Welcome To Jeffreyville

MagicJack Review Follow-up

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0000

I know it's been a long time since I originally wrote about Magic Jack, but I thought I'd post an update because I recently got a comment on my original post. My Magic Jack stopped working. Actually it stopped working about a month after I started using it. I know I should have contacted customer support to try to get it replaced, but honestly, I didn't have the energy or time. And I came to the realization that it would probably never be good enough and trouble-free enough to replace my old fashioned and reliable VoIP service with Packet 8. Over time, I've heard about many negative experiences from others who have tried Magic Jack.

I think that Dan Borislow had an idea that could have been really cool and useful. Unfortunately, he didn't include any real customer support in his business plan. I can understand problems at start-up, but after all this time, having sub-par support is inexcusable. Maybe it was just an experiment of his and he lost interest in it. Over the long term, my opinion of this device and the company behind it have changed 180 degrees. Don't waste your time or money on Magic Jack.

This Is Just A Test

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:32:00 +0000

LifeCast is an iPhone app that lets me post to my blogger accounts and my tumblelog. This is just a test to see if I set it up properly and whether or not it actually works.

Posted with LifeCast

iPhone Madness

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:09:00 +0000

I got caught up in the hype. I didn't get the first gen iPhone because I decided the price was too high. I told myself I would get version 2 whenever it came out. It would have more features and cost less. So today I waited in line for about 3 hours at the Apple Store in the St. John's Town Center. It was a long time to wait, especially considering I could have gone next week without the wait. It was also very hot and humid, and 99% of that three hour wait was outside in the sun.

However, the experience was pretty cool. All the people there were real mac fans. We talked and laughed and sweated out the heat together for the same reasons. There were several Apple employees walking through the line offering free bottled water, loaning umbrellas to deflect the sun, and keeping everyone's spirits up.

With all the problems with the in-store activations and the heat and time spent, I'm still glad I got my new iPhone this way.

Most of my friends think I'm crazy. Maybe I am.

Photography

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:43:00 +0000

I've been wanting to do more with my photos lately. While I was happy with my point and shoot, I wasn't satisfied. So... I decided to go DSLR and get the Canon Digital Rebel XSi. Since then, it has been a real experience. I feel as if the more I research, read, listen and look, the more I realize how little I know about photography. The good part is that learning is fun, and I have much to learn. Part of my learning process has been listening to and watching people who's photography I admire. Those people run the spectrum from personal friends of mine (thanks Rence), to those who I know only through their flickr page, or podcast, such as This Week in Photography (thanks Scott and Alex).

My hope is that my photography skills will improve over time. You can follow my progress on my flickr page.

My other hope is that I get a Drobo. LOL.

I think I've found my niche

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:04:00 +0000

So I haven't posted here in quite some time. Where have I been, you ask? Um, besides compulsively updating Twitter, which I can conveniently do via text from my phone, I had spent the past four months traveling way too much. And all of it for work, and none of it for fun. While I've enjoyed some of the new challenges this offered, it did put a cramp on my "me" time. And by "me" time, I mean time to game, surf, blog, etc.

My travel schedule has slowed down a bit recently, so I've been able to spend more time doing one of my favorite things; playing video games! I love my Xbox 360 and played through the single player campaigns of Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I then thought I'd try the multi-player mode, despite my inexperience and (apparently) noob-ish play style.

And despite me getting ganked numerous times, I did enjoy it. Except for one minor aspect. The minors. Kids. Rude, loud, insulting, foul-mouthed little bastards. And these seem to be the only ones I end up with in the match-making system. So I was thrilled to discover a place where I can meet other gamers who are closer to my own age: GeezerGamers.com

Geezer Gamers has a very active forum and I've no doubt that I will be making new friends there and gaming with them on Xbox Live in no time. Now, I don't quite consider myself a "geezer" at 40 years old, but it's all relative. I'm sure I would qualify as one to most of those disrespectful little 12 year olds I've come up against in CoD4 multi-play.

