tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76520662024-03-06T23:38:41.441-08:00tghausTaylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-24000621173869342062009-02-09T21:53:00.000-08:002009-02-09T22:14:55.942-08:00Instant XBox Live Status Gadget - Mac/Safari OnlyLooking to put an XBox Live status gadget on your desktop? Maybe you were hoping to find one for iGoogle? Well, I couldn't find anything decent, but I did figure out the following trick to add a Dashboard gadget.<br /><br />First, you <b>MUST</b> be using a Mac and Safari for this to work. If you're not using Safari, go open it up now. If you're using Windows—ouch. That's pain dude. Linux - ok I forgive you. Now boot back into OS X.<br /><br />Ok cool, you are using a Mac and Safari, now:<br /><br />Step 1: Go to <a href="http://1337pwn.com/iphone.php">http://1337pwn.com/iphone.php</a><br /><br />Step 2: Add gamertags you want to track. The UI is a bit odd - after typing the name of the gamertag you want to track, press the checkmark button. When you are done, press Save.<br /><br />Step 3: The result will be a simple status gadget displaying the current status of the gamertags you selected. Use the <a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/safari.html">Safari web clip feature</a> to save the a clip of the resulting status tracker to your Dashboard.<br /><br />In case you don't know what the web clip feature is on Safari, it's the scissors button: <img style="border: 0; padding: 0; margin: 0; height: 1em" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EHYVAPgF6GvQj4FX_uj_I7uPSsF-RAEH0jAM2VZ24wvWmp6eBK6l9Mvha6Dlm7mBhc9W1XuIv7diHijBUOAYFbDJD4DDvEH55-Zc_GHeYK6a8qcrJxAGMnhDw_AtyhaqGLqVcg/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301043810909807570" />Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-13084731506887139602009-01-13T17:55:00.000-08:002009-01-13T18:42:19.636-08:00What the F&*#% is the matter with the Safari dev team?I wish someone could explain to me the bonehead thinking that went into the most recent version of Safari. Don't get me wrong, I love Safari. It's fast, it's stable. It renders beautifully. And I very nearly forgot how full-on retarded a fresh install of Safari is to use. <br /><br />I recently had to exchange my normal MacBook Pro for a loaner MacBook to get some servicing done on the former. Using a loaner machine isn't a terribly big deal for me - most of what I do day to day persists remotely, so making the temporary switch is pretty simple. Except for Safari. I mean really, WTF?<br /><br />Here's what is wrong with a fresh Safari install:<br /><br /><b>1) NO HOME BUTTON</b><br /><br />Yep, that's right. I can't remember in the past 10+ years of web browsing where a browser didn't give you:<br />a) a home page<br />b) a way to set that home page<br />c) a button to go to that home page<br /><br />This is nearly fundamental to the web browsing experience, and the "geniuses" at the Safari team left it off the default UI. You can of course edit the preferences and add a home button (which I promptly did) - but really. Not putting it on there is simply ridiculous. I can understand letting advanced users <i>take it off</i>, but a novice user really needs it to be <i>on</i> by default, not <i>off</i>.<br /><br />Example of customizing the toolbar in Safari:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhcU4SYKQs_X89bFK3Y52W-RsfRA16aQwlq8Dtx4Pwq1YL9vgcQHf5sck-gO8H_a6KkdnzVonbgUjFSsft8RP8nXu0mo3o698hVO-gXVP2u6DP2zRSpqoZ-xxLl0KRcO-iMigPA/s1600-h/Picture+4.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhcU4SYKQs_X89bFK3Y52W-RsfRA16aQwlq8Dtx4Pwq1YL9vgcQHf5sck-gO8H_a6KkdnzVonbgUjFSsft8RP8nXu0mo3o698hVO-gXVP2u6DP2zRSpqoZ-xxLl0KRcO-iMigPA/s400/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290967550347643826" /></a><br /><br /><b>2) NO PREFERENCE ITEM FOR ENABLING THE TAB BAR IF ONLY ONE TAB IS PRESENT</b><br /><br />This is ridiculous. You can actually set this setting, but it's damn near impossible to do it. First of all, you have to find a web page that tells you how to do it. (<a href="http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20070613083236958">Here's one</a>)<br /><br />But the instructions are by no means for the faint of heart. First of all, you have to run some sort of Preferences application called Property List Editor. Yeah. Ok. (It's a bit like running the RegEdit program in Windows - in fact it's a LOT like it). Because <i>that</i> makes sense (you know, run a separate app to set the preferences where one of the best things about the Mac UI is that ALL apps have a preferences page in the exact same spot - good UI. Bad UI. Mac Good. Safari. BAD)<br /><br />Anyway, my favorite part is - the instructions are on the web page you are reading. Presumably you are using Safari of course (if you were using Firefox, you wouldn't really care about configuring Safari, right?) You have to <i><b>quit</b></i> Safari to execute the list of instructions. Forget remembering them - they aren't trivial. So you've got to cut and paste the instructions somewhere else just to run them, or launch Firefox (and by the time you do that, I would guess 1/2 of you would just give up and use Firefox and forget about customizing Safari. I don't blame you). Amazingly, it's even worse - this preference <i>actually existed</i> in Safari 2, but disappeared in 3. <br /><br />Ok, so maybe the Safari team is deprecating the feature - I guess - but why? It's a really good feature to have - for one thing you can't "drag" a window that has only one tab in it to another window (no tab to drag) which I like to do a lot to cut down on extraneous windows (see Item #3). More than that, having the tab bar visible is a good UI <a href="http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000060.html">affordance</a>, if the Safari team doesn't know about affordances they have some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0465067107/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231900487&sr=8-2">studying</a> to do.<br /><br />Here's an example of running the stupid Property List Editor to set this preference:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZoeYIQkR-XMR01ryCVwmhkGi-2hJd6Qy7IY-vp7dP7SoCak1fWxHqLgrxyM5Nmhl_4qT5i2w5WZuNQk38ryO384ecQo7a5y791qgbegMVzkVXbAupX7bvxZi8hD32aecZaZyjw/s1600-h/Picture+3.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZoeYIQkR-XMR01ryCVwmhkGi-2hJd6Qy7IY-vp7dP7SoCak1fWxHqLgrxyM5Nmhl_4qT5i2w5WZuNQk38ryO384ecQo7a5y791qgbegMVzkVXbAupX7bvxZi8hD32aecZaZyjw/s400/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290967241416143378" /></a><br /><br /><b>3) NO PREFERENCE ITEM FOR FORCING ALL LINKS TO OPEN IN A TAB</b><br /><br />This is yet another baffling decision - the feature is available. But you can't set it. Unless you find some web page that gives you a labyrinthine set of instructions on how to set it. Actually, this is a really easy preference to change - but this time, you have to use the terminal app. You know, cuz one way of setting hidden settings isn't enough - you gotta have two!