Plethora

Parallels Upgrade Mystery Solved...Sort of

2008-12-28T07:50:00.000-06:00

Parallels recently released version 4 of their popular software that allows Windows and other operating systems to run along side Mac OS X. They also announced a special price for those upgrading to the new version that was good until the end of the year. As I blogged yesterday, mention of that price disappeared from their the front page of their website and store. I did find a link to the 20% discount buried on their site.

If you are looking to upgrade to the new version and want the 20% discount (like someone wouldn’t), follow the links to the demo movie and you find the link at the top of that page. You do need to hurry as it ends on December 31st.

I did purchase it, and so far it seems to be a great improvement over the previous version. I had lots of problems with Parallels 3, it was not what I hoped for. Parallels 4 seems to be much stronger and allowed me to install Ubuntu 8.10 without the need for a secret decoder ring. Look for a full review later after I’ve put it through its paces. I know there are a number of reports out there from people who have had bad experiences, I just not one, maybe I got lucky.

At any rate, while it’s not on the front page where it belongs, you can still get the discount if you know where to look.

What Happened to Parallels Upgrade Special???

2008-12-27T13:55:00.000-06:00

Like many, I'm trying to finish up everything I need to do for the end of the year. One of the items on my list was upgrading Parallels to the new version. They were running a $39 special that was supposed to be good until the end of the year. Now that special is missing from the website, what happened? It’s one thing to have a limited time special that is limited to so many customers, but this one was time limited and there is still time before December 31st gets here.

Fortunately I captured the page when it was up. I had a bad feeling, normally I don’t capture websites. The links did work and I did get my 20% discount for the upgrade, but I shouldn’t have had to rely on my own ingenuity. How many customers were not so lucky? How much money did Parallels make by not following through with the discount as advertised? When a company decides to conduct as special pricing scheme, that’s great. It should be beneficial for both the provider and the consumer, but the provider has to follow through on the terms.

Black Friday Success

2008-11-26T07:49:00.000-06:00

“A horse! My kingdom for a horse”

Richard III
William Shakespeare

This cry has changed little over the last several hundred years. The tech retailers though, are looking for customers rather than horses, but the concept is the same. The problem is, where to find them? The other problem is, how to keep them. Much of the money is still there, but tech retailers will have to work harder to get it. Black Friday is coming up and the ads are starting to appear. You can see who gets the concept and whom doesn’t

Tech retailers face two problems, one is finding new customers and the other is persuading old customers to buy again. On the plus side, it is reported that Apple is finally going to price match. That is good for Apple, but bad for other retailers. It’s not a new concept; Apple has just been late to the party. The other retailers that now find themselves with more competition from Steve will have to get inventive. On the other side, I see software companies that advertise great Black Friday savings, but with a catch. Some are excluding updates and upgrades. I don’t know whether they’ve thought it through or not, but a business that doesn’t retain their old customers doesn’t survive. Companies with multiple products, especially those that work together or have versions with more features, should have an upgrade path to encourage customers to come back and buy again. Frankly, if they have not already received that update payment, they may not and this would be an opportunity to get the customers to look at them again.

Excluding updates and upgrades to more expensive versions from sale prices can, and will, turn off existing customers. For example, I was thinking about buying organization software from a company having a week long Black Friday sale. I own their note software and have been a customer since version two of a previous package that was replaced by the current note package. I can get the organization upgrade at a small savings since half of the full price is about ten dollars cheaper than the upgrade. Yes, I saved money and got what I want, but the savings are only ten dollars for me and fifty for a new customer. The reason for the difference is that the organizer software includes the note package. This means that the customer who doesn’t own any of their software gets a better deal to buy new then the customer who has repeatedly paid the update fees. I have invested more in the company than the new customer. What do I get? If I bought the upgrade to the package with more features then I would be on the hook to keep it updated as paid up. I don’t think that most people who buy updates wait six months or longer to possible save some money at Christmas time.

Christmas time is important to tech companies, especially software vendors. In the upcoming weeks, we will see the traditional software packages released. You know, the ones for forty-nine dollars with a mix of stuff you want and stuff you’ve never heard of. Those deals can be great. I'm writing this on a piece of software I purchased as part of a bundle. To be fair, the license I received as part of that bundle was my second. I'd been supporting this author for a while and saw it as an opportunity to get another license for a family member. The fact remains though, as a consumer I look for good deals to better my computers and their tools. Treating my past support like chopped liver isn’t a good way to keep me coming back for more.

First Time Mellel User

2008-09-04T16:36:00.000-05:00

Thursday, September 4, 2008

You've got to love MacUpdate. They put a promo bundle together, and usually there is something in it that makes it a must have. This one is no different. I'm considering purchasing it for Bookends, Mellel, and DEVONagent.

The big issue for me is Mellel. I've been looking at this app for several years. The price has just never been quite right for me. The reason I keep that considering it is Bookends. The two are supposed to work like a hand in a glove. My word processor of choice currently is Pages 08. I'm stepping away for a few days in order to give Mellel a good look.

My first document was a simple letter, or at least it was supposed to have been a simple letter. I copied text from Pages to start my letter. That text copied correctly, and that's when I got my first taste of the differences between the two apps. If you want to add something to the header or the footer in Pages you just mouse over the area and it starts to glow so you can see it. You then just drop it there, and you're done. In Mellel, you have to turn on the headers and footers under the Page section in the Tools Pallet. The other problem I had been having was inserting a graphic into the header. Like most older word processors, graphics are considered like part of the text. I haven't learned whether there is a way to make the graphic float and not be part of the text. This issue caused problems with my letterhead styles that I had created. I ended up typing the letter without the graphic in the header. I did get the letter done, but it wasn’t as successful as if I had done it with Pages 08. I think that a good part of it is that I’ve not used Mellel a lot and don’t know the ins and outs. I hope to jump in more and give it a go.

What do I think? I’m not sure yet. I do like having full-screen editing, although it could be implemented better. I do like all the options for formatting my work, but I’m a little overwhelmed right now.

