Pontificating from the Triad

LG Optimus V Android Phone | Virgin Mobile

2011-03-31T22:50:00.000-04:00

LG Optimus V Android Phone | Virgin Mobile

Think I got a very good deal when I bought this phone a month ago for $129 at BestBuy. Looks like it is running around $199 now. Like it so far. Great phone if you're not a constant talker - unlimited data, text and pic messaging - 300 minutes a month - no contracts. $25/month. I'll take 2. :)

2011-03-29T21:25:00.001-04:00

Testing out a blog post using my android phone

2011-03-29T20:55:00.003-04:00

Haven't posted here in ages. Playing around with a few new themes,etc. Blogger does make it easy to produce blogs without too much hassle. I had forgotten I had so many archived articles here. So used to Twitter and Facebook now, that I forget I can post here as well. Probably a scary thought for most of you. :)

2009-07-03T11:57:00.002-04:00

New Test post - have been away from blogger for a long time - spending more time on Facebook,FriendFeed,Twitter,etc. Had difficulties with blogger adding my new posts for awhile and eventually had to toss out my template and start over (not very happy about that). I have used wordpress.com for awhile, but am not overly delighted with that as well.

2007-11-18T18:09:00.001-05:00

Messing around a bit with www.poohwaddle.com. Here's a temperature thing

Poodwaddle.com

2007-11-14T20:48:00.000-05:00

I've had a lot of problems with this blogger blog, so switched over to WordPress for awhile, but not a huge fan of it either, so I'm back here at them moment. Had to wipe out all the stuff I had in the sidebar and update my template to get the crazy thing to work again, so it may look a bit vanilla till I get things going again.

In the meantime, you can enjoy this Doc Watson video playing at Wayne Henderson's studio in Rugby, VA, close to where I lived for the past 10 years.

2006-08-16T14:23:00.000-04:00

Read in the paper today that air fresheners in the home can be bad for you if they contain 1,4-DCB (dichlorobenzene). Apparently they reduce lung function according to an article in Environmental Health Perspectives. The stuff is found in air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, and deodorizers, so check the labels. Buyer beware.

2006-06-04T16:21:00.000-04:00

If you get the chance and are in SW Virginia on the 1st of July, then you owe it to yourself to stop in at the Lincoln Theater in Marion, VA for a PBS televised live performance of Song of the Mountains. We went to the June 1st performance the other day and were greatly impressed by the talent showcased. One of the best musical performances I have been to in quite some time. Easily worth the $10 admission price and then some. The theater itself (one of only 3 remaining Mayan Revival style theaters in America) is worth the price of a ticket.

2006-03-06T18:09:00.000-05:00

Health Insurance Insanity
Did you catch 60 Minutes this weekend? Good segment on how the uninsured truly get it socked to them when they go to the hospital. Not that that is new, but the difference in cost is staggering. I was just looking at a lab bill I got today which was $320. Had I no insurance, it would have been $320. But since I currently have insurance, the contracted rate with the insurance company is only $20. Yep, you heard right - $20! And since it is still early in the year, I'll have to pay that full $20, rather than the $4 I would normally pay later in the year after my deducitble is satisfied. $4 vs $320 for the uninsured. What a friggin' outrage. Senator Grassley is supposed to do something about this - maybe. Write him a note and tell him it should be a fair playing field for all. It's also quite easy for the legislature to forget what hellacious premiums folks must pay if they work for a small company that doesn't offer benefits. Most end up doing without any as they get older, simply because they can't afford it. And I thought Bush talked about how the small business was the backbone of the country? Well , if it is and that is where everyone is working, I feel sorry for them.

Another outrage? When you move to another state, you have to reapply for insurance and if you have some sort of illness of a serious nature, like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, etc, guess what? Yeh, you guessed it - no insurance for you. Sometimes you can get a conversion policy if your insurance company has such a thing, but it is very expensive with less benefits than you might have now with your current individual plan. Instead of a 5 million dollar lifetime benefit , you'll more likely get 1 million. Sounds like a lot, until you get cancer or something.

Of course the insurance company tells us it is all the hospitals and doctors faults and that we are leading poor lifestyles, blah, blah, blah. Yeh right - fess up , you and the docs/hospitals are all hosing us.

