Friday, March 25, 2011

Soul Mate?

I may have found someone who is willing to admit she views modern technology with the same jaundiced eye as I. I invited her to view my blog and she wrote back:

“I read your entries and I am much more bewildered than you. I am nervous about Facebook and Twitter, and whatever else is out there. Even though my friends have invited me into social networking, I don't intend to.”

I never intended to frighten anyone off experimenting with the new technology. I have a Facebook page but I rarely look at it. I get emails once in a while telling me someone has posted something on my page. If I know the person and am interested in what they have to say I'll log on and look at it. If I want to respond, I'll do it via email. I don't like to share my communications with anyone but the intended recipient.

I am also “Linked In,” but mostly just to see what former business colleagues are up to. Twitter? Forget it.

So, you may ask, why do I Blog? Answer: it's fun. I do it to muse and amuse. I focus on the technology sector because I'm so far behind the curve on everything out there it boggles my mind.

I doubt I'll ever catch up and I don't particularly care. If and when I find something actually useful to me I might try it. Meantime, we'll muddle through.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

My not smart-but-not-so-dumb phone

Whenever I read the Personal Tech section of the New York Times I'm reminded why I call myself Muddling Marv.

Today, for instance, Sam Grobart has a wonderful article advising what gadgets to "lose," as he puts it, and what to keep. Guess what? I'm keeping all of mine.

In fairness, I may not be using all of them anymore but I'm not "losing" them for something I may never use at all. Sam suggests using "cloud" storage for files rather than a USB thumb drive. Hey, I finally figured out how to use the thumb drive and I don't particularly trust shooting my files into the air and having them land I know not where.

"Lose" my point and shoot camera in favor of a camera in my smartphone? No way, Sam. I like my point and shoot and I enjoy being able to download the pictures to my PC. And, by the way, I don't have a smartphone and not likely to get one soon. More on that below.

Did I mention PC? Well Sam says ditch it when it becomes out of date and get a laptop. That's been an ongoing debate in our house for some time but at the moment the PC is standing firm if not underfoot.

"Camcorder Lose it," he says. Well, I've got one so old it records on VHS cassettes if you can believe that. But we've learned that very few people want to watch someone else's videos no matter what format they're in. I'll keep the camcorder as a relic for the time being and skip the rest.

There are other items on Sam's list, such as digital music players, GSP units, alarm clocks (of all things) and books. Books? Oh, yes, beware the attack of the e-readers.

Sam says Many of the features on these devices are available on your smartphone. Like the smartphone is in everyone's pocket or soon will be. I find that a presumptuous assumption.

My cell phone takes and makes calls, text messages and even has a camera which I rarely use. Right now that's enough for me.

I may catch up to the modern world someday but right now I'm still muddling along.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Rx:10pgs4xdaily

There's a certain time of life when no matter how interesting your book may be, your eyes close and you fall asleep. This is particularly challenging when you've got a 600-page book that's due back to the library in 17 days. That's two weeks with a three-day grace period.

So here's a prescription we're going to try, hoping to beat the deadline:

Dividing 600 into 17 days and rounding to the nearest whole number we decided my wife has to read 40 pages a day to comfortably finish the book in time. By the way, I'm next on the reserve list for this book so the pressure is really on.

Knowing there is no way she could read 40 pages in one gulp without risking a nod-off, we divided the chore into four equal parts. Hence the prescription: 10 pages four times a day. If she's on a roll, she can always alter the dosage, i.e., two 20-page gulps, two 15s and a 10, etc.

And since reading in bed is a high-risk venue
the recommended dosage should be completed before going upstairs. In truth, however, we're at risk for instant napping anytime but over morning coffee.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Still Mulling

Some time ago I blogged about trying to decide whether to get a blu-ray disc player. I still don't have one but my mind is still open but getting more confused.

Every week, it seems, new technologies become available to stream movies from you computer to your TV set. I heard about Boxee Box just recently.

It offers hi-def transmission of movies as they become available as well as all kinds of old TV shows you may have missed or want to see again. Personally, if I've seen something once I rarely want to see it again. So old movies and old TV shows don't do it for me.

I was interested in the hi-def aspect of Boxee for a while until my son looked it over and noticed that it does not play DVDs. That gave me pause.

I'm a long-time Netflix subscriber and look forward to the mailman delivering my movie disc in its bright red envelope. There's something seductive about requesting something, waiting for it, being notified it's on its way and then actually receiving it.

The disc is real. You can hold it, put it in your DVD player and control the content to some degree. I'm not sure I trust the reception of content streamed via wi-fi from PC to TV. At least that's how I think it works.

I'm looking for someone who actually has one of these devices at home and is willing to demonstrate it for me. Then, maybe I'll finally make up my mind what, if anything, to do.

No hurry.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Turn it down, please

Today was the first day of Spring and we woke up to a snowfall.

Big, heavy flakes coated my car in the driveway. Our street was slushy but passable and the main roads were clear. My wife let me sleep late but she got up early, took her car out of the garage and went to her exercise class, muttering that had she known the weather was so bad she would have stayed in bed. Many of her fellow classmates did stay home.

No matter. I, too, went to my gym later in the morning and it also was well below the usual occupancy. I have a pair of noise-reduction headphones for my iPod and thank heavens (actually my son) for that. The TV sets in front of the aerobic machines were blasting. Normally I would get the remote and turn them down, but today some people seemed fixated on what they were watching and I didn't want to start a war over sound levels or subject matter.

What is it about TVs in gyms? Why do they always seem to be tuned to the most inane programming at a high decibel count? Insipid questions by fawning interviewers and raucous laughter seem to permeate mid-morning TV programs.

I try to switch the set nearest me to a news channel when I can and even then I keep the volume down. Usually the video will tell the tale and the crawl at the bottom of the screen keeps me up to date on the major developments.

I find that when you're attention is captured by a compelling story the time seems to fly by and you've completed your exercise regime before you know it.

If you go to a gym on a regular basis you pretty much get to know the regulars and what to expect on the TVs. It's a delicate balance to maintain cordiality and sanity on a regular basis.

But we try.

Palin and Purim

Sarah Palin went to Israel
Just to make some headlines
She put a kippa on her head
And made the morning's deadlines.

That Palin arrived in Israel as the Jews were celebrating Purim is a delicious irony.

During this holiday, celebrants wear silly costumes and consume large amounts of booze to commemorate the defeat of one of their historic villains, the evil Haman, who conspired to wipe out all Jews eons ago.

In what guise was Palin's visit? Potential presidential candidate courting Jewish voters in the U.S? Trying to impress people that by seeing Israel from her hotel window she knew something about the Middle East?

Although the trip was described as “private,” she is supposed to talk with PM Benjamin Netanyahu. That should be a scintillating conversation. As far as I know the only moose in Israel are the stuffed ones we gave to our grandchildren.