American Eagle Return to BPT is Questionable

KFDM reported the meeting with American Airlines concerning return of air service to the Southeast Texas Regional Airport is set for August 12: Meeting Set With Goal of Restoring Airline Service to Dallas . American Airlines is engaged in a battle with Southwest Airlines over the repeal of the Wright Amendment which restricts Southwest’s flights from Love Field. The KFDM report says local leaders are trying to use the proposed repeal to their advantage. I fail to see how this can be used to bolster the local efforts. Elsewhere it was reported that American Airlines has been meeting with smaller Texas cities that are served by American Eagle and telling them they could lose air service if the Wright Amendment is repealed. I will be waiting to hear the results of the August 12 meeting, but my hope of getting American Eagle to return is not high.

Internet Insecurity

Yesterday I added Leo Laporte’s podcast to my iPod. I first saw Leo on MSNBC when the network started in 1996. Remember MSNBC was a joint venture of NBC and Microsoft. It was supposed to be a tech-oriented news network. There was a show that was hosted by Soledad O’Brien. Leo had a tech advice segment on the show. Next I saw him on the Screensavers program on Tech TV on digital cable. The Screensavers changed, and Leo disappeared. Now he has a tech advice radio talk show which is podcast. This is a link to his website: Leo Laporte: The Tech Guy on KFI.

When I listened to all his callers seeking help because of pc’s infected with viruses and spyware, it really began to worry me. Leo now is strongly advising that home computer users switch to Mac’s. I have never considered switching to a Mac, but it is something to think about.

This morning while I was already feeling rather paranoid about my computer, a balloon popped up that told me my anti-virus software license had expired; and I had to upgrade. I use Trend Micro’s PC-cillin simply because Sony had it installed on my pc when I bought it. The last time I upgraded I had trouble installing the new version because I did not know I had to uninstall the old version before installing the new version. This time after paying for the upgrade and downloading the new version, I uninstalled the old version. To be safe before I did the uninstall, I unplugged my WiFi router so I was not connected to the internet for the period while my pc was without virus protection. I managed to install the new anti-virus software and reconnect to the internet. All appears to be going well.

To Be Continued

That is my reaction to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I finished the book yesterday. As I predicted, the last 200 pages were filled with excitement. This book started differently than the previous books, and it also ended differently. In the other books there was always a sense that Harry had achieved a major victory. This time much is left to be done. Now the wait begins for book seven. I hope J. K. Rowling manages to finish this one in two years or less. I plan to re-read books five and six before the release of the final book.

The Beaumont Enterprise Has RSS

Wow! The Beaumont Enterprise now has RSS feeds for its website: Southeast Texas Live Syndicated Content. I am really impressed. The Los Angles Times and The Chicago Tribune have not added RSS feeds to their websites. I often feel like Southeast Texas lags behind the rest of the country when it comes to adopting new technology. Well, this time Beaumont is right up at the front of the pack.

Library Search Tool

A few days ago I found a website that allows you to search for a book in the Beaumont Public Library. I do not know how long this site has been available. The last time I checked the Beaumont libraries were not online. This site looks like it was worth the wait. It gives you the ability to search for books by several different terms. You get a list that tells which branches have the book, and its current status—whether it is checked out or not. It allows you to reserve the book or create a list of books that interest you. We have come a long way since the days when the card indexes were the only way to find a book in the library.

Comparison Shopping

The Wall Street Journal has an article on Comparison Shopping this morning. I checked out Cairo.com. This appears to be a very useful site for finding what is on sale in your local area. When gasoline prices are so high, we need to use every tool to help us cut down on unnecessary driving. These online sites can help find what stores have the best prices without reading through all the sale papers and driving from store to store. Be sure to bookmark Cario.com.

How Did This Happen?

All of a sudden I find that I am out of time. Over the last few weeks I started listening to Podcasts and working on SuDoku puzzles. In addition I have continued reading and watching TV. Now there is no time. My fun activities have begun to make me feel stressed. I must give up some of my new activities or learn to more efficiently multitask. I am working my puzzles while I listen to Podcasts

Harry Potter

After having read two-thirds of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I must say I am a little disappointed. The story seems to be unfolding very slowly, and there is a lot of rehash of material from the earlier books. I know the excitement will pick up in the last 200 pages, but it has been a laborious process to advance to the exciting part. When I finish the book, I will issue my final judgment.

