random thought bistro

bodybugg

2007-08-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Two of my friends have begun to use a fitness device called a bodybugg. The bodybugg armband is used to track calories consumed and also tracks calories expended using four types of sensors. It measures motion, body temp, skin conductivity, and heat flux. (Not sure how all the science works, but their web site provides some details.) Then you upload the info to your personalized web site and can view your results and progress. The concept is simple: balancing calories consumed against calories burned in order to manage weight. Cost is $399. It's a nice concept, but the armband is a bit bulky. And I don't know that I'd be consistent about entering my calories consumed into the armband. I prefer going to my Weight Watchers online web site and using their tools, although I'm less consistent with that than I should be.

The bodybugg reminds me a bit of my Sportbrain, but the Sportbrain only counts and uploads my steps. And of course the Sportbrain only costs $29.99. But again--less functionality.

All things TiVo

2007-08-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who enjoy TiVo, how are you liking the new Amazon Unbox service? I've used it to download a few movies and TV shows, but wish they offered more selection.

And, as many predicted, the price is coming down on the Series 3 TiVo. Actually its a new "lite" model that features HD, and at a significantly reduced price from the Series 3.

I moved houses recently, and have felt a little frustration at dealing with multiple TiVos or not having TiVo available in the room I want to be in. This stems from the walking program that I began in January (yes, I do get well over 10,000 steps a day and I've lost over 50 pounds since January!). I now have my treadmill in a room without a TiVo. And I really don't want to purchase another Tivo--I already have 2. So I began to investigate networking options for my TiVo and came up with two solutions:

X10 offers what they call a Wireless Video Sender. I could hook the transmitting unit up to one of my TiVos and then hook the receiving unit to the TV next to my treadmill. $49.99 for this solution.
Here is the solution I like the most. CrossBar Media sells a kit that allows you to network all your A/V devices over your existing coax cables. So I could send programming from my TiVo to any TV in the house, as well as pop a DVD into the drive in my living room and watch it on the TV in my bedroom. (I don't know about you, but I'm tired of buying multiple devices for each room.) Their AVCast Media Kit runs $99.95 and provides a CableCaster, MediaCaster, IRCaster, IR Detector and the associated cables and power supplies. You replace the splitter where all your cable runs connect with the CableCaster, then install the MediaCaster on the device that you want to transmit throughout the home. The IRCaster allows you to remote control the device from other rooms. Note that you'll need a MediaCaster and IRCaster for each device that you want to transmit programming from. So in my case I'd need a MediaCaster for both the TiVo and the DVD player.

I'm actually planning to try out both devices and see how they perform.

Another gadget--Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor

2007-02-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

So apparently, to get the most out of my exercise time, I am supposed to exercise within my target heart rate zone. I was kind of concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, but I guess I can work my way up to a target zone. LOL! My treadmill has a heart rate monitor--you have to place your thumbs over the sensors while you walk--but its not very easy to use. My friend Sherri told me about the Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor, which costs $59, and I've decided to try it out.

The FS1 is very simple--a chest strap and a corresponding wrist monitor so you can easily view your heart rate. The wrist unit has 1 button and provides two basic functions: displays your heart rate and also functions as a simple digital watch. Once I read the manual and got the chest strap adjusted, it was very easy to use. But I do recommend reading the manual, as it isn't easy to figure out the wrist unit with it's one button functionality.

So...between my 10,000 steps/day goal, and eventually exercising within a target heart rate zone, perhaps I'll work my way to excellent health! My overall goal is to lose 50 pounds by next January...

Step counter is helping

2007-01-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

Well I must say that wearing a step counter every day (see my January 23 post regarding SportBrain) is making me more active. In my quest to walk at least 10,000 steps per day I have begun looking for ways to incorporate more steps into my daily routine. This is especially important now that I'm working from home.

I've walked to the post office twice this week--I hadn't realized it was so close! Only 10 minutes of walking and just 1200 steps. I was disappointed! I can pick up another 2500 steps at the grocery store if I walk up and down every aisle twice. Then there are my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs, for those days that I can't face the treadmill and the weather is too nasty to get out. My friend Sherri and I have been mall walking too...which is getting a little expensive. ;-)

And we've signed up for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica on April 21. We'll get our steps and raise funds to help premature babies through the March of Dimes! I'm looking for sponsors, so if you'd like to donate to the March of Dimes please follow the link above.

