tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63757587533994695392024-02-07T20:29:11.659-07:00The View From The TreeJust a little different. Sometimes, lopsided.Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-38788809456840844412014-07-31T09:26:00.001-06:002014-07-31T09:26:43.278-06:00I walked to work today, and saved a lifeI walked to work today. It took me about four times longer than biking or driving*, and I arrived to work a little disheveled, yet I was able to take some time to breathe, see some cool stuff, interact with a few strangers, and even save a life.<br />
<br />
Walking to places is not something I normally do; I'm a year-round bicycle commuter. But thanks to heavy rains the last two days, I left my bike at work, so didn't have the option to ride in this morning. Rather than make someone else in my household get up early to drive me in (we're a one-car family), I decided to walk. Well, part of the way at least; for the last leg, I took the <a href="http://www.ridetransfort.com/max" target="_blank">fancy new bus</a>**.<br />
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I really enjoyed the somewhat unplanned three mile walk. I walked on side streets through old town neighborhoods, so I had a chance to see plenty of lovely gardens and landscaping. I discovered another urban chicken farmer. I found free stuff piled out in some driveways (which I had the self-control not to take).<br />
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I (re)discovered that not all sidewalks are created equal. Some are straight and flat, meticulously kept free of weeds and debris, and get you where you're going without hassle; while some are cracked, warped and have weeds and dog poop in unexpected places. (I'm pretty sure that's a metaphor for human experience.) One stretch of sidewalk was surrounded by tall flowering plants on either side, with shade trees overhanging it, making me feel like I walked through a green tunnel, and I could pretend for a moment that I was <a href="http://www.cultura.toscana.it/architetture/giardini/index.shtml" target="_blank">taking a stroll in Tuscany</a>. I sent silent gratitude to the homeowner/arborist who cultivated it.<br />
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On my bike, I often give a nod to people as I pass by, which is more interaction than they get from drivers. As a fellow pedestrian, I actually had the opportunity to size up a person as we approached each other, and determine if more interaction was forthcoming. Joggers with ear buds will take a nod at most; I got several cheerful "good morning"s from people out walking their dog or taking out their trash bins. I spent a pleasant few seconds exchanging a greeting and talk about the weather with an elderly vet taking his three-wheeled bike out for a slow morning ride.<br />
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I did say that I saved a life, and that is true. A couple of blocks from my house, a worm was struggling across the sidewalk, another soon-to-be victim of the rain. I stopped to move it to the grass, so it wouldn't die on the sidewalk like so many of its cousins. This is something I would not have had the opportunity to do on a bike, much less a car.<br />
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Was it a worthwhile effort? Yes; because sometimes, you're the worm. It may take someone moving almost as slowly as you to recognize your struggle, and to be able to do something about it.<br />
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*For me, driving takes just as long as biking, because I'm too cheap to purchase a parking pass, so I have to park off-campus and walk in. The time it takes to find parking and walk in means I don't save any time from biking in.<br />
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**It took me about an hour, all told, because I mistimed the bus and had to wait fifteen minutes for it. I had thought that walking partway to the bus would save me some time and energy, but looking at Google Maps, now I don't think so. Walking to and from the bus route took me a bit out of my way, reinforcing my understanding that the local bus system just doesn't work for my needs. Too bad. Next time I walk, I'll try a more efficient route, which should get me here in about 40 minutes, though it takes me through more college rental areas and less old town neighborhoods, the latter of which is part of the appeal of the walk.<br />
<br />Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-90484124578833795772013-04-18T22:05:00.001-06:002019-07-21T11:24:14.865-06:00"Robobees": The solution to genetically modified crops?<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">According to an </span><a href="http://earthfirstnews.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/robotic-bees-to-pollinate-monsanto-crops/" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Earth First! Journal article</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, one of the ways to solve the current crisis of <b>worldwide bee decline</b> is just to move on and build new, improved bees. Rather than fix the old, boring, evolution-bred biotic bees, we can use human-made machines which emulate bees and some of their functions -- like pollination. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Pollination, performed flawlessly by bees for millennia, is in jeopardy due to declining bee populations, also known as <a href="http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/agriculture/colony_collapse_disorder.html" target="_blank">colony collapse disorder</a> (CCD). Although the cause(s) for CCD are not known, <a href="http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/agriculture/colony_collapse_disorder.html#causes" target="_blank">some of the most likely candidates</a> are <b>toxic pesticides</b> and <b>genetically-modified crops</b>. In case you don't recognize the connection, modern agriculture (not to mention plant biodiversity) relies on the process of pollination to succeed. To put it more bluntly, without bees and other pollinators, humans can't grow food and we die. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Human-engineered agriculture (may have) caused this, so human engineering can get us out of this, goes the thought. I won't mention the massive biotech company named in the Earth First! article so I don't get sued, but I'm sure you've heard of them. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Although these robobees aren't swarming yet, this technology may soon be made possible thanks to research on Micro Air Vehicles at the <a href="http://micro.seas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard Microbiotics Lab</a>. The researchers believe that they may be able to autonomously pollinate fields of crops using these <a href="http://robobees.seas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Robobees</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rsZPwVwuNxoOSTpyxtmrywASvSyfP2nHVC4sWQJbTgAp9vvPXYOQWTqjMkgCOYr1OT9rOE8wa8PFcU58M5fD5BkU-80SPW0fT0tJCzaDXv-XEvK5DjPeRQBWVeu83nYFTFTWmtrD-7s/s1600/roboticbeebody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rsZPwVwuNxoOSTpyxtmrywASvSyfP2nHVC4sWQJbTgAp9vvPXYOQWTqjMkgCOYr1OT9rOE8wa8PFcU58M5fD5BkU-80SPW0fT0tJCzaDXv-XEvK5DjPeRQBWVeu83nYFTFTWmtrD-7s/s320/roboticbeebody.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I love this project from the engineering side of it and I encourage you to read more about it (and don't get too hung up on the military applications just yet.) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Many of the advances in engineering and computer science are simply about humans learning to emulate the advanced, efficient processes nature has developed. This is a good thing. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">However, the use that is described (to pollinate GMO crops) has a great many drawbacks, some obvious and some not. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I think that it is selfish and naive to think that the problems that have been caused by the method of growing crops that biotech companies have developed will be solved so easily. It seems like such a simple, elegant solution, but as we've seen many times, the Earth's biosphere is a much more complex ecosystem than we can normally comprehend, much less duplicate perfectly. This applies even to relatively small ecosystems like cash crop agriculture. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Yes, it may solve one of the immediate problems (lack of bees to pollinate), but that problem indicates an inherent sickness in the agriculture system that is only partially "technical" in nature. It has more to do with greed and impatience than technical problems to overcome. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">One other drawback, not always thought about when engineers are concerned, is that nature inherently has inefficient processes which have the potential to produce unplanned benefits. It is this inefficiency which human engineers never try to replicate (because it is the opposite of what they attempt to do), but that can provide both intangible and tangible unexpected benefits.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I'm sure that the designers of the Robobees didn't have merely a pollination replacement in mind when they set out to create this marvel of circuitry and software. (Yes, read further; the software to emulate and mimic the collective intelligence of bee colonies is as amazing as the microengineering.) I'm excited to see the other applications these devices could have to benefit all of us. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As for the bees, I hope that humans will put as much energy and thought into preserving this crucial and beautifully designed organism as we do designing its robotic doppelganger. </span>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-3802584509715750612013-01-27T11:32:00.001-07:002013-01-27T11:32:18.981-07:00Eating living foods, or mmmmm yogurt!I love yogurt. Adore it. I am a bit of a yogurt snob, through years of eating it all. Cheap yogurt from the store is usually exactly what you picked, cheap. There is such a taste difference between yogurts that are made with a thickener and those that are naturally thick because of the quality ingredients.<br />
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This may be a complete shocker, but not all yogurt you purchase in the grocery store actually have the great probiotics that are a reward for eating yogurt in the first place. Read your labels carefully. A yogurt made with cultures will clearly name those cultures on the label.<br />
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I have had a love/hate relationship with making my own yogurt, which has spread across almost a decade. That decade ago I was a very very frugal stay at home mom. (The frugality at that point was due to necessity, not a life choice) I made as much of our own food as possible, including weekly bread batches, a life of little to no packaged foods or those yummy MSG filled convenience meals such as Hamburger Helper. (I still love that stuff!)<br />
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So we faithfully found a yogurt maker on freecycle, and I was ready to go! But it was so gross. I always ended up with grainy runny yogurt. Much too much whey (the clear stuff that will separate out from the yogurt) and just something so wrong with the process. I read webpages about how easy it is to make, heard from my mother in law how easy it is to make, and quickly felt like I was a failure.<br />
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Now, a decade later, I make yogurt weekly. Thick, luscious, delicious plain old yogurt. I don't use a yogurt maker. In fact I think that the maker was part of the failure for me. <br />
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Here is my recipe, and step by step directions:<br />
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Ingredients<br />
<b>1 gallon whole milk(</b>organic if possible). (the whole is important for thickness)<br />
<b>1 cup plain yogurt</b>, (organic) made with real cultures. (I usually buy a large container of Mountain High Plain yogurt when I am starting yogurt again)<br />
<b>1/2 cup powdered milk</b><br />
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tools: a large pot to comfortably heat the gallon of milk, and if possible a second even larger pot to form a double boiler, which will almost eliminate scorching the milk.<br />
Large mason jars with lids, clean (some people sterilize, I have not had a problem not sterilizing them)<br />
a thermometer<br />
a cooler with enough room to easily hold all of your jars.<br />
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Step 1: Fill your largest stock pot part way with water, and then set the smaller stock pot, full of your milk, inside of it. Place on stove on high heat for now.<br />
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Step 2: From the sink fill up your cooler with about 4 inches of hot water. You are creating a safe place to incubate the yogurt cultures. Put the lid on and just let it get warm and toasty.<br />
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Step 3: Stir your milk occasionally. If you do not have the double boiler set up your pan of milk will be directly on the burner, which means you will want to stir often (almost continuously) to prevent too much of your milk from scorching to the bottom of the pan. I would refrain from scraping that funk off the bottom of the pan unless you want those chunks in your yogurt.<br />
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Step 4: Set up your clean jars and lids, along with a funnel or any other tools you have to use to get your milk into the jars neatly.<br />