Keep following this blog as I try to put Mellel through it’s paces. This entry was typed using Mellel and imported to Mac-Journal for posting.

MacUpdate Promo Bundle...Looking at Mellel Again

2008-09-01T19:30:00.001-05:00

The distribution of computer software has changed a lot over the years. Back in the day, you went to the computer show and made your choice from a limited selection of titles. Sometimes you would get home to find that you hadn’t even purchased the most current version. Now, with the advent and acceptance of the internet, computer software selection is so huge that it’s become a buyer's market. Software publishing houses like Adobe and Microsoft used to dominate the market. Now anyone who codes can maybe write the next big app.

Looking at the Mac market for word processors, you have many different choices. The two biggest ones are probably Microsoft Word and Apple Pages. Although those are probably the best known, they aren’t alone anymore. You have choices from a variety of different ones. Two that I’m looking at now are NeoOffice and Mellel. I’m looking for a word processor that fills in some of my needs. My main word processor is probably Pages. It is a solid word processor, page layout application. For most people, this app will handle all their needs. It does a good job as both a fairly non-bloated word processor and desktop publishing app. Pages has some issues. First, it has no full screen editing capability. I like working in full screen. I have no distractions and can focus on the work. Pages also doesn't handle Word documents really well. Simple ones open up nicely. Add some fields or other automations and Pages starts to bog down. Pages also doesn’t open .dot files very well.

I also use CopyWrite when I’m doing a lot of basic composing and not worried about how it looks yet. That is one of the main reasons I use CopyWrite. I gave Scrivener a try and liked it, but still can’t convince myself to purchase it. CopyWrite needs a serious overhaul. The interface needs some serious work. The app is solid and still works though.

My problem is that I still need some tools to write with. I need good support for Word documents including the new formats that Microsoft sprang on us. My other issue is academic writing. I’m transitioning to more academic pursuits and need a tool to write academic papers with. I need good footnotes and end notes and the ability to easily cite references with ease.

I’m evaluating two tools to fit these needs. One I’ve been using for a while and another is getting a fresh look. The one I’ve been using for a while is NeoOffice. This is an adaption of the open source office suite OpenOffice. NeoOffice has a lot of polish and does handle all Microsoft Office formats. It is fairly accurate, but not perfect. It is also free. I like the price, and the support for this product has been great, but it is still a little clunky. Part of that chunkiness that it is based on Microsoft Office. The screen looks like Office 98 or 2003, but doesn’t reflect the newer GUI concepts like Pages. I use it for many things, but I don’t like writing in it. It seems like I spend more time on the process of writing than the writing itself. If they would add things like full screen editing then I might feel more at home.

The other app I’m trying is Mellel. I’m giving it another look because it is part of the Back to School MacUpdate promo. It is bundled with other apps like Bookends, which are what is really driving my review. It Mellel is billed by RedleX as the “leading word processor for Mac OS X designed especially for creative and technical writing, scholars, and anyone who wants a reliable word processor.” That sounds good. That’s what I’m kind of looking for. I’ve been looking at Mellel for about a year or two. I download a new copy and look at it about every six to eight months. It has a lot of features like full screen editing. It does work well with Bookends. It just doesn’t do word documents well and chokes completely on .dot files.

I’m going to give it a serious look since it is part of the MacUpdate Promo bundle. I’ve got a few days to do a lot of writing and see how it does. I like what I’ve use so far. I need to give Bookends a look to and see if it is what I really want. I’ll keep you up to date on my evaluation. In the mean time, surf on over to mupromo.com and look at the bundle for yourself. It’s a really offer and well worth the $49 price.The distribution of computer software has changed a lot over the years. Back in the day, you went to the computer show and made your choice from a limited selection of titles. Sometimes you would get home to find that you hadn’t even purchased the most current version. Now, with the advent and acceptance of the internet, computer software selection is so huge that it’s become a buyers market. Software publishing houses like Adobe and Microsoft used to control the market. Now anyone who codes can maybe write the next big app.

Looking at the Mac market for word processors, you have a lot of different choices. The two biggest ones are probably Microsoft Word and Apple Pages. Even though those are probably the best known, they aren’t along anymore. You have choices from a variety of different ones. Two that I’m looking at now are NeoOffice and Mellel. I’m looking for a word processor that fills in some of my needs. My main word processor is probably Pages. It is a solid word processor, page layout application. For most people this app will handle all of their needs. It does a good job as both a fairly non-bloated word processor and desktop publishing app. Pages has some issues. First it has no full screen editing capability. I like working in full screen. I have no distractions and can focus on the work. Pages also doesn’t handle Word documents really well. Simple ones open up nicely. Add some fields or other automations and Pages starts to bog down. Pages also doesn’t open .dot files very well.

I also use CopyWrite when I’m doing a lot of basic composing and not worried about how it looks yet.. That is one of the main reasons I use CopyWrite. I gave Scrivener a try and liked it, but still can’t convince myself to purchase it. CopyWrite needs a serious overhaul. The interface needs some serious work. The app is solid and still works though.

My problem is that I still need some tools to write with. I need good support for Word documents including the new formats that Microsoft sprung on us. My other issue is academic writing. I’m transitioning to more academic persuits and need a tool to write academic papers with. I need good footnotes and end notes and the ability to easily cite references with ease.

I’m evaluating two tools to fit these needs. One I’ve been using for a while and another is getting a fresh look. The one I’ve been using for a while is NeoOffice. This is an adaption of the open source office suite OpenOffice. NeoOffice has a lot of polish and does handle all Microsoft Office formats. It is fairly accurate, but not perfect. It is also free. I like the price and the support for this product has been great, but it is still a little clunky. Part of that chunkiness that it is based on Microsoft Office. The screen looks like Office 98 or 2003, but doesn’t reflect the newer GUI concepts like Pages. I use it for many things, but I don’t like writing in it. It seems like I spend more time on the process of writing than the writing itself. If they would add things like full screen editing then I might feel more at home.

