Quick thought

I haven’t been writing - want to make it worthwhile. But this lack of writing is leaving a big gap. Last week, while driving through SC, NC and GA I bought a microphone for my iPod to record thoughts. I’ll be converting that to text this week.

Teachers and Coaches

Driving home one of my classic reflections hit me.

I was thinking about the incredible impact of a teacher. There is probably no more of an impact-full force on a child then a teacher’s worth. Especially one on one and that’s where I’m going with this. Because a teacher could be a coach, an aunt or uncle, another kid’s parent and I guess one of the best examples of how a teacher can impact a child’s self worth is when I was in high school in Rochester NY. My Photography teacher, Joanne Brunner was reviewing some of the pictures I had done to submit to a local photography contest (the one she picked did win honorable mention). Now realize, this is Rochester NY - Kodak was born and is still here. RIT is “the school” for photography.

Anyway… I was 15, 10th grade. Ms. Brunner had reviewed some photographs from my father’s collection. He is a perfectionist and many of his subjects were of friends, nature, the marines (that was his job when he was active), me. She looked at my work next to his and said “I think you have a better eye then your dad.” Now that hit me hard - my dad walked on water to me when it came to photography. He taught me, we had a dark room in the basement, it was one of the few things we did together (he worked a lot). Ten words that completely changed my perspective. She focused on the word I, she focused on my father, she focused on me, and she gave me a complement and power that only she could have done at that time. So many teachers feel they have to put their students in their place. They feel that beating into submission is the only way. Ms. Brunner empowered me and gave me a gift that lasted my entire lifetime.

Jim

A band at Waffle House

So I’m on my way home from Raleigh - stopped at Clemson/Anderson, SC. I’m leaving to get on the road and decided to have some classic breakfast food. And there is a southern rock band playing in the parkinglot:

I don’t know the name or why they were there. It was kind of funny, but I must admit, not unusual for a southern college town.

The Pretender

Are you there, say a prayer for the pretender. Who started out so young andstrong, only to surrender.

Driving in my car, listening to this song and becoming overwhelmed. I sometimes get emotional over movies and songs - it usually has nothing to do with the song or movie, just my mood and a memory or personal opinion of myself that does the damage.

…gonna pack my lunch in the morning and go to work each day; and when the evening rolls around I go on home and lay my body down; and when the morning light comes streaming in I’ll get up and do it again, amen.

So I’m thinking about these days as I approach 40 years old. I have sold out against my dreams. Or how I started out so strong ahead of the game. Always "the youngest" in the group. Always the 10% that does 90% of the work. Last thing I remember I was excited to be making big bucks at 26 years old. I had around me worn-out middle-aged guys in auto-pilot, thirty somethings worried about paying the bills - I was a young turk, newly married, in love and living the dream. That was like.. yesterday.

What happend? So, I took off and went to a small software vendor that was on the edge of an IPO - Micro Dynamics. Well - it was really on the edge of being packaged up for sale. So after I helped them do that, I left and went
after the money again - down to Atlanta. Chasing the dollar. New family, new house, Stephanie a stay-at-home mom.

I want to know what became of the changes we waited for love to bring, were they only the fit full dreams of some greater awakening? I’ve been aware of the time going by, they say in the end its the wink of an eye..

But that wasn’t enough - making good money again, back on top at Mobius; bang - I take the risk and joined some friends at a small start-up company called Magnet. I was to be the rainmaker. We were to build a company we could all work at for years of happy times and growth.

But again - caught up in the IPO dream, fast, big money. We took investors, had to compete. We took more money and more and more. We hit the streets sold sold sold and right out from under us our investors took over. So now I work..

…caught between the longing for love and the struggle for the legal tender.. where the junk man pounds his fender, where the veterans dream of the fight, fast asleep at the traffic light, and the children silently wait for the ice cream vendor..

Then company to company - applying what I know. Management experience? I don’t know what that experience prepared me for. I’m certainly thicker skinned. I can sell anything. Now, I sort of feel like those middle aged guys on auto-pilot. I am unconsciously competent at this job. I know what has to be done. Not always sure how to do it here because things are so dynamic but I believe we are as capable as any other company. Back to it - have I sold out? Where is the passion?

…out into the cool of the evening strolls the pretender., he knows that all his hopes and dreams begin and end there.

It’s the buck! How do I get out of that trap? We used to be proud of our low cost life. Now I’m not up to my ears in debt but I’m up to my ears in cash-flow needs. Private school, Bar/Bat-mitzvah’s coming, college, camp, home improvements, clothing, food, argh! Even as I write this it sound stupid. People living on blue collar incomes, in trailer park homes will say I’m a whiner - and I am. But this is my Rant.. Why can’t I dream? - no point in the distance, no path to get there without one.

…Ah the lovers who stay right through the night, even nothing but to choose off and fight, and tear at the world with all their might, while the ships bearing their dreams sail out of sight..

Doing everything for my family? Am I sacrificing? Is that an illusion, a self torturing martyrdom approach to life? Am I putting myself on the cross? Are the vampires sucking my blood? Do I need too much - want too much? Why do these things seem so important? Why do I get so caught up in the money - where did that come from?

I’m gonna be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender.. and believe in whatever may lie in those things that money can buy, where true love may have been a contender.

There is too much personal background to really rant on this here. For all the world to see. I was an only child until I was 17 when Mom and Pop brought Marissa into my life. I wish I had that younger. As my kids do. To see value in people rather then the things in my life.

Is chasing the dream selfish, or so important for my family? Do I lower my expectations or change my value system to recognize what so many others see as more valuable then anything in the world? Stephanie, Maia, Daniel and Sophie. There is the value. I know it but I live in this world of discontent. I have an insatiable personality.