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Step 5: Bring your yogurt ( the plain yogurt) out and let it come to room temperature. You are counting on the cultures in this yogurt to spread in your yogurt mixture, and perform the magic of changing your milk into yogurt. Say nice and thankful things to these cultures.<br />
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Step 6: You will want to start checking the temperature of your milk about the time some foam starts to form on the top of it. This means it is getting nice and hot. You want to heat the milk in order to alter the protein in the milk, as well as to reduce the separation of the whey from the yogurt. Also, if you are lucky enough to be using raw milk, this process will also kill any bacteria that would compete with the good bacteria cultures. <b>The goal is to heat the milk to 180 degrees</b>.<br />
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Step 7: Once the milk reaches 180 degrees, you will want to pull it off of the stove (out of the larger pan if using the double boiler system) and put it in a sink of cold water. (you can skip this and let it cool at room temperature, but I want to finish up at this point so hence the cold water) You will want the milk to cool to the point of 110-120 degrees. I typically get started with the last step at about 125 degrees.<br />
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Step 8: Use a cup or so of the milk mixture to completely dissolve the powdered milk. (I read somewhere that this helps make the yogurt thicker. All I know is that once I added the powdered milk my end product was perfect) Once that is completely mixed I then add about 1 cup of the original yogurt to that container of powdered milk and milk,and I whisk completely.<br />
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Step 9: When the pot of milk has reached about 115-120 degrees, I quickly mix in my milk/powdered milk/yogurt mixture and whisk thoroughly. I then quickly (so as to not loose heat) pour the final mixture into my jars, seal their lid tightly, and then set them into the cooler with the warm water.<br />
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As a last step I check the temp of the water in the cooler. It should be about 110-120 degrees. Too hot and it will not make yummy creamy yogurt. (I find if I leave it too hot then I get more separation from the whey and the yogurt) too cool and it will not be a good environment to culture the yogurt thoroughly. I will sometimes add a bit of the hot water from the larger pan to increase the temp enough. You need enough water to reach the right temp for incubating, but it is ok for the jars to stand or lay in the water.<br />
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Now leave it alone! In about 3-4 hours you can just slip a hand in to make sure that it is still warm in the cooler, but the magic has to happen without you.<br />
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The trick is the learn how long you want to culture your yogurt. A shorter culture time results in a sweeter taste, but it will get tangier if you culture it longer. I love about 5-6 hours. <br />
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Just place the jars in the fridge, and the next day you will have the most lovely, thick, inexpensive and amazing yogurt ever! No matter how wonderful my batch is, there is a normal amount of the clear whey that separates from the yogurt in the jar. I typically pour it off into into the sink from the whole jar, as I really like my yogurt thick. It is ok to just mix it back in to the yogurt if you like a thinner version. (Or save it in a separate jar, and use it to help ferment other veggies and help make yourself wonderful digestive aids/delicious fermented treats like pickles or sauerkraut, etc)<br />
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From this point on, you will not have to purchase any more yogurt. The trick is to use restraint and save the last cups worth of yogurt for your next batch. I find that really difficult, because I love eating yogurt and going without makes me sad!<br />
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Please, give me feedback if any parts of this is not entirely clear. I tried so very many methods of yogurt making, and this is fail-safe, in my hands anyway. (I ruined many other "fail-safe" methods lol!) I have in the past done this same method without the water in the cooler. I would pack the jars in with towels freshly pulled from the dryer, and put an electric hot pad on top, but honestly the water is much easier to work with,and it seems to hold its temp very well.<br />
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OK, go forth, make yogurt,and let me know how you do!<br />
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My next How-to will be how to make Kombucha. yuuuuuuuuum! can you say SCOBY?<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-91885103798666136132013-01-25T01:11:00.000-07:002013-01-25T01:11:45.755-07:00The Quick and Dirty Yard SaleEarlier today, my brother emailed me: <span style="color: #351c75;">"Hey brother, I need some advice from the king of garage sales."</span> Cool! I'm not just an expert, but I'm the <i>king</i>. Talk about a boost to this thrifty monarch's ego.<br />
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As I talked with him, I was shocked to learn that he'd never hosted one before, then realized that there might be others in the same predicament of wanting to host a yard sale but not knowing how to go about it.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now before I go on, permit this brief digression in the form of a simple equation: <b>yard sale = garage sale = tag sale = rummage sale = moving sale</b>. Clear? Good. I use "yard sale" for the simple reason that it's short and easier to write on signs, and "tag sale" is obscure to many people.</blockquote>
By the way, I'm not the first to give advice of this nature. Do a quick search and you'll find compendiums of tips on <a href="http://www.yardsalequeen.com/yardsale.htm" target="_blank">hosting a yard sale</a>. But I'm going to tell you a slightly different strategy.<br />
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Say you're like my brother: He's hosting a yard sale (in fact, a moving sale) in <b>less than two days</b>. He's also clearing out his house for his entire family -- the rest of the family is already at the new town finding a rental home. He doesn't have anyone at the old location he can really rely on to help so he's on his own. So,<b> time and energy are limited resources</b>. Oh, and of course he hasn't done this before.<br />
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This, my friend, is the Way of the Quick and Dirty Yard Sale.<br />
<h3>
<br />PREP YOUR STUFF</h3>
<div>
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If you really do have some extra time, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/declutter?auto_login_attempted=true" target="_blank">consider a crash course on de-cluttering</a> (which also applies to moving). I recommend and own <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/854647.Scaling_Down" target="_blank">Scaling Down</a>.<br />
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Yes, I know, you don't have time to prepare. So try my four-step strategy:<br />
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1) Pretend that you had to leave your house today, forever, and could only take what you could carry. What would that be? Alternately, what would you grab if there was a fire? Sort them (mentally or physically) and set those things aside. Those are non-negotiables and go with you.<br /><br /><div>
2) If that method is too brutal, allow yourself the luxury of this scenario: You're going to live out of your car for the next year. Take only what will fit in your car.</div>
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Now that you have your "keepers"...</div>
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3) Take the quick, easy pass through your stuff and see what's easy to part with. That's the first entry into the yard sale pile.</div>
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4) You'll be left with a small pile of keepers, and probably an equally small pile of yard sale stuff. The easy part is done. Now you have to sort through the rest. (If you're in the fortunate position of limited to a 9'x12' trailer for everything, as my brother is, this part is much easier.) There are lots of methods to do this, but my key advice is:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Be brutal. Don't let sentimental instincts kick in. This stuff's gotta <i>go</i>.</li>
<li>If it's more expensive to pack and transport it than to buy new similar stuff, get rid of it. (A closet full of craft materials will make some yard-saler very happy.)</li>
<li>If you're having a debate with yourself about whether it stays or goes, it goes.</li>
</ul>
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By the way, as you're sorting stuff into the "it goes away" pile, give yourself the luxury of throwing truly useless or broken stuff into the trash. I'm normally all about being thrifty and loving the dents and scratches, but unless it's vintage or valuable, no one will want a half-broken item. </div>
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Conversely, for anything that is especially valuable, or a common secondhand commodity like a TV, you should try to advertise on <a href="http://www.craigslist.org/" target="_blank">Craigslist</a>, your local newspaper, or a similar venue. You'll get more money for it as an individual sale than as a yard sale item. Just bear in mind the time constraints. The neat thing about Craiglist is that it's free and you can pull your ad any time... like in the middle of the yard sale where it just sold.</div>
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When you're all done sorting, look at the keeper pile. My gosh, it looks huge, right? Is it going to fit in that trailer? Now go through it again, and again, until you wear yourself down and you've pared down to what you absolutely must keep. It helps to visualize how much work it will be to box the stuff up, load it onto your trailer/moving van/covered wagon, haul it within the same conveyance, unload it at the destination, and unpack it all. Much less exhausting to just sell it now, right?</div>
<h4>
WHEN DO YOU HAVE YOUR SALE?</h4>
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Friday and Saturday are ideal. In my experience, Sundays are not good days to have a yard sale; there's very little traffic. This might be a regional thing, but I've tried to host a sale on Saturday and Sunday and I might as well not have bothered with Sunday. If you only have the weekend available, do a Saturday Only sale and don't bother with Sunday.</div>
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Try to time the sale so that it's at the beginning of the month. More people get their paychecks at that time, and they will have cash to spend. Don't plan your sale on the same day as a big local event; you can't compete!</div>
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Plan to start at 8 a.m. Most sales end between 1 and 3 p.m., and I've noticed that traffic often drops off after lunch time, but you can go as late as 5 p.m. if you want.</div>
<h3>
<br />PREP YOUR SALE</h3>
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You can <a href="http://organizedhome.com/get-organized/garage-sale-tips-clear-clutter-yard-sale" target="_blank">exhaustively plan your yard sale</a>, which I recommend if you have time, or you can do it this way:</div>
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<b><u>Advertise your yard sale for free on <a href="http://www.craigslist.org/" target="_blank">Craigslist</a>.</u></b><ul>
<li>Take just a few moments to look at the way other people post their sales, and mimic them. </li>
<li>It is critical that you list <b>the day(s)</b> of the sale, the <b>start and end times</b>, and the <b>full street address</b> (plus a link to a map if you can.)</li>
<li>DO list any notable items that you have for sale. Post pictures if you can.</li>
<li>DON'T mention the trivial items that will be found at every yard sale: Kitchen utensils, t-shirts and jeans, extension cords, etc.</li>
<li>One key phrase you'll want to use is "No early birds" (or "No early sales"). This discourages people from showing up an hour earlier than your posted start time to try to snag the good stuff while you're still struggling to set up and inject yourself with coffee. It doesn't prevent all of them, though, so keep that in mind.</li>
<li>For the love of all that is holy, don't say "Everything must go". Of <i>course</i> everything must go. That's why you're hosting a yard sale and not opening a curio shop.</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Advertise in your local newspaper</u></b> (optional).</div>
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<div>
<ul>
<li>This isn't normally free, but you may catch more of an audience. I wouldn't count on it, though; nearly anyone who's going to bother to look up yard sale in advance is going to hit Craigslist. The one advantage is that they often group sales by zip code or city region.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>Put up signs.</u></b></div>
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<div>
<ul>
<li>Keep the information on the signs simple. Required: "Yard Sale" (or just "Sale"); your address; day(s)/times; directional arrow.</li>
<li>Use BIG, <b>bold</b> lettering. Remember, most of your traffic will be from people driving by. You want to make sure they can read your sign in a second or two, and be able to spontaneously turn and follow the arrows.</li>
