WonderDawg

The Top 10 Reasons Why Online Marketing Dominates Traditional Advertising

2011-05-02T21:15:00.002-05:00

Author: Assassin Marketing

Online marketing has become the most successful method of advertising for any kind of business on the planet during the last decade. It is lightning fast and can promote your business to thousands of potential customers daily. As marketing is a primary factor for a long and successful business, the internet facilitates this process in a way that will ensure the maximum exposure to what you are offering.

Traditional marketing is becoming more expensive and slower to produce results. It also requires much more time and effort. It often has to be done by many employees and is restricted by many barriers and regulations which make it hard to get the most beneficial results. Then along comes the internet as it makes the entire globe seem like a short alley rather than a large city where you can reach customers overseas in a matter of seconds. Online marketing is superior to traditional ways of marketing in almost every aspect, and here we list the top 10 reasons online marketing dominates traditional advertising.

1. SPEED

Email marketing campaigns are fast, targeted, cost-effective, highly efficient method of marketing your business. They reach a lot of customers in the shortest time. Traditional mail marketing can take months and a lot of money and effort to generate results.

2. GEOGRAPHICAL RESTRICTIONS

The whole globe can be your customer base when you are marketing your business online, as the internet reaches almost every house on the planet. On the other hand, you are often restricted to local customers from a smaller geographical area when you market offline.

3. MARKETING EFFECTS

Online marketing is based on pull marketing effects, which means that online customers come across your website when they are looking for similar products of yours. While offline marketing is based on push marketing effects, which means you have to introduce your business to every single customer that come into your location.

4. SALES PROCESS

When your business is marketing online, you can make a sale in a matter of seconds; where the customer chooses what product or services they wise to buy, they move to the check out page, pays for the product or services on a secure page, and then receives their purchase. Offline advertising is very different as the selling process is very complex and requires a lot of effort and persuasion and sometimes can't be completed after all.

5. HOURS OF OPERATION

Your website is self-managed and requires you only to make few changes, and after that it can operate non-stop and can be selling products or services while you are sleeping. Offline stores are restricted to the human active times, this means you open in the morning and close in the evening and you can't make a sale while you are closed. In other words, the offline selling process has a shorter sales life than the online one.

6. COST OF MEDIA

If you want to make a commercial on TV or radio or a newspaper, you will pay a fortune. While online marketing allows you to make a short video or audio commercial and submit it thousands of media communities and it will cost you next to nothing.

7. LIMITED ADVERTISING LIFE SPAN

When you post an ad online about your business or website, with an article for example, it can be online forever and the place where the ad occupies will be untouched for a long time. On the other hand, offline ads can be only active for an agreed-upon period of time and then it will be replaced.

8. COST PER CUSTOMER

These costs are reasonably low with online marketing but relatively high with offline forms of advertising. They are simply the costs incurred to generate potential customers for the business.

9. CUSTOMER SUPPORT

With one email you can solve all your customer problems and concerns. This process is much more time consuming and require more effort offline.

10. ONGOING MARKETING INFORMATION

It is very easy and only takes a few seconds to collect all the information and data about every aspect of your business when you market online. Offline information and data are stored within piles of documents, where it requires a squad of employees to collect the required information.

As you can clearly see, online marketing is far superior to traditional forms of marketing. Online marketing is all about saving you money, time, and effort; yet brings you the required results you seek and most of the time exceeds your expectations.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/the-top-10-reasons-why-online-marketing-dominates-traditional-advertising-1166313.html

About the Author

Dr. Keith Webb, of Assassin Marketing, a Dallas marketing company which created the Online Domination System, an online marketing system which allows businesses to dominate the front page of the search engines. Visit http://assassinmarketing.com or contact us at 866-998-8641

1 04 2011 / 365 (3/3)

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1 04 2011 / 365 (3/3), a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

1 04 2011 / 365 (2/3)

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1 04 2011 / 365 (2/3), a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

1 04 2011 / 365 (1/3)

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1 04 2011 / 365 (1/3), a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

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1 03 2011 / 365 , a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

1 02 2011 / 365 (2/2)

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1 02 2011 / 365 (2/2), a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

1 02 2011 / 365 (1/2)

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1 02 2011 / 365 (1/2), a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

01 01 2011 / 365

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01 01 2011 / 365, a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

3/31/2011 / 365

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3/31/2011 / 365, a photo by Wonderdawg777 on Flickr.

Titans destroy UPS Team from Cleveland

2008-12-16T00:43:00.004-06:00

Last time I saw the UPS team from Cleveland play, it was December of 2001 in Cleveland with my son Gary.
Note to myself: Never, ever go to Cleveland in December - it was minus 32 with snow and we absolutely froze.

My favorite cold weather hat - it's warm and it fits my big head.

Sweet view from the eighth row...

I Photograph, You Decide

2008-12-03T05:13:00.001-06:00

Great way to keep an eye on the exiting crowd at Neyland Stadium...

Giving thanks with a grateful heart

2008-11-27T09:32:00.002-06:00

I'm giving thanks with a grateful heart A to Z this thanksgiving season - this is a repost (slightly updated) from the last three years, so I'm glad things are stable. 2008 has been full of extreme challenges, but on the upside, I am celebrating one year anniversaries with my son Gary getting married to Nora and giving away my daughter Megan to Chris.

The kids are gone, but I have my health and my precious bride of 29 years, Becky. Pretty amazing that over half of my life has been with the same woman. I hear that the second twenty nine years are awesome!

I have the best job ever in the corporate world, with amazing people and the ability to make a difference in people's lives leveraging the power of the internet. Ralph, James and my peers - thanks for making 8 to 5 a great place to be. I also write for GearDiary.com to satisfy my desire for all things wired and unwired. Amazing that I work online with people that I have never met in person... (we are meeting up in May 2009) but that are generous beyond belief. Thanks Judie Lipsett; you are one special person.

A - Ally my lab dog and faithful companion for over 11 years - she has a vocabulary of 20 sign language words and just sweet as she can be!

B - For my wife Becky of 29 years - I love her so much for her friendship, insight and faithfulness to truth and for loving me always. I cannot imagine being married to anyone else.

C - Christmas, when Jesus Christ was born in a manger.

D - Diggy, my grand dog... smart and loves to play.

E - Ears to hear and eyes to see.

F - Frank, my next door neighbor who been like a father to me for 23 years. Frank taught me to garden, fix cars and generally is always there as a good neighbor. I am always happy to reprogram his CVR and TV remote!

G - Gary - my son - I am so proud of him and seeing him grow up and embrace his destiny into Christlikeness. He's serving in the Air Force, seeing the world, defending our freedom and married to Nora!

H - Home. Home is where the heart is. A place to come home to, entertain guests, provide a place of refuge... all things that I am grateful for.

I - Insight and inventive thoughts.

J - Jesus Christ, my rock and salvation who models excellence and agape love.

K - Kerry, grateful that I have a name and was not aborted.

L - Love covers a multitude of sins. Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Love never fails.

M - Megan, my precious daughter. She is sweet with a big heart. Married to Chris Corley, I'm confident that she will be honored and cherished for life.

N - Nashville. I love this city so much - the people, community and wealth of treasures around every corner. I've been here for thirty years and as I travel throughout the US, there is no place like Nashville.

O - Opportunity in the land of the free and the home of the brave. It takes persistence, but opportunities are out there; just don't give up or give in to second best.

P - My parents who sacrifice greatly to raise a big family, always making sure we had food and education.

Q - Quiet moments alone with God and away from the rush of the world. I can't get enough time lately and it shows.

R - Relationships... we were not meant to be alone. I come to realize that covenant relationships are precious; I need friends that are not impressed with me.

S - Stability; worth pursuing, nice to have. Striving to be debt free provides a strong foundation for stability.

T - Time to do all the things I want to do. One day, I'll have a Honda Element and photograph every sunset in the 48 states. When I'm home, I'll be in the workshop building stuff out of wood.

U - Understanding; how sad to hear and not understand.

V - Volunteering; what a joy it is to serve others.

W - The extended Woo family; 3 brothers and 3 sisters scattered around the country. Trivia: I'm Kerry; there's Jerry, Terry and Harry (my son is Gary) and sisters Emily, Lily and Sally (daughter is Megan - it's a Thornsbird thing.) Thanks to Gary, we now have a Geni family tree set up online to view.

X - X marks the spot; to be in center of God's will for my life.

Y - Today's youth, who are passionate for life.

Z - Zest and Z's. I need both in equal portions.

Rock Band (almost addicted)

2008-11-14T22:48:00.002-06:00

While in Atlanta for sales training on cool internet stuff, my peers ended up at Ralphie-B-Goode Cafe for some fun (really good fun) over ribs, chicken and Rock Band.

I always resisted any gaming devices because of the sheer addiction possibilities... but Rock Band hands down is the modern day party favorite! Above are my peers: Armando from Miami, Ashley from Raleigh and me, the WonderDawg. I forget the song pictured above, but I am definately out of touch on a generation's worth of music!

I just may have to start a band, or at least renovate my garage for band practice if Mrs. WonderDawg is willing to be the seamstress for the band. WOOMATIC sounds like a good name for a five piece band.

Weird that I never heard stuff like Coldplay, War Pig, some Ramones... I concluded that I am seriously too mellow or stuck in the 60 - 70 - 80's for my musical tastes.

Thanks BossMon for a great time!

Packing my gear for a road trip

2008-11-08T10:14:00.004-06:00

Whenever I travel, I struggle with carrying far too many clothes. I have yet to crack the code for carry on luggage. I remember on one trip my roommate packed one jacket, a pair of pants and two shirts to last five days. There’s no way I could go for that – I need to have a change of outfits at a 1.5 ratio per day! Now look at this picture; granted I am on the road for an extended work trip, but I have to get a better grip on the amount of gear I carry. Do I need help or do all road worthy gadget lovers carry this much stuff?

I always book a room with two beds... Evidenced by the photo below, it's my oversized credenza. The hotel staff never touch what's on that bed, so it's all cool.

