New personal web site

I've decided to bring my personal home site back to life and am moving the contents of my blogspot blogs to that new site. I hope to see you there! This site will no longer be updated.

Kindle at the beach

Ever since it was released last year, I'd been considering buying an Amazon Kindle. I had a few concerns, including the price and wondering if the next generation would be coming out anytime soon. But I finally gave in to the temptation a couple of weeks ago when I was getting ready for a week's vacation at the beach.

I always look forward to having some good quality time for reading at the beach. I pick out a new book or two that I really want to dig into during the week. But the book I really wanted to read this year, Team of Rivals, weighs in at 944 pages, and I wasn't looking forward to lugging that three blocks to and from the beach each day. So, the time was right to get a Kindle.

I hesitated at first, wondering how I'd feel about taking a $359 device to ocean's edge with all the potential dangers that go with the territory (including rogue waves and dropping it in the sand). But I decided to take the risk.

What a good decision! I was very happy with the Kindle during the week and it will go on my list of the best purchases I've made. You can read the general pros and cons of the Kindle elsewhere (my only substantial complaint is how easy it is to accidentally hit the page buttons), but I want to share why I think the Kindle is great for beach reading (because when I was considering the purchase, I wished there was such a post):

• The screen is very easy to read in bright sunlight. I was a little worried that it would hard to see like a typical backlit LCD screen like on a digital camera, but the E Ink display is as easy to read as a printed book page even with sunglasses on.
• It's light and compact for carrying. I had 30 books with me on the beach and it only added 10 ounces to my backpack.
• It was wonderful having so many choices available so when my mood changed, I could switch to something different. Before leaving, I had converted some of the PDF eBooks to mobi format (using the free Mobipocket Creator) and transferred them to the Kindle using the USB connection.
• I could choose what I wanted to read once I got there. The first morning sitting in my chair at water's edge, I used the built-in EVDO connection to preview (first chapter free) and then purchase Team of Rivals. It was downloaded to the device in about a minute and I got started reading. Later in the week I was ready to take a break from that book and I previewed, purchased, and downloaded Blowback and then switched back and forth between the two the rest of the week.
• The built-in dictionary was great for looking up unfamiliar words while I was reading.
• The built-in highlighting and note taking features made it easy to mark sections without needing to carry a pen and notebook.
• The built-in EVDO Internet connection was so handy. I could look up things as they came to mind. I could check email. I could check the weather report. This is so much better than trying to do this on a cell phone because 1) I could actually see the screen in the sun, 2) it's on a decent-sized screen, 3) it has a better keyboard, and 4) it's free.
• I was able to have a collection of my personal documents and notes with me. I'm working on writing a book and a screenplay and I converted my outlines and notes to plain text format and copied them to the Kindle and could then access them when I needed them and could even make further notes using the Kindle.
• And I must say the beach is a place where the (currently free) NowNow service really shines. A trivia question came up in conversation and I wasn't able to quickly find an answer using an Internet search. So, I submitted the question to NowNow, and fifteen minutes later I had three responses from real people pop onto the Kindle (two were helpful, one not so much).

So yes, I think the Kindle is great for the beach (and I'm still very much enjoying it now that I'm back home). I managed to get through the week without dropping it in the sand. But I did clean it when I got home using LCD screen cleaner, a lint-free cloth, a cotton swab (for the scroll bar area), and compressed air. It still looks like new.

Learning to play the piano: it's just hard

One of my lifelong goals has been to learn to play the piano. That seems like a natural desire for me since my parents both have strong musical talents including having been music teachers and church musicians. In fact, my mother has long taught piano lessons, and attempted to teach me as a kid.

It didn't take.

I had two problems: the main one was that I just couldn't stay dedicated enough to practice as much as I apparently needed to; the other was that I didn't seem to be coordinated enough to be able to move more than one finger at a time.

Well, I recently purchased a musical keyboard in hopes of finally learning. I have been using a combination of a book and software program to pick up where I left off so many years ago. Not the same personal touch as Mom, but it seems to be going OK so far.

