My TouchPad Today: Boston's First Night Ice Sculpture

Another post in a series of wanderings out and about with my HP TouchPad and Pre 2 in tow...

This morning I wandered through Copley Square in Boston and caught some video and still pix of the final touches being put on the ice sculpture that is the centerpiece of tonight's First Night 2012 celebration.

See the video here on YouTube.

Pre 2 Photo - rnolan1087

Click here to see a map of the First Night 2012 events in Boston and Cambridge.

Happy New Year to all!

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My TouchPad Today: Required (Sinatra) Viewing

Another in a series of posts about using the TouchPad as a TV Wayback Machine...

In 1967 Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim did a television special medley of several songs they had recently recorded for the aptly titled album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim.

 

The songs:

• Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars
• Change Partners
• I Concentrate on You
• The Girl from Ipanema

 

I had the Reprise record album and the corresponding cassette version around 1981'ish and played them constantly... particularly on my Sony Walkman when bike riding around Fresh Pond in Cambridge, MA on summer evenings to relax after work.

 

I purchased the CD (still on the Reprise label) in the early 90's and ripped mp3's of it for myself around 2002.

 

Amazon has current mp3's of the album that are available from the Frank Sinatra Enterprises label.

 

 

I remember most of the Sinatra television specials, but, for some reason, I have no recollection of seeing this collaboration at any time until -- using my TouchPad -- I came across it recently on YouTube.

 

A classic album and a classic television performance... perfect for the TouchPad Wayback Machine!

 

 

 

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My TouchPad Today: Cracked!

Several months ago, when reports surfaced of TouchPads showing cracks in the area of the speaker ports, I checked my TP and my wife's... No cracks found!

A similar inspection in just the past few days turned up something a little bit different on my TP, but not terribly dramatic...

It's been in a case since it was about three weeks old.  Before that it was in a neoprene sleeve for protection.

What's a fella to do?

For right now, probably nuttin' but "watchful waiting" since it doesn't seem to be growing and doesn't seem to be affecting anything.

If it spreads, I might delicately apply a wee bit of super glue.

Will I return it to HP for repair or replacement under warranty?

Probably not for this crack... I have enough real problems in my life to deal with already without getting into a sparring match with another (alleged) customer service organization.  The TP ended up only having a net cost of $100 and there's little to gain in trying to get "Leo's Legacy" fixed or replaced.

Gee, thanks, Uncle Leo!

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My TouchPad Today: Apps I Never Use!

These are apps on my TouchPad that it turns out I never find myself using...

• Calendar (I use the calendar on my Pre 2)
• Calculator (I use the calculator on my Pre 2)
• HP Movie Store
• Maps
• Nom Nom Nom (I happily use Tea Reader on my TP)
• Pandora (I use Pandora on my Pre 2)
• pReader  (I happily use Kindle on my TP)
• TuneIn Radio (I use TuneIn Radio on my Pre 2)
• Typewriter

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My TouchPad Today: Apps I Seldom Use!

These are apps on my TouchPad I seldom find myself using...

• Advanced Browser
• Audiophile HD
• Audubon Birds
• Camera
• Digi Camera Light
• Evernote
• Free URL to PDF
• FreeCam for TouchPad
• HP App Catalog
• KalemSoft Media Player
• Music
• New Tork Times News Feeds
• PDFMyWeb Pro
• Picsel Smart Office
• Quick Office
• Splashtop Remote
• VideoFlood HD
• Voice Recorder

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My TouchPad Today: Apps I Really Use!

Out of all the apps I have installed on my TouchPad these are the ones I really use...

 

• Adobe Reader
• Box
• Email
• Fortune Magazine
• Gemini File Manager
• Kindle
• Memos (for writing -- or at least drafting -- most of my posts)
• New York Times Beta
• Spaz HD
• Tea Reader (for reading my Google Reader news feeds)
• Web
• WiFi Media Synch (for synching files from my laptop with the TP)
• YouTube

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My TouchPad Today: The TouchPad, The Grinch and The Boston Pops

More wanderings with the TouchPad and Pre 2 in tow...


Over the weekend my TouchPad returned to Symphony Hall in Boston for its second visit in less than a month. No, the TP isn't becoming a classical music fan. The occasion was a Holiday Pops concert by the Boston Pops which my wife and I took in on Saturday afternoon.

The Boston Pops and The Grinch - HP Pre 2 Photo

Each December since the 1970's, the Pops do a series of concerts featuring traditional and popular songs for the holiday season.

Click here for a review of the December 7th performance from the Boston Globe.

Image from BSO.org

Typically, the program has a special segment... a few years ago it was music from the film The Polar Express accompanied by a reading from the original book on which the movie was based. This year -- see photo above -- the segment was a reading (by Jeremiah Kissel) from Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas with the Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart in support.

Oh, by the way, the TP was not working on this visit to Symphony Hall... the Holiday Pops program notes are not available online.

Do the BSO and Pops have a grinch of their own living in Symphony Hall?



This post was written on my TouchPad



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My TouchPad Today: How to Winterize Your TouchPad

Earlier this week I was performing some "winterizing" chores around the house and it occurred to me that my TouchPad could use some winter protection, too...

HP Pre 2 Photo

Do you think ear muffs would work better than the stocking cap?



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My TouchPad Today: Quiet Times

Its been quiet on the TouchPad front for me over the past several days.

