KjM - on the web

Sometimes the sword wins a round or two

People at work, and more than at work if the truth be told, know me as a gadgeteer (if you will permit the word). iPhone, a MacBook Air, electronic readers, an early user of a Blackberry - before it was even a phone.

So, it is amusing to them to discover that I write with a fountain pen. Fountain pens, actually. I tend to have three with me at work.

Three? Why more than one, I was asked. I demonstrated how the two I had with me in a meeting had different colored inks. But why three? Because the desktop pen case I have holds three - the best answer I have I'm afraid.

I blame my brother.

My sister-in-law and he gave me a fountain pen as a gift. I was best man at their wedding and such is the American custom. That was one. I now have twelve (some of them further gifts I might add - but others I have added to my collection myself).

It can happen. I know a few collectors of fountain pens. It's a bug that bites deep.

Some of mine are wonderful work-a-day pens. Others? Others are functional works of art. I like the beauty, the way they slow me down when writing, the ritual of taking care of them, of inking them.

But, as my beloved has told me, I am enamored of rite and ritual.

My most recent pen is rather special. A limited edition. It commemorates an Italian Journalist, Ilaria Alpi - about whom I knew nothing but know a little now. The pen was created to commemorate her death - in 1994. Only 1,994 of the version I now own were manufactured. The pen is known as the Delta "Peace". It is beautiful, without doubt.

And I like the associations it has. Now, there is an occupation that has the promise of benefit to society. And, as was the case here, far more risk than my own.

Burlingame to New Jersy to Dublin - long ranging conversation

So, there we were, standing in line outside the Apple store. Yes, I know. But they had 16GB Black iPhones. What is one to do?

Actually, I still have my old Generation 1 iPhone. The other member of the household has traded up. Given its capacity, he can consolidate his music from his iPod and have only one device. Not a bad excuse.

I'm holding out for a (Product) Red version. I am banking on the fact that, now that iPhones come in two colors - a third is possible. We'll see.

While in the line we got into conversation with an older couple, from New Jersey I learned late in the conversation. They were just passing and wanted to know what the line was about - and why.

We explained. I could tell they were still bemused. Speaking of the new version of the phone, Dick mentioned that you could get an application that turned it into a level - of the kind carpenters might use. "Exciting", said the woman. Although she allowed that it was not a feature that appealed specifically to her. I liked her style.

They were impressed that we were over the age of 21 and still excited about the technology. Hearing that we worked in technology ourselves they felt that this explained things somewhat.

They were quite interested in my work. Talking further they asked me if there was any real social benefit to what I do. A difficult question. Not to answer, that is. The answer is clearly "No".

But difficult because it is a question I have asked myself more than once. And I still don't like the answer. I mentioned this to them. This and the fact that my siblings feed the other, nurse the other when ill and put a roof over the head of the other (chef, nurse and carpenter as they are).

I work to improve the bottom line of companies (sometimes despite the best efforts of the management).

I did mention to them that there is one project on which I worked that has some redeeming value - I had something to do with the delivery mechanism for the Amber Alert system in New Jersey. This is when I learned the couple were from New Jersey.

They went their way, still a little bemused. A gracious pair - with an after dinner story for their children and grandchildren about two they met in Burlingame who were old enough to know better yet standing in line outside an Apple store.

Into Great Silence

Last year we went to see the movie "Into Great Silence", a documentary about the lives of Carthusian monks. A film quite out of the ordinary about lives lived quite out of the ordinary.

I had promised myself that, when released on DVD, I would buy this movie. It has been and I have. A two-DVD set, one the film, the other the "special features".

We enjoy the additional material available these days for so many movies. A glimpse behind the curtain at how the images we see came about. Very often these glimpses serve to underscore the "magic of the movies". How such disparate pieces can be brought together into the finished illusion seen on the screen remains incomprehensible.

The special features on the second disk of "Into Great Silence" were different to those for any other movie we have watched. Fitting, I suppose. The movie itself is different from any other we have seen.

The special feature disk had the same sense, feeling, texture that the film itself had. A different sense of time than we are used to. A different sense of what is important, what should be focused upon, where our interest should lie.

Much like the lives of the monks themselves.

Sometimes it's harder than it needs to be

Sometimes I just hate computers. Given what I do for a living, this is not a good frame of mind for me.

What inspires such feelings is the inexplicable, the incomprehensible, the random failure. That, and the supercilious tone adopted by some who are designated to dispense wisdom (or at least help) to we, the Great Unwashed.

Oh dear. A tad prickly today I'm afraid.

My MacBook Air has suffered problems with the new automated backup function that arrived with 10.5 of the Max OSX operating system (Leopard). Backing up was not such a problem - although with the dearth of connectors on the laptop the ability to back up files wirelessly was to have been a great feature.

And so it was, although updates to drivers, the Time Capsule device's firmware and the backup software were required to solve initial (teething?) problems. Even with all of the above, the actual backup activity seemed to impact the running of the laptop disproportionately.

But, 'twas not the backup that was the main problem. 'Twas the restoring. And, a backup solution that cannot restore... Well, let's just say that there are better ways to waste disk space.