So how to work with that and build on my life to keep that front and center. Its not enough to provide for them but I need to enjoy them and they need me to be there. Its not enough to work each day pretending, that’s just not me.

Say a prayer for the pretender, are you there for the pretender?

Apple - Discussions - iPod Support is efficient but dissapointing

What the heck - I put it out there on the Apple support website.

Apple - Discussions - iPod Support is efficient but dissapointing

Apple dissapointed me

A few years back I was going crazy trying to charge my Powerbook - it just kept dying. When I got on the phone with tech support they quickly diagnosed the problem - the power supply/plug was bad and they sent me a new one.
So I was hopeful when I filled out my form on the support website about my iPod going a little crazy and the infamous battery problem. For more details see my post on Feb 17 Well - they were efficient and they took it back with no charge unlike Leapfrog for my daughter’s Leapster problems where they charged me for shipping. A day after I filed the claim the box complete with return label arrived. I sent it in right away and a few days later they sent it back.
It was determined that there was no problem and that the unit was working within Apples specs. Well if you know you know how that is. If you don’t know then you don’t know. And I’m gonna tell you. That 12-15 hours is a pipe dream. They will only warrantee 6 hours. I got 5.5 on my test but they must have stretched it to 6 hours. So I’m stuck with that for now.

They did reformat the hard drive and perhaps the other problems will not show up again. I suspect that they did when the power was low… so thats that.

I still love the little bugger - it keeps me sane on my long trips. When I should be doing my expenses on the plane or in the airport on a layover. When I have a long drive - I have my music and all my music at my fingertips.

Running without wires….

Okay, the note was from Wired Magazine - Gadget Lab :
Think Headtrip headphones that have an MP3 player built in!
Think Headtripâ„¢ self-contained MP3 headphones. I know nothing more then what you see on the website… but it sounds pretty cool.

Another one I found was from TDK - good name for sound! TDK Mojo 1 is also a self contained MP3 headphone - for all I know they are made by the same people. PC Magazine did a review. They said: “Comfortable, behind-the-neck phones are a complete music player and radio, marred by proprietary software, small, undifferentiated controls, and limited bass response.”

I wonder if they are supported by Mac. Always a challenge.

The ones I see on running people’s head all the time are the Walkman® AM/FM Stereo Headphone Radio SRF-HM33 - you know - the ones with the antenna sticking up! Well, Sony has a whole line of them -
I can’t figure out why they haven’t put an MP3 player in one - of course it would probably have the stupid memory stick not a standard SD card.

I have an older version of the Rio Sport that has 128MB Flash and takes SD cards - it also has a radio and clock which is cool. And it runs on regular batteries. I take it hiking with me - small, light, clock, radio - all good. It requires headphones as well. I have had it for years and it is small. I also have my iPod - great for the gym but tough on the road. I typically strap on the Rio to my upper arm and run the wire to my headphones behind my back. But to be honest - when I’m in the zone, outdoors - the music only distracts me. Its when I’m stuck inside on a treadmill or in a bad mood that I desire it. I’m thinking of getting an iPod Shuffle just because it is more integrated with my iTunes library.

I would love to see a good wireless solution. I have to admit though - I have the Nokia bluetooth earpiece for my mobile phone and I don’t like it. It hangs on my ear and the noise is a problem. I have heard of better ones with noise cancelling technology and I’m looking into it.

But back to the question - Running without wires….
I think it is a great idea. I hate it when I’m running on the treadmill and the swing of my arms pulls the plug from the jack on the treadmill that gives me audio on the tv’s in the room. I also hate it when I’m running and the wire from my ears hangs down and I end up worrying about it coming out of my ears. It would be nice if they could invent an implant into my brain to transmit whatever I want. But then the government would start pumping propaganda - or Coke or McDonalds would start advertising…

The other product I read about in MacWorld was from Naviplay . It builds on their remote control product. It basically takes your full size iPod and makes it a small one further up on your body. What I mean is - the unit the headphones hook into is smaller and connected to the iPod via Bluetooth. So that you can put the smaller transmitter on your arm for example. I’m not sold on it - the new iPod Shuffle is less expensive and a smarter solution. After all - you go on a run and you don’t really have time to decided on one of 2,000 songs - you are more likely to pick a playlist and go.

So I think TDK and Headtrip are on the right track. Apple, are you listening?

JimmyC

Cathedral Caverns

On the way home from the space center we stopped at the Cathedral Caverns, an Alabama state park. What a neat place. I’m talking BIG CAVE! it goes on for a mile - deep and wide - stalagtites and stalagmites, pillers and frozen waterfalls. Daniel had a fun time - even when the lights went out

Alabama State Parks - website

Space Camp

Just got back from a weekend at Space Camp with son Daniel. It was a cubscout away weekend.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
He had a great time. We stayed at the Marriott rather then the Habitat because the last trip I took with him like this to the Aircraft Carriorer we were dorm style and many of the dad’s snored. Got no sleep. This time it turns out it wouldn’t have been too bad.

Huntsville is an iteresting town. We got there early enough Friday to go to services at a local synnagogue - nice community. We met a real “scientist” - he even had a business card that said so - the kids were impressed.

The place is amazing - with Saturn rockets and a space shuttle outside; cool exhibits inside. Simulators and theatres. iMax is a dome so the space station movie is really engaging.

I recommend a full day for the museum - time it well to catch the iMax and the tours so that you see how they live in the space station. Camp was great because they also had classroom on Astronomy earning thier belt loop.

The Discussion Boards for charanis.com :: View Forum - iRobot - Gadgets that work for Humans

The Discussion Boards for charanis.com :: View Forum - iRobot - Gadgets that work for Humans

I’m ready to start putting some serious effort to product reviews - on my forum as above.

Place holders - let me know which ones I should start with.