January 4, 2010 by admin.

My Cadillac’s GPS changed my life. My wife is great at lots of stuff, but she is a lousy co-pilot. When we are traveling my wife and I would often fight about the directions she offers as I drive. Sometimes I travel outside of the USA, but in most cases there is so much I have not seen here in the States that we travel America. My wife’s driving directions often include such wise advice as “just circle while I figure out where North is” and “it’s probably back behind us a few miles”. Neither of those statements make me very happy.

When I got my Caddy in 2008 it came with a Nav system. From that minute forward I swore I would NEVER travel without a GPS in my car if I left Lee County. I have become so reliant on the Nav system that I use it everywhere. I find locations, restaurants, public facilities and more.

Naturally when we bought our used recreational vehicle (RV) I had to have a GPS before we took a trip to any unknown parts. I was looking around and comparing features when I discovered the Magellan Roadmate 1700.  I  immediately stopped looking when I saw the 1700. Features like Bluetooth, multiple accents/dialects of English or MP3 meant nothing when I gazed at the gigantic SEVEN inch screen!

 Smaller is better with some stuff, but bigger is absolutely better when it comes to screen size of a GPS. Especially for 50+ eyeballs that squint at roadsigns at night.

I read all the reviews online about GPS devices. I read all the reviews I could find about the 1700, which were slim since it was new. Most of the nay sayers mentioned the lack of features like Mp3 or Bluetooth. The only features that mattered to me were mapping, text to speech and the big honking seven inch screen! After all, what I was buying was a device to help me find my way, not an entertainment device. Every car already has a radio.

So, on to the thousand mile road-test. I first used the 1700 in my Scion Xb to find an address in Lehigh Acres, FL. It found the location perfectly, in spite of the fact that the address was on a dirt road in an area of new homes. Then I unplugged the unit and re-installed it into my RV for a trip to Charleston, SC.

This would be a real test. The device would have to find rural campgrounds, restaurants, historic sites, shopping, parks, detours and more. The most disconcerting feature was the way the 1700 rotated the screen image to show your destination directly in front of you. This seems to be automatic and not manually controlled. Since I was leaving Florida, I was used to seeing the State in its usual position, aimed downward from Jacksonville to the Southernmost point  Key West. But when I was headed East, the map rotated, placing Key West to my right and Jacksonville to my left. It was a little disorienting. On my Caddys Nav System the rotation can be manually overridden. I did not see where the 1700 could  be set manually. Any manual adjustments would disappear after a few moments. This means if you zoom in or out on your map it will  return to the default position after 30 seconds of not touching the screen. But the map does zoom into any location automatically that would  be requiring a turn or navigation.

 I liked the way the screen showed highway signs and spoke the road names. I also like the way the GPS would remind you to stay in the proper lane when the road split. My Caddys Nav System just assumes you will stay on track until the next turn. Sometimes the road signs are very confusing and I found these little reminders very helpful. The only strange thing about the “voice” is the way “she” describes the type of turn. “She” will call turns either “soft”, “slight” or “hard”. The difference between the two is random as far as I can see. I have heard 90-degree turns called “slight right turn” and I have heard a curve in the road called a “hard right turn”. But, I can ignore those little foibles.

So, out of 100 different turns and direction changes the system was 95% accurate. This is roughly the same as my Cadillac Nav System. The biggest problems were always in areas with locations on the opposite side of divided parkways. Those areas would often cause both units to suggest U-turn after U-turn, circling the boulevards near destinations.

Now the other stuff. The Magellan 1700 has two types of directories, the AAA and its own Magellan directory. I liked the triple A ratings on restaurants. The Magellan Directory sometimes provided more returns on searches. But neither was flawless, they missed some very good places. But, overall, they were a BIG help on my trip finding campgrounds, restaurants, drug stores, tires and just about anything I sought.

So, overall, I would take the larger screen on the Magellan over all the little bells and whistles any day. After all, it’s a navigation system, NOT an entertainment system. Buy one, you’l like it and use it.

Posted in Computer Tech Stuff, Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | No Comments »

August 11, 2009 by admin.