<br /><br />Setting the preference in terminal:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPx5GbyVyBt4yiXeBaYAZTuYXQQowCWkFkFoZl8I22ywal-r5tkdK58Tr4WksHVNIDlNtJKhUUlBKY1x7as6tUIikYysNESDRUutURnYL1hiIfTVNnvw22wnSQNPS4peATZaT2Q/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPx5GbyVyBt4yiXeBaYAZTuYXQQowCWkFkFoZl8I22ywal-r5tkdK58Tr4WksHVNIDlNtJKhUUlBKY1x7as6tUIikYysNESDRUutURnYL1hiIfTVNnvw22wnSQNPS4peATZaT2Q/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290973632011088530" /></a><br /><br />So if you want to enable Safari links to be opened in a new tab, regardless of the setting the stupid web developer that thinks they should open in a new window used, you can find out <a href="http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/08/terminal-tips-force-safari-to-open-all-links-in-new-tab/">how to do so here</a>.<br /><br />Nice. Thanks. Would it be that hard to just give me a checkbox in the tabs preference pane Safari team?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcYm6RJhL_eGyvAz3v1-aUBeclcWoT4TBZRbrpyKp6pysrrlguUTZm6u8OF_yqgmTFQCiZelHgolYUmyCqUbZKSKAbOJKI-tHRRANMrVC3nRjPDQC-a19fTWiGPPsorXHIGINYg/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcYm6RJhL_eGyvAz3v1-aUBeclcWoT4TBZRbrpyKp6pysrrlguUTZm6u8OF_yqgmTFQCiZelHgolYUmyCqUbZKSKAbOJKI-tHRRANMrVC3nRjPDQC-a19fTWiGPPsorXHIGINYg/s400/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290966639193881266" /></a><br /><br /><b>4) ENABLE TAB TO SELECT THE NEXT ITEM IN A WEBPAGE</b><br /><br />Ok, another big WTF. What else should tab select? This is just silly that it does anything but select the next item in the web page. You know, you're filling out a form, you put in your name or whatever, hit tab to go to the next form field, and blam, the focus is off in never never land. I can't believe that anyone would actually <i>expect</i> that to happen, not after 10+ years where the tab key is pretty the defacto standard for moving the focus - or maybe I'm just windows centric I dunno. <br /><br />Still, this just seems ridiculous to have set to anything but turned on, and yet amazingly enough, there it is, in the advanced section of the preferences pane no less, you've got to check the box to enable what seems like defacto standard behavior.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVveVqDoVmU102EqTnhoNA5YxrcFihyphenhyphenG3ZIRJd3-gbTc0AVOLlL51QTQC4_4p88krsZVVtxpWxD4ghE12B-knfU5X0Tr_cCqpbyOAFRdFEl6TTj1mqpAV0zNomq1CrYsTcMdmmA/s1600-h/Picture+5.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVveVqDoVmU102EqTnhoNA5YxrcFihyphenhyphenG3ZIRJd3-gbTc0AVOLlL51QTQC4_4p88krsZVVtxpWxD4ghE12B-knfU5X0Tr_cCqpbyOAFRdFEl6TTj1mqpAV0zNomq1CrYsTcMdmmA/s400/Picture+5.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290968626992617250" /></a>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-43433836221405828212008-11-06T21:18:00.001-08:002008-11-06T21:30:35.475-08:00Let's hear it for John McCain!!I figured it out. And I must say, it was a devious plan indeed. Because until I did figure it out, there was just no way to explain the McCain of the past 4 years.<br /><br />I really liked the McCain of 8 years ago. He stood for his values. He stood up to his party. He had intelligence, he had wit, he had morals. <br /><br />Fast forward to 2006, and we now have a man who has gone back on everything he appears to have believed in - or did he? McCain sucked it up enough to win the Republican Nomination, and then, in a move that baffled just about everyone - he picked Sarah Palin as a running mate. It seems unbelievable - how could anyone make such costly political mistakes - especially someone in politics as long as McCain.<br /><br />It really doesn't make sense until you understand one thing, and one thing alone - He hoodwinked you. He hoodwinked me. He especially hoodwinked the Republicans. And in so doing, John McCain made history.<br /><br />You see, John McCain KNEW the Democrats needed to win the presidency. Oh sure, McCain might have fought it out with Clinton. But Obama? Just think about it. Obama wins the Democratic nomination, and the next thing you know McCain happens to commit political suicide by picking....Sarah Palin? He threw the election. There is just no other way to explain it.<br /><br />So, on this day, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008, 2 days after the most historic election in history, I thank you John McCain. The Republican Party - the true Republican Party - will likely thank you. The United States thanks you. And the world thanks you.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-48205306795826686372008-10-09T15:57:00.000-07:002008-10-09T16:04:53.180-07:00The Anti-Midas<blockquote>Jay's like King Midas as I was told<br />Everything that he touched turned to gold<br />He's the greatest of the greater get it straight<br /></blockquote><br /><br />-- Peter Piper, Run D.M.C<br /><br />If you remember 80's rap music, you might remember this little diddy. Unfortunately, George W. Bush is not like Jay. In fact, he's so not like Jay that I'd say he more like the Anti-Midas: everything he touched to turn to lead.<br /><br />Now, on Friday, old Bushy is going to "speak" to "Americans" (honestly, who can he speak to anymore, does <span style="font-style:italic;">anyone</span> trust him?) -- see reference here: <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/09/national/w142700D16.DTL">Bush plans economic statement to assure Americans.</a><br /><br />Near the end of the article, it mentions that Bush has spoken 19 of 22 days during the recent crisis. Does anyone think we might be better off if he <span style="font-style:italic;">stopped</span> speaking? Given the track record and all, it doesn't seem to be helping.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-20968423894772450092008-08-31T08:36:00.000-07:002008-08-31T08:41:36.711-07:00Strange FaceBook coincidenceWhoah. I just checked my Google reader feed for FaceBook friend updates. Exactly two updates. Two different people, at nearly the same instant. Look what they wrote:<br /><br />(names hidden to protect the innocent)<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8_Hj1E65OnJfR6jxp1GEQxakZwdPCq0-QeUyWBoX8uA0kEd6rpJ_FpygET6frY8RtuY__mg59zSBHJVX0DIVY-b1vlgqbpvqph-pBFOu8fH9Deb6rWzbkyG5CYXDvusdFnmwyQ/s400/Google+Reader+(1000%2B).