Christopher Meinck

Spring Cleaning for the New Year

I’m not sure when the phrase Spring Cleaning was coined. Spring is a perfect time to open the windows, let the fresh air roam and clean house. For some reason, I’ve become a big proponent of the New Year’s Cleaning. Not as catchy as “spring cleaning”, but for me it has always proved very useful. A new year always brings new challenges and of course the resolutions. I find there is no better time for cleaning and organizing than around the New Year. I spent about three days cleaning my office in anticipation of the New Year. Normally, my cleaning consists of hiding things in drawers and a quick dust. My New Years Cleaning finds me digging throughout the drawers and actually finding the proper home for all my junk. Not only does this get me organized and prepared for the New Year, but I also find things that have gone missing. To date, I’ve found my favorite Islanders hat, my Jabra JX-10 headset and my insurance card. More importantly, it ties up loose ends left from last year and allows me to focus on this coming year. Beyond the papers and general office clutter, this robust cleaning also applies to my Mac. After backing up 104GB of data in my home folder, my PowerMac G5 was treated to a clean install. For those of you unfamiliar with the Mac, this entails formatting your hard drive (ie. removing all data). Not only does my actual desktop get a clean start, but my Mac desktop does as well. With all of this cleaning out of the way, the hope is it will result in my being more productive and achieving my resolutions. My first resolution is not to make my cleaning and organizing an annual event.

Is the Apple iPhone really coming?

I can remember the Apple Newton and I’m still amazed that some people still use their Newton. Or maybe I’m not? Apple products have longed stirred up a certain passion among their owners. I’ve passed down quite a few computers and it was still a painstaking process. My PowerMac 6100, with it’s 32MB, was tough to part with. There was a sense of nostalgia that went along with it. Since the release of the Newton, Apple fans (myself included) have waited for the day Apple would again release a PDA. In that timespan, many of us used Sony Clie’s, Palm Pilots, Visors and more recently the Palm Treo. The latter being a device that envokes feelings similar to those felt with Apple products. If given the choice between iPod and Treo, I’d opt for my Treo any day of the week. There is no device that matches the capabilities of my Treo 700p (perhaps my Moto Q), but definitely no Apple product. I’m certainly not interested in lugging a Newton around. But what about an iPhone. Long rumored, it appears as if an Apple cellphone is going to become a reality. The rumor mills have been buzzing and appeared to reach a feature pitch when patents released Friday were filled with iPhone related fodder. I do think we’ll see the release of the iPhone in January at MacWorld. However, I’m not so sure it’s ready to replace my smartphones. If it’s simply an iPod Phone, then Apple is missing a great opportunity. Just ask the many who still use the Newton.

Did I really need an xBox 360

Perhaps it was the hype machine in Redmond or the adrenaline rush of getting the latest technology. It might have been the excitement of actually tracking down an xBox 360 to purchase. Not only an xBox 360, but the Premium version as no self respecting gamer would be caught dead with the standard 360. After numerous trips to the thread that wouldn’t end at FatWallet, I was able to score a system from DELL. Like all hot selling items, I was forced to buy the dreaded bundle that included an extra controller, year subscription to xBox Live and 3 games. Since I had a $50 deposit at EBGames on a 360, I ended up using that credit to purchase more games. Yet, after all of this investment in high-tech gaming, none of it really mattered until yesterday. It wasn’t Madden O7′, Call of Duty 2 or some new heralded game that changed my view on the 360. Rather, yesterday I downloaded the 1980 classic Scramble from xBox Live Arcade. By far, this was my favorite game of all time. Yes, I loved Defender, Asteroids and Missile Command, but nothing captivated me more than Scramble and now I have it in my living room for the low-low price of $4.99. That is of course you don’t count the $699 xBox 360. Next time, I think I’d be better off buying the original console. xBox 360 Bundle $699. Scramble $4.99. Having Scramble in the comfort of your living room. Priceless.

Inspiration or Imitation

I spend probably 80% of my day on the web and I continuously find things to inspire me to change things on my websites. Whether it’s a design element, a change in layout or adding new functionality, I’m crazy about change and making a better user experience. From time to time, I have come across designers who have had their designs stolen. It’s the not the type of stuff that makes front page news, but does make for an active forum discussion. Not only do they steal the design, but they copy the code to a tee leaving tell tale tracks. Rightfully so, the designer feels violated. It happens all to often. To design based up inspiration is quite different than imitating. Sadly, some sites revert to the latter for lack of creativity.

The Art of Opening New Technology

There is nothing better than the moment Fedex or UPS arrives at my door with some great new technology product. It’s usually not a surprise as the previous 48 hours are spent tracking as it goes through the various stops to my doorstep. I’m the guy who is outside greeting the driver, gleefully offering up my signature. There are more than a few instances where the box just sits on my desk. It’s not because I don’t want to rip it open and start playing. In many cases, the product was sent to me to be reviewed. In that case, against my natural instincts, it sits on my desks until I’m ready to “witness the out of box” experience. I photograph everything in it’s pristine state and then mythodically go through the guide. All this before using the product.

Today was a quite different experience, because I was tracking a new Canon SD700 digital camera. I knew that when Fedex ground arrived, there would be no box on the shelf waiting to be opened. I opened the camera with reckless abandon throwing the guides to the side. I grabbed the essentials, battery, camera and a 1GB SD card I had put aside just for this purpose. Within 2 hours or so, the battery was charged and I started experimenting. There would be no reading of quick start guides and certainly no photos of the packaging. I simply charged up the camera and off I went. Today, I was able feel like a tech-kid in a candy store. Tear off the wrapper and enjoy. If something doesn’t work, I’ll figure it out along the way. I’m happy to report my well researched purchase appears to be a good one. Here’s a photo taken of Pasha using the new toy.