The other app I’m trying is Mellel. I’m giving it another look because it is part of the Back to School MacUpdate promo. It is bundled with other apps like Bookends, which is what is really driving my review. It Mellel is billed by RedleX as the “leading word processor for Mac OS X designed especially for creative and technical writing, scholars, and anyone who wants a reliable word processor.” That sounds good. That’s what I’m kind of looking for. I’ve been looking at Mellel for about a year or two. I download a new copy and look at it about every six to eight months. It has a lot of features like full screen editing. It does work well with Bookends. It just doesn’t do word documents well and chokes completely on .dot files.

I’m going to give it a serious look since it is part of the MacUpdate Promo bundle. I’ve got a few days to do a lot of writing and see how it does. I like what I’ve use so far. I need to give Bookends a look to and see if it is what I really want. I’ll keep you up to date on my evaluation. In the mean time, surf on over to mupromo.com and look at the bundle for yourself. It’s a really offer and well worth the $49 price.

What Difference Will the Election Make to the Rest of the World?

2008-07-27T07:13:00.000-05:00

We think of ourselves as the guardian of democracy and liberty. We like to think of ourselves as the only world super power, but then complain about having to be the world's policemen. Perception and reality are drifting apart. Our claim to be the world only super power is quite tarnished. We have allowed ourselves to become so dependent on the new super powers.

We are in the middle of a great transference of wealth in the world. Cities such as New York and Chicago used to be centers of commerce, now the city is Dubai. Our country is broke. We are operating a debt based society. Both political parties are quibbling over money we don't have. You can't be a super power when your check book is in the red.

We think of ourselves as the guardian of democracy and liberty. We like to think of ourselves as the only world super power, but then complain about having to be the world's policemen. Perception and reality are drifting apart. Our claim to be the world only super power is quite tarnished. We have allowed ourselves to become so dependent on the new super powers.

We are in the middle of a great transference of wealth in the world. Cities such as New York and Chicago used to be centers of commerce, now the city is Dubai. Our country is broke. We are operating a debt based society. Both political parties are quibbling over money we don't have. You can't be a super power when your check book is in the red.

Most of our manufacturing has headed overseas. We chose to support lower wages at the cost of American jobs. Now we complain when our jobs don't pay what they used to. The fact that we require such a large quantity of our finished goods and materials to come from overseas has made us vulnerable to the practices of other countries. Recently there have been several examples, one being the problems with salmonella contamination of fruits and vegetables, the latest being jalapeno peppers.

Our economic engine is being sold off piece meal. The latest example is Anheuser-Busch which was recently sold to beer giant InBev. Both companies used the term partnership, but the fact is that Bud is now wholly owned by a company located in a foreign country. The new board for InBev has two members from A-B. Decision concerning this brand and the people in St. Louis and elsewhere that make it will be made outside of the US. The world HQ will still be in St. Louis for now, but that might change in the future as InBev moves ahead.

Lastly, we have become an energy slave to the oil producing countries. Evidence of that is the push to drill more holes in search of a new fix. We are jonesing for oil in the worst way. We are so dependent that we can't see any other solution other than turning over the couch in search of a stray butt we might still be able to get a drag off of.

What do we bring to the world table? The biggest thing we bring is military might. We can put an army anyplace it's needed. The issues really is what need will they be fighting for? Will pressure be put on our country to continue to fight foreign wars with muddy causes? Will our soldiers becomes pawns in a global war of the rich? Will the creditors put pressure on our country to commit troops to fight wars that are of more benefit to them than to the security of the US? The basic question is if our security has been co-opted by our massive debt?

Who we elect will make little difference to the rest of the world. As long as we don't launch our nukes and continue to borrow money at breakneck speed, who signs the IOUs is of little concern. Before you question my logic and point out all the difference between Obama and McSame, consider what impact an embargo to energy or imports would have? What would happen, how many instant layoff would there be? Think about how the balance of power would change. The 1974 embargo shifted the power from the seller to the producer. The oil companies lost the lead to the countries that have the oil and the world was changed forever.

I do think that we have a better chance of changing our reality if we elect Obama. Maybe then we will see the return of humility and common sense. Once we deflate our collective ego and look realistically at the problems before us, we can maybe finally start work on fixing them.

Christmas in June meets the Day After

2008-06-10T05:09:00.000-05:00

You can’t always get what you want
And if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

The Rolling Stones

Once again Santa Steve has made his deliveries. Now the house is a mess with the remains of wrapping paper. The guests are still there, but have spread out into smaller groups. The glow of the keynote is beginning to darken. Now comes the inevitable discussion of the gifts. Was it what we wanted, or needed? Did it come in the right size? Are there any plans to return or exchange it for something else? Like some proverbial Christmas gifts, we don’t get to play with them for a while. We have to wait with anticipation. Not of anticipation of last week, not knowing what we were getting, rather the anticipation of getting to finally take it out of the box.

Gift number one was obviously all the new things we can soon do or buy for our iPhones...if we have iPhones. Santa Steve decided to only deliver that to the good little boys and girls who buy phone service from ATT. The rest of us got to watch as they joyfully got to play with the new toy we couldn’t have. That’s still the case with the 3G phones. Any question about Apple losing their edge compared to the other smart phone makers proved to be false. It’s now going to be tougher for them to battle Apple in the smart phone wars. The rest of us can still get a taste of some of the toys if we have an iPod Touch and want to spend the extra $9.99 for the 2.0 package.

I think the App Store may be one of the biggest stories from the Stevenote. Looking at the quality of some of the apps, you have to wonder about all the unannounced apps over the horizon. The games look amazing, with big name developers like Sega coming to the table, you have to wonder about Nintendo and the other handheld game makers. Will the iPod/iPhone become a major player in the handheld game market? Will there even be a market after what Santa Steve has delivered? We won’t even talk about the Zune, the little toy who couldn’t.