And get off my lawn!!!

Cheers :)

Home for the Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:05:00 +0000

Here I sit in the airport in Ontario, CA waiting to board my flight. I had to make two unexpected trips to California this month for business, and trust me when I tell you I did not enjoy it one bit (well, not entirely true, I did manage to see one of my best friends). The environment at the home office this time of year is hectic to say the least. Add to that my disdain for traveling during the holiday season, and you have a recipe for an unpleasant couple of weeks. Now, on the Friday before Christmas, I am just hoping my flight doesn't get cancelled. I have a layover in ATL, and I figure if that flight gets cancelled, at least I could rent a car and drive the rest of the way to Jacksonville.

It's times like this when I realize that home is where the heart is. I'm a California native. Spent the first thirty-something years there. And I still think California is a great place. But my life now is in Jacksonville and I'm so ready to get back home.

Merry Christmas to anyone who happens to read this. I hope you get to spend the holidays where your heart wants to be.

Cheers!

BLOG PARTY

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:16:00 +0000

Just want to quickly mention an event at Club TSI this Saturday(15 Dec)... a BLOG PARTY! What happens at a blog party, you might be asking? Don't ask, because I have no idea. But I'm guessing we won't be sitting around with our laptops. Perhaps there will be some life-casting going on. That could be fun. What I do know is this; there will be live music and possibly free swag... reason enough for me to go.
Joey Marchy of Urban Jacksonville is hosting and he has more details.

NBC still available on iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:27:00 +0000

There's been a lot of talk about NBC pulling all of their content from iTunes. But I heard on a recent podcast (it was either TWiT or MacBreak Weekly) that you could still find the NBC content and purchase it, but you had to look for it by either using the search or browse features. I tried it out and there it was! I was especially happy to find Firefly (SciFi is owned by NBC). I was in the process of watching the series and only had the first 5 episodes. That is until now. I went ahead and got the rest of the series because I don't know how long it will still be around. If you want any NBC content from iTunes, search for it and get it while you still can!

MagicJack: Is it worth a try?

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:02:00 +0000

See my updates at the end of this post...

A short while back, I read something about a company called MagicJack. It caught my eye because they had this new gadget, and... well I am an admitted gadget junkie.

Here it is in a nutshell: You buy this $40 dongle (called a MagicJack of all things), you plug it into your (Windows only) computer's USB slot, you then plug an ordinary phone into the other end of the device. And viola, you have a dial tone and can make and receive calls over the internet, including long-distance to any phone number in the US, without any charges for one full year. You can also opt to purchase your second year of service for $20.
(image credit: getusb.info)

Sounds great, yes? I thought so, too... at first. Now in all fairness, I realize this is a new device. In fact their website has "BETA 4.0" prominently displayed across the page. That's your first indication that there will be bugs to work out. I knew that going in. So I ordered the doo-hickey, it arrived a few days later, and I had it plugged into my computer within minutes.

After it walked me through a short registration process, I picked up the phone I had plugged into the device, and there was a dial tone. I punched in my home number and it worked. I dialed my cell phone and it worked too. I called a few friends and the call quality was fine. No problems! Then I tried calling my new MagicJack number from my cell phone... "We're sorry" the nice lady said, "but the number you've dialed is not in service." Oh no she di-in't! I tried it again... same thing. I tried it from another phone; no luck. I had a friend try calling the number and he got the same annoying recorded message.

