Twitter Updates for 2010-01-31

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Jan 312010

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Posted by Ceffyl at 03:01

Engadget's N900 review

Tech No Responses »
Jan 312010

I’ve had my N900 since the end of November. On January 19, Engadget published a thorough review of the N900.

The Engadget article points out some of the flaws with the N900: it’s not a polished product. The user interface isn’t as slick as the iPhone or the Palm Pre (but it is very pretty). The selection of applications is also limited, but being worked on. The Ovi Store for Maemo is buggy at best. There are glimmers of what the device could be with a little more refinement.

The N900 has one of the best implementations and integrations of Skype and regular phone address book. A Skype call looks just like a regular call. (In fact, Skype works over the 3G network on T-Mobile and not just wifi. The current version of the iPhone, until this past week, only allowed Skype calls over wifi.)

The N900 can’t be viewed as just a phone: it is really a mobile computer with phone capabilities. For example, using the OpenVNC application, it’s possible to remotely log in to a desktop computer or server. Like the iPhone, there are applications for writing blog posts, using instant messengers, and accessing most popular social networking sites. Unlike the iPhone, the N900 is unlocked: it can be used on any network and any available application can be installed. (The iPhone can install applications, but only those approved by Apple and made available on the application store.)

I’ve used the N900 for a few months now and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d highly recommend it to any of my geeky friends. (It’s so much fun pulling up a Debian console prompt and showing it to unix/linux sys admins. Their eyes light up.)

If you are interested in the N900, see if you can find someone to talk to who has one. Play with it. Read the reviews. If you want something you can use for email, blog posts, and have shell access for complete control over the operating system, the N900 is awesome. If you just want something to make phone calls that has a keyboard and a touch screen, you might be better off with an Android-based phone.

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 00:55 Tagged with:

Cooking soup for the first time

General 1 Response »
Jan 302010

I joined Weight Watchers on the first Thursday of January. Since then, I’ve drastically changed how I eat, and have managed to lose about 6.5 pounds (yay!). I’ve been browsing recipes and deciding what to cook. Normally, I’m not much of a chef. I can cook, but it’s just me so it’s easier to make something fast instead of spending time actually cooking.

Some of the garlic cloves I bought had sprouted in the bag. I had to call one of my parents to ask how to use the cloves. And how to prepare cabbage. (I know, I know, it’s very simple, but I’ve never cooked cabbage before.) I actually had a garlic clove press. It has been used for sculpture and clay but never for cooking, not until tonight.

There is something to be said for the smell of garlic cooking with veggies on a cold Saturday when the ground is covered with snow.

I’m making Weight Watcher’s Garden Vegetable Soup, a zero point meal. It is currently cooking. I made some modifications to the recipe because I had to make some substitutions. I’ll post again after I’ve tried it. Hopefully it is edible.

Here is the recipe:

2/3 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
1 1/2 cups diced green cabbage
1/2 cup green beans
1 T tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup diced zucchini

In a large saucepan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute carrot, onion and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, cabbage, beans, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until beans are tender.

Stir in zucchini and heat 3-4 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings, about 1 cup each.

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 20:55 Tagged with: ,

Snowy morning and sleety day

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Jan 302010

It snowed last night and this morning. Lots of ice on the roads, so no going out. It was pretty but gave me cabin fever. Desperately wanted to get out and go see a movie. Or something….

Snow this morning

Image was taken with my Nokia N900.

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 19:44

Twitter Updates for 2010-01-30

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Jan 302010

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Posted by Ceffyl at 03:01

Apple iPad predicted by MadTV in 2005

Just Silly, Tech No Responses »
Jan 292010

This is just hysterically funny considering that Apple just announced the iPad this week. (What was Apple expecting by releasing a product that is so closely named to feminine hygiene product?) Here is the Mad TV “commercial” about the Apple iPad with all kinds of innuendo.