HP's announcement that webOS is going open source was no big surprise... It was one of the common options/scenarios that had been floating around since Meg Whitman reversed course on Leo Apotheker's decision to scrap the PC unit and kill the TouchPad.

Otherwise, nothing worth sharing has happened with my TouchPad.

On another front, though...

I've spent some time getting a now-ancient Sony 8mm TRV350 camcorder (vintage 2003) working with my Windows 7 laptop and digitizing/editing some tapes recorded twenty years ago on an earlier 8mm camcorder..

The problem was that my current laptop -- the camcorder can connect to a computer by either Fire Wire, USB, or composite connections -- doesn't have a Fire Wire port, nor composite video connections, and Windows 7 does not natively support USB video streaming.

The solution was buying an EzCap116 USB video capture device on Amazon.

The device installs a driver on the computer that allows Windows 7 to support USB video streaming. The camcorder then connects to the device via composite RCA-Type connectors and the device connects to the computer via USB.

The video is captured as an mpeg2 in an ArcSoft program (TotalMedia ShowBiz 3.5) bundled with the capture device.

I import the video into Windows Live Movie Maker to do my edits and output the final file in .wmv.

Its a decent solution, at a modest expense ($30), to extend the useful life of the camcorder and do something with a boxful of tapes that are deteriorating more with each passing day.



This post was written on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: TouchPad goes to Symphony Hall

More wanderings with the TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

Last weekend the TouchPad accompanied the wife and me to Boston's Symphony Hall for the Handel and Haydn Society performance of Handel's Messiah.

Symphony Hall, Boston, MA - HP Pre2 Photo

The TP wasn't just along for the ride, it was there to work!

Based on past visits to Symphony Hall -- for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops -- I knew it can be difficult in the half-light of the hall to read and follow the goings on via the program booklet.

My first thought was to go out and download the program from the H&H Society website for use on the TouchPad.

Alas, this was not to be. The H&H does not have downloadable programs on its site. What they do is post the program on the website of a service (that will go unnamed here) which is a poor choice for navigation and reading on a PC web browser, nevermind how it reads/navigates in a tablet-based browser.

HP TouchPad Screen Capture

The solution (see TP screen cap above) was to download and print to PDF the libretto of Messiah from one of a number of places it is available on the web.

Thus armed, we journeyed to Symphony Hall and I managed to stay awake during the two hour and forty-five minute performance!



This post was written on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: Kindle Library Books - Not Ready for Prime Time?

Since an announcement from Amazon earlier this year I had eagerly been awaiting the debut of borrowing Kindle library books.

A few weeks ago I heard that the program had begun and went about getting myself in on the action

It wasn't extremely difficult, but it certainly wasn't a breeze either.

Here -- more or less -- is a recap of my experience...

- Learned on Overdrive.com that I would need a valid library card and would be borrowing through the regional library network of which my town is a member
- Discovered that my local library card had expired, but couldn't be renewed online
- Visited the library and told the librarian that I wanted to renew/reactivate my card so that I could borrow Kindle books.
- Asked for my current phone number by the librarian as she reactivated my card and updated my "account"
- Discovered, online back at home, that my regional library network needs my local library card/account to have an email address added to it
- Sent email to the local library asking them to add my email address to my card/account
- Found the following afternoon that I was able to register for electronic borrowing with my regional library network, although my local library never confirmed/acknowledged that my email address was added to my account
- Perused the slim offerings available from my regional library network on Overdrive.com... most of what's available is already out on loan or has one or more borrowers on a wait list
- Put myself on a wait list for Piecework by Pete Hamill

Fast forward to last week...

- Received email advising that my requested Kindle book was now available
- Followed link to my regional library network
- Sent to Amazon for the download part of the checkout process

My Current Recommendation/Bottom Line...

- Great concept that will become useful with some refinement of the Overdrive.com /regional library network/local library parts of the picture
- Selection of books will hopefully improve in the future. Though for now, a number of publishers are dragging their feet on making electronic library copies available
- There's no need to hurry in getting onboard with Kindle borrowing, unless you have the constitution to deal with a system/program that is not quite ready for prime time



This post was written on my TouchPad


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My Touchpad Today: Going by the (Online) Book

I enjoy doing posts that illustrate where the TouchPad, or for that matter any tablet-type device, can make something about your normal day/life legitimately a bit easier.  This is one of those posts...



Last week I finally got around to helping a friend setup and test an electronic device -- a turntable that converts vinyl LP's to CD's.

As part of my prep for the big event, a couple of nights beforehand I downloaded and read the manual for the unit on my TouchPad while sitting in the foodcourt of a local mall.

I then didn't give the downloaded manual a second thought until I was at the friend's house. In the course of giving him my overview spiel about the unit, I mentioned that I had crammed for the session a couple of nights earlier on my TP.

As we went through the setup, my buddy was carrying the ball and going through the steps in the paper manual, while I was sitting back and playing the role of the all-knowing consultant.

Inevitably, we hit some bumps in the road and it was kinda tough to work with the paper manual being passed back and forth. (Do I need to say any more? I think we've all been there numerous times. Products just don't come with two copies of the instruction manual.)

Then it hit me... My electronic copy of the manual was sitting in my TouchPad less than six inches from my left hand.