I have to get better carrying the essentials, but on the last road trip I left both of the iPod / iPhone chargers at home and the office. Grrrrr. I had to go to Staples and buy an overpriced charger at $30! Outrageous!

Songs for the long road trip ahead

2008-11-05T19:59:00.005-06:00

When I was younger - much younger - it would not be a physical stretch to drive 16 hours straight.

Of course all of the necessary checklist items were in place…. gas money, a AAA TripTik map, a place to stay and money to eat with were the “I wouldn’t think of leaving home without them” items. Once the checklist items were in place, off I went!

These days, packing toiletries, changing the oil, safety check on the car, paying all bills, checking credit card balances, camera, tons of electronics, gps and music to go on the iPod is a must. Of course, I tell my wife where I'm going and have some bonding time with my two dawgs.

Anyway, it seems that 3 hours is within my zone of sitting on my arse without a bladder break. Now I have my iPod loaded up with 30gb of music, but only a couple of dozen songs really propel me down the road. What I mean by that is that some songs seem to send my Honda Odyssey on a cruise control time warp effect that makes the trip go much faster.

Now I’m not a music scientist, but perhaps there’s a certain rhythm, a back beat that makes time in car fly by. Songs that work for me include horns, sing along choruses, hand drumming on the steering wheel, fake keyboards, a little head / neck motion, whistling, yelling, something that I can sing loudly (in the privacy of my car)… ‘num saying?

With that said, here are some of the road tested songs that really work for me…

Get Back – The Beatles
Dweller On The Threshold – Van Morrison
Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who
Compared to What – Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
Willin’ – Little Feat
Goodnight Moon - Shivaree
Jamming & Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John
Kid Charlemagne - Steely Dan
Running On Empty - Jackson Browne
Pick Up the Pieces - Average White Band
Love Shack - B-52's
Going Up The Country (Woodstock) – Canned Heat
The Golden Path (Original mix) - The Chemical Brothers
Indescribable – Chris Tomlin
Ain't Got No Home - Clarence "Frogman" Henry
Deep Forest - Deep Forest

As for albums, Deep Forest by Deep Forest and Love by the Beatles work every time without fail.

I wanna know what works for you so that I can build a playlist that will send me hurling down I 24 to Atlanta, GA!

My Halloween Costume

2008-11-02T20:51:00.003-06:00

Here is My Halloween Costume. Actually it was my day off, so I wanted to play tourist.

Hat Tip to Lindsey for the incriminating photo.

TN Women for McCain & Palin

2008-11-02T00:37:00.003-05:00

A campaign worker stopped by and had a gift for the little lady next door...

A little oversized, but the thought was nice.

Best. Halloween. Ever.

2008-10-31T22:34:00.002-05:00

I'm telling you I had the best Halloween ever today!
I work with the best bunch of fun professionals and we had a blast working today. And yes, it was productive cause while I was dressed as a lost tourist (looking for the Nissan Bldg.), I did some Google audits and plowed into a 100 slide PowerPoint. (Don't ask why)...

And I got to meet Ms. Palin at the office!

Later, Mrs. WonderDawg and I had the old folks/neighbors over to pass out candy. It's better than hiding out in the back of the house with the porch lights off. We had dinner and had them pass out candy to the neighborhood kids.

The catch was everyone had to wear a prearranged costume upon arrival!

Here's Rasta Frank who had plenty of free hugs to pass out tonite:

(Mrs. WonderDawg is on the left)

More Flickr fun photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderdawg777/

Titans Go Code Blue on the Colts!

2008-10-28T00:49:00.005-05:00

What a great game as the Titans beat the Colts 31-21 to remain undefeated!

The Monday Night Football atmosphere was great with some good humored smack talk and outstanding plays on the field...

Colts driving for a junk TD at the end of the game...

Mrs WonderDawg Celebrates!

WonderDawg blog soon to be updated!

2008-10-25T17:09:00.002-05:00

Hello - Diggy Woo here... my granddaddy, Kerry has been traveling a lot talking about internet and Google stuff everywhere, but he will be back soon updating this blog.

I would update it, but I can't type very well (I had someone do this entry). I can change the TV remote however.

Thanks. Can I have a piece of cheese and a dog bone now?

Jump! Bed Jump that is!

2008-08-03T06:16:00.004-05:00

Remember the little nursery rhyme:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

or

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"That's what you get for jumping on the bed!"

Well here's a web site that celebrates the monkey in most of us - especially jumping on Hotel Beds! Check out www.BedJump.com

"There is something completely intoxicating about today's hotel bed. Plush, deep, luscious, thick... and oh so bouncy. Don't deny yourself the indulgent luxury of taking a running start and launching up over that mattress and box-spring that will surely propel you back up into the stratosphere."

Too much fun! This past Friday, I was in Atlanta on a fun filled weekend with 54 friends to attend the Promise Keepers men's conference and catch the Braves/Brewers baseball game.

So as Van Halen (not Hagar) advises: You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real... You might as well Jump!

Witness:

and my brother John:

Carb Happy

2008-07-27T16:07:00.004-05:00

I love having a big backyard. With my acre-sized yard, I can plant a 40 x 40 foot vegetable garden, iris, and assorted plants and enjoy my two dogs running amuck after rabbits and ground squirrels. Sure it gets hot in the summer, but having a large space to entertain is worth the upkeep.

Part of the upkeep is the routine mowing and weed whacking every two weeks or so. One of my expectations is to have the garden tools work as expected when needed. Turning the key or pulling on the starter cord on gas-powered machines is a real joy. But it's a big frustration pill when that doesn't happen!

My lawn mower this year has been sputtering and hard to start. Yes, it is a pain when the right rear tire habitually goes flat and I have to lift the rear end up on a plastic milk crate to position the tire back on the rim.

What really gets my goat is when the grass is tall and the mower won't start. If I had the money to toss away or was stupid rich, I would go buy a new lawn mower. It's like saying "I am so tired of spending fifty bucks a month on car maintenance, that I am going to buy a new car instead!" ($400 plus car note for five years?)

My neighbor Frank is really adept at fixing mowers. In this part of Nashville, Frank is known as the lawn mower man. He finds old and discarded mowers, gets this running and sells them at a reasonable price. In fact we can tell when spring as officially arrived when Frank has a lawn mower for sale in the front yard on Bresslyn Road. Unfortunately Frank didn't have any $350 riding mowers. Ten years ago, I gave up the self-propelled push mower - why walk when one can ride?

This weekend, the grass was mighty tall. With Frank’s knowledge and tenacity to get it done, we took apart the carburetor and cleaned it with carb cleaner, air pressure and an $8.00 kit from Chilton’s, a parts supply house. I stunk like gas, my hair got greasy, and I was stressed when the three hours spent in the hot humidity Saturday failed to get the mower running.

Sunday, Frank took a air compressor and blew all of the dirt and grime from the aging rubber gas line clogging the free flow of gas. After putting the tiny springs and rubber gaskets back in place, we were in business! The mower started right up, purring like a brand new country cadillac 42" mower should.

I am a blessed man – I just cut my front and back yard in three hours on a like new mower that is running perfectly. Frank was quick to mention that I saved myself a thousand bucks (that I didn’t have) by rebuilding the carburetor. Amen to that! and Amen for great neighbors like Frank.

Cheap Motel?

2008-07-19T07:20:00.003-05:00

Upon checking into the Courtyard Marriott, I noticed this fine print on the back of the door:

I figured I saved the company $880 bucks PER NIGHT in expenses.
Attaboy, Woo! Looking out for the shareholders and keeping the expenses down.

Working at it

2008-07-03T00:07:00.001-05:00

"It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay " - Feist

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Twitter or thinking out loud in 140 characters or less...

2008-07-02T23:02:00.004-05:00

A lot of times I think about creating a great post on something I want to say, but I fail to capture in words what I really want to say on this blog.

I am so out of the groove, but enjoying the new deluxe groove I'm in with traveling and talking to clients about search engine marketing on behalf of AT&T. I'm in my element (soon to be Honda Element) out and about in the field rather than being behind a desk all day. Since April, I'm been to Lousiville (caught my 1st sinus infection), New Orleans (saw the Ninth Ward), Baton Rouge (great seafood), Memphis (ribs and wings!), Atlanta (three weeks of traffic) and some other cities lined up.

When I travel, I gotta watch adding tonnage on my carcass, to make sure I'm smart, healthy and still can fit in my suit and tie outfits. But considering I'm walking a lot visiting business, I get some decent exercise on a daily basis.

To the right is my Twitter updates, which is the best I can do in 140 characters or less. If you're not on Twitter, you should be - it's a neat way to follow your friends, pass notes back and forth and find great info to share (like Jim did) such as:

Go to Google first
Type in “Chuck Norris”
Click on “I’m Feeling Lucky”

Other than Twittering, I'm thinking about Google and Yahoo! in my sleep, the 4th of July, fireworks, carpentry, gadgets and GearDiary.com, buying Vandy season tickets, the new iPhone and permanently laying off beef (three weeks not counting the 3 rectum rockets from Krystals).

Have fun ya'll -

Memphis BBQ Ribs

2008-06-22T22:38:00.004-05:00

Just when I thought I was done eating ribs, a group of my peers traveled to downtown Memphis to check out the Rendevous Restaurant. Good stuff and friendly service from the long time servers (even though one of them threw a hissy fit over splitting the check six ways - you're rolling the dice on additional tip monies...)

The dry rub seasoning was superb. What I found interesting is the the locals prefer eating at Corky's which says a lot about a chain BBQ restaurant; one Corky's location had a two hour wait.

More rib photos at my Flickr Memphis Road Trip collection

We'll have to see what the doctor says about the pork - more Lipitor may be a daily fixture on the menu.

Buying a Battery - Radio Shack Style

2008-06-15T15:47:00.003-05:00

Ok, picture this - I walk into a Radio Shack and ask for a battery recharger for a alarm system lead free battery. It's a small brick that is used for 12 volt applications.

"You don't need a recharger for that type of battery."

"it says on the box that it can be recharged hundreds of times..."

"The alarm system charges it everyday."

"So why is the battery dead?"

"All of the recharges have been used up."