Prosper - microlending in the US

2007-01-29T06:47:00.000-08:00

Some of you may already have heard about Prosper, a microlending web site that has been around for about a year now. The idea behind Prosper is individuals loaning money to other individuals. You can be both a borrower and a lender. You can lend in small amounts across a number of loans, and its highly likely that if you borrow through Prosper your loan will be funded by a number of lenders. Depending on your credit history and your debt/earnings ratio, you are assigned a credit grade (A, B, C, etc.) that determines your interest rate. You can also specify the interest rate you're willing to pay, but be aware that you're not likely to get funding if you have a high risk grade and you only want to pay 5% interest.

I am both a borrower and lender on Prosper. Both have been good experiences for me (so far), although I will say that repayments, prepayments, and funded loans can be a bit confusing if you're a lender. My advice is to read through the forums (you'll find them on the Help tab) before borrowing or lending. There's a lot of good advice there from those who've gone before you.

Prosper is useful when you don't want to pay the high rates of a credit card, or you can't get funding through a traditional bank. In my case, I wanted $3,000 for some home improvements and the amount was much smaller than a bank wanted to loan. After reading about Prosper I opted to give it a try. My loan funded in minutes. A few months later I decided to loan a little money through Propsper. Loaning is a little more complicated--you can loan money automatically or you can choose your borrowers. You can also tie up funds toward loans that ultimately don't fund, which is frustrating. And there's always the chance that a borrower might default on the loan. You reduce the risk by spreading your loaned money across a number of borrowers and by choosing your borrowers carefully. I have a small amount of money spread across three "C grade" loans with an average return of just over 15%.

SportBrain

2007-01-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

Have I posted before about my digital step counter? It's called a SportBrain, and I've been using it for several years now. I pop it on my waistband every morning and it counts my steps throughout the day. Then I attach the "brain" to a USB cable and my steps are automatically uploaded to my SportBrain homepage, where I can view my stats, compare my daily activity level to others in my age group, compare to all other SportBrain users, or post my results so that my friends who are also SportBrain users can view them. (This is to help me stay motivated.)

My doctor told me several years ago that you should walk at least 10,000 steps per day to maintain a healthy heart. While I will admit that there have been long stretches when I've not met my daily step goal, wearing the SportBrain certainly motivates me to walk more. When I began wearing my SportBrain I started parking at the far end of the parking lot. I also became aware that on the days that I work from home I get about 1/10 the number of steps that I get when I go to the office.

So...just thought I'd share the SportBrain idea for any other gadget junkies out there.

Hoping to be in Cabo tomorrow

2007-01-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

It is still wet and cold here in Dallas, and they are cancelling flights like crazy out at DFW airport. Since we are scheduled to have more freezing drizzle overnight, I am worried about my flight to Cabo tomorrow morning. I really, really need to be on the beach in front of Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos by tomorrow afternoon. It is essential to my mental health. I bought a timeshare at Pueblo Bonito a few years ago, and I absolutely love it there. I love it so much I bought a second week, in a 2 bedroom unit, when it came available. I go the second week of January every year, and have a unit that opens onto the beach.

If you've never been to Cabo, it is worth the trip--particularly if you like deep sea fishing or golf. I do neither of those, but I do love the beach. There is just something about Baja California Sur that calls to me. (Again, its probably the beach.) And I like to visit Todos Santos on each trip to have drinks at the Hotel California and to see what the local artisans have created.

So wish me luck in getting there this year--looks like I'll need it with the way the weather is progressing.

TiVo Forum drama!

2007-01-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

We're having nasty weather here in Dallas this weekend, so I've been stuck indoors doing homework. I took a break today and moseyed over to the Tivo Community Forum to see if anybody had posted any new TiVo tricks. I can't believe the thread I found over there! You've got to check it out--I couldn't stop reading it! Theft, duplicity, and justice...better than a soap opera.

TiVo + Slingbox = Gadget Geek

2007-01-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

Have I confessed yet to being a gadget geek? If not, consider it done...

I was one of the first to buy a TiVo when they came on the market. Ordered it directly from TiVo at a time when I could barely afford it, but thankfully that gave me lifetime service. I still have that Series 1 box, but added a Series 2 box late last year. I've not yet discovered HD, so opted not to spend the $$ for a Series 3 unit. Bought my Series 2 from WeaKnees, by the way, and once again experienced excellent service. I've bought various parts and drive upgrades from them in the past, always with good results.

