Chris Lyons

Digital Bullet Journaling

2016-11-05T09:16:00.000-10:00

Bullet Journaling is a hot topic right now on the internet, but what is it really? In short, it just a paper note book that you ... well ... take notes in. It really a simple system. I have been using a the same (sort of) system for a number of years now. Being in the army, I get a note book and I jot down bullet notes for tasks that need to be done at work, notes for soldier issues that need to be taken care of, and generally anything work related.

What Bullet Journaling adds is, well, art work and consistency. You know what, here is a video ...

This system actually works very well. While I have used a more basic system at work for years, I never really tried to structure it in anyway. The upside to no structure is that you don't really have to think about it. The downside is that you can loose track of notes or tasks, which I have done, many times. This system solves those concerns.

However, the inner gadget geek in me just can't let sleeping dogs lay.

A while back I got an iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. I got the pencil as a whim really. I had never owned an iPad before and I really didn't know how useful it (the pencil) would be, or what exactly I would be doing with it. I played with the notes app, a couple of "art" type apps, and then I put the pencil away. I only used the pencil when I would try to find a use for the thing. Honestly, I am no artist. So while I was loving the iPad Pro, and have been working to make a full transition into the "post-pc" era, I still hadn't really found a use for the pencil.

Not until my wife showed me Bullet Journaling. While yes, it is "supposed" to be on paper, and some people take it to the extreme (check out pinterest for what I mean), I am very much a gadget geek. If I can remove paper from my life, I will do it.

After a lot of searching (more than an hour, less than a day) I found the perfect solution. Or at least the perfect solution for me anyway. Enter PDF Expert.

With the app PDF Expert, I can create a new, blank PDF file, set the page style to dot grid, and even add or rearrange pages on the fly. With its myriad of markup options for annotation, I have been able to easily move the "analog" system to digital.

The app is not free. I is currently going for $9.99 US in the App Store, but with all of the features this app has, it is quickly becoming my go-to app for all of my PDF needs, and honestly, blows Adobe out of the water is ease of use and functionality.

The great thing is, you don't even need an iPad Pro or a Apple Pencil. You can do all of this with a regular iPad and your fingers. What I can't seem to do, is to get Blogger.com to work well with Safari for iOS....

Until next time ...

IOGear MediaShair (Updated)

2016-05-21T13:41:00.000-10:00

A few days ago I ordered the IOGear MediaShare from Aamazon. When it arrived, I did a quick setup and test to make sure everything was working. Work it did.

Setup was fast and simple. Although I had to download an app to my phone, which I read about in the reviews and was free, within just a few minutes everything was working. It had no issues reading any of my SD Cards, though some people seem to have an issue with this.

Everything was going well, but it was late so I went to bed. A few days later, today actually, I finally set about actually setting it to do work. I even cleaned off desk (a rarity to be sure) to make sure everything was as it it should be.

After getting everything setup I found out a few things:

It does work with a USB, though it will only access the first drive it finds.
The transfer rate is very good between an SD Card and a USB Hard Drive.
The transfer rate is almost as good between my iPad Pro and and drive or card connected.
The wifi can act as a bridge, or even a range extender for your home wifi
The firmware update from the IOGear website will brick the device

That's right. The firmware listed on the website bricked this little thing after less than a day of using it. Now the only lights that come on are the battery symbol and the Internet light. It does nothing else. It is a paper weight, or rather a brick.

I have contacted IOGear about the issue, but the customer service department isn't open on weekends, or holiday's. So when they do get around to getting into the office, and actually sit at their desk, and finish checking through their email, and finishing up that morning meeting with the over paid motivational speaker, they may or may not get around to reading my request for assistance. I will keep this blog updated on the progress, if any.

Until next time ...

[UPDATE]

So, my time IOGear customer service has come to a close. Here is what I have learned.

There is no firmware update for the version 2 of the hardware. The firmware update that is available is version 2, but for the version 1 hardware. Wacky I know, but there it is. So I worked with two people from their customer service department. The first was nice enough and we corrisponded via email. She then directed me to call a phone number, which I did, so they could set up an RMA. This was her idea, not mine. I was only looking to fix device, perhaps find a way to re-install the original firmware. As it turns out this wasn't an option.
The phone rep called me a liar and claimed there was no way I could have done what I had done as no such update existed anymore on IOGear's website and that I must have gotten it some place else, and had accused me trying to rip off IOGear. After a heated discussion, I proved to him there was in fact such a firmware on the IOGear website. By this point however, he had heard enough and hung up on me.
I reached out to the first rep vial email again and told her what had happened. I also stated that I was sorry there was nothing to be done. I asked her if there was a way to re-install the original firmware. She was very nice in telling me there wasn't.
So here I am, with a bricked device that I apparently tried to install the wrong firmware on. With no way to fix it, what else was I going to do? Blaming IOGear for my mistake seemed like overkill, even if the file names are a bit confusing, it just didn't seem right. So I did what any responsible person would do. I recycled it.
I don't mean that I re-purposed it. I mean I put it in a recycle bin. Not much else I could do at this point.
Then this afternoon, a Tech-support manager emailed me and offered to RMA, again. All I needed to do was fill out some paper work. All well and good, except I had already recycled the unit. By this time it was on it's way to being repurposed as something else. Hipster party hats or something, I don't know.
I explained this to the manager, about recycling the unit. It really doesn't do me any good to keep a device that 1) I cannot use, 2) is not returnable, and 3) is not repairable. That was after all the last information that I had received.
This manager suggested that I should have asked to speak with a manager sooner. Why? Isn't that the job of customer support? Isn't that why they are paid? Escalating to a manager seemed ... I don't know ... Unnecessary? That is a good word. I will go with that. After all, the only real issue I had was with the phone rep accusing me of being a liar. I suppose I could have then, but I was already working with a customer support agent via email.
It should be noted, at no time did I ever ask for an RMA or to return the device in anyway. On both occasions this was the suggested course of action by IOGear support staff. Mostly I just wanted it fixed. If I could do that without returning the item, I would have preferred that route.
So, as it sits now, the device is gone. It just is. Disappointing? Yes, but not unexpected. It will however, be a very long time before I consider purchasing IOGear devices, for two reasons:

The phone rep. That was just unessisaary.
If customer service and support personnel are not allowed to do their jobs, then why have them? If it takes escalating to a manager in order to solve, or even attempt to solve an issue, why have them?

Unfortunately, I have worked customer service before. There is only one rationale that has ever been used, to make complaints go away while spending as little time and money as possible. I just cannot do business with such a business. I just can't.

Until Next Time ...

Printing from iOS

2016-02-25T15:54:00.000-10:00

iOS is a tricky beast. It shows you just enough to entice you, then slaps you in the face with its built-in limitations. Printing should be a fairly simple task, and for the most part it is, if you follow the correct steps.

You probably (without even realizing it) went the easy route and chose a printer that is AirPrint compatible. There are actually a lot of these on the official list. Just about any home printer you buy from either Brother or Canon will do, sort of. Getting the printer is the easy part.

After doing my do diligence I decided on the Canon MG6620 Printer. Not a spectacular printer, or fast, but the ink lasts an amazingly long time and it does print double sided. So I hooked it up and got the iMac and MacBook Pro working easy as pie. Even connecting the printer to the wireless network was easy.

Then I tried to print from an iPhone. "No printer found" was the message I got. I tried a second iPhone. "No printer found". Then I thought, I just got a new iPad Pro and surely this will work. "No printer found". I was getting very frustrated.

As it turns out, you need an app. Both Brother and Canon make their printer apps available for free in the App Store, but it would have been nice knowing I needed them.

Setting up the app was easy enough. Once connected to the printer you can close the app and, as far as I can tell anyway, you never need to re-open it. All of your apps that print, such Pages or Microsoft Word, print just fine without needing to open the Canon Printer App.

Wile a bit annoying, the apps themselves are very small and I can put them away in folder and forget about them until I need to do something else with it. I do, however, need to leave the app installed in order to print.

This is not a big deal while I am at home, but if I am at a friends house, or somewhere else while out-and-about I may have to find an appropriate app for whatever printer is available. I have come to think of these apps as iOS printer drivers. Since not everyone who uses iOS needs to print from it, I will just assume that Apple left that part out to save space since they still sell (and I have no idea why) a 16GB phone.

That's all there really is to it. So go ahead and buy the home printer you want, just make sure it is both AirPrint compatible and the manufacturer has an app for it.

