shevdog

eReaders, touch screens, and tablets

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:37:34 GMT

I'll cut to the chase... I read all the time, yet don't read books very often. Depending on one's perspective, it is likely bad that I don't read books, yet generally good that I read a lot.

Why?

Well books are books. Also being IT, I live a very digital lifestyle. I think the only thing I read in print these days are magazines, having stacks of them at home. Yet I've cut my zines to outdoors & fitness only ones, where gReader has a daily stream of all kinds of internet feed that I read like zines.

eReaders have been out for many years, yet have come up short for years. Below is a list of features I am looking for in a tablet sized device:

tablet sized (not too big, not too small)
color + back light (bright in light + dark)
Supports all the common eBook formats
Supports PDF's + note taking
RSS feeds
network + internet connectivity
syncing up with my computers and devices (this is a big deal)
quick charge that is efficient and lasts long
Some sort of useful Bible (for sermonizing)
good text2voice (optional, yet would be great!)

I'll stop with 10 items.

Honestly I'm looking for a versatile tablet PC that focuses on eReading, notes, and replaces most of my printing. These tablets do exist, yet they are way too pricey. I don't want a full operating system. (OK, I do, but not in this case). If I have something where I can read books, read zines, read feeds, take notes, and make notes on documents, then that's what I am looking for. It has to be affordable, practical, something I can "throw around", etc. Also, I need to easily move stuff on my personal network, including computers and mobile devices.

Enter Nook (& Kindle)

Last week stumbled upon Barnes and Noble's Nook, which is a new $259 eBook+ reader. I liked what Amazon Kindle had to offer, minus the fact it lacked color. Don't expect me to go in a full feature compairson. I just like Nook, since it has most of what I am looking for, plus runs on Google Android mobile OS, which is what my phone runs on. (A mobile resource hog, yet great OS).

Thing is...

I honestly will not shell out $259 for Nook, even a color Kindle. If I could do most of what I can do on my Android phone + have these eReader features, then I'd shell out that kind of cash, since I'd use that device all the time.

What I'd like to see is a TechCrunch Tablet merge with Nook in either the Android or Windows Mobile platform. Thing is we're not too far away from seeing what I want in Apple flavor, which can upset this "not quite there yet" eReader gadget market. I'd love to be able to take this eTablet with me around the house and on the go to read my zines, feeds, books, and check up on my websites.

In the end, my mobile phone wins. Right now I'll end up going for what I can squeeze into my Android powered phone. To be able to read books from a device that is usually in my pocket is a win-win for me. And Nook has software for all these common mobile platforms, though I need to wait for the Android version, even though Nook runs on Android.

Bottom line...

Even in electronic for, you really think I'll read more books? For me, yes, but only a 20-25% improvement over my already low book reading rate. Still, to have all my books at the palm of my hands, that's what I want.

Poor ole books. What a dying art you've become.

Home Trail #1 of 4 - Schuylkill River Trail: Phoenixville to Oaks (6.15.09)

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:51:53 GMT

There are 4 trails I call "home", 3 I actually bike all the time, since one has hills.

This first trail is the segment of the Schuylkill River Trail from Phoenixville to Oaks...

2009_06_15-SRT-phxv2oaks

I usually either Park at home, Port Providence, or Pawlings Road when I go for a bike ride. More and more I've been parking at Port Providence, where the pictures from this album begins. On days like today, I'll grab 3-5 miles by biking the road portion of the Schuylkill River Trail into Phoenixville.

The trail ends at the bridge, where over the next handful of years they will extend it 12-15 miles west-ish into Pottstown, where it will connect with the Berks County portion of the trail all the way into Reading. Eventually when the trail is completed, it will be 100+ miles from Philly to Pottsville (not Pottstown). Yes, you will eventually be able to take the trail to Cabelas.

Phoenixville has a trail following the canal through downtown Phoenixville. Eventually this will be eastern end of the Chester County branch of the trail.