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240707344557232082" />Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-78639220244822485082008-07-18T22:49:00.001-07:002008-07-18T22:51:15.174-07:00Now this is patriotismNone of that bullshit 9/11 crap. Striving to solve real problems, with real solutions, using real goals, that inspire and push us to do better, and be better, is what makes us Americans.<br /><br />Thank you, Al Gore, for showing us what it is to be an American, by delivering an absolutely stunning speech. Want to see what I am talking about? Watch it here: <a href="http://www.wecansolveit.org/">Al Gore's Climate Challenge</a>.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-17781778935367278142008-07-09T19:20:00.000-07:002008-07-09T19:59:18.170-07:00On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 6304 )I haven't written here in a while, but this topic deserves some attention.<br /><br /><b>Summary</b><br />In case you haven't heard, the Senate just passed Bill H.R. 6304, which, among other things, grants retroactive immunity to Telecommunications companies that participated in President Bush's the illegal domestic wiretapping program.<br /><br />The vote results can be viewed <a href="http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00168">here</a>.<br /><br />In short, the Republicans voted as a whole Yea. The Democrats voted mixed. Notable votes:<br /><br />Clinton (D-NY): Nay<br />Obama (D-IL): Yea<br />McCain (R-AZ): Not Voting<br />Boxer (D-CA): Nay<br />Feinstein (D-CA): Yea<br />Kerry (D-MA): Nay<br />Kennedy (D-MA): Not Voting<br /><br /><b>First Of All, What is Wrong With The Democrats?</b><br /><br />I'd just like to say if the Democrats had a backbone, and voted like the Republicans, maybe this wouldn't have happened? I feel disgusted. Betrayed. I don't like Republicans. Or Democrats. But at least the Republicans can get ?&!% done. I don't know if I feel the Democrats <i>deserve</i> to be on the floor, or in the White House. <br /><br /><b>Second of All</b><br /><br />I can't believe Obama. He had my vote. UNTIL NOW. I mean what are you thinking you loser. Every other hopeful voted with their conscience. Is voting for retroactive immunity <b>HOPE FOR CHANGE?</b>. You've really angered me, and I really don't know who to vote for this November. I was against Clinton, you seemed the better choice the entire way. And now this.<br /><br />I don't know what to do - I think I'll go vote for Nader. I hear he is going to run again. At least McCain did the smart thing and didn't vote. He probably had half a conscious in which he knew he <i>shouldn't</i> vote for this bill, but had only two choices: Yea or Abstain. <br /><br />Sometimes you have to make the hard choices. He did. I don't even think this was a hard choice for you, Obama, so tell, what the hell are you thinking?<br /><br /><b>UPDATE: Seems I am not the only one. Comments on <a href="http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gGxDLB/commentary#comments">Obama's blog</a> are not favorable.</b><br /><br /><b>Third - Can we PLEASE get rid of Feinstein?</b><br /><br />Is Feinstein doing this State (CA) any good? Or is she just an idiot. I think the latter. Can we please get some new blood with a spine, some values, and some guts. Thanks.<br /><br />(btw, I have so far been admiring Boxer's values. She seems to have once again notched another good move here today)<br /><br /><b>In Other News...</b><br /><br />Nancy Pelosi sure is shaping up to be complete bust, eh? Seems she wants to give ol' Bush-y a fight in the history books, so she cooked up this winner of an idea: <a href="http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/5951.html">Nancy Pelosi vs. the Internet</a>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-20139660312570720452007-07-25T23:42:00.001-07:002007-07-25T23:46:39.347-07:00Save the ChildrenCome on man, I thought Al Gore was smarter than that. I just received this email from his campaign:<br /><br /><blockquote>Dear Taylor,<br /><br />In order to ultimately force our leaders to take action to solve the climate crisis, we have to use every medium -- including television, radio, and the Internet -- to build public support. And that's just what the Alliance for Climate Protection will do.<br /><br />The Alliance is a three-year campaign that will push the climate crisis to the top of the nation's agenda using a combination of paid advertising, public service announcements, and grassroots power.<br /><br />Your voices have carried our movement this far. So as we begin to create our media campaigns, I didn't want to only turn to an advertising firm -- I wanted to turn to you.<br /><br />If you had 60 seconds to convince all of your friends that they needed to take action to stop the climate crisis, what would you say? How would you get the attention of millions of people all over the world?<br /><br />Well, now you have the chance! Current TV and the Alliance for Climate Protection have teamed up to sponsor 60 Seconds to Save the Earth.<br /><br />The premise is simple: make the best 15, 30, or 60-second ad showcasing how you or someone you know is taking action to alleviate the climate crisis -- or create an original, persuasive message that will open eyes, inspire change and empower your audience.<br /><br />Get the details and create your ad by visiting:<br /><br />http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest<br /><br />After you submit your ad, our panel of celebrity judges will narrow the field to 20 finalists. Then you will be able to help pick the winner through an online vote. The top ads will be aired internationally on Current TV, featured in the Alliance's national campaign, and showcased on MySpace's Impact channel.<br /><br />In addition, the grand-prize winner will receive a Toyota hybrid car, while three finalists will win Sony electronic products, and 16 semi-finalists will receive T-Mobile Sidekicks.<br /><br />So get started -- in 60 seconds you can save the planet. Learn about this incredible contest and submit your ad today by visiting:<br /><br />http://www.current.tv/ecospotcontest<br /><br />Thank you,<br /><br />Al Gore</blockquote><br /><br />Now dude, seriously. There's basically only two things that motivate Americans.<br /><br />1) Children<br />2) War<br /><br />(See my previous post regarding motivation #2). Seriously, if you want to motivate the American people to side with you on Global Warming, you gotta pitch it as saving the children. We just don't seem to give a #%#$%#@ about anything else.<br /><br />(See, <a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/07/25/2239217.shtml">the Senators on Capitol Hill know what works</a>, why doesn't A.G?)Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-66035952329165352502007-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:002007-07-20T09:27:22.296-07:00We need another warThe current one ain't goin so well, and our sitting President is a self-proclaimed "war-president", and it seems the prevailing trend, at least for the past 20 years, is that war is good for our economy, so the best kind of war to have is one that is against an abstract principle (War on Drugs, War on Terror), thus don't you think we should start another one?<br /><br />I do. I think we need a<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style=" ;font-size:24px;color:red;">WAR ON GLOBAL WARMING</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Ahh wouldn't that be sweet. You can bet we won't be getting one any time soon though.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-30081366364429884002007-07-17T01:57:00.000-07:002007-07-17T02:09:31.098-07:00GTD - another way to have a clean inboxArggh, I have spent a bunch of time arguing this point with a friend, and here is a <a href="http://lifehacker.com/software/reader-poll/is-an-empty-inbox-a-waste-of-time-278787.php">poll on Lifehacker</a>. And I just saw another one over <a href="http://blog.sessions.edu/design/treat-your-email-more-like-photoshop/">here.</a> So please, explain to me why is everyone so obsessed with a "clean inbox?!?!?" <br /><br />The GTD people have hammered the idea of a clean inbox so deep into people's brains, it seems it will never get out!<br /><br />But wait, there's another way!!<br /><br />I am fan of the GTD stuff, but keeping my inbox clean seems so ... pedestrian. I hate doing stuff I don't have to do, so please, someone tell me why I have to keep a clean inbox? Here's how to keep it "clean" without having to actually do the "read and archive step" which everyone seems so hung up on.<br /><br />Step 1. Read unread email.<br />Step 2. There is NO STEP 2!!!<br /><br />That's right. Read the email, and let the read vs. unread emails tell you how many new / unread emails you have in your inbox. If you learn to see an inbox with 0 unread emails, regardless of how many read emails it contains, you will see that this is exactly equivalent to archiving the messages into an archive folder, except you don't have to do the archive step.<br /><br />But what about "in progress in emails" you ask?<br /><br />Right. Well first of all, at least 50% emails are junk, so you just delete them - this is the same for everyone. Emails that you don't care about (the ones you were going to archive - the majority of the remainder left after deleting junk - you just leave in the box. And the ones you care about - I file them into a ToDo folder. When I get time to do some tasks, I go browse the ToDo folder and there you have it. GTD in a few less steps.<br /><br />(Note: I would prefer to tag my emails, but this is not cross-platform. Every platform, from smartphones to web email recognizes folders so I just use one high level folder next to my inbox to store the ToDo list)<br /><br />Just like those "clean" freaks - I have a ToDo that is not more than 10 or so emails long. But my inbox? Well thats a few years worth so it's got some 5k messages in it.<br /><br />If you think about it - this is just the XP style of working. Don't do unnecessary work up front that has neglible cost savings in the future. You'll pay more to do all the book keeping than you get back in the future, and the same reason I don't sort emails - I just search them. The number of times I "go back" to something is orders of magnitude (yes, probably ony 1 in 100) less than how much mail there actually is - so why sort 100 items just to find that one item later? Right. Don't. It's wasted effort.<br /><br />Thanks for listening.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-70972769354888852592007-07-14T16:51:00.000-07:002007-07-14T17:26:13.356-07:00I am so appalledI received a horribly shocking and appaling e-mail recently from someone close to me. We have often disagreed in the past over soci-economic, political and religious positions. That's fine I enjoy a good debate and in particular feel it is very important to be exposed to ideas contrary to one's own. <br /><br />This particular individual tends to think of himself as a Conservative, though I think he along with much of the rest of the Conservative party has finally realized alliance with Bush is tantamount to political, moral and intellectual suicide. That being said, he regularly regurgitates Conservative think-tank b.s. which I regularly refute with much vigor.<br /><br />Again, I must repeat that I enjoy this kind of intellectual sparring, it is important to ensure that one's ideals are as highly polished as they can be - not having this kind of regular discourse can lead to lazy, sloppy thinking and reasoning, something which I personally despise.<br /><br />The problem is the most recent piece of mail I received from this person is extremely disturbing, nearly to the point of no return. While I relish the debate for the sake of debate, I will not do so with a participant who is not equally engaging his/her intellect. <br /><br />The piece is quite long, so I will quote it in its entirety at the end of this post. It is entitled "Can a Muslim be a Good American". It's premise is that because of inherent beliefs that Muslims hold, they cannot inherently be good Americans.<br /><br />I am impressed with the person who wrote it - because they obviously understood exactly what they were doing. To hide an illogical and amoral viewpoint within a logical and moral discourse is highly subversive and intelligent. I don't for one second think the originator of this email didn't know precisely the kind of intellectual power required to see through the ruse, and therefore reject it outright, knowing full well that the majority of our populace does not and will not spend (or even possess) the requisite intellectual discipline required to understand, let alone refute, the fundamental argument it presents. I am of course appalled at those who would forward it on, without first analyzing the full impact of its contents, but then again, as I said, it was quite obviously crafted quite intricately to do just that.<br /><br />Fundamentally, this piece is as Anti-American as it gets. And thats only the beginning. Overall, its arguments are reminiscent of the McCarthy era in which it was pre-supposed that to be a Communist meant you could not be an American. The illogic in that presupposition was of course lost upon those who easily fell into the trap of condemning those who do not think the same as themselves. Fortuitously, we (as Americans and as a Society) were able to overcome that particular set of illogical and amoral thinking, and there it seems the issue laid to rest, dormant in the American psysche only to be tested once again by the appearance of what seems to be yet again an "imminent threat" to the American way of thinking (and life).