We still had some bumps in finishing the setup and testing, but from that point forward having a second copy of the manual available on the TouchPad smoothed out the process considerably.


This post was written on my TouchPad



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My TouchPad Today: Lotsa Links from The Friday Special

Lotsa Links from Today's The Friday Special



This post was written on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: The Return of the Shell Sign to the Night Sky

More wanderings with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

The iconic Shell sign on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, MA has returned to light up the Boston area night sky.

I've  driven by it -- usually in daylight hours -- at least once a week for the past 10+ years, but have memories of seeing it in the night sky going back to childhood.

Click here to see the Shell sign back in the night sky as of November 2011 on YouTube.

Click the links to learn more about the history of the Shell sign and its return to the night sky.

• Boston Globe
• Wicked Local - Cambridge Chronicle

This post was drafted on my TouchPad

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My TouchPad Today: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (Maybe)?

During the past week or so, I think I've done the old "two steps forward, one step back" routine regarding tech stuff with family and friends... but the jury is still out. It could also work out 3 forward, 0 back or even -- ouch! -- 0 forward, 3 back.

TouchPad Photo, modified in Paint Shop Pro

I'll try to explain...

On the friends front (1st step forward) -- For a couple of years, a friend has been trying to have me help convert some of his old vinyl LP's directly to audio CD's for use in the car.

Recently the topic came up again and I made an all-out push to abandon the straight-to-CD project (as being somewhat of a dead-end effort) and refocus on converting the vinyl to MP3 files on his PC and/or downloading the files from Amazon or Apple... and then burning CD's for the car. This way his vinyl music will live on and give him some flexibility down the road to easily use it in different ways.

After the Thanksgiving holiday we'll do some tests that should illustrate the advantages/benefits of putting MP3 files on his PC, rather than just burning directly to CD.

On the family front #1 (2nd step forward) -- For some time now, my wife has been hinting around that she wanted me to relocate an ancient 13" TV/VCR combo unit (which is on a 6' 5"- high wall mount) from our bedroom to the kitchen so that she could better watch some old VHS videos that are not available on DVD.

My position was that the unit's screen was unsatisfactory for the task and that if it came down off the wall mount, the only place it was going was "out the door". (The unit also had a footprint depth that would make it impossible to place it in any of the available kitchen spots.)

The solution -- which I was able to achieve in just a few hours -- was to combine a 19" LCD TV and a DVD/VCR player in the kitchen, on top of a cabinet that nicely accommodates the width and depth of both devices.

On the family front #2 (one step back) -- Yesterday I installed a region-free DVD player in our living room video setup so that my wife can watch British DVD's that are not available for US players, or if available, are quite costly.

On the family front #2a (potential step forward?) -- While sitting on the floor installing the region-free DVD player, my wife asked, "What's a Roku?". My snappy comeback was that a Roku is the device that's been sitting next to our cable converter for the past seven months.

It seems she had discovered that some of the content she would like to view in the living room could be streamed and/or downloaded from Amazon by some combination of Roku and PC.



For now, I'm scoring these escapades as "two steps forward, one step back"... but I still feel like a voice that's going unheard.

In the words of Chef Gordon Ramsay to his troops a couple of seasons ago on Hell's Kitchen, "Does it have to be this painful?".



This post was drafted on my TouchPad



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My TouchPad Today I Can't be Left to My Own Devices?

Check out my post today -- written on my TouchPad -- over at  The Friday Special.



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My TouchPad Today: Fall Color in Somerville

Out and about with the TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...


The fall foliage season in the Boston area hasn't been great this year, so when I spotted some color as I drove along McGrath Hwy. in Somerville (at Greenville St.), out came the Pre2 for a snapper...

HP Pre2 Photo

As mentioned above, fall color has been lacking this year, but never fear. Take a gander at some of my colorful fall shots from past years...

Fall color on Flickr



This post was drafted on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: Sullivan's - The End (of the Season) is Near

More wandering with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

Sullivan's at Castle Island in South Boston is one of the Boston area's great hot dog spots.

HP Pre2 Photo

This month -- leading up to the November 27 closing for the season -- hot dogs are 1/2 price... 80 cents!

Sully's reopens for 2012 on February 25.




This post was written on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: TouchPad - Ventilator and Kitchen Helper

The TouchPad may not be the slickest tablet around, but its versatile enough to assist with a non-digital problem in our kitchen.

Read on below the photo...

HP Pre2 Photo

Last evening while my wife was preparing dinner, our hyper-sensitive, ceiling-mounted kitchen smoke detector started to screech.

In the living room, I was perusing the current digital issue of Fortune magazine on my TP and ambled toward the kitchen, tablet in hand.

While my wife scrambled for our wayward foot ladder, I started to look for something to wave as a fan at our screeching friend overhead.

You guessed it!... The TP was the perfect fan to wave back and forth to circulate some air and silence the beast.



Hhmmm... I wonder if Ruby and Leo A. ever envisioned the TouchPad as a ventilator and kitchen helper?



This post was written on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: Burger King Delivers... the Mail!

Back in July I did a post about how I was unable to access/synch my email on my TP via the brand new free WiFi at my local Burger King.

Since that time, my morning routine has changed a bit so the email problem there was forgotten in the shuffle of real-world life and life at the TP/tablet buffet table.