Going eastward from Port Providence, is the new section of the trail, opened late 2008, fully paved all the way into Valley Forge National Historical Park. Just before VFNHP is an area called "Oaks" famous on Philly traffic reports for congestion. Next to that is Pawlings Road, which is another big trailhead and parking lot, which is the other place I park. All my photos go up to this point. From there, there is two other trails, Audubon Loop Trail and Perkiomen Trail, two of the 4 trails I call home.

Technically the Schuylkill Rver Trail from Oaks/Pawlings Road to Valley Forge is the same trail, it is just an entirely different segment I will cover another day. Why? What dang hill and bridge, plus the National Park.

When I plan my short and long rides, I tend to start with the 4 home trails, then customize the mileage. Port Providence to Oaks is 2 miles, where the Phoenixville loop is an extra 3. If I need 5 miles to tap on a ride, I do 2.5 miles of paved Perkiomen Trail just before it turns to a gravel trail. (The entire Perkiomen Trail is 23 miles one way, up to Green Lane Park). Then there is the 25 miles of trail from Oaks to Locus Street in Center City Philadelphia.

Oh yeah, the bathrooms at the Prot Providence Trailhead... They are nice, like new PA turnpike rest stop nice. Hand sanitizer, automated flush, sink, hand driers. Of course I like the cabin look and feel. What ticks me off is that they are usually locked. I only used them once, since I live close enough to use my own bathroom. Not sure why they are locked every other time I try to use them? Picture coming one of these days. I know, just a restroom, yet on trails you'd be lucky to get a hole in the ground to use, as well as a fountain to fill your bottles. Of course, they need to filter that brown water, which is why I fill up at VFNHP at Betzwood.

Anyhow...

I am sooooo spoiled!

The 4 trails I call home are part of Montgomery County's bike trail system, which is the best in all of PA. (And I sure would talk up Pittsburgh, yet they have nothing on Montco!) Both my short and long rides tend to include these 4 trails (well maybe not hilly Audubon Loop Trail). Can't beat a free ride through a National Park, James Audubon's old homestead, and all the revolutionary war history that is literally in my back yard! Of course those trails use to be old revolutionary war supply routes, then later those rail roads that you hear about on Monopoly. Then Phoenixville is an old steel town, just like my childhood home of New Castle (near Pittsburgh). On top of all that, it is just beautiful, with the deer, the trees, the birds, the foxes, and all the wildlife, minus the bugs!

Spoiled! That's why I love where I live!

Now if Pittsburgh/Allegheny County can expand their paved trails another 20 miles, as well as finish/pave the Montour trail, they might give Montco a run at the best trail system... Pittsburgh is still the best city in PA to bike in, in my opinion...

Steelers and Penguins and Pirates, oh my!

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:25:12 GMT

Yet another prediction post... LOL!

Steelers 2009-10

How can I pick with the NFL up in the air and the Steelers coming off an amazing year, with the toughest NFL schedule in 30 year? I don't know but I will try.

Yes, about a dozen head coaching changes in the past month. When you see what those kind of changes did for the Dolphins and Ravens, you got to wonder what this means for most of the teams with coaching changes.

But let's start with the Steelers "Stairway to Seven", aka the path they would have to take for the 7th Super Bowl next season. One of those changes is with the Browns, where we can't be sure if the Browns will be a threat or not. They were suppose to be last year, but they were a dud. Bengals look like they are losing TJ "Who's Your Momma", with Palmer more an more mediocre. Ravens are solid, even if they lose Ray Ray in the free agency mix. Steelers are set to keep pretty much everyone, so they will continue that depth, More on the Steelers in a moment...

Colts were cold, then hot, then cold in the AFL South. Jags were a disappointment. Tennessee did well in 07 running that into the post-season, then got knocked off, still with the depth that can get them into the playoffs. Texans... LOL! In the AFC East, the Cheatriots were the best team not to make the playoffs, where I dare to say the Ravens would have had a tough time. Pretty boy Brady will be back, so we'll see. Jets are a wash for next year were I like to see them prove me wrong. Dolphins continue to impress me and I hope they own the AFC East again. I have no clue about Buffalo. In the AFC West, maybe they will sort things out, since it was the wild west, where the Chargers pulled out somehow, but were no match for the Super Bowl XLIII champs. Broncos need something to get them all in line. Raiders were a joke again, but you never know. Chiefs might be hot or might not depending how the new coach sorts things out.

