dave's blog

My cell phone has reached the end of its contract (and I'm tired of looking at a broken front screen), so it's off to Verizon Wireless for a new phone. I spent ten-forevers analyzing each phone, comparing features, reading reviews, before settling on the new HTC Incredible.

The HTC Incredible uses the Android operating system purchased by Google in 2005, which is a pared-down version of Linux. HTC throws a custom user interface on top of Android to present a pretty slick phone.

When I finally decided to place my order on-line, I noticed that the web site said, "Will be shipped by June 1". Okay, it's backordered, it is still a cool phone. I placed the order. Within a couple of hours I received an email that my order had been processed and that my new phone should be arriving in two to three business days. "Wow," I thought, "Maybe they just had a shipment." The next day I noticed that the credit card had been charged, so I began peeking out the window for the UPS man to bring me my new toy.

On the fourth business day I called Verizon, "Where's my phone?" It took them 15 minutes to figure out that the phone was still backordered and that I should stop sneaking peeks at the UPS man, lest he get the wrong idea.

It turns out that the email I received is part of the on-line, automated processing system; it was confirming that the transaction was approved and I had been charged. The message really has no connection to whether or not the phone has actually shipped.

So when will my phone appear? Probably in the first week of June! Am I disappointed? Sure - who likes to be teased?

My motorcycle battery failed a couple of months ago after seven years of service. Seven years is a long time for a motorcycle battery; they usually last about three years. This battery survived freezing temperatures, tropical temperatures, and two hurricanes – not bad!

After saving up my nickels and dimes, I searched for a high quality replacement battery. The original battery was made by Yuasa, who has a reputation for making good motorcycle batteries. I was hoping to find a replacement battery by Yuasa for less than $100. A little research showed that AGM-style batteries were high recommended for bikes these days. I found an AGM battery, manufactured by Yuasa, under their “Motocross” brand, for $92. Winner!

I quickly discovered that the local stores were charging 50% more than on-line sales, even when taking shipping into account. I relented to the limits of my wallet, ordering my new battery from batterystuff.com.

Batterystuff.com is in Oregon, about a day’s drive south of us. I was hoping for a quick delivery – alas, I was denied!
Batterystuff.com shipped the battery promptly, the next day, via the US Post Office. They included the Post Office tracking number in an email receipt. I eagerly began watching my battery’s journey to Edmonds.

Three days later, the Post Office tracking system reported that the battery was, “Out for Delivery,” from the Post Office substation in Perrinville. It was a Friday and I had no meetings, so I finished my work day at my home office – checking the front door every few minutes for my package. Hour after hour passed with no package delivery. That evening, after the Post Office had closed, the status changed to “Forwarded.” This seemed quite odd to me. According to the Post Office website, this was often the result of improper addressing. A quick check of the Batterystuff.com receipt showed an accurate address; it even included the zip+4.

The next morning, Saturday, I visited the local Post Office to enquire about my package. They agreed that the tracking system showed that the package had been forwarded. When I asked, “Where,” I received the response, “I dunno. I’ll have to ask the carrier. He’s out on deliveries right now” So, they don’t track packages in the computer system when a manual re-address is made – nice. “What address were you trying to deliver the package to?” “I dunno. It’s on the package.” The fellow at the Post Office took my phone number, the tracking number, and promised to call me after he spoke with the carrier. I found it interesting that they couldn’t tell me where it was supposed to go, where it had been re-routed to, or where it was at that time. He never called.

Saturday night, the tracking status changed to “Undeliverable as Addressed.” Interestingly, the Post Office location changed from Edmonds (Perrinville), to Lynnwood, a near-by town. Since the status didn’t update until almost 5:00 p.m., and they closed at 5:00 p.m., I didn’t have any chance of catching the package at the Lynnwood Post Office that evening.

Monday morning, at 8:30 a.m., I was first in line at the Lynnwood Post Office. I asked the teller if they could check to see if my package was still there. I had high hopes, since it just changed status at 5:00 p.m. the previous business day. “No. If the status said, ‘Undeliverable,’ then it’s gone. It’s not here.” There was no way she was going to walk around the facility to see if the box could still be there. 17 hours later the Post Office tracking system logged the box 20 miles south, in Kent.

Somehow, I suspect it was still in the Lynnwood Post Office when I was there on Monday morning.

Yes, the package went all of the way back to southern Oregon after being less than a half-mile from my house.

Batterystuff.com reported to me that the address of the box was originally correct, but someone had written on top of it after it left their facility. They promptly re-boxed the battery with the same address and sent it back to me: UPS. I hope to see it next week and I really appreciate the quick response time by Batterystuff.com.