<li>Don't embellish. Don't draw pictures. Keep it simple. </li>
<li>Use contrast: A dark lettering on white background, or vice versa. Day-glo poster board also works well.</li>
<li>Materials: Don't use flimsy paper alone. Use cardboard as a backing and ideally put white paperboard over the cardboard. For the lettering, use a thick dark-colored permanent marker or even paint, if you have a fine brush.</li>
<li>If you can use a sturdy cardboard box as your sign, with something heavy (rocks or cans) in the bottom, do that. </li>
<li>If you have flat signs, put them up at eye level on a pole. Use heavy packing tape or duct tape, and lots of it. (Pay attention to local zoning laws about signage. A good rule of thumb is that if you see other yard sale signs up, it's probably okay, but you take responsibility for not looking it up.)</li>
<li>Location: Put signs at major cross-streets near your street, and at least two blocks out in every direction. If necessary, put up additional signs with directional arrows so people don't get lost trying to find your place. Once you've gotten them into your neighborhood, it's fine to just put a small sign that's just a directional arrow (especially helpful if it's on day-glo poster board). </li>
<li>When preparing signs (the day or night before), I just make several with various directional arrows, so that I have options to choose from when running around and hanging them up. You may have leftovers; it's okay. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>Arrange to deal with the leftovers.</u></b></div>
<div>
There will be things that just don't sell. What are you going to do with them after the sale? You can pack them away for the next sale (which I don't recommend), you can donate them, or you can trash them.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Donations</b>: You have options:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Some organizations will pick your leftover yard sale items up from your house! You have to arrange a pick-up beforehand. Check your area for charitable organizations that do home pick-up. </li>
<li>Pack up the leftovers and haul them to a thrift store or other non-profit organization that will re-sell or re-purpose them. Get a receipt. You'll be able to write off the donated goods on your taxes. The donor (that's you) determines what the items are worth on the receipt, so jot down a quick list of what you're taking to donate, so you can work out a good price later.</li>
<li>Advertise a "free day" or "free hour" to get rid of the leftovers. You can advertise in your original Craigslist ad, or you can create a second ad on Craigslist (in the free section) or <a href="http://www.freecycle.org/" target="_blank">the Freecycle Network</a>. </li>
</ul>
<b>Trash</b>. You have two options:<br /><ul>
<li>Pack up everything and haul it to the dump yourself, in which case you'll probably pay a flat fee per truck or trailer load. This is usually cheaper than the next option.</li>
<li>Have your trash company haul it away the next time they pick up your trash. Give them a call and let them know you have an extra trash load. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h3>
GET HELP</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This process is going to take a lot of energy, and it would be awesome to have someone help you. Get your spouse, roommate, older kids, family members, and friends to help if possible. (They're usually free labor.) If you don't have those options, find a teenager in the neighborhood who you can pay a nominal amount to help. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you're paying someone to help, offer a commission on sold items. That way they'll have a vested interest in making the stuff sell.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Regardless of whether you're getting free labor or paying someone to help, provide lunch. Pizza's my choice for yard sales, but if you're feeling thrifty, have food prepared that is ready to go. You won't have time to cook. In my old neighborhood, we used to have people come by selling tamales to yard sale hosts. They were irresistible. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can have someone help put up signs, set up, price items, sell items, and tear down, or any of those things. Even a little bit of help putting up signs is better than nothing.</div>
<div>
<h3>
<br />GATHER YOUR MATERIALS</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You will need the following:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Price stickers. This can be special yard sale stickers with common prices pre-printed on them, plain white stickers, or just masking tape. With the latter two options, you'll need a Sharpie to write prices on the stickers. Also consider plain white paper to make larger tags for bigger items.</li>
<li>Cash and change. Get $40 in one dollar bills, and about $10 in change.</li>
<li>Cash box. Something relatively secure to keep your earnings in. I usually wear a shop apron with big pockets and carry the cash with me, but if you get $100 in one dollar bills, or $20 in change, you'll want to stash it somewhere. </li>
<li>Tape. Packing tape or duct tape for putting up signs around the neighborhood. Packing tape or smaller clear tape for putting on labels or small signs at the sale.</li>
<li>Boxes or bins for smaller items.</li>
<li>Bags (used plastic grocery bags work nice) to give customers to hold the items they buy, and for the clothes or books (see below).</li>
<li>Extension cord to test electrical devices during the sale.</li>
<li>Water, coffee (if you do that) and snacks for during the sale. You won't have time to pop inside and whip up an omelette. (Unless you have someone to help with the sale, you may not have time to pee for the first couple of hours.)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>
<br />SORT AND PRICE YOUR ITEMS</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some people do this as they're hosting the sale. I've done it to some extent and I don't advise it. Try to price things ahead of time, but if you're really stretched for prep time, it can be done this way.</div>
<h4>
Sections</h4>
<div>
Again, keep it simple. At minimum, have three sections: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>The <b>free section</b> (or table, or box) will probably grow over the course of the day as you realize you've overpriced items or that you'll have to haul the leftovers away if they don't go away themselves. Don't put stuff in here that's obviously trash. Put this section in the middle of the sale, not to the side, so it draws people in.</li>
<li>The <b>"make an offer" section</b> is annoying for some people (sellers and buyers alike), but it's often the easiest way to deal with things you don't have time to price or don't really know how to price. Just be prepared to do a lot of talking. Label this section clearly, or have a big sign that says "Anything without a price is 'make an offer'". Expect to repeat that phrase many, many times.</li>
<li>The <b>fixed price section</b> should have items you've already stickered. Note on the price sticker if the price is firm. </li>
</ul>
<h4>
Prices</h4>
<div>
It's wise to have bins or sections where the items are one price: $5, $1, 50 cents, 25 cents, etc. If you only have three items that are 50 cents, throw them in the 25 cent bin. The fewer denominations of sections you have, the easier it is for everyone.</div>
</div>
<div>
<h4>
Special Items</h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Books</b>. You have either one or two prices for books (for example, paperbacks and hard covers books). If you wanted to sort them out further, you should have taken them to a used bookstore and gotten a better deal for them. Price them very cheaply. Consider selling them by the bag or box.</li>
<li><b>CDs, cassette tapes, DVDs, VCR tapes</b>: Price each type the same; don't try to charge more for 'better' movies. </li>
<li><b>Clothes</b>. I barely bother with trying to sell clothes at a yard sale any more. But if you do, hang up the really nice items (like prom dresses) and price them separately. Otherwise, sell clothes by the bag.</li>
<li><b>Computers</b>. I'm a computer guy, so I'm particularly sensitive to this. These buggers get outdated so quickly and most people have no idea of the value of them. Hint: It's much less than you think. Software should have all the discs and manuals included, and priced like CDs (e.g., cheap). An old CRT monitor? Put it in the free section and count yourself lucky if someone hauls it away for you. A broken computer? Good luck. A computer system that's more than five years old? 1/20th the price you paid for it new. Yeah, it hurts, but these things depreciate faster than cars. <i>Make sure you have wiped your personal data from the computers!</i></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<br />PREP THE SALE AREA</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The day or night before, go clean up and prepare the area where you'll have the sale. Normally that's your driveway and/or lawn, and maybe part of the garage. Sweep off concrete surfaces, clean up stray twigs from the lawn, etc. Put anything away you don't want sold (like bikes, water hoses, etc.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As much as possible, set out your tables that you'll use for your sale items. (Obviously if you are concerned about tables getting stolen overnight, skip this step.) This will help with the rushed morning setup.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You want 'tables' where your sale items can be displayed and touched by people walking among them without having to bend over. Often people don't have several sets of nice folding tables hanging around waiting for yard sales. You can use pretty much anything that can create a flat surface to hold items and display them several feet off the ground. I keep a set of 5' boards in my garage for various things, and can pull them out to prop on cinder blocks or milk crates, or even folding chairs, if necessary. Get creative. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can spread blankets or sheets on the lawn to create distinct sections of your sale items. </div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stick a couple of balloons on your mailbox, if you have one at the front of your property, and park your car(s) down the street so that there's plenty of room for customers to park.</div>
<h3>
<br />THE MORNING OF THE SALE</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Get up early. Remember how you told people not to come early? Well, some of them won't listen.</li>
<li>Make your coffee, get your breakfast, shower, do whatever you need to do before you take a step outside. You'll get sucked in to the sale as soon as you're out there.</li>
</ul>
<h4>
SETTING OUT YOUR SALE ITEMS</h4>
<ul>
<li>Pay attention to the weather! If it's going to rain, use a canopy or set up inside the garage.</li>
<li>Pay attention to the sun! You don't want it beating down on electronics, vinyl records, CDs, or other things of that nature. Put those items in the garage or underneath tables to block the sun.</li>
<li>Prop long items (like skis) against the house. </li>
<li>Place large bulky items like furniture or exercise machines either at the back, or off to the side. You don't want them blocking the view or walking path to other items.</li>
<li>Try to group similar items together. Put all the electronics in one place, kitchen items together, etc.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<br />SELLING </h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ah, here's the fun part. The back-and-forth haggling, the art of the sale and the perception of the sweet deal, the subtle cues you pick up from the potential buyer... Hold on, you're not a carpet merchant in the bazaar, you're just trying to make a few bucks and get rid of some useless junk at the same time. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
By all means, if you enjoy haggling and that kind of interaction, go nuts. But if you want to keep it simple, follow these guidelines:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>You're not going to make a lot of money</b>. If you were into making lots of money, you'd stick to Craigslist, eBay, consignment stores, etc. A yard sale is primarily for getting rid of stuff, and secondarily for getting a bit of cash for that stuff. You're already winning by getting rid of extra stuff you don't need and reclaiming the space (or saving your back with the moving process). Consider the cash to be a bonus and it will all go so much easier.</li>
<li><b>Expect to be talked down</b>. That's why they're coming to a yard sale and not going to Wal-Mart, to get a good deal. You can price things a little higher and allow yourself to come down, if that's your thing. </li>
<li><b>Nothing</b> at a yard sale <b>is a "firm" or "non-negotiable" price</b>. Period. You shouldn't have it in the sale if you're not prepared to part with it at ANY price.</li>
<li>Most people will offer something like this: "$5 for the toy and $2 for the chair? How about I give you $6 for both?" Take it! You've just gotten rid of TWO items that you don't have to pack up again! If you'd held firm, you'd have $5 in hand and only gotten rid of one item.</li>
<li>At my sales, if a kid desperately wants a toy and can't afford the 25 cents that it costs, they walk away with the toy. You can say it's good PR, but really, it's about re-purposing the items, isn't it? I'd rather see something of mine go to someone who adores it than hold out for someone who might pay a bit more.</li>
<li>If it's a hot day, sell cold water bottles. (Some people are out for hours and forget this.) If it's a cold day, sell coffee. You can actually make some tidy money this way.</li>