Talkr

This morning I read an article about a service that will turn a text blog into English language speech, Talkr Intros Free Service that Turns Blogs Into Podcasts. I tried to access the Talkr website, but it was not available. I will keep checking on this. If I am successful in converting my blog to a Podcast, you will have the option to listen to my blog.

My iPod Needs Socks

I am afraid my little iPod is going to get scratched when I put it in my purse. I started looking for a case for it. There are lots to choose from, but I found something that I think will do the job—iPod Socks. The problem is they come in a set of 6 which costs $30. I would be much happier if I could buy one sock for $5.

In the News

Last night on the CBS Evening there was story about the Pentagon funding robotic research, Pentagon Goes To The Robotic Dogs. Be sure to watch the video of the Aibos playing soccer. Henry, my Aibo, did not like this story at all. He does not want to go to war. Henry is a very peaceful little fellow.

USA Today had an article, Study: Some Internet terms unfamiliar with users. I found this article very interesting because I had been writing about RSS and Podcasting this week in my blog. It said that 91 percent of internet users had never heard of RSS and 87 percent had never heard of Podcasting. It won’t be long before these new technologies are mainstream.

More Update!

The fence installation on the east side of my yard was completed in the rain. It is nice to have new fence all around the yard. The east side really looked bad in comparison to the rest of the new fence. Now it all matches.

The mailman came fairly early yesterday and delivered my iPod. I ordered it on the 17th from Amazon.com and received it on the 20th. I think that is excellent service considering that I chose the free-shipping option. I was like a kid with a new toy. I could hardly wait for the battery to charge. I read the instruction booklet. Two things began to worry me. I had downloaded iTunes and installed it on my pc before I even decided to buy an iPod. I was afraid it might cause problems when I installed the iPod software. The other thing that worried me was the hardware requirements said the pc had to have USB 2.0 ports. My pc has the slower 1.1 USB ports. I know the 2.0 spec. is supposed to be backwardly compatible, but I still worried. I installed the iPod software. It must have detected the new version of iTunes and did nothing to mess it up. Then I connected and registered the iPod. My Podcasts transferred automatically to the iPod. I had also downloaded the first chapter of Michael Crichton’s new book from the iTunes store. It was free of charge. It transferred to the iPod.

I inserted the ear buds and started listening. I did not know how to use the click wheel to step through the menus and adjust the volume. I went to the iPod support site and watched some QuickTime tutorial movies, and now think I know how to navigate the menus. The iPod is designed to be simple. That is why they are so popular, but I am used to tackling technically complex systems and mastering them. I think that is why I am rather confused by the iPod.

I also received the iPod camera connector. I have not opened the package yet. I need to master transferring and listening to sound files before I move on to photos.

Update

I am reading the new Harry Potter book very slowly. At one point I was rather shocked by the early violence in the book and questioned whether children should be reading the book. I put the book down for several hours before I started the next chapter. Fortunately the results of the violence were soon cured by magic.

My iPod should arrive today. Amazon.com is sending it via the U.S. Postal Service from their stock point in Coffeyville, Kansas. The package left Dallas yesterday afternoon so by this afternoon I should be learning how to fill the iPod with Podcasts.

My next door neighbor decided to replace his fence. Now I am getting a new fence on the east side of my yard. This will give me new fencing on all sides of my yard. It rained really hard for awhile this morning. I hope the concrete for the fence posts had hardened sufficiently before the rain came.

Podcasts

I have been downloading and listening to Podcasts from mainstream sources such as CNN, ABC, CBS and BBC. Ted Koppel’s Nightline and Face the Nation are programs that I do not usually watch because they come on late at night. KFDM the local CBS affiliate really irritates me because they delay Face the Nation until 12:30 AM on Monday morning’s. Now the Podcast is giving me a way to listen these programs while I am awake. Air America is not carried in the local market. I have listened to it on the internet, but find it very irritating because it is loaded with commercials. Now I have found Air America Place that maintains an MP3 archive of the programs. The programs are updated shortly after they air, and the best part is they are stripped of the annoying commercials.