Post-PC, more evolution than revolution

2016-02-24T17:16:00.000-10:00

So, it's been awhile ... again.

After almost a year away from this blog, I have decided to return. It has been a very exciting year. I moved twice, got back to "nature" and all things outdoors while at the same time learning some new trade skills. Welding is more fun than I thought it would be.

When I last left off, I was attempting to go "Post-PC". At that time, the potential was there, but the capability was just too lacking. There just was not enough software in place to make the transition I was hoping to make. My goal was, and still is, to embrace the "Post-PC" ideals and become completely free of the PC. A goal not without many challenges.

I suppose I should bring everyone up to speed on the "why". I have been involved in PC's since before the days of Commador V16's and TRS-80's (though the Amiga was truly astounding for its day). I have always been an early adopter of new technology, even in my childhood. Now in my forties, I still find the future a mysterious idea full of wonder and possibilities. While not all new ideas will take off, some will. Other ideas will change and merge with still more ideas, hopefully for the better. I have always felt that the future, wether dystopian or utopian, or whatever it turns out to be, will be very different than what is here today and I look forward to it all.

So what is the difference between a "PC" and a "Device"? At the root of it, not much. In fact this question is still being asked. It used to be a device was single purpose. A printer, a fax machine, or even a cell phone, was a "device". Then the term "multi-function" came out and the lines started to blur. In fact, most "devices" today are actually low power computers. Some say the modern definition should be anything with a keyboard and mouse is a "PC". Some used to say it was the ability compile software directly on the Device made it a PC. You can now do that with Android, so that really isn't much of a benchmark anymore.

So as the world becomes more mobile, raw horsepower isn't the goal it used to be. Instead users are looking for an experience that is smooth, coherent, cohesive and works across multiple devices, PC's and whatever else can be connected together. The goal is all of your data available, on demand, on any device or computer. As the world becomes more and more connected, the amount of data available is becoming staggering to us old farts who grew up learning to type on an actual typewriter. For the next generation, it's just the way the world works.

Going "Post-PC" isn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, and yet it is. The ideas are still forming, the workflows still being worked out and the future is not yet written. I love the idea of getting away from the desktop, yet there are still things that a desktop will be better at. So then what does "Post-PC" actually mean then?

In my mind, the Post-PC era isn't a revolution. It's more of an evolution. The "devices" don't need to be as powerful as a desktop, but merely good enough. They must have a smooth and natural UI, be able to connect to all of your data, and be able to get the most common tasks done relatively easily. Framed in such a way, I think the age of mobile is doing very well and will continue to do so. Most tablets, phones and other non-traditional PC's cost much less up front than a gaming computer, or one that is built for large scale 3D rendering or video editing. While much less "powerful", they are good enough for day-to-day use, and I think that's the point.

To this end, my wife has purchased me a new iPad Pro, complete with a keyboard and an Apple Pencil. Using a touch screen can be seen as just a new way to use a mouse, especially if using a stylus or other such add-on. The iPad Pro is truly amazing for what it is and I can see why so many people have adopted it. Granted, this is also my first tablet, but for the first time I think I may be able to give up my MacBook Pro completely. Yes, it is that good (enough). Realistically, I don't write code these days, I no longer do custom ROM's for phones and there are a lot of things that I just don't do anymore with computers. Not because I can't, I have just enjoyed being being a user long enough that the stress of doing those things is no longer outweighed by the satisfaction of doing it.

As my computing needs change I find that I really like just being a user. In the end, it has made all the difference.

Post-PC Day 6

2015-04-24T14:55:00.001-10:00

Yes, I skipped a day of posting due to an injury while working out. There was no Day 5 post. Tomorrow I will be writing the Day 7 post, which will be the final post of this particular series.

Now that’s out of the way, it’s time to press on. What I have learned so far? For starters, the basics of moving to a Post-PC lifestyle are easy. My iPhone does well over 90% of what I need a traditional PC to do. It has been fairly rare that I felt that I needed to use my laptop. In fact the only need I currently have for my laptop is to get the media files currently stored on it. However, as part of this experiment, I shut down my laptop to force myself to find new ways of doing things.

Part of that learning process included discovering what apps would be needed, and what would be just nice to have. I don’t want to spoil my final post on this project, but I have come to a few realizations. Sorry, but you will have to check back tomorrow to get all my findings.

What I can say though, this experiment has been frustrating, fun, exciting and more than a little educational. So why would anyone put themselves through all of this, on purpose? Because I can, and because of Ubuntu.

A while back Ubuntu starting talking about a PC in your pocket. You dock your device and you can use a real keyboard, mouse and screen and get a real desktop. However, this is actually a major disadvantage and sets up Ubuntu to fail even before they got started.

In theory Ubuntu had a great idea. The reality is all you really get a terrible PC. The fact is a phone uses, not only a mobile processor, but a R.I.S.C. processor. R.I.S.C. is an acronym for Reduced Instruction Set Computing. There are all kinds of processors in the world and if you are reading this on a modern PC, your most likely using a C.I.S.C., or Complex Instruction Set Computing, based computer. The Intel line of x86 chips alone have multiple sets of these complex instructions sets. Without going into to much detail, the bottom line is that a desktop processor (CPU or GPU) will always be more powerful than it’s mobile counterpart.

The Ubuntu model attempts to bring desktop computing to mobile, a grand and futile goal. When a user sits down in front of a real keyboard, mouse and screen, they are going to expect real PC performance. A certain level of capability has become expected by just abut everyone who uses computers. The performance just will never be there. As mobile devices become more and more powerful, so do the laptops, desktops, servers, workstations and everything else that people use every day. The Mobile Desktop is a pipe dream.

What is really needed is a new way to work, a new way to learn to use devices to get real world work done. You can’t use new tools that have a completely new way of user interaction, and completely different capabilities (in most cases less capable) to do things in the same way they have always been done. It’s just not going to work.

So what is the answer then? While I am still learning, you will have to read tomorrows post for the conclusion of this experiment.

Post-PC Day 4

2015-04-22T17:57:00.001-10:00

So, here I am at day four of my test. So far it has been, well, interesting. As I said once before, storage is the key. Right now there are more than a few media files on my laptop that I really want to access, but I wont. I am actually in the middle of an audio book and the second half is still on my laptop. While it is kind of frustrating it is also informative. I really need more portable storage.

To that end I found this Seagate wireless hard drive. On the surface it looks like a really good deal. However, it still doesn’t solve all of my storage needs. What about SD Cards? I do have an “action camera” and to be honest I would like to go on using it. So while this is a step in the right direction, I was certain there was a better solution to be had.

Enter Western Digital, with their MyPassport External Wireless HardDrive, that not only hold a whopping 2TB of data, also holds an standard SD Card slot. Combined with a decent app I am sure this will go a very long way to getting me to my dream of a Post-PC world.

The downside? Cost. Really though, for less than $200 it is a really good deal. I just don’t have the $200 at the moment. So while I can theorize about how it “should work”, or at least how I think it should work, reality usually has a way of biting you in the back side if you take too much for granted. A review of this drive will have to wait, for now. But it is the most promising lead I have found so far.

As day four comes to a close, I find that I am missing my media files more than my laptop. Only three more days, I can wait that long. Right?

Post-PC Day 3

2015-04-21T15:07:00.001-10:00

So far so good, mostly. I still haven’t found a good external storage solution. I am trying very hard to stay away from cloud drives, network attached storage (NAS) and anything that can’t also be (nearly) as portable as the phone itself. I realize this is asking a lot, but I am confident that I will be able to find a solution.

Really though, that is the big hurdle at this point. Everything else is going to depend on the way the iPhone interacts with whatever local storage solution I can come up with.

Seriously. Every major web site I visit (FB, Google+, YouTube, Vimeo, most forums, etc..) have a dedicated app. Granted some are from a third party developer, but many of those are just as polished as the big names. So really access to content is no longer the hassle it used to be.

Creating content is not nearly as bad as it used to be either. With native apps such as Garage Band, iMovie and third party apps like Camera+ the phone has all of the tools you need. Once again, this is not really much of a problem. The problem really comes down to storage.

Once I have some more time (today I am pressed for time to even write this post) I will make sure I give as detailed analyses as I can for what options are available, and what I think should be available.

At the end of the day though, which this is the end of my day, I am still happy with going Post-PC.

Post-PC Day 2

2015-04-20T17:34:00.001-10:00

My laptop has been shut down since the start of day 1 of this little experiment of mine. So far, there have been a few changes. Some were expected, and others not so much.

