luken7

Sailing is all about the Weather

Posted on May 19, 2013 by luken7

So far, as the weather is concerned, it looks much better for heading to Ocracoke for the extended weekend later this week. Last year, we motored and beated head on all the way but had a great sail back. This year, so far, it looks like an Ocracoke bus, meaning favorable winds going and returning. Currently tracking L-36, and it showing a nice beam reach for heading out on Thursday, and a broad reach returning on Monday, possibly even a downwind run. But whenever the wind is clocking like that in the Pamlico, it’s usually due to storms, which there will be few, but will be fun.

The Global Warming Challenge for Non-believers

Posted on May 19, 2013May 19, 2013 by luken7

I have a simple challenge for the non-belivers of global warming. Find your nearest smokestack that is spewing out something looking like this.

Now here’s the challenge. Stand there for about 20 consecutive minutes, focusing on the top of the stack. Don’t be distracted by birds flying by (there won’t be any), or people in the background. Just focus on the top of that stack and what is coming out. After those 20 consecutive minutes, I want you to ask yourself two simple questions.

What the heck is that stuff that is coming out of the top of that “pipe”?
Where the hell is that stuff going?

Ok, challenge over. Go dwell on that for a while….

Apple Maps – Still a laugh

Posted on May 17, 2013 by luken7

OK, so a year later and Apple Maps is still a disaster. We’re heading out to dinner tonight to a french place in Durham, NC named Rue Cler. Note, we live south of Raleigh. So firing up Apple Maps on the iPhone for directions, I type in “Rue Cler”. It returns a place in Paris, France, along with many locations in Quebec. Not one mention of the restaurant that is just 30 miles away.

Next, I fire up Google Maps on my iPhone and type in “Rue Cler”. Th very first hit is the restaurant. It’s smart enough to know that since I’m in the western hemisphere, I’m probably interested in this restaurant since it’s close by, and not that I’m about to board a flight to Paris….

BTW, Apple Maps has yet to find the restaurant, although it has been open since OCTOBER OF 2006 !!!!

Autodealers – Capitalists don’t really like Capitalism

Posted on May 17, 2013 by luken7

Ah, here we go. Yet another association with deep pockets driving the agenda. This time its the North Carolina auto dealers cartel. Seeing that Tesla sells their vehicles direct, dealerships see this as a threat. Here’s a tip for you, Mr. Cartel, it’s not Tesla that’s the threat, it’s your shady sales model and poor quality of service.

If a person is going to buy a Tesla, your purchasing of politicians won’t matter. If I were to buy a Tesla, I’d simply buy it out of state and drive it home. If I really wanted one, I would have it, regardless of what strong-arming you accomplish. To me, there’s no value-add in purchasing a new vehicle from a dealer, it’s just unnecessary markup with no benefit for the customer, none. Also, your service centers are high priced, and your “certified” mechanics are no better skilled than other mechanics at independent shops. We have a Honda Pilot, we know. The quality of post sales maintenance and service for us is now actually better served with independent maintenance shops.

The auto dealership model with force retail is a dying or dead model as it shows little benefit to the customer. It’s an outdated model that is held together by a deep pocket cartel that can purchase politicians to do their bidding. Period. Eventually, slowly but eventually, customers will have choice, as more innovative companies like Tesla band together to provide legislative balance to get a true, competitive, capitalist market opened.

Tesla, the automaker behind high-end electric vehicles, could be prohibited from selling in North Carolina under legislation moving through the statehouse.

At issue is not what Tesla sells, but how it sells its cars.

Instead of using dealerships, Tesla markets and sells its automobiles through the Internet or by phone. This new business model of selling vehicles has upset owners of car dealerships who see Tesla as a threat to the traditional way of making deals.

That is why the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association sponsored a law that would make it illegal for any carmaker to bypass dealerships and sell directly to customers.

via Controversies – North Carolina Law Would Force New Cars to be Sold through Dealerships – AllGov – News.

