time to try an iphone, yet?

Two years ago I wrote about the I-phone, noting that Apple is a smartly run business and while they could have included more features in the original I-phones that were already standard in other smart phones but they opted to hold off – and milk more money off of the market before releasing ‘new’ features. 2009 and the I-phone finally includes copy and paste and a2dp bluetooth wireless music – two features that I really take advantage of and am glad to see have made their way into I-phone’s OS v 3.0.

So what other features of my k790a have I grown to love and would find it hard to live without?
#1) Sync with Google Calendar / native calendar application
#2) Yahoo Mail / Contact sync
#3) Google Maps
#4) RSS feed reader
#5) Java Applications / Opera browser / Shozu Flickr uploader

I believe I should be able to do most of these things with the I-phone, although if I will be able to do it on T-mobile’s network paying only 5.99$ per month remains a question to be answered. I also believe the I-phones camera to be sub-par to my two year old Sony Cybershot camera phone, but perhaps the fact that pictures are geo-tagged with gps data may be fun to play with. I do wirelessly tether my laptop, and enjoy speeds fast enough for web-browsing and email, and I think that should be posssible with a jailbroken device. I like that the I-phone accepts a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, although still wish it would have a now near-standard mini-usb jack for data connectivity and charging.

I would like to wirelessly stream music from my collection at home, a feat which was barely successful through the k790a with MFRadio and SlimServer. I would like to run on T-mobiles network, and any GSM network while overseas travelling. I find it hard to believe that MMS picture messages were not supported in earlier I-phone OS versions. It also seems strange that Bluetooth or WiFi file-transfers are not supported out of box, but require hacks to perform. Lastly non-removable batteries, and non-expandable memory card slots are also features which I would like to have seen – but back to my first point, that limitation is just a business decision of planned obsolescence and forcing you the lucky Apple customer to get the latest and greatest device within a few years time.

So, is it time to at least give it a try? For 99$ or maybe even less used -- it's a compelling question.

GNU Altered Genetics 162

I've been snowboarding a good 20-30 days per season now for the past 5+ years... I love my K2 Nemesis but after having it waxed and tuned soo many times, there really isn't too much life left in her. We've been through a lot together, seen a lot of mtns together -- and it is sad to move on... At least she retires with honor.

I telemark ski'd a fair amount this year, partly because it was challenging and fun to be on a steep learning curve again.. Also because the edge on my old snowboard could not hold too well in classic new england icy conditions. So for my next board I really wanted something that could potentially bite into the hardpack a bit more... After doing some research, I discovered that LibTech and GNU make boards with a technology called MagneTraction(MTX), at this point its all hype and marketing in my mind and I'll need to prove or disprove that hype next season.... The board has a wavering edge which can be compared with a serated knife -- it can cut into icy conditions better than a traditionally edged board or butter knife would.


I decided on a 162 GNU Altered Genetics snowboard.... Although several others were strong in the running, a 164.5 LibTech T-rice, a 162 LibTech TRS, a 164 K2 Zeppelin, a 164W Burton Custom X, and several others from K2, GNU, Ride and Burton... I followed my philosphy of buying winter gear in the off-season, but seeing the flip-side to that -- boards that you want may not be there... Luckily the prices were about 40-50% off, and there still is a lot of great gear out there if you look hard enough.

The GNU Altered Genetics supposedly is made with a blend of Bamboo, Aspen and Balsa, which translates to light and strong to me. It also employs some 'Vectran liquid crystal polymer' in the foundation to increase strength.. The top sheet is made from beans, an earth friendly bio-polymer with a very strong strength to weight ratio. The bottom is shaped like other LibTech/GNU Banana Traction (BTX) boards, in a way traditional to a boats bottom -- it will hopefully float a bit better in the deeper snow, while it may not be as stable as a traditional reverse-cambered board. The 162 size is a bit smaller than the 165 I currently ride, so I hope that will gain me some more manueverability in moguls and tight situations. The board is also a bit lighter, which I hope will ease my mid-air transitional rotations and give me the confidence to get past 180's and into 360 territory comfortably. This board is full of tech, and took a fair amount of research to take it all in -- and I definately enjoy that the GNU name is often used within hi-tech as well :) after all, GNU's Not Unix, it's a snowboard!!

