iPad: Use BOTH Google Calendar AND MS-Exchange Calendar

Just got my iPad yesterday and was frustrated that I could only have my MS Exchange calendar on it. Then I found this: http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=151674

I've said it before...Google is going to take over the world!

24 hours with iPad

I've had my new iPad now for 24 hours (it sat unopened in my house for a week while I was on vacation.) So far its everything I expected and I consider it a game changer. Why? For several reasons:

1. The mobile web on handheld devices has never been a satisfying experience. For years we waited patiently through WAP sites, text only mobile sites, painfully slow throughput (anyone else remember CDPD?)
2. I don't consider using a laptop to be a mobile experience unless you're in a passenger seat (Northwest pilots excluded.)
3. There's always been the need for a middle-device between a laptop and a handheld PC. I've craved a device that is big enough to read standard web pages but small enough to slip into a folio.

My hopes were raised when Bill Gates showed the first tablet PC (was it back in 2003?) But were dashed soon after when the devices themselves were still very bulky, very expensive, and had lots of quality problems (Gateway computers anyone?)

Los Gatos at dawn

Los Gatos, CA, is a beautiful little town. Mostly residential cottages and upscale and boutique shopping. Sort of reminds me of Carmel by the sea, but bigger...and not by the sea.

I stayed at the Los Gatos Hotel which also has an excellent Greek restaurant called Dia Deko and a spa. Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt apparently are regulars...although not at the same time unless they can first notify some paparazzi (in reference to their "coffee summit" of last weekend.)

Los Gatos is another place to add to my list called "Places I've been for business that I would love to re-visit with my wife but not for business."

Well Done, Los Gatians!

Google Perplexed

I flew in from Charlotte yesterday morning for a lunch meeting with an acquaintance at Google. Being a huge fan of Google (Don't Be Evil) for many reasons, I was very excited, to say the least, about setting foot on such "hallowed" ground.

I think it is safe to say I was impressed, but not overwhelmed to be there. I don't know if I had built up some kind of mythology about the place that was going to just wow me. I guess I was a little let down though but maybe my expectations were just too high.

It was a fun, vibrant, college-like atmosphere. I was there during lunchtime and young employees were bustling around. It was an overcast day so there was nobody on the volleyball court. I did see a few of the many fun objects d'art such as the dinosaur skeleton and shark fin. To be fair I also didn't actually go inside any of the offices, just one of the restaurants and we sat outdoors.

Don't get me wrong, I would still love to work there....and live in the south bay area. It's pretty nice, even with all the snails.

Garmin Edge 500 - Problem communicating with device

I got a brand new Edge 500 yesterday and went for my first ride today. Being very experienced with the Forerunner 305 I was looking forward to using this bike-centric upgrade.

I had a lot of trouble getting my files uploaded though. I normally use SportTracks but it doesn't seem to have support for the Edge 500 (as of 3/17/10.) So I tried GTC (Garmin Training Center.) Out of habit, I used the self-update check to see if there was a later version of GTC. It found a later version and installed itself. I was to find a problem with this later though.

First, I forgot I had to add the Edge 500 as another device so it took about an hour on/off to get to that point.

After you add it to your device profile you'll see this:



The next obstacle was that GTC failed to see the device. I tried using different USB ports, etc. I even connected my 305 and it popped up just fine. So after typing "Garmin Edge 500 - Problem communicating with device" into Google I found a post indicating that the GTC version might be the culprit.

Since I had already done the version upgrade I didn't think this was my issue. But I checked the version I had running anyway (Help, About) and to my surprise it was version 3.4.3. I know that I downloaded version 3.5.3 earlier.

Long story short, the software upgrade did not uninstall the previous version. I had to manually go to the program (program files, garmin, etc.) and created a desktop shortcut for the new version. After double-clicking that shortcut, I checked the version and got this:




Surprise surprise, my Edge 500 was found and my files were uploaded. Now I can get back to work on my training.

Bicycle Advisory Committee Appointment

BAC

I found out about an opening on the Charlotte Mecklenburg DOT's, Bicycle Advisory Committee a few months ago and, always having an interest in service, decided to apply. I have known councilman Andy Dulin since about 2001, when we both were doing triathlons. In fact, we did quite a few training rides together out in Mint Hill and even on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We suffered through the 2002 edition of the Bridge to Bridge incredible Century...which was so harsh it prompted Mike Magnuson to write a book ("Heft on the Bike.")

I inquired to Andy about it for several months but it never seemed to show up on the Council's agenda. Surprisingly, the other night I received 2 or 3 Twitter Tweets congratulating me on the appointment. I went to Andy's Twitter page and sure enough he Tweeted the news!