Will all the fuss over the iPhone 3G, it was easy to miss that OS X 10.6 was announced. The details were...that OS X 10.6 was announced. All we really know is that Snow Leopard will be kind of like a Service Pack One, but with a sexier name. It will fix or enhance what is in 10.5 without adding much. That’s probably a good idea since Leopard has not been quite as smooth as Tiger. I love all of Leopard’s features, but it lacks the feeling of brute strength that Tiger had. Hopefully, Snow Leopard with bring back that feeling of strength from Tiger.

Last but not least, was a gift for me. Actually, it was a gift named ME. Santa Steve finally killed the remains of iTools. MobileMe takes online services to the next level. We will still have the email and iDisk, but a lot has changed. No more iCards, no they didn’t make the jump to the cloud. I was disappointed initially, but then stopped to consider when the last time I sent one. Plaxo also does online cards, but they remind you to send them. Apple could have added that, but it would have been small potatoes compared to what they did. MobileMe is going to be a wonderful service, and it seems to be mandatory if you want all you can get out of the iPhone. It appears that Santa Steve has drawn the line in the sand and dares RIM to step across. It will be interesting to see how the battle of the fruits plays out. RIM has their new phone, and now Apple has the iPhone 3G. My money will be on Apple because of the App Store.

My plans? I guess I need an iPod Touch. That works since they are giving them away as part of the college back to school promotion. I can’t wait to see how MobileMe works with my Nokia E62. The old system worked pretty well. I suspect I won’t have all the nice push features, but that’s where the iPod will come in. I will have my two devices to make up for not being an ATT customer, but that’s OK. At least my data plan didn’t go up in price.

Santa Steve and Christmas in June

2008-06-09T05:44:00.000-05:00

Have you been a good little boy or girl? Are you or naughty or nice? Do you have iWork 08 or AppleWorks? Well you better be on the edge of your seat, because Santa Steve is coming to town.

What new toys will he bring? Will it be a new iPhone that will better support the enterprise users? What about OS X 10.6? Maybe it will be a new table computer, if we’ve really been nice? I don’t know what it will be and my record as a speculator sucks. I’m hoping for a new .mac service that is more user-friendly.

My biggest complaint is that a mac like interface doesn’t work as well on the web. I like a lot of what Google has done. Their tools lack the integration of .mac, but they work well from a web interface. I think if Apple follows their lead to a small degree, .mac will improve greatly. I am not one of those who argue to set .mac free. I don’t believe it should be free, however, I do believe that those of us who drink lots of Kool-Aid and buy a new computer often, should get a big break on the price.

I don’t think this present will come until after the real Christmas, but I’ll ask anyway. Santa Steve, can I have full screen editing in Pages 09? I love Pages and would really appreciate it if you added some basic writing tools like full screen editing. The page layout tools are wonderful and solve a lot of my problems. I now need the writing tools to get my ideas into Pages so I have something to format.

Thank you Santa Steve,

Mark

Experience Has Lost It's Meaning

2008-06-08T05:56:00.000-05:00

Marge: This is the worst thing you’ve ever done!
Homer: You say that so often that it lost its meaning.

What is experience? What experience is good for a president? I’ve heard it said that Barack Obama doesn’t have any experience. I’ve never heard anyone detail what experience he’s missing. He’s a Senator, just like McCain. He won elections, just like McCain. He loves this country, just like McCain. What is the difference? McCain is a veteran and former POW, Obama isn’t. McCain has been in the Senate longer than Obama. What experience has that provided and why does it qualify McCain to be president more so than Obama?

There is only one job that being a senator qualifies you for, being a senator. The job of president is unique. There are no prep classes. There are no prerequisites. The only people qualified to do the job are those who were the president. If we are truly interested in electing experience, we need to remove the Constitutional ban on presidents serving more than two terms. That amendment was added to the Constitution as a knee-jerk reaction to FDR's four terms as president. We can’t have it both ways.

A Question of Character

2008-06-07T05:32:00.000-05:00

“It’s not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day.”

Homer Simpson

One of the definitions of character is, the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. I would argue that character goes deeper than that. I believe that society sets the standard for character. The dictionary leaves it open for a person to have bad character, I would equate that with little or no character. Typically we think of character as something a person demonstrates in adverse conditions. While a person may show great character doing something they want to do. They are best remembered for their performance in situations they didn’t like.

Today we see Hillary Clinton’s character. She will demonstrate her strength and honor. She can choose to show us her best or something less than that. I believe that any questions about her character will be fully answered by the end of this day. I believe we will see a person who just completed one of the biggest political donnybrooks in recent history exhibit such strength and grace that the rest of us will see what her supporters knew all along. We will see Hillary at her best. Make no mistake about it, this day will be painful. It will hurt. If you truly believe in what you are doing, admitting you won’t be successful is very painful and hard. Today is Hillary’s day. We need to surround her with our prayers and praise, she’s earned them.

Rail is a Choice

2008-06-05T05:34:00.000-05:00

Give no decision till both sides thou'st heard.
Phocylides

Fuel prices are way too high. That’s probably a statement you can agree with. The problem is what to do about it. The debate from our politicians usually revolves around where to get more. Do we fight wars or take over other countries? Do we drill in ANWR or on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado? What do we do to get more? The one thing we haven’t done is to have a full and open debate about it. The debate over a fuel tax holiday doesn’t represent a full vetting of the issue. Fuel may become a major campaign issue for Obama and McCain, but I doubt it. Both are willing to give the topic lip service, but little else.

Conserving fuel doesn’t seem to be part of the solution. Conserving is a burden that each of us would have to bear. It would mean having to do more with less and that’s un-American. Worst of all, we see it as a temporary measure. We think there is technology around the corner that will provide us with cheap fuel and allow us to continue with our normal lifestyles. Do we really need to consume resources like we do? Are there other options available? We have many choices; some haven’t even thought of yet. We need to really think about how we do things and see what can be done to change. We need to be open to ideas. We need to take won’t out of our language.