I'll let you know how it rocks in a few months!!

MBTA wi-fi up and running on Rockport line

Last year, I wrote about the MBTA's pilot to offer wi-fi service on their trains... Today I got to try it out for the first time! The connection speed was similar to DSL speeds and performed pretty well until my laptop battery died about half-way through the trip. If the service proves popular among commuters, and I think it will -- there is a chance that service could be degraded to the point where I would be better off using my tethered cell-phone over bluetooth, but I welcome this change and applaud the MBTA for offering this service and adding another reason to the list of why it is smart to commute to work on the train. This summer if I'm lucky I'll be able to take an earlier train home, and get a bit more work done in time to enjoy a few hours of daylight on the beach :)

where are you?

Probably the most common asked/txt'd question... Now that GPS devices and cellphones are commonly carried around, answering this question gets a lot easier...
Newer high-end cellphones, including Apple's iphones have GPS capabilities built in..

Well now, instead of sending back lat/long coordinates, you can see your friends on a google map....
Google's Latitude servce

There are several Facebook applications (Locations) and third party implementations of Yahoo's Fireeagle that already do this (Navizon), but now that Google has stepped into the ring you can be sure that adoption of these kind of services will significantly grow. The real value of a product/service like this is in the network effect, if your friends and family are using a particular solution -- it increases the likelyhood that you may use it as well.

So friends, family -- with your Google Maps capabable phone, give it a try and let me know where in the world you are!

2009 - my 30th year here

2008 is history, and the sands of time continue to fall --
The new year brings with it the question, should I do things the way I have been doing them? or try a new approach, changing the things in my life that I want to make better? As each day continues to get shorter, while still being exactly 1440 minutes -- what is going to have to give in order to do something else additionally or differently?

Turning 30 this year, and still finding myself a big kid with adult responsibilities, I don't really see any reason to stop enjoying life to the fullest. I'm still thinking about my resolutions, I have truly enjoyed my life up to this point and hope the next 30 are just as great if not better --

Happy New Year!! Look forward to hearing from you or seeing you soon --

Garden '08

As I prepare my garden for the winter and spring ahead -- I think about how it was arranged and what worked well and what I could possibly do better for next year.

In the recessed raised bed, this year I gave plants more space and more soil... which they loved. I used a mixture of Winterwood Shellfish, Coast of Maine dark bark, compost and peat along with some Red Cedar mulch for retaining moisture. I thought the cedar over other mulches may have deterred insects as well, I luckily didn't have much insects or animals take away my prized veggies this year. I removed the water retaining plates below my plants, which in years prior may have water-logged the soil.. I also put a layer of mulch at the bottom of the containers hoping it would allow for better drainage. Most of my tomatoes were ready at the same time this year which of course was tomato overload for me, next year I'd like to try to stagger the timing of when tomatoes are ripe so that I have a longer season of fresh tomatoes.. My zucchini plant was probably the garden winner, with several large zucchinis.. The parsley and basil did not do too well in the large bed due to tomatoes taking over their light. Green beans and sugar snaps did well until their light was taken as well. The peppers and basil container plants did well in the sunniest portion of my garden.. training the morning glory to grow over my staircase banisters was nice. Next year I'd like to have flower/herb window boxes on the second floor, and have oregano, rosemary, mint, along with chives, basil, cilantro. Next year I may experiment with some heirloom tomato varieties, a better support structure (nets?) for the tomatoes, and staggering planting/harvesting of fresh herbs.

Time to plant the winter garden indoors!

P2P Money sharing

This year I had an idea about using P2P (peer-to-peer) concepts within the finance world, so of course the first thing I did was to see what exists out their in the realm of p2p lending. I first came across Kiva.org, an organization which helps developing nations entreprenuers out with small business loans. Instead of donating money to a charity and having no idea how each of my dollars was used, I could see that I was helping out an individual and her family to help grow her business. After she repays her loan, I can help out someone else with those funds--

I also came across Prosper.com, which tends to have a bit more of a capitalistic vs humanitarian approach of allowing us to choose who to lend to and the rate they hope to see in return -- the credit checks are part of the profile, and with lower credit borrowers you can expect a higher return, although you assume more risk. The best rates/bids for the borrower are the ones that win.