<br /><br />Let me spell it out for those who just simply don't seem to get it: To be American is to be free, intellectually, socially, politically, religiously and morally. That means you are free to think, feel, believe in whatever you like. That is American, anyone who tells you otherwise just simply does not understand what it is to be American, or has the the likes of Falwell and Limbaugh on the speed-dial. <br /><br />Now behavior, that's where things change, (and why we have laws) -- and that is the crux of what causes the problem. When does thought turn into action, and at what point do you stop it. <br /><br />The Constitution, despite what others may have you believe, is quite clear on this, but that doesn't stop those would rather the world just thought the same as they do. Quite simply you are free to believe in what you like, be it Evolution, Creationism or Death to America. There is no law, no decree anywhere the Constituion that can possibly prevent this - it is protected up and down left and right (that doesn't stop people from trying, and one day they might succeed it seems we must be ever-vigilant). <br /><br />Moreover, you are even free to SPEAK about that belief and that is protected by the most vaunted of Rights given by our Constitution - the Bill of Rights as the very first thing that was granted, the #1 Right in America, the Freedom of Speech.<br /><br />So it is painstakingly clear - to hold and share individual, yet differing beliefes, that is American. We can argue all day long how much action is a result of belief, but to be American is to accept that others have the absolute right to believe what they wish. There couldn't be anything more un-American than to suggest otherwise.<br /><br />Which gets me to this e-mail, which is the source of my disgust and disbelief. It is as anti-American as can possibly be, by suggesting that a set of beliefs, in and of themselves, are in fact anti-American. Remember, no matter what the belief, you, as an American have the right to hold it.<br /><br />The text of the email I received is:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"CAN A MUSLIM BE A GOOD AMERICAN?<br /><br /><br />This is something I've wondered about for some time now: How & why do the Muslims hate us & everyone else so much? Doesn't their God teach them to love?<br />Can a good Muslim be a good American?<br /><br />I sent that question to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years.<br />The following is his reply:<br /><br />Theologically - no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia.<br /><br />Religiously - no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)<br /><br />Scripturally - no. Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Quran (Koran).<br /><br />Geographically - no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.<br /><br />Socially - no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.<br /><br />Politically - no. Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and Destruction of America, the great Satan.<br /><br />Domestically - no. Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34).<br /><br />Intellectually - no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.<br /><br />Philosophically - no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.<br /><br />Spiritually - no. Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.<br /><br />Therefore after much study and deliberation....perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. They obviously cannot be both "good" Muslims and good Americans.<br /><br />Call it what you wish....it's still the truth.<br /><br />If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the above statements, perhaps you will share this with your friends. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future.<br /><br />Pass it on, Fellow Americans.<br /><br />This war is MUCH bigger than most Americans know or can understand."</span>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-36874392963621250912007-02-06T09:47:00.000-08:002007-02-06T10:42:29.928-08:00Mail User Interface suggestion...I was discussing Mail interfaces with my friend last night - about how much Yahoo!'s AJAXy client sucks - I only use it because it is marginally faster overall for reading mail, but it looks (and performs) just like Outlook - UGGH.<br /><br />I came in to work today and looked at the list of email presented by the client. It look something like this:<br /><br /><table align="left"><br /><tbody><br /><tr><br /><td><b>Sender</b></td><br /><td><b>Subject</b></td><br /><td><b>Date</b></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td>Kmart</td><br /><td>Super Special Deal</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td>Julie</td><br /><td>Save the Environment</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td>James E. Lee</td><br /><td>Something cool</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td>Buy.com</td><br /><td>Super special on HD TVs</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td>Crutchfield</td><br /><td>Does your HDTV sound good?</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td>Cindy Gould</td><br /><td>Something from mom</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Quick - there's two emails in the list I actually care about - which is it?<br /><br />Right, the one from my friend James, the other from my mom. The other emails are ads, which I don't consider Spam because they are from companies or organizations I have previously had contact with, and so I let them into my email - though I usually delete all that stuff. But it was annoying that amongst the clutter, there was one thing I cared about and the rest I didn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MAKE IT MORE OBVIOUS, STUPID</span><br /><br />Here's what strikes me - there's an <span style="font-weight: bold;">attribute </span>the email I care about that the other emails don't have - and that attribute is trivially detected by - you guessed it - a computer.<br /><br />Notice that sentence - what stood out? The word attribute, right? Why - because I highlighted it. If I can do that, couldn't the server do the same for the email I care about?<br /><br />So what's the attribute - well my friend James happens to be IN MY ADDRESSBOOK. Bingo - let's have a feature that highlights emails from people in my addressbook.<br /><br />This is so straightforward, I am shocked that we have had email for 20 years and to my knowledge this simple, straightforward feature has NEVER been implemented.