Less on the NFC... I was hopng the Eagles would miss the playoff so Andy Reid and Donavon McNabb would get fired. Eagles are hot and cold kind of team and choke in big games. Giants played beat up, so did the Cowboys. Cardinals were a late bloomer that I see falling apart in the off-season, yet Wiz might somehow rebuild and do the Burgh thing there, getting them back deep into January. Niners still sleeping? Panthers are still my NFC Super Bowl pick, where they got that upset against the red birds. Vikings might also have a shot to get into 44 too. NFC needs a lot of work.

Steelers fixed half of what they needed to fix between the 2007 and 2008 season which obviously was good enough to get them a Super Bowl victory. Big Ben won games, yet the O-line still needs tweaking, maybe some trades and drafts. Sep needs to get better so we can get rid of Mitch Berger, who was horrible. If the Steelers defense was not so good, he would have cost us many games. That secondary got fixed, now it needs to be tightened. I know, it was the best in the NFL, but even so, there needs to be tweaks. Mendenhall needs to get healthy and stay healthy, since we need him so play some sort of power running back, which we were lacking big time in 2008. If we don't play power running in 2009, then forget a Super Bowl next year.

So my predictions for 2009 is I just don't know yet. Maybe in April things will sort out enough in the NFL where I have a good idea to make a solid prediction. I can say that the Steelers chances look really good. I could say the same for 3-4 other teams too. I have a feeling that good times will keep rolling for the Steelers. I can tell you this, Pittsburgh is feeling 7 for 2009-10 and they can make a solid point. I have to agree. But give me 2 more months.

Penguins 2008-09 and beyond...

Red Wings game today was my official thermometer for playoff hopes. Getting shut out 3-0 tells me the support player issues are still a big concern. Now if the Pens didn't lose so many players in the off-season, they would be heading back to the Stanley Cup finals. I've witnessed for 2-3 months the Pens falling apart in Center Ice, unable to get shots on goal and take pressure off of Flower. Sure, Malkin and Crosby have had a better season than last, yet you need more than your top 2-3 players being on top of things. I am not happy with how the 4 lines are setup and would like to see big changes made this week.

I do remember counting the Steelers out in 2005-06, after Maddox and friends stunk our way toward elimination. But we got there. Now the Pens face something similar, where a massive hot streak can get them the 7-8th spot and get them a round or two into the playoffs. I hope I am wrong, but I don't see the Pens getting to the Stanley Cup finals and even the playoffs this year. That's fine as long as from this point forward the Pens don't make stupid personale moves that screw them up for next year. Pens for sure will be a hot team next season and I see the Pens getting a Stanley Cup in 2009-10. If the Pens reach deep within right now, they have what it takes to win this year, yet like I said, they have to strengthen in the center zone and get more shots in on goal.

Boston is hot right now in the Eastern Conference, yet I can see teams like the Flyers, Caps, and Rangers make a late rally in through the playoffs. I hate the Flyers, yet I can see them in the Finals this year if the Bruins, Caps, or Rangers don't stop them. No way the Flyers or Rangers can handle the Wings or Sharks. My pick for the Stanley Cup finals is (1) Flames, (2) Sharks, (3) Flyers, though I want either the Pens or Rangers to rally.

In the AHL... The Baby Pens are still good, though they ticked me off giving up 2 goals on the 6 man rush on Friday. Luckily they made up for it in over time. Baby Pens will win the Calder Cup this season. If not, oh well.

Pirates 2009

Well I hate baseball. It is so boring. Going to a game is fun and that's about it. Doesn't mean I hate the Pirates, since they are my baseball team.