One option that gets little discussion now is rail. Many have forgotten this country used to depend on the railroads for transportation. Railroads used to be about the only choice for getting between cities and towns. Starting in the 1960s, the airlines grew quickly and people moved away from the railroads. Airlines were quicker and eventually cheaper. Now the airlines are in trouble. Their fleets of aircraft are quickly aging. Services and amenities are disappearing. Many are having serious financial woes and the future doesn’t look good. It reminds you of the railroads in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

1971 marked the year that everything changed for the railroads. They cut a deal with the federal government to create a national passenger railroad and free them of their burden. Amtrak was born. Since that time, Amtrak’s budget has been sliced and diced. Many in Congress wanted to kill it completely, but it lives on. Now it represents a solution that many people ignore. September 11, 2001 was a dark day in American history. By the end of the day all air travel was grounded, the only transportation that was moving was cars, buses, and trains. Amtrak trains were full and continued that way. Amtrak ridership grows every year.

We need to bring Amtrak back to the table. We need to expand service and make rail a viable choice for public transportation. We need to rebuild our passenger train fleets and networks and make them more efficient. We do not need to ever put all our eggs in one basket again. Public transportation is a must if we want to decrease our dependence on oil and take the strain off our personal budgets. We need to be able to leave our cars at home and take the train.

It's Over, It's Obama

2008-06-04T05:45:00.000-05:00

“A little more than kin, and less than kind”

Hamlet
William Shakespeare

What a night last night. Barack Obama is now the Democratic nominee for the presidency. As a Democrat, I know we must put this primary season behind us. I also know that it will be difficult. This race became personal and many are not ready to let it go. The question to them is whether they are hanging on for the good of the country, or are they protecting their own self-interests. Regardless, the issues that divide the party and potentially divide the country are real and need to be addressed.

For Barack Obama to win the White House, he must first win back the Democrats. The race between he and Senator Clinton became personal and about race. Race an issue that needs to be quickly and decisively addressed. Senator Clinton can either help him or get out of the way. He needs to go to the areas of the country where he is weakest such as Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky, and campaign hard. He needs to get out of the city and head for the hills. He needs to visit people where they live so that healing can take place. He needs to listen to them and hope they will listen to him. It will be a lot tougher for them to ignore him when he is in their town, standing on their front porch.

Senator Clinton must accept defeat. Her campaign came on the scene like they were the nominee and it backfired. If you study the campaign, I think you will find that it was about as fair as it could be, and that the tables weren’t tilted against her. Her campaign had some miscues. Comments were made that shouldn’t have been made. She let others control her message and it hurt. She now has to be the person she is and accept defeat gracefully. Her future is hers to enhance or destroy. She can either decide to rise above the fray or sink to its dark depths. She will make that choice in the real world, not in a vacuum. Her decision will have consequences and not just to her.

I hope that we can come together. I know I got caught up in it and am still part of it. I know that I need to let go and support the Democrats and not just Barack.

Rules

2008-06-01T06:24:00.002-05:00

“Do you bite your thumb at me sir?”

Romeo and Juilet
William Shakespeare

Discipline is hard. It’s tough to punish members of your family when they don’t follow the rules. The bigger problem is that if you don’t follow through with the punishment that was announced, you look foolish. Yesterday the Democrats looked foolish. Florida and Michigan were both warned of the rules and warned of the consequences. Both states went a head with their plans. Both states should receive the punishment announced.

When employing 20/20 hindsight, the word "should" always stands out. The Democrats look foolish because they SHOULD have enforced their rules. Florida and Michigan SHOULD have followed the rules and voted on or after Super Tuesday. Hillary Clinton SHOULD have kept her agreements. Should, should, should, and now we have to pick up the pieces. How do we do that? I don’t know. The Rules Committee of the Democratic Party as left the door open for further challenge of their rules. They have fed the argument that somehow Florida and Michigan are justified for breaking the rules. They have allowed Hillary to change definitions after the fact.

This is a good day to be a Republican. They know full well that if you buck the rules long enough, you’ll win. They believe that if you are consistent and tell the same lie over and over again, it will become the truth. The Rules Committee proved this once again. Hillary believes the same and shows no shame when confronted with the real truth. I guess our country isn’t out of the woods yet. Maybe Barack Obama will win in November. Maybe Hillary Clinton will suddenly put the party first, so the party can put the nation first. Maybe I’ll win the lottery, which will be really hard since I don’t play. Maybe there’s hope.

Ronald McDonald House

2008-05-08T20:10:00.000-05:00

My family and I came to Rochester; Minnesota to have my youngest daughter Katy seen. We have been here before; coming to the Mayo Clinic is nothing new. One of the things that make this trip possible is the Ronald McDonald House. They advertise it as the “House that love built,” and that is not just a slogan. The staff at the house do everything they can to remove as many of the stresses of life they can. Even as great as they are, this house would be nothing without the support of the community. The city of Rochester strongly supports this house. As a parent, saying thank you doesn’t seem to be enough.

One of the best things about this place is perspective. The other residents are here with their kids, just like us, but the stories are different. One of the families we met is grappling with their daughter’s future. She has been diagnosed with a tumor and only have two years to live. The challenges that family faced to get here are amazing although the future looks bleak. Another family shared their joys with us as they watched the very premature baby grow and thrive. A few ounces today and a few tomorrow equals up to a pound which is one closer to getting to go home.

There are people here from all over the world. They are just parents like us and just want the best for our children. We have so much in common, although we live worlds a part. You have to wonder why we can’t get along in the real world.

Football Season Is Almost Over

2008-05-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

No, this is not a post I wrote a few months ago and am finally getting published. My writing is about world football and particularly the English Premier League. The English league is down to the last two weeks, and the title is very much in play. Unlike their US cousins, the end of the season marks the end of the season. There is no second chance, no play offs, no gimmicks to extend the play. To win the title you have to finish on top.