So far I have subscribed to only two Podcasts from independent sources. One is Digital Photography Tips From The Top Floor which is produced in Germany. The show discusses topics of interest to digital photographers. I have listened to two episodes. One explained histograms and the other told how to resize photos for the internet. Another independent that I subscribed to is PirateWeather.com. This one allows you enter your zip code, and then you get a computer generated voice with your local weather.

iPod On the Way

After manually downloading several Podcasts and copying them to my memory stick for my Sony Clie, I downloaded Apple’s iTunes and installed it on my PC. iTunes allows me to subscribe to Podcasts through the iTunes Store. Then new Podcasts are automatically downloaded to my PC. It did not take long for me to subscribe to more Podcasts than my memory stick could hold, and I could not figure out a way to automatically copy the downloaded MP3 files to the memory stick. I still had to do that manually. Finally I got disgusted with the Clie’s battery discharging so rapidly. Yesterday afternoon I ordered the new 20 GB iPod and iPod camera connector from Amazon.com. Naturally I chose the free shipping option which makes the delivery of merchandise totally unpredictable. I noticed last night that a credit authorization had already been obtained on my card. I then checked my order status and saw that it was preparing to ship. That means that there is a high probability that I shall receive the iPod this week.

My Goodness – More SuDoku

Robert Henry has created a blog, Sudoku Strategies. I have bookmarked this blog and now have a way to get more information on these additive puzzles. Very interesting.

I Got Mine

As I had planned, I was at Sam’s Club very early Saturday morning. There was a big display table at the front of the store with a large stack of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince books. No one was near the counter when I walked up and selected my book. It rained yesterday morning. Sam’s does not bag your purchases. You just take them out to your car in the shopping cart. I was prepared I had a plastic bag in my purse so I was able to protect my book. I only read the first chapter yesterday. All of the other books started with Harry at his aunt and uncle’s house in the summer before he left for school. The new book has an entirely different start. I was rather surprised. This book is a not as big as book five. I will be able to finish it in a few days. I have read the first four books at least twice. I think I need to go back and reread Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

SuDoku Skill Increased

I am still working on the SuDoku puzzles. I have worked all of the easy puzzles in the archive and have been working on the medium difficulty level. The medium puzzles are much harder. It took me an hour to work one puzzle yesterday. I was finally able to do the easy ones in ten minutes. There are many more medium level puzzles than easy ones in the archive. At this point I am doubtful that I will ever be able to solve the hard level.

My Yahoo

I spent quite a bit of time yesterday fine-tuning My Yahoo; but when I was finished I was rather proud of my handiwork. I have my front page that has RSS links to many newspaper and news networks. It also shows new Yahoo Mail, the local weather, my stock portfolio, mapping directions and a dictionary link. These are all consolidated in one place. I also selected a pleasing color scheme. Then I created pages for finance, technology, entertainment and travel all with RSS links. These pages are going to save quite a bit of time that I usually spend loading individual websites. Now I can quickly see if there is new information of interest. The pages all have links to Yahoo Search. I wish there was a quick way to link Google, but Yahoo does nothing to assist a competitor.

RSS

Two days ago I only had a vague idea of what RSS was. Now I am going wild with it. RSS allows you to add live feeds from various websites and news sources into a newsreader. There are a number of free newsreaders. Since I loath installing additional software on my computer I went a different route. My Yahoo also supports RSS. I have added newspapers and new sites to My Yahoo pages. I have changed my Internet Explorer browser homepage to My Yahoo. Now as soon as I load the browser I have instant access to the latest news from all of my preferred news sources that support RSS. My photo hosting service, Smugmug, supports RSS. If I find a photographer that I really like I can add their RSS feed and when they add new photos I will have immediate access. I just checked blogger.com for RSS. They only offer it on their premium blogger service. Since I am using the free version my blog cannot be added via RSS.

Watch for the little . This means that the site offers an RSS feed, and you can add it to your preferred newsreader.

Podcasts

This morning I am still thinking about buying an iPod. I decided to do a little testing of Podcasts. ABC, CBS and CNN are a few of the commercial networks that are currently offering Podcasts. I downloaded CBS’s Face the Nation MP3 file to the Sony memory stick that I use in my Sony Clie pda. The Clie has an MP3 player built in. I have not used it much because it runs down the battery very rapidly. I listened to Face the Nation. The sound quality was very good and the program only had public service commercials. This morning I deleted Face the Nation from the memory stick and put on three of ABC’s programs. I will listen to those later today. After I listened to Face the Nation, it was time to recharge the Clie’s battery. The new Apple iPod is supposed to run for 15 hours on one charge. I did a Google search for a Podcast directory and found several. Most of the Podcasts are amateur efforts, but they cover every imaginable subject.