<br /><br />Let's take a look at how it might look if it were highlighted:<br /><br /><br /><table align="left"><br /><tbody><tr><br /><td><b>Sender</b></td><br /><td><b>Subject</b></td><br /><td><b>Date</b></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td> Kmart</td><br /><td>Super Special Deal</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td> Julie</td><br /><td>Save the Environment</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td><b>James E. Lee</b></td><br /><td><b>Something cool</b></td><br /><td><b>Today</b></td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td> Buy.com</td><br /><td>Super special on HD TVs</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td> Crutchfield</td><br /><td>Does your HDTV sound good?</td><br /><td>Today</td><br /></tr><br /><tr><br /><td><b>Cindy Gould</b></td><br /><td><b>Something from mom</b></td><br /><td><b>Today</b></td><br /></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ok, quick, which email(s) do I care about?<br /><br />What do you think? Do you like this approach?Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-33727766213092501752007-02-04T09:33:00.000-08:002007-02-07T06:53:17.488-08:00Venezuela TripWe just got back from 2 weeks in Venezuela. It was part meet&greet for my new family, and part vacation. I'll write some more about it soon, for now here's some pics:<br /><br /><b>Update: I've added captions</b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; width: 194px; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 83%;"><div style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/tgautier/20070131VenezuelaTrip"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/tgautier/RcYVmuQ6nBE/AAAAAAAAAN4/pcUwSnhwphQ/s160-c/20070131VenezuelaTrip.jpg" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0px; margin-top: 16px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/tgautier/20070131VenezuelaTrip"><div style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">2007-01-31 Venezuela Trip</div></a><div style="color: rgb(128, 128, 128);"></div></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1162490310206241362006-11-02T09:40:00.000-08:002006-11-02T09:58:30.216-08:00Bullsh#t security...America the land of the free and the home of the brave...isn't that how the saying goes?<br /><br />Yeah, right. You can be damn sure that this post is going to attract the attention of the now infamous NSA wire taps. Only non-US citizens are subject to that you say? The jokes on you buddy, another lie from the war mongrels. Not only am I being spied on, but what I say and what I do is being cross-referenced with what I buy, who and where I buy it from, in more detail than you could ever imagine. That's only a fraction of the freedoms you have lost since 9/11. If you want to know more I suggest you read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Percent-Doctrine-Ron-Suskind/dp/0743271092/sr=8-1/qid=1162489113/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-4458299-5969563?ie=UTF8&s=books"><span style="font-style: italic;">The One Percent Doctrine</span></a> by Ron Suskind. It's an eye opener.<br /><br />Is there any sanity left to the way we are handling one scare tactic after another? A quick glance at the TSA's ever increasing <a href="http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm">list of banned substances</a> leaves only one conclusion: not even close.<br /><br />You gotta hand it to Bruce Schneier -- he does a <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72045-0.html?tw=rss.index">great job of criticizing</a> the latest outrage - printing fake boarding passes is ridiculously easy - so shame on those that point out the freakin' obvious - in fact let's put them in jail.<br /><br />I can't even tell you how many times I have heard how we are "<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060907-2.html">winning against the terrorism</a>", that "<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=freedom+on+the+march&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official">freedom</a> <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/05/bush.radio/">is</a> <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040902-2.html">on</a> <a href="http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050301-122421-2494r.htm">the</a> <a href="http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/archive/2005-03/2005-03-09-voa1.cfm">march</a>" - you have to be joking. It's cowering in a corner wimpering like a rain soaked dog. <br /><br />America - land of the once-free and home of the perpetually afraid.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1160492682887269842006-10-10T08:03:00.000-07:002006-10-19T18:10:55.206-07:00Well, apparently...<h2>I'm a Ferrari 360 Modena!</h2><br /><img style="width: 351px; height: 221px;" src="http://www.tomorrowland.us/sportscar/images/f360.jpg" /><br /><p><b>You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.</b></p><p><br />"Take the <a href="http://www.tomorrowland.us/sportscar">Which Sports Car Are You?</a> quiz.</p><p><br /><br />Which of course is highly ironic considering I own a corvette!</p>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1159292711585042882006-09-26T10:44:00.000-07:002006-09-26T10:45:11.596-07:00New Java/Tech blogJust wanted to throw out a pointer to a new blog I created to throw out some Java / Tech related thoughts : <a href="http://javathink.blogspot.com/">Thinking In Java</a>.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1159288461669323312006-09-26T09:26:00.000-07:002006-09-26T09:47:30.170-07:00Shasta VacationIt was nice to spend 5 days in Lake Shasta over the Labor Day Weekend with my family. We rented a houseboat from <a href="http://www.silverthornresort.com/">Silverthorn Resort</a> and my cousin brought his ski boat.<br /><br />4 days in the sun and good times with my family can't be beat. After 1 year of recovering from my motorcycle accident, and 6 months after my shoulder surgery, I was very happy to be able to water-ski and wakeboard once again.<br /><br />Here are some pictures from our time there:<br /><br />Of course I need to post one up of me skiing ;-)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/1600/983824811405_0_BG.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/400/983824811405_0_BG.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here's the cove where we parked the boat...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/1600/580074811405_0_BG.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/400/580074811405_0_BG.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Every decision has it's consequences...<br /><table><br /><tbody><tr><td><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/1600/426486301405_0_BG.0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/200/426486301405_0_BG.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></td><br /><td><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/1600/153486301405_0_BG.1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/200/153486301405_0_BG.