"So you're telling me this rechargeable battery can't be recharged?"

"Nope, it only recharges while it is being used."

$37.00 later, I buy the same battery and just move on...

Reminds me of the guy who ran our IT department in North Carolina - he came from a Radio Shack.

Happy Father's Day (Homer Style)

2008-06-08T11:16:00.001-05:00

Father and Son

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY FROM 'THE SIMPSONS"
BART, LISA AND MAGGIE: START COUNTING YOUR D'OH! SUNDAY IS FATHER'S DAY!

With Father's Day just around the corner, FOX asked one of television's favorite dads, Homer J. Simpson, what's on his wish list this year:

HOMER SIMPSON'S FATHER'S DAY WISHES

French fries made of onion rings.
A time machine full of beer.
Not to have to see my father on Father's Day.
For someone to take 'cool ranch' flavor to the next level.
For Marge not to be mad at me because I didn't get her anything for Mother's Day.

A devoted husband, Homer leaves his wife with few complaints. When pressed, however, Marge did once acknowledge to a marriage counselor that Homer 'forgets birthdays, anniversaries, holidays (both religious and secular), chews with his mouth open, hangs out at a seedy bar with bums and lowlifes, blows his nose in the towels and puts them back in the middle, and scratches himself with his keys.' Despite these few foibles, Homer loves his family, and he'll do just about anything to prove it -- even if that means making himself look foolish.

Homer at peace

Sometimes frustrated at being fat and bald, Homer enjoys flashbacks now and again, which show him fat with a full head of hair. Two things, though, always remain constant for Homer, no matter what happens to him: his happy-go-lucky nature and his love for Marge and his kids."

Nuclear X-Ray - D'oh!

Bonus: Homer sings:

Radar Love
Space Cowboy

(Fox Broadcasting)

Overheard in Public Today

2008-06-06T00:38:00.003-05:00

Stuff I hear in public today because I'm a good listener. Mrs. WonderDawg says I'm Chinese and nosy.

"So you're telling me you don't recycle and you shop at WalMart? What is wrong with you???"

Man walking out of Lowe's at mad wife who is leaving him behind; "You better get back here and pay for this stuff you dumb ass!"

He walked back in and paid for the stuff himself. Not sure how he was getting home.

Bonus: Courtesy of Busy Mom:
"If a man comes to your front door and says he is conducting a survey and asks you to show him your boobs, do not show him your boobs.
This is a scam. He only wants to see your boobs."

...and best question of the day: If every job paid $15.00 bucks an hour, would would you like to do?

My answer: be a LEGO designer or at least play with them all day.

Ronald and the clowns at McDonalds

2008-05-31T09:22:00.002-05:00

Ordered 5 bacon egg biscuits; got 5 sausage biscuits instead...

Ronald is not the only clown working at McDonalds this morning. Dude!

What Work Looks Like...

2008-05-30T23:01:00.004-05:00

Last week I was in Louisville, KY working away sick as a dawg with what turned out to be a sinus infection. Dang! I've never been so miserable, taking medicine like DayQuil and NightQuil and everything in between.

Chicken soup and hot tea didn't help - neither did a big quart size of gumbo soup from Jason's Deli.

I was pretty proud that I packed less gadget stuff on this particular trip... although two laptops seemed kinda silly - one for work (Dell XP) that was strictly work stuff only like email, reports, Google Adwords... and a MacBook for the personal stuff like Flickr, GearDiary.com, blogs, GMail, Twitter and all of the other distractions that help deny that I'm really, really sick...

If I was feeling good, I would be eating like I did in New Orleans...

Lobster, filet and grill oysters from Dragos' Restaurant

Apple Hard Drive Relic

2008-05-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

Once every five years, I make a trek to the attic (or Mrs. WonderDawg makes me) to declutter and investigate "what's in that box?"

There's nothing better than to sit on the kitchen floor, listening to Annie Lennox and bagging up old cords, USB cables, telephone wires, RCA cables, and the like...

Check out this relic:

It's a monster DataFrame 10 MG hard drive for an old Mac 512 that ran on a addon SCSI port connection. I tried Googling the price, but I'm sure it was around $800 in the old days. I'm tempted to hook it up to see what kind of data is still on the drive, assuming it still spins. I can't even do the math on how many songs the 10MG hard drive would hold!

Freaking Busy - but loving it!

2008-05-13T22:51:00.002-05:00

Having started a new job marketing the big bad world of internet marketing solutions with AT&T, three weeks of training in Atlanta, one week in New Orleans, and back in Nashville... I'm settling into a new routine. The old days of going to bed by 2 am and waking up at 7 are gone.

Having a birthday, new routines, the elation of a new corporate job with the perks, great people at work, wearing a suit and tie, and loving what I’m destined to do is a real blessing indeed.

In due time, I’ll settle back into blogging, taking photographs, building LEGO stuff, writing reviews for GearDiary and much more once I get a groove going…. Doing a lot of Twitter these days, only because 140 characters is within my current brain capacity output.

I’m cherishing my weekends with my bride, cutting grass, doing the honey do lists, and fitting in an occasional carpentry and handyman fixes. Strange to say, but replacing a bathroom faucet and hanging new window blinds are good diversions from being so intwined with technology. Power tools rock!

More later…

The Ninth Ward

2008-05-01T22:24:00.004-05:00

Kevin just took us on a tour of the Ninth Ward. Homes have been washed away leaving entire streets empty... I saw the broken levee... New homes dot the landscape like settlers in the new frontier...

I am saddened to see the slow recovery here in the New Orleans; the week that I have been here, people refer life in New Orleans as pre- or post Katrina. It is a defining point in time as many struggle with rebuilding their lives (and livelihood). With rising gas prices, concerns about job security along with the increased costs of maintaining a pre-Katrina lifestyle, it has been a challenge.

Here's the sun setting in the Ninth Ward behind the rebuilt levees.

My messy desktop

2008-04-30T23:36:00.004-05:00

Every afternoon, I empty my pockets of stuff like smartphones*, mints, security badge and scraps of paper. Obviously, I'm very cluttered with my junk when I travel. Here's my Sheraton Metairie New Orleans desktop...

This week, I'm using a HTC smartphone and an AT&T issued Blackjack II for company emails; reading a great book - The Back of the Napkin (solving problems and selling ideas with pictures).

New Orleans Bound

2008-04-27T11:24:00.003-05:00

I'm heading to New Orleans for a couple days of work - My peer promised to take me to the Ninth Ward for a tour. I haven't been to the Crescent City since 1996 since the Promise Keepers Men's Conference at the Superdome.

I'm not a big fan of the French Quarter or MardiGras; I'm more interested in talking to the residents how they have coped in the midst of challenges of piecing their lives back together.

I'm wondering how the rebuilding process is moving along; the relief work I was part of during the Hurricane Rita damage while in Sulphur, LA for TN Baptist Disaster Relief trip Oct 11-15, 2005 was a life changer for me - especially how one person can make a difference versus sitting on a couch or a pew.

Photos of Chainsaw Relief Crew at Work

My 1st IKEA Visit

2008-04-22T21:15:00.002-05:00

I was working in downtown Atlanta today and decided to visit IKEA. I've heard a lot about the place and the grassroots efforts to have a IKEA located in Nashville. I've put together some bookshelves before and even have a catalog that my son mailed from Seattle.

No doubt IKEA was a sprawling complex from the underground parking to the wide open showroom configurations of ready to buy kitchen, living room and bedroom bundles. It reminded me of a Target like, Rooms to Go, Sam's Club shopping experience hybrid.

Still, I was not moved to buy anything. Perhaps I was disappointed with the home office setups, or the one piece that would fit well into my existing hodgepodge of a Norwalk desk, cables, and homemade furniture along with a massive display table from a clothing store that measures 48 by 60.

I walked away feeling somewhat proud of not buying anything for the sake of spending money, but yet didn't see what what all the fuss was about.

It had to be my hurting feet...

New Project with My Kids!

2008-04-20T07:18:00.006-05:00

This Sunday morning, I woke up to a site that has absolutely inspired me to revisit my kid's photos!

Back in my day, I remember maybe 6 photos of myself at best; with my kids, I've got shoeboxes full of photos. Gary and Megan, I'll see you in June for some fun photos.

Basically, you recreate imitating an old childhood photo.

Check out colorwar2008 for all of the great submissions...

Good Eating in Atlanta

2008-04-10T21:32:00.004-05:00

I'm down here in Atlanta working away and training in my new gig with a three letter telecommunications conglomerate... which I share about when I get back in Nashville.

Meanwhile, what do seven guys do for eats? Easy! Bar-B-Que Ribs:

1/2 rack of ribs, spicy sauce, Brunswick Stew and a pitcher of Sam Adam's to wash it down with...

A Road Warrior's Dilemma

2008-04-09T00:26:00.001-05:00

Whenever I travel, I struggle with carrying far too many clothes. I have yet to crack the code for carry on luggage. I remember on one trip my roommate packed one jacket, a pair of pants and two shirts to last five days. There’s no way I could go for that – I need to have a change of outfits at a 1.5 ratio per day! On my last trip, my luggage was delayed for two days; by then my jeans were standing straight up. Now look at this picture; granted I am on the road for an extended work trip, but I have to get a better grip on the amount of gear I carry. Do I need help or do all road worthy gadget lovers carry this much stuff?

(see the comments over at GearDiary.com

New Music Discovery: Sophie Zelmani

2008-04-01T11:31:00.003-05:00

One of the great thrills about music (and YouTube) is discovering a new artist. It's rare to find them on the radio... I forget how I found Sophie Zelmani, and her song "Hard to Know", but I like this clip:

Sophie Zelmani and Freddie Wadling "Once"

Easter proclaims a beginning

2008-03-21T21:07:00.001-05:00

Here's the flip side of a gift from a friend who went home to the Lord two years ago. Carved from a bar of Dial soap while he was in prison, it is one of our most prized possessions.

