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Showing posts from 2011

Getting Ready to Start the Community WiFi Project

I've been obsessed with setting up a Community WiFi network in my home town. The idea is to get people sharing their Internet connections with the community. I'm aiming for a mesh network, personally, although after reviewing other community networks, I recognize that if this takes off, we would eventually need some backhauls to get information from point A to Point B much faster. It would also help cross long distances that the routers aren't equipped to handle. Today I went down to the hardware store and found an antenna mount that fixes to the house gable for $20. I bought some galvanized 1 inch conduit pipe for a mast. That will have to be cut to a more manageable size.  Then I climbed up into the attic to check out the situation on how I'm going to run the cable to my mesh router.  Fortunately, the mesh router uses PoE, so I only have to worry about running one cable. I did not start on the installation today because I need an outdoor cover for the mesh router;...

Let's rename restrooms and call them biological rooms

I say we do away with all pretenses at being polite. Let's call our bathrooms, restrooms, or whatever you call them, biological rooms. The reasoning is quite simple, we perform basic biological functions in there. When you go to the "rest room", it's usually anything but. If you're not doing the pee pee dance, you're doing the poo poo dance, washing microbiological life forms off your hands, or wholesale washing off your whole body. We even scrape off fur, take medicine, and generally address other biological needs there.

T-Mobile Galaxy Tab with Android 2.3, Gingerbread

I finally got tired of waiting for either T-Mobile or Samsung to push out Android 2.3, Gingerbread, to my Galaxy Tab. I found a website with destructions on how to do it myself. It was much easier than I imagined. Two features I wanted with Android 2.3, Google Talk with video and Hangouts, were my main motivation for upgrading the Galaxy Tab on my own. I had mixed results. Google Talk with video currently requires 2.3.4. The Galaxy Tab update is 2.3.3. Missed it by THAT much. According to Google, they are working to make it available to more devices. On the bright side, at least I can join Hangouts. I tested it with another account earlier. It's not bad at all. The main limitation is the quality of the front facing camera. Skype also allows for video chat, as does Qik. What is a little freaky is that the upgrade has the calling feature enabled. I could use the Tab to make calls using an appropriately set up sim card. Another thing that was fixed was adding the voice actions b...

When Kindle, Nook, nor Google Books Has a Price Advantage

I've been meaning to buy a book by Paulo Coehlo that I've read rave reviews about from people I follow online. So, as a little reward, I thought to find the least expensive version, either on the Kindle, Nook, or Google Books. The book is the same price on all three. Having an Android tablet, it doesn't really matter to me what format I use, when there is a clear price advantage. However, when the book is the same price across platforms, all sorts of considerations suddenly jump up at me. Here are the things I think about: Where do I have the greatest number of titles already purchased? What platform do I want to keep for the long-term? Which one is DRM free? How easy is it to share? Which has the better Android app? Is the printed version cheaper? Is this something I'd want in the "family library" (Nook)? None of this would have mattered if I could save a dollar. It would be an easy decision. However, given no price advantage, my mind jumps to...

Open Mesh Routers Are a Fair Alternative

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia I've been working with Open Mesh routers at a couple of locations. Thus far, they have been reliable and have pretty good range on their own. Allowing the routers to mesh offers some pretty good advantages for small business. One location where I am using an Open Mesh router has only one router as an access point . We wanted to test it out. I've been meaning to add a second access point for redundancy, though the office is small enough to be covered by the single router. My main motivation is to ensure that wireless coverage stays up should one router fail. That way, I have time to order a replacement while still servicing network clients. In another location, I have three mesh routers. Two are set up as gateways with a third as a repeater. The two gateways are located in areas where I believe most people will use them, near the offices. The repeater is located in a conference room where it extends coverage outside the building. It ...

Handwriting Apps for Evernote on Android Devices

There are two apps for Android devices that allow you to take notes as handwriting. This is handy in that it can be a little faster than typing, even allowing you to draw figures if needed. The reason handwriting is useful with Evernote is that Evernote is able to recognize and index handwriting found in images, . . . legible handwriting. The ability to find hand written notes through the Evernote search function gives new life to the use of penmanship.  The first handwriting app is Handrite . I like it because it has writing guides that help you more or less keep letters the same size and your writing straight across the page. Handrite is geared towards writing text. You can technically draw items; but, they will be resized to fall within the size of your text.  I default to Handrite whenever I need to jot down something quickly. However, it needs work on tracking your finger movement. Writing in a hurry leaves a mess of sticks and circles. Notes are exportable to Ev...

