Droid Drippings

I finally bit the bullet.

About 10 days ago, I traded in the old cell phone for a Motorola Droid. Joined the 20^th21^rst century.

I would have gotten an iPhone like Peachy did, but after reading a lot on the internet and talking to a bunch of people who have an iPhone concluded that the network was a significant issue.  I know a couple people who haven't had a problem, but Peachy didn't have a network in South Carolina.  Her cousins have dropped calls (although Rachel seems to think Paul is exaggerating a little).  Given that the main justification is that I need to keep track of shuttle launches and hurricanes on the Florida trip, I felt that I ought to stick with Verizon and the Droid seems to the obvious choice for that network.

It is pretty cool alright.  It isn't quite a PC in my shirt pocket, but it isn't far off.  The basics are there out of the box.  GMail, Calendar, navigation, and maps are there.  It has pre-loaded apps like FaceBook and twitter.  I'm not on FaceBook and I've written about 4 tweets total so I  haven't even tried those out.

I can just connect a USB cable to the PC for charging although that is slower than the AC charger.  I suspect that is because of the current restrictions on a USB port.  The AC charger is rated about 1.75x the maximum USB port. The AC charger is interesting.  It has a fairly compact plug and a USB cable.  So I can unplug that cable and plug it into the PC.

While charging on the PC, I can backup the SD card and/or download MP3s to the card.

Weather Channel
I added a WeatherChannel app that isn't quite as good the web interface but it will do. It would be nice if it showed the several days of hour by hour as the web version does and provide as much information.

Cherry Radio
Cherry Radio is a streaming radio application.  I've found WHYY (NPR) and fox news radio.  If I can keep the battery charged, this should provide night time listening.  I do need to find a 60s/70s music station too.

MyMaps
MyMaps is the Droid app for interfacing with google maps.  MyMaps doesn't work very well.  It crashes fairly often and sometimes sits for hours loading a single map.  While push pins are showing up, the routes that Skippy put in for our trip are not showing up.  Hopefully this will get better by August.

Google Sky Map
Google Sky Map is like google maps but for the heavens.  It shows planets, constellations etc.  The App seems to work ok but I haven't really been able to test it against my night sky as it has been raining forever here.

My only regret at this point is carrying the thing around.  I never found a good way to haul around the old flip phone.  This of course is much worse.  I need more shirt pockets.  Or maybe it's time to go Euro boy and start carrying a pocket book.

That's about all I've tried at this point other than GMail which works but mail is boring, so no review of that.  I'll have to post an update at some point on battery life and such.  

First Ride - 2010

I put new batteries in the computer head unit and sensor today. Finally slapped on a new set of pedals and headed out for my first outdoor bike ride of 2010. It was a little chilly despite putting on layers.

It was a short ride. I mostly wanted to shake down stuff and see what work I should be doing for fixes or maintenance. The other reason for a short ride was that my knee has been hurting lately. I want to see if I can exercise that out over the next month. If not, I guess it's another doctor visit.

I'm not going to change the chain until right before we leave for Florida. I might put new batteries in then too and I'll have to think about fresh tires. But the bike seems in pretty good shape. I didn't even have to pump up the tires.

I did have a close encounter when I made a right turn at the CVS plaza. A car coming the other way turned left and was on my butt for the first 100 feet or so until it turned in to CVS. After I got home, I called daughter #1 and accused her of attempted patricide. She claimed she didn't know it was me so it would have only been patri-manslaughter.

Bailey's

We spent a bit of time trying to figure out how to get our bicycles over (under? through?) the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel. You aren't allowed to ride it. Others have held placards for rides, etc. I found one guy who claimed that you could call the tunnel people (hmmm sounds a bit like H. G. Wells) and for the price of the toll, they would toss you into a pickup and take you across. Now that has all changed.

At the family Christmas gathering my sister brought her usual homemade Bailey's. But she had it in two new fancy bottles that she got after Christmas in Williamsburg. My niece, who was joining the Iron Bailey's competition, brought hers in an old plastic milk jug. By the end of the taste guzzling 'er tasting contest my brother and I had changed our route.

We are still crossing the Delaware Bay on the Lewes Ferry. But now we are going to swing over to the mainland via either Tangier or Smith Island so we can hit Williamsburg. I have never been there so I don't know what to expect. I know it is a working colonial village, but that is about it. I guess I'll have to find out late this coming August. But it appears that the main objective is to purchase some fancy bottles for my niece to even out the contest.

I guess there could be worse tasks. And it certainly would require a Bailey's rematch.

Oh, and the judging? My sister's was judged more traditional. Different, but similar to the stuff you buy in the stores. My niece's had a sweet edge. We though it made a good after dinner drink. So of course another round will be required in the future to find a clear winner.

I did forget one thing. My sister was challenged ala Iron Chef to concoct more (of course we had run out) on the spur of the moment. She flew through my kitchen grabbing 1/2x1/2, coffee, 2/3 of my Bushmill's Irish Whiskey, etc. Although somewhere along the way, my son-in-law spilled a bunch of 1/2x1/2 down the front of the counters, the effort paid off. At least I think it did.

Peachy helped me clean up pretty well although she went to bed around 11PM. I think I finally got the kitchen 1/2 way presentable sometime between 12AM and 1AM Sunday morning.

Taxpayer Subsidized Pet Care

wow. Two posts in one day and both political.

Republicans keep saying to trust them. They are the fiscal conservatives, blah, blah, blah.

How about Thaddeus McCotter, Michigan Republican Congressman?

This miscreant from the fiscal conservative party wants to give everyone a $3,500 deduction for pet care! This is outrageous! Don't make me pay for YOUR freakin' gold fish. You want a cat? Pay for it yourself! Sorry Jen but that includes you and Leo too.

No. It isn't April 1. Read the official PDF of this garbage.

Michael Steele - same old same old

Michael Steele was on the John Gambling (710 AM) show this morning (some guest host Dom G??) saying the same old tired stuff. He talks and talks about the bad old Democrats and never tells us how he is going to clean up his own party. How can we trust a guy who blasts Democrats for their health care, cap and trade, etc. etc. and yet won't call out his own Republican party members who vote to pass that stuff.

He talked about Republicans listening to the people. BUT, when I wrote to my Republican congressman who voted 'yes' on cap and trade, I never got a response. Seems like the RNC is still a bunch of hypocrites in for the politics and not for serving the nation or its citizens.

I am worried that the current administration will totally wreck this nation and or the economy in short order. I am concerned that a third party would take so much time that it would be too little too late. But at this point, although it is a long shot, I'm leaning towards a third party as the only chance.