Holy Week
Quotations to stir heart and mind.
Compiled by Richard A. Kauffman

IN THE CROSS IS SALVATION, in the Cross is life, in the Cross is protection from our enemies, in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the Cross is joy of spirit, in the Cross is the height of virtue, in the Cross is perfection of sanctity. There is no salvation of the soul, nor hope of everlasting life, but in the Cross.
Thomas Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

HE DIED, but he vanquished death; in himself, he put an end to what we feared; he took it upon himself, and he vanquished it; as a mighty hunter, he captured and slew the lion.

Where is death? Seek it in Christ, for it exists no longer; but it did exist, and now it is dead. O life, O death of death! Be of good heart; it will die in us also. What has taken place in our head will take place in his members; death will die in us also. But when? At the end of the world, at the resurrection of the dead in which we believe and concerning which we do not doubt.
Augustine, Sermon 233

THERE IS WONDERFUL POWER in the Cross of Christ. It has power to wake the dullest conscience and melt the hardest heart, to cleanse the unclean, to reconcile him who is afar off and restore him to fellowship with God, to redeem the prisoner from his bondage and lift the pauper from the dunghill, to break down the barriers which divide [people] from one another, to transform our wayward characters into the image of Christ and finally make us fit to stand in white robes before the throne of God.
John Stott, The Preacher's Portrait

EASTER is not the celebration of a past event. The alleluia is not for what was; Easter proclaims a beginning which has already decided the remotest future. The Resurrection means that the beginning of glory has already started.
Karl Rahner, Everyday Faith

Copyright 2006 Christianity Today

I'D ALWAYS KNOWN, in one place in my throat, how Jesus must have cried in the garden--crying not to die, because there was no fear of death, and not to leave his friends, because he walked alone, and not to suffer, because the blood and bruises and thorns were part of his perfection--but crying because he could not find his Father's face, because when he would suffer all that he could bear, the pain of every person, living and dead, in that dark moment, there was really nobody there.

Paul Shepherd, More Like Not Running Away: A Novel

Downtown Canvas

2008-03-19T22:30:00.003-05:00

Downtown Nashville - capturing the rich tapestry of the downtown landscape on canvas...

St. Patrick's Day Encounter

2008-03-18T00:53:00.004-05:00

Not being Irish, I was taken aback by meeting / encountering a leprechaun ...

Too Busy and Lost Count

2008-03-16T20:44:00.004-05:00

I can't keep up anymore (at least for the moment) for my 366 photos in 2008...
Probably because it takes so long to optimize the batch of 200-300 photos I take every week...
Anyway, I threw a batch up on my Flickr page; and will try to make sense of it all later.

However, I do love taking photos - a change of scenery would be in order to freshen up my zeal; I've taken just about every downtown photo I can think of or stumbled upon.

Day 58 of 366 for 2008

2008-03-01T23:53:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love this photo of twins that I met in San Jose -

Day 59 of 366 for 2008

2008-03-01T23:27:00.004-06:00

The cool cats over at Nashville’s Hammock Publishing have a 16-year-old annual tradition of giving out T-shirts to the people they work with throughout the year. I got to meet Rex, Megan, Laura, and others via the world of blogging. One of my fondest memories was meeting Summer and Cole via Thunder (the blog dog) which you can read about: here - Thunder, The Christmas Miracle Story of 2006 and at the RexBlog

This year Hammock Publishing added a new twist to that tradition: T-shirt+Photo=Laptop. Wear the t-shirt, add a photo to the map on their web site and they wil donate a laptop to the educational efforts of the One Laptop Per Child Foundation in developing countries.

A great way to make a difference! So here's my contribution to add to the map in front of Jerry Yang's place in Santa Clara:

The Missing Project 366 Photos

2008-03-01T23:11:00.003-06:00

I've got a bunch of missing photos that I didn't upload - since I was so swamped with business, travel, family life and too much TV like Survivor, Terminator and yes, American Idol.

So I'm going to post ten photos over at my stash at the WonderDawg 366 for 2008 Flickr set which will allow me to be current... However I got some that I really excited about sharing in separate postings.

Meanwhile I finally found my Project 366 photos in 2008 number at a Mexican food bar and grill in downtown San Jose!

The Joy of Luggage

2008-03-01T21:51:00.005-06:00

One thing that I need to add to my life long learning goals is grasping the reality of carryon luggage.

I already know that flying non-stop is always best. Jumping across three cities to save a few bucks on PriceLine is simply not worth the savings in time, especially when factoring layovers and delays. For instance a Southwest direct flight from Nashville to San Jose is 6:35 of travel time; via United through Chicago, to Denver to San Jose starts out at 2:15 CST arriving at 9:39 PST adding in an additional three hours and risk of delays along the way.

I went to Santa Clara for a pretty good conference on Search Engine Marketing. Learned a lot and met some great people along the way. After logistically plane jumping via United to avoid the bad weather (and Chicago's O'Hara Airport), my luggage didn't make the trip.

Dressing for comfort on a plane with a pullover fleece, white t-shirt, socks, black jeans and ratty tennis shoes doesn't generally make a favorable impression for a typical conference, especially when the clothes have to suffice for the next day. However, for a tech conference, I can safely say I was dressed better than 70% of the attendees. Not exactly comforting thoughts as I started to get a little irritated with United's process for resolving delayed / missing luggage handling.

My luggage was due to arrive at San Jose’s airport the following morning at 10:40 am. A handler then arrives at 11:00 and 12 noon to pick up the luggage and disperse them throughout to the owners. I was willing to pick up the luggage when it arrived off the flight. After 3 pm, I called the 800 number and got a call center in India. Of course, I was expecting the local airport office, but after my investigative questioning of the operator’s weather, local time and if there was a local Wal-Mart, the call center in India had no way of knowing where my bag was. I firmly, but politely requested that the bag better arrive at the Hyatt Regency soon, with the specific instruction to call my cell. Of course that didn’t happen – the luggage showed up at 5:30 pm, seven hours after arriving off the plane. I wonder what would happen if I didn’t call to escalate the ticket.

I was planning to write an article on what type of tech gear to travel with over at www. GearDiary.com. Certainly power chargers, cords, battery backups, flash drives, digital camera, iPods, etc. are necessities. I have to add to the list a complete change of clothing. I recently reviewed a Microsoft Rolling Laptop Case that has a compartment for clothing, but instead is filled with other tech items.

Utilizing UPS or FedEx to ship home all of the schwag, booklets, and reading material to reduce carrying the weight and bulk of the items in a suitcase would be a good thing as a handler can easily flag the bag for being overweight.

I simply must figure out how to pack for a 4-night/5 day stay in a carryon bag. I’m convinced it can’t be done if the goal is dress business casual.

When it doubt, poll the audience. There’s great wisdom in crowds.

busy busy busy!

2008-02-26T02:49:00.002-06:00

I was counting on the photo a day project to keep me engaged on this blog! But life gets busy, busy, busy thinking about all the stuff one must do to work, think, play and live out the things that are important to me like family and keeping the finances in order.

I've been writing a bit everyday over at GearDiary.com with the month long giveaway contest of cool gadgets... Got a lot of photos to post, but haven't done so yet... and I'm in California right now for some Search Engine Marketing mind impartation for my day job. Great to be back in San Jose from my old Palm handheld days; hopefully I can carve out some photo shots - the biggest concern I have now is waiting on my luggage to arrive.

Note to myself: learn how to pack light for carry on.

Before I forget, I need to give a big shout out to United Airlines - with the storms and bad weather in Chicago and Denver, my trip was rerouted all day. I was booked to be in San Jose via Nashville to Chicago to Denver. Later, that got changed to Nashville to Denver. After Denver got crappy with weather, I changed the flight to Nashville to Washington, DC to San Jose non stop. Unfortunately the luggage from the first booking was not as flexible.

I recall a post by Guy Kawasaki about the art of "sucking down" - basically never threaten the customer service person. Be nice and you too, can get a nonstop flight on a exit row. Of course booking the flight nonstop via Southwest would have been awesome to begin with, however I remember being stranded in Chicago before, so it's a blessing that I'm typing this at 3 am CST.

Sure hope my luggage shows up!

Sunday Review - The Ford Sync

2008-02-24T10:29:00.001-06:00

I'm part of the awesome writing team over at GearDiary lead by my friend Judie Lipsett.

The goal with Gear Diary and our writing team is to write about what's on our mind in addition to the reviews that will be done. We do not want to emulate other sites - rather we want to forge something unique, something that isn't easily pigeonholed. Yes, we cover mobility devices, but we will also cover off the wall topics, toys, appliances, watches, knives, tools - whatever we are interested in - our GEAR. The thought is that if it interests one of us, someone else will find it interesting, too.

Everyone can understand technology;
sometimes it just takes a little translating.

By the way, in the month of February there is a daily Give-Away of a cool gadget or prize. To win, all you have to do is leave a comment.

Here's a recent review that I wrote over at www.GearDiary.com back in September 2007.

Sync your mobile digital lifestyle: The Ford Focus | Sync Review

[THIS is a monster post with lots of photos - so give your browser some spinning wheel time!]

GearDiary was invited to join traditional media and automobile journalists to experience the launch of the redesigned Ford Focus and Ford Sync™. Hosted in Seattle, Washington by Ford Motor Company and Microsoft, the program included significant drive time with the Focus vehicle, demonstration of the Sync technology and a visit to the Microsoft campus to view the House of the Future. Geekness and coolness personified :!: .

Sync is the newest mobile technology to emerge from the Ford-Microsoft relationship. Debuting in the 2008 Ford Focus automobile, Ford Sync is a fully integrated, flash memory-based system that allows the driver to use their Bluetooth phones hands-free. Additionally, music players such as the Zune or iPod can be controlled via voice commands and buttons mounted on the steering wheel.

When the email came from Judie to attend the Ford-Microsoft presentation, the offer was very compelling. Having the opportunity to test out new technology that merges personal content in a redesigned vehicle is a rare experience that was hard to pass up. Subsequently, there was the short notice scramble to rearrange work schedules, carve out some personal time and book the flight from Nashville to Seattle.

The media people working with Ford were prompt to make all of the travel arrangements the next morning. Four days later on a Monday evening, I was on a nonstop flight to Seattle, a part of the United States that I’ve never visited. My son Gary and family are based in Tacoma, Washington serving with the Air Force at McChord AFB and they absolutely love the area.