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1153804572136666112006-07-24T22:10:00.000-07:002006-07-24T22:26:45.273-07:00Library LookupJust wanted to take 2 minutes out of your day to extoll the virtues of <a href="http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/stories/2002/12/11/librarylookup.html">LibraryLookup</a>. <a href="http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/16/request-a-library-bookvia-amazon/"></a><br /><br />A few weeks ago I was browsing Salon and came across a writeup of <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393327655/sr=8-1/qid=1153804024/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-7700127-9757451?ie=UTF8">The End of Faith</a>. It didn't take very long for me to decide I wanted to buy this book, but then I remembered my LibraryLookup tool. 2 clicks later and I had reserved it at my local branch.<br /><br />Go install the tool - it's very straightforward. Come back here to click on the book link. See if it's at your local library - reserve a copy and you're done. (Incidentally, I didn't actually figure out which system my library uses - <a href="http://43folders.com/">43Folders </a>did it for me in their <a href="http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/16/request-a-library-bookvia-amazon/">post)</a><br /><br />Feel free to come back here and leave a comment about the book if you read it. So far I have enjoyed it very much - but I doubt highly that it's messge will be heard...Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1149832424640569622006-06-08T22:50:00.000-07:002006-06-08T22:58:24.083-07:00New House Oh My!Well things can move really fast in the real estate world, as we learned painfully just recently -- we were really excited about this TIC we saw on Sunday - and by Wednesday they had accepted an offer! Doh.<br /><br />But all things happen for a reason, and just today I did a quick search on Craig's list (actually <a href="www.housingmaps.com">www.housingmaps.com</a>) and found this place on Waller street.<br /><br />We saw it tonight (same day), put an offer on it, and got word just now that it was accepted. Just one day, from zero to accepted, wow!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.569waller.com/assetts/property/image_f2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.569waller.com/assetts/property/image_f2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />See details on the house at <a href="http://www.569waller.com/"> http://www.569waller.com/</a>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1149134932696039802006-05-31T21:06:00.000-07:002006-05-31T23:54:26.943-07:00Local - finally!I recently mapped out the location of <a href="http://www.terracottatech.com/">my new job</a>, <a href="http://www.redwoodcu.org/">Rossy's new job</a>, and our house.<br /><br /><a href="http://maps.yahoo.com/beta/index.php#maxp=location&q4=650+TOWNSEND+ST+STE+325,+San+Francisco,+CA,+94103&q3=100+van+ness+ave,+san+francisco&q2=36+DEARBORN+ST,+San+Francisco,+CA,+94110&q1=650+Townsend+St.+Suite+325,+San+Francisco,+CA,+94103&trf=0&amp;amp;mvt=m&lon=-122.411449&lat=37.774209&mag=3">Click this link to see them all on a single map in Yahoo! maps.</a><br /><br />Why did I do it? Well I was pretty sure that the locations all form nearly a perfect equilateral triangle, and I was pretty close to right. How cool is that? (Besides the fact that each is less than 2 miles from one another that is!)Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1147058330383754732006-05-07T20:06:00.000-07:002006-05-31T21:16:38.350-07:00New BabySo we had a recent addition to the family:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/50/142483994_cb70410da3.jpg?v=0"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/50/142483994_cb70410da3.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />What else to say except we that we are completely stoked?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/51/142483995_ed0cf71687.jpg?v=0"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/51/142483995_ed0cf71687.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />(thanks to my wife for letting me get this, to James for the great photos, and to Chevy producing something to cure my bike addiction)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:<br /><br /></span>I posted some more photos on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11603793@N00/sets/72057594135043580/">my flickr account</a>.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1143591455617732402006-03-28T16:12:00.000-08:002006-03-28T16:17:35.633-08:00Using Caller-ID - amazing!I would just like to take this moment to commend Chase Home Finance. When I call their customer service center it DOES NOT ask me for my account number. Their service only asks me for my billing zip code. After that it immediately proceeds to tell my my balance and next payment due date. Now this is an automatic system that ACTUALLY WORKS!<br /><br />Considering that I can't be the only person in my zip code to have a Chase Home Finance loan, I presume it is using caller-id from my phone to identify the account and then uses my zip code to verify I am the right person.<br /><br />Compare this to companies like Cingular - who when I call them, FROM THEIR GODDAMN PHONE, don't initially know who I am and require me to input my phone number in their system to talk to someone, and then when I do talk to someone, somehow the system forgets who I am and then I have to tell the person -- AGAIN.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1143568635479736802006-03-28T09:54:00.000-08:002006-03-28T10:00:31.913-08:00YME & XBox 360At last, I found some concrete evidence that while today one cannot directly browse Yahoo! Unlimited music from the XBox, it is coming!! :) Oh happy day.<br /><br />Check out this comment :<br /><p></p><blockquote><p>Hi Joe,</p> <p>You’ll be happy to know that there are plans to offer a Yahoo! Music add-in for Media Center Edition. Sit tight and we’ll let you know when it’s available.</p> <p>Per Ian’s comment… I’d be interested to hear if you’re able to use the Network Music feature with your XBox 360. Network Music is based on the UPnP protocol and is modeled after Windows Media Connect in order to play to the XBox 360 and other PlaysForSure devices. However, we’ve heard that MSFT has locked down the XBox 360 so that it only works with Windows Media Conne</p><p>- Ryan </p></blockquote><p>From this <a href="http://ymusicblog.com/blog/2006/03/21/yahoo-music-at-mix-06-ajax-ymu-rss-sle/">post</a> over at the <a href="http://ymusicblog.com/blog/">Yahoo Music Blog</a>.</p><p>Super sweet!