It seems like only yesterday I posted a video about the same Pearl Acacia. This year though, the blossoms increased about five fold and the bees are loving it. Wrapping up a busy and amazing year.

Can you create an awesome desktop game using web standards? Then get busy and enter for a chance to win $30K and a trip to GDC 2012.

After using both Nike+ GPS and Runkeeper a few times I find Runkeeper to be the superior app. The GPS tracks are more detailed and it runs flawlessly as a background app.

At least four times the Nike+ GPS app has died while running in the background and I was disappointed at the end of each run to discover that only part of the course was captured, or nothing at all. It’s a completely different story with Runkeeper. It’s gotten to the point where I actually try to crash Runkeeper by taking HDR photos and processing them on the phone, or streaming music in the background with Last.fm. I can’t make it crash. I can only guess as to why Runkeeper decided to change the price of their iOS app from $9.99 to free but I’ll take it.

Some photos from the trail. Click or tap to zoom.

These 23 seconds of video I captured with my iPhone 4 don’t even begin to touch the pristine 500 FPS HD footage you can watch free online in NATURE’s Hummingbirds: Magic in the air. Nonetheless it was fun to have this close encounter even if I was a bit nervous with that sharp beak flitting around my face. That red hummingbird feeder in the background is a Hummzinger Ultra Feeder and it works great without attracting any bugs.

A cloudless San Diego sky serves as the backdrop for this drought tolerant Pearl Acacia as it sways in a gentle 75º breeze.

This post is for @rissxrizzles to explain why I will never by another Volkswagen. I’ve wanted to write about this for a while now.

Volkswagen’s tweet: ”We definitely support this decision! RT @rissxrizzles: I think i might get a jetta :)” finally prompted me to share my VW nightmare with Marisa and anyone else who cares to read. Maybe VW will take notice and FIX IT.

In January of 2010 my 2002 1.8T Passat Wagon’s engine died. Three months prior I had it serviced by City Volkswagen in San Diego and they gave it a clean bill of health except for an issue with oil pressure that they “fixed” with an oil change. Little did I know there was a very serious and well-documented (1) issue with oil sludge that should have raised a red flag for any competent mechanic. The oil sludge issue was so well known, in fact, that Volkswagen had settled to extend the warranty for that model to eight years and unlimited mileage. That service took place three weeks before the eight year deadline so when the engine died I was not covered. I had just recently passed 100K miles so I was no longer covered by my 10 year 100K mile warranty. I was, to put it in VW’s erms, out of luck. Or so I thought.

My friend John is a mechanic and he brought the oil sludge issue to my attention. When I learned about the eight year extended warranty, and how City Volkswagen missed the glaring red flag just three weeks before that warranty expired. I felt that there had been a terrible mistake that would be set straight once I had explained the situation to VW.

I spent weeks arguing with Volkswagen of America. Their phone-tree was a virtual citadel but I was eventually escalated to someone
with some authority. Even they tried to stonewall me but I wouldn’t go away. They finally relented and offered me a measly $1,500 voucher to use at a dealership for replacing the entire engine. Needless to say that didn’t feel like much compared to the cost of a new engine plus labor. I debated replacing the car but the rest of the Passat was good and I don’t view cars as disposable.

By March of 2009 2010 my Passat had a new engine. I thought the whole saga was over until a couple weeks ago. I received a class action letter (2) informing me that a new settlement was imminent. If this new settlement goes through the warranty for the oil sludge issue will be extended to 10 years 120K miles. Which means that if I take my time to fill out the paperwork and send in the receipts I could get reimbursed for the entire expense, hopefully, in a just few months.

Overall, Vokswagen of America was not friendly in this matter. I called them with the expectation that they would be my advocate. After all, I am/was a loyal Volkwsagen customer with two VWs of my own. They did not go to bat for me. I was left to fend for myself. What really infuriates me is that the whole time I was trying to get some justice this new class action settlement was underway.

They knew! After receiving the most recent letter I called them to see if they would help me to ensure a smooth reimbursement process for the pending new settlement. All I got from them was a cold shoulder and a passing of the buck. “That’s not our deparment.” Well Volkswagen, it may not be your department but it’s your f***ing brand!

I deeply resent the way I’ve been treated by Volkswagen and will never buy another car made by them. I strongly urge anyone considering a Volkswagen to buy something else.

(1) Google search for 2002 Passat oil sludge issue

(2) VW 2002 Passat oil sludge settlement documents

Related reading: Consumer Reports – VW still among the least reliable and VW to Cover Cost (kicking and screaming) of Sludge Damage

Whatever put that dent in Dona’s Otterbox Defender’s screen protector would have certainly shattered her iPhone’s screen. As bulky as they may be the Otterbox Defender has a rugged appeal that guards our family’s iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 4.

NOTE: This post was prematurely published due to either a bug or “feature” in WordPress for iPhone. I wanted to move my local draft to the server so I kept it marked as a draft and hit the publish button. It was auto-tweeted prematurely and, well … that’s why this site is always in alpha. So how do you move your draft to the server without making it public?

I was reminded of this passage from King Henry VI while listening to a song by Big Audio Dynamite. I don’t know which actor they sampled but it was touching.