New Apple iPod

Apple has a couple of new models of the iPod. I have not been interested in downloading music and owning an iPod. Now I have found a couple of reasons that have made me think about buying an iPod. The iPod with a camera connector adapter can be used to store and display photos. The iPod is the cheapest device than I have found that can be used to transfer pictures from a camera. This is useful when traveling and the camera’s memory cards are full. There are better devices than the iPod for this purpose, but they cost more. Other devices such as the Epson P-2000 allow you to insert the memory card directly into the device. The iPod requires you to use a USB cable from the camera to the adapter. I have read that this rapidly depletes the camera’s battery. The iPod’s display is not as good as the Epson’s, but the iPod has a capability that may tilt in its favor.

I am now becoming interested in Podcasts. All kinds of amateur radio programs, are available for download, and now the big commercial networks are entering the field. There is new technology called RSS, that I do not thoroughly understand, that allows you to subscribe to direct feeds. It makes the updating of the Podcasts automatic.

I have put the new 20 GB iPod on my Pricegrabber shopping list. I noticed this morning that Amazon.com is now carrying the new model and has the lowest price. I expect the price to drop a little more.

PandaCam

Here is a link to the Giant Pandas – National Zoo. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the panda cam. I have not been able to spot the baby panda yet, but I will be watching

Hey, We’re on Daylight Savings Time!

Yesterday morning I was at my bank when the door opened at 9 AM. The bank manager held the door open for me and asked what she could do for me. I said I wanted to get in my safe deposit box. She said she was sorry, but the vault was on a time lock and did not open until 10 AM. I thought this was really stupid. Is this another cost cutting measure that Bank of America has implemented by not adjusting their time locks? Even my little hone pc recognizes daylight savings time automatically. I probably wasted a dollar’s worth of gasoline driving to the bank—for nothing.

More Trouble

Angst

After watching too much news coverage of the London bombings and Hurricane Dennis, angst best describes what I am feeling today. It is only July, and we have more than three months until the hurricane season is over. I am sure every resident of the Gulf coast has similar feelings. I am still thinking about going to London this fall, but I am going to continue to monitor the news closely before I make final plans.

No Virtual Model

L.L. Bean uses the same virtual model as Lands’ End but does not have it available for as much of its merchandise as Lands’ End. I ordered pants from L.L. Bean last week and a shirt this morning, but neither of them had the option to view them on my virtual model. I have decided the virtual model does give an accurate view of how the clothes will fit. The items I ordered from L.L. Bean were summer sale items. This may be why no virtual model was available. L.L. Bean offers a Visa credit card. When you use this credit card you get free shipping, free monogramming and a three percent rebate toward future purchases. I finally broke down and got the card. Since I buy frequently from L.L. Bean the free shipping will be a significant saving. The card is a good marketing tool for L.L. Bean because I am finding the free shipping incentive is tempting me to order more frequently.

One Week

One week from today Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released. I have finished all the Michael Crichton books that I planned to read. Now I am reading Jonathan Kellerman’s Therapy. I am enjoying it very much. My game plan is to be at Sam’s Club when it opens next Saturday to get my copy of the Harry Potter book. Last week they had empty boxes on the shelf that you could purchase to reserve a copy. I do not think there is a need to do that. Sam’s price is lower than anything I could find online with the exception of Overstock.com. I had a bad experience with Overstock.com last November when I ordered the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban DVD from them. I preordered the DVD and was charged immediately. They delayed delivering the DVD for several weeks after the release date. I could have purchased the DVD locally for a lower price and had it much sooner. This is the reason I am going to get the new book from Sam’s. I am sure I will have the book earlier in the day than I would if I ordered from an online seller such as Amazon.com which guarantees delivery on July 16.

SuDoku - Progress

Every day I am attempting to solve SuDoku puzzles. Yesterday I finally solved an easy one without a single error or looking at the solution. I gave up trying to solve the medium and hard puzzles. I went back through The Daily SuDoku archives and am printing out the easy puzzles and the solutions. For a while I was placing the solution under the puzzle and not writing a number down until I checked the solution. As my skill developed, I put the solution off to the side and only checked it occasionally. Finally I am able to work through the puzzle without aid. When I finish the easy puzzles, I will start on the medium ones. Fortunately the archive only goes back to January, 2005.