Faith Without Works is Dead, Prayer Too

I'll probably hurt some feelings and cause others to bob their heads in agreement. Faith without works is dead ; similarly, prayer without action is just a bunch of words. You won't get to heaven via prayer group. You must have something that you can claim to have accomplished. I suppose that we should break up prayers into different types. There are the ceremonial prayers where you ask God for his blessing and praise him. You do that out of respect. Basically, this is giving God props for being awesome. There is also the type of prayer where you are asking God for help, whether it be the strength to get through some hardship or whatever; a petition. I have a variation of that kind of prayer I call idle prayer. With petitions, you pray for things like serenity and strength to deal with the challenges before you. You ask for those qualities that will help carry you through to take action. It all comes back to you. If you have pain, pray for endurance until the Ibuprofen ...

Io at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens

Monster Shaine

The Evolution of My Evernote and Moleskine System

A couple years ago, I wrote about how the  Moleskine was killing my Evernote use . I'm happy to say that Evernote has survived the ordeal and even has me still paying the monthly subscription. Now they co-exist peacefully. However, it's not until recently that a harmonious balance came into existence. There are two things that drive my use of these two note-taking options; ease of use and quick access. I love Evernote's endless supply of storage and the ease with which I can find material. However, entering information is not always quick unless I am at the computer. The majority of my Evernote entries come from my mobile phone. Typically, they are in the form of a photo. While the Android app allows me to upload images, text, voice notes, or other files, manual entry of long notes is cumbersome. Voice notes are pretty good; but to make them searchable, I need to transcribe them at some point. The Moleskine wins out with long note-taking and drafts of some of my work ...

What is Twitter? A good analogy.

Image by bhenak via Flickr Twitter is analogous to 2-way radio. Many of the same dynamics that apply to radio communications are also applicable to how Twitter allows its users to communicate. Radio communications gives everybody in the group the ability to listen in. The ambient radio chatter gives all members of the group situational awareness of what is happening throughout the organization. While radio carries voice communications, Twitter carries text and background awareness of what is happening in the network.

Still Weighing Springpad vs Evernote

I recently downloaded the Springpad app for my Android phone. As an avid user of David Allen's GTD methodology, I like to experiment with different ways of capturing and using information. Evernote has done a good job for me in terms of universal capture; but, it has shortcomings on a mobile platform. In my venture with Springpad, there are things that it does better than Evernote; but, it's also not completely filling my needs. What Springpad does well The advantage of Springpad over Evernote is that it categorizes information from the outset. You can create tasks, recipes, notes, reminders,

Google+ Offers Geographic Diversity of Friends

Google Plus offers users geographic diversity in who you circle and who circles you. I think this will probably improve now that Google added search to the platform. What I mean by geographic diversity is that your circles aren't limited to certain geographic areas.  Let's take Facebook, for example. Most of my Facebook friends are clustered around my immediate area, San Antonio, and Austin. That sort of makes sense. If you're adding friends and people with whom you may have some mutual acquaintances; then it stands to reason that your social graph will depend largely on your physical presence.  In this way, Facebook has somewhat of a small town feel, where everybody knows each other or is related somehow. And despite the occasional Internet famous person I follow who live outside my geographic area, everybody kind knows each other in that sphere too.  Google+, on the other hand... In contrast, Google+ for me has been very different in the sense that...

Kvetching About Sprint

Motorola i335 by Boost Mobile I'm still on track to using a feature phone and a tablet rather than a smartphone. I've switched the T-Mobile Nokia for a Motorola i335, which is an iDEN phone on Boost. In case you're confused why I'm kvetching about Sprint, it's because Sprint operates the Boost Mobile network(s?). Boost is in the process of transitioning clients over to CDMA phones from their old iDEN phones. Lately Sprint has been lousy about maintaining the network. If you recall, Boost Mobile started off as a popular prepaid phone service. What made them popular at the time was that they offered unlimited walkie-talkie calling for $1 per day. These days, the walkie-talkie feature isn't as popular. This is not because it's not useful; rather, the iDEN network is old technology that is not capable of transferring high speed data, which our smartphones slurp up like nobody's business. There are still plenty of people who use iDEN phones to commu...

