Month: January 2016

I’m No Michael Douglas

Clear AdvocatesIn 2016 I’m planning on getting new glasses and after watching the movie Ant Man I thought I had my new frames all picked out. The Clear Advocates looked awesome on Michael Douglas as the character Hank Pym. Well, those frames came in from OldFocals.com the other day and as it turns out I’m no Michael Douglas.

Donna never did like them from the get go, but I did still like them on my face. I thought they looked good. I admit that I think they look better when I see them on my face when I look in the mirror than I think they do in the photo above.

I took my perspective new glasses to work to get some opinions. My first stop was the company fashionista. At first she was not too thrilled, but after a few swaps back and forth between the Clear Advocates and my current frames she admitted they weren’t so bad. Next stop was my department which consists of all male engineers and the results were anywhere from what the heck to interesting to I like them. After that came the ladies in Accounting with similar mixed results.

After all that, the frames went back to California in the mail. They creaked every time you folded back the temple pieces. It was because of the construction. The metal nose bridge was held in slots in the Lucite lens pieces by screws. They just felt cheap and I usually wear the same pair for a couple years, I didn’t think these would have lasted that long.

The hunt continues…

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 132

Texts From A Cousin

We still have a flip phone (GASP!) and we will on occasion text someone as long as we keep it short. My snowbird cousin has a fine little iPhone and texts up a storm. Louise has just gotten to Florida for her couple of months of avoiding winter and Donna texted her the other day:

Feeling better? How are the B&B. A&F 1

Louise texted back a reply:

an. He is a
macrobiotic chef
and she imports and
sells clothes from

India so they are
very interesting…
But I feel like
throwing a c

Feeling much
better. Air BnB is
fine. The owners
are French and Veg

ds. How are you
doing?
Mild winter?
A&F Weeze

e steak when I
go out? going ove
r to West coast
today to see frien

hicken part on his
cutting board is
not the way to go
so I order th

For whatever reason her texts always gets broken down into mysterious haiku-like tidbits that arrive out of order. We have to go to Verizon’s web site to read the messages where the above six texts can be seen in the proper order:

Feeling much better. Air BnB is fine. The owners are French and Vegan. He is a macrobiotic chef and she imports and sells clothes from India so they are very interesting… But I feel like throwing a chicken part on his cutting board is not the way to go so I order the steak when I go out? going over to West coast today to see friends. How are you doing? Mild winter? A&F Weeze2

Ashes to Ashes

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNqo0kIR-TU&start=16

Kindle Fire User Guide?

Seeing as I’m just now discovering my way around this Kindle Fire thing, I have lots of questions. So when faced with something I don’t anything about I fall back on my training received while member of Uncle Sam’s Yacht Club – RTFM. Trouble is the help files or user’s guide is only available while online. Searching the internet finds no downloadable guide either, so I thought I’d ask for some help from the person who sold me the device.

Initial Question: Would like a PDF of the users guide instead of online only.

Amazon: Hello, my name is Sivasankari. I’m here to help you today.
Hello Brian, can you please elaborate your issue?
Me: The user guide for my Fire (2015 edition) is only available while connected wirelessly. My paperwhite has a PDF that can be read anytime, anywhere.
Amazon: I understand that.
Just to confirm are you referring to this “Brian’s 1st Fire” ?
Me: Yes
Amazon: Thanks for confirmation.
The user guide will be available for your Kindle paperwhite as PDF. But it’ll be inbuild for fire devices. So if your device is not connected to WiFi it’ll not be available.
Me: Why?
Amazon: It is set by the
I’m sorry for the previous response.
The software developer for the fire device set this user guide as inbuild app.
Me: So, it is too much trouble for the software developer to create one?
A PDF I mean.
Amazon: In this case I’ll take this as a feedback from my end. They’ll create user guide as pdf.
It is due to better reading experience, Brian.
I’ll be sure to pass your message on to the technical team in our company.
Amazon: Customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service we provide, and we’re glad you took time to write to us. The Kindle Team will carefully review your suggestions.
Me: Thank you. I understand that after a while the user guide is not used so much.
Me: But as a first time tablet buyer I find myself referring to it often.
And sometimes I am nowhere near any wifi signal.
Amazon: I understand that. You are making some real valid suggestions and I’d certainly love to see them implemented myself.
I appreciate your thoughts, and will be sure to pass your suggestion along.
Me: Thanks. I hope it will happen for some future users.
Bye.
Amazon: Sure, thanks for your patience and understanding.
Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Me: No.
Amazon: Thank you for contacting Kindle support. We hope to see you again soon!

I know, I know, such a little thing, but it is still kind of chintzy on their part. Yeah, they don’t have to spend the money on creating it or the upkeep when something changes, but I’m betting that is not the primary reason. They want you online where you are more apt to buy something from their store, be it a book, an app, some music or whatever.

59,000 Books in the Palm of My Hand

Lens Flare Sonata

And a cheap camera too.

Way back on Black Friday, Amazon was offering their their new bottom of the line tablet, the Kindle Fire, for a mere $35 instead of the usual $50. I thought, thirty-five is near impulse buy territory, but I was perfectly happy with the Kindle Paperwhite, so I passed.

The following week I was chatting with a co-worker about the near purchase, when she mentioned that she bought two of them. Curious, I asked why, knowing she has and has had several. “To give as Christmas gifts of course” she said. There were a couple of young relations in mind, one she knew was fine, but for the other she was unsure whether the mother would let her give it to her daughter.

I said if it doesn’t work out I’d give her thirty for it. She countered with forty. We agreed on the $35 she spent on it. I forgot all about it until last Friday when she asked me if I still wanted it. Taking this as some sort sign, I said yes. So now I’m the proud owner of a small Android based tablet locked in the orbit of the planet Amazon.

The above picture is a small portion the interior of the Purple Whale through some lens flare cropped from a larger image. I took it with built in camera on the Fire while waiting for Donna to come out from getting her allergy shot. Yesterday the Sonata passed the 59,000 mile mark while on a bagel run.

Randy’s Route

Randy's Route

Went for a walk in the woods today and stumbled on this trail. Is it a route taken by Randy? A route created by Randy? Or the way to Randy? Ask him for me if you see him before I do OK?

162,000 Gallons of Water per Half Second

162,000 Gallons of Water per Half Second

Back in October we had a crap ton of rain in South Carolina, roads washed out, small dams broke and places were underwater for weeks. All that water, and because of where it fell, didn’t do a thing to the levels of the Savannah River. But the rain of the last ten days or so has swollen the levels of Clarks Hill Lake to the point where the Army Corp of Engineers have had to literally open the flood gates of Thurmond Dam.

On the local news this evening, they reported that right now they were letting out 162,000 gallons every half second1 and that was actually less than what was flowing into the lake from upstream. Predictably all this water coming over the dam is reeking havoc on the Savannah River downstream in Augusta. It is nothing like what is going on in Missouri, but some of the rich folk along the river are losing boat docks and the Riverwalk in downtown is now the Riverswim.

The Emperor flowed through the 162,000 mile mark somewhere on our trip up to the dam to view the spectacle.

1. What the news anchor really said was “…over 320,000 gallons a second…”