Today I finally succumbed to my desire for a Slingbox Pro, so that I have access to my own viewing preferences while on the road. I've got really odd TV viewing habits, and this will be so much nicer than watching whatever happens to be available when I'm living in a hotel (which I believe will happen a LOT with my new job). I probably won't get it installed until tomorrow, but I'm really looking forward to it. There aren't that many shows that I can't live without, but TiVo makes it nice to be able to view them when its convenient for me as opposed to when the show is scheduled to air. So now with the Slingbox I'll have access to my TiVo'd programs (and more) from wherever I have a broadband connection. I'll supposedly be able to view from my cell phone, a Samsung BlackJack, as well...but I have trouble visualizing my wanting to do so.

OK, since I brought it up, here are the shows I can't live without

CSI
ER
The Girls Next Door (Yes! I think its a scream!)
Desperate Housewives
Two and a Half Men

I also like to keep up with the ABC soaps, but I find that watching once or twice a week is plenty. And--blissfully--with TiVo you can speed through an hour of soap in about 15 minutes. I also enjoy Dr. Phil ("How's that workin' for ya?"), depending on the topic.

I'll keep you posted on my Slingbox experience.

Getting caught up

2007-01-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I'm certainly not much of a consistent blogger, but will make it a resolution to do more blogging this year. 2007 is off to a big start for me. New job that I think will be very fulfilling and will put me on the road a great deal once again. And I went back to college last fall, so I've been very busy with my courses these last few months.

As an interesting elective for my Info Security degree, I signed up for a course called International Terrorism. No, I am not learning to be a terrorist! I am studying the history of terrorism, along with the structure of terrorist organizations, and the typical profile of a terrorist and a terrorist organization. It is very scary stuff. But fascinating, and certainly relevant in today's world. The discussion topic this week (and so timely) is: Do you think that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth the price we've paid? So far only one class participant has said "yes".

The course is offered as part of a Homeland Security certification at Excelsior College. It's been a lot of work this semester, but oh so interesting! I must say I've enjoyed it more than the Java programming course I'm taking, which will be much more useful in my career.

How we Really Use Mobile Technology

2006-01-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

During my morning read, I visited Mitch Wagner's blog on the Information Week site. He pointed to a remarkably good story by Rick Segal about using technology to turn a 3 hour flight delay into a productive experience.

Green is the new Red, White, and Blue

2006-01-07T03:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, just a couple of days after my post on an alternative energy initiative, Thomas Friedman wrote a compelling column on the topic. I'd post it here for you, but since the NY Times charges for that info, I feel it is a no-no. (I pay for a TimesSelect subscription just so that I can read the columns on-line.) That said, I'm sure that if you Google the phrase "green is the new red, white, and blue" you are quite likely to come up with the full text of the column posted elsewhere.

I wish I had Mr. Friedman's way with words. Here are a couple of excerpts from the column that I just loved:

But when it comes to what is actually the most important issue in U.S. foreign and domestic policy today - making ourselves energy efficient and independent, and environmentally green - they [Bush and Cheney] ridicule it as something only liberals, tree-huggers and sissies believe is possible or necessary.
Sorry, but being green, focusing the nation on greater energy efficiency and conservation, is not some girlie-man issue. It is actually the most tough-minded, geostrategic, pro-growth and patriotic thing we can do.
Living green is not just a "personal virtue," as Mr. Cheney says. It's a national security imperative.

A couple of tools that will simplify your work life

2006-01-07T03:19:00.000-08:00

I ran across a couple of tools this week that I plan to adopt. The first is ActiveWords, a utility that allows you to assign a metadata tag to any action that you regularly perform on your computer. (If, like me, you've been around the Microsoft product world for a long time it may remind you of creating and using macros.)

The other utility, which I'd looked at briefly before but not acted on, is Anagram. Anagram allows you to highlight text on a web page or in an e-mail and transfer it directly into Outlook using a single keystroke. For example, if you want to transfer someone's contact information from their e-mail signature to your Outlook Contacts, you merely highlight the data and then hit the appropriate function key. As I said earlier, I'd looked at this once before and procrastinated. After wasting time this week digging through my archived mail to find a couple pieces of contact info (because I'd been too busy to type it into my Contacts file when I received it), I remembered Anagram and gave myself a good forehead slap.