Now, in the past week I had occasion to visit that BK to start my day and found that the email problem no longer exists.

Me being me, my first thoughts were, "How could this be?What changed? Was it a fix at BK... or a TP update that resolved the problem? I have to know!"

Once my fever broke, I got a refill of my Diet Coke, grabbed a handful of napkins and moved on as quickly as possible. I had something more important to deal with that morning... Just about anything else!



This post was written on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: Give Your TP an Inch...

Give your TouchPad an inch and it'll take a mile!

I gave my TouchPad the day off yesterday... meaning that it stayed in the briefcase because I had things to do in the real world and no time to graze at the online buffet table.

Late morning today I went to put the TP back on duty and found it to be unresponsive... deader than my uncle who passed away in 1972.

I didn't look at the device as I pulled it out of my bag, so I'm figurin' that I had put it in so that the power button was facing downward and was pressed in/on until the battery ran out.

The re-charge took several hours and the TP was able to graze at the buffet before the early sunset on this November afternoon.

Consider yourselves warned... the TP will take advantage of you any chance it gets!



This post was written on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: Four Months in the Buffet Line with the TP?

As of today, I'm at the four-month mark with my TP and figure its a good time to take a look in the rearview mirror and peer into the crystal ball about what lies ahead.

Rearview Mirror

• The TP was in sad shape when it debuted in July and is somewhat better now that it has received a couple of updates. But let's not kid ourselves into thinking that's its a polished product worth $500. The firesale price of $100 for the 16GB model is too low, but a helluva lot more realistic than the debut price.
• Copy/Paste remains incredibly bad.
• QuickOffice and Smart Office have brought document editing to the TP, but both have limitations that make a fella long for a PC with a full-fledged web browser and mouse.
• Sometimes ya just need the functionality and precision of a mouse to get things done.
• The TP, despite its limitations, has largely saved my laptop from the bumps and bruises of four months in the world of coffee shops, fast food joints, cars and back porches.

Crystal Ball

• The TP is a goner, but tablets, as a whole, are here to stay. The question is... Where will they fit in the roster of devices we own and use?
• For my money, the tablet wont be a PC killer/replacement. It also won't be a smartphone replacement. Each device falls into a niche, somewhat like the assortment of woods and irons a golfer carries in his bag. There's some personal preference involved in club selection, but the good golfer knows how to pick the right club for the right situation.
• Tossing around more metaphors here... Right now the world is in the midst of a tablet craze and folks are using tablets just for the sake of using tablets. When the dust settles (or the bubble bursts) the tablet will be the buffet line of the online world, the spot to graze and consume from the Internet online menu. The PC will continue to be the kitchen and dinner table of the online world.

What's in your TP rearview mirror and crystal ball?



This post was drafted on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: Andy Rooney Was Right

The late Andy Rooney got it right years ago in one of his books...

"Anyone who waits to be struck with a good idea has a long wait coming. If I have a deadline for a column or a television script, I sit down at the typewriter and damn well decide to have an idea."

Last night while sitting down at the keyboard, his words can out from somewhere in the back of my brainpan.


Andy, thanks for the assist from beyond.



This post was written on my TouchPad.


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My TouchPad Today: Pennant - Looks Like a Winner

Last night I downloaded Pennant from the HP App Catalog ($4.99) and took it for a brief test spin... I really liked what I saw!

What is Pennant?

Pennant is a database of all MLB games since the early 50's that's served up in a unique data visualization format that will probably blow you away at first glance, but will ultimately pull you back in for more and more.

Check it out at http://www.pennant.cc/index.php

BTW, the first game I checked out was from August 1963 between the Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians... my first visit to Fenway Park!





Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: Professor Irwin Corey - The World's Foremost Authority

At 97, Professor Irwin Corey, the World's Foremost Authority, is still making more sense than just about anyone else in this world.

Check out my post today about him over at The Friday Special.



Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: That was a Fast Fifty Dollars from HP!

Back on August 8 I did a post called Not So Fast, HP! which was about the $50 app catalog credit given to assuage early adopters who missed out on the original, pre-firesale price reduction on the TouchPad.

The $50 didn't even come close to making up for the poor state of the TP at its July 1 debut.

They did a little better on that front later when they rebated the extra we paid and got our cost down to the firesale price.

But getting back to the fast $50...

In that August post I was bitching about how the $50 credit wasn't actually going to cost HP $50 and how most users would be hard-pressed to spend that amount on apps before the credit expired at the end of the year.

Well, it turns out that I've spent the fast $50. ($49.93, to be exact) Shazam!


Lets take a look at some of what I downloaded to burn through these bonus bucks..

• Picsel Smart Office
• Splashtop Remote Desktop HD
• Audiophile HD Pro
• KalemSoft Media Player
• Audubon Birds
• Tea Reader
• NomNomNom Reader

How did you burn -- or not burn -- through your $50 credit from HP?



This post was drafted on my TouchPad



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My TouchPad Today: More About the TP as a TV Wayback Machine

After finishing last week's post about using the TouchPad as a wayback machine and giving a number of YouTube links to some good TV history, I realized that I forgot a trio that should be near the top of any wayback list...

• Steve Allen
• Ernie Kovacs
• Jack Paar

How the hell did I forget these guys the first time around?