The first change I noticed is that I spend a lot less time “at the computer”. I don’t mean that I have switched my time from computer to my iPhone. I actually spend less time online. My dog seems to like this a lot.

Another change I noticed, even when I am not online, and I need a “real” keyboard, I don’t sit at my desk. I sit at the dining room table with my Bluetooth Keyboard and my phone. My entire work flow, including what I think of as “work space” is changing. A complete lack of wires and much much smaller hardware allows me to work just about anywhere in the house. Its a strangely liberating experience in that I no longer feel bound to any one place to get things done.

This part I was not prepared for. Yes, having a laptop meant that I could work anywhere, for a while. When I do actual work, I tend to do a lot of it. Diving in with complete focus and making the most of every minute. This aggravates my wife to no end as I tend to tune out everything around me.

You see, when I am on the laptop, I am also listening to music, doing the whole email thing, multiple browsers open, more than a few documents and usually at least two spreadsheets are all open at the same time. I am <gasp> multitasking. The iPhone doesn’t handle that real well, and as it turns out, its a good thing.

By keeping my apps smallish (mobile version) and taking the time to find new ways to do things I have discovered that I can get more done in less time by concentrating on one task at a time. Although I still listen to music while working. That will probably never stop. I love music and Apple does music very very well. It really is a great fit.

Then the laptop battery would get low and I would scramble for an outlet after only a few hours. All this while the hot aluminum shell got (sometimes uncomfortably) warm on my legs. With my iPhone, I not only get all day battery life, I get it for days. I recharge my phone every night starting around eleven p.m., where it usually is still around 75% charged. I have gone two and half days with out charging just to see how long it would take.

For now at least, I am loving the Post-PC experiment I have set out for myself. I still haven’t figured out all the answers, but I see a lot of potential in this new workflow. Only five more days to go before I end this experiment. Only time will tell.

iPhone Storage

2015-04-19T14:08:00.001-10:00

Apple has a set business model that has made them a revenue generating powerhouse. It works very very well, for them. Don’t get me wrong. I love my iPhone, my MacBook Pro, Apple TV and every other iDevice or product I have ever purchased. They are all made exceedingly well, and last well past what would be a comparable devices normal life cycle. Apple makes products to last. They also make products you want to buy, and that is the secret sauce.

However, when it comes to storage in most Apple products, you get what you pay for. Nothing else. A 16Gb iPod will forever hold 16Gb. Less if you account for the space taken by iOS.

There is hope on the horizon, sort of. A few companies are trying to break the barrier, but they are doing so in the same manner that made Apple what it is. The Leaf Bridge is one such example. Yes, it is stylish. Yes it is over priced for what it is. So yes, they should do well with those who buy Apple products. Basically, it is a just a regular USB thumb drive that comes with a custom app that lets you actually move files between the drive and your phone. One file at a time. Ok, the app needs work, but it’s a start.

There is also this guy. Yet another contender to the burgeoning market of iPhone storage. The iStick (that name though … ) is another example of lack of forward thinking. Then again, it may be just that. If the idea is to get people to buy more than one of something, then I guess this would be one way of doing that.

There are others out there, some better than others, some worse. Some even let you connect micro SD Cards of various sizes. Each device has its own custom app that must be used with a particular device. Each has its set of features that promise the world, and most fall short. Some of these are not entirely the fault of the app developer.

Apple places strict limits on what any one app can access. This makes the iPhone very secure when compared to Android, and probably has something to do with why government agencies are slated to begin issuing iPhones in favor of the venerable Blackberries that government employees previously used. Security on iOS is very tight, as long as you don’t jailbreak your device. For the most part this is a good thing, but sometimes it makes development a real pain in the … epidermis.

As an example an App like DropBox can’t really access the files you saved in iCould when using such apps as Pages, Word, or even the Notes app. What apps like DropBox can do is use an “open with” option, to open the file in an external app. Apps like Camera+ need special permission granted to it in order to access the photo’s you have saved on your phone. Even then, there are “hidden” files in the same folder as your folder that neither you nor “Third Party Apps” can see or access.

Even with these restrictions in place, it is possible to develop a great app for external storage. There are several such apps in the App Store for accessing Network Attached Storage (NAS) and share drives from other desktops. While such Apps go a long way, they are still missing the point of the Post-PC era. To work and play effectively without a traditional PC.

So, what is the right answer then? I have always been a fan of choice. Strange sentiment from a iPhone user I know, but it’s true. I personally own thumb drives, SD Cards, external hard drives and a few standards that didn’t quite survive the popularity wars. I would like to be able to use all of these things, or at least most of them.

My idea then? Two parts, an app and a piece of hardware. Go figure. However, the app would be free and the hardware would cost just $24.99. The secret is, the hardware is just a dongle with a female USB port. This would allow you to plug in any standard SD Card reader, external hard drive, thumb drive, flash card reader, whatever. Any type of mass storage device that can operate over USB can be plugged in. If that works out, then why not a “Pro” version for $50 that allows you to connect two devices at the same time so you can move files between the drives. Something like copy the files from your cameras SD Card to a 1TB external HD. The app is just there to handle the transfer, or to copy the files to your phone for editing.

Honestly, this doesn’t even have to be a dongle. It could be a small wifi box with USB and SD Card ports. Think of a Wifi GoPro Camera without the camera. The GoPro file handling app works well enough on it’s own for this to work. Think of filming on the iPhone 6 Plus, in Slow-Motion, with the massive file sizes that it generates. How nice would be to be able to dump that off to say a 3Tb hard drive. You could keep shooting without to much interruption, and still have the files for post processing.

In the long run, it may happen, it may not. But whatever happens, mobile storage solutions are a real need that could be filled for very little investment.

ByWord2

2015-04-19T10:04:00.001-10:00

ByWord,

The iOS App ByWord claims to use Markdown, or Mark something-or-other, inorder to provide dynamic text that you would normally find in say, an RTF or Word Document. So far, it seems to be a strait forward application for saving plain text. You can use do a few things like:

Create a list
Add BOLD text
Or even italics

This, of course, is part of the markdown *syntax that ByWord uses. Honestly it reminds of posting on Google+. Weather or not any of these marks acttualy translate into formatted text remains to be seen.

One of the things I have noticed, and it kind of made me … erked … was the ability to publish directly with ByWord was an add $4.99 in-app purchase. This, after the original $5.99 app price puts the total app at $10.98. A little expensive in my opinion, and to be fair, the publisher did list the in-app purchase in the description. I guess that’ll teach me to read everything before committing.

Another pet-peeve that I found was spellcheck was disabled by default. Why would you do that? The navigation is also more than little lacking. I can only assume it meant to be spartan. However, if you have never used the app before, it is a little less than intuitive.

Over all though, I really like it. I like that can save documents to dropbox, I can open iCloud documents and basically it gives me a lot of flexibility. Something that is all to often missing in iOS and the apps available for it. For this reason, and a few others that more personal preferance, I think I will come to like this app very much.

This largest hurdle to overcome has been the markdown itself. As I am not used to using markdown, as such, it has been a case of trial end error.

The above image is one I posted on Instagram a long time ago, and is only being used to test image support in ByWord and to see how well it shows up in Blogger.

The one thing I wish Byword did offer, was a way to publish as a draft to Blogger. Although, I probably would be doing that now instead of learning to get the Markdown correct before publishing. Still, it would be a nice feature.

I have also discovered that by using the “eject key” on my keyboard (a standard Apple Bluetooth) I can bring up a menu at the top, and there is an option to preview the Markdown before publishing. A great addition. So, as I said before, the interface has a learning curve, but it is meant to be spartan.

All in all though, the clean interface allows me to concentrate more on writing and less on formatting, which I like a lot.

Post PC - Day 1

2015-04-19T04:03:00.000-10:00

So, today I start something I never really thought I would actually get to try, Post-PC. I will spend a week without using my computer. I will use my iPhone and that's really about it. I should point out, at work, I am required to use a Windows PC on a closed network. It's my Job and there is just no getting around that.

What I can do is keep the two completely separate. This is actually fairly easy, since my work computer is on a closed network with it's own email system.

So what will change? For one thing, I love shooting video, including with my SJCam (GoPro clone). I will need to find a way to get those videos off of the SD Card and on to my phone, without using a PC. Of course, all this would be easier with an Android Phone, sort of. Yes I could access the SD Card on some Android models, but then what? Even that doesn't answer the "how" to get the videos off of teh card. Yes, I can delete them, and eventually I will.