Chelsea, Manchester United, and to a lesser degree, Arsenal are in the hunt. At the time of this writing Chelsea and Manchester United are tied with 81 points. Both teams need to be on task this weekend and next to realize their football glory. If they slack off, they leave the door open for Arsenal to regain the top spot which they held for much of the season. This kind of play is refreshing as most US sports teams in this situation would be thinking past the last games of the season to do well in the only season that counts, the post-season. Coaches and Managers would be sitting some of their talent so that they would be well rested and ready to go. In the Premier league, there is no tomorrow, nothing past May 11th.

Nothing past May 11th also has ramifications for the bottom three teams. Those teams in the relegation zone will be sent down to the Champions League and will have to fight their way back. There is a huge difference in paydays between the Champions League and the Premier League. Being relegated could cost a team millions in lost media revenue. True to form the English have a battle here too. Four teams are battling to stay out of that zone. One team, Derby County (pronounced Darby) has already been relegated as they have only eleven points and no chance of lifting themselves out of the zone. Unlike the MLB, NFL, NBA or the NHL, teams in the Premier League have no right to be there; they earn it with their ability to win. If you wish to play in the English big leagues, you have to win, otherwise, there are any number of teams that would like your spot. Being a Kansas City Royals fan there is no telling what league we would be in if a system like the Premier League existed in Major League Baseball. We might be a AAA league, but more likely a AA League. This year the Royals might actually play acceptable standards and not close to loosing one hundred plus games.

As the season draws to a close, some will realize their football glory; others will pine for next season and another chance. In my case, it will be a little of both. The Blues have had a troublesome year with numerous injuries to John Terry and Frank Lampard. I wondered how they would finish. I love Chelsea and am looking forward to the next campaign. My other favorite sides, Everton and Wigin have done well, but can do much better. Wigin has already started that journey. Steve Bruce has made a huge difference with that side. My fantasy team is closer to the likes of Wigan or Everton than Chelsea. My team has had some great weeks, but are mostly just above average. Maybe next year!

Retirement

2008-05-01T04:32:00.000-05:00

The day I’ve long thought about finally arrived. Yesterday I was told by my Chief that I was done. Almost a year ago I sustained an injury that has just never really healed. It began as a pain and advanced into a series major issues that have required three surgeries. Now the waiting game begins that will result in my retirement. At forty-seven years of age most people would be planning for retirement, not getting ready to retire.

One of the challenges most people don’t consider is how to get your head around the fact that what you’ve done for most of your life, you won’t be doing anymore. With me, that has been emergency services. I’ve spent most of my life being a paramedic in some fashion, ending as a fire fighter paramedic. I’ve worked countless twenty-four hour shifts, been away from my family on many holidays, worked part of most weekends, and had a life style that was counter to what most people had. Now I have to put it all away and leave the world of emergency response. The closest I will be from here on out is as a spectator on the side lines. I may trade one uniform for another, but that new uniform will entail supervising from afar and not being up close and personal.

Many think the end of their career come from old age and if it comes earlier it will be some blaze of glory. Mine was none of the above, it was just a series of push ups. After all, the abuse I had heaped on my body, it was a push up that brought down the house of cards. I was finishing the physical assessment testing my department conducted each year and was doing the push ups and had just gotten to number twenty-one when it happened, the sudden onset of pain and numbness. It wasn’t anything that screamed that I was finished. I was told I’d be as good as new when it was over, but that didn’t happen.

This morning at shift change, the department was dispatched on a suicide attempt. I was walking to my car, ready to begin my four days off, as the ambulance left the station. I’ve watched it leave many times before, sometime remembering to say a prayer for the crew and the victim, but today was different. I knew that I would not make an alarm like that again. A chapter of twenty-eight years of my life was closing, bringing the uncertainly of new adventures to come.

I know the future is bright. I know that good things await me in the future, but all I’ve known is the crackle of the radio and the sounds of the alarms. Normal life will take some getting used to.

Obama For President

2008-04-26T12:13:00.000-05:00

I was asked why I like Barack Obama. The person who asked is a know it all republican and stared hammering on me about his lack of experience and other weaknesses. I really didn't want to debate that with him since when you debate an idiot all they do is drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. My reasons are possible esoteric and hence somewhat unexplainable. I like Barack Obama because he inspires me. He makes me feel that better days are a head. Hope is something tangible. People invest based on the hope their investments will pan out. Hope is not something to be discounted.

We are stuck dealing with the three o'clock phone call. There are two ways of looking at it. One is to look for experience dealing with the problem and the other is to try to prevent the problem in the first place so that everyone can sleep at night. I think that the other candidates are cut from the same cloth as our current president. They are reactionary and want us to reward them for it. I want a president that is going to engage everyone, friends and enemies alike. Our current president only engages our enemies with our military. He is ready to spill our warrior's blood to make his points. I want someone who will put their neck on the line first. I want a president that will sit down with our enemies and try to solve problems. My friend is ready to go to war with everyone in the world except Israel. Why was we use the military to handle diplomacy?

This country needs an enema. We need to get rid of some our old ideas and realistically look at world we live in. We are broke, isolated, going backwards. We need to move forward and get our house in order. We are a proud, strong, caring people and we need to get back to basics.

All Aboard

2008-04-26T09:17:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've been told not to keep all your eggs in one basket. That is a bit of old wisdom that seems as important today as it was back in the day. The problem is that we haven't learned no to do it. Stop and consider the state of public transportation, more precisely, the state of long distance public transportation. The airlines are in trouble. Carriers that are failing to make the grade are merging, as if taking two failing companies and making one will suddenly take care of the failing. Air frames are aging, and the airlines are not planning on replacing them. The whole thing is so reminiscent of a previous time.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the same thing was happening, ridership was down, equipment was aging and a solution was needed. Then the culprit was the railroads. Most railroads had not invested significantly in their rolling stock since just after World War II. They were being hit with financial problems and a declining ridership partly due to the airlines. Making a long story short, they needed a bail out that came as Amtrak. Finally, the railroads could focus on what was making them money and leave the passengers to the airlines and the bus.

