TECHNOLOGY: MAGICJACK (NOT RECOMENDED)

Monday, July 13, 2009

Playing with MagicJack.

A very expensive McBa

add

MagicJack

add

Verizon Wireless Broad Band

add

a $10 Radio Shack phone

EQUALS

A phone booth?

A cell phone?

A free Local and Long Distance phone?

Hmmm?

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Notes:

It didn’t go together as easy as they make it sound.

The user interface isn’t as user friendly as it could be.

The FAQ is difficult to navigate and may need some filling out.

Powered USB hub is fine. Although that is NOT clear, the device is labeled “no hubs”.

We’ll see if it’s useful.

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OBSERVATION: No way to import all your phone numbers. No way to use a directory (i.e., Apple’s Address Book or Microsoft Outlook).

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FINAL UPDATE: NOT RECOMMENDED

Gave it a live test and I could hear the drop outs. So could the other person.

RMA process is a hassle.

(And, that was from home with a real high speed line. Not Verizon Wireless Broad Band!)

Funny the McBa with VWBBIE performed better that a VISTA desktop and Comcast Broadband!

Oh well, it was a thought.

I guess you do get what you pay for.

Back to Skype and Google Voice.

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Customer (dis) Service?

Monday, July 13, 2009

Booked a trip. (Yeah, I know. I too would rather go to the dentist than fly. Unavoidable. Have to check on a old family friend!)

Travel Agent got us seats outbound but couldn’t on the inbound return.

So I filled out the airline contact form. (Agonizing detail. Required fields alone took 10 minutes — estimated)

*** begin quote ***

My travel agent says that he’s unable to reserve seats on the return trip. That seems strange and very ‘un Swiss’. We’d like to have seats assigned.

*** end quote ***

SEVERAL days later, I get this:

*** begin quote ***

Dear Mr Reinke,

Thank you for writing to us.

We have reviewed your request and wish to share the following information with you:

A specific seat will be assigned to you during the check-in process.

SWISS offers the following check-in options:

– Web check-in

– Self check-in machines

– Phone check-in

– Local check-in

For further details, please contact the following link on our website:

http://www.swiss.com/web/EN/services/checkin/Pages/checkin_overview.aspx

We wish you a pleasant flight with SWISS and are available to assist you at any time.

Sincerely yours

{Name withheld}

SWISS E-Mail Service Center-Team Basel

*** end quote ***

ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!
I LOVE getting form email. It’s like some one presses response buttons randomly.
And, business wonder why customer HATE them!
{Just shaking my head}
Maybe I should call the 1800 number and have a nice man from Bangladesh read to me from his script. Probably read me the same answer!
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VETS: Brian Bradshaw overshadowed by Michael Jackson

Monday, July 13, 2009

http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2009/07/remembering-real-hero.html

Remembering a Real Hero
from In From the Cold by Spook86

*** begin quote ***

Amid today’s orgy of adulation over Michael Jackson, we should pause and remember real heroes–men and women who paid the ultimate price for this nation, but whose lives go uncelebrated.

U.S. Army Lieutenant Brian Bradshaw was one of individuals. He died on June 25th, the same day that Michael Jackson passed away. But Lieutenant Bradshaw didn’t die in a Hollywood mansion from a drug-induced heart attack. He was killed on a road in Afghanistan, when his vehicle was targeted by an improvised explosive device.

*** end quote ***

Well from now on anytime I hear “michael jackson” I will think of “Brian Bradshaw”! What about you?

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TECHNOLOGY: Some spammer tips his technique with spam to my domain

Sunday, July 12, 2009

AN EMAIL TO A SECURITY GURU ACQUAINTANCE OF MINE

*** begin quote ***

Thought you’d find this interesting. As an old security guy, (well that’s what all the recruiters tell me, “too old”, and “50 is the new 90”. I’m “only” 62! Strange world we live in.), I am seeing a “new” form of spam.

Background: I run an alumni news blog / ezine / website. Never, ever any email address in it. Just news. “Joe Blow Class of 1970 died”, “Samantha Smith Class of 1980 promoted”, “Harry Potter Class of 1990 gets Hogswarth PhD”. Absolutely of little interest to other than alumni. I, of course, having too much time on my hands have our own domain. Jasper Jottings dot com.

Punchline: I am now seeing spam addressed to: Joe.Blow, blow.joe, blowj …, jblow, samantha.smith, smith.samantha, etc. etc. AT my domain name! Lots of it.

Conclusion: Someone is parsing the content. Extracting names. And, has a pretty sophisticated addressing mechanism.