<br /></p><br /><blockquote></blockquote>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1143321802935047622006-03-25T13:14:00.000-08:002006-03-28T18:15:49.463-08:00Structured Wiring Project - DONEI embarked upon a structured wiring upgrade to my house several weeks ago.<br /><br />The goals of this project were to:<br /><ul><li>Bring wired network connections to my front living room</li><li>Centralize all wiring (satellite, cable tv, phone, and network)</li><li>Get rid of wire clutter</li></ul>So overall the project has been a smashing success. Due to my bad shoulder (recent surgery) I brought in a contractor to actually run the wires. While I could have done this myself, I could never have done as awesome a job as he did. Money well spent.<br /><br />And also he was able to run them down my wall into a new wall jack in the living room, something I would never have been able to do. The job required drilling a hole through two boards about 6' down from the attic. Due to the tight spaces he had to have a flexible drill bit that was 6' or more long. I don't really know how he did it - but the installation is smooth.<br /><br />I'll update this post with more pics, but for now, here is the finished structured panel in the storage room. It's going to get a cover right after this post so no unsightly wires will be visible at all.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/1600/IMG_4713.1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/320/IMG_4713.1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update 2006-03-28<br /></span><br />Here are the rest of the photos.<br /><br />This is the exterior of the house, the black cable was already there and is not part of this job. Notice the nice pipe bends :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/1600/IMG_4717.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/320/IMG_4717.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And this is one of my new wall jacks, this is in the front which currently has 4 network ports and 2 RG6 terminals (I guess I still need to do some cleanup - it's not so obvious in real life):<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/1600/IMG_4722.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4682/481/320/IMG_4722.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, I've had questions about how I found my contractor. I used <a href="http://www.servicemagic.com">Service Magic</a>. If you're in the Bay Area, you might want to give the guy I used a call - Paul at <a href="http://www.servicemagic.com/servlet/RedirectServlet?D=SPPROFILE&m=smcommtemps&entry_point_id=351258&spEntityID=8746424&entityID=8804920">Healey Electric</a>.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652066.post-1143131086699064842006-03-23T08:23:00.000-08:002006-03-23T08:24:46.713-08:00Westinghouse LVM=42W2 Experience So FarI just wrote this up for AVS Forum, so I thought I would post here too:<br /><br />I made the jump several weeks ago and bought [the Westinghouse LV-42W2] from Crutchfield.<br /><br />Here is my experience so far (quick summary - I am on the fence, sometimes this set is awesome, sometimes I am quite ready to return it)<br /><br />- in HD there is no question the set has amazing quality. XBOX360 over component cables is truly astounding and the #1 reason I would keep this set.<br /><br />- in SD, I think it's as good as you can expect - except I have not figured out what is causing ghosting (see below)<br /><br />- ps2 (SD over S-Video) looks reasonable but dithering is high - I am willing to accept this is just how the ps2 looks and get over it. I only play one game on the ps2 anymore and grafx are not a high concern here<br /><br />- DirecTivo - the menuing part is pretty grungy - dithering and aliasing artifacts that I never saw before. I'm not just being picky my wife asked if the set is out of focus. The good news is that TV in general looks good enough that I am not distracted it's just the Tivo interface that looks relatively poor. There are artifacts that I am not quite sure whether they are ghosting or MPG2 artifacts -- see ghosting below.<br /><br />- Component in from my 6 year old Sony DVD changer caused massive problems. The signal broke up and died. I am willing to accept my changer is old and needs replacement - but I must tell you that it happened *one* time with the XBox 360 so I am suspicious (hard reset aka unplug solved the issue, it hasn't returned in 3-4 days)<br /><br />- VGA in from my laptop at 1920x1080 works well, but there is again a ghosting problem - see below. Also thanks to the poster of the gray image. I fired it up and sigh I have 2 dead pixels in the corner (not so bad) and also I am not sure it's banding or backlamp uneveness (I think the latter, truthfully, even white doesn't look perfectly even) but I see streaks<br /><br />- GHOSTING. This one is a major issue. On the VGA inputs any vertical line causes a ghost to appear right next to it, things like icons on a white or grey background are dead giveaways. On S-Video with the Tivo I think I see ghosting but it's hard to tell. If anyone saw Carlos Mencia's special from a week or two ago, he had a silver chair with 4 vertical legs on stage that causes at least 7 repetitions of the vertical signal in certain shots - sometimes when he was several feet away from the chair, the "ghost" stripes from the chair legs went all the way to him. Excruciatingly distracting. Some movies I notice it as well, but again it HAS to be vertical lines. I have not noticed this playing movies from the XBox360 but haven't had the time to analyze carefully.<br /><br />- LOCKUPS - this may actually get the set on a truck back to the mfr. I have so far recorded three times the set simply would not respond to me. The remote and buttons on the unit were completely unresponsive. unplugging the unit fixed the problem. I thought it might just be initial problems that were lessening over time, ,but it happened again last night.<br /><br />- Remote sensitivity is poor. You might think this would be ok, but I can tell you it's not the REMOTE's fault, it's the TV. I have a Logitech Harmony and you really have to point the thing at the TV or it does not register (same thing with the MFR remote). Also it's quite often that the TV just ignores the remote until you press it a few more times - this is most noticeable when trying to change inputs.<br /><br />- Only one picture setting per input. Don't get me wrong, I am happy it at least has memory for picture settings per input, but it's a bit of a problem if you are going to use something like the XBox360 for movies AND games. Games have to brighter esp Project Gotham Racing which provides NO in game controls (unlike Kameo which provides 4-5 presets) for brightness.Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193759050963768511noreply@blogger.com0