Pirates have been awful since they traded off players like Bonds in the 90's. The Pirates need to be sold off and the front office all fired. Pirates need to play to win again. But I have this feeling that regardless of the ownership and management shortcomings, they will be hot more than not this season and get into the playoffs. As for World Series, I have no clue and doubt that. If that happens, I will jump on the wagon and will be all about the Pirate like I was as a kid. I will go to a game at PNC this year just to experience that fine ballpark and will see them a couple time on tv. Other than that, forget baseball, since I find it as interesting as golf and paint drying. (Sorry if you are a fan, no disrespect to you and your sport).

Cycling

Lance is back, so is the controversial Floyd Landis. In Pro Cycling, they hate us Americans for the most part, yet I find it funny that it is some of these European countries that are producing most of these dopers. No matter, Lance could come close to his 8th TDF, yet won't get the International title. Floyd Landis is a much better climber than Lance, as well as a great time trialist, so I expect Floyd to give former team mate Lance a run for his money.

Regardless, I hope to bike 3200 miles. With all the sickness and icy weather in January, I'm off to a slow start, only 55 miles. But if I can get 1000 byt April 15, I'll get 3200 but October, just in time for football and hockey!

So Pittsburgh will see a championship or two in the next 1-2 years. Even so, let's enjoy a Stanley Cup run from last year and a Super Bowl Championship this year!

:: Update 5.15.09 ::

Pens 2008-09 Stanley Cup Run

I really don't care if I am right or wrong about this prediction. Right now I'm a fan of the Penguins and hockey. But I wasn't far off.

Let me cough this out...

In hockey, I respect a respectable team, as well as a respectable player. Living near Philly, I am around these Flyers fans. I'll reserve my comments to just this: have class! The Caps fans may have shouted out a couple times something about Crosby, yet you didn't hear the hate every chance you get. I'm very anti-Gresky, with less degree of liking to Ovie. I think Wayne is a very selfish player and Ovie has the makings to follow their footsteps. Even so, you won't see me do what the Cryers did to the Pens & Crosby. Have class.

OK, so the Pens did what they needed to do mid-season, making changes and rallying into the playoffs. Good. They they had 2 very difficult first rounds against the Flyers and Capitals. They now face the Carloina Hurricanes, which upset #1 seed Boston Bruins. Wales finals might not be as hard as the first two rounds, yet expect an "A" game. But I think the Pens will get this one in 5 games.

As for Wings vs Hawks, I wish the Pens could play both teams and skip the Canes. I want a rematch against the Wings, yet I also want to play the Hawks. This will go to game 7 and my gut says Blackhawks, though my head says Wings. Let's settle this all on the ice!

:: Steelers 2009-10 Revistied ::

Well this is hard to re-visit 3 months later, as I promised...

Let me say that the Steelers have what it takes to re-peat a Super Bowl championship. I think they can. I want them to. Only two things stand in their way, themselves and the AFC North.

Steelers will make the playoffs. Playoffs this year will be like a flip of the coin, as in teams getting in and the Steelers success. I can see the Steelers falling short to some edgy disappointment. I want to be wrong, I so do. Like I said, it comes down to a flip of a coin.

If the Steelers don't get a Super Bowl this year, it might not be for a while. Sure they have most of their depth, yet I can see lots of changes in support positions the next couple years. Who knows, I can totally be wrong and I hope I am!

:: Update 5.28.09 - Pens ::

Pens are in the Stanley Cup Finals! So my official prediction is Pens in 5.

Why?

Red WIngs are #2 seed out west. Ducks gave them problems, almost eliminated them. Caps were #2 seed and almost eliminated the #4 seed Pens. Pens beat the Flyers, Caps, and the troublesome Canes. Wings will be tough, yet we got them this time.

Though on this post I had the Pens in 5 against the Canes, I was going for 4-5 games, calling that on fb/tw. Eh, whatever. Wings are not as solid as they were a year ago. I know others think it will go to 6-7 games. Maybe if this was last year. Not this year. Pens are hot and have been playing .800 hockey under Bylsma during the end of the season and 12-5 in the playoffs. Wings are 12-4, so I guess that blows that arguement out of the water.