As long as I'm blogging about software that makes life easier, if you've never experienced MindManager you should check it out. MindManager enables you to quickly create Mind Maps of processes and concepts. This is something that I use for a variety of purposes:

outlining books and articles that I'm writing
organizing data on a topic that I'm researching or interested in
strategic planning
taking notes during conferences and seminars

In short, MindManager is a good tool for organizing your thoughts. I've been using it for several years now, and recently upgraded to MindManager Pro 6. I can easily import my Mind Maps into Office applications such as Word or Powerpoint. And I can embed hyperlinks, notes, and documents into a Mind Map to better organize information. MindManager has a viral impact--once other people see you using it they go out and buy it too, which makes collaboration a breeze.

TiVo Series 3 coming

2006-01-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Engadget broke the news that TiVo is coming out with a Series 3 box this year. The early details are: capacity for 300 hours of content, dual cable cards, and a remote with backlighting. Oddly enough, the item that really caught my interest is that they're also launching an external hard drive.

Alternative Energy Initiative for the US

2006-01-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

I was thinking over the weekend about my goals for 2006. All of mine were "me" focused, and I wasn't happy with that. We should all reach outside of ourselves and participate in the world community, no? So, I thought about the things that matter to me and how I might contribute to making the world a better place in 2006. As a result, I've decided to focus some effort on encouraging the United States to adopt a fast-track alternative energy program.

What can I (an IT architect and "sock mom" from Texas) do to influence alternative energy research and adoption? Here's what I've come up with so far--I can:

learn more about alternative energy
adopt alternative energy sources for personal use
encourage the Bush administration to initiate an alternative energy program with teeth
encourage others to care about alternative energy
encourage others to speak out about the need for an alternative energy program

I'm going to employ my usual goal setting methodology to approach this, and I've already taken some initial (albeit small) steps:

I've re-read the Bush administration's National Energy Policy (and I'm still not impressed).
I've purchased a solar charger for my electronic gadgets.
I've put together a list of vendors to contact regarding solar panel installation for my home.
I've written a letter to President Bush encouraging a more aggressive National Energy Policy.

My next steps:

Contact my elected representatives to discuss the topic.
Investigate an "online petition" format.
More research.

Stay tuned, and I'll let you know how you can help.

Sony, what were you thinking?

2005-12-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

I've been following with interest the debacle of Sony BMG distributing CDs containing a rootkit. Note that they have tentatively settled the first round of suits, as reported in this Yahoo! News headline. Upon first reading about the rootkit on Mark Russinovich's Sysinternals blog, I immediately checked my collection to see if I'd bought any of the offending discs. I had one on order, and promptly cancelled the order. I'm sure I wasn't the only consumer to do so!

I can't help but wonder what the heck they were thinking! Did they know they were distributing a rootkit? Did they really expect that their spyware wouldn't be discovered? Did they not comprehend that they were using spyware? and finally--Was it worth it? (I bet I know the answer to that last question.)

Wine recommendations

2005-12-30T06:39:00.000-08:00

I am not a wine expert. I enjoy wine and have spent about 10 years finding a handful of wines that I like. My criteria for choosing wine: it tastes good to me and is consistently good on subsequent purchases. Although I spent a couple of years as a member of a "wine of the month" club, I found all of my favorites through the recommendation of friends.

My favorites:

Stag's Leap Chardonnay - It used to be very difficult to find this wine, as most cases were reserved for restaurant sales. Now you can buy directly from the winery at www.stagsleap.com or from www.wine.com.
Swanson Vineyards Sangiovese or Swanson vineyards Merlot - The Sangiovese is difficult to find, but well worth it. The Merlot is consistently good and widely available. www.swansonvineyards.com, www.wine.com, or your local wine shop.
Mirassou White Burgundy or Mirassou Chardonnay - The White Burgundy is difficult to find, but the Chardonnay is widely available. www.mirassou.com, www.wine.com, or your local wine shop or grocer.

I look forward to trying the Swanson Rosato over the New Year's weekend, and hope to find another favorite. Again, I'm no connoisseur, but I know what I like.

More good predictions

2005-12-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Vinnie Mirchandani has posted some great predictions on his blog, deal architect. I liked them for a number of reasons:

They aren't focused on Yahoo or Google. I'm so tired of that.
He considers the effects of globalization (one of my current favorite topics).
He makes predictions around outsourcing, and I work for a major outsourcing company.

I'm in violent disagreement with his #4 prediction, however.