I have quite a number of storage solutions around the house (a myriad of SD Cards, thumb drives, hard drives and the like) but they all depend on one common element, a PC. At this point, I would be open to suggestions or ideas.

Someone else may have spent weeks, or even months planning such a transition. Me? I tend to just jump right in and see what happenes. This should go ... well.

iPhone 6 Plus ... more (and less) than expected

2015-04-18T16:02:00.000-10:00

While the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were released as far back as September 2014, I am just now getting my hands on one. Specificaly the iPhone 6 Plus. This thing is massive. If I didn't know better, I would say they (Apple) are trying to compete directly with the Galaxy Note line of phones. The battery last for days. Honestly. I have been using this thing heavily for two days I am just now dropping below 20%.

With this release Apple has continued to blur the lines, though not between iOS and osX. Instead, with iPhone 6 Plus, it blurs the lines between iPhone and iPad. The screen has a native 1080p resolution, and is large enough that Apple decided that the main "desktop" screen should also have a landscape mode. However, I still can't use Blogsy as it is an iPad only app.

On the plus side, the camera is (of course) amazing and with the size and feel of the iPhone 6 Plus, I was thinking that thing should be able to be about as close to a desktop replacement as you can get. So, I have decided to find out just how well (or poorly) this will work out.

I will spend the next few days not using my MacBook Pro at all. In fact, I am writing this post on the iPhone with an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. As I am justgetting started with this, the fact that I have no real "plan" and that I am not sure what apps are available to replace my desktop apps, one would think this is doomed to failure before it even really gets started. But that's the idea. What would it take for the average user, who is used to using both a computer and a mobile device or two to completly drop the traditional "PC" as an everyday device? Is the iPhone 6 Plus up to it? I'll be honest; I really don't think so. However, I will give it a fair shot.

So, in the interest of fairness, tonight, before I go to bed, I will power down my trusted and proven laptop. I will leave it off for seven days. If I have to open it up to solve an issue, the test will be a failure.

Microsoft Word 5.5 ... for DOS

2014-06-15T05:16:00.001-10:00

Microsoft Word 5.5 was released sometime ago. It was supposed to be a Y2K fix, just an update really. What Microsoft did instead was release the entire application for download with no restrictions, for free.

As you can see, there really isn't much to it. So why would anyone in their right mind want to use 25 year old software? They wouldn't. However, most writers of fictions are probably not in their right mind, otherwise they would be accountants or something else with a stable pay check. For writers of fiction, this could be something great.

Word for DOS can be run in a program call "DOSBox". It can also be run in a Virtual Machine that is running DOS. These options would, on the surface anyway, seem to give you some advantages. You could enjoy sharing folders with a much newer operating system such as Windows 8, Ubuntu or even osX. You could have multiple copies open at the same time, each in its own window, doing its own thing. You could have research right along side what you are writing about.

But every major word processor for every new operating system, already does all that. So why use an antiquated version that is no longer supported? It is the ultimate in distraction free writing, that's why.

The best way to use Word for DOS, is by running DOS. Booting your computer into DOS forces you to use one application at a time. No task switching. Also, no interruptions by Facebook or email programs.

Of course, you probably don't have a floppy drive installed and booting from a live cd sounds good, until you need to save what you are writing. So what then is there to do? Create a bootable USB stick. Amazingly, SD Cards also work for this. In an upcoming post I will walk you through creating such a thing, and even provide a downloadable image you can use to create your own.

Once you boot into DOS, you will get a simple command prompt. Just type the word "word" and you are in. There is no font selection, there is only one font, pica. Even then that is the "printed" font. The font you see is called "system" and it is a fixed width font.

You can change some colors, and I suggest you do. You may be staring at this screen a lot. All I changed was the background to black, the rest I left alone. Play around with them for a while to get a feel for how it looks and works for you and your taste.

The point of such a simple interface is simple. Content creation. You are not publishing you work yet. You haven't even written it yet. You are not setting type face, margins, or any of that. It doesn't matter one little bit. The idea is to get as simple as possible so you can focus completely on the task of putting words to page. Nothing more, nothing less. Just writing.

Don't let the all this simplicity fool you though. Word 5.5 for DOS is very capable. It actually has "Windows" of sorts for working with multiple documents, a customizable dictionary and thesaurus. It also doesn't auto-replace or auto-correct anything nor does it auto-capitalize anything. This is a good thing if you are trying to use elvish words in your writing.

When you're done with your document, you can save it in one of two formats: RTF and DOC. So far I have opened RTF files in Word 2011 for Mac, Word Viewer for Windows, and Wordpad for Windows all without problems. The problem is the DOC format. If you have Windows and Microsoft Word for Windows you are golden. Simply download the converter and install it. The instructions are inside the self extracting archive. This, however, does not work for Word for Mac. Really though, for writing fiction, how much formatting do you need beyond what RTF will handle? These RTF files also import nicely into Word 2011 for Mac and into Scrivener.

If you are looking for the ultimate in distraction free writing, give Word for DOS a try. Really, what have you got to loose?

Until next time ...

Game of Operating Systems

2014-06-15T03:32:00.000-10:00

I know I know. I really need to make updates to this blog a lot more regularly. However, it has been a bit crazy at my house. I won't go into details here about all of it. What I will go into details about is George R. R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones and what he uses to write.

Back on May 14th the interwebs were all a buzz because Mr. Martin said he still used a DOS machine and a DOS word processor called Word Star to create all of his works. Why would someone do that? Before we get into that, first I suppose I should let you know what DOS is.

I grew up on Microsoft DOS, which is an acronym for "Disk Operating System". It is command line only, single use only and is very limited in what it can do. It is still in use today. "IF" you have a floppy drive, or if you so choose you can get a USB floppy drive and create a startup disk from within windows. This disk will run a stripped down version of the previous editions of DOS. It can be handy for flashing your BIOS, system rescue, or just because you can.

Now, just because I said DOS is limited, doesn't mean it isn't capable. It actually has some features that you can't get in a modern version of anything from Microsoft, such as the "UNDELETE" command. That's right, you used to be able to recover accidentally deleted files. It actually works quite well. Even though it was command line only, that didn't stop developers from making graphical shells for DOS, or even games. DOOM, Castle Wolfenstien, all of the classic greats in fact were written for DOS.

Another advantage of running DOS is stability. You can run a DOS for months, even years without a system crash. The fact is, without all of the overhead of a GUI, and the various drivers from different manufactures, that vary widely in quality, DOS is rock solid. You would be very hard pressed to break it.

Speed is another advantage. Think about it. This Operating System was designed to be fast on a 25 year old processor. On a new system it is blazing. Even the cheapest, used, laptop you can pickup today will run it with no problem at speeds that are much faster that it was designed to run at. When you press a key, stuff happens. It's just fast.

Finally, security. How many people today run DOS? Not many. That means for the most part your files are secure, because none of the modern software can read your document format. Most of the virus's and malware written today are written in Java. There is no Java for DOS.

However, it is more than 25 years old, and does have its limitations. Such as a 2 Gigabyte limit on Hard Drive Size. Being limited to only the first 64 Megabytes of Ram, not that you'll ever need more than that in DOS. Hardware support is also extremely limited and you won't be able to access a Hard Drive that is formatted for NTFS (such as your windows install) without additional software.

Now before you go on a rant about these limitations, keep in mind that I am talking about real DOS. Not the stripped down version that is to help you recover windows. Starting with Windows 95, DOS became version 7.0 and with each new iteration Microsoft has stripped more and more of it away because it simply isn't needed anymore. The last "REAL" version of DOS, one with all of the utilities and functionality you would ever need from a command line Operating System was Version 6.22, and is in my opinion one of the greatest Operating Systems to ever exists.

If you want to try DOS for yourself, you can sometimes find copies on floppy disk at the local thrift store, or if you can google for the disk images, although that may lead to legal questions. Your morality is your own.

As for Word Star and Mr. Martin? Well, as it turns out, Official Copies of Word Star are actually hard to come by, and with good reason. The people that still use Word Star are nearly as fanatical about it as Mac users are about Apple. You can still purchase a copy, which I would recommend if you really want to use it. However, a long time ago Microsoft released Microsoft Word for DOS 5.5 for free. It is still available for download and works very well.

If you do use Microsoft Word for DOS, keep in mind that modern version of Word cannot read the documents you creates unless you save them RTF format. The original DOC format is no longer supported by Microsoft, though I have heard you can get a converter file. I have yet to test it.

In my next post, I will go into more details about Microsoft Word 5.5 and why it could be a solution for some.