This post was drafted on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: First Snow of the Season

Check out my post about the first snow of the season on The Friday Special


This post was drafted on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: Windpower North of Boston

More meanderings with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

Using windpower to generate electricity is a controversial subject in Massachusetts and many other parts of the nation. But in a small group of communities just north of downtown Boston, wind turbines have established visibility, if nothing else, during the past few years.



Charlestown

Somerville view of MWRA wind turbine -- HP Pre2 photo

MWRA wind turbine as seen on Rte. 99, Charlestown -- HP Pre2 photo

On Route 99, across from a former Boston Edison electric plant, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) recently constructed a 364 foot-high -- at blade peak -- wind turbine in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston to generate power to assist with sewage processing.

Click here to learn more about the MWRA turbine.

View an HP Pre2 video clip of the turbine on YouTube. (The video was cropped and processed in Super C, Virtual Dub and Windows Live MovieMaker.)



Medford

McGlynn Elementary School wind turbine -- HP Pre2 photo

In 2009, the City of Medford erected a 131-foot wind turbine on the grounds of the McGlynn Elementary School. The 35-foot blades of the unit have been generating 10% of the school's power needs.

Click here to learn more about this turbine on the shore of the Mystic River.



Chelsea

Forbes Park wind turbine -- HP Pre2 photo

Forbes Park from Orient Heights, Revere -- HP Pre2 photo

Reconstruction of an old factory complex began in 2008 on the shore of the "Chelsea Creek". The most visible part of the Forbes Park/Forbes Lofts project is probably a 165-foot wind turbine rising out of the site.

The entire Forbes project may have been stalled by the poor economy, but the turbine is still a stunning sight to local residents and travelers on nearby routes.

Click here to learn more about the original vision for Forbes Park.



This post was drafted on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: TP - A TV Wayback Machine

A couple of times a month, I find myself trolling YouTube late on a Friday or Saturday night for old television clips or interviews/remembrances about the history of the medium.

Most of these trips down my memory lane take place on my laptop or the Roku box attached to my TV. In the last few months, however, the TouchPad has crept into the mix of my conveyances.

The TP is a great vehicle (with headphones - remember, this is a late night activity) for use as your personal wayback machine.

My last trip took me to a great series of clips with Bill Marx (Harpo's son) and Dick Cavett chatting about the Marx Brothers.

If you have the opportunity or inclination to take one of these trips, here are some points of interest for your itinerary...

• Sid Caesar
• Your Show of Shows
• Imogene Coca
• Carl Reiner
• Howie Morris
• Mel Brooks
• Dick Cavett
• Archive of American Television
  
  

Is your passport up-to-date?


This post was drafted on my TouchPad


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My TouchPad Today: webOS 3.0.4 - Good News/Bad News

I downloaded the latest webOS update (3.0.4) to my TouchPad a couple of days ago.

As with most things in life, there's good news and bad news, but on my TP there doesn't seem to be any of the cataclysmic problems some internet discussion/forum posters are finding on their devices.

Good News (... Or at least not bad news)

• Speed - My TP does seem to be a bit zippier after the update, just as HP stated it would be
• Sound - Does not appear to be having problems after the update
• Video - Video recording capability added with the update seems to be working as well as can be expected with the low-grade TP built-in camera
• Kindle - App appears to be working fine, unlike the situ reported by many Internet posters

Bad News

• Touchstone Charging - A definite loss here... Device will still charge with a cover on, but placement in the Touchstone must be absolutely precise and perfect for it to work
• Accelerometer - Somewhat amiss after the update... Tends to shift from landscape to portrait orientation at the slightest movement
• Preware patches disabled - Maybe not "bad news", but its a kink that should be fixed shortly

I think its safe to assume that I'll find more -- hopefully small -- issues in the coming days as I cruise through all of the apps and functions on my TP.




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My TouchPad Today: Notes from the Boston Book Festival

More meanderings with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

I managed to get in to Boston for a couple of hours last Saturday (October 15) for the annual Boston Book Festival and attended a couple of good sessions.

Boston Book Festival tents in Copley Square, Boston -- HP Pre2 Photo

  

Boston Book Festival tents in Copley Square, Boston -- HP Pre2 Photo

 Alone Together

This was a late morning presentation, panel discussion and audience Q&A session in the basement-level Dorothy Quincy Suite of the old John Hancock Building (now known as the Back Bay Events Center).

Alone Together panel, Dorothy Quincy Suite of the BBEC -- HP Pre2 Photo

Author Sherry Turkle's brief remarks about her latest book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other were the springboard for a lively discussion moderated by Andrew McAfee that also included panelists Ethan Gilsdorf and Sue Hallowell.

Hallowell came from the direction of being a psychologist who works with couples and families struggling to find real communication in a gadget-filled,  "always on" world.

Davis Sq., Somerville-area resident Gilsdorf approached the discussion as someone who maintains that gaming geeks are not necessarily as isolated and alone as we might think.

Turkle, in response to a question from the audience, explained how, since her first book about social networking 15 years ago, she has evolved from an internet optimist to someone concerned about the ability to always be connected. Back then, the idea was that you participated in the online world for a certain period of time during your day and then went back to the real world. Now, we can be -- and as many are -- connected to the internet world constantly on the devices we have at home, at work, in our cars, and in our pockets. Something has been lost in our lives by this constant ability to remove yourself from the real world.