4) An infrastructure vendor - likely Dell or Sun (as it tries to redefine
itself) - will introduce infrastructure outsourcing at aggressive, "utility"
price points to cover a wide range of network, database, desktop and other
services. In its hype cycle for outsourcing Gartner defines infrastructure
outsourcing as one of the most mature. As systems management automation and
offsite, shared labor models mature, an efficient services "supply chain"
becomes much more viable.
I just don't see either Dell or Sun being in position to pull it off in 2006 or 2007. But I'm wildly enthusiastic about prediction #5, which I think is right on target.

5) A generation of “appligators” will emerge - small systems integrators
which specialize in innovation areas like web services or telemetry and willing
to work with clients in small, intense teams. We will not be able to tell till
2007 if they are of a more modest breed than their predecessors, the Scients,
Viants around the ebiz boom in late 90s.

Alas, I don't see #6 as much of a prediction. It's already happening. But check out his blog entry for yourself. Very insightful and well done.

Reading the predictions for 2006

2005-12-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's the time of year for lists! We've finished up with Christmas lists. Worked our way through our "returns" list. Now it's time for:

Best of 2005 lists
2006 resolutions lists
2006 predictions lists

I really enjoy reading the predictions and stumbled across a nice list by Nicholas Carr on his Rough Type blog. Check it out and enjoy. I particularly like #1 and #5. Both are just too intriguing, no?

1. A free online game, supported by advertising and product placement,
becomes widely popular, threatening the traditional business model of the
gaming
industry.
5. Hitachi, Fujitsu or Lenovo buys Sun Microsystems.

I'm going to keep looking and compile a "best of" predictions list. Of course, the fun will come in December 2006, when we compare predicted to actual.

The Other Side of Outsourcing

2005-12-29T05:58:00.000-08:00

Someone has uploaded the Discovery Channel documentary, The Other Side of Outsourcing, to YouTube. Narrated by Thomas Friedman, this video is well worth watching. Friedman introduces us to two sides of India--the high tech alongside the devastatingly poor. These extremes coexist within minutes of each other, and highlight the great emotional debate about globalization.

While some view globalization as overwhelmingly positive, there are just as many who view it as a trend that makes the poor poorer. I believe there is truth to both. The trick is to create the right programs that enable the disenfranchised residents of developing countries to participate in the global economy. Unfortunately, politics more often triumphs over conscience and common sense. But perhaps the very tool that fuels globalization--the Internet--will prove to be the platform for change.

TiVo's Wireless G USB Adapter

2005-12-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

TiVo has come out with their own wireless adapter for their Series 2 box. $49.99 each. Why is this good? Unless you use a broadband connection, your TiVo uses a phone line to download programming each day. So with a wireless adapter, you can leverage your existing broadband connection and forget the phone line. Is this really new? Well, a TiVo branded wireless adapter is new. But www.weaknees.com has been selling USB wireless network adapters for the Series 2 TiVo for quite some time. $49/each.

RSS coming to Outlook

2005-12-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

Michael Affronti, Microsoft's Outlook Program Manager, has blogged some good info about the coming RSS aggregation in the next version of Outlook. I think we've all heard that RSS was coming to Outlook, but didn't have the details. While his post may not answer all of your questions, it will certainly give you a good idea of the plan. I like it. Having my RSS feeds in the same location as my e-mail will be a convenience. I currently use Newsgator so I can access my feeds from any machine, but will certainly consider the switch.

The Strangeness of Dreams

2005-12-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me are aware that I have some strange dreams from time to time. There was the one where I had a black cat stuck on my head... the one about snakes... the one about falling down the stairs... and the recurring dreams about missing my final exams or coming up one credit short at highschool graduation.

But recently I had a dream about a friend I hadn't seen in several years. In 2001, I moved away from the neighborhood where I'd lived for 17 years and lost touch with many of my neighbors. I hadn't seen Linda in 4 years, but I recently I had a dream that included her. Several days ago, I found out that Linda died in early December. I am so saddened by her passing. She had a vibrant personality, a beautiful smile, and a wonderful laugh. She was so proud of her son Aaron! Initially, I was disconcerted about having dreamed of Linda near the time of her death. But now I'm comforted by my odd little nocturnal remembrance. Comforted, yet I don't pretend to understand...