My first thought; go to the site and find a section called "Troubleshooting" or "FAQ" or "Technical Support". Their "Questions and Answers" section was anything but "answers". It was really just an extension of their sales pitch and contained no useful technical information. Then I went to their "Customer Support" section. There was an option to send an email, but you had to choose a topic first. Except that by choosing any topic gave you more sales pitch and no actual option to send an email. Frustrating to say the least. They also have a live chat option, so I tried that. I was connected to a person who may or may not have known anything about the product. My bet was he didn't have a clue. He tried dialing my MagicJack number and also couldn't get through. He eventually told me that my best bet was to just try again in the next few days to see if it starts working. Yeah, right. So I eventually found a way to login to my account and there, I saw a form to send an actual email for technical support. Finally! So I filled out the form, detailed the issues I was having and what steps I had taken thus far, and asked for a timely resolution. That was six days ago and I haven't heard a peep from the folks at M.J. Not even an automated reply.

Today, I happened across Dan Borislow's blog. Dan is the head (and I think inventor) of MagicJack. He made a post about how great his company's customer support is. I made a comment to that post to the contrary. Comments to that blog require moderation, so my criticism may never be posted, but I will be curious to see if I get any kind of response from any of my attempts to resolve my issue.

This gadget seemed really cool a few weeks ago, but all that coolness has evaporated. Poor (or no) customer service will kill a company, regardless of the product. I'll update this post as things unfold... or unravel.

UPDATE:
Dan Borislow contacted me directly and asked for a chance to fix things with my MagicJack! Perhaps this will all turn out okay. I'll update of course, so stay tuned.

UPDATE #2:
Dan followed through with his promise to resolve my issue and now I can receive incoming calls to the phone connected to my MagicJack. Outgoing calls and voicemail also work. I'm really impressed that Dan got personally involved to fix this problem and turn a frustrated customer into one who is willing to give them another try. I still think the customer / technical support is lacking, but I'm hoping for improvements in that area. And I'm much more willing to put up with some glitches, knowing how dedicated they are to make things right.

Now that the system works like it's supposed to, I plan to use this side by side with my existing home phone system (currently Packet 8) and see how they stack up against each other. I'll admit that I'm pulling for MagicJack to come out as a viable replacement, seeing how much money I will be saving over Packet 8's $25 monthly charges. I will post more observations in a few weeks after I've had time to test everything out.

Oh, and if you're interested in trying out MagicJack yourself, you can ~~order it here~~.

UPDATE #3:
This update is long overdue, but after using my Magic Jack for about one month, it stopped working. I'm no longer a fan of Magic Jack. Read more here.

Getting Desperate

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:41:00 +0000

Is it just me or does it seem that the plot lines in Desperate Housewives is getting more and more ridiculous, and dare I say... desperate? Brothers & Sisters on the other hand is totally doing it for me.

Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:38:00 +0000

In my never ending quest for a better music experience (and my compulsive desire to always upgrade my gadgets), I recently got a set of Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro earphones.

Way back when I got my first iPod, I was completely happy with the pretty little white earbuds that came packaged with it. They announced to all those around me that I was a music lover, and part of the iPod nation. I wanted to be envied by anyone who didn't already have an iPod (do those people still exist?). It was all well and good until one day when I was traveling. I noticed someone on the plane with an iPod, but they weren't using their super cool white earbuds. They had some other make or model or something. It was then I realized that there were alternatives, I had choices, and an upgrade was inevitable.

My first upgrade was to a set of E2C's by Shure, and I really love them. The sound quality is so much better than the Apple-provided 'phones. Part of it I'm certain is because the Shures fit snugly in my ears and block out most of the background noise. At the time, I did not shop around like I should have and paid full retail for them ($99). That's okay, they are great and I still love them. My favorite part is that they fit in my ears so well, I can fall asleep while wearing them and wake up in the morning and they're still in place! This makes them perfect for Pzizzing.

But... I don't love them as much as my new Ultimate Ears. These little beauties are phenomenal in comparison. Each phone has two separate drivers, one for lows and the other for mid-ranges and highs. Kind of like a "woofer" and a "tweeter". When they arrived at my house, the first thing I did was test them out against my Shures to see if all the glowing reviews I had read were true. I tried a range of different music types, including Bebel Gilberto, Pink Floyd, and Brahms. First with the Shures, which gave me the expected good sound quality, and then with the Ulimate Ears, which were... how shall I put this... WOW! Rich bass was the first thing I noticed, but it was not overpowering. And there was an overall clean separation of all the different tones. Definitely a nice upgrade as far as I'm concerned.