The next morning, I met up with Maggie Fox and Collin Douma of Social Media Group based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada who assisted in assembling the journalists on behalf of Ford to participate on the 2008 Ford Focus All Media Drive Program. They "help companies connect with their internal and external audiences by strategically leveraging the power of emerging social media channels." Smart people!

Ford, as with other large corporate entitles, are realizing than the new media – video journalists, bloggers, online web sites – all have a collective influence to engage consumers with their products and services. There would be waves of journalists arriving over the next couple of days to test drive the redesigned Ford Focus and speak with executives from Ford and Microsoft about the Sync technology.

This particular Tuesday, I quickly found myself as the only “new media,” blogger, online, technology writer present. Most of the media present were seasoned automotive journalists who have been extensively writing about cars for decades. I felt like a fish out of water!

We were shuttled over to the Seattle Airport Marriott to pick up additional arriving journalists.

After signing a Ford Liability form and a Microsoft Confidentiality Agreement from Tony and Lisa, we received our nametags.

One crusty journalist that I had coffee with quickly pooh pooh the whole technological aspects of the Ford Sync. He was frustrated with learning how to set the AM stations on his car radio. Not to be judgmental, but most folks will criticize things they don’t understand especially with technology and gadgets. Placed in a defensive posture, I shared about technological advances like sharing photographs, medical breakthroughs in diagnoses to $100 laptops for children. Digging myself deeper in the discussion, I threw out the GPS, ABS and Fuel Injection card. Bah Humbug! No more exhaust fumes for you my friend!

Thankfully, it was time to pair up with a journalist to drive an assigned route to the Bell Harbor Conference Center for the presentation by Ford executives. I was the odd man out, kind of like the last guy picked for junior high school sports. Can’t blame them, as these seasoned auto guys all knew each other from different car manufacturer's test drive program events.

I hooked up with David Goodspeed, a really cool auto journalist with even a cooler last name from Dallas, Texas. David writes for a group of community newspapers and has driven enough cars to discern what the typical consumer is looking for. We ended up having a blast talking about all kinds of stuff and sharing the same musical tastes like YES and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

I took the driver seat in the 2007 Ford Focus. David was the shotgun navigator using the preprinted route map. “So, we’re doing this old school,” was my first comment. I had become so accustomed to using GPS as a means to travel in new cities. When the use of technology such as GPS goes mainstream, there’s an expectation and dependency upon these devices to assist with our increasing mobile and digital lifestyle.

Fortunately, Ford Motor Company uses as standard protocol drive maps. These route maps are scripted with precise mile markers aided by visual triangle markers marked with the Ford logo along the route. Each route is designed to experience different driving conditions. Roadways include freeways, stop and go scenarios, winding roads, some with bumps and potholes to tunnels and bridges for quality “seat” time. Boy howdy, we got some serious seat time! At one point in the day, I had to get out of the car because I got all the leather seating my dress trousers could stand. Note to go with the cloth seats option on the 2008 Ford Focus.

Five minutes into our drive time, we stopped for a quick photo of Safeco Field and Quest Field, home of the Seattle Mariners and Seahawks professional sports teams. I always appreciate a riding companion that doesn’t mind stopping for photos and roadside artifacts.

We arrive an hour later at the Bell Harbor Conference Center to view the new 2008 Ford Focus models, receive our notebook, a cool multicolor lighted pen and a flash drive with additional documentation.

Around the back of the customs facility, we did the vehicle walk around of the new Ford Focus vehicles due in Ford showrooms later this year.

Beautiful Puget Sound in the background with ferry boats.

The new models were beautiful staged against the backdrop of Puget Sound, perfect for photo opportunities. With a redesigned look, the cars really looked sporty. We had to wait until the Roundtable Discussion and lunch with Ford executives before getting behind the wheel.

After the photo sessions, I received the Ford Sync demo.

PART THREE: The Ford Sync Demonstration

Here’s a portion of the press release:

“Powered by Microsoft Auto software, the Sync is Ford’s new fully integrated, voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music playrs."

• Sync will be available in 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products beginning this calendar year.

• Sync is the newest technology to emerge from the Ford-Microsoft relationship.

• Users can access their mobile phone or digital music player – including genre, album, artist and song title – via voice commands.

• Names and numbers in a mobile phone’s address book are wirelessly and automatically transferred to the vehicle.

• Sync can host nearly any digital media player, including the Apple iPod®, Microsoft Zune, PlaysForSure players and most USB storage devices.

Microsoft has partnered with Ford to introduced a package version of Microsoft Auto, "a powerful, scalable, and flexible software platform and reference hardware design that helps the auto industry deliver rich integrated in-car communication, entertainment, navigation and information systems faster, easier and at a lower cost."

Hardware Highlights

32-bit 400 MHz ARM11 processor
256 MB NAND flash memory, 64 MB DDRAM
Bluetooth connectivity
Vehicle bus interface
Microphone for voice interaction with system
USB 2.0 host connections
IEEE 1394
UART connections
Cell phone module capable
GPS receiver capable

More info about the Microsoft Auto software platform available at this link and a datasheet that we recieved while visiting Microsoft the next day.

The Sync unit is built into the center console just in front of the gear shift...

and below the main audio controls.

There are two 12V power outlets, an auxiliary 3.5mm jack and a single USB port for plugging in a Zune, iPod or Flash Drive. Sync will charge the player as long as the cord is plugged into the USB port. No special USB cord is needed. The only down side is there is not much of a shelf or slot to hold the phone or the player. However, while we were driving, the incline on the console kept the devices from falling on the floor. I would have like to have a hidden compartment to stow away the devices in the Ford Focus while still connected to the USB port.

All the basics of using Sync is located on the steering wheel. Pressing the MEDIA button will prompt Sync to say, "Please say a command" - just say PHONE. To answer an incoming call, press the Telephone Button and begin speaking. To end a call, press the Telephone Button and hold for two seconds. To exit the phone mode, press and hold press the Telephone Button when not on a active call.

Sync Features from the press release: My comments will be in blue italics

• Voice-activated, hands-free calling: Simply press the “Push to Talk” button on the steering wheel, and then say the name of the person you wish to call. Sync will automatically connect with the names in the mobile phone’s contact list.

Sync is smart enough to ask a specific number; if I said "CALL Judie Lipsett," the female Sync voice would chime and ask, "office," "home," "mobile". I would reply "mobile" and Sync would begin dialing.

Once the command is given to call "Dave Sculley," Sync will display the status on the center mounted control panel...

...which by the way keeps the eyeballs on the road. The microphone is located in the rear view mirror.

• Uninterrupted connections: No need to hang up in the middle of a cell phone call as you enter your vehicle. Simply touch the Telephone Button on the steering wheel, and Sync will instantly connect to a Bluetooth phone.

We were using a Motorola RAZR for our demos. Here's a link to Bluetooth compatibly phones that include the iPhone, Samsung, Motorola and LG phones. The Palm Treos are conspicuously absent! Sync can wirelessly paired up to six different mobile phones.

• Audible text messages: Sync will convert text messages from your phone to audio and read it out loud. The system is even smart enough to translate such commonly used text messaging expressions as “LOL” and :grin: . You can choose to reply from any of 20 predefined responses.

What is cool from a safety standpoint is text messaging is turned off at a certain speed. The Ford rep said Sync is smart enough to know how many glances it takes to text message a response. Predefined messages include: Where R you?, Call me, Yes, No.

• Advanced calling features: Sync includes the same features offered on mobile phones, including caller ID, call waiting, conference calling, a caller log, a list of contacts, a signal strength icon, and a phone battery charge icon – all conveniently located on the radio’s display screen.

• Ring tone support: For supported phones, Sync will play personal ring tones. If you’ve configured unique ring tones to identify specific callers, Sync will automatically play those, too.

• Automatic phonebook transfer: Sync will automatically and wirelessly transfer all the names and numbers in a mobile phonebook.

Sync will automatically download your contacts in the phonebook, by activating Auto Download. With the Auto Download I can call new contacts entered into my phone just before I stepped into the Ford Focus.

• Voice-activated music: Browse the music collection on your digital media player, mobile phone or USB drive by genre, album, artist and song title using simple voice commands, such as “Play genre Rock,” “Play (artist),” or “Play Track (song title).”

I plugged in my iPod and it took maybe ten minutes to grab all of the meta data from the 7000 titles and podcasts stored.

I just gave the command PLAY ARTIST BEATLES, PLAY TRACK "A Day In The Life" and just like that, the music came pumping through the sound system. Having a subwoofer in the trunk was the icing on the cake when the strings kicked in. Ahh, the Beatles.

• Instant voice recognition: Sync’s advanced voice recognition technology means when you’re ready to use your phone or digital music player, just speak simple voice commands.

Ford Sync is speaker independent, which means no training from the user to recognize the simple commands like PHONE to access hands free phone mode, USB to access the device connected to the USB port (no need to say iPod or Zune), HELP which audibly lists the options in a specific mode and is always available, CANCEL which cancels the requested action, READ MESSAGE to hear the most recently received text message, VOICE SETTINGS to access the voice settings menu, BLUETOOTH AUDIO which accessess the music stored on a mobile phone and SYNC which returns the system to the main menu.

When I was calling Judie, I was using the RAZR that Ford had supplied on the test drive vehicle. I was reading out loud and slowly the telephone number from my Samsung Blackjack. Because my speech was slow, thinking that I had to dumb down to speak to Sync, it would quickly ask me if 1 - 5 5 5 was the number I wanted to dial. NO! After a couple of tries, I just rattled the full number off at rapid speed. Sync captured all the numbers, and verifying DIAL, I reached Judie. The phone call was crisp and clear. David who was driving at the time and myself had a conference call while driving somewhere in the mountains without any signal degradation.

Sync will play music from your mobile phone, so those songs on the mini SD card won't go to waste...

