I want searching capabilities and I want categories. Arrgh. I mean come on, the biggest search engine in the world can't include the ability to search in a blog? Almost every other blogging software I've looked at has this capability. I'm seriously considering moving to another application that has these features.
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Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
My visit to Washington DC
I had the opportunity to visit Washington DC last week. Unfortunately for me I was only able to visit the memorials late at night. It was a day trip, arrived in the morning, stayed one night, left the following afternoon.
Here is a great picture of the White House. There is construction going on for the inauguration in a few weeks. So there was this huge structure in front of the white house.
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Here is a great picture of the White House. There is construction going on for the inauguration in a few weeks. So there was this huge structure in front of the white house.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Salt Lake City good for High Tech
A story on deseretnews.com explains why Utah is good for technology. Here is my take.
Yes, we have a very technology thinking work force. It starts very early, in elementary school. Our children are exposed to a lot of technology. Spend a few hours in the afternoon at the local library and every computer has a student aged user sitting in front of it. Almost everyone that I know has at least one computer in their home (and if you're like me, several.) So our kids are exposed at the earliest age.
Then there’s the work force. You can't get a job today without being exposed at some point to a computer. Every police vehicle has a computer. Local Utility company vehicles now have laptops in them. We no longer have cash registers; we have computers with cash drawers hooked to them. You can apply for or renew licenses online. Pay your bills, order products, read news. It goes on and on.
But high tech isn't just about computers. It’s about the technology used in business. There are some very high tech companies in Utah that have nothing to do with computers. One example is Hexcel Corporation which has a plant in West Kearns. The plant is one of many throughout the US that manufactures a graphite composite used in a lot of products we buy. They primarily supply product to the Airline industry (next time your on a Boeing airplane, remember that the skin holding the thing together is made with a graphite material manufactured in Utah), golf club shafts, kevlar helmets and bullet proof vests, hi-end bicycle frames, ski poles, skis and many other product.
Utah is also home to Helicopter manufactures, medical supply manufactures, rocket engine manufactures, irrigation manufacturing and mineral mining. All of these companies rely on employees who know and understand technology. These people are smart, educated, and go outside the box with innovative ideas. The Utah work force seems to embrace this technology. They crave it. They expect it. It makes the work day fun and challenging. It also helps our economy.
read more...
Yes, we have a very technology thinking work force. It starts very early, in elementary school. Our children are exposed to a lot of technology. Spend a few hours in the afternoon at the local library and every computer has a student aged user sitting in front of it. Almost everyone that I know has at least one computer in their home (and if you're like me, several.) So our kids are exposed at the earliest age.
Then there’s the work force. You can't get a job today without being exposed at some point to a computer. Every police vehicle has a computer. Local Utility company vehicles now have laptops in them. We no longer have cash registers; we have computers with cash drawers hooked to them. You can apply for or renew licenses online. Pay your bills, order products, read news. It goes on and on.
But high tech isn't just about computers. It’s about the technology used in business. There are some very high tech companies in Utah that have nothing to do with computers. One example is Hexcel Corporation which has a plant in West Kearns. The plant is one of many throughout the US that manufactures a graphite composite used in a lot of products we buy. They primarily supply product to the Airline industry (next time your on a Boeing airplane, remember that the skin holding the thing together is made with a graphite material manufactured in Utah), golf club shafts, kevlar helmets and bullet proof vests, hi-end bicycle frames, ski poles, skis and many other product.
Utah is also home to Helicopter manufactures, medical supply manufactures, rocket engine manufactures, irrigation manufacturing and mineral mining. All of these companies rely on employees who know and understand technology. These people are smart, educated, and go outside the box with innovative ideas. The Utah work force seems to embrace this technology. They crave it. They expect it. It makes the work day fun and challenging. It also helps our economy.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Gmail import tool
I found this interesting little tool that will let you import from other mail file types, specifically mbox format, into your Gmail account. Gmail import tool. If you don't have mail in this format you are out of luck... I assume that means if you use Outlook, you're out of luck. Sorry. Maybe support for it will be in future releases.
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Sunday, September 12, 2004
I hope he doesn’t mind
Usually when I find a great link on the net and I post about it I give complete credit and a return link so the other site will get any traffic I can drive. But in the case of the Memorial post from Joel on Software, I decided that it was more important to me than just making a link. People change their weblog addresses, or their archives are removed or what ever. I didn't want to lose this. It's selfish I know, but extremely important.
I am pretty sure that Joel will not be changing his weblog any time soon, but I still wanted to play it safe. I'm not sure if he's the creator of the htm or he got it from somewhere else, but I appreciate the efforts and wanted to give full credit where I got the information.