As the owner or owner’s representative, you should evaluate the experience level of any painting contractor that you are considering. Painting a large commercial building or complex is much different than painting smaller structures. This type of painting requires experience in various application techniques, addressing safety issues, knowledge of materials, paints, required licensing, permits and proper insurance.

There are numerous application techniques for painting commercial buildings. New technology and extensive research have created superior hi-tech coatings for commercial structures.  In example: many owners of commercial buildings are using knock-down on interior walls. knock-down is joint compound which has been specially formulated to be sprayed directly on walls to give the surface a “stipple” effect. This technique has a very nice look and has become very popular. Exteriors of commercial buildings are often painted with an elastromeric coating. This is a very durable coating that expands and contracts as the temperature changes and lasts longer than ordinary paint. Using this technique on split faced block helps to seal the block from water damage. Knock-down interiors and elastomeric coated exteriors are best done by painting contractors who have past experience in using those methods.When interviewing, be sure to check for proper insurance. All commercial  contractors should carry a minimum of two million dollars liability insurance and workers compensation insurance on all of their employees. This is a minimum and more may be required by the size of the project. A certificate of insurance from the painting contractors insurance agent should be provided with his estimate. Another common way to verify insurance is to have the agent fax you a copy prior to hiring the contractor.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | No Comments »

June 2, 2009 by admin.

As dog lovers may know, your dog does not have to be attractive to be loved. Recent news stories show that people love their dogs so much, a few are willing to marry them. A little research on the Internet yields information on the top ten dog names in the USA. The name MAX is the most popular. So it is very likely that the most popular dog name has the most ugly dogs under it’s moniker.

Even my sister named her dog “Max”. That dog was one of the pups whelped from a breeding pair I owned, “Peaches” and “Romeo”. You see, I did not fall into the “Max” name trap myself. My pets through the years (all dogs) have been:

• Shotzie
• Caezar
• Lady
• Snuffy
• Radar
• Peaches
• Romeo

Not one “Max” in the group.  I wonder if the proliferance of “Max” is the same as the preponderance of other common names? It seems that every girl born in the 80’s was named “Heather”. It was such a joke that there was even a movie called “Heathers” about a clique of high school girls with the same name. just a few months ago I read a Reuters story on my Q9h smart-phone (iPhones are for posers and iPhonies) about the person that married their dog. I wonder if that dog was named “Max”? Probability is likely.

Posted in Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | No Comments »

May 19, 2009 by admin.

Here’s the results of a 20-year test drive of the very first LEXUS. In 1989 my dad went to the local Toyota dealership to see a new model being hyped. He drove home with the first LEXUS sedan. Although the sticker proclaimed LS400, the car was not badged with that number. There was no other LEXUS after all. The silver LS400 was their only model and one of only two in stock. There was not even a LEXUS dealer yet, so when one was built we had quite a time getting warranty service.

The 250 horsepower motor was so quiet we often thought it had stalled. The ride so quiet that even a Cadillac seemed noisy by comparison. It did not have the latest audio gear, back in 1989 car CD players were just starting to be optional and not standard in any car of that time. The leather sets were buttery soft and comfortable. It had a long list of standard options and needed special “S” rated tires for the sporty suspension. I liked the “power” switch. Much like the “close door” button on an elevator it was installed to reduce the frustration of drivers wanting more get up and go. It seemed to bog down when you stomped on the accelerator. Under the hood it was mysterious and futuristic with an almost hidden motor under the LEXUS nameplate.

Now, 20 years later, my Dad passed away back in 1997 and the car was used by my Mom until she became unsure at the wheel. Mom gave the car to my bother, our youngest family member with only 80K miles on the odometer. It had a checkered past, Since Dad had gone, I was responsible for it’s maintenance. It seemed to take more than $1000 a year to keep it in shape. It had a new drivers seat, new oil pan, two AC systems, a tranny, and loads of little gadgets and widgets that seemed to drop off.