Sidenote: Of course, the laughs on them because there are ZERO real people to read the spam. These are advertising commercial products. Not Nigerian benefactors, male / female enhancements, nor get rich quick schemes. But they are tech conferences, odd technology products, and tech books on amazon.

Observation: “Real” websites, for companies or business, with people named on the site are going to get slimed.

Just thought you’d enjoy this little wrinkle. Clearly we need IPv6 and authenticated email; replace SMTP once and for all. (Love to lead that effort for some one!) As I said, too much time on my hands.

*** end quote ***

Love it when I find something new.
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POLITICS: No politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery

Sunday, July 12, 2009

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-07-08-redblue_N.htm

Billions in aid go to areas that backed Obama in ’08
By Brad Heath, USA TODAY

*** begin quote ***

WASHINGTON — Billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year’s presidential election.

That aid — about $17 billion — is the first piece of the administration’s massive stimulus package that can be tracked locally. Much of it has followed a well-worn path to places that regularly collect a bigger share of federal grants and contracts, guided by formulas that have been in place for decades and leave little room for manipulation.

“There’s no politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says.

*** end quote ***

Yeah, that’s a howler. Almost wet myself. Does anyone really believe these guys?

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WRITING: 10% discount on Church from Lulu

Sunday, July 12, 2009

“It Started In Church – October 19th, 1962”,

or more simply “CHURCH 10●19●62”   

http://www.itstartedinchurch.com

200907081405.jpg

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LIBERTY: Free Speech and the British

Saturday, July 11, 2009


200907111509.jpg

(Supplied by one of my networking colleagues!)

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INTERESTING: Big … empty … boxes

Saturday, July 11, 2009

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D998DVD80&show_article=1

As retailers cut back cities confront ‘ghostboxes’
Jul 5 01:15 PM US/Eastern
By JAMES MacPHERSON
Associated Press Writer

*** begin quote ***

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Hundreds of anxious shoppers watched as city officials used power saws to cut 2-by-4s during Home Depot Inc.’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for its 102,700-square-foot building center in Bismarck. Less than three years later, the home improvement retailer shuttered the underperforming store, leaving a big orange empty eyesore on the outskirts of town.

*** end quote ***

Interesting how the town bureaucrats treat the coomonwealth as their own little business. As if they had any investment in it. The taxpayers do; not them.

For those, that hate WalMart and the other big box stores, seems the way to keep them out is to have a “rip it out if you close” law.

Love it.

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Self-pub author gets a real deal!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/11/indie-kindle-author-lands-book-deal/

Indie Kindle author lands book deal
by John Biggs on July 11, 2009

*** begin quote ***

And you though self-pubished books were all rubbish. Author Boyd Morrison sold two books, the first one called The Ark, to Simon & Schuster. Boyd uploaded and sold the books himself and raised awareness for his novels by being a member of Kindle Boards and generally self-promoting.

*** end quote ***

Hope springs eternal!

http://www.itstartedinchurch.com

LOL!

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JOBSEARCH: Here’s good advice; has nothing to do with “coaching”

Saturday, July 11, 2009

http://hoopscoach.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/starting-line-in-coaching/

THE COACHING STARTING LINE
Posted on July 4, 2009 by hoopscoach
(Part 4 in a series on the coaching profession)

*** begin quote ***

For the past few days I have been blogging about the coaching profession. I have touched on a few different topics Improvement, Work Ethic and Why We Coach. Every experienced coach has their own personal story on how they entered the business. Most stories are very interesting. Next time you are talking with a peer, ask them how they got their start?

{Extraneous Deleted}

If you want to enter coaching at the collegiate level, you better try and get with someone who is good. You better be ready to start at the bottom and have a small pay check (if you’re lucky enough to get paid). Entering coaching, there is no surefire, direct way. Everyone has their own story (as mentioned before). You can start as a team manager and become a sponge. Learn everything you can about the business. Maybe you played for a guy in college who is a head coach and he hires you. Maybe you know someone who knows a head coach looking for someone. However you get in, it’s a growing process-don’t be in such a hurry to advance. There are no short-cuts.

Write letters to coaches, pick their brains. Ask to work their camp in the summer. Make calls, shoot off e-mails and introduce yourself. Let people know what your aspirations are. Attend clinics and try to speak with the coaches after it’s over. In the beginning of your journey, be prepared to work hard.

If you are lucky enough to get in, don’t be afraid to get down and dirty. You may have to wipe up sweat off the ground, hand water out to players and rebound for them late into the night. Look for things to do.

*** end quote ***

Seems like that’s a success formula for anyone starting out in ANY line of work. IMHO!

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