Fast forward thirty years and look at the mess we are in. Airline competition is on it's way down with airlines closing or in danger of bankruptcy. The flying public isn't happy. Flying used to be fun, now it's something to be avoided. The security to get on the plane is a mess. I don't think it deterring terrorists as much as it is deterring customers. The airports have become crowded and high priced. As soon as you go through security you feel as if you are in a minimum security prison. I hate it, but then again I'm tired of being treated like a criminal in the name of security, but that's another rant.

Today, I finish a business trip to Chicago and am waiting to go back to the train station to begin my trip back to Kansas City. The trip up was lovely. On Amtrak, you don't feel like a criminal. The people are friendly, and the travel is conformable. I'd gotten out of the habit of trying to take the train where ever I traveled, but it's now time to get back to it. The TSA isn't present at the train station. I don't need to go through metal detectors after nearly completely disrobing. I can leave my shoes on and walk through the train station with dignity and feeling free.

We need our trains. We need Amtrak. We need options when we travel. With gas probably going to hit 5.00 per gallon, we need public transportation. After the attack on September 11th the only transportation running was cars and trains. The government grounded all air transportation. Amtrak saved the day and helped keep people moving. That should have been a wake up call to the government that the need to give it it's fair funding. Instead of starting to improve Amtrak, the government decided to fund more security measures at airports. This continued the practice of putting all our eggs in one basket. It's high time we stopped.

Amtrak deserves our support. Buy a ticket and go on a trip. Look out the window and see America. Head up to the dining car for a meal with new friends, and then wander to the observation car and get the big picture. Most of all relax and enjoy the trip. Traveling isn't about getting there as much as it is seeing the sights and enjoying the trip. The FAA and the airlines have forgotten about this so come home to the train.

I've Been Away!

2008-03-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

Blogging is a full time job, one which I haven't done well lately. There are so many things that can get in your way when you are trying to live life and find time to write you thoughts. I admire those who do a better job keeping things up to date. If you are actually reading my work, drop me a line so I can know that this quiet blog on the edge of the universe is visited.

Bento

2008-02-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

A couple of months ago FileMaker released Bento as a public beta. I quickly downloaded it and gave it a go. I've got to admit I really wanted to use this product. I really wanted a decent database. Since this was from FileMaker, I figured that it would be a wonderful product. I truly wanted to believe.

After downloading it, the first thing I noticed is that the UI was pretty, but really didn't lead to anything. All the templates and demos looked a like It really didn't seem to solve any of my problems. FileMaker is too much and Bento seemed to little.

I kept coming back and messing with it and didn't really come up with any solutions that served my purposes. It seems like I'm missing something because the rest of the world seems to love this little app. I found it worthless.

What I would like to see it some examples of what others that love it have done. How did they put it to work? I use database like apps like Yep and OmniFocus so I'm not a complete stranger to the necessities of compiling data. I just don't see the benefits to Bento.

If you have used it and have an opinion, post a comment. Please share your experiences so I can revisit this app.

SonicMood

2008-02-16T08:21:00.001-06:00

I have to admit it. Admission is the first step to healing. I'm a MacZot and MacUpdate Promo junkie. Everyday I get my email tempting me with the next great app. I do pretty well fighting off the temptation to hit the PayPal purchase button and get my own personal copy that is until Feb. 13th.

That day MacZot was featuring one of the apps I've tried several times since it came out, but never purchased. SonicMood is like wind chimes for your computer. The app mixes a combination of chimes, musical instruments, and natural sounds to try to support the mood you are in or want to be in. In my case, the music seems to help me concentrate on the tasks at hand better and has made me more productive since I started using it. I would begin to do something, and eventually I would need to go to the net for something and my eyes would glaze over and hours would disappear like flower petals in the wind, leaving me more stressed and further behind. SonicMood seems to help me maintain my focus and allow me to get things done easier, faster, and better.

Everyone is different and I'm one of those people that needs sounds to block out the rest of my environment so I can concentrate. SonicMood does exactly that. There is not a predicative melody, so your brain can acknowledge that the sounds are there, but not concentrate on them. The app varies the delivery of the sounds associated with the theme and mood being played so it does not become stale and predictive. It is not like some I've heard that seem to have a specific starting and stopping point so the sounds just become a loop. You can leave the app playing all day at the volume level you wish, and it will always be new and stimulating. I wonder what I would have accomplished it I had jumped in earlier.

One of the things I like about the app is the author. He responds quickly to your emails, and his work seems to more of a labor of love as opposed to just a money making venture. One of the sounds I have liked in other apps like his was city sounds, so I made the suggestions and within a few hours I now have some urban and suburban sound samples to try. I'm so glad I finally jumped in and purchased his app.

I recommend this app highly and strongly suggest that you take a look. You can try SonicMood for thirty real days. That should give your plenty of time to get hooked and decide to buy your own copy. I'm glad I did and wish I hadn't waited so long.

What's Next for the Democrats

2008-02-14T07:43:00.001-06:00

The long knives are out. Hillary, the heir apparent isn't so apparent any more and that's fine by me. As I see it we are down to two candidates for president, Hillary McCain and Barack Obama. We can either choose "experience" or "change". Both Hillary and John McCain are cut from about the same cloth, even the conservatives are starting to realize that. The problem I have is that their time has passed. Their biggest debate will be how much of the Bush administration they will keep. The more they can keep the blame focused on Bush, the more they keep.

The country is broken and I think we need change. The President doesn't do it all. It's not a one person show. Barack Obama will surround himself with smart people. You say that Bush did that too? He may have, but Bush's mindset is far different from Barack Obama's. Both leaders have an agenda, but I want one for progress not one that supports military trials for fifteen year olds.