As far as the iPad itself goes, I was rather underwhelmed. It’s like an iPod Touch on steroids. Why would I pay $499 for a device, however cool it might be, that is completely closed? Apple chooses the applications you can install, controls the books that are available, etc. It’s a closed system. Maybe on a phone that isn’t so bad, but on something that might replace a netbook or an ebook reader, that bothers me. I don’t like companies controlling (censoring!) the data I can access on devices. Apple makes great stuff but some of their policies suck.

Besides, the iPad (snicker) and the iPhone can’t stand up to the capabilities of the N900. Might not have as many applications, but damn I can do a lot more stuff on my phone (sorry my mobile computer with phone capabilities). Open VNC for remote desktop connection to my desktop? Check. Multitasking? Check. Integrated email, Skype over 3G, and seamless integration of Skype and phone address books? Check. (Fring just posted the first application that allows Skype calls over 3G. Prior to this, iPhones and iPod Touches could only make Skype calls using wifi connections.)

Enough of a rant. I need to go to bed.

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 02:49

Kinda cool...

Tech, Writing No Responses »
Jan 292010

I got a thank-you on an Open Office forum for my article on using page styles to create unique headers and footers in Open Office Writer.

One of my friends asked me why I bother writing documentation that no one will read. I told him I write for that one person who, at midnight while on deadline, encounters a problem and the only resource they have is the product documentation. I’ve been that person on deadline struggling to figure out how to bend an application (*cough* *Word*) to do what should have been a simple thing. (Why won’t this stupid graphic stay where I anchored it?!)

I try to be a user advocate and approach documentation and application development from a user-centric perspective. It is really nice to know that even one person found something I wrote useful.

Even if the thank-you was posted last year, it made my day. Thank you. :)

(And yes, I love what I do.)

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 02:29 Tagged with: ,

Bay Wonder Mares

Horses No Responses »
Jan 282010

It was gorgeous today. No clouds in the sky. Amazing warm weather (60F) and a light breeze. I weighed in at Weight Watchers today and then wanted to skip out of work. Instead, I went back, finished up some projects, and got out of work early. I was itching to ride Isis and work both girls. I didn’t care if I was in my work clothes. I wanted to be out with the girls on a gorgeous day before the snow hits this weekend. (Supposedly we could get up to 10 inches. Arg.)

I got out to the barn and no one was there. Because of Isis’ history of tripping, I never ride if I’m at the barn by myself. So, I went out to the pasture to get Kasane. She looked up at me when I entered the pasture and didn’t object when I put on the halter. She walked slowly and carefully towards the gate with me. Too slowly. Something was wrong.

She had a cut on her forearm between her knee and her chest about 1.5 inches long and about .25 – .5 inch wide. The skin above the cut was swollen. Whatever she did to cut herself was recent: the blood hadn’t dried but it had clotted. She was sore on it but not lame. I wasn’t sure if the cut would need sutures or not.

I brought her back to the barn and called the vet. Better to be safe than sorry. I was told to use cold water therapy on Kasane’s leg for 15 minutes and then the vet would call me back. Good thing it was warm: freezing water with freezing temperatures would not have been pleasant (that will be tomorrow when the weather turns cold and I still have to hose her leg).

We have a new boarder at the barn who is also my small animal vet. She came to the barn just as I was finishing hosing Kasane’s leg. She checked the cut and said she didn’t think it would need stitches. My large animal vet called back and I let him talk to my other vet. Consensus was no wrapping, use an antibacterial ointment on it (Nolvasan) and hose it once a day until the cut starts healing (maybe a week).

I walked out through the field and didn’t find anything Kasane might have cut herself on. Her pasture mate didn’t have any cuts on her either. Who knows what she cut herself on. I put Kasane into a paddock by the barn and gave her some hay.

I still had some daylight after caring for Kasane so I pulled Isis into the big ring and free lunged her. At first she was quiet and did what I asked quietly. And then she glanced at me, tossed her head, shifted on her haunches, and reversed directions and started strutting. One of the other mares in a pasture ran back and forth, excited over something in the woods or looking for her pasture-mate. Isis snorted once, and then cut the back end of the ring. Tail came up and she took one of the jumps and landed at a full gallop. She ripped around the ring with her tail up at a gallop. (That mare can move when she wants to!)