2006-03-05T18:26:00.000-05:00

Looking for Job
Just thought I'd drop in to indicate I am actually alive. :) I recently found out that my job is disappearing along with my house. I had hoped that I would make it to retirement age, but it doesn't look like that will happen, so it looks like we're off for new adventures in the big wide world. If you happen to know of a wonderful job with full benefits for a 55-year-old guy let me know. I prefer jobs with minimal work and huge salaries, of course.

Have a nice evening! - Schönen Feierabend!

2006-01-13T17:54:00.000-05:00

Have a nice evening! - Schönen Feierabend!,
originally uploaded by Buntekuh.

As seen on a Flickr photo site. Pretty cool cat.

2006-01-12T16:16:00.000-05:00

Computers/PDA's/Smart Phones
Tired of pressing tiny buttons on your handheld to send a long text message or edit a document? Then check out Eleksen's new ElekTex Smart Fabric wireless keyboard . For pics head for Eleksen's site .

2006-01-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

Our Educational System vs Singapore's
You know how we always hear about our kids doing worse than kids from other parts of the world in math and science? Well, Fareed Zakaria, in an interview with Thaman Shanmugaratnam (try saying that!), minister of Education of Singapore (rated #1 in global science and math rankings for schookids), points out that all is not quite as it seems.

"I asked the minister how to explain the fact that even though Singapore's students do so brilliantly on these tests, when you look at these same students 10 or 20 years later, few of them are worldbeaters anymore. Singapore has few truly top-ranked scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors, business executives or academics. American kids, by contrast, test much worse in the fourth and eighth grades but seem to do better later in life and in the real world. Why? "We both have meritocracies," Shanmugaratnam said. "Yours is a talent meri tocracy, ours is an exam meritocracy. There are some parts of the intellect that we are not able to test well—like creativity, curiosity, a sense of adventure, ambition. Most of all, America has a culture of learning that challenges conventional wisdom, even if it means challenging authority. These are the areas where Singapore must learn from America.""
http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/articles.html

But before you think all is roses in America, you should read the rest of the article at the link above.

Immigrants - Weren't we all Immigrants Once?

In this week's Newsweek, Anna Quindlan comments

"Explain to the smart little girl from Guatemal that no matter how hard she works, how much she cares, she's shut out of the big job. Explain it to the mother who lifted a listless kid from a crib in Siberia and now has a son who loves baseball and Fourth of July fireworks. Once they'be become citizens there's no way to justify the exclusion; in a country allegedly built on fairness, it's just not fair. Maybe one of the very best places to look for the presidents of the future is among the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. After all, as any religious person can telly you, converts often make the most passionate believers"

I'd love to see Anna come on Lou Dobb's show on CNN - now that would be a treat.

Quote of the Day
I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. Anna Quindlen

2006-01-02T19:43:00.000-05:00

Browsing Tip
My brother reminded me that I could save an extra 1.57% of purchases at Amazon.com, simply by using the A9 search engine . All you need to do is browse there for a few days and then the next time you visit Amazon, you'll notice the symbol to the left appearing next to the word Amazon. Give it about 3 days to appear. Once there, you're good for that extra percent off. Can't beat that. It even works if you've gone through Ebates first - better yet

The Critics
Stumbled across a new web site that is worth bookmarking - Metacritic.com If you want the latest Movie Reviews, DVD Reviews, TV Reviews, Music Reviews, Book Reviews and Game Reviews, this is the place to visit.

Goodyear Viva Tires
For those of you who keep looking up Goodyear Visa tires in Google and finding this web site, well I can tell you that they lasted me about 40,000 miles on a '92 Accord. Their life came to an abrupt end when I slid my car into the back end of a van and totalled it. I wasn't going very fast, but the pavement was wet and when I slammed those brakes, I slid about 65' with no grabbing whatsoever. There was still tread on the tires , more so in the middle, than on the edges, but I think tires get less "sticky" with age, tending to harden and lose their grip. These tires are warrantied for 80K - sorry, but that's a pipedream. It's another reason it pays to keep your original receipt in the glove box, so when you head back to swap them out, you can get the next set for 1/2 off (or better yet, buy some Michelins - just not the Symmetry - didn't have much luck with that tire either). Next time I think I'll give Bridgestone Potenzas a try.