Goals challenge for 2006

2005-12-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

I am a goal setter. Several years ago I stumbled upon the power of writing down my goals and the steps required to achieve them. It has been rewarding—and sometimes amusing!—to go back in later years and review those goals and my progress. There is much to be said for living a life by design, rather than a life by default. (I’d credit someone else for those words, but I’ve read them so many places I don’t know where to begin.) This year, I even put goal setting on my Christmas list—I asked my son and daughter-in-law to take time to think about and write down their goals as a family as a Christmas gift to me. But it’s really a thinly disguised gift to themselves.

Although simply writing down your goals is sufficient, I prefer to work a little harder at mine. I write down a list of goals, then go back and put some action items toward my top three goals. And I now write all of this in a spiral notebook that I've dedicated to that purpose. When I'm really concentrating on a particular goal, I spend time each day rewriting my goal and the associated action items--just a few minutes each morning to maintain my focus.

There are a number of good books available on goal setting and resolutions, but I believe the best is Goals, by Brian Tracy. It's available in print, digital download, and audio. I have all of these versions, as I go back to this book several times a year for a refresher. Obviously, I can't recommend it highly enough.

I've already formulated my goals for 2006, but I'm spending some time refining them this week. Here's a sample of the goals that are currently on my list:

Write another book in 2006.
Organize my craft/hobby room.
Earn my CISSP credential.
Complete the patent process for my AD Maturity Model.
Lose weight. (This one makes the list every year. My goal should be to not need it on my list in 2007!)
Complete my college degree by year end 2007. (This one requires massive action in 2006, so it makes my list now)

So now I've put these goals into the public domain, and by making them public I feel a bit more pressure to accomplish them. I'll post occasional updates, and look back at this time next year to see how it went. My next steps will be to elaborate on each of these goals, creating action items that will move me in the right direction. Just going through this exercise boosts my confidence about achieving the goals. And reviewing the list of action items every day keeps me focused on getting the work done.

For those of you who are inclined, I hope I've encouraged you to reach for a new goal in 2006. Please share it with me, and I'll be your cheerleader throughout the year to help encourage you toward success!

French anti-Americanism not quite what it seems?

2005-12-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

Did you boycott french fries and give up French wines? A lot of Americans have been angry with France since the early days of the war in Iraq. Myself included. (Although I only gave up the french fries because I joined Weight Watchers.) And the French have always seemed quite disdainful of Americans.

Anyway, I stumbled across this article by Howard French of The NY Times on his site A Glimpse of the World. According to French, France quarrels with America because we are so much alike! Read it--it's a good article. I may just schedule a trip to France this spring after all.

Bought a new TiVo!

2005-12-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist the current sale price on TiVo and bought a new one. I've had my Series 1 TiVo since shortly after the product hit the market. And yes, I've hacked it with a larger hard drive and a new IR device. (If you're interested in upgrading your TiVo or buying replacement parts, WeaKnees is a reputable place to buy and offers great service.)

But I've now succumbed to the lure of the Series 2 TiVo, complete with a wireless adapter and a USB port. I didn't buy a huge drive--just the standard model--because I'm not a big TV watcher but I am particular about what I watch. At the current sale prices, you can pick up a new TiVo for $49.

Oh my gosh--I'm Sock Mom again!

2005-12-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that since my post yesterday about sending socks to my son in Iraq, all of my Google ads are pointing out places to buy....yep, you guessed it...socks! I'm never, ever going to live it down now, am I?

Attention Thomas Friedman fans

2005-12-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

Are you a fan of Thomas Friedman, NY Times columnist and author of The World is Flat and The Lexus and the Olive Tree? If you read here regularly, you know that I am. I've read his last 3 books and enjoyed them immensely. He has a knack for aggregating global economic and political information and relating it's relevance to your own community. I heard Friedman speak during a visit to EDS in Plano, TX last month, and found him to be very personable and engaging. So if you're interested, I noticed that he'll be appearing on Book TV the morning of December 24. Check here for the details--2005 National Book Festival: Thomas Friedman

Gear for the troops

2005-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me well understand that I have a keen appreciation for our military and their current mission in Iraq. As an American, and as a Mom, it drives me crazy to think that our government would ever send soldiers to the field with substandard equipment. My son assures me he had everything he needed, and then some. Maybe he was right--check this post on Engadget about the new air conditioned vests. I know a few Marines who would've appreciated one of those!

While we're on the topic of provisioning the troops, I'll confess to my own major wierdness while my son was deployed. I tried, but I did not handle it gracefully. I heard horror stories about troops that didn't receive the right gear, so I bought him a few things...the very best and coolest goggles, the moisture wicking undershirts, and socks. Lots and lots of socks.