Recently, I found a company that focuses on the student loan market -- Fynanz, and I think going forward this kind of alternative student loan may become more attractive to people. It also allows for family/friends to loan money to someone they know while adding a layer of accountability instead of having a paper- IOU written.

All interesting concepts, especially in todays world of large bank mistrust -- any thoughts on which one if any you would consider putting some of your hard-earned money towards?

Southern Ireland

Good Craic!

Just got back from my first trip overseas, Ireland was a great country to visit. Just a short 5 hour flight from Boston to Dublin, and I landed on Irish soil. Unfortunately my luggage did not, so I was without my warmer clothes and rain-coat upon landing in Dublin. I met up with my younger brother, and we toured the town a bit before settling down. We rented a car for the next day, and then we headed off into the countryside. We ventured south down the east coast before heading in to the town of Kilkenny. The following day brought us south through Cork to the historic fishing port of Kinsale. We then continued west and toured each of the three south-west peninsulas, Beara, Kerry and Dingle. We had some spectacular weather and did a nice scenic hike off the tip of Beara which made it my favorite spot of the whole trip. We continued north to Kilarney, Tralee, over to Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher. A drive through the Burren and a day evening Galway were great too.. I spent my last few nights back in Dublin, seeing a few tourist spots like the Book of Kells at Trinity college and of course the Guinness storehouse. These pictures don't do the trip justice, but here's a glimpse of my week holiday :)

new england summer glimpses

Almost two months have gone by, without a single post to the blog. While my telaetas.com/photos section has been updated pretty often with the weekend and weekday excursions -- I have been light on words. So what has happened? Where has my mind been?

I was able to check out one of my favorite DJs (Tiesto) at a pretty small venue, which was fantastic. I've been able to get out fishing a few times, catching some striped bass -- although haven't caught a keeper yet, hopefully this fall I'll land one.

I made a trip out to Colorado, with the thoughts in the back of my head, is it a place I want to live for a few years of my life... My conclusion is I would like the change, but ultimately would probably end up back in new england near family, friends, the ocean, mountains and four seasons of unpredictable weather.

I did some camping up in Maine, have been trying to maintain my jungle of a garden, been enjoying as much time on the water and beach as possible. I was even lucky enough to fly a small plane over Ipswitch and Cape Ann.


Off to Ireland next week to meet up with my brother, who by now is an experienced European traveler! I hope to catch a bit more of an indian summer on my return, but I can say that I've truly enjoyed these warmer months as much as possible.

Celtics!

We beat LA! What a great way to end a fantastic playoff run and season. This year has been a great one to be in Boston for. As a kid, I was more of a Celtics fan than the Sox or the Patriots and its really exciting to see the heart the celtics club put into this season. From the starting 5, deep into the bench -- this year showed how much a strong team can really outshine any individual effort.

After watching almost 25 celtics playoff games, its time to settle back into a normal routine.. and I'm finally able to get to bed at a reasonable hour :)

Great job Celtics! Looking forward to seeing that 17th banner everytime I enter the garden.

Monday Night Baseball - Lester's no hitter

My first time in Fenway this year, and Lester has a great first complete game. Pitched a no-hitter, amazing to see! In the middle of a Celtics playoff run, some more good times for Boston sports! I had a blast :) Thanks for the great seats Jason!

From playlist to podcast: mix-tapes for your friends over the web

I wanted to see how simple it was to create a podcast last night, and after doing some quick searching on the subject found it was quite easy to do. Basically once you have mp3 tracks available on a webserver, you just need to whip up a quick RSS/XML file that describes the name of the file, where it is, and how big it is... You can also add pictures/text descriptions and date-timestamps for your podcast.