I'm both proud and nervous about this appointment. My goal is to expand the use of bicycles in our city not only for transportation but for recreational and just short errands. Too often I see folks jump in their car to drive 1/2 a mile when it would probably take less time for them to jump on a bike.

Thoughts on "Capitalism: A Love Story"

My wife and I decided to see Michael Moore's latest movie this past Saturday afternoon. Neither of us is overly active politically although we are of course very interested in the economy as well as curious about various points of view. Mr. Moore has always been controversial, at least to the majority of Republicans and certainly to conservative talking heads. But I found his old TV show, Real Life or something like that, very funny. He's always funny when interviewed and besides, only the truly wise look at all sides of issues. Only the narrow minded cling to their own idealogy or dogma in the face of criticism.

Although the title is Capitalism, I had no advance knowledge of the movie's theme. Was it going to be an argument against the economic theory of capitalism or a defense of socialism? Actually, I believe its mostly an indictment of greed and the profit motive as the cause of our society's downfall, and the financial meltdown of 2008. If that qualifies as being anti-capitalistic then I suppose he's achieved his goal.

The main theme of the movie is that this era of greed, started in the Reagan years, culminated in the meltdown. Along the way the wealthy saw their taxes cut down from 90% (which paid for most civil projects by the way) and corporate profits were inflated while thousands were laid off. Moore uses many powerful examples of the pain caused by greed to support his theme

* Rome fell due to the wide disparity between the rich and poor. I can accept this.
* Moore blames the failure of GM on capitalistic greed. If that is what made them make shoddy products in the face of Japanese competition without dealing with their cost problems then I can agree with that. However, I've followed the car industry since the '80's and remember one folly after another. (Pontiac Aztek anyone? K-Car? GM X-car? GM diesels?)
* Wall Street controls the Presidency (a clip of Donald Regan admonishing Ronald Reagan is priceless)
* A family thrown out of their farmhouse because their loan payment went from $1500 to over $2700. Moore doesn't explain what caused their loan to adjust. I guess the implication is that some predatory lender swindled them into an awful loan. I agree these folks were probably victimized and lured into a loan product that was terrible for them.
* So-called "Dead Peasants" insurance. Apparently your employer can take out a policy (or place a bet) that a certain number of employees will die. This makes sense from a statistical standpoint and surprisingly it doesn't seem to be illegal. The whole concept definitely seems unethical though. He used Wal-Mart as one illustration. The closing credits stated that Wal-Mart has now reversed this practice. This was a very troubling part of the movie.
* The employees of Republic Windows in Chicago staged a sit-in to protest Bank of America shutting down their company. This part was inspiring. I agree that the banks were protecting their profits while driving people out into the streets. BofA should have worked more with the company to extend their credit and the company should have given their employees ample warning of a a shut down.
* A homeless family in Miami decided to occupy their former house. It is heartbreaking to see families living in a truck while houses sit idle. They were probably victimized by a predatory lender as well. Their lender should have worked harder to come up with a solution for them. There should be more loan modifications and fewer foreclosures. Were they right to break back into their house? No. But this is not a singular problem. Their whole neighborhood was in foreclosure. Clearly something larger is at stake than just one house.
* Moore makes a leap though to claim that the Obama wave was driven by the "have nots" or the downtrodden and disenfranchised railing against the rich. Obama had a lot of rich supporters including Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. I think the Obama wave was mostly a social revolution IN ADDITION TO anti-George Bush backlash. You have to admit Bush's wars, bumbling ways, and alienation of practically the entire world made him extremely unpopular. Despite that Obama's win was not an overwhelming mandate. Certainly class uprising was a factor but don't discount anti-Bush, anti-Conservative sentiment and the desire among the liberal factions to make a statement about our country be electing a minority president. Look at the HUGE financial juggernaut behind Obama. Remember the $25,000 a plate dinner that Barbra Streisand hosted? What about Oprah's refusal to give air time to the other side? I am glad about the revolution and I am glad he is the President but let's not make his victory more than it was.

All in all I believe Moore accomplished what a good storyteller or movie maker should. He makes you think. He exposes the evil that most folk think just can't be out there. He makes the statement that capitalism is evil which I don't think he proves conclusively. But he definitely shows that evil is out there in the corporate world and that it is beyond time for people to recognize it and fight it. Something has to be done and he doesn't say that it needs to be communism or socialism, but right now we have greed, unregulated greed, running amuck. We have wall street honchos (such as Henry Paulson, worth $700million) operating at the highest levels of our government. In this, I have to agree with Moore that something must be changed.