My brother gets the car and tallys up the repairs after warranty. From the end of the warranty to now it has had over $17,000 in repairs. WHAT? SEVENTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! The stupid car only cost $37K when new. I’m not counting the ordinary stuff like batteries (that cost too much for no reason), tires, oil changes or belts. My God, that is crazy, the car only had 80K miles and had used just 8 sets of tires in it’s life. The finish was like new and the car had been garaged all it’s life. So, if you buy a LEXUS LS400, don’t buy it for life. Know that after 10 years you should sell it or give it away or it will eat your retirement money faster than the stock market. LS must stand for Lose your Shirt. 400 is what your quarterly maintenance costs are $400.

 Love your LEXUS? It must be new.

Posted in Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | 1 Comment »

May 8, 2009 by admin.

First I bought a Western Digital WDTV device from Best Buy (ugh, I hate Best Buy). I installed it and set it up. I thought it was a great idea, but I was dismayed by the amount of time needed to transfer my DVD library to the formats the WDTV would play. Limited to MPEG, MKV, MOV, AVI, WMV and H264 the best I could expect was a “real time” format transfer, where a 2-hour movie takes 2-hours to encode. Smaller file size was a benefit, but with today’s cheap drive prices it was not worth the extra time. So I started looking around for something better. I found the MX-780DVI (with DVDI output)  MVIX MX-760 also sold as the MX-760HD with a drive installed. 

I bought a MVIX MX-760 on eBay for $209.  I bought the version without a drive and installed a 1TB drive that I bought at CompUSA for $89. My total out of pocket was $298 since the shipping was free. I noticed the same guy sells my system with a 1TB installed for $359. That’s a bit much for simply plugging in a drive. I suggest you buy the unit without a drive and install one yourself, it comes with every cable and part you need.

 Simply stated, I love it. I put 240 movies on the 1TB drive and I am now adding external drives to finish transferring my DVD library. Theorhetically dubbing my DVDs into my MVIX is illegal, but I don’t know why… I bought the DVD’s, they are just too bulky and cumbersome to use and store. I use DVD Decrypter to convert the DVDs to .ISO files and save it to a hard drive.

The pictures are great and the thing works like a champ. Buy one.

Posted in Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | 1 Comment »

April 15, 2009 by admin.

Adding insult to injury, Lencrafters store manager “Greg” called me today. Those people must be trained at lying. This time a brand new lie was presented to me. The best way to cover-up the terrible way stores are run is to lie about it.

The first thing I noticed at the start of our conversation was the unapologetic manner and tone to “Greg’s” voice. As you can read in the story below, the Lenscrafters people had sent me a coupon “good with other offers”. It did not list any exclusions other than, I quote:

“Additional $50 off bonus savings. Original minimum purchase of $50 required. Coupon must be presented at the time of purchase. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid on previous purchases, contact lenses, nonprescription sunglasses or accessories. No cash value. Void where prohibited. See store for details. Offer expires May 30, 2009.”

So, when “Greg” told me that the coupon was “not valid on lens replacements”, I was surprised. 

So, I guess they are using the “See store for details” to invalidate their coupon when you arrive. Because “Greg” told me that my coupon was not valid on replacement lenses, and not because his employee “Seth” had led me astray on when I could present the coupon.

So, here is the list of lies that were spewed from Lenscrafters so far:

“Receive an extra $50 off good with other offers”  Lenscrafters the lying eyeglass chain

“ Don’t worry, I will take the coupon when you come back.” Seth the lying store employee

“The coupon is not valid on lens replacements.” - Greg the lying store manager

 Three strikes and you’re out! Lenscrafters uses the old “bait and switch” method of advertising with a new slant. They issue coupons that they will not honor. I won’t ever shop there again, and I hope that everyone that reads this goes into their nearest Lenscrafters and tells them that liers never prosper. Of course I hope that if you are reading this, you will never ever patronize Lenscrafters or try and use one of their coupons.

Posted in Computer Tech Stuff, Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | No Comments »

April 9, 2009 by admin.

I don’t know what is happening to customer service. This week I had to deal with two cases of blatant lying by representatives of two big businesses.