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I am pretty sure that Joel will not be changing his weblog any time soon, but I still wanted to play it safe. I'm not sure if he's the creator of the htm or he got it from somewhere else, but I appreciate the efforts and wanted to give full credit where I got the information.
Friday, September 10, 2004
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
Reviews for People, not Geeks
Reviews for People, not Geeks. This was a very intriguing headline. I never thought about it but its true. Most of the reviews, especially electronics, are done by geeks. They use the product totally different than the average person and are concerned about a whole different set of features.
Maybe that's why my wife and I clash sometimes when it comes to using and buying electronic gadgets. It was just recently that I was able to convince her how cool TiVo really was by showing her that she could record all the old black and white Perry Mason's and watch them when she wanted and not have to worry about missing an episode or having to be at home at the right time. She loved it. And from that day forward TiVo had value.
I also own several other "geek" gadgets; cell phones, PDA's, laptops and many others. I integrate them all into my daily routine. For her, these are just things she has to worry about and find extra space in her purse. I always look at it from my stand point, being the technical geek that I am and wonder why she doesn't care? And she looks at me and says "why" are you wasting money and time with those things.
It really would be interesting to see reviews of products by non-geek types or interviews of non-geek types using the products. I bet you get a whole different perspective.
read more...
Maybe that's why my wife and I clash sometimes when it comes to using and buying electronic gadgets. It was just recently that I was able to convince her how cool TiVo really was by showing her that she could record all the old black and white Perry Mason's and watch them when she wanted and not have to worry about missing an episode or having to be at home at the right time. She loved it. And from that day forward TiVo had value.
I also own several other "geek" gadgets; cell phones, PDA's, laptops and many others. I integrate them all into my daily routine. For her, these are just things she has to worry about and find extra space in her purse. I always look at it from my stand point, being the technical geek that I am and wonder why she doesn't care? And she looks at me and says "why" are you wasting money and time with those things.
It really would be interesting to see reviews of products by non-geek types or interviews of non-geek types using the products. I bet you get a whole different perspective.
Space capsule crashes into Utah desert
Read how a $260 million dollar NASA project fell to earth and impaled itself into the Utah desert, all while helicopters piloted by Hollywood stunt men waited to capture it in mid air. Problem? The parachutes that are supposed to slow it down (and what would have allowed the helicopters to snag it) never deployed. So it free fell at 190+ miles an hour out of space.
It sounded like something right out of a movie but in fact it was reality. I'm not sure if the helicopters could have caught this thing in mid air but it was a good thought.
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It sounded like something right out of a movie but in fact it was reality. I'm not sure if the helicopters could have caught this thing in mid air but it was a good thought.
Delta Airlines to layoff 10%
Salt Lake International Airport is a large hub for Delta but appears not to be effected by this announcement. According to KSL News it could actually boost the number of jobs in Salt Lake because Delta is shutting down its Denver hub. However Delta did say that this doesn't mean they wouldn't still file for bankruptcy protection.
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Sunday, September 5, 2004
BYU and Utah win
I'm a BYU fan, and always will be, and the win over Notre Dame this weekend was sweet. Notre Dame is always a great game for the Cougars and BYU fans. I'm just glad they won this year.
Utah also won, beating Texas A&M, 21-41. It was a good win for the Utes.
Both teams have new coaching staffs. Hopefully they can bring the schools back to their winning ways.
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Utah also won, beating Texas A&M, 21-41. It was a good win for the Utes.
Both teams have new coaching staffs. Hopefully they can bring the schools back to their winning ways.
Living in Utah
One of the reasons I love living in Utah is the 4 distinct seasons you experience. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. There are plenty of things to do all year round. Here is a great photo (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune) of a run-off lake high in the Rocky Mountains. It's an easy hike to get to this lake as are many others from the same trails. Every season is beautiful and allows one to see the best nature has to offer.
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Wednesday, September 1, 2004
Extensive comparison for Treo 600, Blackberry 7230 and Nokia 6600
Tom Yager has done an excellent job in presenting his views on the three devices. They are pretty impartial and give the reader a good sense of the units capabilities. Throwing in his own opinions and comparisons gives you the feeling that he has used these devices in the real world. Good job Tom!
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Gmail from Google.com, cool
I finally got a Gmail account. I don't know why it's such a big deal, I mean 1GB of storage space, mail threads, labeing much more... FOR FREE! I discovered a cool toolbar feature called Gmail Notifier (here) and installed it. Let's me see when mail comes in (since Gmail is web based, I don't need a browser open), and I can respond to mail links in web pages from an IE plug-in. This is pretty cool stuff...