What does this mean to you? I can give you a digital-webified mix tape, in the form of a web address url, you fire up Itunes, Subscribe to my podcast with that url, and within minutes you have the audio that I want to share with you. Everytime its updated, you get more new material. Next time you use your ipod/itunes, you'll have a mix from me to listen to! Interested? I'll come up with a tutorial on how easy it is soon, for now -- just ask me.

Cold and windy sunset

Feet on sand!

The following night I got out a bit earlier, and it was a bit less windy!


Still not summer yet though, at least the beach was mine.

using my MBTI(INTJ) to lead and manage successful teams

Just getting back from a few day course, leading and managing successful teams. The basic ideas of the course was to use Myers Briggs Type Indicators to assess your own type and style, and understand how to adapt your own leadership style to others within your team. A foundation for team synergy was built, where depending on the nature of the project-- different types within a group may be best suited to handle certain aspects of the project and can complement each others natural working styles.

Some points of interest when trying to understand INTJ's (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging) that really struck a chord with me.

-Strong vision for the organization, and loyal to the organization
-Thinking about issues of the future, understanding trends
-Hungry for problems to solve, sometimes will take on others problems, it is painful for us to see a problem and not be able to do anything about it.
-Open to any and all ideas that can be put to use
-Change and improve upon anything
-Like small teams, with significant contributions from each member
-Hate redundancy, seek efficiency
-Procedures tend to be followed if they are efficient or their value is explained
-Prefer precise communication
-Like to bring theories into actualities

If you know me through work, I think this aligns very well with what I tend to do for the companies which I have worked for. If you know me personally, some of these traits also come through. Some of my prior blog posts also tend to highlight some of these characteristics. It is good to be able to understand your own type well first, and that gives perspective as to others which may have different types/styles and how you may need to adjust to meet their needs.

no more pathfinder wobble

After doing some research of the wobble behavior,

The rear lower and upper links have rubber bushings that wear out. I picked up some poly bushings from 4x4parts.com

The challenging part has been getting the old bolts off, I've been spraying, torching, cutting, grinding the bolts off and its been a lot more work and hours than I had hoped...

Poem for Grandpa

Grandpa

My Grandpa was a gentle soul
With eyes, the clearest blue
A Father, Brother, Friend and Mate
His devotion, ever true

He had a happy disposition
And kindness in his voice
A real New England sports fan
The Red-Sox were his choice

His strength and fearless courage
Held steady through the war
Little did he know back then
What life would have in store

Memories of the ocean
Three daughters by his side
Swimming in the sunshine
And dancing with the bride

He loved to be a “Grandpa”
He was proud of all he had
A crowded room of family
Would always make him glad

Seasons come and seasons go
The winter’s sometimes long
The “Red Sox” kept their promise
And Grandpa still was strong

For years, he was a fighter
He wanted much to stay
He held the hands of those he loved
With pride, he paved the way

His spirit stays within us
Though his time on earth is done
It’s opening day in Heaven
The season’s just begun



We love you Grandpa. We miss you.

Amy Kelly 3/5/08

Memorial Slideshow by Tim Dowd

amante igloo

Well after hearing that bad news about Grandpa, I had to get out of the house and do something constructive but creative... After all, Gramps was an engineer too... Stepping on the snow in the backyard, gave me the idea to carve out blocks and build an igloo in true eskimo style(or at least try to)... Traditionally as a kid, I would tend to make more snow caves -- sort of a miners approach which yielded a less structurally stable fort digging into the side of a giant snowpile. It got tricky towards the top to build an arched dome roof -- especially as it approached the 8ft tall mark.



It was a lot of work, but my sister Kathleen helped me out and it turned out pretty good!

Wachusett

Night ridin during a storm!

Each run got better, each lift line got shorter. Roco!

It has been a pretty good winter so far, looks like another few storms are on their way to make for another great weekend up north!

