Clever and potentially profitable

Using iPod Armband as Ankle Ice Holder

2012-05-24T08:42:00.001-05:00

Blog

2012-05-22T12:40:00.000-05:00

Update:

Ran a 24 hour 'torture' test with 16MB *random* writes using Drive Genius 2. Average was 4.06MB/s, Min 3.58, Max 4.82. So, it exceeds the Class 4 spec on the average by 1.5%, and if you're lucky, over 20%. The worst case is only about 10.5% under the spec and best case is over 20% higher over spec, so yes, it's class 4 for sure. Not much extra performance here.

Older:
Long story short: Read is good at 19 megabyte a second through a USB adapter, SUSTAINED writes will go above the rated class 4 speed by about 15-20%. 4.6-4.8 megabytes/sec is achievable with large write sizes like 8-16MB. Average write speed as I'm typing this is 4.43MB/s aver the last few minutes for a 16MB sized sustained write.

I tested using Drive Genius 2 for OS X.

Small sized writes are horrible, don't ask.

But you were going to load a bunch of video and music to it for your tablet/phone, so it works for that, right?

And it's Patriot, so if you got it at a good price you're golden.

I got it at Fry's for $11.99 after Rebate in May 2012, so it's hard to complain about this card. Worth the money.

Drop a quarter over there with the Paypal button there if I influenced your buying decision. Thanks!

2012-05-21T08:41:00.001-05:00

First the kids leave their clothes all over the place, so now this guy leaves his old skin on the wall.

Won't anyone pick anything up in this house?

I told my son it shoots mini fireballs. Too much World of Warcraft I guess. I think he gets his imagination from his mother. Well at least we know it can be skinned. What's the mat craft into?

On another note, I got a complete pour with some nice crema using my Bodum press today. This was after stirring in some fructose, so I popped a few of the bubbles, but it's still nice. I didn't lose coffee below the plunger as I've had up until now. Must be getting better at it.

Ah, Government

2012-05-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

What should be simple, is, but isn't intuitive.

So I get my new Global Entry card, and I visit https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/ and login, so I can activate it.

I know people don't read for comprehension, but this is one case where you shouldn't really need to. You would think that you could activate your card after logging in to your own account.

Nowhere can I find the option to activate. I see my card number. I see I'm accepted, obviously, since they sent me the card.

Long story short, you activate it WITHOUT logging in, which the instructions actually don't tell you to do.

If you just visit https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/ and look, without doing anything, the link is there to activate it.

Make sure you're logged out, then re-visit https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/ and click the link for card activation.

No login necessary.

Laser Optical Mouse Not Working Right

2012-05-15T13:09:00.001-05:00

Got a laser optical mouse that acts all weird? Check it for a hair stuck in front of the diodes. I know this seems obvious to look for obstructions, but this mouse has a sort of double diode arrangement and the hair was white.

It was hard to distinguish from the white reflections on the glass diodes.

Further, it was mostly inside the case and stuck out across the diodes, so it wasn't immediately obvious. It took some tweezers and some wrangling to get out.

My Workout Weights

2012-05-14T16:12:00.000-05:00

I use Platemates and Powerblocks. This is a great combo because the large flat metal area on the Powerblocks is perfect for Platemates. You can fit multiple Platemates on a Powerblock for microadjusting your weight training.

It's also a very quick change for programs like P90X that go quickly from one exercise to another and you need to switch to a different weight.

You will not be disappointed, I've used Platemates for years, and Powerblocks for a few months now.

I'm very happy with both products.

(Be patient, there's an Amazon widget loading with this post so you can see the weights.)

Got one, makes the Missouri City water taste better

2012-05-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

My kids say it tastes better too. It will eliminate most or all of that Lake Houston flavor. Cold, it's darn good water.

It filters up to 300 bottles of quality H20.

Why haven't you clicked the Buy button yet?

25% off P90X, Insanity, Shakeology, and every Beachbody Product for Military for FREE

2012-05-09T15:06:00.001-05:00

This PDF has the info.