I also found a program called GmailFS, I think, that lets someone with a Linux box set up a connection to use the Gmail account space as storage, basically creating a hosted offsite back up system. It might be cool to have a Linux box just to see this work.
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I also found a program called GmailFS, I think, that lets someone with a Linux box set up a connection to use the Gmail account space as storage, basically creating a hosted offsite back up system. It might be cool to have a Linux box just to see this work.
Friday, August 27, 2004
The Treo 650
Wow, now this almost makes me want to drop the Pocket PC and switch sides. Treo 650 as seen on Gizmodo. A guy I work with switched from a Pocket PC for a Treo 600. He loves the Treo. I've hear a lot of good things about it. If it has Bluetooth they it might be worth it. I am all about convenience when it comes to these devices. The Bluetooth would give you the ability to use a wireless head set. That is enticing.
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Saturday, August 21, 2004
A take on Interviewing at Microsoft and other thoughts
After reading this post on Michael Swanson's blog, I thought about all the job interviews that I have been on and all of the ways I have tried to get my foot in some door. This is truly original. Way to go Michael. Too bad your efforts didn't pay off. But I imagine you learned a lot from the experience.
Since I have been in the tech industry for almost 20 years, I would imagine that I am like most people when it comes to interviewing. It's a process that no one likes, most of all the interviewer. It's tough to make a decision based on a small segment of time. This person could play a key role in your company and you don't want to make a mistake.
That kinda reminds me of the scene in Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, where the band is auditioning potential Bass players. In the end, Robert Trujillo is the guy they like. And instead of just making him the "newest" member of the band, they wanted this guy to be part of the family. The first thing they did, give him a million bucks right on the spot. The next thing they did... give him a 25% stake in the band (the lawyers tried to give him 5% percent but James and Lars freaked out.) They wanted this guy to know the risk the band was taking on him and in return wanted everything he could give, plus a lot more.
I'm sure the stress is pretty high, but if all companies treated their new hires like this. Did something to make them feel part of the family right away instead of always feeling like their one day away from being let go. In the tech industry their are no loyalties, from the company or the employees. That's why I think being an independent contractor is the only way to make a really good living. Sure, you might give up the chance to make some money with the likes of Microsoft or Google, but those chances are few and far between, and you have to be in the right place at the right time.
read more...
Since I have been in the tech industry for almost 20 years, I would imagine that I am like most people when it comes to interviewing. It's a process that no one likes, most of all the interviewer. It's tough to make a decision based on a small segment of time. This person could play a key role in your company and you don't want to make a mistake.
That kinda reminds me of the scene in Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, where the band is auditioning potential Bass players. In the end, Robert Trujillo is the guy they like. And instead of just making him the "newest" member of the band, they wanted this guy to be part of the family. The first thing they did, give him a million bucks right on the spot. The next thing they did... give him a 25% stake in the band (the lawyers tried to give him 5% percent but James and Lars freaked out.) They wanted this guy to know the risk the band was taking on him and in return wanted everything he could give, plus a lot more.
I'm sure the stress is pretty high, but if all companies treated their new hires like this. Did something to make them feel part of the family right away instead of always feeling like their one day away from being let go. In the tech industry their are no loyalties, from the company or the employees. That's why I think being an independent contractor is the only way to make a really good living. Sure, you might give up the chance to make some money with the likes of Microsoft or Google, but those chances are few and far between, and you have to be in the right place at the right time.
Is technology invading your space?
I spent most of the day cleaning my office, going through stacks of paper (moving it from one pile to another), stacking CD's, putting software back in it's cases, throwing away magazines that were a year old, you know, kind of spring cleaning.
As I was going through all my stuff I started stacking all the gadgets I have in one area on my desk. A cell phone, PDA, digital camera, mp3 player, USB thumb drive, cassette player (for books on tape), 3 different kinds of head phones, laptop, desktop, 2 wireless routers, cordless telephone, a digital clock, DVD player, 36" TV, Xbox and more. Wow, that is a lot of stuff. I doubt if I'm even close to most gadget geeks but it all looks amusing when put in a large pile.
A little while later I went to the store to pick up some evening snacks and things for tomorrow. I try not to shop on Sunday. I took my phone (in case the very important call comes in), my PDA that had the list of things I needed to get (because I hate carrying around little pieces of paper) and my CD case (to listen to some great tunes for my 2 minute ride).
Did I really need all that stuff? A guy I work with has it made in the shade. I noticed recently that he is very low tech in a high tech world. First I noticed that he doesn't have a cell phone. Doesn't need one. Nothing is that important he says. He has a phone on his desk. He doesn't own a PDA, an MP3 player, a digital camera or even a desk top PC (although he does have a laptop, used sparingly at home.)