Until next time ...

Toyota XM ... and how they tried to screw me

2014-03-15T12:53:00.000-10:00

Greetings all,

I know it has been quite some time since I made a blog post, but it has been quit a busy year for me. Back in October, 2012 (I was still living in Hawaii) I purchased a brand new Toyota Tacoma, TRD OffRoad. It has been an amazing truck and I cannot say anything bad about it. However, I am going to on a bit of a rant about Toyota.

<BEGIN RANT>

I purchased the truck knowing that I would be moving to Colorado, so I got the JBL Audio system with XM pre-installed, or so I thought. Shorty after getting the truck I shipped it to Seattle, Washington then drove it to Colorado, where I am today. However, The XM Radio just consistently displayed "Check Antenna". No big deal, I thought to myself, when I get to Colorado I will have a dealer look at it. That is when the trouble began.

After three trips, over a period of several weeks, to a Toyota Dealership in Pueblo, Colorado not only was it not fixed, but the in dash navigation had stopped working as well. Since I was in the process of moving still to Colorado Springs, Colorado any way, I waited until the move was done before taking it back to another dealership, this time in Colorado Springs.

I must say this dealership has been amazing, even if Toyota has been trying to screw me over. Not only did they fix the in dash navigation, they also added a bunch of applications for EnTune, but I can't use any of them. My Tacoma's VIN starts with the number "3", meaning it was made in Mexico. Toyota will not allow you to register a vehicle with their EnTune Web Portal (to actually use the apps) if: 1) Your vehicle was manufactured outside of the continental United States, or 2) You purchased your vehicle outside of the continental United States. After several e-mails with corporate, they just refuse to do it. So to them I say, "FUCK YOU!".

The dealership in Colorado Springs also had me bring all of my paper work from when I purchased the truck. Seemed an odd request, but I did it. The dealership in Hawaii, the one I purchased the truck from, had apparently installed correct head unit, the correct XM receiver and every piece of wiring needed for XM to work, except the actual XM Antenna. After they went through all of my paperwork, it was discovered it was ordered from the factory this way. Really? Seriously what the fuck? Who does that?

Unfortunately for me, since it was not ordered from the factory with an actual XM antenna, they could not just install one. I would have to pay for it to the tune $470 dollars.

Nope.

Instead I just had them fix what they could and I went on my way. I do not blame the dealership in Colorado Springs for anything. These guys have been amazing and I still get my Tacoma serviced there. The mechanics in Pueblo, Colorado suck ass. My first clue should have been when they said they had never seen an audio setup like mine. Go figure.

However, the dealership in Hawaii screwed me on the antenna and never mentioned this "EnTune" thing. Had I known about all this I probably would have waited to purchase my vehicle on the mainland.

So, if you live ANYWHERE outside of the continental United States and there is any possibility at all you may move here, DO NOT BUY A TOYOTA! Wait until you get here.

<END RANT>

So now for the solution to get my XM Working.

I purchased a new OEM XM Antenna online and waited. It arrived a few days later and I quickly set to work. In fact the entire process took less than two hours.

The first step of course is to remove the SharkFin Antenna from the vehicle. There are several sites to show you how to do this. This is not one of them. In the above picture you can see the original SharkFin and the OEM XM Antenna along with two SMA connectors from Radio Shack and a male-to-male adapter. We will start with the OEM XM Antenna, we need to take it apart.

Once you get the outer casing off, there is a plastic mounting plate that also must be removed.

Here you can see the actual antenna module. It's just a small green circuit board with the module attached to it. In order to remove the module from the housing, you need to take the grey plastic connector mount off.

This can be done fairly easily with a small flat tip screw driver. If you want to save the connector do this, otherwise you can just cut the end of the cable off. Unfortunately for me, the Pueblo dealership destroyed my connect for my GPS antenna, so the Colorado Springs dealership used a non-standard connector to fix it, thus I needed to put a new end piece connector on.

The above picture shows the new connector. Not exactly sure why they didn't use the correct ones, but I decided to press on anyway. It was this discovery that lead me to Radio Shack for the SMA connectors. Radio Shack comes in very handy at times.

After removing the cover for the SharkFin antenna, this is what it looks like on the inside. As you can see, no XM antenna is present.

After removing the four (4) screws for the GPS antenna, you can just move it out of the way. This will allow you to push the XM cable through and get everything lined up.

It just kind of sits there. The fit is actually very good.

Reinstall the GPS antenna and so far so good.

There is supposed to be a plastic clip that is used to hold the XM antenna in place. The one from the OEM Antenna would not work, so I improvised, with copious amounts of hot glue.

WARNING: DO NOT GET HOT GLUE ON THE ANTENNA MODULE. THIS MAY CAUSE DAMAGE. ONLY APPLY GLUE TO THE GREEN CIRCUT BAORD AND THE METAL INSIDE THE SHARKFIN ANTENNA.

I got a couple small drips and I removed them quickly. I am not saying it will damage the antenna, but why take the chance.

This is what it should like after reassembly. If you decide to keep the stock connector, you can end here. Just put the grey plastic cover back on and everything else should be fine. Simply put your antenna back on your Tacoma and call it a day. Otherwise read on.

Before snipping the end from the XM Cable, I tested the Resistance value with a multimeter. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP.

With the meter set on 2K I got a reading of .381 ohms. I tested center pin to outer shell. Now I should get the close to, or the same reading, after installing the new connector. Anything lower means a bad connection. The SMA connector is not installed properly and will have be done again.

After you peal back the insulation, you will see a copper braid. Remove most of this, but leave some exposed. Under that is a milky white plastic. Remove that to expose the solid copper center wire. Then install the SMA connector.

It looks good, but how does to test? You guessed it. .381 ohms. A perfect install, that is, after 6 or 7 tries to get it right. Make sure you test before clamping everything down.

After that, you need to do the same thing to the antenna wire inside the vehicle, under the head liner. This wire (sorry no pics) has a soft multi-strand core that made it read pain to work with. I almost destroyed the center pin for the SMA connector getting it on.

Once completed, connect the two connectors with the male-to-male adapter after you remount the SharkFin Antenna. Cover with electrical tape and your good to go.

My XM finally works! It was a needlessly long and equally needlessly arduous journey, but now its done. To Toyota of America I say, GO FUCK YOURSELF IN THE ASS WITH A SHOVEL. Of course, if they should happen to read this it will probably void some warranty or another, because Fuck You that's why.

A retraction ... of sorts ...

2012-12-09T00:57:00.000-10:00

Yes, it's true. Back in August of this year I posted my disdain for the Linux Desktop environment. In my post titled "Did Linux miss the boat? or did it take the train instead?"I hammered the Linux community for not living up to its potential, for being the ugly kid at the back of the classroom. You know the type, the loner, the kid who plays games in his mom's basement until he's in his mid-thirties. "Those guys".

Well, its still true, mostly. I will explain.

I have received a number of emails complaining that I was wrong, or ignorant of the topic. I also received a few that are not suitable for this blog. In fact, many of the desktop screenshot's that were presented were indeed very attractive. Some, not so much.

What I failed to mention in the previous post was just how customizable Linux is. There is something for everybody, and really, this is very true. However, that was not the point of the Article. I was talking about the out of the box experience that a non-Linux user would get from a major distribution and in that regard, I stand by my original post.

There is nothing revolutionary about any of it. In fact, most Linux desktops still seem to be stuck somewhere between 1998 and 2002. If had to pick one, it would be Ubuntu's Unity Desktop. Out of all of the competitors only Ubuntu has the foresight and guts to try something new. You can complain about spyware all you want. The fact is only Ubuntu can do what Ubuntu does, and they do it well.

Personally, after browsing the various Linux forums (usually looking for a way to make Linux do something I probably shouldn't be doing) I get the sense that Linux is becoming the new Apple. They have been the underdog for so long, pushed aside as a bit player so many time that the community must learn to first come to grips with success.

If you don't believe me, just act like you know little to nothing (for more than a few people this would be true) and ask a few questions about getting something installed. You will generally get the following:

Flamed for being a newb: 20%
The "How dare you ask such a thing when google knows all" reply: 40% (Not realizing the original poster found the forum using Google in the first place)
An answer that is way to complicated for a beginner to understand: 20%
Truly helpfully answer that actually answers your initial question: 10%
Various sorts of mocking and profanity: 10%

That's really about how it works a more than a few forums. Granted I have learned a lot about the "under-the-hood" parts of Linux because answers were either incomplete, withheld or otherwise not easy to find. That's part of the reason I started this blog, to put out clear concise information that anyone could follow.