Bush's decisions are breathtaking. We were warned. In the presidential debates in 2000, Bush warned us that he thought that "freedom has it's limits". I think most people thought that the limits were larger than what the president thought.

We have a clear decision, it's either change and Barack Obama or more of the same and Hillary McCain.

Mac Leopard Finally Ready To Roar

2008-02-12T23:31:00.001-06:00

I was first in line in Kansas City on the day Leopard was released. I wait for a couple of hours to be first to get the new OS. At first I was amazed at all the new tricks the big cat could do, but then I found out he wasn't litter box trained.

One of the first things to go was the memory. Apps such as Plaxo sync started sucking up memory until my computer just froze. After that came the crashes. The new nimble feline as not so nimble. Leopard was nice, but I missed the rock solid feel of Tiger. I contemplated going back but didn't. Leopard forced me to do a complete erase and install and after a day or two of moving in I wasn't about to turn back.

The bright news is the big cat finally has game. 10.5.2 restored that rock solid feel to my computer. Gone are the memory issues and the crashes. Tiger was a great OS, but Leopard is finally better. For those holding out, now is the time to make the jump. Leopard is insanely great.

I may have been a beta tester since October, but it was well worth it. Leopard is ready to growl.

More of the Same?

2008-01-26T14:26:00.000-06:00

With the arrival of Super Tuesday the political landscape will change again. Winners and losers will have to reconcile their performance and move on. One thing that concern me is that we need change and with each passing week change seem a more and more distant possibility. That, frankly, scares me to death. As a father with children in the mid teens to early twenties, the thought that this country could get worse scare me to death. We need a different direction, we need real change, not more of the same, but that is what it looks like we will get.

On the democratic side, things are scary. I was thinking about it the other day and suddenly the math rang through. If Senator Clinton wins then that means that we will have had the presidency confined to two families for twenty years and possible nearly a quarter of a century. I'm not one for term limits, but surely we can do better. I support Barack Obama because he does represent change. To me, he is one that can inspire us to do better. Senator Clinton is simply the democrats version of Bush. I wonder if her appeal to some harkens back to the better days of her husbands administration? If she is elected, she will be the boss, not Bill. It won't be the same, but it will be more of the same. Senator Clinton will energize the GOP base and provide the impetus to get the fund raising machines moving at warp again.

I think her biggest supporter is Rush. After eight years of apologizing for Bush, he will have pages of new material. He can get back to his old tired message. The sad fact is that message will work and we will be back to more of the same again. There is too much that needs to be fixed in this country to waste another four years.

One the GOP side, everyone is trying to out Reagan Ronald Reagan. John McCain is a disaster. He started out as his own man, but after loosing to Bush, decided to become just like him instead of keeping his independence. His new found friendship with the religious wing of the party demonstrates he will sell out to anything to win. We don't need that kind of President. Romney is just like McCain and will say anything to get elected. The really sad part of it is that he believes what he says and doesn't see a problem. He would be easier to accept if he didn't complain about others doing the same. Mike Hackaee is just plain scary. We already have one religious nut job in the White House and don't need another, especially one that would make Bush look smart.

The best choice for the GOP is Ron Paul. He seems to be the only one who can spell TRUTH and use it in a sentence correctly. From what I have seen he has a good grasp of the facts. I don't agree with him, but at least he is wanting to deal with the same problems that this country is.

The bottom line is think before you vote. If you want to vote for more of the same, then don't complain when you get just that.

We Need Bobby

2008-01-06T14:41:00.000-06:00

We are all blessed with 20/20 hindsight. Sometimes though we know or understand that something that is happening will change everything. We don’t have to wait for it’s conclusion to know that we have the chance for something better. That happened in 1968 and was snuffed out before it’s preferred conclusion.

Have you ever stopped to think about what would have happened if Bobby Kennedy wouldn’t have been shot after winning the California Primary? A good case could be made that he would have beaten Richard Nixon which would mean that “Watergate” would just be the name of a hotel or a salad. Without Nixon, Gerald Ford would have probably finished his career as the Senator from Michigan. Jimmy Carter would have just been a governor from Georgia instead of the great ex-president he is today. The outcome of the Vietnam war would be different, there would not have been an Iranian hostage crisis that helped usher in Reganomics.

Bobby cared about everyone in this country especially those who didn’t have a champion like the poor and minorities. Bobby was trying to show us that we could be better than we were. In 1968 we were embroiled in the Vietnam war. American soldiers were fighting and dying in a war that seemed to have no end. At home there was unrest in many areas of life and it seemed like the fabric of society was not just fraying at the edges but would tear into pieces. Bobby saw these events and believed that we could do better and so he jumped into the race ultimately paying with his life. He believed in hope and reconciliation, “I run for the Presidency because I want the United States of America to stand for hope instead of despair, for the reconciliation of men instead of the growing risk of world war.”

Where are we at today? I believe that there are a lot of comparisons to 1968. We are in a war without end. There is unrest at home, not to the degree that there was in 1968, but it’s still there. Look at how polarized our politics have become. Look at the red states and the blue states. We have issues with crime and punishment. We have civil rights issues. We have an unpopular president and the need for change.

Change may come if we give it a chance and support it. The election of 2008 could be the watershed event that 1968 might have been. To me that change come in the form of a former state senator from Illinois. A man that believes that our best days are ahead of up. A man who doesn’t see red states and blue states, but the UNITED STATES. That person is Barack Obama. I believe that he embodies those beliefs that Bobby Kennedy brought to the table in 1968. He is that instrument for change. He inspires hope and faith that things will get better. Through him everyone will have a seat at the table, not just the wealthy or well connected.

Barack Obama demonstrates how far we’ve come since 1968, but better yet, inspires us for the journey ahead. He has already changed the debate over the future and now needs our support to rally the country. Every now and then you get a chance to fix what is broken and hence make our country better than it was. We need to grasp this chance in both hands so that we can nurture and protect it. Bobby Kennedy didn’t get to finish what he started. We need to make sure that Barack Obama gets that chance.