lasersailor's posterous

Report: My new default search engine

Thanks to the lead from my friend and ace curator of all things Internet (yielding the curious acronym "a Coati"), I've been using Duck Duck Go as my default search engine in Chrome for over eight weeks.

I'm fully satisfied. DDG is fast, it prioritizes the search results in the way I expect, and the elegantly sparse UI is easy on my eyes and brain. That it doesn't track my searches is rather immaterial to me, but nevertheless appreciated.

Highly recommended; give it a try!

Making a dent in the universe one Dad at a time

Earlier this week, Jason Snell at Macworld published one of many stirring tributes to Steve Jobs.

I've read a quite a few of these stories about Steve; this one struck a particular chord as it reminded me of how several years ago Apple's products impacted a most unlikely person, my eighty-year old father.

Some of Dad's favorite hobbies included still and motion picture photography, jazz music, radio, television and movies. He was a geek who did live recordings of Errol Garner in the early 1950's at clubs in Pittsburgh using his Webcor reel-to-reel machine, then was invited to step on stage for some very amateur jamming on standup bass. He loved dialing into music and news shows over shortwave on his cherished Telefunken tube radio, and perhaps most of all enjoyed listening to his extensive Columbia, Decca, Verve and Jazztone record collections on a variety of Magnavox and later Sony Hi-Fi players.

Dad never got into computers when I did in the 1970's and 1980's. At that time he was working at retail furniture stores, and for him that era's mediocre electronic point of sale terminals and computerized inventory control systems frequently got in the way of his closing a sale. While he was supportive of my career, he had zero desire to own a personal computer. And, he never understood why I spent so much time doing email instead of calling people on the phone. It was in the late 1980's when I was working on some early consumer videophone products (using V.32 dialup) that he started to see how personal computers and the Internet could be fun for people like him and Mom, connecting our families spread across the country. Later on my wife and I gave him a digital still camera and photo printer as a Christmas present, and that rekindled his interest in photography even though Dad never connected it to a PC.

In January 2009 Dad found out that the pains in his abdomen were caused by cancer of the pancreas. My California employer graciously supported my working from my parents' house in Florida so I could be a caregiver to both Dad and Mom, who had her own health challenges. I took over their dining room as my office, setting up my MacBook, installing broadband and Wi-Fi, an all-in-one printer/fax, and using Skype for conference calls, team meetings, and for keeping in touch with co-workers and friends.

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This photo is from my Dad's first experience using Skype voice and video on my MacBook to reconnect with a former neighbor now living in Costa Rica. You could see the wonder in his eyes as he kept repeating "and all this is free!" Well, yeah, not exactly Dad, but I'm glad you thought it was magical.

When Dad started on intravenous chemotherapy at the clinic I set him up one of my old 1G iPod Shuffles. Under his direction I loaded it with favorites: Frank Sinatra, Anita O'Day, Billie Holliday, Bix Biederbeck, Django Reinhardt, Joe Williams and of course Errol Garner. After a few minutes of instruction he was up and running, and the next day during chemo he was thrilled to be able to use an iPod just like the kids and young adults in the treatment area. He was amazed at how it could hold 20 CDs worth of music, how he could jump forward and backward and shuffle songs so effortlessly, and how the music sounded so darn good out of a device the size of a pack of gum.

Yep, both my Dad and Steve Jobs were fathers struck by pancreatic cancer. But these reflections more strongly reminded me that they also were fathers passionate about life; their work, music, hobbies, family and friends. Especially during the last few months of my Dad's life, he always got a smile when Skyping friends on my MacBook, or when sitting with his eyes closed listening to the iPod Shuffle deliver another great Charlie Christian guitar riff.

Losing Steve this week instigated me to think about things related to my Dad's illness and death that I'd previously pushed back into my personal archives. It's been good to dig them out, reflect, and appreciate how strongly both men impacted my life. I miss them both.

One last time?