Frontiers of Science

Boston's Christopher Lydon moderated this afternoon session held in the sanctuary of Copley Square's historic Trinity Church.

Frontiers of Science at Trinity Church -- HP Pre2 Photo

Frontiers of Science at Trinity Church -- HP Pre2 Photo

The presenter/panelists were...

• Stephen Greenblatt
• Lisa Randall
• Siddhartha Mukherjee

Greenblatt told of how a 2100+ year-old poem, rediscovered and published in the 1500's, spoke of how it was already believed back then that the matter all around us was composed of atoms.

Randall followed with a brief spiel about the sub-atomic scale of her scientific work.

Mukherjee presented in the third spot and captivated the audience with a tremendous story of how the understanding of "what cancer is" has changed over the years with research and study.

The current view, based on how we now know genes operate, is that cancer is an unpreventable part of us. Our environment and our behavior may help "activate" cancers, but they do not cause it. Cancer is hard-wired in our genes, just like the info hard-wired in our genes to, say, heal a cut on our hand.



I'm looking forward to next year's festival!!



Follow me on Twitter,,, @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: A Lost Cause? - Kodak AiO Cloud Printing with TouchPad and Pre2

I've been aware for the past year or so that cloud printing has been available from HP and Google, but never paid it much mind until last Friday evening. While troubleshooting a printing problem in Word 2010, I found that Kodak has made cloud printing options available for a number of its current and classic printers.

Two choices appear to be available...

• Google Cloud Print
• Kodak's own e-print service

I opted to go with Kodak's service as it sounded like what I've understood HP's cloud service to be -- your printer is assigned an e-mail address. As long as you have access to e-mail, you can send an attachment to your printer's address and, moments later, out prints your document. Kodak takes care of finding/determining the ip address of your printer.

Friday night, while sitting next to my printer at home, I test printed from my TouchPad and Pre2. Seemed to work fine.

While out and about on Saturday, I sent several items back to the printer from my TP and Pre combo. Arriving back at home I found that nothing printed.

This led to some to some extended futzing around with my Kodak printer, laptop, TP, and Pre2.

It seems to be that the computer attached to the Kodak printer needs to be turned on and must have a "connector" software program active and logged on... as well as being logged in on Google Cloud Print for the service(s) to work.

My bottom line: unless I'm missing something about the setup/configuration of these services to do cloud printing from your TP or Pre2 to a Kodak printer, take a pass on it until it becomes much more streamlined for users.




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My TouchPad Today: South Boston - Sullivan's and Castle Island/Fort Independence

From another day out and about with my TouchPad and Pre2...


Sullivan's

HP TouchPad Photo

HP Pre2 Photo

Now celebrating its 60th anniversary, Sullivan's has been a favorite for generations who want a great hot dog or other quick food.

The stand (actually a brick building) is open from February to November.

This year's closing date is November 27.

Each November, hot dogs are 1/2 price... 80 cents this year.

The 2012 reopening will be in late February.




Castle Island/Fort Independence

HP Pre2 Photo

HP TouchPad Photo

HP Pre2 Photo

HP Pre2 Photo

Dating back to the 1600's, a number of forts have been on the Castle Island site overlooking Boston Harbor.

The current Fort Independence dates back to the mid-1800's and is frequently opened for free public tours and community activities.

Castle Island is a popular spot for walkers and joggers who go around the site on multi-level paved paths. Another popular activity is fishing from a pier on the harbor-facing side of the fort.

Other points of interest nearby (in addition to Sullivan's) are City Point and Pleasure Bay.


Click here to see my past photos of the Castle Island area on Flickr.



Post drafted on my TouchPad at Sullivan's and Castle Island/Fort Independence.




Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: Boston - Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market

More from my recent meanderings in Boston with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

HP Pre2 Photos

Historic Faneuil Hall and the adjacent Quincy Market are a major destination for tourists from around the world seeking food, shopping and entertainment in the heart of early Boston.

See my past photos of the marketplace area on Flickr.


(Post drafted on my TouchPad)


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My TouchPad Today: Boston Public Garden

More from my recent meanderings in Boston with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

HP Pre2 Photo

The famous swanboat rides in the Boston Public Garden may be gone for the year, but there's still a lot to see there as the weather cools during the autumn season.

Click here to see some of my past Boston Public Garden photos on Flickr.


(Post drafted on my TouchPad)


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My TouchPad Today: Peter Pan at Boston City Hall Plaza

More from my recent meanderings in Boston with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

HP Pre2 Photo

Construction of a large pavilion is underway at City Hall Plaza for the upcoming run (starting October 18) of the Peter Pan show.

Read the boston.com article here about the creation of the show and the technology that makes it an immersive experience for the audience.


See my past photos of Boston City Hall Plaza on Flickr.


(Post drafted on my TouchPad)


Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: Haymarket Pizza and the Haymarket Sq. Produce Market

With the car in the shop again today (awaiting parts), I ventured once more into Boston, TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

HP Pre2 Photo

On Fridays and Saturdays the streets near Haymarket Pizza are transformed into an open-air produce market, with bargains galore to be had.

Truth be told, the produce market long pre-dates the pizza shop and is a big attraction for both savvy locals and tourists from around the world.

Check out some of my past photos of Haymarket on Flickr.