<li>Make sure you have an<b> extension cord set up</b> so buyers can test anything electric (lamps, electronic devices, etc) before they buy them, to know that they're working.</li>
<li>Make sure you let buyers know that everything is <b>as-is</b>, <b>no refunds</b>. I've been surprised at the times when people have come back the next day and wanted a refund for something they decided they didn't want. (If you sold them something that really was broken, on the other hand, you should provide a refund.)</li>
<li>To<b> hold an item or not to hold an item</b> for a buyer? Some folks will browse your sale and ask you to hold an item while they go home to get money. Sometimes they never come back, and you're stuck holding an item that could have sold. My suggestion is to take a deposit; even if it's just a few bucks, they will come back for the deposit if they decide not to buy the item. Also, make it clear that you will hold it only for a certain amount of time (say, one hour).</li>
<li>If it's the last day of your sale, the <b>last hour should be 1/2 price hour</b> (or even free). You don't really want to pack those things back up, do you?</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<br />AFTER THE SALE</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Deal with the leftovers. (See above.)</li>
<li>Take down any neighborhood signs.</li>
<li>Go deposit the cash into the bank, if you can. I'm not especially paranoid, but on the other hand, you've just advertised to the city that you have a bunch of cash in your home.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Congratulations! You've had a yard sale! I hope everything worked successfully for you. With just these few guidelines, yard sales can even be fun, especially if you take a laissez-faire attitude toward them. </div>
</div>
</div>
Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-41289253793071631762011-02-20T12:44:00.000-07:002011-02-20T12:44:04.765-07:00Nanofiction in FebruaryLast night I found myself awake late due to caffeine consumption, thanks to my friends at the <a href="http://www.hauntedgamecafe.com/">Haunted Game Cafe</a>, and decided on a whim to revisit Nanofiction, which I'd stumbled across some weeks ago. Nanofiction is a form of microfiction, or flash fiction, where a story is told in exactly 55 words. Each nanofiction story must contain a setting, one or more characters, conflict and resolution. Oh, and the title, which does not count toward the 55-word count, can be up to 7 words.<br />
<br />
(For further info and reading, see <a href="http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Andy/Nanofiction.html">Andrew Looney's Nanofiction</a>, <a href="http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Number12/Writing/Nfics/nfics.html">Number 12's Nanofiction</a>, and <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/nanofiction">Squidoo's Nanofiction Collection</a>.)<br />
<br />
Given those guidelines, I thought I'd try my hand. Here are my first results.<br />
<br />
<u>With No One To Talk Back</u><br />
There he sat, surrounded by his favorite things, when he realized that what the company he truly craved was his favorite people. It occurred to him then that he had long ago given up relationships with people for possessions. He hugged his things and wept against them for comfort, and found solace in their silence.<br />
<br />
<u>At Least They Weren’t Seashell Implants</u><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you were a mermaid who lured sailors with her long golden hair, what would you do if it began to fall out? Our intrepid anti-heroine didn’t miss a beat, and raided the kelp forest for hair transplants. The other mermaids laughed, but it worked -- the sailors of these seas having notoriously poor eyesight.<br />
<br />
<u>Why You Don’t Horse Around With Teacher</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u></u>Poor gentle centaur. Tutor of heroes, he desperately hoped to imbue them with wisdom. Ironically for this master of healing, the poisoned arrow shot by one brought him to his knees (literally) and he became a hermit. Later, he gave the ultimate sacrifice. For this, the gods relented, and he retired honorably to the sky.<br />
<br />
<u>Of All The Things I Will Miss</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u></u>As he was falling, wind-toppled at last, the old tree’s life flashed before his eye-knots: The pride and power of being tall, laughter of saplings, and the assured purpose of a sprouting seed. Of all the things I will miss most, he thought, I rather think it’s the birds. Except the damned woodpeckers.<br />
<br />
<u>Listen To Me The First Time, Bub</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u></u>‘But true writers don’t ever retire!’ The interviewer protested. ‘How can you do this?’ The ex-writer replied, ‘All my words are used up; these are my last.’ The interviewer asked: ‘What brought you to this momentous decision?’ The ex-writer smiled and said nothing, but inwardly cringed and thought: You missed the point entirely.<br />
<br />
<u>You Could Say It’s a Buzzkill</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u></u>Cameras flashed like strobes, cell phones sang merrily and idiotically, the smell of too many perfumes mingled. They were all here to see the last of the bees give its final buzz. With all the excitement of the event, no one noticed the small yellow-and-black body flattened on the underside of a sneaker.<br />
<br />
<u>Not The M.D. I Expected</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u></u>The middle-aged woman looked with a weary gaze up to the man in the white lab coat, dark circles shadowing her eyes. ‘What can I do, doctor? My eighteen children run me ragged.’ He shrugged, advised her, ‘Keep only the primes.’ To her puzzlement, he explained, ‘M.D. Doctor of Mathematics. Q.E.D.’<br />
<br />
<u>Shouldn’t That Be Obvious?</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u></u>At the sci-fi convention, geek boy was smitten with unreceptive geek girl. He’d tried everything from Klingon love ballads to origami flowers. Desperately, he tried his trump card. “If the zombies overran everything, and I was the last man on earth, what then?” She smiled sweetly, and said, “Clearly, my dear, I’d eat you.”<br />
<br />
<u>You See, Wheat Can Be Reasonable</u></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u></u>“Don’t try to frighten us with your dough-raising ways, Head Baker. Your sad devotion to that ancient gentile tradition has not helped you raise the knish, or given you enough filling for the blintz--” The man in the jet black baker’s hat and apron interrupted the culinarian. “I find your lack of yeast disturbing.”</div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-74165681211285768842010-12-10T03:15:00.001-07:002010-12-10T12:57:01.297-07:00Chrome Notebook: Initial Boot and ReactionEight seconds. That's how long this little beauty takes to power up (to fully functional computer). A little over a second to resume from standby.<br />
<br />
My initial reaction is that the Chrome notebook does not disappoint.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
When you first power on the Chrome notebook, you're taken through the initial setup. The first thing you see is the Let's Get Started page:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeYZY1Y8itKrrdDRGehg9EKtKFBPsWHEi3D-WIWlYpJEkkZ60ezBP5FN-ysjJYvZVjsayT15XUpWY9FxjHL4q9ejgEeNC1d3fzoaM8eb3VMk6l16MiIWno_IYA-6s07s8XBLi5gPahUA/s1600/sw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeYZY1Y8itKrrdDRGehg9EKtKFBPsWHEi3D-WIWlYpJEkkZ60ezBP5FN-ysjJYvZVjsayT15XUpWY9FxjHL4q9ejgEeNC1d3fzoaM8eb3VMk6l16MiIWno_IYA-6s07s8XBLi5gPahUA/s320/sw1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I would have preferred it if the notebook played the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzE2BoNW6bc">Universal Greeting</a> through the speakers, but this works too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you select your language and connect to a wifi network (yes, that's the only way to get online), you get to accept the terms of service (which is not nearly as fun to read as the <a href="http://www.theviewfromthetree.com/2010/12/chrome-notebook-included-literature.html">literature included in the box</a>. Then you get the inevitable updates. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzcIwweLtYdlfpaFzk0BeVANRBE2fOElbVftxqpZqWTdW8NKBP_aDgmX-fUMu-41IXFw3gXrpTZ32aEseOZF3245goE-PtwlgRO0efpovuGMPsMAoSwahB6MWf4K02z94CgufPUoybPA/s1600/sw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzcIwweLtYdlfpaFzk0BeVANRBE2fOElbVftxqpZqWTdW8NKBP_aDgmX-fUMu-41IXFw3gXrpTZ32aEseOZF3245goE-PtwlgRO0efpovuGMPsMAoSwahB6MWf4K02z94CgufPUoybPA/s320/sw2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although the screen says that the computer will restart, I don't remember it doing so. Then again, I may have still been hyperventilating so I shouldn't be relied on for that level of detail.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While it's downloading updates, which really don't take that long, you can geek out on the Chrome OS version number at the bottom left of the screen:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GgzWagZUKNxDmWtxYVn7hBck1H3WmsroaFkGScVSnOums5x1RXaHA0qQSn2UtpulEIZpUPjV2u_B-cZSc_AG1K9zE3tm8d14_kTzh_IeGneW3jiGGX-Q6pC6iKGYDHyXT4dWpwtE2t8/s1600/sw4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GgzWagZUKNxDmWtxYVn7hBck1H3WmsroaFkGScVSnOums5x1RXaHA0qQSn2UtpulEIZpUPjV2u_B-cZSc_AG1K9zE3tm8d14_kTzh_IeGneW3jiGGX-Q6pC6iKGYDHyXT4dWpwtE2t8/s320/sw4a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My Google Chrome OS started at version 0.9.110.9, and after updates was at 0.9.128.8.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then you can look at the top right of the screen, which shows the time, wifi signal strength, and battery life:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8A5MV5k4W7Cb4UAJVo5j0DNF4b43ifgw2OpuQWeANuH44So6Tli2AEokG9E4AiG2aXFfm1-2hRtS0IbmOn1QfOJ5TaNyQ9XhltMn8etRsZmBSgRrNkpIpqUys52rYtKBRh7u2ALb2aNI/s1600/sw3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8A5MV5k4W7Cb4UAJVo5j0DNF4b43ifgw2OpuQWeANuH44So6Tli2AEokG9E4AiG2aXFfm1-2hRtS0IbmOn1QfOJ5TaNyQ9XhltMn8etRsZmBSgRrNkpIpqUys52rYtKBRh7u2ALb2aNI/s320/sw3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The battery was a little under 50% charged for me, and after about 3 hours of playing around with it, the battery had decreased to 18%. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the updates are done, you get to sign in with your Google account (yes, you have to have one) and then take your picture with the integrated camera!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdZVAEVotPjDPPeDWUWMq54UXCbkmQFFdeBSWlWs05MKU5kXyc_p6xy7-0Xz1h17WYLN3YDfGWSfONW6t_IMshmjA0bKuMiB5xw0nlKzhlmAmwDup1_886SrMh5azKAC_wGgjjQ8Bk_8/s1600/sw5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdZVAEVotPjDPPeDWUWMq54UXCbkmQFFdeBSWlWs05MKU5kXyc_p6xy7-0Xz1h17WYLN3YDfGWSfONW6t_IMshmjA0bKuMiB5xw0nlKzhlmAmwDup1_886SrMh5azKAC_wGgjjQ8Bk_8/s320/sw5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After greeting you in a suitably Google manner, the notebook then gracefully moves you along to the Get Started tour:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnNxe3RBL0gmUEONX3JjTsPdLEUyxcb7FNA85ojKwdiy17cNUS-j5ZDYPiqSZAtClRkLMKB6zT94DnUdgehcU_sacg8Y2vGIdbbEB7IATZqp8oNCW10-pyYNZMdVmGvkWtmMGjPYFL2s/s1600/ss1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnNxe3RBL0gmUEONX3JjTsPdLEUyxcb7FNA85ojKwdiy17cNUS-j5ZDYPiqSZAtClRkLMKB6zT94DnUdgehcU_sacg8Y2vGIdbbEB7IATZqp8oNCW10-pyYNZMdVmGvkWtmMGjPYFL2s/s320/ss1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This tour is very well done. It provides just enough basic information for a user to get started using the Chrome notebook, without boring them to death with all of the details. The nice thing is that the tour is very easily accessible at a later time, if you decide to skip the instructions and just dive in. Which you can. I do advise reading this as it gives some time saving tips.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since the Touchpad is pictured in the Get Started screen shot above, it's a good time to talk about it. It is a single clickable button. You can press it to get a satisfying click, or just tap it gently for the same effect. It is a multi-touch pad, which means you can use two fingers to right-click and to scroll.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Scrolling, for me, seems to be a tad challenging, though hopefully I will get used to it. (Thankfully, you can still move the scrollbar down the old-fashioned way.) The touchpad is not as slick as the ones I'm used to. Also, the matte black surface looked mighty fine for about ten minutes, until my greasy fingers (which had recently been washed, I'll have you know) encountered the touchpad; now there's a blemish already.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I mentioned the keyboard<a href="http://www.theviewfromthetree.com/2010/12/chrome-notebook-at-first-glance.html"> in a previous post</a>, so I won't repeat that here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 10.25" screen seems decently bright indoors. I haven't had a chance to try it in the sunlight because, well, there has been no sunlight since I opened the box. The resolution of the screen is likewise very nice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Connectivity is interesting. Wifi is of course enabled by default, and 3G is an option. 3G is only available with Verizon. Costs are vague in the documentation -- I haven't signed up so the costs are surely presented during the sign up process. It does mention "pay-as-you-go rates that are easy to understand and don't require any long-term contracts", and a limitless day pass option for $9.99. It's unclear whether Verizon customers can use existing contracts. (I'm not a Verizon customer.