There Is No Business Manual For The Aspiring Tech

There are a bunch of smart people who are really into technology of all sorts. Some are computer techs. Some are developers. Some are network specialists. Some are engineers. Others just love technology and have a high aptitude for it. Unfortunately, there isn't a manual that tells you how to make a living from technology. Everybody who is into computers in some way gets asked to fix a computer for a friend or family member. Things like that, you are a bit shy to price. You're doing them a favor, right? Once you get a referral to somebody else, you are shy about charging what tech shops or the geeks at a big box store charge just to show up. Obviously, if the person wanted to pay through the nose they'd have gone to one of those places. So, you charge a lower rate. Perhaps you don't have any certifications or degrees in the field. Maybe you feel you aren't as proficient as others in the technology field. Perhaps you looked at Craigslist and saw that some fools...

Bike Riding With the Boy

I went bike riding with my son earlier this evening. I'm guessing we rode maybe 5 miles. He has been too young to go on bike rides. He is nine years old now. He has mostly ridden his bike around the front of the house, back and forth. I've always enjoyed bike riding, although lately I haven't done much of it. I took the bike out of storage not too long ago. I have it in the living room of our apartment to make it easier to take out on rides; but, I often get home so late that it would be dangerous to ride in the dark. I do not ride as often as I would like. Circumstances today made it so that my family and I were home around 5 pm. It was the perfect opportunity to go on a ride with my son. He and I have the only bikes; the toddler has her Dora bigwheel; but, that's not adequate for more than puttering around outside on the sidewalk. My main concern was that temperatures were still in the upper 90s. Fortunately, there is a big park about 1 mile away from our apartm...

Pfft

Testing Mindmeister for Android Beta

Mindmeister recently released a beta version of Mindmeister for Android , which I am testing out. The beta is available for a limited time. If you are a fan of mind mapping and have an Android phone, you should give it a whirl. This download version will only be available until September 12. First Impression Thus far, I like the experience. The experience so far has been very similar to Thinking Space , another Android mind mapping app, which will be the basis for comparison. Thus far, the beta has worked reliably. I've had one crash while I was syncing all my mind maps. Other than that, no problems. The Mindmeister app keeps your maps synced with your online maps. Even if you do not have an Internet connection, you can still work on your mind maps, which will be uploaded to the web automatically once your connection is restored. Your maps are organized in folders and provide the same visual experience as the full web version. Mindmeister for Android also gives you access t...

Good luck on that additional stimulus, Mr. President

I wish I could have watched the President's speech to Congress tonight. Really, no joke. While I may disagree with him, I keep hoping he will have an epiphany that his political opponents are also his constituents, who are loudly telling government what they want and expect. Congress could take a hint too. I've read the text of his speech ; but didn't really find anything exciting or particularly moving. It is difficult to judge by the text alone. He may have presented it much better than it reads. Thus, I wanted to watch. Seeing the light? Here is what I get from the speech. He was opposed to tax cuts; now he isn't. He either knew they would help, and opposed them anyway; or, he really believed he could tax us into prosperity. Suddenly he also sees the light on overregulation too. Or did he know all along that it is burdensome? I'm glad he has seen the light; but, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. He says the tax cuts are paid for. Who do you ...

Why In-Person Appointments Waste Time

Meeting people in person is often a major time-waster. Technology allows us to call people on the phone, text them, send emails, collaborate through online shared spaces, videoconference, and recently "hang out". There is a mismatch between what is possible and what people are actually doing.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when somebody wants to meet because they don't want to tell me something over the phone. Another pet peeve is somebody who doles out assignments one at a time; just give me a damned list with deadlines and leave me alone. As long as you get results, who cares how or when the job is done? As a for-hire IT guy, I somewhat understand why many people don't take advantage of technology. They don't take the time to figure out how to use technology to do things. To be very blunt, there is no reason to remain ignorant in the age of Google. There are tons of how-to posts everywhere. You can download manuals to almost anything. I see it as a lack...