Anyhow, Pens in 5. No sweep. The Cup comes back to Pittsburgh in June!

:: Update 10.9.09 - Pens, Steelers, Pirates ::

Not a big update, since I want to make mention instead of make a new post.

My thoughts on the Steelers haven't changed. They have what it takes to repeat, yet off to a sloppy start. They will come up short. Ratbirds are scaring me, yet they've shown me they can be humbled.

Penguins will be in the finals again. Still doesn't mean there won't be drama during the season and post-season. Pens have better chances of repeating, yet the Cryers and Crapitals are just as strong as last season. Will be a battle.

Pirates... I shake my head. When Pittsburgh gets voted #1 sports city and the Pirates just suck after breaking a losing season record, you just got to shake your head. I care less about baseball. Until the ownership and management of the Pirates changes, they will continue to be the laugh of the Burgh. Please win again Buccos!

The Best Has Yet To Come

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:37:22 GMT

The Best Has Yet To Come

by Frank Sinatra
sung by Michael Bublé

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plum
You came along and everything started to hum
Still its a real good bet, the best is yet to come

The best is yet to come, and wont that be fine
You think youve seen the sun, but you aint seen it shine

Wait till the warm-up is underway
Wait till out lips have met
Wait till you see that sunshine day
You aint seen nothin yet

The best is yet to come, and wont that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine

Come the day that your mine
Im gonna teach you to fly
Weve only tasted the wine
Were gonna drain that cup dry

Wait till your charms are right, for the arms to surround
You think youve flown before, but you aint left the ground

Wait till youre locked in my embrace
Wait till I hold you near
Wait till you see that sunshine place
There aint nothin like it here

The best is yet to come, and wont that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine

Èirinn gu bràth!

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:37:59 GMT

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all my fellow Scots-Irish pals out there!

And remember, St. Patrick is a Scot!

shevdog's 2500th lj post!!!!!!

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:55:42 GMT

shevdog's 2500th lj post!!!!!!

The grand finale of Zambelli's New Castle fireworks display. 7/14/07
My childhood hometown of New Castle, PA is the fireworks capital of the world!
New Castle supplies fireworks for most of the big city fireworks shows, including NYC!

First post: June 12, 2002, 9:48am
2500th post: February 8, 2008 2:52am

Total time to 2500th post: 2067
Total posts per day average: 1.2

Total comments average: 1.2 comments per post
Total people who care about these stats: 0

So thanks for well over 2000 days of enduring my useless rants, ramblings, and other stuff that 99.9999999999999999999% of the world could care less about!

I'd like to thank:

1. Al Gore, for creating the internet. Thanks to you, I don't need to read books and can make spam filtering a professional past-time.

2. To God, cause he created Al Gore, who without Al Gore, this interwebbie thingy wouldn't be possible.

3. To livejournal, cause you have been the only internet constant, other than Yahoo! Mail throughout the zeros! Thanks for endless hours of blogging!

4. To thormonger, cause without him, I wouldn't have gotten the invite to lj in the first place. Mad monger love on ya bro! And oh hail Mr. Death!

5. To love, cause without it, blogs would be boring, especially mine. Yeah, I'd only talk about cycling and Steelers football! Ok, maybe some philosophy and theology, yet yawn...

6. To mind control and time travel, cause without it, how could we ever take over primitive civilizations and make our own global empires! Dang gnome stole my toys, so I am stuck in 2008. Dang it!

7. To anonymous comments, cause without them, I wouldn't have something to do on a Thursday night, trying to decode from log files who actually posted the comment.

9. To memes, quizzes, surveys... You make the web a productive place! How else would we kill endless hours of idle time at work and at home on a dateless night? And yes, meme's are the new pre-date tool of the social networking era! How else would you know everything about your date before even asking her out?

