issue.

To get right to the solution, it was my fault.  At some point long since forgotten, I disabled the DNS Client service on the laptop.  This service caches DNS entries so applications don’t have to call to remote servers over and over to get IP addresses.  It’s never been required before.  Until now.  The Edge browser apparently uses the DNS Client service exclusively.  Maybe Cortana does as well.

So, that’s resolved.  All my other important applications worked as well: KeePass, Veracrypt, Zune.  I tried out the Groove Music application, since it’s the successor to Windows Media Player.  It’s not bad.  It’s close to Zune, if it only had a better Now Playing view.

Interesting quirk with Groove Music.  When I was testing Windows 10 out in beta, I wanted to see how OneDrive-integrated music would work.  So I uploaded a few albums to OneDrive and did some testing on my phone.  It didn’t seem to do what I expected, so I deleted all but one of the albums.  On my fresh install of Windows 10, some songs from a couple of those albums appeared in my library.  I couldn’t play them, couldn’t download them, and they had the message “To play, purchase a Groove Music Pass.”  I guess Groove Music has its own library that syncs?  Oh well.

Storage Plans

Posted by on July 24, 2015 No comments

Today I started doing some housekeeping on my computer in regard to storage.  Storage is a thing that has become somewhat of an afterthought nowadays, because it’s so damn cheap.  You can easily pick up 3 terabytes of storage for under $100. So why not have everything on your hard drive?  Or why not add additional drives and put everything and then some on there?

Me, I’ve gone back and forth on these concepts and this go-around, it’s time to set some rules and stick to them.  I don’t pretend to believe that my rules would work for anyone else, but consider doing the mental exercise to determine what works for you and what you really want from your computer.

First consideration is storage availability.  When I first installed Windows, I moved all my data files off the C: drive and put them on a separate, larger hard drive.  Then I changed the mapping of Documents/ Music/ Pictures/ Videos to the folders on the new drive.  This gave me the room to expand if I ever needed to.

Next consideration is storage reliability.  This was accomplished by mirroring my data drive.  This is easily done right in Windows.  I’ve tried RAID controllers and NAS units, but the built-in functionality works just as well, I’ve found.  Along with that level of reliability is file backup, for which I use Window’s File History, writing to an external USB drive.  So: redundant hard drives and an external backup.

Then, to the details.  I gave some consideration to the data I was keeping.  I classified it according to access frequency.  I had files I accessed or needed to reference daily or frequently, files that I may need to refer to but aren’t currently active, and files that I probably won’t look at again but can’t delete.  While I was making these determinations, I also made the decision that any video files that I also had on DVD would be removed.  Video isn’t something I play frequently, so the time spent getting the physical disc isn’t a huge inconvenience.

I partitioned my data disk into two hard drives, Data and Archive.  On the archive drive, I enabled Windows file compression, to make the most of the available space.  Normally, I wouldn’t do that on a data drive, but in this case it’s most appropriate because the drive contains files I won’t be accessing frequently.  Then, I planned a third level, which would be external hard drives detached from the system.  Those would hold files that won’t be used much anymore.  Consider it post-Archive.

So the lifecycle of data on my computer would start on my Data drive, move to the compressed Archive drive, then get mothballed onto an external drive.  In this way, I shouldn’t need to keep up with the Jones’ in the drive storage arms race.  My current working set of data isn’t going to grow exponentially, my archive isn’t going to grow forever, and my drawer full of hard drives holding ancient files is not really a concern.  I think it’s a workable system.

As Windows 10 nears, I’m going to make another attempt at using an SSD as my boot drive.  I recently had my work laptop converted to SSD and the speed is addicting.  I didn’t have such good luck with my Windows 8 install on SSD, so here’s hoping for the best.