• Multilingual intelligence: Sync is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
I'm sure that custom voiceovers will be available in the near future. I like hearing Dennis Hopper or Mr. T "Turn Left Fool!" on my TomTom GPS. The soothing voice of HAL 2008 saying "No Comprende?" would be awesome.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiUiJaIlLRg[/youtube]

Here a 2 minute clip of Sync in action. So what did I think? Considering that luxury cars have some features available already like Bluetooth connectivity, or jacks for iPods, Ford and Microsoft has come up with the killer app in the way we manage our content. From the mobile phone with our contact lists, individualized ringtones, and music playlists on our digital music players in a integrated package like the Ford Sync is pretty amazing for several reasons.

(1) Managing our content with a built in software platform means we can transport our digital lifestyle in a car that happens to be fun to drive.

(2) Debuting Ford Sync in an inexpensive small car with big car features is a great move to attract young buyers. The 2008 Ford Focus starts at $14.695. The fully equipped model we drove listed at $20,265.

(3) The Ford Sync comes standard on the Focus SES models, and is available as an option on the Focus SE model for $395.00 MSRP. Considering the price, passing on the AM / FM / CD player configuration for me is a no brainer. When we got tired listening to the iPod, SIRIUS Satellite radio was awaiting.

(4) The FM transmitters used to receive music from a Zune or iPod will be no longer necessary once the Sync technology rolls out beyond the exclusivity period with the 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models this year.

Another feature to enhance the digital lifestyle is the ambient lighting system on the 2008 Focus. The driver or front-seat passenger can change the light inside the cupholders and in the front and rear footwells, choosing from seven different colors, including red, orange, blue, indigo, violet, green and yellow, simply by cycling through a dash-mounted switch.

The instrumentation is easy to read...

and well laid out for easy access in the dark.

PART FOUR: The Ford Focus drive

After the demonstration, the Executive Roundtable discussion with Ford executives was informative. Making the case for the introducing the Ford Sync in a redesigned Ford Focus was appealing to the shifting tastes, lifestyle choices and demographics of the younger car buyer. The small car market is making a rebound, so they felt the timing was right to introduce Ford Sync as the centerpiece of an affordable, sporty car.

Beth Donovan, Ford Product Market Manager with Mark Spain, Director of Microsoft Automobile Business Unit

The following pictures are a illustrative progression of rapiding changing technology that Sheryl Connelly, Ford Manager of Global Trends and Futuring discussed. (Ms. Connelly has the coolest job at Ford)

Some quick notes: Small does not mean cheap. People want cars that are great to look at, inside and out, comfortable to sit in and fun to drive with the full compliment of safety features. My impression was Ford was being intentional to place as many big car features in a small car package at a reasonable list price. The new BIG is now SMALL with BIG car features throughout which makes for a good value proposition for new car buyers or those looking to downsize.

THE FINAL WRAP: Off to the wild blue yonder...

David Goodspeed and I took off in the 2008 Ford Focus to get more seat time while seeing the beautiful Washington state scenery. Auto journalists drive a full day on these outings and at times keep a new car to review for a full week. My role was to play wingman / navigator and play with the Ford Sync.

The car was fun to drive and pretty quiet inside due to the new acoustic windshield and thicker side glass in the front doors.

The car had great pickup with a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter, Duratec 20 dual-overhead-cam (DOHC), inline 4-cylinder engine. One big thing I noticed was the handling of the car through the winding roads, with no abrupt shifting in the automatic transmission.

We made our way to Snoqualmie Falls to see a spectacular 276-foot waterfall.

After switching drivers, we headed out to Remlington Farms, located 45 minutes east of Seattle for our next designated driving spot to eat some awesome organic strawberry rhubarb pie.

While there, we got a demo of the trunk capacity of the Ford Focus.

This trunk can pack a family of four suitcases easily...

Lots of visual marketing materials to keep our minds "focused"...

For our final thirty-seven mile leg back to the W Hotel in Seattle, David happened to catch Vintage Motors out of the corner of his eye. Car guys are like that! We stopped in and Fred was kind enough to let us gawk at all of the project cars for sale. We even saw a motorcycle powered by a Boeing jet engine.

Here's David Goodspeed - what a great guy to hang with - seems like I know him from somewhere...

The day was jammed packed with scripted driving times and presentations along the way. There was zero time to do any sightseeing, so everything I wanted to see had to be done along the route with the camera on top of the roof:

The next morning, we were up at six am for breakfast. With bags packed, we drove our final test leg to the sprawling campus of Microsoft taking the very long way route to get more seat time with the Ford Focus. I wanted to take a picture of the three story Halo 3 banner, but Microsoft security wouldn’t allow it. Besides, it was too early in the morning to be Tazered – just kidding! So, I got no photos other than this:

After a quick talk by Microsoft executives how they partnered with Ford and implemented the Sync technology in 2 short years, it was time to wrap up. I ask if there were any plans to provide third party solutions for add on features such as voice activated directional navigation, or other new features. “Not at this time” was the short and sweet answer.

We got an abbreviated private tour of Microsoft’s House of the Future. Unable to take notes or photos, here’s a link that best conveys what I saw first hand.

Home, Sweet Futuristic Home by Andy Peterson, special to MSN Tech & Gadgets.

Look for the Ford Focus and the Sync technology to make a big splash with marketing on college campuses, MTV, and social networking sites. Ford dealers will be well versed on touting Ford Sync. The Sync technology works well and in my mind will be the defacto in-car standard to enjoy our digital lifestyle in a seamless mobile environment.

Thanks for riding along!

Day 51 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-20T23:25:00.004-06:00

Alley Robots are coming ... via Priority Mail.

Day 50 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-19T23:04:00.004-06:00

During a busy week, it's always a joy to have a hot meal ready. Using a crock pot is a breeze to cook up a easy stew of burger and canned veggies. Makes for a great lunch the next day too, especially when the weather too cold to walk outside for lunch. A hot bowl of soup warms the belly.

Day 49 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-18T21:46:00.005-06:00

Ray the tree cutter was explaining to me the art of counting tree rings - this rotting tree is maybe 45 years old - I thought it would make a good backyard card table, but i don't play cards!

**

My friends from GearDiary are playing along; I keep my stash of photos at the WonderDawg 366 for 2008 Flickr set and participate with the entire pool of Project 365 Flickr pool with 3,195 members. Go see!

Day 48 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-18T20:29:00.003-06:00

After a spur of the moment visit to Home Depot, we've finally finished of the 1/2 bath with cabinets over the toilet and a mirrored medicine cabinet. The sink, bead board, trim, baseboard and new tile was done last year. Felt great to wander the aisles at Home Depot once again. As a carpenter, I'm always in the mood to build something.

Doghouses, sheds, decks, kitchen remodeling, furniture... I just wish I had a big workshop to work in during the spring/summer months.

My friend Jackie Johnson is a talented wood turner - check out his Wood Elements site.

The Toshiba Satellite M205-S7452 REVIEW

2008-02-17T10:00:00.003-06:00

Let’s look at the specs:

Processor: 1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250
Memory: 1GB, 667MHz DDR2
Hard drive: 160GB 5,400rpm
Chipset: Intel 965GM
Graphics: Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Operating system: Windows Vista Premium
Dimensions: (WDH) 13.0 x 9.5 x 1.5 inches
Screen size: (diagonal) 14.1 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter: 5.1 / 6.0 pounds

(additional specs available at the Toshiba website)

With these specifications at a list price of $849.00 USD, it’s not a bad deal. Not having the extras that Toshiba offers on higher priced laptops such as 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Harman Kardon speakers is acceptable to keep the price or a set budget below $1000. I would rather spend the additional dollars to add more memory, which is expandable to 4GB. These days, DDR2 sticks can be found as low as $29.95 in the Sunday circular ads.

The silver finish keyboard is easy to type on and has a firm clack – clack tactile touch.

What is interesting is that the touch pad is 1 ½” offset to the left. I’m not sure why that is, unless it is a preventative design to ward off carpel tunnel. Nonetheless, the surface area to rest the hands on was comfortable.

Below the 14.1-inch screen and between the two speakers are buttons for the power, launch key for the web, and Windows Media Player with Play, Stop, and Search buttons.

At the top of the screen is a 1.3-megapixel-web cam, which was more than adequate with good color and brightness while using Skype. Most mid range laptops don't even come with a web cam! Considering that my family and friends are scattered around the world, having a web cam is a differentator when selecting a laptop.

I really like having the Wi-Fi switch and volume scroll wheel in the front along with the inputs for headphones and microphone. Since I listen to a lot of music, having the excess wire from the headphone in front of me and in my lap is preferable. To the left is the 5-in-1 memory card reader, which again gives good visual access especially aiding in proper insertion and accuracy of the various memory cards - Memory Stick, Multimedia Card, SD Memory Card, XD-Picture Card, and Memory Stick Pro.

Along the front is the Satellite branding in blue LED lights that also show the battery status and hard drive activity. From an aesthetic stand point, the design and placement of all of the front controls and LED lights eliminate any distractions from focusing on the task at hand on the good size 14.1 screen.

The speakers are ok; while not producing any spectacular bass, it is good for background music. The front volume knob has an incremental volume gain for playback.

As for the screen, the M205 features Toshiba’s TruBrite technology which is a anti-reflective LCD screen technology. The 14.1-inch display high-gloss format was easy on the eyes and made the colors sharp with the 1280 x 800-pixel resolution.

The lid is rounded with the TOSHIBA logo branded in the Onyx Blue glossy finish which is a fingerprint catcher.

Along the sides are plenty of ports and slots.

They include a Type I and II PC Card slot, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, Ethernet, modem, S-Video, RGB port. The drive is a 4X SuperMulti DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM – Integrated that burns DVDs with ease.

CD / DVD read speed: 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
CD / DVD write speed: 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL)
CD / DVD rewrite speed: 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD±RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM)

The Toshiba M205 offers a generous 160 Serial ATA/IDE hard drive, which nets out at 124 GB free of 147 GB with the configuration I had.