So yes, Linux is versatile in the extreme, but until the "average user" can just power on and go with little to no hassle it will never replace Windows or even be taken seriously in the desktop world. Then again, that's exactly where a lot of elitist snobs wish to keep Linux, in the back of the classroom.

Until next time ...

XFDL on iOS Updated

2012-12-09T00:16:00.001-10:00

O.K., this will be a short post to let you guys know that an update is out that fixes many of the issues I had in my last post. So far all seems to be going well. There are still a few minor issues, but nothing that wont be fixed shortly.

Until next time ...

XFDL on iOS

2012-11-29T21:04:00.000-10:00

XFDL on iOS!

Yup, someone has beaten me to punch. Sometimes having a job and a bills can be such a drag. However, in this case, its good thing.

This is what a form DA 4856 (detailed info redacted for privacy) looks like on an iPhone 4S. For the most part not to bad, however, there are some hick-ups.

The first issue I ran into was that I couldn't figure how to open a file from DropBox. It took a minute, but I finally did. Basically, open the file in DropBox like you normally would any other file, then when it likes like a large jumble of text, select the "Arrow going into the box" icon, and you will get an option to open the file in the XFDL app.

My next gripe is something very minor. The forms are not "print quality". They are close, as you can see here:

The corners don't quite line up properly. Not that I am looking to print from this app, still it would be nice.

Last thing. It doesn't handle text boxes well. See:

Since I was the one who filled out this form for my soldier to sign, I know there is lot more text were that came from. Basically, all multi line text areas are treated as a single line and just run off the right side of the page. This is perhaps my biggest complaint.

Wait, I do have one more. When trying to edit text on my iPhone 4S, the form auto sets the zoom level and position of the form. This has the result of making viewing what you are typing move completely off of the screen. All you can see is a super zoomed version of the top left corner of the page.

So basically this app is useless right? Wrong!

This is a version one (1) application and I think we should support this developer so it can get better. I am sure with time and support it will get much better. After all, isn't having this work perfectly a few months from now worth $1.99 today?

I don't normally advocate for small application that have so many issues. In this case, since users of XFDL files really do not have many other options, I say do it. Support this independent author. Show him some love, and buy his app.

The author runs a support forum at: http://www.venturacountylife.com/xfdl/

Until next time ...

The future of the PC

2012-09-02T23:51:00.001-10:00

This post is all about the current state of personal computer. Recently windows domination slipped a few factions of a percentage point, but does it really mean anything to the average user? Does anyone other than the geeks really care? The answer to both of these is probably a big fat "not really". But it is the geeks, nerds and tech-heads that shape and define the digital world for the average user, so perhaps its only fitting that the architects of the future care more than its tenets.

Linux:
Let me start off by saying, I really like Linux. If you follow this blog you know that I use Linux (Ubuntu) as a media and backup server at my home. Linux is also the foundation of the Android operating system, runs computers on the International Space Station, is used in most satellites and can even be found in the engine management systems of most cars. However, as a Desktop operating system, it still flounders.

You can locate very recent articles online that still compare brand new Linux distributions to Windows XP. Yes, Windows XP. This is a operating system that was released on October 25th of 2001, nearly eleven years ago. Even then it wasn't a "new" UI, just a slightly smoother version of Windows 98/ME. The only company that has made a serious attempt to redesign the Linux Desktop is Ubuntu with the Unity Desktop.

The Unity Desktop gets a lot flak in the Linux community. I assume these are the same sorts of people that still prefer Windows XP over Windows 7, but that is only an assumption. When you consider that many PC OEM's are now making all-in-one PC's and Laptops with touch screen's, the Unity Desktop makes more sense. Take a look at the Ubuntu Devices page, and you will see more reasons to use Unity. Yes, it is different. Unlike many Desktop "enhancements", Unity is change for a reason. Like everyone else in the tech world, they too can see the writing on the wall, the Post-PC era is fast approaching. Every day more and more people are doing more work on smaller, less powerful, more mobile devices.

As far as support goes, that depends on the "type" of support you are talking about. There is, of course, paid support for enterprise customers, but for "free desktop" user, its a jungle out there. There are literally thousands of websites, blog's, wiki's, user forums and more. You better have a thick skin if you venture into user forums. The denizens that inhabit this territory can smell a "newb" twelve mouse clicks away, and always seem to be on the hunt. By the time someone actually answers your questions, if they ever do, you can expect a barrage of criticism, name calling and general unpleasantness. Only after you have "proven your strength" and stuck it out in these forums will you get any questions answered. I have heard it said, "If you want to convince people to switch to Linux, let them use it. If you want to convince them to stay away from Linux, let them visit a forum.".

This is not to say that all Linux users are smug elitists, but there is definitely no shortage of them either. In fact, it was because of these types of people that are so prevalent on these forums that I have posted "how-to's" on this very blog. Yes, for every single how-to on this blog I started with a google search that lead me to a forum, or a wiki, or some other piece of information that was either out-dated or incomplete. Turning to the forums for guidance was a minefield experience. In the end, I used a very Newtonian style of trial and error, then posted the solution that seemed to work "first-time-go" most of the time. This also gave me my own how-to should I ever need it again.

I don't "visit" many forums these days for those very reasons, and it will be a cold day in hell before I post another question, or solution, in any Linux forum. There is no "community" for Linux, its more like a street gang, you need a good beating for initiation.

Linux will always have its place. It is the dominate OS on smart phones, e-readers, and even at enterprise level computing it has a large market share. Yes, linux will be around for a very long time, even if the end-user never sees it. However, on the desktop, Linux is just junk-ware. Mired in its own fragmentation, incomplete or in some cases near useless software and lack of any substantial driver support will keep the desktop version of Linux in the hands of the few who feel the need to be a big fish in a very tiny pond.

Apple:
The most profitable company in the world, and arguably the most controversial. Apple, and their products seem to have a love/hate relationship with the average user. Not too many people say things akin to "eh, its ok". You have your fanboys and your haters. Love them or hate them, Apple is a force to be reckoned with.

With the recent release of osX Mountain Lion came quite a number of changes to the operating system, and a few of those had to do with the user interface. As a Mountain Lion user, most of the new "features" could have been given to Lion, or even Snow Leopard without a major update to the operating system. However Apple, like so many other companies, is looking to the future, and it doesn't include a PC. The UI "enhancements" are geared to getting people closer to the mobile or tablet experience. Apple is also looking to the post-pc era. Tablets are gaining ground with both consumers and businesses alike. Even government agencies are trying to see how tablets and other "devices" can enhance their operations.

The Apple support forums seem vacant often enough, that when I do use it, it is to search for questions already answered. I currently have three queries on the support forum that have yet to be answered. So as usual, Google search seems to be the fastest way to find the information you need. Where Apple shines is in the Apple Stores.

You can find testimonials all over the net, and I have even seen a few myself, of people who have taken out-of-warranty Apple product into an Apple strore and got the same treatment they would have gotten if they were a brand new customer. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always seem ready to help. Even if its just an act, Apple users almost always leave the Apple store with a smile on their face. Best Buy could learn a thing or three from this.

In fact, my MacBook Pro recently past the two-year mark for age. Its still running strong, running the latest software, and I have no plans to upgrade anytime soon. It does everything I need, almost. There is one application that is, sadly, Windows only, Lotus Forms Viewer. I require this software because of a custom file format for documents that my employer uses. For that I use Parallels Desktop. Parallels is virtualization software that lets me run Windows on my MacBook Pro. Its sad, but I only load Windows when I absolutely need access to this one application. If IBM would ever reinstate osX support for their software, I could drop Windows completely. That, or I find another job, but I kind of like my job. I digress, that is an entirely separate blog post. Mac osX is the number two Player in the PC market by volume, and if all the hype is to be believed, they are also number one in customer satisfaction.

Microsoft Windows:
The big kid on the block. The king of the desktop. Microsoft has been around just as long as Apple, and is amazingly more successful at market penetration and saturation than any other company before it. It has the best OEM support, user support, and the widest array of high quality games. Microsoft is a behemoth.

They are also looking to the future, and see the PC going the way of the dinosaurs. The new Windows 8 UI is truly revolutionary for a desktop platform. However, much like Ubuntu, they are getting push back from their own user base. However, like Ubuntu, they too see the writing on the wall, and the changes are not without reason. Like Apple and Ubuntu they are trying to bridge the gap between the mobile UI and the Desktop. Why? Because of the post-PC era. As manufacturer push this self-fulfilling prophecy to fruition the current "mouse and keyboard" generation will need to be dragged into the future that all of the OEM's are making happen.