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Wow. I just finished watching what may be the last ascent of the Space Shuttle.

I'm in awe of the progress made in sharing these monumental occasions to vast audiences. It's still astonishing to go from watching John Glenn's ascent on my parents' bulky Magnavox? DuMont? 20" black and white upright television, to viewing the STS-135 HD feed on a crisp 2.3 pound MacBook Air display while sitting outside on my deck. Then again, after doing the math - it's been *fifty* years, after all - maybe it is reasonable progress.

The sad part is that so many people take these occasions for granted. While easy access to the Internet and portable computers makes anytime, anywhere watching of recorded events straightforward, I think there's something lost in not watching these historical moments in real time.

And now progress in manned space flight stops, or at least slows to a crawl. The eloquent and talented Nathaniel Salzman captures many of my feelings about this temporary end of US manned space flight programs in his short but insightful article.

Godspeed Atlantis.

Judgment Days : The New Yorker - David Remnick's insightful column on the uprising in Egypt

Before the Throne: A Modern Arabic Novel (Modern Arabic Novels)

As a youngster in 1968 I was inspired by articles in the National Geographic to read all I could about ancient Egyptian history. I was mesmerized by the building of the Aswan High Dam and the relocation of Abu Simbel temples. While at Tulane in 1977 I was fortunate to see the King Tut exhibit at at NOMA. Later in the early 1980's I read Before the Throne by Naguib Mahfouz, a unique story about Egyptian leaders coming to their day of reckoning before the gods.

IMHO the best synopsis of current events in Egypt was published this week by David Remnick. Check it out. Thanks to @Gruber of DaringFireball.net for the pointer.

Promising end to a challenging week

Let's just say I'm glad this week is over. It was filled with a variety of eldercare challenges (overcome at the moment), intense transitions at my employer, and general post-holiday detritus cleanup. As usual, Friday night is time for a relaxing cocktail and commiseration with my wife.

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What better than to enjoy a Santa Barbara sunset outside our window while sipping rough but tasty rye on the rocks and munching BBQ potato chips?

Although somewhat maligned by the cognoscenti, I find Jim Beam 8 year old Rye whiskey to be perfectly enjoyable with a few cubes of ice to cut the alcohol burn. It has a nice mix of sweet and savory and spice that complements the high quality of Lay's Kettle Cooked BBQ chips.

Sophisticated I am not.

"Take it back!" she said: Goodbye to AppleTV

It was gift giving with the best intentions, and all that. Only a bit self-serving, but in the end it caught up with me as these things often do.

For the last year or so my 14-year old anime-infatuated daughter has enjoyed viewing her portfolio of shows streamed online using her MacBook or via the impressively capable Roku box attached to her HDTV. All was well and good, but Dad of course can't leave well enough alone. No, a bit before Christmas I came up with the grand plan to move the Roku box back to the aging, mostly-analog IDTV in our living room and instead "upgrade" my daughter's setup to something better.

Win-win, right? The Roku with its S-video and digitial-audio outputs will work fine with my turn-of-the-century living room systems, and daughter gets upgraded to state-of-the-art (again) in her room.

So the holiday arrives, presents are opened, etc. Dad goes and installs an AppleTV on daughter's system when she's out of the house, to surprise her when she returns.

Uh yeah. It was a surprise alright.

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Not because the ATV is anything other than a quality system. The hardware, software and out-of-box-experience is typical Apple, which is to say that it's almost flawless. Everything plugs and plays without a hitch, from the HDMI video and audio, to the 802.11n wireless, to the iTunes integration. The hardware quality make me want to put it on a pedestal with a tiny spotlight illuminating its flawless finish. No power brick is an unexpected bonus. As always, the Apple UI/UX is simple and elegant (except for the infuriating need to enter characters using the same limited hunt and peck interface as almost all other STBs.) And, I'm enthralled with the way it integrates audio and video podcasts along with other OTT content.