I’ll start with LENSCRAFTERS. I have to admit it, I like wearing glasses. I’ve tried wearing contacts, but I just like my face better with glasses. I’m sure those of you that are smartasses are thinking of reasons to comment on my face, but we won’t go there (the whole glass-houses thing). Anyway… about once or twice a year I buy new eyeglasses. The last three years I have been using Lenscrafters. It usually costs between $300-$400 for a pair of trendy eyeglasses. Infrequently I receive coupons from Lenscrafters offering $50 off. In this recent case I received a $50 coupon that stated “Good with other offers.”

I had purchased a pair of glasses in 2007 that had proved to be troublesome. The glass would chip around the frame after a few days. I decided to use the coupon to replace the glass in those glasses (the glasses had been purchased from Lenscrafters). I went to Lenscrafters and was attended by “Seth”. I would have said “helped by Seth”, but he was no help at all, he was actually a hindrance. After I had waited 30 minutes for him to enter my info into the computer (I kid you not, 30 minutes!), I followed him to the checkout counter. At that time I realized that I did not possess the coupon for $50 off. I told “Seth” that  would have to go home to get the coupon. “Seth” countered with “no, that won’t be necessary, I can take it when you pick up the glasses”. I persisted: “Are you sure?“, I asked “I don’t mind going home to get it, it’s $50, so it’s worth the trip”.

“Seth” assured me “Don’t worry, I can credit you at pick-up.” So, against my better judgement I elected to trust this Lenscrafters representative and I paid for my lenses and went home. At home the issue did not leave me without regret. What if “Seth” quits goes on vacation or is fired? I found the coupon and, with a little luck “Seth” would be at Lenscrafters the next day. So I decided to take the coupon in the very next day.

I arrived at Lenscrafters and approached a representative. I told her my story and showed her the coupon. She inspected the fine print on the coupon with the zeal of a Dutch diamond broker. Squinting at the mice-type she said “Sorry, this is only good at time of purchase”.  The blood rushed to my brain as my anger kicked in. I explained that I explicitly told ”Seth” that I would be happy to go home for the coupon,  and I was positive that this was not right! Then I asked” Can I speak to the manager?” The lady gets up off her, er, stool and saunters over to a man dressed for fishing. He was wearing a hat emblazoned with fishing jargon and a T-shirt with a fish along with shorts. “I’m here on my day off, we don’t dress this casually” the man said. I thought that this was odd, since obviously he was dressed uber-casual and he WAS sitting behind a Lenscrafters computer, working. I was telling him the story when suddenly, from behind magical hidden access panels appears none other than “Seth”. Surely he would remember me and his promise from just a dozen hours earlier. I reminded him of my offer to retrieve the coupon the day prior and his promise to make it good at pick-up. “Seth” looks at the coupon and squints. He takes it to an area with better lighting and tilts it for inspection as if it was a counterfeit bank note.

“No… you see here in tiny type? It says it’s only good at purchase” his words hitting me like ball-peen hammers to my forehead. I immediately reach out and with my thumbs gouge out his eyes. Then using his empty eye sockets like bowling ball finger grips, I grab his skull and dash  it to the floor, where it cracks in half spewing brain and brain juice. At least that’s what I imagined…  but reality sets in and “Seth” repeats “Sorry, this is only good at time of purchase”. Now I’m really mad. I tell “Seth” he lied to me and that unless the coupon is accepted and applied I will cease to be a Lenscrafters customer. This hits him hard - my words change his blank stare into a slightly cross-eyed expression, much like a baby with a full diaper. He tells me only a manager can help me and that I should come  back when that manager is present.  Then he walks away.

 I am totally enraged by the blatant lies and casual attitude of the staff at Lenscrafters. They absolutely do not care if I ever come back . I’m not sure if they care about anything. They have the work ethic of a Goldfish eternally circling a glass bowl.  They are oblivious to the economic condition of their employer. If Lenscrafters ever folds they will simply move to the next store in the mall. Instead of eyeglasses they will peddle the next item, maybe Glamour Shots or the latest DVDs. They are mall workers and like coal workers are simply holders of their most recent job. Not a career, just a job. So my threat to never again set foot in Lenscrafters is as effective as shouting at that goldfish bowl.

Since that day I have filled out forms on Lenscrafters website to notify them of my dissatisfaction. No reply. Tomorrow I will send a certified US Mail letter. If they respond I’ll post it here.