(Post drafted on my TouchPad)


Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: Haymarket Pizza - A Hidden Gem

My car is in the shop today, so I've ventured into Boston via the MBTA, TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...

HP Pre2 Photo

Stopping for a quick lunch at Haymarket Pizza (106 Blackstone St. ... just a stone's throw from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Marketplace).

I've been hitting this place a couple of times of year for 20+ years, for 2 cheese slices.

Back then, the damage for two cheese slices was $2.00.

Current damage for two cheese slices is $2.50.

Decor is bare-brick walls and saw-horse tables.

Can't beat it with a stick!


(Post drafted on my TouchPad)




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My TouchPad Today: My Post-Season Meeting with John W. Henry - Pt. 2

In yesterday's post I revealed that I have actually owned all of John W. Henry's business interests, including the Boston Red Sox, for most of the past ten years. Until last Friday, he had my confidence and ran the club well. In the wake of September's collapse, I had no choice but to call him in and make it clear that he (JW) had to quit as "principal owner" of the team.

I have now completed a nation-wide search and have found the best candidate to fill the vacant spot in my organization. This individual has been a success over a period of many years in the business, as well as working successfully with the media. He is the perfect candidate.

Listen in as I call and offer him the job.



RN: JW, RN here. I need a favor from you...







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My TouchPad Today: My Post-Season Meeting with John W. Henry

For almost ten years I've managed to keep it a secret that John W. Henry is not the real owner of the Boston Red Sox.

The truth is that I've owned all of Henry's businesses and had the confidence in him to manage everything correctly... until last Friday.



On the Phone...

RN:  Hello, JW, RN here. Can you stop by my office in a couple minutes?

JW:  Can it wait a bit?... I'm watching the end of the soccer game.

RN:  Buddy Boy, that really wasn't a request.  Get your butt in my office now.

JW:  OK, boss.




In the Office...

JW:  You wanted to see me, boss?

RN:  Sit down, JW. I need to hear what you're thinking about what went right this season, what went wrong, and, more importantly, what your thoughts are about next year.

JW:  Boss, I don't know quite what to say.  The season just ended two days ago and things are a bit raw for me right now. Its really hard for a fella to just stand by and let his manager and team fail while doing nothing to help. If you want the honest truth...

RN:  JW, I don't want the honest truth. I just want to know what you think about next year.

JW:  Boss, all through the season, and especially now, I'm getting the feeling that you don't want me back next year as the team owner.  You never call, you nev....

RN:  Rubbish! I don't blame you for the team's collapse in September. I have the utmost respect for what you've done in most of your time with me. I just want to know your plans for next year.

JW:  Well, I think I know where we're going here. You need a new principal owner for the club. Its been very frustrating for me to just stand by and do nothing this year. Not everyone on the team, or you, get that. Maybe its time to get someone different to just stand by and do nothing to support the team. Maybe the team will understand that from a new person. In the past, everyone got it. Let's just end the charade and move forward.

RN:  JW, don't be so hasty. Why don't you take the weekend to think about things and come back on Monday and quit then. I don't want the media to think that I fired you today... Monday will be soon enough. Then we'll  put out a statement that fixes everything.

JW:  I'm sensing you really don't think that everyone will know its a crock of crap, whether we do it today or next week?

RN:  Monday is the perfect time, Buddy Boy!

JW:  All things being equal, let's make the announcement today that I'm out.  I never did like playing charades.




Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: Bezos & Hastings - The Dirty Duo of Internet Business

Yes, my friends, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Reed Hastings of Netflix/Quickster/Whatever are the Dirty Duo of Internet business.

Hastings has been on my "bad" list for a long time. His recent pricing and company split shenanigans were only real-life confirmation of what my built-in BS detector told me when I first saw him on Charlie Rose's program several years ago. (I suspect that in real life he sets off BS detectors at a distance of five miles!)

On the other hand, I've been a Bezos admirer until recently... namely yesterday when Bezos/Amazon announced their new Kindles, and finally decided to make good on the HP firesale pricing of the TouchPad for all purchasers. Ya coulda knocked me over with a feather!

Its painfully obvious what both of these business gurus did will, in the long run, be beneficial to their customers, employees and shareholders, but its equally clear that its a lousy way to treat your customers and employees in the here and now.

Hastings and Netflix did the right thing by spinning off the DVD-by-mail business, but failed miserably at managing their customers through the changes... hence the uproar at Greed Hastings's arrogance. And I'm sure that its been much more painful for Netflix's employees than if a proper change management plan -- or any plan -- had been used with their customers.

Bezos/Amazon's TP price rebate decision was a great move business-wise because it put cash into tablet customer's hands on the same day that it announced the modestly priced Kindle Fire and the other new Kindle models. Brilliant... but by holding out for a month, your customer-facing employees took an undeserved beating on your behalf. Your customers and their money were held hostage for pure, naked greed on your part.

Somehow, Jeff, your proclamation yesterday about the type of company you and Amazon have chosen to be set off BS detectors around the world.

Mr. Bezos, have you met your new roomie Mr. Hastings?

Which of you is taking the top bunk?




Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087,

My TouchPad Today: Splashtop Remote HD - The Tortoise or The Hare?

During my past couple of days of tinkering with (actually trudging along with) Spalshtop Remote HD for the TouchPad, I can truthfully report that Mr. Hare never made an appearance.