Microsoft also has decent phone support. Granted it is outsourced to India and other countries wich can be a bit a bit of a challenge to english speaking people, they have yet to fail in helping me with any issues I have had. There is a plethora of information available on the internet, and you probably even know someone who knows enough about Windows to help with whatever issue you are having. Like it or not, Microsoft is the standard against all others are judged. Desktop UI, Office applications, games, support and even web browsers. It seems every browser is the IE killer, and every Linux Distro is the Windows killer, and every Mac is ... well ... a Mac is Mac.

A simple Google search will tell you all you need to know about such statements. Even if IE drops to a mear 5% of users of the internet, it will still set the standard. Why? Because its Microsoft and people who try to compete just can't seem to get away from the comparison game. Every time someone says "this is better than Microsofts <insert name here>", they are giving Microsoft free press. Stop it. Let your software be judged on its own merits.

There is a quote from a great movie called "The Pirates of Silicon Valley":

Steve Jobs: We are better than you are! We have better stuff.
Bill Gates: You don't get it, Steve. That doesn't matter!

Sadly, this is true. However, Bill Gates did understand something fundamental about people; people don't expect perfection, they expect "good enough". Can whatever I am about to spend my money on get the job done quickly and cheaply? That really is the bottom line. It is also the reason for the success of Linux in Enterprise.

So what does all of this really meen to the average user? Not much really. Users will adapt, they will find new ways to work, and OEM's will make money. Its what they do. Will the PC go away for good? Yes, but not for a while. The software for these "mobile devices" is still written on PC's, for now. As they become more powerful, and more user friendly, that may change. However, that change is still more than a few years away. In ten years, who knows?

The fact is, we have an entire generation of children growing up with video games systems they don't have to physically touch to play and devices that respond to voice commands. The technology will get better, the voice recognition will get more accurate and the full body monitoring for motion control will get more precise and we will do it all on ever smaller devices.

Who knows, in ten years or so, a keyboard may only be available in museums and developing countries.

Until next time ...

Did Linux miss the boat? or did it take the train instead?

2012-08-21T00:45:00.000-10:00

This post is all about Linux. This post is not about Mac vs. PC vs. Linux, or any combination therein. No, this is just about Linux and where I feel it is doing great, still failing, and where I think its headed. At least, where I think it should be headed.

The reason for the Ubuntu Logo at the top is simple, its the most recognizable Linux for Non-Linux users. Its the easiest to setup, and use for Non-Linux people. This post is not about the pro's and con's of the unity desktop, nor any particular Linux distro. No. This post is about Linux, as a whole.

Where Linux really gets to flex its muscle is in enterprise level services. More than half of the pages viewed on the internet today are served by some form of Linux or another. It's low cost, super stable, and endlessly configurable. There is no question that Linux makes a great server platform at any budget. I even use a Linux server at my home and have written some how-to's on this blog. The truth is, for server functions, I really love Linux.

Where Linux shines (albiet while in costume) is in the mobile market. The Android OS has done more to push Linux into the hands of everyday consumers than all of the work preceding it combined. Most people are unaware that Linux and Android are in point of fact, the exact same OS. From smart phones to tablets to netbooks, Linux has been there just doing its job as a good looking, stable operating system that many have come to know and love; even if they don't know (or care) about Linux.

But as always, their is a dark side ...

The dreaded ... Desktop OS ... (erie music here) ...

I have yet to see a Linux Distribution that truly redefines the Desktop. I am not just talking about different just for the sake of being different. I am talking about something truly great, that "ah ha" moment you get and it makes you realize you have been doing it wrong along, and this is the way it should have been done from the beginning. Yes, the Unity Desktop is different, but still lacks in ... that X-Factor. That crap your pants moment you get when you realize that something game changing has just assaulted your senses and you want more.

I just finished reviewing a "NEW AND EXCITING" Linux Distribution that is "designed from the ground up to be the easiest transition OS for windows users". There "new look manager" is a bad knockoff of Windows XP, and they even call this crap "Windows XP" in the list of UI customizations. Its not even close. Once again, what was promised was not delivered. Its just another Linux Distro that may or may not catch on.

I have yet to see any, and I mean any Linux Desktop environment that can come within a country mile of the finish and polish of Windows Vista. That mile gets even longer when you look at Windows 7, 8 or even any version of osX from Leopard forward; you will see what I mean. The graphics (even on a 64 bit OS) look 16 bit at best. The fonts tend to be wrong, or the wrong size and lack any sort of shading or smoothing. Even the base graphics for Unity on Ubuntu where created on a Mac.

Lets face it, the Linux Desktop is DOA, or is it?

Both Motorola and Ubuntu have successfully joined Android and a "desktop" Linux OS that runs on the same device, and boots along side of (not dual boot) a portable device. What this means is, you drop the device (smart phone, tablet, whatever) into a cradle, and you get a real desktop OS that uses a real screen, mouse and keyboard. It works just like any other Desktop Computer, except you have access to all of your files, and even broadband cellular internet. Everything you need in one device, sort of.

For this to work, someone must fix the Linux Desktop OS "user experience". Why would a consumer pay good money for a desktop that looks as bad as Linux. Oh sure, you can throw a hi-res wall paper on just about anything. All that really does, at the end of the day when a consumer is deciding where to spend their money, is put a blanket over a turd.

Don't even start with "Linux is free and open source" argument. Lets face it, if Linux was free phones would be a lot cheaper. Open source? Lets talk about Samsung's locked boot loaders? No my friends. Linux, the free version that we all know and love, will never be a solid replacement for Windows or Mac because its not pretty enough for consumers. The path envisioned by Motorola and Ubuntu have the best chance of success, but only if they make the desktop OS just as beautiful as the mobile version.

Until next time ...

DropBox revisited ...

2012-08-20T14:10:00.000-10:00

A while ago I was having an issue with DropBox trying to copy my entire HardDrive to the cloud, thus filling my 2GB cloud storage rather easily. I had received no word from DropBox support at the time of the post. The problem is now resolved.

As it turns out, the problem was not with DropBox at all. The problem was, my own ignorance of how a piece of software called "Wineskin Winery" worked. The application is a basically a wrapper for Wine, which in turn is a wrapper for running MicroSoft Windows Applications without windows.

When you create one of these "Wine Bottles", the Windows Application you are trying to run does not know about the Mac/*nix file system. It still relies on things like C:\ and other such "windows conventions". To counter this Wine uses a system called SymLinks.

SymLinks basically lie to the application and tell it that "C:\users\Name\Desktop\" is really there, and when it asks for files from that folder it really feeding it the *nix version which is something like "~/Home/Desktop". These SymLinks are special files that are handled at a very low level by the operating system.

In turn, osX applications are really just special folders that contain all of the application files. The OS can recognize these folders and gives them special permissions. The DropBox application is not no smart.

DropBox sees these Applications as just a folder. When it encounters a SymLink, it thinks that is also "just another folder". So if your WineSkin application has "C:\" pointing to your root folder (i.e. "/") then it will see your entire Hard Drive as a subfolder of that application.

This is worse than it sounds. If I had unlimited storage available, the DropBox application would have been stuck in an endless loop of copying the contents of the hard drive over and over again each time it ran into this "SymLink" and started again. This would place multiple copies if itself in ever deeper subfolders.

So how do you fix it? You have to go to the DropBox website and manually delete the offending application, which shows up as a brown folder. However, you will get an error message saying your trying to delete to many files. So you have to go into each subfolder and remove them one at a time. You have to do this each time you get the error. It took me around three hours to clean it all out.

Also, Move or Delete the offending application from your DropBox folder on your computer, and shutdown the DropBox application to prevent further syncing until you are finished cleaning up. Once this tedious task is complete your DropBox account should return to normal.

In the end, I have to give props to the support agent who discovered the issue. Even though it took a very long time to get back to me, when they did, there response was spot on. I am now able to use DropBox again, just as I always have.

For future reference, if your on a Mac, don't drop applications into your DropBox folder. If you do, compress them first or take your chances.

Until next time ...

Fixing "Wide Tabs" in Safari 6

2012-08-20T11:58:00.000-10:00

Ever since I upgraded to Safari 6 for OsX, I have been frustrated by the extra large Tabs. They stretch across the entire window and are generally a waist of space. It has the added benefit of making Safari feel even more bloated and cumbersome that it really is. I have recently found a solution that, so far, is working far better than I expected.