When the software has been changed and nothing improved it is time to look at the hardware. A replacement Time Capsule was provided by Apple (the previous one having developed some quirks such as forgetting it had a disk internally - making backup that much harder - and providing the other MacBook in the house difficulties when it tried to connect to the wireless network). No joy. The new one could, at least, remember it had a disk. But the MacBook Air was no better at restoring files.

By this time I had been to the Apple Store multiple times and had checked out the demo systems. They did not seem to share the problem I had.

The purchase of a small disk to connect to the USB port took the wireless variable out of the equation(apologies, at work I am having far more algebra in my diet than is good for any one person). Still no joy. Backing up was faster - restoring presented the same problems.

At least I now had a self-contained set of hardware which I could take to the Apple Store - and a reproducible set of steps to demonstrate the problem.

The solution? Reinstall all the software on my MacBook Air - then everything would be well.

I managed to avoid saying that I could get that level of aggravation (and support) from the Microsoft world - and at far less cost. The teeth marks on my tongue will subside soon I'm sure.

So anyway. Re-install everything I did. The old backups having been obliterated (sorry, I've been thinking of the Aeneid recently and that construction just happened) I began again.

Seemingly no joy - until about 1:00AM Sunday morning when restore began to work as advertised. Why? Unknown.

And the MacBook Pro has begun to act up. Problems with its wireless connection. And no discernible reason.

I hate computers!

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This weekend, all of the above notwithstanding, was enjoyable. I have returned to the concept of micro-vacation and, thus, this was a 3-day weekend.

A particularly lovely invention.

I should be thankful I have it at all...

I'm very fond of silk. As I type that I hear my Mother's voice very clearly in my head - "it's far from silk you were reared."

True, very true. It still doesn't take away from the fact that - I'm very fond of silk! My Dad used to buy me hand-painted silk ties - amused by the fact that I lived and worked in the non-tie-wearing San Francisco Bay Area. Hand-painted by a French woman living in Ireland for delivery to an Irishman living in California. Indeed, The World is Flat.

My remaining long-sleeved silk shirt went the way of all things some time ago - fraying along the seam, not at the seam so that I could repair it, just along it, the fibers coming apart (there are some days in which I know how each and every one of those fibers felt).

WinterSilks is an online store which has provided me clothing from time to time over the years. Good clothing and, often, reasonable priced. So I was very happy to see long-sleeved silk shirts advertised. Surprisingly, for me that is, I ordered only one. Just to check size, nothing more. If all went well, I would order others - they have quite a range of colors.

I love silk - as I mentioned above. It breathes. It looks - well, silky I suppose (ah, the wordsmith as ever). And is lightweight.

Did I mention the name of the web site - WinterSilks? This is the sort of stuff to keep you warm on those long winter nights (failing other options, that is).

It's a very nice shirt. Really. It is. Nice color. Well put together. Stylish even.

100% silk and woven in such a way that I will have no trouble staying warm. But a little problematic in California in the height of Summer. It's been suggested to me that I should search for a "SummerSilks" web site. Google - don't fail me now!

And, we'll leave any and all discussion of the silk thermal underwear for another time and forum.

Sometimes things work, other times - well...

The "Testing 1...2...3..." entry was the result of a frustrating time spent with the new version of the iPhone software and a program from the good TypePad folks.

The application failed to post two extensive "first" posts using my phone. It was unable to publish the posts - and simply informed me that it had received an "unexpected response from the server". (See the image below).

The error was no less unexpected for me. It caused me to question my move to TypePad for blogging.

As with many things in the software world, a wiping out of the application from the phone, from my computer and a re-download from the iTunes AppStore solved the problem.

They say that the definition of insanity is the repetition of actions in expectation of a different result. The software industry, of which I - to my great shame at times - am a part, has trained us well in this approach. And driven us mad.

My reloading of the application allowed for the "Testing 1...2...3..." post to make it all the way from my iPhone to my blog. Third time's a charm they say. So it would appear.

For the record, neither of us has bought an iPhone 3G. Though we are running the new version of the software on our existing phones - and we have checked the local Apple stores for inventory and the length of their customer lines.

Testing 1...2...3...

This is a short post to test if posting from my iPhone works - or not.

Another little corner on the web

It had the makings of an evil day. I recall writing that as an opening to a short story once. Didn't expect to be able to apply it to life.

I am fortunate to work from home, usually, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Not yesterday. A meeting, initially scheduled for Monday, was bumped to Tuesday - 9:30AM. My input on a data model was requested - and I was going to need a whiteboard to give it. Electronic, shared, whiteboards aren't quite there yet.

So, into work I went. As it turns out, this coming Friday I will also be in the office. Perhaps an evil week?

My input regarding the data model was succinct (not, in truth, my usual style). In essence it was "you need a better one". Not a message best delivered over the phone - no matter how much distance I might wish to put between my audience and myself.

I left the office for home shortly after lunch. My input was taken well, better than I had steeled myself for. Fortunate as ever.

The temperature was over 100F in Campbell where I work, cooler in Foster City. Indeed fortunate.

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And so, farewell Windows Live Spaces - hello TypePad

An initial entry

This is the first of my blog entries using TypePad. I am hopeful that this environment, being somewhat more mainstream then Windows Live Spaces, will provide me access from mobile devices and allow me to incorporate external content - such as Twitter - more easily.