New blue line train

First ride this morning... From the first ride, it looks like an updated version of the older blue-line. About the same seating and layout as the 30 year old ones.. The seats instead of being plether are just hard plastic. They have installed many handles so that shorter folks can reach the upper bars when standing up for the ride. There is now the 'digital' next stop and automated announcements, good for the occasional rider but the daily rider knows the next 3 stops already. The windows are smaller, but I'm guessing they don't leak which is key. I'll be riding both until the older ones are phased out, so I'll pick up on some more minor details soon.

wifi & wireless internet on trains

Part of my decision to buy a place in Gloucester steps from the commuter rail, was the fact that I knew in a short amount of time internet connectivity on trains would quickly be a reality. If you can spend your time commuting, working, guess what that means? You can get more accomplished in a day, or your work-day is shorter -- I'll take either. More often I use the time to catch up on email, news, and collect my thoughts.

For a while(last five years for me), internet access on the train was reserved for business people who either had a company sponsored cell-network card, or could afford to blow 60$ a month on the data plan -- or tech saavy guys like myself that tether their cellphone and use it as a modem (no cable, Bluetooth of course) without paying a hefty premium (I use my cellphones basic data plan, 6$ per month).

Now it looks like the MBTA is trying a pilot out, and from the looks of this graph of coverage on my line, I'd say pretty promising for the future --

self sustainability

Recently, I've been baking my own bread and starting to enjoy the indoor winter garden. While not the best use of my time and talents, I find it a nice break from the computer screen... Something about putting bread on the table, making it with just some flour+yeast... a few hours later, you have warm fresh baked bread. Ever played Oregon trail? The best part of that early video-game? The hunt... Your stick figure would shoot a pixel across the screen and if you were lucky landed a large buffalo and fed your family for a week... The Aerogarden has been brain-dead simple to use, requiring human intervention basically every two weeks... Fresh Basil looks to be soon ready for the taking, mint, parsley, chives, cilantro & dill not too far behind....



Grow, or make a simple food you take for granted sometime... For some reason, it just tastes better eating the fruits of your labor. Bread + Salad!

YouTube on Sony Ericssons's k790a

Today YouTube announced a mobile version of YouTube which appears to be a Java midlet that works with Sony Ericssons's K800. I'm surprised they didn't officially throw k790a into the mix as well, as the phones are very closely related.

m.youtube.com/app

It looks like the unsigned Nokia version will work with the K790a: k790a YouTube App


The signed version should work for Nokia's (N73, N95, E65, 6110, 6120 officially): Nokia's YouTube App


I posted on the Esato board as I was trying to figure this out. Let me know if you find anything else about this topic --

Vote for 'Change'?

The next president of the US, won't be able to 'change' much...

He/She won't be able to lay a solid foundation for economic prosperity. Won't be able to make the world a peaceful place. Won't be able to guarantee you a job, your health, your home. Won't be able to reduce global warming, eradicate disease, feed the hungry.

These important action items actually fall on your hands. Choose ones closest to your heart, and work with others to focus on the problems that you care about the most.

If the next president can make it safer for us to travel to other countries, cooperate and do business with other nations in peace, they will most likely get my vote.

I'm interested in hearing about your top candidate, and why, please write to me....

Rice for the poor this holiday season

I came across this website/vocab game called FreeRice.com. The concept is pretty neat. You play an online game, get subjected to some advertisements, but instead of someone making money off of you, they buy rice with the profits.

So you get to increase your english vocabulary, and help feed the world... Seems like a better concept than most online games these days... I wonder if anyone is starting to play this on their Nintendo WII's web browsers? Sony Playstation 3's are already starting to work on curing diseases when they are not being used.....

See mom? not all games are about blowing things up....

Enough fun and games, lets get down to business.

I previously briefly wrote about the OpenSocial platform which is still in it's infancy, and while some developers have been hesitant to jump onto this bandwagon, here comes a whole herd of developers and business minds alike.

LinkedIn is taking it to the next level, allowing applications to be driven and directly tapped into folks business/professional networks. Initially, only Google's own Orkut allowed applications to be developed. Within the US, this didn't mean much as Orkut is not one of the current top social networks by any stretch. I expect LinkedIn's wave to be much larger, and hit home with a lot of the tech/business minds... So, with your network of professional contacts, how would you like to tap into the power of that network to provide more value?