I stopped, held the lunge whip in front of me and waited. Isis trotted slowly over to me, tail up, snorting, and lots of hang time. Tickles me whenever she does that. I didn’t want her to run too much so I put the lead line on her. And she bounced instead of walking as we walked the length of the ring to cool her off.

She was so good and fun to work. I wish we could have ridden but she still made my day.

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 22:04 Tagged with: , ,

Farewell Blue Hors Matine

Horses No Responses »
Jan 262010

In 2006, a friend of mine sent me a link to a YouTube video of the international WEG2006 Freestyle Dressage Final at Aachen. A big grey mare gave a performance that was truly inspired and had the audience clapping and rooting for her. (HIGHLY unusual — dressage tests are about as loud as a tennis match.) I was blown away and inspired to ride more. This big mare, Blue Hors Matine, was dancing and having fun. You could see how much she enjoyed herself and how much her rider, Andreas Helgstrand, adored her. They rode beautifully. Inspiring. Even non-horse people were excited by the video:

Blue Hors Matine was only 9 when she won the silver in that championship competition. Very young for a horse to be performing at Grand Prix level (highest level in dressage). Amazing.

Today a friend of mine on Twitter posted a message that Blue Hors Matine was put down because she broke her leg while playing in her paddock.

She was one of the most amazing mares. Over 16 million people watched the video of her performance at Aachen. I hope whereever she is that she has green pastures, herd mates to play with, and lots of love and affection.

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 02:12

Left, right, whoa, back

Horses No Responses »
Jan 232010

I was ambitious this weekend. After being sick last weekend and part of the week, I rode Isis and worked Kasane with the surcingle and long lines. Pretty ambitious after a month of being out of the saddle. :)

Isis was awesome under saddle in the dressage saddle. We only rode about 20 minutes, most of that at a walk to get both of us warmed up. She is such a joy to ride. She drops her shoulder in around corners, which makes it feel like she is leaning to the inside. If my posture isn’t straight — if I have dropped my inside shoulder — then she will will lean to the inside. We did a little trotting and focused on keeping my posture upright so she didn’t lean in. When we went around one time both directions in the ring, we stopped for the evening. I am not sure how much more posting my legs could take.

Kasane was worked in the round pen. We did a little free lunging and then I put the surcingle on her. The surcingle is like a girth that goes behind her withers. There are rings on the surcingle for putting reins through the side or attaching side reins. I use the surcingle for ground driving by using two long lines through the surcingle and attaching them to the halter, one on either side. The long lines become reins and the surcingle holds the reins in the proper location, no matter where I might be behind Kasane.

I’ve used a lead rope tied to Kasane’s halter like reins before to encourage her to understand the signals for left, right, whoa, and back. She has usually understood what I meant and has done well with it. Having the long lines on and me behind Kasane is a whole new game: I’m in a different location so she can’t read body language or visual cues.

To teach Kasane to move left or right, I pulled gently on the rein until she moved her head in that direction and then I released pressure immediately. Once she would move her head both left and right, I asked her to walk on while doing that. She figured out ground driving in about 10 minutes (very fast — other Arabs I’ve worked with took an hour). Normally, someone helps me at this phase by leading the horse in the direction I’m steering. It helps the horse understand what I’m asking for. Kasane got left and right quickly on her own.

Whoa was another matter. When I asked her to whoa, she tried to turn and face me. This is okay when we’re lunging, however when I’m ground driving and ask for a whoa, she should stop where she is without turning. (Especially important if the horse is actually hooked up to a cart. The cart shafts would prevent her from turning sideways.) Kasane didn’t seem to understand what I was asking for. She knew I wanted her to stop but not stop and stay where she was. We did a refresher course on walk and whoa in hand, and then I stood at her withers and used the long lines like short reins (with my hands just behind the surcingle). When she had stopped several times properly, I moved again behind her and used the long lines. We stopped at that point.

I was so proud of her. She’s making great progress–and fast. One more major step towards getting on her.

Posted by Ceffyl Aedui at 18:16
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