I believe that was the first indicator of my mental meltdown. After reading an article about troops getting terrible foot infections from living in their combat boots, I went online to find the very best socks. I ordered 2 dozen, then found out they were back ordered. I found another source and ordered 2 dozen more. Same story. I found yet another source and finally got the socks shipped to my son in the field. All of them. Over a three week period I sent him 6 dozen pairs of high quality socks specially made for combat boots, in the color preferred by the Marine Corps. Every time I wrote to him I asked, "Do you need more socks?" He thought I was nuts, but was too respectful to say so. Many months later, when he had returned home and settled in, I found out that I had become known within his unit as 'Sock Mom'. He had more socks than he needed. He had been selling them to the other guys for $10/pair. (I paid $13/pair, plus shipping.)

He's been home now since April, and I have slowly come to realize just how nutty I was during that deployment. I'm doing much better now... But it doesn't take much to send me right back to that stomach clenching, heart-in-my-throat feeling that I lived with for too many months.

Top IT Trends of 2005?

2005-12-20T09:21:00.001-08:00

When I saw the headline for an InfoWorld article 2005's top 10 moments in IT, I really anticipated something meaty. I have to say that I was disappointed. The author describes these events as "earth shaking". Some are...some aren't. For example:

Vapor Without the Ware Oct. 4: The Web 2.0 buzz proved so compelling,
Google (Profile, Products, Articles) and Sun made a high-profile, nearly substance-free announcement hinting that Google might one day distribute a thin client version of Sun’s OpenOffice. Shortly thereafter, Microsoft felt driven to announce its Live Software initiative, a software-as-a-service plan that was almost as thin on details.

Hello? Didn't you just say these were non-events? Hardly the stuff for the top events of 2005. In my view, software-as-a-service is a continuing trend. Microsoft has been heading that direction for a number of years, as have Google, Yahoo, and a host of others. We're starting to see some promising results, and those have been labeled "Web 2.0". Again, not big news for 2005. The delay in SOX compliance doesn't seem earth-shaking, nor does the release of two new Microsoft products--even if they are SQL Server and Visual Studio 2005.

And finally, while The World is Flat is undoubtedly one of my favorite books, I hardly think that it "dragged the dark issues of outsourcing into the light". (Outsourcing doesn't automatically equate to off-shoring American jobs, although that is often the case. Further, why do we think it's okay to be "global corporations" but not "global employers"? After all, a global company should employ people around the globe, right?)

I do agree that the RFID compliance mandated by Walmart and DoD is big. As is the vote in Massachusetts to adopt Open Document Format (that is really, really big). But much of the rest of the list doesn't seem terribly well thought out.

Foiled by... Play-Doh???

2005-12-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

Oh my! Saw this post on Engadget and thought it was a scream. Someone has found a way to cirumvent fingerprint scanners using Play-Doh. I'm sure it isn't as simple as it reads, but we do take our technology so seriously. And to be foiled by Play-Doh is almost insulting, isn't it? Doh!

A sweet device: DualCor cPC

2005-12-19T05:01:00.000-08:00

Greg Hughes posted info on a really super looking new device--the DualCor cPC. When docked, you use it like a PC, undock and it becomes a SmartPhone. Santa, is it too late to change my Christmas list?!

Trends to watch for 2006

2005-12-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Small Business Trends has an interesting article, Futurist Watts Wacker’s Trends to Watch in 2006. Several of the trends are pretty straight-forward, but one in particular caught my attention:

"The global culture will ramp up. But the global culture is not the same as the American culture exported overseas. Recognize that America is only one player in the development of the global culture. The global culture is a megatrend. It will be at its apex in 2008 when China hosts the Olympics. Business needs to be prepared for this blended culture that crosses country boundaries."

So just how does business prepare for the pending global culture? Now that, my friends, is a big question. Anyone have pertinent thoughts to share on this topic?

Writely

2005-12-16T05:05:00.000-08:00

I saw a post by Greg Hughes last week that talked about Writely, a new word processing collaboration tool. Writely is free, at least for now while it is in beta, and looks very promising. No client side code to download--it's browser based. I plan to try it out with my co-author as we work through a book project.