I admire his low tech life style. I remember when I was a kid, I didn't have a cell phone or a PDA or almost any of the gadgets I do now. It was just as fun and a lot less stressful.
(coming back to finish this post a few hours later)
I was just up stairs trying to find something to watch on the satellite. Nothing. 900 channels and nothing. I don't have any movie channels because they are a huge waste of money, but you would think that something interesting would be on. Maybe its just me and I'm too tired.
Any way, to finish up my original post, there is a lot to be said about living a low tech life style. The stress of not worrying about the cell phone, email, satellite or Windows updates. Maybe the answer is a day on the links!
read more...
As I was going through all my stuff I started stacking all the gadgets I have in one area on my desk. A cell phone, PDA, digital camera, mp3 player, USB thumb drive, cassette player (for books on tape), 3 different kinds of head phones, laptop, desktop, 2 wireless routers, cordless telephone, a digital clock, DVD player, 36" TV, Xbox and more. Wow, that is a lot of stuff. I doubt if I'm even close to most gadget geeks but it all looks amusing when put in a large pile.
A little while later I went to the store to pick up some evening snacks and things for tomorrow. I try not to shop on Sunday. I took my phone (in case the very important call comes in), my PDA that had the list of things I needed to get (because I hate carrying around little pieces of paper) and my CD case (to listen to some great tunes for my 2 minute ride).
Did I really need all that stuff? A guy I work with has it made in the shade. I noticed recently that he is very low tech in a high tech world. First I noticed that he doesn't have a cell phone. Doesn't need one. Nothing is that important he says. He has a phone on his desk. He doesn't own a PDA, an MP3 player, a digital camera or even a desk top PC (although he does have a laptop, used sparingly at home.)
I admire his low tech life style. I remember when I was a kid, I didn't have a cell phone or a PDA or almost any of the gadgets I do now. It was just as fun and a lot less stressful.
(coming back to finish this post a few hours later)
I was just up stairs trying to find something to watch on the satellite. Nothing. 900 channels and nothing. I don't have any movie channels because they are a huge waste of money, but you would think that something interesting would be on. Maybe its just me and I'm too tired.
Any way, to finish up my original post, there is a lot to be said about living a low tech life style. The stress of not worrying about the cell phone, email, satellite or Windows updates. Maybe the answer is a day on the links!
Friday, August 20, 2004
Back to blogger
Well, the web host I was using totally screwed me again. This time I lost all my files (my fault for not having a backup) but still, they keep restoring a backup of my directory that is dated in May, AND I didn't ask them too.
So I have moved my site to another server and it will take me some time to get it back on line. I have lost all of my posts, that sucks. I also need to set up the Biking and Photo blogs. Patience while I get these things back up. Hmm, actually maybe no one is reading this and so it won't really matter.
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So I have moved my site to another server and it will take me some time to get it back on line. I have lost all of my posts, that sucks. I also need to set up the Biking and Photo blogs. Patience while I get these things back up. Hmm, actually maybe no one is reading this and so it won't really matter.
Friday, June 25, 2004
Utah engineer wins more than $500,000 on Jeopardy!
Some guy from here in Utah wins it big on Jeopardy. I've never really been a Jeopardy fan; I think the game is kinda boring. But, here is a guy that stayed on the show for weeks and has earned an estimated $512,000. Pretty good if you ask me.
I watched a few minutes of a recent episode after my Mother told me about him. The guy was unstoppable. He had answered pretty much every question and his opponents could never get an answer in. It was interesting to watch him, but I'm sure very frustrating for the other players.
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I watched a few minutes of a recent episode after my Mother told me about him. The guy was unstoppable. He had answered pretty much every question and his opponents could never get an answer in. It was interesting to watch him, but I'm sure very frustrating for the other players.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Mozilla FireFox 0.9
I downloaded and installed the new Mozilla FireFox 0.9 browser. I have been using FireFox for a little while now and I really like it. It's not IE compatible so there are some sites that just don't work very well. It's not Mozilla's fault. However, I found it interesting that my blog doesn't render well in FireFox. Too bad. I still like it.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2004
A few words about Bloglines.com
I love Bloglines. This is a great application. This web based app allows you to read rss/atom feeds. I have to admit this is an interesting thought, will weblogs evolve to just aggregated feeds? What will happen to all the pictures if it does? Will there be a standard and who will control the standard? Anyway, if your interesting in learning more about Bloglines, click here, it's a free service.
Learn more about RSS here.
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Learn more about RSS here.
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