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One thing that is lacking, in my opinion, is a wired ethernet connection on the notebook. Yes, they might be passé, but sometimes they are the fastest and most reliable connection in the area. (The online help does mention that you can plug in a USB Ethernet adapter to connect to a wired network, but this is not as universal as a straight ethernet connection.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">I don't yet see a way to access a USB flash drive. The USB port seems to be for "mice and keyboards, headsets, and microphones" for now. According to the help, they are "working hard on adding support for more devices." Likewise, the SD slot on the side doesn't seem to recognize (or do anything with) the SD card I put in. And why just one USB port, by the way?</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;">Using the Software</span></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyone who has used the Chrome browser on a PC will be on familiar ground here. With minor exceptions, it looks and behaves just like Chrome. It even syncs with your Google account settings, and keeps consistent bookmarks between different computers (so long as you're using Chrome on all computers.) </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRckJfHHWK-RIp7X01S5X-YxXwlMxVVr_uRENwfe-f0QdWx1jfUPfGRrrIx0MUU1D754bGi0-tnmH7HaK5JN-almJSDX4t8OywnE5JCFIndWsx4i6bg19JpMiV_uQZJqBVMfVJBEqFqqU/s1600/sw7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRckJfHHWK-RIp7X01S5X-YxXwlMxVVr_uRENwfe-f0QdWx1jfUPfGRrrIx0MUU1D754bGi0-tnmH7HaK5JN-almJSDX4t8OywnE5JCFIndWsx4i6bg19JpMiV_uQZJqBVMfVJBEqFqqU/s320/sw7.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Settings menu -- slightly different than the Chrome browser</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is no "start menu" or "desktop". There is just the browser. Each new tab is like a different program (app), or web page. You can open a new window or a new tab. If you just keep opening new tabs, the titles of all of your tabs are visible at once on the screen, which is handy. If you open a new window, you can press Alt-Tab to cycle between windows. (Which, by the way, is lightning fast compared to a PC.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is also a Chrome Web Store where you can download web apps that are optimized for the Chrome OS. Most are free at this point, from what I have seen. Once you've downloaded an app it appears on your New Tab page.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCdUpIhmVGx6rsnNqFYDLfjUYJ-wQUVQXnPiVo_KMztBdDMBBqDfiSmypeyW9VbLSlm2ziDQvFfQuxu2ZETLyXB4KYBryqCUxNvTbmAd3WXAaiIZjnjXJEUNRdwvHDl1W8fPCP7pL7D0/s1600/ss2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCdUpIhmVGx6rsnNqFYDLfjUYJ-wQUVQXnPiVo_KMztBdDMBBqDfiSmypeyW9VbLSlm2ziDQvFfQuxu2ZETLyXB4KYBryqCUxNvTbmAd3WXAaiIZjnjXJEUNRdwvHDl1W8fPCP7pL7D0/s320/ss2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New Tab page.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The default apps that come with Chrome OS are "Get Started", "Entanglement" (a highly addictive game), "Gmail", "Poppit" (another game), "Web Store", "Youtube", "Scratchpad", "Google Maps" and "Google Talk". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Google Talk is implemented very well. Talk (chat) sessions overlay whatever the active tab is, so you don't lose conversations. This is a nice feature. Talk sessions can be minimized to conserve screen space.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Different users can sign in on different accounts on the computer. It's just one user at a time, unfortunately -- one user has to sign off before another user can sign on. There is a Guest Mode to allow your friends (or children, or children of friends) to sign on: They will have no access to your personal data (and vice versa), and all traces of the guest's browsing are erased from the system. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All this cloud stuff is great, but what about printing? Well, you have two options. You can get a "<a href="http://google.com/cloudprint">Google Cloud Ready</a>" printer or you can print to existing printers as long as they're shared on a network from Windows. (Mac and Linux, it claims, will be supported in the future.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;">Overall Impressions</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Chrome notebook, using the Google Chrome OS, is a very solid, versatile machine. I'm impressed with the stability of the software and hardware -- so far I have not seen any clear software bugs, and the few design choices I have quibbles with are very minor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I haven't come close to maxing out the notebook's memory or processor. I opened 10 tabs with web sites, had the two game apps running, opened my Google Doc with my 51k word novel in it, streamed a video in Youtube, along with some ajax-heavy apps like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Maps. This machine had no problems keeping all of that going at once. (I should note that watching Youtube videos in HD does not seem to be an option on the Chrome notebook.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I do not think the Chrome notebook will be able to entirely replace a traditional notebook, and certainly not a desktop PC. The lack of file storage is one huge problem. Yes, much of what we do can live on the cloud, but not everything.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am looking forward to using this notebook and putting it through its paces. So is my family, let me tell you! I am especially curious to see how using this notebook compares with using my Android phone.</div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-76549002166037224792010-12-10T01:35:00.000-07:002010-12-10T01:35:55.115-07:00Chrome Notebook: At First GlanceNow that we've taken our friend out of the box, let's take a closer look! This is all about the physical layout.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLL9ZIaAH8i1sMgnGIAwZdiqiz2Ox3OQyPPlqzKrf4Nc_xO6GrAW2Atk5cpYE5-QzvgiK7l95buERm_yf01UMxYsMNTiWIHDHHat_IuW47SfQ3cluP_My0u9pFTbf-22E2rZCJwRz1S0k/s1600/unboxing-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLL9ZIaAH8i1sMgnGIAwZdiqiz2Ox3OQyPPlqzKrf4Nc_xO6GrAW2Atk5cpYE5-QzvgiK7l95buERm_yf01UMxYsMNTiWIHDHHat_IuW47SfQ3cluP_My0u9pFTbf-22E2rZCJwRz1S0k/s320/unboxing-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFdiWhq0uzG8x2D3UNPQpplzb_LKNfUKH98PNcA-xBXO_O78YBFCufPoxNpSZiKYSEhyDc1UXucu1a_tov7pK8THa0FGUEtNbSYU_ll9mXvo95J4c17DuAFNroTQunsJTDaLaRVCCOQ8/s1600/layout1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFdiWhq0uzG8x2D3UNPQpplzb_LKNfUKH98PNcA-xBXO_O78YBFCufPoxNpSZiKYSEhyDc1UXucu1a_tov7pK8THa0FGUEtNbSYU_ll9mXvo95J4c17DuAFNroTQunsJTDaLaRVCCOQ8/s320/layout1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You, sir, are a fine looking piece of matte black machinery. Yes indeed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This Chrome notebook (Cr-48) measures 11.75" x 8.75" x 0.875" and weighs 3 pounds, 10 ounces. The screen width is 10.25", and the width of just the keyboard itself is 11".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrqiTXHDkrHtdFB-AM2cdZgbhKqOe0pdmlj9cGs_cKvEf5IMhLre6KEH6QoJ6Faxd0iPB1UWIky-SKvxUpLjBGI_vOQWTwk2AqdNh-Vv8Taua9NmMPrdM10d5_-8SkUq5_K0hMONbRzU/s1600/layout2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrqiTXHDkrHtdFB-AM2cdZgbhKqOe0pdmlj9cGs_cKvEf5IMhLre6KEH6QoJ6Faxd0iPB1UWIky-SKvxUpLjBGI_vOQWTwk2AqdNh-Vv8Taua9NmMPrdM10d5_-8SkUq5_K0hMONbRzU/s320/layout2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Right side view of the Chrome notebook. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Rsbixt6LeX-t5taZX_-lhtPmHkEYuwDAcLgD6U1nkCTZggp7IE5a-WUKOYQeeRCHFDaOwIaRpO75O6etgRSJSSQgg_utHQfYM037UBI6G7REkJwLjb2O85V47cCg-NF6PQtkL0sJ2k/s1600/layout3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Rsbixt6LeX-t5taZX_-lhtPmHkEYuwDAcLgD6U1nkCTZggp7IE5a-WUKOYQeeRCHFDaOwIaRpO75O6etgRSJSSQgg_utHQfYM037UBI6G7REkJwLjb2O85V47cCg-NF6PQtkL0sJ2k/s320/layout3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Close up of right side view. From left, a pop-out SD port, headphone jack, USB port (the ONLY one), and power port.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPPCXNZamDCxhQhg9W99-r4ps7fE2A1-k9A1qJDAWWTZbbnoI96vXKma3vuQnZRkTsTp09sJWKavhMEv4JVIJjj0XfEuT8vkE34Izs89dvqpe_gMuW05T-REy3K-xmOZzhPo4-txzlFc/s1600/layout4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPPCXNZamDCxhQhg9W99-r4ps7fE2A1-k9A1qJDAWWTZbbnoI96vXKma3vuQnZRkTsTp09sJWKavhMEv4JVIJjj0XfEuT8vkE34Izs89dvqpe_gMuW05T-REy3K-xmOZzhPo4-txzlFc/s320/layout4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The left side view of the notebook. The only thing of note here is the VGA port. Yep, still VGA. Where's the HDMI? Not that I'm complaining.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfv6UlthP3KN_KfJLjASn7euY8-NNWSdO-1mI3R_bCT4I1OyZh1fTNmyqnSgJDR5frIgBMysmjhhNeEdpFZHMpqOrkJ7Bo2KiyLZ8kPbhTMUcPDnr7vBy5IUVgN_drSLGcYfGep7TtBcw/s1600/layout5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfv6UlthP3KN_KfJLjASn7euY8-NNWSdO-1mI3R_bCT4I1OyZh1fTNmyqnSgJDR5frIgBMysmjhhNeEdpFZHMpqOrkJ7Bo2KiyLZ8kPbhTMUcPDnr7vBy5IUVgN_drSLGcYfGep7TtBcw/s320/layout5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An overhead view of the keyboard. I tried not to drool on it as I took this picture.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsChO2Lnnf5c40PnTxjWLgnmgVO21gc69i21hPE_ZgDvGvMA2UunsZVW2kjxLHtXXupitOqJJQPdoJd8UNJypy8eJczhq8DQjwDQvGiDJMDfGVSGWbWZO8R4QHJAhq2NxMkWm9N4fOj8/s1600/layout6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsChO2Lnnf5c40PnTxjWLgnmgVO21gc69i21hPE_ZgDvGvMA2UunsZVW2kjxLHtXXupitOqJJQPdoJd8UNJypy8eJczhq8DQjwDQvGiDJMDfGVSGWbWZO8R4QHJAhq2NxMkWm9N4fOj8/s320/layout6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Close up of keyboard from left. Notice the top row of keys: There are no function keys! Instead we have, from left: Esc, Back, Forward, Reload, Full Screen, Next Window, Decrease Brightness, Increase Brightness, Mute, Volume down, Volume up, Summon Pokemon, and Power button.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just kidding about the Summon Pokemon key.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm glad they did away with the function keys. I look forward to becoming more familiar with actual time-saving keys at the top of the keyboard instead of obscure and risky keys. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also, as previously rumored, there is no Caps Lock key. (Insert AOL joke here.) In its place there is a Quick Search key, which opens a quick web search in a new tab. However, Google does concede that there may be a use for a Caps Lock key, and so provides a way to turn the Quick Search key into a Caps Lock key in the system settings.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KggjpIRbQWo9017v2EFhsLNf9zAVXuSvJ91iy9kbDiaQuvTXMlib0Ts0HLVLmu6n96Y8MZgSIAohTIjLBPCkjTU_5Zqf3INB4c6-VLwHTIjL4TtI4OIdyZDdr57Bu3HKPjc97C2CJAw/s1600/layout7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KggjpIRbQWo9017v2EFhsLNf9zAVXuSvJ91iy9kbDiaQuvTXMlib0Ts0HLVLmu6n96Y8MZgSIAohTIjLBPCkjTU_5Zqf3INB4c6-VLwHTIjL4TtI4OIdyZDdr57Bu3HKPjc97C2CJAw/s320/layout7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Close up of keyboard from right. Not much to say about this. But while we're on the subject of keyboards, there is a really nifty little keyboard shortcut utility built in. Press Ctrl-Alt-? and you see a screen overlay of the keyboard; when you hold Control, Alt or Shift you see keyboard shortcuts for those modifiers. In all, I count 61 keyboard shortcuts!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Regarding the keyboard: It is comfortable to use and the tactility is good. The keys feel solid and yet springy, not at all sluggish. There are wide spaces between keys not unlike (I'm told) Mac keyboards. I'm used to the squished keyboard of my netbook, so this keyboard feels luxurious. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ready to turn this magic box on? Then go to the next post!</div></div></div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-78915976248208296302010-12-10T01:02:00.001-07:002010-12-10T01:02:22.047-07:00Chrome Notebook: Included LiteratureSome of the included literature with the Chrome notebook is very fun to read, and not just for hardcore geeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJweGKSaZMGhT6fQTnAlb1LUKnd-tmRmY0_2Xt7br3d2vNsjJvZV1dCkodghA2j7QNhs_nejus7ytR_k_uuNvbyt-HgN7cf8e8sSq0ogciE2RiI9l37oSh5_YWWSPERGCyrW-at3scys/s1600/welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJweGKSaZMGhT6fQTnAlb1LUKnd-tmRmY0_2Xt7br3d2vNsjJvZV1dCkodghA2j7QNhs_nejus7ytR_k_uuNvbyt-HgN7cf8e8sSq0ogciE2RiI9l37oSh5_YWWSPERGCyrW-at3scys/s320/welcome.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The welcome message.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibliT8oyyR3vV9UmFcv5jjbQ_ucbh9GehJoDvI8S6Oazf6-eHD3mQoIXViEj3sRwcDGl9xWkYHnUdIK5NTvmSnyshpeCCrm0h-vlsPP56A1iDxrW6Hl_VhesQo7UvgK6v-snMIqWUEmPY/s1600/card1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibliT8oyyR3vV9UmFcv5jjbQ_ucbh9GehJoDvI8S6Oazf6-eHD3mQoIXViEj3sRwcDGl9xWkYHnUdIK5NTvmSnyshpeCCrm0h-vlsPP56A1iDxrW6Hl_VhesQo7UvgK6v-snMIqWUEmPY/s320/card1.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side 1 of the operating instructions.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVa0O0Aepr1exAkNSOkjbkSf0mnixQD2zvtPS18uIyK_KeKvjHes91iD-Ihl2PG8LN61D17l6vFwluHVyyhBRinmBcl00UviNal78Scku4B3av2toPBvuTs-A2vfdG3yDfbcRkWejSQ8/s1600/card2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVa0O0Aepr1exAkNSOkjbkSf0mnixQD2zvtPS18uIyK_KeKvjHes91iD-Ihl2PG8LN61D17l6vFwluHVyyhBRinmBcl00UviNal78Scku4B3av2toPBvuTs-A2vfdG3yDfbcRkWejSQ8/s320/card2.