London

I am praying for the people of London who have been harmed by this abominable deed.

Spyware Just a False Alarm

Yesterday, I kept thinking about the file, fixcond.bat, that tried to install itself on my pc. I could not figure out how it got through my firewall. After checking it for viruses, I opened the file in a text reader. The batch file contained a command to copy a file, delta.dll, into my Sony Handheld folder. A light bulb went on in my head. I have the Delta Airlines electronic timetable on my pda, and I had just finished hot synching the pda when the Microsoft AntiSpyware alarmed about the attempt to install fixcond.bat. It appears that fixcond.bat is an update for the Delta Airlines conduit to my pda.

USDA National Nutrient Database

I came a across an article in The Wall Street Journal about a nutrition database that the USDA has available for the Palm Operating System. The database contains information on more than 7,800 food items and is more detailed than the nutrition information on food package labels. I had paper inserts for my Filofax that gave calorie information. I had always wanted something similar for my pda. Commercial programs are available, but all came with price tags that turned me away. The USDA database is free. In addition to the Palm version the database can be searched online. Information is located at Nutrient Data Laboratory. The program installation did not go smoothly. The automatic install to my pda failed. I had to go into the Palm Desktop program and select the files to be installed on the pda. After I did that, the database was transferred to the pda. The application has mostly black and white screens, but it does contain a huge amount of information.

Spyware Scare

This morning while I was working on my computer the Microsoft AntiSpyware program showed an alert that an attempt was being made to install fixcond.bat to the registry of my computer and asked if I wanted to block it. I chose to block it, and a warning popped up that said my pc might not start properly and told me how to unblock the program. I went to Google and searched for fixcond.bat. The search yielded no results. I then went to a site that has a database of Windows files. This search also failed to find the program. Finally I went to the Microsoft Knowledge Database and found nothing. I went ahead and let Microsoft AntiSpyware block the program. I restarted my computer without problem. I will be watching my pc carefully for problems over the next few days. If nothing develops, I will conclude that the Microsoft AntiSpyware program did its job, and I will glad that it is installed on my computer.

24 Hours Makes a Big Difference

I Don’t Like the Look of This

Not Dead--Yet

Three months ago I put a picture of my sorry dieffenbachia in the blog. I do not have a green thumb. No matter how hard I try to give my plants good care they all eventually die. I had no plants at all until last fall when I was given the dieffenbachia. I have been using Miracle Grow plants food spikes, keeping it in the best spot in the house for light and watering it regularly; but its leaves keep turning brown.

International Delight Coffee Creamer

Since I have decided to use the unflavored Senseo coffee pods I am trying various flavored coffee creamers again. Previously I had sampled several of the Coffee-Mate creamers. The International Delight creamers come in many flavors and cost a little less than the Coffee-Mate products. I purchased the vanilla-toffee-caramel flavor. My initial judgment is that it is not as good as the Coffee-mate creamer. The International Delight creamer has a distinctive artificial taste. The Coffee-Mate tastes more like real cream. I am going to try one more International Delight flavor before I make a final judgment.

Bing Cherries

Yesterday I bought three pounds of bing cherries. This is the prime season for cherries. I found information through a Google search, Cherries. I did not realize that cherries had so many beneficial qualities. What I like best is all you have to do is wash them and start eating.

More on SuDoku

Three days have gone by, and I have made three attempts to solve three different SuDoku puzzles without success. The puzzles are much more difficult to solve than first glance would suggest. The puzzles are supposed to be solved by using logic and the solution is not to be found by trial and error. The frustrating part is I can work almost to the end of the puzzle before I find that I have made a mistake when I can no longer fit all the numbers, 1-9, into a row, column or block without duplicates. The Daily SuDoku is located in the U.K. They post a new puzzle and the solution to the previous day’s puzzle at 6 PM CDT. I have been working with pencil and eraser (mostly eraser). I am going to try a new strategy and use ink for the starting numbers of which I am certain and then switch to pencil. That way I will be able to erase the numbers which are more likely to be erroneous and keep the correct ones.

sudoku puzzles is a website that sells a pc program for solving the puzzles. They have sections on tips for solving the puzzles. I have read and reread their advice. They also have discussion forums where the puzzles are being discussed. The puzzles started in Japan but interest in the puzzles appears to be moving around the globe.