Moving on from Drobo

Posted on May 14, 2013May 14, 2013 by luken7

So today is apparently the last day of my current DroboFS warranty, or yesterday was. Apparently, the day it expires on is not the last day of warranty, but the day it’s no longer covered. So I was amazed to see that by pressing the ‘extend’ button gives an out of warranty price of $239 for a one year warranty. I would have extended it under the regular price, especially since this box has had two complete loss of data events, requiring a resync from another array (not a Drobo). But with the cost of $239, I think that money is much better served moving to a Synology NAS. I have a few friends with them and have heard nothing but good things.

DroboCare Purchase OptionsDroboCare for Drobo FS – 1 year out of warranty price $239.00Buy

From an [insert whatever here] Perspective

Posted on May 12, 2013May 12, 2013 by luken7

It seems that lately, I keep hearing “from a [insert here] perspective…when having or overhearing diss upsilons in the tech sector. As recently as this week while at a tech conference, time an time again that phrase has come up in conversations. It seems to start off discussions or be the starting point for an answer.

What does that really mean. Do we use it because we’re trying to fill dead space, coming up with something while we use it for delay? I say it’s becoming the most overused phrase today. Wile I and thinking about this, I trying to figure out what I would replace it with. There has to be something different. We’ve collectively pushed this phrase to its extinctions.

Google Now is now

Posted on April 30, 2013April 30, 2013 by luken7

Well, it’s finally happened, the circle is now complete. Google Now is now available for IOS and all is good. If there was one remaining reason to get an Android phone, it’s now gone. I’ve been hearing so much about it from my Android using friends, and today I got to experience it first hand o IOS. Pretty slick app, and I thin I will only get better with time. A pretty good writeup on Google Now is HERE.

Bubble Browser 2 :: Entirely new approach for your Evernote data!

Posted on March 22, 2013March 27, 2013 by luken7

If you use Evernote and would like some visual insight into your data, here’s a great visualization tool for your “data mining”. Very real, dimensional and interactive, providing a new approach to searching and discovering your info.

As it’s dependent upon tags, I’ve discovered just how much I don’t tag as I rely on the pure indexing in Evernote to search, the brute force method. I think I’m going to just sit around one day and go through the 4000+ notes that don’t have tags, it will be an interesting exercise. If there’s a feature that should bei n Evernote, this is it. Maybe they’ll purchase the company and integrate it directly into evernote.

For the time being, the app is free in the Mac App store, but definitely worth a few dollars.

Bubble Browser 2 :: Entirely new approach for your Evernote data!.

The “Red Route” Southeast Outer Loop Extension

Posted on March 12, 2013 by luken7

Southeast Outer Loop Extension – Google Maps.

Well, just sent my email to my elected officials and the Turnpike Authority to voice my opposition to the southeastern loop of NC540, aka the Red Route. In studying the route further, it is actually within 1600 FEET of our home. At risk are some fantastic neighborhoods, local parks, and our drinking water. This simply cannot happen, at all costs. We have lived in this town now for 20 years now. We’ve moved several times and we’re still in this nice town. That’s saying something.

As with most politicians and gov’t agencies, they target the populous that is least represented or where they feel there will be less opposition. All this reminds me of a saying. “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what’s for dinner….Liberty is the lamb disputing the results…”

I’m truly amazed and astounded as to how little vocal opposition there is to this. Maybe it’s the lack of awareness of what’s happening, or that people think their voice doesn’t matter. You inaction is your action, and in the end, you get the government you deserve. The @StopTheRedRoute twitter account only has seven (7) followers, although there are tens of thousands in Garner proper and surrounding areas.

If you’re also here in Garner, here’s the page to get more information and to send a letter to all the parties involved. Representatives Paul Stam and Nelson Dollar have introduced a bill to repeal N.C. S.L. 2011-7. The repeal would allow the Red Route to be studied and constructed. I’ve always believed that with politicians, there’s always a motivating factor behind their decisions. I expect that someday it will come to light with these two as to what they stand to gain personally. I think it’s a safe bet that neither of these to gentlemen actually live in Garner.