This puppy -- er, tortoise -- will never be confused with anything related to speed.

It lives in the same neighborhood as families named Sluggish and Finicky.


All of that being said, the slowness probably isn't actually Splashtop's fault. This is, after all, a remote desktop app, subject to the whims of the Internet connection gods.

And is the finickiness related to the same gods? I'm thinkin' "yes".

So what's the problem here?

Me thinks that it goes directly to the concept of remotely controlling a mouse-based device with a multi-touch device... You can do it, but how much can you actually do, and how much can you actually do well... and what's the cost in terms of time and effort expended?

Sure, you can stream video or audio. Sure you can read/surf with it, but the experience starts to break down and become an exercise in frustration when you need to scroll vertically in a window. Too much effort for too little in return.

A deeper breakdown of the experience reveals itself when you attempt to create some content in an application like PowerPoint. Yes, it can be done, but, once again, at what cost?


So, getting back to the fabled Tortoise and the Hare...

Splashtop Remote or any other similar app is almost guaranteed to be the Tortoise.

The real questions are how much do you really need remote access via your TouchPad and what type of work do you need to accomplish?

Assuming that your need is more in the direction of accessing content, rather than creating content, Splashtop Remote HD is a good purchase for your TouchPad. Otherwise, consider yourself warned!



Follow me on TouchPad... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: The Tablet Won't Kill the PC - The PC Lives On and On and...

Tablets like the TouchPad are obviously here to stay, but will they kill the PC and make it disappear from our lives?

Nope! Its probably gonna be with us for longer than any of the so-called visionaries can imagine. (Though tablets will get much better in the long run at creating content... one of the PC's fortes.)

Sure, IBM saw some kind of handwriting on the wall several years ago and dumped their PC business on Lenovo. Sure, HP, in its current stupor, is mulling dumping their PC group. But this kind of thought and vision is taking place kinda way up in the business stratosphere.

So what's happening in the dens, basements and garages of the world? People are clinging to the PC in its many iterations of the past 20+ years. The PC lives on and on and on...

How do I know?

First off, I'm generally "progressive" with technology, but I do find myself nursing along a 2003 vintage mini-tower PC -- holding my data going back to 1993 -- that has been upgraded from XP to Vista to Win 7. Its final retirement has been deferred countless times. Plus, along with my HP TP, Win7 laptop, and Pre2 smartphone, I'm holding on to a fleet of PDA's, laptops, and netbooks (and related software) in various stages of semi-retirement, ready to jump back into the game at a moment's notice.

Secondly, and more importantly, last week I had an experience that brought me back to earth vis a vis the actual penetration of newer technology into those dens, basements, and garages I mentioned earlier. A friend told me that her husband had a computer that refused to boot. I naturally offered to assist in reviving the beast. What I found was a bit of a shocker...

The fella uses three PC's in his business and they range from one that is vintage 2000+ to two that are 1995-ish. The older ones actually date back to when he started to computerize his work in the mid-90's... which was the last time I chatted with him!

Why hasn't he done more updating along the way? There are probably a bunch of reasons, but the main one is that the older PC's support older equipment he still uses in his business today and has no need to update at this point in his life.

Now, just imagine how many times this type of scenario is repeated across the country and around the world!

The PC lives on and on and on...



Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: The HP CEO Shuffle - Good News/Bad News

Alas, the ouster of Leo Apotheker as HP CEO is one of those classic good news/bad news scenarios...


The Good News -- Meg Whitman is the new HP CEO, meaning that Leo Apothecary is out.

The Bad News -- Meg Whitman is the new HP CEO. Feels like an "any port in a storm" move on the part of the HP board.



Some other thoughts on the matter...

• The Good News -- (Insert any name here) is the new HP CEO, meaning that Leo Apotheker is out.

• If Pee Wee Herman, like Meg Whitman, were sitting on the HP board since January, could he have been the new CEO today?

I'm not seeing Whitman as the fix to what ails HP.

Anyone have Pee Wee Herman's phone number handy?




Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: A Slow Day While Waiting on Leo's Fate

It was another slow day for me in the world of TouchPad.

Other than waiting on HP's board to decide the fate of beleaguered CEO Leo Apotheker, I twiddled a bit with a couple of apps...

• Tea Reader -- Had to delete and reinstall the app this morning after it couldn't load my Google Reader feeds. Spent a goodly amount of time futzing around with getting it to re-access the correct one -- the one with news feeds -- of my two Google accounts.  Some user error, some app stubbornness.

• Spaz HD Beta Preview 2 -- Downloaded this app last night and took it out for its first real spin today. I like the fact that it displays a full list of the tweets that I follow, unlike the truncated list provided in the app I've been using.  Beyond that... Meh.

Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: Mornings with the TouchPad and the Pre2

Nothing spectacularly new happening in my TouchPad world over the past few days, so I'll go here with something about my morning routine with my TouchPad and Pre2.


Everyday my electronic duo of the TouchPad and Pre2 get a bit of a morning workout. Here's the agenda...

• PreCentral.net
• The Charlotte Observer
• Boston.com / The Boston Globe
• Twitter
• The New York Times
• Tea Reader (for my Google Reader feeds)
• Blogger.com (to check on my blogs... My TouchPad Today and The Friday Special)

How do you start the day with your TouchPad or other electronic tools?



Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087