The only shortcomings that I had with the Toshiba M205 was the battery life. I generally got a little over 2 to 2 hours 30 minutes life before the warning came on. It’s not that big of deal for me in day-to-day use with laptops as I prefer being plugged in at a desk as I keep several Internet windows open, Word, Excel, Outlook and iTunes or IM open along with a bright screen setting. However, when flying cross country, being able to view a complete movie on DVD without the battery fizzing out would be nice.

Since the Toshiba M205 runs on Vista Home Premium, I would highly recommend adding more memory. While not noticing much performance issues, I could have used a little more zip in memory.

The Toshiba M205 comes preloaded with a bunch of software including Google Picasa, Google Desktop, Google Toolbar, Toshiba Assist, Toshiba ConfigFree, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Toshiba Disc Creator, Yahoo! Music Jukebox, Toshiba Speech System, Toshiba Bluetooth Stack, Toshiba Management Console, Toshiba Value Added Package, Sun Java 2 Runtime Environment, Microsoft Office Ready 2007 (Trial), Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 for Toshiba, McAfee Internet Security Suite (Trial), and Toshiba Extended Tiles for Windows Mobility Center.

The McAfee Internet Security Suite (Trial) will absolutely nag you to death for installs and updates, so it was pretty irritating. But to be fair, having virus and spyware protection especially in a PC environment is a must.

The other big plus is the supplied Recovery and Applications/Drivers by Toshiba. Most manufacturers will give you the option to create a recovery disk, but the general populace forgets or isn’t aware of the necessity of having one on hand. Having Toshiba supply one in the box is a big win for the consumer.

Overall, I was pretty please with the loaner version of this Toshiba M205. (I'm going to hate parting with it!) Considering it had all of the basic features of a mid range laptop backed by a manufacturer’s one year warranty, it’s a good choice for a college student or someone’s first laptop with the expansion of additional memory. The Toshiba M205 certainly doesn't give the appearance of a budget or mid-range laptop, as it shares the same attractive design of the higher priced Toshiba Satellite series.

If you’re considering a laptop with 1GB of memory, good size 14.1 screen with a built in web cam, 160 GB hard drive (5400 RPM) with Vista Home Premium for under a $1000 budget, then it’s very possible that the Toshiba Satellite M205-S7452 is a contender for your budget at $849 list. I'm sure that there are available discounts or packages that will lower the selling price, which is even a better value.

The Toshiba Satellite M205-S7452 is available at various resellers.

MSRP: $849.00

What I Like: Good balance of features such as the web cam, non glare 14.1 screen, placement of controls and non skimping on the available ports and slots. Good value for the money with the features.

What Needs Improvement: Addition of slightly better sounding speakers and Bluetooth.

Day 47 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-16T10:28:00.003-06:00

I lost three beautiful pines trees from last year's drought and the summer heat...

Next door, Frank had his two pine trees cut...

and the splintered forest...

American Idol - The Early Favorites

2008-02-16T07:30:00.006-06:00

Pretty amazing how TV just sucks the evening hours out of my life!

It appears to me that this year, American Idol has landed a pretty good lineup of talent that will make season enjoyable to watch. My four early favorites to make the top twelve:

Day 46 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-15T22:09:00.002-06:00

Riding tall in the saddle - The modern wild wild west on 2nd Avenue.

Day 45 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-14T22:33:00.003-06:00

Stooping low to get this picture.

Day 44 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-14T22:22:00.003-06:00

When I was a young kid, being a fireman or policeman was a noble calling. Teachers, doctors and nurses too. To this day, I still believe that.

I tip my hat to you sir.

Day 43 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-14T22:14:00.005-06:00

I was home sick as a dawg on tuesday, so I'm playing catchup.

If I was still a kid, I would get in my pajamas with the Batman bed sheets. Seeing these sheets in a store front window brought back some memories.

Suze Orman eBook Available From Oprah Site

2008-02-13T23:16:00.002-06:00

I was pretty moved by this article from Judie Lipsett over at GearDiary, re: today's Oprah program.

Whatever you do, take advantage of the free eBook - which expires at 7 pm February 14th.

Oprah’s guest was a woman (Sylvia) whose husband had committed suicide, but three months before doing that he had canceled his life insurance and stopped paying their mortgage, credit cards bills, and other obligations. They had four kids, around $450,000 in home debt (mortgage and 2nd mortgage), approximately $60,000 in credit card debt and other bills. When Sylvia discovered her husband’s body, she had about $70 in the bank and a mountain of debt to deal with. Suze Orman, one of the best financial gurus around, was on hand to help this woman get her life and her finances back in order.

Read the rest of the post over at GearDiary (please)

Day 42 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-11T19:42:00.000-06:00

I've always wanted to build one of these architectural models... Since youth, I built hundreds of model cars and consider myself a SimCity addict. Wouldn't it be cool to spend a summer building one of these? Of course the heartache would come parting with a labor of love.

The model is the new Encore Building in downtown Nashville.

**

My friends from GearDiary are playing along; I keep my stash of photos at the WonderDawg 366 for 2008 Flickr set and participate with the entire pool of Project 365 Flickr pool with 3,195 members. Go see!

Day 41 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-10T23:59:00.000-06:00

It's nearly midnight and I'm thirsty... Mountain Dew it is...

Feist: Mushaboom

2008-02-10T13:56:00.000-06:00

This video inspires me to go out and buy a HD camcorder to start making videos - Feist is a great artist that I admit, never heard of until I saw the Apple Nano commercial featuring the song "1 2 3 4".

Two wonderful lyrics by Feist:
It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay

and...

I got a man to stick it out
And make a home from a rented house oh
And we'll collect the moments one by one
I guess that's how the future's done oh

Review: Sennheiser BW900 Bluetooth Wireless Office Headset

2008-02-10T07:24:00.001-06:00

Technology: Bluetooth Class 1, version 1.2

Range of operation : Up to 100 meters / 330 ft

Radio frequency power : Transmission power adjusted according to range of operation

Digital Signal Processing: Sennheiser specific “Adaptive Intelligence” decision-making

Talk time : Infinite with optional extra battery

Weight of headset : 26 g / 0.9 oz

Microphone : Noise canceling

Speaker, SPL : Max. 104 dB limited by ActiveGard™

Wearing style : Over-the-ear (left or right ear)

Personal fit : 3 adjustment speaker rings

We’ve reviewed many Bluetooth wireless headsets here at GearDiary. They all pair easily with smartphones with varying price points and sound quality. Some are multi purpose, switching easily between the phone and Skype on the PC. However what makes this headset unique is pairing with land based phones.

The headset itself houses a user-removable battery.

The headset is housed in the cradle, which charges the battery via two contact points n the cradle.

Also there is a charging bay for a second battery. If you’re on a long distance call to Japan or England with a client, then the Sennheiser BW900 has the ability to consistently maintain the call in progress with its 4-5 hours of talk time. If needed, then the battery is hot swappable with a spare battery available for $38 MSRP. One battery is supplied with the unit.

Once the cradle is hooked up to your land based wired phone, on the side door of cradle is a dial to calibrate the volume level of the line and volume settings.

There is no need to invest in a fancy or expensive land phone, as a basic phone with a keypad works well. All that you're doing is routing the connection from the handset to the cradle for the option of using the phone either by the handset or the BW900 headset with a push of the button on the cradle.

On the button to the left, in "up" mode, the headset is deactivated. The office phone works via the regular handset. On the headset itself, pressing the button for 4 seconds will turn off the headset. Using the same button will accept calls or by pressing the right button on the base station.

Above the button on the headset are the volume controls. In addition there are LED lights that flash on the headset just below the battery and on the base station.

There are some many functions to go into such as voice dialing, switching calls between the handset and headset, musting, redialing, etc., but if you have experience with a Bluetooth headset, then it is very intuitive to operate the Sennheiser BW90.

There are additional accessories besides a spare battery, such as a handset lifter. Also a connection to a PC and a PDA can be made also. Full details are available online via a PDF user manual.

As for comfort, it takes a few minutes to adjust to the size and the extended microphone, as most Bluetooth earpieces require squeezing the earplug inside your ear canal.

Instead, the ear speaker slides outwards to let you slip the BW900 on for either ear, and then inwards over your ear canal. They are basically open speakers that sit on top of the ear. The sound and the fit over the top of the ear is surprising light.

With the adjustable boom microphone close to your mouth, the person on the other end of the phone can hear clearly. Even those in close proximity won’t be offended by your conversations, because over time, your conversations will be softer. Consider the fact that all most Bluetooth devices' microphones are far away from the mouth, thus most of us tend to talk louder to compensate for the “you sound like you’re in a barrel, talk louder, I can’t hear you” response.

As for performance, the Sennheiser BW 900 is simply wonderful to use. Connected to a landline, one can wander easily up to the advertised 330 feet. According to the website, “The wireless link uses Bluetooth Class 1, which supports a range of up to 100 m (330 ft.) so that you are free to roam around the office being hand-free.” At home, I’m generally constrained to 40 – 50 feet is either direction as my home office is in the middle of the ranch style house. Still, the quality is awesome indoors or outdoors. I did want to try it at the downtown office for longer ranges, but since the phone system is Internet based, the handsets did not have the available RJ-H phone connectors.

Sennheiser touts the use of Adaptive Intelligence technology used in the BW900 headset:

“Adaptive Intelligence is the sound processing and decision-making center of the BW 900, enabling the headset to provide the optimal speech intelligibility for both you and the person you talk to – in any situation.

Adaptive Intelligence enables the headset to react intelligently both to the incoming signal content and to your surrounding environment. It monitors the way you use the headset and adapts its response to match.

Digital processing, featuring VoiceFinder™ technology and TriState Noise Management™, enables the headset to identify and accentuate human speech while removing distracting noise for both you and your listener.”

Basically the microphone is optimized for quality voice transmission, while equalizing the sound quality and filtering out the background ambient sound whether outdoors by the central air unit or in a car with its wind noise.

The times that I work remotely from home, I have the luxury of working outside on the patio with my WiFi coffee shop quality signal, laptop and the ability to switch between landline and Bluetooth calls with a press of the button either on the headset or via the cradle. It’s that easy and the sound quality is superb.