Losing the might in your Mighty Mouse

For the past few weeks, my Apple Mighty Mouse has stopped scrolling downward. It’s been real frustrating because it’s such a natural thing to scroll down. I though it was software related. In fact, that’s why I moved to the Mighty Mouse from my Logitech wireless (which absolutely rocked). A quick search of the Apple forums reveals that oil builds up on the tiny scroll wheel causing a particular direction to fail. The fix is to use a baby wipe or Scott’s Moist Wipe and duplicate the movement that is not functioning. This blog also has tips on how to further clean your Mighty Mouse. It’s great to have downward scrolling back, but now I’m thinking of introducing this cleaning process to the Logitech.

Technology Applies To Litterboxes Too

About two weeks ago, my wife and I decided to add a new furry friend to our household. We don’t travel much, but with every trip we felt worse and worse about leaving our cat alone. Of course we always made arrangements for him to get fed, but felt bad that he was lonely. We officially crossed the line and became those crazy cat people. Perhaps my in-depth research into automatic litterboxes sent us clear over the line. With the addition of Pasha to the family, it was time to upgrade to one of those automatic litter boxes. Being a technology, gadget guy, I couldn’t let my cats go without technology. Like any major purchase, I conducted my research online. The best place to find in-depth information regarding a particular product or service is to find a discussion forum. I figured I could probably find feedback on the various models in one of the cat sites. A quick search of Google and I stumbled upon Litter Box Central. I would have preferred it called Everything Litterboxes, but that’s just me. There was no denying the vast amount of information and user feedback on litterboxes. Comparisons, modifications and good critical feedback on the various models. I spent a few weeks agonizing over the Litter Robot or the Scoop Free. Despite the cost of consumables, I decided to go with the Scoop Free. It uses a cartridge that gets replaced once a month if you’ve got one cat or in my case once every two weeks. Thanks to Litter Box Central, I knew that “kickout” was minimal with ScoopFree and Litter Robot owners were taking their “orb” to the car wash to power wash them clean. Technology is meant to make our lives easier, so I’d gladly pay the premium associated with the ScoopFree for a no-muss, no-fuss solution. Happy cats. Happier owner. Yes, I’ve officially crossed the line and have become crazy cat guy.

Some Things Never Change

Yesterday, I had a Filemaker project that required printing labels and letters. Sounds easy enough. I’ve been a big fan of FileMaker for some time. I set up my contact list, formated my Avery labels and then began the printing process. This is where it goes bad. The printer refused to connect to my PowerBook, so I figured I’d try my desktop. Usually, Macs have drivers for most every printer. My G5 found the printer, so I figured I was in business. Not so fast. The printer was printing everything in red. With all my years of experience with ink jets, surely this is nothing that cannot be cured with a head cleaning. Well, for some reason, the HP cleaning feature would not work. It must be the drivers, so I was off to HP to download 38MB of printing software and utlities. Still, no love from my HP 5850. I thought it might help if I switched the output to pure grayscale. Now, my Everything Treo logo was printing in some odd mix of gray and red. I changed my black ink cartridge and still no luck. I even opened up the logo in Illustrator and changed it to black. No luck. I tried initiating a head cleaning using the buttons on the front of the printer, but that didn’t work either. Finally, I just decided to scrap the logo and just print. All this work for a simple black and white document. I’m happy about getting my cables out to those who contributed to the Treo FAQ, but I’m less than thrilled with the printer. The good news is that I didn’t throw it out the window. How come other companies and products can make strides, yet it seems ink jet printers don’t progress. If anyone knows of a good laser printer, let me know. I’m putting this HP out to pasture.

Building Online Communities

For those who read this blog, you are probably familiar with my site Everything Treo. I’ve been lucky to have an awesome community of Treo owners who frequent the site daily. I find it’s a good mix of new owners who have questions and “old vets” that like to lend a helping hand. Unlike some forums, Everything Treo members seem to embrace new owners along with basic questions. Sure, there are some questions that I’ve answered more than a few times, but I don’t mind. I don’t expect people who come to the site to be an expert in vBulletin and the variety of search features. I still find myself learning vBulletin features. Over time, it’s the people who start with 1 post that end up helping the new people. That’s the type of “vicious cycle” that’s been created.

Over the past week, I launched a site that is dedicated to coverage of the Motorola Q. With Everything Treo, my forums have been around since 2002! I’ve changed forum software a few times, lost thousands of posts and seen the site grow to over 7,000 members. It’s still a small community relative to some other sites, but it’s a community that is thriving with good people who help others make the most of their Treo. As I start this new site, I can only hope that 4 years down the road, it’s got the same community feel as Everything Treo minus the lost posts and software changes!

Eagerly Awaiting My New Treo 700p

This morning started off with a hot cup of Starbuck’s and the Fedex tracking system. Having ordered my Verizon Treo 700p last Monday, you can imagine how anxious I am to receive my new smartphone. This all could have been avoided if Verizon would have advised me of the next day air option for $12.95. Instead, while on vacation at my in-laws in Maryland on Friday, the Fedex truck was ringing more doorbell. I even tried visiting a Sprint Store on Sunday to locate a 700p, but to no avail.

I’m excited to start using the 700p. As a longtime Palm OS user, I’ve spent the past few months using the Treo 700w. It’s a very capable smartphone, but it’s lack of support for the Mac has left me carrying a Treo 650 with all of my PIM data. Mark/Space has been working on a solution for Windows Mobile 5, but I’ve made several unsuccessful attempts to get the alpha version working on my PowerBook The word covergence device should not be plural. Today I expect to receive the Treo 700p and all this will change. I’ll be activating the 700p, so I can get acquainted with the new Treo and prepare to write my review for Everything Treo.