Already Freaking Out About 2012

Lately, I've been pressuring myself to find a calendar to help me start planning 2012. I know, I know, it's only September 2011; there is plenty of time.  Theoretially, you are right. There is plenty of time to plan ahead. However, I am engaged in various projects and activities that demand my time, some which reach into 2012. I need to block time off way in advance so that I can mentally prepare.  I somewhat use electronic calendars. Having an Android device is good in the sense that it updates my online calendar, and vice versa, automatically. However, electronic calendars simply do not work with the way my brain operates. I need a physical calendar.  Earlier tonight, I got my fix of productivity porn over at Plannerisms . This afternoon, I made a trip to Wal-Mart to see what they have in terms of calendars; my current one came from there. It's adequate; but, it's not quite as good as the Uncalendar . I've been wanting a calendar ever since I realized t...

Blogger blocks excessive posting

A while ago, I tried uploading a blog post via Android App. The upload kept failing. Not to be deterred, I deleted the app and reinstalled, to find no better success. I thought that perhaps I could email the post to Blogger. That did not work either. The email bounced back with the following: Technical details of permanent failure: You have exceeded the the allowable number of posts without solving a captcha. This happened because I imported quite a few blog posts from another blog I discontinued just yesterday. It has been less than 24 hours since the import. It makes sense. I'm rather certain the captcha speedbump is also why the mobile app refused to publish my posts. The problem can be circumvented if you post directly on the Blogger site and solve the captcha. This problem will likely resolve in the next few hours and all will be right with the universe once more.

Balance in the Universe

The universe seems to balance out. In one sense, it is great. Whenever bad stuff happens, good things happen to balance it out, if you are receptive. Unfortunately, you must equally fear good fortune because of the certain doom that proceeds. I got some bad news earlier today, regarding finances. It will cause a bit more struggle to make ends meet. Of course, I'm stressing out a bit; but, good news has presented itself already. There is work available to help me adjust. I also had the inklings of a disaster plan in the back of my mind. There will be a little pain; but I'll get over it. There is the philosophical question of fearing happiness when the universe balances itself. Enjoy the good times to the utmost; they will carry you through the tough times.

If Government Creates Jobs, What Jobs Would They Create?

The President is going to make a big speech about Congress setting aside their differences and taking action to create jobs in our country. I generally agree, in terms of economics, that the Government does not create jobs. There is no amount of legislation that will create a job. But, if the Government were to create jobs, they are not the kinds of jobs they are attempting to create. So, what jobs can the feds create? The Government cannot simply will manufacturing jobs into existence by passing a law. If people are not buying products, there is no point manufacturing them. If we are not exporting products, there is no point manufacturing them. The Government at this point cannot spur the service industry. With so many unemployed and wage-cut workers out there, people are choosing to cut back on expenses as much as possible. This includes dining out, entertainment, shopping, etc... If the Government could create jobs, they would be related to the core function of Government. One...

Goodbye Session 80

Tonight, I exported my Session 80 blog and imported into this blog account, then deleted it. Earlier this week, I deleted my Wordpress blog and imported it here too. This is all in a move towards simplification. I think a big part of this move to consolidate my content is due to Google's recent streamlining of services thanks to Google+. The streamlining makes it easier to do things that previously required a bunch of other services. Google+ inspired the consolidation because of all the features it has, combining the best of what makes the other services useful. Previously, your blog pics were deposited into Picasa; but, if you wanted to add a photo, you had to upload or provide the link to the photo in your Picasa album. There was no way to access your albums. With the addition of Google+ and the new version of Blogger , it is now possible to add any photo or video hosted in your Picasa account. My photo posts previously had to be done through Flickr or Posterous. Videos us...

Moving ShaineMata.net from Self-hosted Wordpress to Blogger

I successfully moved ShaineMata.net from my old self-hosted Wordpress site to Blogger. I found Wordpress2Blogger earlier today, which converts from one format to the other. The Export/Import of the posts was easy. The only other work to be completed was to point the domain from my hosted site over to Google via the Godaddy. I am certain there are broken links and missing files somewhere. I don't think I'll go hunting for them; I'll probably fix them as I find them. Eventually, if I get rich, I'll hire somebody to check all my posts. I imported more than 1,000 posts; I'm sure you can understand my hesitation. I still recommend Wordpress for small businesses and other applications; but, for my own personal blog, it was too much. Additionally, there are features in Blogger that make it a better platform for my uses, that other people would not use. The features I like about Blogger, for my own purposes, are that updates are automatic, the ability to add locati...