LIARS AT COMCAST TOO

The following day, fresh from my Lenscrafters battle, I made a phone call to Comcast communications. I was comparing prices between services (Dish & Cable) for my mother. My cable was fine. I was happy with the serices I had. While the Comcast Rep. “Brian” was telling me about the different packages available to my mom, he mentioned that many subscribers are actually paying too much since they had purchased “unbundled” services. A bell went off in my head. Was I paying too much? That would be a catastrophe,  after all, look at all the crap I was going through for $50 at Lenscrafters.

So, that nice man”Brian” offered to look at my bill and figure out a way to keep all the stuff I want and lower the price. After a few keyboard clicks and a couple of “yups” the answer was ascertained. “Brian” had discovered that my bill was higher than it should be. I was paying $208 a month fo internet and TV. If I were to change my service to Internet,TV AND phone service my bill would go DOWN by $15! Whoa, if I added service my bill would be reduced? That is nonsensical. “Brian” explained that Comcast is trying to capture all of the market, phone, TV and internet. “Brian” explained the “reward” to customers that purchased the maximum of Comcast’s serices was a lower price. So as stupid as it seemed, if I were to add the Comcast telephone service my bill would be lower. I agreed to accept the additional service based on the guarantee of a lower bill on identical service (I had all the movie channels).

A few days later Comcast installed a phone I did not need in order to lower my bill. I did not attach a telephone to the line since nobody I knew had the phone number. The only people that could call would be wrong numbers or solicitors. That night I settled in to watch TV and as I surfed through my channels I noticed some were missing. They were deactivated. I called Comcast and they told me they were not in the package I had purchased. I would have to pay $10 extra for each of the movie channels that were now missing. To get back what I started with, it would raise my bill to $228  a month!

“Brian” had boned me. He led me astray and sold me a load of crap. I was a happy customer and he fixed that, he made me unhappy. So after spending hours on the phone and making two visits to the Comcast office I am almost back to where I started. My movie channel TMC still is not working. I’m sure if I unplug my cable box and stand on one foot, waving a dead chicken over my head, it will come back some day. After all, my bill is back “down” to $208 again. All I’m missing is the actual ability to watch the channels I’m paying for.

“Brian” was and is a liar. Comcast is no better than Lenscrafters for hiring employees that just don’t care about their customers.

Posted in Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | No Comments »

March 10, 2009 by admin.

As part of my video production business I am often asked to pick-up a quick shot on video. Maybe we need some B-Roll for a documentary or footage for a PSA. Bigger projects usually require specialized equipment.

For a major worldwide real-estate developer we shot on the Panasonic HVX200 in HDV to a P2 chip. For a manufactured home community with a cutting edge concept and big budget we shot on a high speed 35mm film camera. We select the appropriate camera for the project. Since we can’t possibly have every camera in-house, we rent what we need, when we need it.

But we have to have something in house. Usually it’s a lower end camera that can take the abuse of laying around in our storage room. In the past it was a DXC series Betacam, then a DSR200 from Sony with it’s extra long record time. We even had a Panasonic DVX-100B. A camera to grab and go shoot without a lot of fuss.

So, lately I was searching for another camera to fill that bill. A grab and go that would not bring tears to my eyes when it took a scratch or bump.  I thought something around $2,500 that shoots to a solid state format like flash memory. I found the Panasonic AG-HMC70 3-chip AVCHD camcorder. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | 1 Comment »

March 2, 2009 by admin.

I am a self proclaimed tech junkie. I buy stuff that entertains me. TV sets entertain me a lot. So I bought a gi-normous 65″ Plasma for my living room and a 52″ LCD for the family room. I actually bought the Plasma set about a year and a half ago when the prices were dropping on plasmas.

A lot of people thought Plasma was old tech. They thought LCD would “replace” Plasma as the latest bestus way to watch TV. Now lots of people have taken a new look at big screen formats and found that LCD may not be the best choice for the home theatre.  Having looked at a lot of sets I have to throw my two cents into the fray. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Stuff That Can't Be Categorized | Print | No Comments »