If you are on ANY kind of active duty military orders, you get a 25% discount. Click the link to download the PDF.

Sweetener I Like

2012-05-01T11:36:00.001-05:00

It comes in various sizes and options, and to me actually tastes better than sugar because it leaves no sour aftertaste.

It has a little bit of sucralose in it, but it's 99% natural.

Truvia is my other favorite. I tried Sweet Leaf, but it's pretty yuck.

Cheap Brokerage

2012-04-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

I like them because their margin rate is 4%.

Ameritrade was 8% and this saved me quite a bit.

Click here for my referral link.

The only downside is they aren't set up for Quicken yet, but I expect this to change. If you carry margin balances, then this is a great choice.

Expose Corners Stop Working OS X 10.6

2012-04-28T14:27:00.002-05:00

Clicking the Google Voice widget broke it I think. I hit F12 to bring up the widgets / Dashboard and it started working again.

Just assign a function key to Hide and Show the Dashboard, hit it, and hopefully that will fix it like it did mine. No reboot necessary or anything, just needed a kick.

Art

2012-04-27T19:28:00.001-05:00

I call this one "A Study in Textures"

Stop Playing with the Hose!

2012-04-27T11:28:00.001-05:00

Cool Electric Car Charger in Houston

2012-04-24T14:37:00.001-05:00

This is in front of the Whole Foods in Sugarland.

Ooma Phone Service Mini Review

2012-04-18T17:54:00.000-05:00

Updated on Apr 18, 2012 from August 2009 post

So it's been 2.5 years already with Ooma? I guess that paid for itself.

No phone bill for 20 months so far.

The nice thing is it runs the whole house by plugging it in to the wall as if my house wiring were an extension cord, then disconnecting my phone line outside at the box on the house.

I get an email that I have voicemail, and can check it on the web. How handy is that?

Here's a link to the newer slicker more featured version on Amazon.

theroblog makes 4% so we'd love it if you use that.

I have had no issues at all that I can recall. It even works with modems, allowing my Sony SVR2000 Tivo Series 1 to dial out and update it's guide data.

Click here for that article.

The fact that a modem can connect over it should also tell you that the voice audio quality is excellent, which it is.

I figure I'm saving at least $25 a month. I just use the basic service which is free.

The Daily Funny

2012-04-17T08:25:00.003-05:00

When typing an email to my CPA, I misspelled 'deductions'.

Autocorrect wanted to make it 'deceptions'.

AT&T will unlock your iPhone. Not Really.

2012-04-12T15:31:00.002-05:00

I have an iPhone 3GS. My father in law has an AT&T account. They will not unlock it, nor will they tell me why. "For security reasons."

In other new, I'm still with T-Mobile. And AT&T still sucks. I hate them with the burning passion of a thousand white hot suns.

Until they drastically change their ways, you could not pay me to go with them again. And they cost more, and I have far fewer dropped calls and more features than I did with them.

(In case you haven't heard, AT&T will unlock an iPhone under certain circumstances. Other carriers will unlock their iPhones WAY easier.)

Why I use a Mac Pro Desktop

2012-04-12T10:34:00.000-05:00

It's overkill for a desktop, but I haven't rebooted in over 15 days.

Linux nerds, don't tell me about your super long uptime home server. This machine sees daily use, sleeps, software updates, etc.

"10:11 up 15 days, 20:24, 2 users, load averages: 0.86 0.72 0.63"

Next upgrade: an SSD of some sort. Probably a hybrid because I don't want to mess with multiple volumes, etc.

If you're in the market for a new desktop, try and find a 2008 Mac Pro desktop. 2006 model is cheaper, but there are a few technical limitations. You can find them with a small warranty on Ebay.

It's super easy to run Windows alongside the Mac with Parallels. Add a second monitor, and you've effectively got two desktop machines.

Backups are easy, the machine never crashes, and they are fast even though they're several years old.

Shakeology vs. Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake

2012-04-11T08:32:00.000-05:00

A couple people have mentioned the Visalus shake to me.