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side 2 of the operating instructions. What could be simpler?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQkY-dxAU7RbtitqZXPCYY_oHUlZWV6zz2QW88lG7I9BAfje4ytSnd5LVKTkh6mVehx_GDgZ5PKN5Raoe6-CKWjjeZua68CNzT0nY7h4EPaNCU3DVohHOodXivqVqT1Vsw44YcVtodZU/s1600/smcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQkY-dxAU7RbtitqZXPCYY_oHUlZWV6zz2QW88lG7I9BAfje4ytSnd5LVKTkh6mVehx_GDgZ5PKN5Raoe6-CKWjjeZua68CNzT0nY7h4EPaNCU3DVohHOodXivqVqT1Vsw44YcVtodZU/s320/smcard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A business card-sized ad from Intel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEG_0X8SLz2gisDSugMpZ8KawOm3-5_-F9rrFwm1o5LLwshjN7bGMtK1Gmcc9VWOUGmhuTLiaULdr9v0AQVOjsIVMxrxADeV56ic6TJXpZqfU_TnRu7iDYrWYHso-uaXtlcpRzlzPCAc/s1600/sticker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEG_0X8SLz2gisDSugMpZ8KawOm3-5_-F9rrFwm1o5LLwshjN7bGMtK1Gmcc9VWOUGmhuTLiaULdr9v0AQVOjsIVMxrxADeV56ic6TJXpZqfU_TnRu7iDYrWYHso-uaXtlcpRzlzPCAc/s320/sticker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An interesting sticker.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJecDdkS0xGrBElWlaykk3XizjtH7AnZbaV0923-LtBat2TkVA3HRjuLk3fQmI6fXXiaE8tlT73wfXvt3lJn__nFeB6sGlWfPQQuL9WUg4-8oYU_tlwGTi7_YjPv_DU0QqwaYzqT6Yf8/s1600/brown1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJecDdkS0xGrBElWlaykk3XizjtH7AnZbaV0923-LtBat2TkVA3HRjuLk3fQmI6fXXiaE8tlT73wfXvt3lJn__nFeB6sGlWfPQQuL9WUg4-8oYU_tlwGTi7_YjPv_DU0QqwaYzqT6Yf8/s320/brown1.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The safety notice. This is worth a read. Hey, it begins with "Don't Panic."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjnI4dGLKaCYqdKj2pBVpN4PgWZIYavbg5O5rX2C04h1LSOpDt7vy044weRdefqnTSF_hJk7klejW1Pf8qglHtLwjGKTxDwvYKIPpLg-V3pJlK9xEhICXUtKbqRVhVlkPv_NN48shJuQ/s1600/brown2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjnI4dGLKaCYqdKj2pBVpN4PgWZIYavbg5O5rX2C04h1LSOpDt7vy044weRdefqnTSF_hJk7klejW1Pf8qglHtLwjGKTxDwvYKIPpLg-V3pJlK9xEhICXUtKbqRVhVlkPv_NN48shJuQ/s320/brown2.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Read this carefully. No, really.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-52833716347329478382010-12-09T23:15:00.020-07:002010-12-10T00:39:40.671-07:00Chrome Notebook: The Unboxing<div style="text-align: left;">I've been getting various packages (Christmas gifts, 'tis the season) delivered the last few days, from eBay and Amazon and such, so I wasn't surprised to see an unfamiliar name and address on the return label of this box. I opened it and then paused, thinking that perhaps my wife had bought me something special and I was seeing it prematurely. But no, she had no idea where it had come from. Then I remembered... I had signed up for the Chrome OS beta testing program, some time ago.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Holy cow. </b>I was one of the 64,000 lucky recipients of the brand spanking new <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Chrome OS Notebook</span>!</div><a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;">With Trembling Hands...</span></span></span><br />
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<div>I quickly forgot that I had children or a bladder for the next two hours and excitedly opened this treasure. I must say that I normally find "unboxing" posts to be tedious but for some reason I decided to document this momentous evening, with my wife's assistance. For those that might enjoy it, here you go.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548936101861551794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7L_c06j3HMwEViLyBpsMKtVZe-rwTU_0Aj3bK9mdsAkKIqfjO9yBhpO8GCZt2ZWifN-wElY0k_FdBGGgfUD9GX324EQI2L0xc9lok7Vth7bZITHvjkXxEoC5Z5Njb5sV-9fAy_KqKeU/s400/unboxing-1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the sight that I beheld when I opened up the plain brown packing box. The "Chrome" text and symbol in the middle of the screen diagram gave it away, of course, and was what made me double-check with my wife about my good fortune.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548937014536369442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdE8F_QIH3GfeIc60GV5Vdbyw7W96LbcjJKm5_B_fDVAbcFohsj8ieb-G9QRBHRgX9FnK3IiNfDcQjuH7sXe1zk9q6Yj13KcyzqD6sXc9hjETGuc3PScL10fRLmazN5N8HNwN0yJheQg/s320/unboxing-2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">The flip side of the paper in the previous photo, and a little Intel card are included.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548937583586668850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlXhwloaD9i_wrFGszGijHH4oF4ic20Ghk0VAnHW2JQWo1MPjTyge1E0dzES5rG5FtYcdfrBleQF4As6FYNBbcRgRYwJ_Cy2oK-mXuEEsSyLkDv_FYf3F1wIB-G5ASPs06sOYKxYi6YY/s400/unboxing-3.jpg" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 400px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Removing the paper covering the notebook, and taking out the cardboard packing pieces from the sides took 1.5 seconds, though I think my heart beat 298 times. A colorful sticker and a welcome card are also included; I'll get to those in another post. Look, the box is smiling! What a happy day!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Notice my Acer 10" netbook in the upper right of the picture, for comparison.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548939130276232754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yeIAxvcA22Svs-vFCQJIp-84TDnjhQ8aKqhsX5rLHZdF2MQUeulruCfSqZuULTTpGTcPP3dgR3d3TC2CcajJVy3MCsNOWcMz5UrKKJt43-7fk_N_wV0eFzL-DQ_hPVJICqdNRV3b0sc/s400/unboxing-4.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The battery is next. Remaining in the box are the power cord (in two pieces) and a brown safety notice.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The packaging is overall very minimal, much like Apple's, but more brown. Very little waste in this package: Brown cardboard, one plastic sleeve for the notebook, one plastic bubble wrap for the battery, plastic overwrap for the power brick, and one twist tie for the power cord. Plus four pieces of paper and a sticker, though I don't count the latter as waste.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548941897800699522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3otOjosUigPuzWgH1zh51K4m3S5jinmdXoCmDlySVCn7YEwDog39c6022KLV_CQpR5AZIfOS8As3Gz1RUXjAaS7gJYEHZdEdbLJBXNR7Hb4nr-DwWHglpsvEBIPJpr_XyoqJBO6_Tt0/s400/unboxing-6.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The sleek matte black top of the Chrome notebook, called the Cr-48 in the included documentation. Dimensions are 11.75" x 8.75" x 0.875". Yeah, less than an inch thick.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548940648926638562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyi_CpToNzZNK0ZL4Y_FnnAyaNZkiCvUitRht5gaKQ7WJuuaymO-IKuU5uz1H63JfnObuQs3lGsAho4pHfIi_qIwPX277byZXhVcLJJRYdyUuONd8APEcNCaYUv0CpCyOBIUGFPG6kYA/s400/unboxing-5.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The battery weighs 13.8 oz. Markings on the battery indicate it is a "Mario", 14.8V, 58.4Wh, STL:NBP4C51G1.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548941540032390498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYPlhn1_2BKL16gvLBWj4zgGSrZy1REIQUHQF9NzmAADqi4Dkxaw6vuxjY533f9RpTXrFDqO9Qyi9p76iR9EN6cvJ5cyTmC6ZyZhSjUVJ58APAwDGPv_2QOvG4ic9_mkTYxHOaKf8i00/s400/unboxing-7.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The bottom of the notebook without the battery attached. The sticker has a serial #, HWID: IEC MARIO PONY 6101, MEID #, MODEL: Mario. I didn't know Mario had a pony.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548941177779030162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzcQvFc0ASdxpsOvzSsh0YCe8_MMGExrEwSAb9GwqBkj1utrGCfMWVX_qiH-AxXsChh02PdAuGXdMktobjBRWEno2oCUCM0a4slgo-UfvHQ0ECnHvpU2ljSyzOfc5RtymVsU6wIlJ8BQ/s400/unboxing-8.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The battery fits in a little counter-intuitively (you can look at the diagram on the brown safety notice later), but it clicks in comfortingly. It also sits flush with the case. As you can see from the picture, the rubber feet are built in to the battery, so clearly the unit is not expected to be used without a battery attached. I did test it though, it will work without a battery attached and the power cord plugged in.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The notebook with battery weighs in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. For comparison, my Acer netbook weighs 2 pounds, 10 ounces.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548940945009263794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKzxEjnFkS5MVptcPCf7Ku5UJLiW4thfWkq-umqIGA2-LEKAc_wMAK_2dwM5TRd16AK3XkWXjd9Zx_Vnb3WARsZ7TJh2OYEY94OSkkAb4gFQtrKgaT1pjKCfqLwEglbo6Ntnnb32Fq4Q/s400/unboxing-9.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" />And here is the notebook powering on! Oddly, it starts powering on as soon as you open the lid, even without pressing the power button.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">See my next posts for details about the included literature, physical layout of the notebook, and my experiences using it.</div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-87548990870788960742010-06-22T11:30:00.002-06:002013-01-23T20:21:02.497-07:00Taking time to breathe...I have long neglected our family project here. We all have. In the frenzy of daily life, of work and school and graduating seniors and adventure trips, lacrosse game replay chats, blogging our steps at sustainability seems low on the totem pole.<br /><br />Dan took me to an event called <a href="http://ignite.oreilly.com/">Ignite Ft.Collins</a>. I learned a lot. The theme is "Enlighten me, but make it quick". Presentations on everything from playing the harmonica to eating for enlightenment. Science and entertainment, bits of this and that. Never enough to be bored with a topic, but enough for me to feel my neural synapses working a little. Great time.<br /><br />More than one person talked about their online presence. Super blogging mom, the online cartoonist. It make me long to make this back in to what we pictured at first. Even if it is just my therapy, I am worth writing for!<br /><br />Watch this space, for life and philosophy. Mistakes and messes come as an extra bonus!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-22694345918403782342010-01-28T07:29:00.004-07:002010-01-28T07:43:00.931-07:00What's white and gray and pedaled all over?We had a new light snowfall last night, just a light dusting. When I saw this, I was discontented. "Great," I grumbled, "just enough snow to cover the ice sheets that're still lingering on the streets." This morning when I pulled my bike out of the garage and prepared to ride, I resigned myself to a cold, slippery, dark, miserable ride, not looking forward to it.<div><br /></div><div>Yet once I actually started pedaling, I found myself quite enjoying the morning. I left just at dawn, to get into work early. This time of day is magical, especially with a gray overcast sky and that light sheet of white on the ground, muting what few noises occur this early. It was a peaceful, smooth ride, and since I've been riding the same route, I knew where the ice would be so I wasn't surprised. I saw more people out riding bikes or walking their dogs than I did drivers. </div><div><br /></div><div>I admit, I haven't been riding my bike to work quite as much as usual during these winter months. More frequently than usual, work obligations have meant I need to drive to work. Also, my daughter has finally obtained her driver's license and is eager to drive -- and to give me a ride to work. I've succumbed to the lure of the warm chauffeured ride many days! But those other days, I'm still pedaling away, along with the other hardy winter commuters.</div><div><br /></div><div>It has been a bit of a dreary winter season for me (us) and that's why I (we) haven't been keeping this blog up as much. I'm going to work on fixing that. More later.</div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-64487184002945792442009-10-29T22:17:00.005-06:002009-10-29T22:38:50.699-06:00Hibernate!Well, well, well. It's seems my long time enemy has risen once again to try and defeat me. I tell you, the very sight of snow sends off signals in my brain screaming, 'HIBERNATE!' 16 inches will be enough to send me snoozing into the spring.<br /><br />Recently, I was in a class called YouTube Ready Videos. In the class, I created a music video to my newest song, 'Call of Ravenclaw' based of the Harry Potter series. Due to technical difficulties (throws nasty glare at camera) I have been struggling to finish it. But I still wanted to get my song out there for all my fellow Ravenclaws to hear. So I made a less elaborate video of zooming in lyrics and a glamorous self taken picture from 5 years ago. Lol. I've only gotten 8 views so far. If you'd like to take a peek, be my guest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKJ5tT5_iOk<br /><br />I'd also like to mention I'm going on a very cold (and short) Investigation of a house reported to have strange activity around it. There is a rumor that it use to be an old goat farm, but it was disproven in an article in the Lost Fort Collins blog. But the reports intrest me. There have been strange sounds reported coming from the house and stables. There are also reports of shadows, the one in particular I'm interested in is the little one that people see. I'm going to take some toys to see it I can intise it. With it being so close to Halloween, the veil between the spirit world and the physical realm are at their thinnest. This is a great time to get some stuff possibly recorded and documented. I will be going tommorow. Wish me luck. :DInternetWalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764481942118992010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-56970522051563710912009-10-29T11:03:00.004-06:002009-10-29T11:09:29.593-06:00Squirrels love pumpkins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5EynAXL_FqyvVkuXQUphhoAZImRdrM8JH1q6Kq0PjI5pT_DjXg08U9o3CTWUuC0-FDiXXLKMl-YC4DeaMlEjGbE7889gt6rfcC3YDboxmwbUh_xfvNsyL-nwI-wDmX_1urP_yxndvWQ/s1600-h/squirrel2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5EynAXL_FqyvVkuXQUphhoAZImRdrM8JH1q6Kq0PjI5pT_DjXg08U9o3CTWUuC0-FDiXXLKMl-YC4DeaMlEjGbE7889gt6rfcC3YDboxmwbUh_xfvNsyL-nwI-wDmX_1urP_yxndvWQ/s320/squirrel2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398068808604073826" /></a>Oh, the squirrels. They raid our compost and our garden for goodies, destroy my sunflowers, and even try to get into the chicken coop to get chicken feed. They've also been eating our squash right off the vine. Now, they're hitting the pumpkins. <div><br /></div><div>We noticed for the last week that the pumpkins we put out on our front step have had a few nibbles out of them. A couple of days ago we found that the squirrels had completely eaten their way into one and were busy hollowing it out. I'm sure it was delicious. The silly squirrels were hardly even afraid of us when we opened the door.