By the way - Batterystuff.com reviews their addresses with verification software, then looks up the location on google maps to make sure that there is a building at the address before shipping... they had seen my house before shipping the package... sigh.

Anne, Aurora, and I had the great honor to share in Ken's graduation from boot camp last week. I've posted a few pictures on-line for friends and family to enjoy. I hope to have a video posted from some of the highlights when I can.

CLICK HERE to see all of the photos

Platoon 2121, Fox Company, Marine Corp Recruit Depot, San Diego, January 8, 2010

After over 20 years of usage, I recently declared that my trusty alarm clock was to be banished to the guest bedroom, which previously had no clock at all. I was eager to replace it with something with a higher geek-approval rating while remaining inexpensive.

I’ve worn a Casio “atomic” wristwatch for six years. Each night, the watch turns on an internal radio that listens for the time broadcasts from the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – home of the U.S. Cesium atomic clock. These broadcasts, from Fort Collins, Colorado, bounce off of the ionosphere late at night to provide very accurate (less than 1/100th of a second delay) time signals across North America. My wristwatch synchronizes with these signals each night.

I really wanted an alarm clock that featured similar synchronization technology. In addition, I was hoping to find a clock that would provide the outside temperature so that I’d be able to dress appropriately in the morning.

We’ve owned a small Oregon Scientific temperature station, with atomic clock, for several years. My father gave it to me one year as a gift. The outdoor temperature sensor is wireless and has survived Florida hurricanes, and near zero conditions, without missing a beat. This historical evidence gave preference to an Oregon Scientific solution.

As usual, I spent several days researching potential solutions – scouring the Internet for reviews. My final choice: The Oregon Scientific Elements Collection EW 98. I paid $30, ordering directly from Oregon Scientific.

In addition to the features I desired (atomic time synchronization, outdoor temperature), the clock includes indoor temperature, an “ice alert”, and ceiling projection.

After freeing the clock, external sensor, and clock AC power-supply from their blister pack prison, I loaded the clock and sensor with (not supplied) batteries. Note that you must reset the sensor and the clock to get accurate temperature readings from the external sensor. Just resetting the external sensor won’t do the trick.

For $30 I didn’t expect a laboratory grade device and it appears I was correct. The temperature sensor in the clock, and the external temperature sensor, never agree. After 8 hours next to each other, they differed by two degrees. Still – the external sensor should be close enough for my needs.

I was able to synchronize with NIST within a few minutes by click the manual search button on the bottom of the clock. It was about 8:00 p.m. – a bit early for the best radio reception – but it worked within about two minutes showing the correct time and date.

The next test was the ceiling projector. This seemed like a gimmick to me, rather than a useful function. I expected a fuzzy, dark, unusable image – I was wrong. The clock display on the ceiling is sharp (after adjusting the side mounted focus ring), very readable, and even too bright. Our bedroom ceiling is 10 feet high, with a light texture finish. My wife doesn’t like the intense red numbers above the bed, so I’ve switched the clock to only project the time and temperature onto the ceiling if I’ve tapped the snooze button on top of the clock. I prefer the “always on” style, but it needs to be less intense to be satisfactory in a dark bedroom.

Bottom line: I would recommend this clock to other geeks looking for an inexpensive clock for the bedroom or home office.

Pros:

• Atomic time – very accurate and automatic synchronization
• Projector clarity – time and temperature are clearly visible
• Clear LCD display – large time characters with good off-axis visibility
• AC adapter – saves batteries and allows full-time projector time

Cons:

• Projector intensity – would be nice to have an extra setting to set the brightness to half of the standard brightness
• Confusing sensor configuration – took me several tries to get the outdoor sensor display (on the clock) to appear correctly

The National Weather Service was forecasting for cooler temperatures with some breezy, wet conditions for this evening – we got a bit more than that. I first noticed lightning, which is rare for Seattle. Then the wind picked-up. More lightning. A bit of “rattle, rattle” sounded on the roof. Nothing serious, just amusing.  I ran downstairs to let Anne know that it sounded like it might be hailing. By the time I got downstairs, hail larger than Cocoa Puffs (as much as I’d like to claim the “Cocoa Puff” metric as a “man measurement”, Anne devised it!) was banging against the side of the house. I called my neighbor nearby to suggest that this was somehow his fault; he wasn’t in much of a joking mood as his wife’s car was parked outside. It was probably the most pronounced hail storm I’ve seen in the Seattle area. Just when we thought it was over, it would start again. I’m sure it only lasted a couple of minutes, but it seemed to go on-and-on. Three hours later, much of the hail is still on the ground; it is melting, slowly. The temperature? 36 degrees – burrrrr!