The price? These list for $249 but you can get them at most online retailers such as buy.com for somewhere between $180 and $205. But... I got an email (from buy.com) with a special sale price of $109. I used Google checkout and saved another $10. Am I a good shopper or what?

The moral of this story; sign up at your favorite online retailers for their newsletters and special promotions. It may increase the amount of bacn in your inbox, but it could also save you some serious cash.

Marching band meets video game

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:53:00 +0000

A match made in geek heaven!

I was in the marching band in high school (go Knights!). To me, it was one of the few things that made those four years bearable, even fun. Yes, I enjoyed being a band geek! Seeing this video rekindled fond memories of my trumpet-toting days. Ah yes. The half-time shows, the parades, and of course the sleep-overs with my band buddies; complete with dungeons & dragons, the Benny Hill Show, and that one time when I got a black eye from a pillow fight gone wrong; that's what made life worth living in those strange times.

I Support Topless Women

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:47:00 +0000

Strange as it may sound, I'm a boob man. If you know me, then you probably know why that might seem strange. Anyway, I found the banner you see above and simply could not resist posting it here. I support topless women in any sense of the word! Click the banner, and all will be ~~revealed~~ explained.

Biketoberfest

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:14:00 +0000

I went to visit my friend Lloyd and to partake in the Biketoberfest-ivities in Daytona Beach last weekend. The event was pretty typical; lots of bikes, people, beer, and overpriced carnival food ($8 for a ~~hot dog~~ sausage on a bun?). Of course it was nice to hang out with Lloyd and the muy fabuloso Santiago.

These events just get bigger and bigger and crowd fatigue starts to set in after a certain point. Biker dudes, biker babes, and posuers all start to blend into one big homogenized smelly drunk collective. I think I had more fun back at Lloyd's place watching episodes of Little Britain and eating Maryland Fried Chicken (except for the constant fear that I might fall into the basement, but I'll leave that subject for another day).

Overall, a good time was had by all, and nobody got arrested.

Sunset over Daytona Beach

Amelia Island

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:47:00 +0000

The whole gang
Originally uploaded by gojeffrey

Last weekend I went to Amelia Island and stayed at my friend's place in Fernandina Beach. We biked everywhere the whole weekend. My sore legs and ass made that fact quite evident, but I still had a great time.

There's something liberating about hopping on a bicycle and pedaling your way to the cafe downtown for lunch and a few sarsaparillas. Getting some exercise and not using any gas can be a good thing. And the thrill of finding the occasional hill to coast down, wind blowing in my face, with a nervous rush from the possibility of hurtling, without warning, ass over teakettle into a nearby hedge, was... well, thrilling!

In addition to the biking, there was shell collecting, beach walking, sunrise watching, and general silliness. The photo here is just one of several I snapped during the weekend. Feel free to peruse through the entire set.

This weekend I'll be in Daytona Beach for Biketoberfest. I'm sure I'll have some things to share after the weekend is over!

Rence & Steve

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:38:00 +0000

Rence & Steve
Originally uploaded by gojeffrey

Sunday before last (7 Oct), I met up with my friends Rence & Steve in St Augustine. They live in Atlanta and were down here for a little R&R. Good friends who I don't get to see that often, so it was a nice day. We toured Flagler College, had some lunch, and walked around old town. I thought this picture turned out nice. You can see more here.

Did you say South Carolina?

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:41:00 +0000

I got an email from my little sister saying that she and her husband were looking at houses in South Carolina. She wanted my opinion. Well my opinion was really more a question that went like this, "Why not Jacksonville, Florida???"