New Firefox Extensions?
Looks like there might be a new Peer to Peer extension forthcoming for Firefox - Bloggers appear excited over this new feature, believing it will encourage more and more folks to switch to Firefox. Read more about it in this ZDnet article .

If you're into blogging, there is also a new Firefox extension for that as well - "Performancing for Firefox is a full featured blog editor that sits right within Firefox. Just hit F8 or click the little pencil icon at the bottom right to bring up the blog editor and easily post to your Wordpress, MovableType or Blogger blogs." You can read more about it at Performancing for Firefox . I haven't tried this out yet, but plan to.

2006-01-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

Tech Tip
If you use a Palm Pilot or Pocket PC and use AvantGo , then you can automatically add RSS feeds for particular web pages you choose by installing the RSS feed link button in your browser toolbar. Then anytime you find an interesting page that you would like to have on your handheld as an RSS feed, you just click on the button. Next time you sync with your PDA, the new feed is installed in the AvantGo section of your PDA. Slick. You can find the button and the simple instructions for adding it to your browser at AvantGo Autochannel for RSS . (link may only work if you are signed up at AvantGo - a quick simple and free procedure.)

Live Bookmarks in Firefox
Want to know how to set up "Live Bookmarks" in Firefox? Here's a handy tutorial.

Word of the Day
Cloture - A parliamentary procedure by which debate is ended and an immediate vote is taken on the matter under discussion. Also called closure. French clôture, from Old French closture, probably alteration of closure, closure "Only 52 Senators voted for cloture, well short of the 60 needed to cut off debate.."

2005-12-31T23:42:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

While waiting for the Big Ball to drop, thought I'd include my favorite picks of the year, while I contemplate how the hell I ever made it through another year! It must have been all the strenuous exercise and Dr. Weill inspired cuisine (I think these delusional thoughts might have been actually inspired by some of those mushrooms he's always touting!)

Best Movie I Watched:
The Girl in the Cafe

Best Book I Read:
The Kite Runner

Best Web Site:
Answers.com

Best Place to Find Tech Bargains
Techbargains.com

Best Audiobook Web site
Audible.com

Best Browser
Firefox

Please feel free to add yours in the comments section below!

2005-12-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

Just finished listening to A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg Narration was excellent as Flagg does it herself. Perfect soft southern voice fit this story exactly. I had not read or listened to anything by Flagg before (many of you may know her by her Fried Green Tomatoes fame). You'll get a good chuckle out of this book and it is one of those books that tugs at the heart - good match for the Holidays.

Watched the Kennedy Center Awards last night - amongst the honorees- Robert Redford, Tony Bennett, and Tina Turner. Beyoncé knocked them out with a fabulous performance of Proud Mary. Think even Tina was impressed with that. Always interesting to see these awards and the people who honor the honorees.

Saw this article about Mitch Hedberg today. Sad to hear - as you know, he's one of my favorite one-liners and is often quoted here. A unique sense of humor - for some reason (probably cause I am a deranged love child of the late 60's/early 70's) his humor strikes a chord with me.

Quote of the Day
I find that ducks' opinions of me are very much influenced over whether or not I have bread. A duck loves bread, but he does not have the capability to buy a loaf. That's the biggest joke on a duck ever. Like, if I worked in a convenience store, and a duck walked in and took a loaf of bread in its beak, I would let him go. I would say, "Come back tomorrow, bring your friends." When I think of a duck's friends, I think of more ducks. But, they could have like, a beaver in tow. Cause if you're an animal, you want to have a beaver as a friend, cause they have some kick-ass houses. That shit is on the lake. Lakeside my ass, lake on! Mitch Hedberg (Mitch must have been smoking some good stuff when he made this one up. LOL)

2005-12-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

Merry Xmas to One and All! You know that I think is the best thing about Christmas? That our politicians are sitting at home getting besotted and sparing the world one day of destruction!

Hope everybody gets what they want for Xmas while at the same time sparing a thought and a dime for those less fortunate amongst us. If you need a lift, have these guys sing a song for you.