Trying to learn at this age has been very enlightening. I've come to the conclusion that playing the piano is just a very difficult thing to learn. And I think that was the biggest reason I gave up as a kid: I thought it was supposed to be easy and because I struggled so much, I figured it just wasn't for me. I thought it was supposed to be easy because my parents made it seem effortless. They often played all sorts of impressive music at church and at home. My mom had a parade of piano students arriving night after night, most of whom seemed to be learning it pretty quickly.

I had no problem learning to read music; I was an above-average trumpet player and a top-notch singer in school. I had a good ear and great rhythm and excelled in marching band, jazz band, and chorus. Why was the piano so hard for me?

I had no trouble learning touch typing. That's been invaluable for my computer career and I continue to be a great typist.

So what is so different about the piano?

Well, I've realized there's one big leap I never had to make with all those other things: playing more than one note at a time. With the trumpet, singing, and the computer keyboard, you only ever have to do one action at a time (not counting the occassional SHIFT and CTRL key combos on the computer keyboard). I'm convinced it's a tough skill to achieve. As long as I'm playing one note at a time on the piano I'm fine; making that leap to polyphony is just really difficult.

And so, I now see that all that practice really is necessary. Most pianists are good because they just worked really hard at it. I suppose there are people who can just sit down for the first time and play, but I think for most of us, if we want to really learn to play, it's going to take a lot of effort.

Knowing that has given me new hope. I feel like I have a pretty good chance of learning this and even getting pretty good if I just keep working through it. It's going to take plenty of time and effort, but now that I know that's what's needed, I should be able to stick with it.

Beware of Adobe rebate fraud

Note: this blog has been relocated. Please direct any comments to the new location.

I just want to put a warning out there for anyone counting on the rebate for Adobe products. You might get the rebate, but it's going to take some work.

I am a longtime fan of Adobe Photoshop Elements. An outdated version came with a scanner I bought a few years back. I liked it enough to upgrade to the latest version. And I've upgraded twice more since then. It's a great program for fixing up digital photos. I've been buying the bundle that includes that and Adobe Premiere Elements, which is a decent program for editing videos and creating slideshows.

The bundle sells with a $30 rebate. The first time I sent in my rebate request, I heard nothing for months. Finally, I get a letter stating I hadn't submitted the necessary proof of purchase (a tab torn off from the inside of the box flap). But here's the crazy part: in the envelope with the denial, they also sent back the tab that I had submitted! So I resubmitted the request and this time it was honored.

Well, a year or two later I upgraded again and sent in the rebate request. Again, it was denied for the same reason: no proof of purchase tab was sent. They didn't send back my tab this time. But I sent a reply letter explaining that I did submit the tab. They then approved the rebate.

So this year when I upgraded again and submitted my rebate, I was sure to make copies of everything. Sure enough, I get a postcard this week, telling me the rebate was denied because "we did not receive an original proof-of-purchase tab 1 with your request". This year's added trick is that it includes these instructions: "To resubmit for this offer please return this card or letter, with any items mentioned above, to the address shown" but they don't list an address! So, I'm going to have to track down an address.

I can't believe they get away with this, which seems to be standard procedure for them. I'm sure plenty of consumers don't bother to resubmit. This time I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Please leave a comment if you've had similar experiences with Adobe rebates.

Mourning for our country

I've been feeling a bit depressed since the start of the new year and it was particularly troubling because I couldn't figure out why. Things were generally going OK in my life. Perhaps it was just the post-holiday blues.

But a few days ago the cause clicked in my head. I'm mourning the death of our once fine country, the U.S.A.

I realized my malaise had set in around the time the results came in for the Iowa presidential caucuses and Ron Paul's fifth place showing made it clear there wasn't going to be a sudden, surprising show of support for Dr. Paul in the elections that count. The primaries that have followed have been about the same--Paul has done remarkably well but not well enough to be in serious contention for the nomination.

And I honestly believe Ron Paul as President could be the last hope for saving our country. Paul is the only candidate who is willing to speak the truth about the condition we're in and who discusses the reality-based plans we need to implement to save our country as envisioned by the founders (and perhaps to save it at all).

My main concern at the time was how all the other candidates would continue our empire building and progression toward fascism and tyranny. We would continue to lose our personal liberties and become more and more hated around the world.