Which brings me to the surprise that with a little more research shouldn't have been a surprise to me. When my daughter gets home and fires up the ATV, her initial delight turns to abject horror when she realizes a) her favorite anime content is limited to one or two episodes/seasons of each title, and b) HORROR OF HORRORS EACH EPISODE COSTS $0.99 TO RENT.

Yep, on the Roku via Crunchyroll it's all free, all seasons, all episodes, all the time. Squid Girl, Inuyasha, Naruto, Yumeiro Patisserie, etc. Every repetitive conflict, every demonic possession, every heartbreaking love triangle.

So, I say "Okay, with iOS 4.2 and AirPlay we can just watch her favorite shows for free on her MacBook or iPhone and then stream the content to the ATV, right?"

Wrong.

For now, AirPlay only works with "Apple-approved" content like that available in iTunes or YouTube. The ever-innovative Erica Sadun has an impressive work-in-progress called AirFlick that promises to wriggle around Apple's onerous restrictions, but it's still in a too-geeky state to be usable by the masses. After two hours of futzing, I threw in the towel. The Roku box is back on my daughter's TV. The AppleTV is back in its box ready to be returned on Monday.

Observations and lessons learned (again):

1. Don't mess with what's working for your daughter unless you're really sure it's gonna be an improvement.

2. Roku continues to lead the OTT marketplace with the richest set of content choices, at prices and a user experience that continues to build brand and customer loyalty. Added bonus points for Roku's support for analog video; not all of us can afford digital TVs throughout the house.

3. I seriously considered getting her a Boxee box instead of the ATV, but they're still lacking Netflix streaming support -- a must IMHO.

4. As Chairman Steve says, ATV may still be more of a hobby than a complete product, thought it's a really cool hobby. When AirPlay becomes source- and content-agnostic it will be a lot closer to delivering the vision promoted in Apple's advertising.

It's the first time I've ever had to de-install and return an Apple product. Statistically, I guess it was bound to happen someday. For now, I'll continue to be an enthusiastic Roku evangelist while waiting for AppleTV to evolve to be a more mature solution. And in 2011 I resolve to try harder to avoid giving self-serving presents to others!

Postscript 01/03/11 - Good to know that the return process at my local Apple store was as painless as the online purchase.  Walk in the front door, tell the greeter that I want to return an item for credit, get assigned an Apple associate, give them the ATV and HDMI cable and printed copy of online receipt, and all is taken care of for me.  Of course there's a 10% open-box restocking fee, but that was expected.

Observations on Economic Distress and Rural America

Well, this is a not exactly a cheery posting while on a business trip to Manchester, NH.

The good news is that there still are hard working, dedicated citizens in this stalwart town committed to building a better future. The bad news is that there's little disposable income to enable the town's inhabitants to enjoy small, independent restaurants operated by dedicated artisans.

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I had dinner at Gill's, and it's some of the best Indian food that I've ever experienced. Lamb with Ginger and Coriander in savory brown sauce, along with garlic Naan, was served in a quiet, restful atmosphere. Mr. Gill is now owner/server/busboy as he has laid off all but one other employee, with over a 50% reduction in customers over the past 12 months. According to him, it's purely a demonstration of economic conservatism and downright hardship amongst his middle-class and upper middle-class clientele.

If you're in the area and able to dine out, I highly recommend patronizing Mr. Gill's establishment. Urbanspoon has additional reviews.

After being cooped up in meetings all day, I had walked the mile to Gill's through the heart of the city's residential section. I had forgotten what boardinghouses looked like, with smashed TV sets on sidewalks, BVM statues behind barred windows, and careworn plots of soil with straggly tomato and zucchini tucked between concrete door stoops.

My way back to the hotel was along a more traveled road, and I was greeted by an invitation for dessert that couldn't be passed up.

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Small vanilla soft-serve, please. I enjoyed my cone while pondering the wonders of typography and neon.

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Manchester has deep roots yearning for a bit of rain to ease their parched economy.