2005-12-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

Politics
I see that ol' Mr. Evil drug his self back into the Senate to fulfill his duty to rob those in need of some more benefits. I reckon he's saying tough to you losers on Medicare, Medicaid, and you Students trying to get loans. Yep, if your're one of those and a Republican to boot, it might be time to ask yourself, "what the hell am I doing voting for these idiots?" At least they managed to stop another idiot, our good ol' boy Stevens from the State of Alaska from trying to slip in the Anwar project into the bill. So far, that is .. these guys will never give that up. And for what? A couple of years worth of oil? Politics can really be disgusting after awhile. Cept, of course for the fat cats who gotta be loving these Bushies.

2005-12-17T19:14:00.000-05:00

A Nice Recognition
Had someone publishing a Canadian Atlas for Kids inquire about using one of my Novia Scotia pics in their new forthcoming book. Was happy to agree to that in exchange for a copy of the book and a photographer credit. My first step towards world fame! LOL You can view more of my pics by going to my Pbase site . And you can send me BIG, BIG bucks if you would like to have one!

iPods
I notice not too many folks have clicked on the free iPod link - what, you're so rich you don't need free gifts? Well, heck, I'm not ,so sign up so I can get a few free ones and give them to my friends - that's what you'd do, isn't it? hello?

Movies
Got around to finally watching "Million Dollar Baby". Good flick - sad ending. Lot of good lessons about loyalty in that flick. Eastwood is amazing - he directs, he produces, he acts, for crying out loud, he even writes the music! Swank is amazing as usual - really throws herself into the part - she would ride the subway everday to Brooklyn to train in Gleason's Gym , just like a real person might - no star treatment there. Janet and I stopped in there this last visit while we were in Brooklyn - just by accident - saw a sign that said "Boxing" and stepped inside, walked up a flight of steps and stumbled into Gleason's! It has been a while since I boxed, so to impress the little lady, I went a few rounds with a couple of the new up and coming studs - flattened their sorry asses after one or two punches and had the rest of the guys running like scared rabbits out of the gym. What can I say? And in this corner......

"Now whoever has courage, and a strong and collected spirit in his breast, let him come forth, lace up his gloves, and put up his hands."
Virgil

Quote of the Day
I like cottage cheese. That is why I want to try other dwelling cheeses, too. How about studio apartment cheese? Tent cheese? Mobile home cheese? Do not eat mobile home cheese in a tornado. It would be devastating. Mitch Hedberg

2005-12-16T18:50:00.000-05:00

Bob Dylan
Did you read that Dylan is going to do a weekly talk show on XM Radio starting in March? That should be a trip - he had better spin a lot of tunes, because nobody's gonna understand anything he's saying. Maybe he'll just fall asleep during the show and the record will just repeat over and over?

Quote of the Day
I have an underwater camera just in case I crash my car into a river, and at the last minute I see a photo opportunity of a fish that I have never seen. - Mitch Hedberg

2005-12-14T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm getting worn out trying to convince my friends (soon to be former friends, no doubt!) to sign up and get themselves a free iPod as well as one for myself. I'm gonna chuckle when I get this thing, cause I'm sure none of them believe it. It's not that big a thing to do and I easily completed the offer in a few minutes. Of course, they make you work at it a bit by dragging you through various offers you just say no to, until you come to the one you have to say yes to, but that's a small price to pay.

But, the wife is hollering about me cranking out an annual Xmas letter - my appointed task - something I would say I look forward to, but really don't. :) But inquiring minds want to know all about our exciting lives on top of the mountain, so I must bless them with a rendition! So my recent obsession with my iPod hunt will have to slow a bit. Although I should be getting my first 3 Blockbuster movies in the mailbox today, so that will suck up 6 hours of time from my Xmas letter writing task. :)

Cell Phones - no contract - anyone using Net10?
Anybody use Net10 out there? I'm thinking of getting an emergency cell phone for those times when I'm traveling and now that Net10 (.10/minute always) has increased the time they allow you per card (up to 60 days on a $30 dollar (300 minute) card) before you have to reactivate by buying another card, the expense isn't all that great. The cheapest phone they have with the deal is the Nokia 1100 for $50 - anybody use this service and can tell me if they like it or not? Supposedly includes roaming, long distance,etc - uses other carriers' towers to accomplish this. I like this deal because there are no contracts and I can quit anytime I want and if I decide to sign up again, I can, but I'll get a different number (no biggie, since nobody's going to call me on this anyway).