Since then I've become even more aware of our very precarious financial situation. I've known for quite some time how damaging our social programs and then the Iraq war have been to our economy. But through some reading I stumbled on to more recently, I now see that we're on the verge of bankruptcy as a country. In fact, there's a very real chance that it's too late to avoid a serious recession. We have built up too much debt and our dollar is about to collapse, and this will undoubtedly cause a drastic drop in our standard of living in this country. There really isn't much left that the Federal Reserve can do to delay the collapse, and there is really no way remaining to avoid it altogether.

If you're interested about this, here is some recommended reading/viewing:
America: Freedom to Fascism (DVD)
Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse (Book)
The Energy Non-Crisis (free video)

It is a sad time for our country. And just as sad is that most people don't even realize it yet.

The fifteen minute guide to Ron Paul

When people find out about my support for presidential candidate Ron Paul, it usually results in a short debate in which it quickly becomes obvious they don't really know much about Ron Paul or his ideas. Most people just believe what the old media has been telling them, which unfortunately, typically paints Ron Paul as a kooky longshot. So, to help people get up to speed on Dr. Paul, I've gathered a few resources (shown below) that should allow people to quickly decide whether they should give this candidate further consideration.

The Fifteen Minute Guide to Ron Paul

1) The Man:

• Republican candidate for President
• Current U.S. Representative in his 10th term
• Former doctor
• Age: 72

2) Primary Issues:

• End the Iraq war
• Non-interventionist foreign policy
• Reduce (or eliminate) taxes
• Reduce the size of the federal government
• Return to basic Constitutional principles

3) Watch this introductory video.

4) Read Presidential Candidate Ron Paul Bears Empty Pot for Americans and Supporters/Media Await Congressman Ron Paul's Status With Bated Breath.

That's the fifteen minute intro. If you're still intrigued, consider the following additional resources:

1) Read the user comments posted at the articles in item #4 above.
2) Visit the campaign website.
3) View this segment of early debate video in which Ron Paul made us extremely proud by standing firm with the truth.
4) View this segment of Ron Paul on Mad Money with Jim Cramer.
5) Watch these ads: Something Big, JB1, NH #2, NH #3,
6) Watch this video: Ron Paul Exposed

Why the mainstream media should cover Ron Paul

Watching the campaign of Ron Paul has been very interesting so far. The most frustrating part is seeing, despite his incredible success on the campaign trail and on the Internet, the mainstream media continue to downplay his importance. It leaves most of us wondering if there really is some sort of conspiracy between the major political parties and the media.

I'd prefer the explanation to be plain old capitalism: that the media simply wants to cover the candidates they think people want to hear about. And most of the mainstream polls show Dr. Paul as a long-shot to win the nomination (Yes, I think, as many people do, that those polls are flawed, but that's a story for another day).

But I'd like to suggest that the media could benefit from covering Ron Paul more enthusiastically because he's where the really interesting stories are. The other candidates are more of the same stuff we've been hearing for the last few decades. Politics as usual. How can that be what we really want to read & watch?

I think people would tune in again and again to see the classic underdog story: Ron Paul as someone who no one thought had much of a chance who now is climbing in polls and contributions while the other candidates slip. His ideas are interesting, much more than anything proposed by the others. I'll even give you a few story ideas:

"Can an Honest Man Succeed in Washington?" about how Ron Paul might manage to work within our current corrupt politics.

"America without an Income Tax" about how Paul's plan to eliminate the income tax would affect the typical family. Could also be titled, "50% Raise for all Americans?"

"Can a Man be both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice?" about how Paul is personally pro-life (based on his experiences as a doctor) but that he also believes the Federal government has no business in this area and that we should return this subject to the individual states to decide, actually increasing our available choices in this matter.

"The Ron Paul Military" about what our military would look like once it's not spread around the world.

"World Opinion on Staying Away" about world opinion on Ron Paul's noninterventionist philosophy.

"Homeless Government Workers?" about how current government workers would adjust to being unemployed under a Paul administration (presumably it would be a boost to the economy once they find jobs in the private sector).

"Does an End to Play Money Make Sense?" about returning to a gold standard for currency, why it should be considered, whether that's practical today, and what effect it would have on the typical person.

Mainstream media, instead of just marginalizing Ron Paul's campaign, why not use it to your benefit and turn his compelling ideas into truly interesting stories?