8. To sarcasm, cause without it, what's the point? Seriously.

7. To lj niftiness, like phone posts, tags, polls, and mood tags, cause we'd be unable to breath without them!

6. To my Windows mobile cellphone, which makes it possible to rant endless about stuff that no one reads from places previously impossible to blog from, like mountain tops, in the middle of no where on a trail, the bathroom at work, in traffic, and from my couch when I am too lazy to go 4 feet to my computer.

7. The spell checker, that lonely piece of code that rarely gets used by me.

8. To people who can't count, people who don't pay attention to numbers, and log files, for giving me so much "who gives a care" kind of information, like the fact that more people view my lj than they do my other stuff online.

9. To the people and robots on my f-list... You ~~see~~ ignore a whopping 99.5% of my unless banter. And I'll honor your requests one day for more flashy objects on my posts! (I like the pretty flashy colors!)

10. And to my number one lj viewers of 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001... Wait, 2001 was Xanga... as well as countless others. You may only see maybe 8 posts, 10 tops sometimes. So that's only 0.04% of the joy you get to witness, which is equal to what my real friends actually read who have full access to my posts.

Less we not forget post #1:
http://shevdog.livejournal.com/511.html

And my 2 most favorite posts:
http://shevdog.livejournal.com/587810.html
http://shevdog.livejournal.com/442045.html
http://shevdog.livejournal.com/324502.html

Xanga: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 (A)

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:12:24 GMT

Weekend is fastly approaching, and I still have a full plate of things to do. Next week will be a challenge, since i have to get everything done before I leave Wednesday night for the Royal Rnager National Training Trail. I basically have to read 2-3 books by monday night, and have to study for an exam. I'll be busy. I have to go to sleep, so I'll post more soon.

:-D
shevdog

Private - 10:58 PM - add eprops - add comments - edit it - email it

:: EDIT 2.12.08 ::

This is my first public post on Xanga. Well, technically I had 2-3 other posts, yet those were test posts. I stopped using Xanga once I discovered livejournal. The time period I primarily used Xanga was March 2001 until December 2001, which covers the time between my Senior year and last semester as a student at VFCC through my first semester working full-time at the IT department at VFCC.

For a while between fall of 2004 and spring of 2005 I did cross post a couple times, to keep in touch with people on campus at VFCC, due to Xanga's popularity at that time. I permanently abandoned Xanga 3 years ago, only leaving up that account until I archive my posts here and also so I can access a blogs of a couple of my friends.

If you want to view my old Xanga posts or any of my lj post that are not set to public, you need to sign up for an lj account, then friend me. Once I friend you back, you'll have access to well over 2500 posts.

Over the course of the next couple years, I will archive my written journals and scrapbooks. I will publish these securely here at lj, as well as several other private & personal blogs. By 2010 I should hopefully should finally complete a project I started in when I started college in 1997 to have all my journals and scrapbooks converted to digital form. Knowing me, I'll be a slacker for this kind of personal project.

You know what?

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 00:48:59 GMT

Right now I am happy.

Its that simple.

first post

Wed, 12 Jun 2002 13:34:47 GMT

At work, getting ready for another long day. Good thing I get Friday afternoon's off this summer. Tomorrow will be less desk work, since someone is a group is coming on campus for a demo for new campus software. I am hoping that they have a great package, since I was impressed by what I saw on their site.

My sister's wedding is next Saturday. That means I get Thursday afternoon to Monday afternoon off. I can use the time off. I'll have From the 4th to the 5th off also.

Rangers is tonight, and I'll be going over the conservation pledge and will be getting them to start working on their own time on the Nature Study project. All the Trailblazers are off today for the summer, so they have little excuse. I'll also will be getting on their cases about finishing up reading the Bible. They are all at least halfway done, and can finish it this summer if they try. They have plenty of free time. Wish I could say that... ok maybe not, yet some free time would be nice.

Later

::EDIT::

This was my very first lj post. Any posts listed on my lj prior to this are backups of blog entries on Xanga. And of course you need to be on my lj f-list in order to view those old Xanga posts. This post will remain public.