Two hour conference calls are much more tolerable using the Sennheiser BW 900. The device is not for everyone. At $389.95 list, the BW900 is intended for home based and business users that demand an exceptional wireless audio experience. If the bulk of one’s time is spent in a home office on the phone, then the BW900 with its sound and comfort quality is worth its weight in gold. I’ve been using the Sennheiser BW900 for several months and it delivers flawlessly.

No one likes being on the receiving end of a call that sounds like you're calling from a barrel. From a customer / client standpoint, crisp and clear calls originating from a land line is generally preferable. If you can afford it, it will serve you well. Checking around online, there are some good discounts available.

MRSP: $389.95 (discount up to 33% - $261.62 - at Amazon)

More information including a user manual PDF and dealer locations for the Sennheiser BW900 Bluetooth wireless headset can be found at the Sennheiser website

What I Like: The list price may scare off some, but for home and office use the sound quality is outstanding. Light weight, no ear fatigue nor complaints from parties on the other end of the conversation. The cradle can hook to any basic wired land phone. Easy to use and set up. Works well with tested Bluetooth phones.

What Needs Improvement: Hard to find at traditional retailers.

Day 40 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-09T00:34:00.000-06:00

Late night shot of the Encore Building banner on the construction wall.

Day 39 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-08T23:49:00.000-06:00

From the inside of a Lexus head lamp...

Day 38 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-07T22:19:00.000-06:00

I'm at home making paper versions of the MacBook Air for my LEGO buddies.

LINK: Print Your Own MacBook Air

Day 37 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-06T16:43:00.000-06:00

centre{snort} goes plaid (Redneck Web Design Firm)

em are the best tools I ever did see for op-mazaytin' a website I ever did see, ahtayuWUT!

Hannah and I showed up for work wearing the same GAP type shirt - how bizarre is that!

Day 36 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-05T23:37:00.000-06:00

Chris has Tech Support Excedrin Headache Number 7.02 times 3.

Dude... it's a Dell

Post Football Blues

2008-02-04T23:25:00.000-06:00

When I stepped out of the office at 5-ish pm today, there was still light outside. Seeing remnants of daylight late in the afternoon definitely lifted my spirits, as the days will get longer and spring fever is just around the corner. With sunlight depravation in a closed office environment and no more NFL football, historically, the next few weeks has always been a challenge. Basketball and baseball has never held my interest.

It’s during these times when I start planning all of the outdoor activities that the spring season ushers in. A vegetable garden, carpentry projects, lawn maintenance, more outdoor photography, sunlight, no more heavy coats… I can’t wait.

Despite the fact that the Dallas Cowboys didn’t participate in the Super Bowl 42, it was nonetheless a great second half of football at its best. I about blew a gasket when my brand new DirecTV HD DVR failed on Sunday. I called tech support, and I was only getting ½ of the satellite signal on the other sets and no picture on the main HD TV setup.

After replacing the supplied defective cables with a HDMI cable, (I love having a Best Buy across the street from me) I was back in business to watch Tom Petty and the rest of the game in HD. Surely I wasn’t going to let technology get the best of me, especially on Super Bowl Sunday. DirecTV, you almost let me down and sent me in a deep funk!

Day 35 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-04T23:10:00.000-06:00

The reflections in the various windows catch my eye.

Day 34 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-04T23:00:00.001-06:00

I have never seen paint peel or blister like this... the oddest image always catches my eye.

Day 33 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-02T21:20:00.001-06:00

I'm gonna play with my paper thin MacBook Air courtesy of Kevin @ LewisLetterworks (thanks bro),

You can too! (Print your own)

Day 32 of 366 for 2008

2008-02-01T22:51:00.000-06:00

Diggy Woo is helping me pick the winner of the GearDiary.com Month of Give Aways

You should play along too - There's a different gadget to win each day through the month of February!

Day 31 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-31T19:18:00.000-06:00

On a cold wet day, a wet blanket might do someone good...

Day 30 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-30T21:03:00.001-06:00

Ball in a Box

**

My friends from GearDiary are playing along; I keep my stash of photos at the WonderDawg 366 for 2008 Flickr set and participate with the entire pool of Project 365 Flickr pool with 3,195 members. Go see!

Day 29 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-30T20:45:00.001-06:00

Hey Newscoma, Big Foot sighting... !

Day 28 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-30T20:39:00.000-06:00

Mondays are rough if your Karma is all spent over the weekend....

Day 27 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-30T20:28:00.000-06:00

Riverfront Park Water Fall

**

My friends from GearDiary are playing along; I keep my stash of photos at the WonderDawg 366 for 2008 Flickr set and participate with the entire pool of Project 365 Flickr pool with 3,195 members. Go see!

Day 26 of 366 | Playing 366 Catchup

2008-01-30T20:01:00.000-06:00

I take a lot of photographs every day particularly at lunchtime, while tooling around town and hundreds every week of products and gadgets in preparation for the items I review over at GearDiary.

It's hard to carve out a block of time after work to blog or at the minimum post a picture everyday for the 366 Photo A Day project. But I'm gonna stick to it! Just yesterday, I was obsessed to find a 366 or 2008 house number to post, but my legs gave up after walking uphill on 2nd Avenue. The 100 address block of 2nd Avenue spans several city blocks, so that nipped the quest in a hurry.

So here goes... a slew of posts to get my 366 calendar on track...

**

My friends from GearDiary are playing along; I keep my stash of photos at the WonderDawg 366 for 2008 Flickr set and participate with the entire pool of Project 365 Flickr pool with 3,195 members. Go see!

Tigger the cat LOL

2008-01-29T15:19:00.000-06:00

I went to the vet today to check up on my two dogs Ally and Diggy for some worm medicine.

At Bellevue Animal Hospital, I met Tigger who was manning the front counter:

hai dawg

U haz wormz? - sux 4 u!

Surprise in a Shoebox

2008-01-28T23:58:00.001-06:00

One of the great joys (or curses) of being a ratpack is the absolute delight of searching for 100 watt light bulb in the garage storage shelf and accidentally stumbling upon a shoebox filled with assorted treasures. Pictures, matchbooks, ink pens, old business cards, TV remotes, a Palm Pilot with a cracked screen, and ... a Sony Watchman.

Read the rest of my Surprise in a Shoebox story at GearDiary.

Safety Alert

2008-01-28T23:49:00.000-06:00

My friend Judie at GearDiary sent this to me:

The American Medical Association has announced a new national symbol for choking.

Please inform all of the people in your safety department.

OLD SYMBOL

NEW SYMBOL

Cowboys fans do have a sense of humor; Packers and Redskins spectators don't... so be careful out there!

Day 25 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-26T03:36:00.000-06:00

Popsicle Toes...

Day 24 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-26T03:33:00.001-06:00

Wall detail at Country Music Hall of Fame

Update: I thought this wall looked familiar - I took the same shot on the 13th!

I need to look around for different subject matters...

Day 23 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-25T01:41:00.000-06:00

I asked my LEGO friends Beetle and Maynard with their girlfriends Sunshine and Faith to check out the new Fingertip Mini Cube Speaker that Thomas at USB Fever sent from overseas...

Read what they had to say over at GearDiary.

Day 22 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-24T00:22:00.000-06:00

On cold winter days*, I turn to working with LEGO to keep my love for building things to keep me occupied. I've got several concepts that involve use of iPods - the LEGO minifigs are rushing me to install something in time before the Super Bowl.

* When spring rolls around, I prefer to be outdoors with gardening and doing fine carpentry projects.

Day 21 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-22T00:23:00.000-06:00

Monday was Martin Luther King Day - a great man worthy of a holiday.

So rush hour traffic was a non factor; banks were closed; emissions testing was unavailable... the only thing I could get done on my half day off was have the DirecTV guy come out and install HD. I'm loving high definition TV so far... the NFL and Discovery Channel rocks!

Installing HD behind the great wall of woo-hoo!

Day 20 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-22T00:07:00.000-06:00

Dang, it's hard to keep up with a photo a day... but I do think about it even as NFL football draws to a close - After watching the Giants kick the Packers in the teeth with a field goal in overtime, there's gonna be some bitter (and cold) Packers fans come Monday morning! Packer fans are 50% as obnoxious as Redskins fans towards the Cowboys. They can dish out the smack talk, but can't handle the truth when their team loses.

So where was I? Watching football and playing with a new Toshiba laptop that I'm reviewing for www.GearDiary.com.

Day 19 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-19T18:20:00.000-06:00

Blue Wall, Blue Day (from the Acme Feed Store in Downtown Nashville)

Day 18 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-18T20:23:00.000-06:00

I amuse myself by seeing a image that reminds of a song - in this case, the Amazing Rhythm Aces "Third rate romance, low rent rendezvous"

Day 17 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-18T20:20:00.005-06:00

The Shelby Street Bridge - retro look.

Day 16 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-18T20:12:00.000-06:00

I went out of town to Memphis for work, but was so jammed up with time that not only did I not eat BBQ, but fail to snap a photo in the Bluff City.

Nonetheless, I went back in the 365 for 2007 archives one year ago for this entry:

Day 16 of 365 photos in 2007... photojournaling my way thru 2007!

It is so cold here in Nashville - 27 degrees and it feels like 15 with the wind chill... I will have so much pent up cabin fever that myself and I'm sure every man in the West Nashville area can't wait to be drawn into the commerce and local man hangout in the new shopping center about two miles away from my house. Imagine: from left to right; Super Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy and three more shops opening soon. "Sure honey, I'll be happy to go shopping with you! I'll meet you at Best Buy... "

Day 15 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-15T19:17:00.001-06:00

Saw this really old organ in Germantown... from the right to the left...

Day 14 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-14T22:34:00.001-06:00

Here's to F O O T B A L L !
Titans out, Broncos out, Colts out, Cowboys out... who is left to love?
I hope that the Titans will take on a new offensive philosophy for next year over this year's M.O. -
"Why go for a touchdown when a field goal will do?"

Day 13 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-14T00:14:00.001-06:00

Rolling Granite Hills

Day 12 of 366 for 2008

2008-01-14T00:02:00.000-06:00

The soft glow of living under a bridge...