</div><div><br /></div><div>On another note... I realize we have been utterly lax about keeping this blog up to date. Sorry about that. The season just got so darn busy! When I was at home I wanted to be outside, not inside on the computer (which is what I do all day for a living). I'm sure this winter will be different.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming up... new compost bins, cold frame, and biking to work in the snow!</div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-4205460093106457752009-10-29T10:45:00.008-06:002009-10-29T12:19:54.595-06:00Sleigh bells? No, bike bells!Yesterday we had our first snowstorm of the season, and it was a doozy! I don't know what the official report for Fort Collins was, but this morning we took a measurement in our backyard and came up with 16 inches. School for the kiddos was cancelled and my workplace closed mid afternoon. Today, the kiddos' schools were still closed but work was open for me. Darn! I could have used a snow day at home. (Although it would have been tempting to start on my <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> project, which I can't do for another few days.)<div><br /></div><div>So this morning I had a few options to get to work. I could dig my car out and drive, then park four blocks away and walk in. Or I could walk to the bus stop three blocks away, try to figure out the bus schedule, hope it's running today, and use the extremely convoluted and inefficient route home at the end of the day. I could walk; it's just under 3 miles to work. Or I could bike.</div><div><br /></div><div>I chose to bike. My wife called me hardcore. I called it the most efficient way while using the least amount of effort. (Is that laziness?) I figured I could always walk the bike if things go too rough, or even find a bus to hoist it onto.</div><div><br /></div><div>I should mention that our street never gets plowed and cars routinely get stuck when it snows. The snowfall yesterday was very light and fluffy and since the ground was still pretty warm, the bottom layer was all slush. It didn't freeze overnight, so there</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKX-8LWEL1znb0pmrsUJqbuUiHw-j87oNtLuirHv7DSJr0VUi7Ze0HUdRGaUIMNX7126vyC8d5O49iw3FsE6xEW_hzbLgUnCbpobum1rfZvht5uHa14FnueemhT9-djZfpqEfDl_IrH4/s320/bike_in_snow.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398082393939976434" /><div> was very little ice, which is a good thing. I should also mention that although I've been biking to work for over a year, I haven't biked in a fresh snowfall before. Last year, during the few snow days we had, I wimped out and drove instead.</div><div><br /></div><div>I made it to work but it was slow going. I fully expected to go down a couple of times but that didn't happen, even though there were close calls. I saw one other hardcore bike commuter today, and a bike track in the snow proved that there was at least one other one. The bike racks were quite eerily empty at the university, though.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lessons learned from my bike ride to work today:</div><div><ul><li><b>I really should get snow tires for my bike.</b> The slush was especially challenging to pedal through, and a couple times I had to walk the bike through heavy slush, because I just couldn't get traction.</li><li><b>Brake early and often.</b> Just like in the rain, the snow makes the tires & brakes wet, which reduces the brakes' effectiveness. Oh, and don't brake too fast.</li><li><b>Downhill slopes are not my friends.</b> See braking, above.</li><li><b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr40Qp9YchzdvRcCMU8-1eH1Dj94srj15xLudpCRat-VqlzFD-FORwYXraz8QwQCmmqWdZfUt6leVPxZ9GP_pc4Bht1QtyZa2rt9G4zSZUaX7mPuawkecd8rsc6KhBTbZlMEAZLA84kNo/s200/snow_bike_rider.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398087606975650114" />Slow and steady wins the race.</b> (Even though it's not a race... you get the idea.) I normally cruise down Mountain Avenue at a rather brisk pace, thanks to the straightaway and beautifully wide bike lanes, but not today. The bike lanes weren't plowed, though the street was.</li><li><b>I'm surprisingly well equipped for winter bike commuting.</b> I shouldn't be surprised, since I did this last year, but the snow throws an added wrinkle onto it. But I was plenty warm thanks to my under-helmet lining, gloves, heavy coat and boots. The fenders helped a ton, too. Now for those snow tires...</li></ul><div>Hopefully getting home will not be as challenging, and there won't be ice. </div></div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-74112691731105793392009-08-15T08:06:00.003-06:002009-08-15T08:12:58.118-06:00Eating the eggsIn my last post, I mentioned that we ate one of the eggs with a crack in it. Being novices to owners of egg laying hens, this seemed the right thing to do. I learned later that this probably wasn't such a good idea. Oops. At least none of us got sick!<div><br /></div><div>Without being too graphic, chickens have one single hole, called a "vent", where <a href="http://www.afn.org/~poultry/egghen.htm">everything comes out of</a> (both eggs and poop). The egg thus comes into contact with chicken poop bacteria. While you aren't using the shell in your food, the shell does come into contact with your hands, the bowl (if you crack them over the edge of it), and possibly even some of the egg, as it slithers into your bowl or cooking pan. </div><div><br /></div><div>Arguments rage over the proper way to sanitize eggs. Some say that you can wash them with cold water and a soft scrubby, some that you should use hot water and antibacterial soap or even bleach, and some say just wipe it off with a cloth. When an egg is laid by the hen, it comes with a protective layer on it to keep bacteria out. When you wash the egg, you are removing that protective layer. Most people agree that if you do wash the egg, you should do it just before eating it. So that's what I've been doing. I'm most comfortable with hot water and a small amount of dish soap. </div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-11268023141732942952009-08-06T20:24:00.004-06:002009-08-06T20:43:23.069-06:00Deliciosos HuevosThe 9th egg arrived today. 9 eggs in 10 days! All except number eight have been a very light uniform brown in color. Number eight, which I discovered cold this morning, was a rich, dark brown with speckles, which led us to the conclusion that it was from a different breed entirely than the ones we've received thus far. Three egg laying hens, that's exciting! Hopefully the other two will start feeling the urge soon, too.<br /><br />We've been saving them up. Hadn't eaten a one yet. None of us wanted to deny the other the pleasure of eating the first egg(s) from our very own chickens, so we have been waiting until we have a suitable number to make a batch of scrambled eggs for all of us to share.<br /><br />Number nine, picked out of the nest box minutes after being laid, we discovered had a crack in it. Well, this one had to be eaten right away! Daughter scrambled it up real quick (heck, it was still warm) just before we had to walk out the door. Another surprise, it had a double yolk! Although we each only had a few bites, they were delicious! I'm sure it was more the idea of it, but it seemed more flavorful than your usual egg. I'll wait until the next batch (this weekend) to see if the flavor really is better.Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-73406306312356487032009-07-31T10:12:00.003-06:002009-07-31T11:12:23.509-06:00Huevos!We have eggs! Two of them as of half an hour ago, Friday morning. <br /><br />Dan discovered the first one on Tuesday. We had been on a family vacation and were busy on our first full day home.<br /><br />Dan heard a lot of noise coming from the chicken coop, and went out to see one of the girls coming out of the coop. He went to peek, and sure enough we had our first egg! A perfect treasure, about half the size of large eggs available at stores. <br /><br />We have been watching for another egg, and finally this morning it was time for egg number two.<br /><br />I am home sick today, and I was startled to hear an amazing amount of squawking coming from the coop. One girl was inside and I could see the other four huddled in a corner in the yard under the coop. I heard a lot of unusual noises coming from inside and what was almost like a responding chorus of noise from the other chickens. I suddenly saw our girl named Viper (oh I know it is a strange name! My son's Lacrosse team) come out, continuing to made a lot of noise. As I looked at each nest box I noticed immediately that the nests are clearly being used, and the last one had another small egg!<br /><br />So now to learn more about egg laying :)<br /> <br />But in a way I don't need to seek out all knowledge. I know about birth. I know that sometimes making more noise makes the impossible possible. I know that it is easier when you have a chorus of voices chiming in, being present for your journey. I know that having girls nearby is priceless for those hard moments.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-15168374678792463952009-06-28T13:35:00.002-06:002009-08-06T20:43:41.391-06:00Bike Prom!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlXYOmtW-3r8qs8S9-tPT7FJCd4caTBwtnFVyvLthnE0a9yGbQ9xGNqWWV8c3uG2VcEeKbQmaEGtWMWpVEotqwY85vmz8rgTZcpTDxaUI0gK-Y6JW5FCRAwm-nI7lh1LFnh7aORbqNGov/s1600-h/P1010013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlXYOmtW-3r8qs8S9-tPT7FJCd4caTBwtnFVyvLthnE0a9yGbQ9xGNqWWV8c3uG2VcEeKbQmaEGtWMWpVEotqwY85vmz8rgTZcpTDxaUI0gK-Y6JW5FCRAwm-nI7lh1LFnh7aORbqNGov/s320/P1010013.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Dan and I went to high school together (Go Impala's!) and ran around in the same circle of friends. We didn't date, but have many shared memories.<br /><br />Last night we had a chance to go back in time and do what would have been dreamy to look back on. We went to prom together!<br /><br />This week has been Ft Collins bike week. With events every day,including a crazy successful Bike to Work day. There were approximately 30 breakfast stations set up around the city, and massive hordes of people biked to work and took advantage of free breakfast opportunities.<br /><br />Last night was the grand finale event, the first annual Bike Prom. It is exactly what it sounds like. People dressed up in their wacky outdated prom regalia, and rode their bikes. The enthusiastic party goers descended upon Old Town just as Brew Fest was wrapping up, which meant that we got many startled stares from overindulging celebrants.<br /><br />I found the most impressive 80's style prom dress at the thrift store for 6.99. It was challenging to figure out how in the world I made my hair so big back in the day, and the scent of Aqua net (which I could not find, but Suave super hold worked) filled the air as I caked on the eyeliner. Of course I ended up looking much like a lace covered Oompa-loompa, but wasn't most of the 80's bizarre?<br /><br />We danced to some great 80's classics, slow danced and kissed to a Journey song, and spent a lot of time sitting and watching the entertaining 20-somethings acting like they created 80's fashion and singing the classic songs word for word. Overall a great evening, and a great opportunity to go to prom with my husband!<br /><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nZbDVBtoMdc5it3atFwFkw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51v-GIt22TvawCk4d5VAh-61RcR5Y4kJPLZ1utUO69XnQYHv4N0L12DYXXsgA-3gImK7CfKGMtYELKrpMDldLj8r7AWlbkDHfN8IGFq4KboF39bVQe22RuGotvOuRZARnqXK6HyKpAKF7/s144/P1010003.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/staci.herrick/BikeProm?feat=embedwebsite">Bike Prom</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iR_clXJ_4Wyy4OorPIuIsg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgAZW5MSmkViINXBj4neqoIiBdzxGdr6V_Rq0rTL6cbm1YpYI0HlrkbMrBT8ZSV4E6uF1GIhYb-qBiBODWa2FL1YshqYw4P3StoP9OJTH7l_RuTIt906XrF5A6WHEs54ML5TrwKxx5Mjg/s144/P1010010.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/staci.herrick/BikeProm?feat=embedwebsite">Bike Prom</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-47026085245588703362009-06-25T10:51:00.003-06:002009-08-06T20:43:57.336-06:00The risk of growing foodWe have a garden to produce some of our food, and have a share of a small Community Supported Agriculture farm for much of our fresh food during the spring, summer and fall.<br /><br />Last year we loved coming home each week with 1-2 reusable grocery bags loaded with organic vegetables that had been picked just hours before.