Dumb phone and a tablet: Do more

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"] [/caption] I've been experimenting, for the past two weeks, with a regular old feature phone, a.k.a. dumb phone , for basic texting and calling needs, supplemented by a 7 inch Android tablet. The results have been good in terms of productivity. When I got my first smartphone , I was so happy to be able to access email and be able to tap out a text message on a keyboard. It was a Palm Treo by T-Mobile. With GPRS , the best I could do on the web was WAP . I tried a Sidekick and other types. I finally settled on a T-Mobile Dash , which was awesome with EDGE. I was really rolling along on 2G speeds. And phones got better and could do much more at faster speeds; and I got slower and more distracted from doing my work. Internet services started targeting the mobile user. We could tweet, post photos, write blog posts, hang out on Facebook, visit full websites, an...

The Real Trouble with our Economy: Quicksand

The President and Congress are in economic quicksand. Throughout his presidency, Obama has often blamed our economic woes on the past president, on a tsunami, on headwinds, on anything other than facing up to his greatest fear, he's in over his head. It seems like he can't get a break. At this point, the more Congress struggles, the deeper we sink. Whenever our leaders blame outside forces for causing our slump, it only highlights the lack of control they have over our situation. When you shift the blame, you also shift confidence in your abilities away from your person. True, the President and Congress did inherit some economic problems; but, they also created new ones. When they muscled through the health care reform bill, they spooked a lot of people. They spooked people who are concerned about national debt, eventually forming the Tea Party. Most importantly, they spooked the business community, who have some heavy economic burdens waiting for them in coming years a...

Downgrading Phone for Greater Productivity

My experiment with using a feature phone with an Android tablet seems to be paying off in terms of mobile productivity. The theory of the experiment is that I will have greater focus by not having a smartphone. All information needs are being served by the tablet or desktop. My new handset is a Nokia 1616. I was previously working with a Sony-Ericsson Equinox handset in the experiment. It's not a bad phone; it is absolutely more basic than your average smartphone. However, like many modern phones, the battery life is not all that it could be. My Android phone, loaded with apps, can go about half a day without recharging. Leaving it stock without apps and very light web browsing gets me a full day. The Equinox can pull three or four days of service on one charge. I think its talk time is rated around 7 hours. That is three days of not worrying about a charger. Unfortunately, the Equinox has a camera, bluetooth, and a WAP browser. It's too tempting to fiddle with the phone. I...

Mobile Experiment: Feature phone and tablet

I am currently experimenting with a feature phone, a Sony-Ericsson Equinox, and a Samsung Galaxy Tab (7 inch). Previously, I had a T-Mobile MyTouch 3G handset, which also runs Android. I have wanted to do the experiment for some time; however, due to ill timing on my phone contracts, I'm stuck paying for duplicate Internet service on my handset and on the tablet. It seems like it would be a waste to not use both Android devices. Putting all that aside, I have thought that I could conduct my business and be more productive, overall, if my handset were not a smartphone. The idea is to use one device just for calls, and the other for all the other wonderful things it does. Today was my first day of the trial. One improvement is that the lack of features makes it less attractive to me to play with the phone while driving. At most, I'll call Reqall . The tablet is not an option because you can not easily hold it in one hand and type at the same time. Presumably, you need the oth...

How to get the most out of Evernote

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by shainelee via Flickr"] [/caption] As a preacher of the Evernote, I am often asked how to use it. The answer is a little tricky; most of us use paper differently. Some of us write detailed notes; some of us write broad concepts. What may work for me may not necessarily work for you. So, how can I help you figure out Evernote? The answer is to highlight some of the features of Evernote with some examples of uses, then you can see how the feature may fit into your lifestyle. The important thing to remember is that the more you use it, the more useful it becomes. What Evernote Does and Doesn't Evernote saves information and makes it easy to organize and find that information. Many new users expect Evernote to organize information for them. Evernote doesn't work that way. It's up to you to organize information within the Evernote platform. Evernote provides indexing...