These scores are a screen grab from foodfacts.com

Shakeology on the left, Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake on the right. They haven't reviewed the new Vegan version of Shakeology, Tropical Strawberry. I expect a similar score, or maybe 100 if that's possible and it's not a percentile score.

Foodfacts.com is handy if you want to have a comparison done impartially.

You'll be relieved to know Twinkies are also available for a comparison.

I like Shakeology because it's not an ordinary shake. Ordinary products, ordinary results. And since I sell it, and I don't like salespeople, it's got to be unique and different. I can't get excited about the every day stuff.

Clicky Linky Here.

You will also need a workout regimen if you really want to be in shape. No shake in the world is going to do that. Losing weight's one thing, cranking out 10+ pullups in a set or 339 ab exercises in 15-17 minutes is another. ("Ab Ripper X. I hate it, but I love it.")

My weapon as you've no doubt guessed from the banner on the right and the quote above is P90X.

If you think you can't do P90X, let me know. If you really can't, let me know.

Team Beachbody has something for kids and we have something for ages 55 and everything in the middle.

Contact me at this link:

One more Linky

New Starter Turbofire Program

2012-04-08T16:29:00.001-05:00

Looking for a starter program? This could be it. It's the latest addition to the Turbofire line. It JUST came out about a week ago.

I really like the fact that Beachbody has programs for ALL fitness levels and budgets.

Beachbody products are designed for: a 400lb guy who hasn't worked out in 10 years, people age 55 years old or over, kids, and of course extreme stuff like Insanity or P90X2 for those of you in pretty good shape already.

And there's everything in the middle. If you fall into any of these categories, we've got you covered.

Meal planning, recipes, and custom shopping lists are available along with a discount.

See my P90X results at beachfitrob.com and to contact me directly for help picking a program.

Team Beachbody as a Business

2012-04-06T21:53:00.000-05:00

This is the video I like if you are thinking of starting a business, are a personal trainer looking for more income, or just want to get fit and get paid.

It's real people making amounts varying between extra pocket money and thousands per year, week or month.

I can say personally, that it's become somewhere around a car payment for me (so far!). Beachbody themselves will provide you customers with just a little work and success on your part. This is one thing that makes it different from so many home based businesses: I don't have to find all of my own customers.

My business is growing by itself, thanks to Beachbody. I get to associate myself with the company behind P90X, Shakeology, and Insanity.

Visit beachfitrob.com and sign up for a free account by clicking Join. Then click Coach for more info.

2012-04-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

I'm so international! Yes, your Starbucks card works in London, England. This is a U.S. card, used and reloaded in London with GBP.

18 more drinks to gold status! I'm rocking an ancient Red card.

Pick up a new card here: You can add that value to your current card.

2012-04-03T12:13:00.002-05:00

Instagram is finally out for Android! Click here to get it!

Instagram was launched in October 2010 by co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Instagram is a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Simply snap a photo, then choose a filter to transform the look and feel. Pictures are shared on Instagram, and can be easily uploaded to other social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

GasBuddy Mobile App

2012-03-31T12:36:00.001-06:00

I found this app called GasBuddy that helps you find the cheapest local gas prices. Check it out: http://m.gasbuddy.com/app.aspx?s=1

Fatwallet: All your content are belong to us

2012-03-31T10:19:00.000-06:00

While I understand that they want to avoid spam, this is Fatwallet's policy on linking to a site you may benefit from:

"At FatWallet, we do not allow members to post for sites and services for which they may receive benefit."

The downside of this is, if you generate content on a deal they have, you can't link to your content. They want it all.

Example: I figured out how to re-use a coupon for a deal they posted. No one will see that in Fatwallet's thread because I can't link to my blog post. I hope you got here via Google.

And I am growing weary of sites that benefit greatly from the generation of content by other people.

XDA Developers earns my respect because they have a button in their forums that allows people to donate to you via Paypal if they find your work helpful, and a thanks meter to pump up your reputation.

And yes, this cheapskate has donated on a number of projects and to devs who have done useful work.