I knew they were planning on buying their first home in the next few years, but you see, they live in Idaho. I had no idea they were considering leaving that area, let alone moving across the country. I think it would be so cool to have them living nearby... even if it was South Carolina, that's still relatively close by.

Besides the fact that I might have family moving to my side of the continent, the best part of the email was the very last line. And I had to post it here so it can live forever in infamy:
"P.S. this isn't my computer and I don't know were the spell check is. I'm so sorry. Mom tought me how to spell! :p"

Priceless.

Illadates

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:00:00 +0000

Mark Schoneveld is the creator and author of The Poverty Jet Set. I never miss a post thanks to Google Reader. Some of my favorites are his videos. He initially called the series "Cheap Dates" and recently changed the name to "Illadates". I'm just guessing, but I think the "Illa" comes from Philadelphia, where Mark lives and where most of his videos are filmed.

Illadates features Mark and Audrey (the cutest couple in Philly no doubt) and various other friends of theirs on little ventures into different neighborhoods and events throughout Philadelphia and it's surroundings. This particular episode was twice as enjoyable for me because Mark and Audrey were on a double-date with the one and only Lord Whimsy and his lovely wife, Lady Pinkwater. Lord Whimsy is the author of "The Affected Provincial's Companion", which I highly recommend.

In summary, it's great stuff. Check out the video, and decide for yourself.

EDIT: I just discovered that you can subscribe to Illadates via iTunes.

Amazon mp3

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 02:57:00 +0000

All the buzz in the last few days is about the new mp3 music store on Amazon.com and I must say I'm impressed so far. 256kb drm-free mp3's... all at a great price (especially when you purchase the whole album). I tried it out just now by downloading Pink Floyd's "The Wall". First let me start by saying this is the best deal EVER. The full double-album, 26 tracks, set me back a whole $8.99. Amazon provides this little downloader program that not only manages your mp3 downloads, but will also put your new songs into your media player of choice (such as iTunes). Very easy and slick. I'm not entirely opposed to buying my music from iTunes, but when I'm in the mood for new music, I will be checking Amazon first! Oh, and eMusic too. A little competition is good for us consumers.

Blog overload?

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:55:00 +0000

First, there was GoJeffrey. My tumblelog. I love its simple and uncluttered interface. I love having the freedom to post whatever I want, whenever I want. I love the non-committal low-maintenance drama-free aspect of the whole thing. That's the beauty of a tumblelog.

Then, there was Life in Jacksonville. My still fledgling project to blog about what's happening in Jacksonville. Art. Music. Events. Places to go. Things to do. Non-mainstream. Off the beaten path. Subversive. Deviant. Independent. But most of all, fun. Inspiration for this came from a few other local blogs that I regularly peruse and are more or less along those same lines (Urban Jacksonville & Metro Jacksonville, to name a few). In theory, it sounded like a lot of fun. In reality, it's a bit more challenging than I anticipated.

And now, there's Jeffreyville. Because I wanted something where I could post willy-nilly about whatever I want, but still have the interactivity that a proper blog affords. Here, I will post my thoughts, ideas, opinions, pictures, videos, and what not. And, unlike my tumblelog (of which I am still very fond), anyone who reads this (will anyone read this?) can comment, criticize, praise, and insult me to their hearts desire. And I will luxuriate in the feedback.

Do I have time for all this and my uncontrolled Twitter addiction? Is this a recipe for blog overload? I don't know. What I do know; since I don't do any of this for a living, the frequency of my posts will be sporadic at best, non-existent at worst. Stay tuned if you so desire. Better yet, add me to your RSS reader.

Welcome to Scenic Jeffreyville

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:30:00 +0000

My name is Jeffrey and I am the mayor of Jeffreyville. I just thought it would be cool to be mayor of something.

To be continued...

First!

noreply@blogger.com (gojeffrey) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:16:00 +0000

This is the first post on Jeffreyville.com! HUZZAH!!!