Enter "Glims" from MacHangout. You can think of Glims as the UI Apple should have gone with for Safari. After downloading Glims you will need to fully quit Safari and then reopen it. Once that is complete, from the menu bar select "Safari -=> Preferences ...". Then select Glims on the far right side. These are the two options you need to check:

As I have already said, these options "should" have been included with Safari without the need for a small utility. Fortunately for the rest of us, there are enough people who feel the same way that a solutions has finally emerged.

For the first time in long while, Safari feels like Safari again. I couldn't be happier.

Until next time ...

OsX 1.8 Mountain Lion ... What you may have not been prepared for ...

2012-08-18T20:46:00.000-10:00

Bad Kitty

OsX Mountain Lion, it was an affordable (cheap) upgrade (sort of) that was pushed out by Apple before it was ready. I have been using it on my Mid-2010 MacBook Pro (fifteen inch) since it was released. Some of the features are good, others not so much. I will start with what I like about the "new" OS before I begin any sort of rant.

First things first: Notification Center

This is a great "feature" that I truly enjoy having. I like it enough to have since dropped the Growl Application from my computer. Its handy, easy to use and most importantly, it stays out of my way. When using an App, like say Transmission for example, I would walk away from my laptop long enough to get a refill on my coffee only to be greeted by a litany of notifications to review and remove. The builtin Notification Center really cleans this up a lot, and I prefer to have them tucked away instead of center screen.

Number two: Mail return to top

In the Mail App, at the top of the list of individual emails there is a pull-down menu that says "Sort By". Clicking to right of this menu, anywhere on the toolbar other than the menu, automatically scrolls your list of emails back to the top. I discovered this by accident actually, and I am really glad I did.

Number three: Notes

Moving the synced "Notes" from Mail to a dedicated application is a real plus for me. It keeps them available and easy to access. Having them in Mail was kind of irritating really, especially when you would be greeted with a giant yellow background. If you weren't expecting it, it was kind of a shock to your eyes.

That's about it really for improvements. Now I will take a moment to get on my soapbox and rant for a minute or two. There are few things that I don't like, and some things that Apple has just plain broken.

Safari's Giant Tabs:

I hate these things, and as far I can tell, so does everyone else. They really need to put in an option to restore the fixed tab width. This is more of annoyance that I am forced to live with, but only because FireFox still will not support Common Access Cards without doing work under the hood, and even then it's iffy at best.

Docking and Undocking my MacBook Pro:

This is just plain broken. Under 10.6 and 10.7, all I had to do to "Dock" my laptop was slip it into the Henge Dock (great product by the way). To undock, I just yank it out again. While docked, I use two external screen and an array of USB devices. While undocked, my MacBook Pro is once again portable. It really has been the best of both worlds. That is, until Apple broke it with Mountain Lion.

Now every time I undock, the system crashes completely. When I place it back in the dock, my USB video card (and thus one of my screens) no longer works. The same is true for a number of my USB devices. It will only work if I do a system restart after docking, and even then it forgets which screen is primary, what the background image is supposed to be, and all of my desktop icons get moved to the lower left corner stacked neatly one atop the other. Placing my MacBook Pro back in the Henge Dock has gone from insanely simple to a ten minute process that just doesn't work. For now, I just leave system docked only take it out of then when I absolutely have to.

This is actually my largest complaint about Mountain Lion as it has greatly impacted the way I use my system and the way I work. No more popping it out do work on the Lanai (back yard patio in Hawaii) or sitting on the sofa doing some last minute paperwork while I watch the evening news. Nope, it just stays in the dock now and has essentially been turned into an iMac. I only undock it now, if I know ahead of time that I will require it while away from the house. If I had wanted an iMac I would have purchased one. I am not sure what they did to break it, but this really must get fixed in the next update.

Mail Activity Icons:

Always before, when you clicked "Get New Mail" in the Mail application, you where greeted by the spinning "working" icon. If you have multiple accounts you would get one next to the name of each inbox. Not anymore. Now you just click the button and wait. Then wait some more. Then maybe a little more. Still no new mail? Must be done then. Oh well. Wait! There is a new mail! It just took forever and a day to finish!

Of course, you would have known it wasn't finished had there been at least some visual clue as to what the software was doing. But no, there isn't any way to tell what mail is doing. It just sits there and surprises you with notifications. Such a pity.

Conclusion:

Even with all of its "new features" I don't think Mountain Lion should have been a complete version upgrade. Almost every new "feature" could have been added as a separate add-on. That is of course, except for the new security features, which really are nice but most people will bypass them anyway and just run the software they want to run anyway, no matter where it came from.

Safari ... has gotten fat ...

2012-07-27T21:26:00.000-10:00

Safari 6 from apple is faster than 5, mostly. It still hangs on some Google pages for some reason with a rainbow beach ball for a few seconds. Overall I can't really see any major improvements. Don't get me wrong, I am sure they are there. There is just this massive glaring issue that is keeping me from seeing anything else.

The new bloated Tab Bar. Unfortunately there is no way we as mortals can change it back to the good old "fixed with" that we all have come to know and love. Apple Inc. actually tried this once before, but eventually gave in to user demands.

So the real question is, "Who let the good idea fairy into the room, and why didn't anyone kill it before it infected everyone?".

To some people this is really a non-issue. Mainly because they use other web browsers. I use Safari. Why? Because it works for work. Most of the time. Sorta of. Ok, ok, its really because I haven't setup FireFox to use my USB security device for work.

I think its time I revisit that decision. Only because I have now found software that will allow FireFox to work with said security device. Sure Chrome works well enough, except when it fails to load a page correctly, or randomly crashes.

Unless something happens in the meantime, my next write up will be about using osX, FireFox, and a CAC Reader for accessing you favorite government web portals.

Until next time ....

DropBox ... FAIL!

2012-07-24T21:12:00.003-10:00

For the last few weeks I have been in a battle, with DropBox.com. The problem started after the latest upgrade, and I have yet to be able to find a way to correct it. After three e-mails to their customer support, I have yet to hear from them. The thing is, it seems to be a more complex problem than it should, or needs to be.

I have been using DropBox for a few years now, and until recently it has served me well. I even link to files from a "public" directory on this very bog. I also use it as a way to give access to co-workers to basic files and templates that are work related that I have created. DropBox had, until lately, become rather ubiquitous in my daily life.

When setting up the DropBox application on a Mac, it seems fairly strait forward. Copy the app to the "Applications" folder. Run the app. Follow the setup wizard. Wait for the magic to happen. That's it. Done. I wish it were still that simple.

After you setup and install DropBox, you can go into "Preferences" and tell DropBox to Sync other folders, or exclude others from Syncing. By default, I always deselect my "Photos" folder. I have a lot of photos, and thanks to Apple's iCould service I have had no reason to double the files to DropBox. Besides, DropBox was supposed to be the folder that I used for sharing files, even with myself. It was a great way to get access to files from work. Was.

However, the "issue" reared its head and I can't seem to get rid of it. So, after all of this, what is the problem?

DropBox has decided to start indexing and trying to sync my entire hard drive. At least, I hope that is what is trying to do. So far it hasn't managed to get passed my "Developer" folder. I am not saying DropBox is trying to steal my source code for my projects, but it does make me wonder why it chose to start with that folder. I have around 12 Gigs of data in that folder, so DropBox filled up rather quickly since I am using the 2 Gig free account.

Now here is the kicker. When I log into the DropBox web access via DropBox.com, only the files that are located in my DropBox folder show up. I have no access to the data it is currently holding hostage on its servers. I cannot delete the data. I cannot copy the data. I cannot do anything with the data. So now my DropBox is 100% full, and I have no way of removing the data.

I have used the application AppCleaner (great app by the way) to completely remove the DropBox application. I have re-installed from scratch. The problem still persists. It is accessing folders it has no business or permission to access. It is not even listed in the options for folders to access, yet they are copying my data.

As I have stated before, I have already contacted customer support, but I guess they only support paying customers. Of course, thanks to this EPIC FAIL on their part, I will never be a paying customer of DropBox.com. I have an Ubuntu One account, with gives me 5 Gigs for free, and I have had it for a while now, without using it much. Now might be a time to revisit that decision.

While I do some more research into this problem, I will also be checking out Ubuntu One. If I choose to go that route or find another solution remains to be seen. Whatever service I choose, I will make sure I let you all know and transition all of my download links from this blog to the new service.

Until next time ...