Book Addiction, Site Personalization, and a Mashup Idea

2005-12-16T00:23:00.000-08:00

I believe I've read somewhere that before you can deal with an addiction you must first "own" it. Here goes: I am addicted to books. I love books. I crave them. Technology books, mysteries, current events, geology (yes, it's true), writing references...

So there you have it. I probably keep Amazon.com afloat. I no longer want to calculate my yearly spend (although I have my Quicken account set up to do just that, I can't make myself look any longer). Amazon is highly adept at personalization. They make it too easy for me to buy from them: 1-click ordering, premier shipping, and personalized recommendations are just a few of the tools that make it too easy to buy.

During my evening commute yesterday, I was pondering my Amazon fed book addiction. I concluded that willpower isn't going to solve my problem, but maybe technology can. Amazon, how about implementing spending limits, much like the credit card industry uses? No? Ok, how about allowing me to set a monthly Amazon.com spending budget? Hmmm...still determined to be my enabler? Or, alternatively, how about a subscription that allows me to prepay a set amount per month? That would encourage me to spend my monthly allotment with care! (This works for me on Audible.com. Oh, did I forget to mention that audio books and digital books are part of my weakness as well?)

Since I doubt that Amazon is interested in voluntarily limiting my expenditures at their site, what I need is a mashup...something that will allow me to use Quicken, or a similar personal finance tool, to impose a ceiling on my monthly Amazon spending. This new tool should allow me to impose preset override limitations as well, such as:

forcing me to wait 48 hours before a budget increase could go into affect (the equivalent of freezing a credit card in a block of ice)
preventing me from raising my spending limit without the approval of a self determined "enforcer" (the equivalent of a note from mom?)

Obviously, the tool should work on other online shopping sites as well, and ideally enable me to manage my budget for a number of sites. Would I subscribe to this service? Absolutely. Until then, maybe I'll find a book or two on willpower...

The Core vs. The Gap in a Flat World

2005-12-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

Much of my reading during 2005 has been devoted to books on globalization. Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat is awesomely readable—a book that generates a lot of interesting discussion. I also like The Pentagon’s New Map and Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating, by Thomas P.M. Barnett. Although the authors come from widely disparate backgrounds, (Friedman is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist with the NY Times; Barnett is a military strategist and advisor to the Pentagon) the books complement each other well.

Barnett explains that, from the Pentagon’s perspective, the world is now comprised of Core states and Gap states. The Core states participate in the global economy and exhibit relatively stable political structure. The Gap states do not. And the Gap states are those that ultimately enable terrorists. Friedman’s explanation of globalization brings the world a bit closer to your living room. He views a flat world, where Bethesda and Bangalore are virtual next door neighbors and an IT worker in Texas competes for jobs with IT workers in China, India, Brazil, and other countries. (As an IT worker in Texas, I assure you he’s 100 percent correct!) As Barnett writes in Blueprint for Action, “The goals of winning the war on terrorism and expanding globalization are two sides of the same coin.”

I'm a media-fed American, and tend to believe that the United States should immediately and dramatically reduce our reliance on oil from the Middle East. Invest instead in alternative energy R&D. Save the planet and quit putting money into the hands of nations who incubate terrorism. Perhaps this is a knee-jerk reaction to the hatred and violence directed at us from that region. Nevertheless, it’s the way I feel and, I suspect, an opinion shared by many Americans. So I was caught off-guard by Barnett’s assertion that “calls for America to radically reduce its dependency on foreign oil are misguided in the extreme, because working to reduce our economic leverage in the region rather than increase it will only force us to rely all the more on military solutions over the long haul.” Barnett makes some good points to support his opinion, but two weeks after reading that comment, I’m still working to digest it. I’m trying to be open minded, but I just don’t agree. Of course, he’s the military strategist and I’m the mom from Texas…

An important sub-topic in the overall discussion of globalization is that of education reform in the United States. America is falling behind in the race to produce new scientists and engineers. Thus fewer Americans are qualified for the choice jobs that can now be filled by a qualified worker from any part of the world. So now I’m reading Richard Florida’s The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent. I’ve got quite a few years left until retirement, and I darned sure plan to remain in a well paying job. (I enjoy my TiVo, my Rio Carbon, and my iPaq phone—and I plan to enjoy the next generation of gadgetry as well.) As a parent and grandparent, I also want to see my family thrive and prosper in the decades to come. My goal is to answer the question, “What can I, as an individual, do to promote education reform in my community.” Stay tuned as I search for answers.