<br /><br />The intense storms Monday night produced a remarkable hail storm, centered over the small town of LaPorte Colorado (which is just North West of Fort Collins about 3 miles). Our CSA farm is in LaPorte. We found out that it hailed for 45 minutes, and left 3 inches of hail on the entire crop. Everything is shredded.<br /><br />So the status of our farm share is unknown. We are not at all concerned about the payment lost. We knew that having a share of a crop meant that we are taking the same risk as the farmer. We could have a wonderful crop or a sparse crop, and are at the mercy of nature. This year we seem to have lost everything.<br /><br />Our home garden is not in quite as bad of a condition, but we will likely only produce a fraction of the food we did last summer. Heartbreaking times. Sometimes it feels as if the world is just making it hard to walk out our ideals/<br /><br />On a good note, Blondie has found a good home. We posted an offering on CraigsList, and had two offers of adoption by families living out in the country. One in particular appealed to us because the family has been showing poultry of all sorts at the 4H fair for 20 years. They have a polish hen (the breed that Blondie is) who is 4 years old so he will have company. They actually thought that Blondie may be beautiful enough to show at the fair this year, so we will keep you posted! We are just relieved to send him to a good home.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-35461184479831770272009-06-18T12:53:00.004-06:002009-08-06T20:44:08.906-06:00She is a rooster, crud!Yes you read that right. Apparently my second polish chicken is in fact a rooster. the first proved itself to be a rooster early on, and I was so sad to loose my gray bird with a goofy poof of feathers on its head. We sent it off to live happily outside the city limits.<br /><br />The second polish I had seemed to be a girl a bit longer, but surprised us with a cock-a-doodle-doo last weekend. I spent the week reading accounts found in google of hens that managed to crow in some sort of manner, and I convinced myself that she was just very special.<br /><br />Until this morning, when the entire family stood with our mouths hanging open in awe in the morning light watching her crow her little heart out, repeatedly.<br /><br />We do not want a rooster. We cannot have a rooster within the city limits, and we really do like our neighbors enough to want to keep life pleasant for them.<br /><br />I called the feed and grain where we picked up the cute chicks, and they do buy back roosters but have a limit of 5. They have 5 right now. They tipped me off to the fact that the raptor center will take roosters. I innocently called to find out how the adoption process works, and the news was gently broken to me that they would be food for the birds of prey. I thanked them for their gentle way of breaking the news and said I just might take them up on the offer if I don't find a more pleasant alternative.<br /><br />So now the offer goes out. I have one really funny looking Polish rooster available for adoption by anyone interested. Ideally to live a long amusing life being the small funny looking rooster of a flock. Anyone needing a rooster?<br /><br />Please? :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-84685823908161270852009-06-10T09:58:00.003-06:002009-08-06T20:44:26.139-06:00Brain BucketsIt has been a posting drought here, because we have been too busy working in the yard. Garden is in, and we are hoping most of it recovers from the hail pounding this weekend. (really, my lettuce looks so sad) We finally got roofing material on the coop so the blue tarp is gone. Lots of mulch added, parts of the lawn removed and repurposed (I just can't bring myself to water grass, so we are slowly getting rid of it all) We are appreciating the recent rains immensly but know that a bit of warm sunny weather will really make the garden look amazing.<br /><br />So the family went on a wonderful bike ride last night, testing the new trail-a-bike we got. (Dan pulls Josh, or Josh pushes Dan)Just as we pulled into the driveway the torrential rain began. Phew!<br /><br />I also biked to work today. It is an easy 30 minute ride on my cruiser, meandering along the Poudre River Trail for much of it. This is something I want to do more, since my entire family is made up of growing bike enthusiasts. Unfortunately my chronic illness does not always present me with days in which I can commute by bike and have enough energy to work as well. Getting to work is usually fine, but by the end of the work day the ride home is too much. Each day it is a gamble, but I took it today.<br /><br />I was talking about biking with Dr Whitman in the clinic. (He truly is one of the best Dr's in Ft Collins for kids) We were talking about the importance of bike helmets and the significance of enforcing helmets 100% of the time.<br /><br />Statistics show that helmets save lives. They reduce life changing head injuries. they are the difference between walking away from an accident and being taken away in an ambulance.<br /><br />Plus, they are slowly becoming more and more cool. All the cool kids are doing it. Are you? Every single time you ride?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-4929554162031942502009-05-21T09:43:00.003-06:002009-05-21T09:45:21.204-06:00The car stays.Thanks for the responses to my post about the car. I had some good responses here and elsewhere, and almost all said that the small cost of continued car ownership is probably worth it. Also, as my wife pointed out, if her car had to be in the shop for a week, that's a year's worth of "savings" from having only one car blow in a week.<div><br /></div><div>So I will be keeping the car. Of course, if something happens to it that requires repairs, all bets are off and it will go to the salvage yard!</div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-25054801991263125792009-05-21T09:36:00.004-06:002009-05-21T09:42:08.073-06:00Vegas & Wedding Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXZ9RPUgv5JsAcUDxlV2_QUBkCJbpbDTUe2mLoWNw35OUp-ZQ0xloRxQju4FacXJGJuD6lya4C7YcQ8S_VVqdYEjJVOZ7qg6nhxfLVfn8Z66HvNaC8p-17OrdYEEPa99wbmD02B4eIE4/s1600-h/IMAG0027.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXZ9RPUgv5JsAcUDxlV2_QUBkCJbpbDTUe2mLoWNw35OUp-ZQ0xloRxQju4FacXJGJuD6lya4C7YcQ8S_VVqdYEjJVOZ7qg6nhxfLVfn8Z66HvNaC8p-17OrdYEEPa99wbmD02B4eIE4/s200/IMAG0027.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338302227982551218" /></a><br /><br />Thanks to my lovely wife for posting pics! Here are our <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=staci.herrick&target=ALBUM&id=5337304620418165441&authkey=Gv1sRgCJLn6raGtdKGdg&feat=email">goofy Vegas tourist pictures</a>, and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=staci.herrick&target=ALBUM&id=5337301968035435489&authkey=Gv1sRgCOH-h9fVqbr2mAE&feat=email">Chris & Suji's wedding pics</a>.Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-52101510475747726842009-05-20T20:57:00.000-06:002009-05-20T20:57:51.364-06:00The Girls are roosting!<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeivkzsIWw0AYC8GhvI6N49iLqDWRcYtZGxRkgfUdX1AeJTGS6e0xBqUIpYqaiJqmwo1hC9L_0CVytSWzWRHJzH0hTY-7vq6qzbReXekcLH3i6URSmAvdS3ab61SwDEfhLl0OHp7amKMf/s1600-h/Picture+070.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeivkzsIWw0AYC8GhvI6N49iLqDWRcYtZGxRkgfUdX1AeJTGS6e0xBqUIpYqaiJqmwo1hC9L_0CVytSWzWRHJzH0hTY-7vq6qzbReXekcLH3i6URSmAvdS3ab61SwDEfhLl0OHp7amKMf/s320/Picture+070.jpg' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <br /><br />I know, I know, you have all been patiently waiting to see pictures. My skill at posting pictures has been proven(or disproven?) so I have avoided this. Sorry!<br /><br />But here is one adorable picture, complete with fancy blue tarp roof (A la post hurricane Katrina) which works until we can finish the roofing(this weekend?)<br /><br />Notice that as a true chick (ha!) I opted to plant flowers around the yard on Mother's Day weekend instead of finish the roofing. I do have priorities, and cuteness is number one. We also added a mulch walkway that leads to the door into the yard and the clean out door, so slogging through the mud is not part of the fun.<br /><br />When I went out to close the hatch tonight, after the girls had wandered inside as the sun set, I found the most exciting sight. All 6 of the chickens were roosting (or their best attempt at it)! I am not sure when this started, but it must have been within the last week. I am not sure why this tickled me so, but it did. (It made me happy enough that I interrupted Dr Who)<br /><br />I have to say that the Chickens cost way less than cable tv, but are endlessly more entertaining!<br /><br />So we think we have settled on the names of Blondie(she has a true punk rock hairstyle), Viper (which is a ridiculous chicken name but is our 13 yr olds lacrosse team), Elvira, Annie (little orphan..) and two that look alike who are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.<br /><br />I am sure more tales will follow! Stay tuned folks.<div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6375758753399469539.post-87735673680455797622009-05-18T21:37:00.004-06:002009-05-18T22:39:59.755-06:00One Less Car?I am struggling with a dilemma. Should I get rid of my car? I expect that many people would answer that question in various ways, from "Why?" to "Why would you hesitate?". I would appreciate your comments on this!<div><br /></div><div>This is not as easy a decision as I thought it might be. I have been enjoying the virtues of bike commuting since last summer. Since I've deliberately commuted to work by bike for almost a full year now, through blazing heat and winter snow, I feel confident that I can handle it. And there's the fact that I enjoy it. Nearly every day I look at my car taking up space in front of our house and think, "Why is it there?"<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We are a two car family. My wife drives the all-purpose minivan, and I (rarely) drive the same little car I've driven for the last 12 years. I'm the second owner; I bought it from my mother, who bought it new. It's a 1990 Mazda 323, 2-door hatchback. No frills, meaning no A/C, no power steering or brakes, no power windows, etc. It did have automatic seatbelts until the driver's side broke. The interior is rough, the body rougher still. It has a number of dents, scratches, and the bumper is smashed in front, but there's no rust. The engine (with 176k miles on it) runs like a top. I've rarely had to put money into repairing the thing, it just keeps going like the Energizer bunny. <a href="http://www.kbb.com/KBB/UsedCars/PricingReport.aspx?YearId=1990&Mileage=176545&VehicleClass=UsedCar&ManufacturerId=30&ModelId=552&PriceType=Private+Party&VehicleId=12616&SelectionHistory=12616|30634|80521|0|0|&Condition=Fair&QuizConditions=">It's valued at $550</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Insurance costs me $404 per year on this car. That's sure to go up as soon as my teenage daughter gets her driver's license. I put no money into maintenance aside from the bi-annual oil change. Altogether it costs me roughly $40 a month to own, plus gas. </div><div><br /></div><div>MPG is about 32, which is quite good. It is an extremely fuel-efficient car. I don't find myself at the gas station so much. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's not a particular comfortable car to drive. Manual transmission, with no power steering/brakes/windows. It gets far too hot inside in the summer, it's like a sauna. No A/C, of course. </div><div><br /></div><div>I find myself <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">needing </span>to drive the car for work about 2 days per month. I find it convenient to drive probably 4 days per month on average, on top of that -- either because the weather's not friendly or I'm feeling lazy and not wishing to haul a bunch of things to work. (A bike trailer would mitigate that.) Of those days I need to drive (required for my job to visit some remote facilities, too far to bike in a timely fashion), I could arrange with my wife to borrow her vehicle. So not a big deal. However, there are always those times when it's very convenient for the parents to have 2 cars for 3 kids. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not even considering the argument of how much cheaper it is to use a bike for regular daily travel versus a car. I already do that. The bike's bought and paid for, as is the car. There's no question of investment. I've committed a couple of years ago to not putting any money into repairing this car, and the darn thing just keeps humming along happily with no problems. If a major problem came up, I wouldn't fix it and would get rid of the car. I've been halfway hoping this decision would be made for me, but it seems unlikely to happen any time in the near future. And if I sell it now, while it still runs, I could get a bit of cash for my trouble.</div><div><br /></div><div>What I'm balancing is the cost of convenience. $40 per month keeps me (and my family) in a second car. If an emergency or priority comes up, it sure is handy. And that seems quite cheap for a second car. If I had to rent one, that's the daily rate for a similar car. </div><div><br /></div><div>The bit of cash I could get for the car now would pay for a used road bike, or a bike trailer, or perhaps both if I'm lucky. These are things I've been wanting badly, and go a long way toward replacing a car, so it seems almost a fair trade. Plus, I could put that $40/month into a bike fund and plan on upgrading my bike from time to time.</div><div><br /></div><div>What would you do?</div>Dan the Heretichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128608513558140094noreply@blogger.com3