Cars/vans/trucks
Anybody have thoughts on a car that has 4wd or AWD that has a lot of storage space that I could pick up new or used for less than 15K? Want something that gets good gas mileage yet has plenty of room (seats folding down in back to a flat floor) so that the wife can cram it full of art stuff and all the stuff she picks up down at the local flea market so she can create more stuff. Did I say stuff? Have contemplated Hyundai hatchbacks, Subaru Outbacks/Foresters (expensive), Chevy HRRs, PT Pacers - some of those don't have 4wd/AWD which I'd like in the mountains, but I'm not gonna pay a fortune to get it. Don't really want a pickup truck (might look like a local - can't have that! :) - might go for a van if I could find one used with AWD. If you have thoughts, post a comment. No spammers please - just normal folks who might pass on a tip.

Laptops
Laptops are getting cheaper - saw a nice Toshiba with a Tru-bright screen down at Walmart the other day for $999. Pentium M processor, 80GB (5400rpm) HD, 512mb RAM, Dual-layer DVD burner - not bad. Send me one for Christmas, if you're feeling bored. :)

2005-12-14T14:25:00.000-05:00

Free iPod !!
Would you like a free iPod ? I know this sounds crazy, but you really can get one of these if you don't mind jumping through a couple of hoops. What do you do? Click on the free iPod link or on the picture at the left and sign up at FreePay - you have to wade through a bunch of stupid questions and then finally you come to this page where you have to select an offer out of maybe 15 various offerings (Blockbuster movies, Music clubs,etc). Once you sign up for one of these (and yes, you can cancel before your 30 day trial period has elapsed), then you can start referring your own friends. Get 5 friends to sign up and complete an offer and kazaam! - A new Ipod! I'm shooting for the 30GB iPod - so far 3 folks have signed up, so I'm almost there. I signed up for a month's worth of Blockbuster movies delivered to the house - figured for $10, I could probably manage to get and return at least 10 movies within that first month and then I can cancel, should I so choose.

Wondering if there is a catch? Well, really there isn't - you just have to suffer through the various screens and complete the offer. Still dubious? Check out this Wired News Article .

2005-12-09T18:04:00.000-05:00

Computers

Getting a bit of a hoot out of Plaxo . It's a neat tool to synch your address book with other Plaxo members, which are normally your address book contacts. If they move or update their address books, their updated entry is automatically updated in your address book. Very handy way to not lose touch of people. But in my first experiences with this tool and sending out requests for my contacts to update, they might update their info, but they won't join Plaxo, which sort of defeats the whole purpose. Makes me chuckle to think that everyone believes their address and phone number is some sort of sacrosanct item. I'm sure the Feds know where you are a hundred times over - if you've ever filed a tax return or applied for Social Security benefits, they know where you are. And I'm sure they have a million other ways to find you as well. If you're worried about spam, Plaxo has tight security controls in place, even if they close up shop or sell to someone else. You're not going to get spammed through Plaxo. You can read more about their Security policies .

It's been an interesting social experiment. Does show how paranoid everyone has become. It's a shame because this is a great tool. I've lost contact with a lot of folks over the years and no good way to find them other than through googling them, etc., which doesn't always work. This would eliminate that problem.

2005-12-04T16:37:00.000-05:00

Audiobooks

Check out the whole new redesign of Audible.com . New subscriber plans! The best place on the Net to get audiobooks with the added benefit that they play on hundreds of different devices, so if you're tired of only listening to music, this is the place to go. "Choose from more than 26,000 best-selling digital audiobooks, radio shows, audio versions of popular magazines, daily newspapers, and original programs. Download your audio in minutes and listen anywhere you go using your Apple® iPod®, Pocket PC, Palm OS handheld, Creative® MuVo®, AudibleReady® device, PC, Mac, or on burned CDs." For a complete list of devices you can listen to audiobooks on, head for the device center page .

Scroll down on the right side of this page and you'll see some of my favorite Audible.com audio books. Highly recommended.