Medals gained and friendships lost
Well, as I mentioned last week (has it really been a week already? I have go to find a way to find more blogging time), LatteGirl went off to Lake Placid to compete in the ISI Lake Placid Championships. Without trying to sound to braggy (but how could I not be at least a little braggy), she came home with 3 gold medals and a silver in the four events she entered.
Obviously, she was also thrilled. But besides being tired (on the last day they went snow tubing before a 5-1/2 hour ride home), there was a certain… I don’t know what to call it, really… listless undertone to her mood. What could make a child who just did so well in her competition, had fun swimming (she has continued her streak of swimming in every hotel pool she has ever had the opportunity to swim in… be it frozen for ice, or warm for swimming, apparently you just can’t keep my child away from water). So what could this reservation in her jubilation be? She denied it at first, so I didn’t push the issue.
The following morning, I inquired again, and I found out the problem. It seems there was another girl that is from her skate club that was signed up and in all the save events (and same “flight” as they call it), as LatteGirl… meaning they were competing head to head in each of the 4 events along with other girls from other skate clubs. As I pointed out earlier, LatteGirl came home with 3 gold and a silver. This other girl, whom LatteGirl only knows because they have the same coach, but LatteGirl still considers a “friend” came home with 3 silver and a bronze. Do you see where this is headed?
Yeah, by the time the trip was over and they were heading home, her friend was no longer speaking to her, and in fact was giving her dirty looks whenever LatteGirl looked in her direction. This troubled her. She didn’t like that fact that her friend was mad at her, but couldn’t reconcile what she should have done differently. She believes you should always do the best you can, and besides, this competion, the judges just decide on a winner… there is no scoreboard of points to look at to judge a “level” So she really couldn’t throw one of the events if she wanted to (there was no way that was going to happen, she is every bit as competitive as I am, and letting up is just not her style), and besides just because she may have thrown an event doesn’t mean that the judges might not have given the medal to somebody else anyway.
It is a shame. I have always tried to instill good sportsmanship in Lattegirl, but it seems to me that this girl’s parents didn’t bother to teach her good manners or how to be a good sport.) I tried to reassure her that eventually this little girl would probably move on and eventually forget all about coming in behind LatteGirl at every event this time, and who knows, at the next competion she may be the one that comes out on top.
["Not a chance," she says, "next time I will be even better." ]
Yup she is my child alright
Yes, more ice skating posts
I am sure some people will be getting sick of these posts, but I still get quite excited when LatteGirl has these ice skating events. Every event (so far) is bigger and more special than the last. I guess I will stick on this course for about a year (so let me apologize in advance), and then once these get into re-runs, it won’t be such a big deal.
But I feel bad that I cannot attend this one. LatteGirl and TheWife have headed off on their own o Lake Placid. This is not really all that much different than the event she went to in Yonkers. Except it is bigger, with far more competitors from all over the country.
So they are there, and I am here. I will be missing today’s competition due to firewall issues, but tomorrow I will get to watch her skate via Webcast (Yes, this event has a webcast that they sell tickets to). So, at least I will get to see it even if I can’t be there in person, but I still really wish I could have made the trip. Of course somebody has to pay for all these excursions… so I will try to enjoy it as best I can via the Webcast.
There are definitely some benefits to leaving me behind. I have been such the nervous one since she started competing. She has managed to be as cool as can be. So far, she has manged to avoid picking up my nervousness, but if I was around, it would probably only be a matter of time until she decided that if I was so nervous, that perhaps she SHOULD be, and I don’t want that to happen.
Of course, I can try and console my “poor me” factor (and after the expense of this trip, I really mean POOR me), with the fact that I have the house to myself for a day and half (they come home on Sunday). Well, only me and the dogs, and fortunately they are not talking. (Oh, please lord don’t turn this into a Bush’s baked beans commercial on me). So perhaps I will drown my “sorrows” by stopping for a micro-brew or six, order in some sort of greasy foodthing in and pretend like this was my plan all along and this is how I really wanted it to be. Yeah, that sounds good. And besides, I will see her tomorrow… even if it is on a webcast.
Get my nursing home reservations
I am nothing but predictable… some call it lame, but I will stick with “predictable.”
For some time now (I guess far too long a time now), I have used the same response when told about a plan that is too good to be true, or just sounds completely unbelieveable. That is to say something along the lines of, “Off the freeway, through the window, off the floor, nothin’ but net.”
It harkens back to a(n) (old) McDonald’s commercial with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. I said that at a meeting with my staff, and all I got were some dumbfounded looks. I realized that these kids had no idea what the hell I was talking about… which was enough to make me feel old.
But as I explained the commercial, saying it starred Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, the response I got back just killed me. “Who’s Larry Byrd?” At that point, I left the meeting and placed an order for my plot at the mausoleum.
Review: Asus EeePC 904HA Netbook
Really this should have been a TechParent Tuesday post, but… well… I couldn’t wait for next week, and I had already done my prognostications, so here we are.
When I first started reading about the Netbook "craze" I was quite skeptical. At first there was the little machines with a 7 in screen and 2 GB of "storage." Ok, the screen was a bit bigger, but I had as much processing power and storage on my Motorola Q9m phone. And while I am not adverse to using Linux, I didn’t care for those little, customized, "fitted" versions.
Quickly they started to grow, both in size and in price. Then I couldn’t figure out why anybody would buy one, when a full powered notebook was a similar price. But as the prices, sizes and "craze" settled down a bit towards the end of the year (and prices dropped as economic turmoil hit everybody), some more… what I will call sensible models fit in the middle between the little 7" 2GB models, and the 10" might as well be a laptop size.
To be honest, I battled back and forth between several models, the finalists being the Acer AspireOne and the Asus EeePC because on the spec sheet, they were virtually identical. 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB of storage, 8.9" screen, and a 92% keyboard, and powered by the relatively new power sipping Intel Atom processor. Both even boasted battery life (with the larger 6 cell battery that I opted to go with) of around 5 hours. I opted to go with Windows XP, but both are also available with Ubuntu (or you can install it yourself). Units of this type and size run inn the area of $349. (Except for Dell which gives a stripped down model with less memory for that same price, a machine equal to this from Dell costs considerably more)
Ultimately, I opted for the 904HA from Asus because of the fact that it is fully upgradable. If you want to boost this up to 2GB of memory, you just open a door and change the memory. The Acer however required you to disassemble the netbook. While I am handly and built my own desktop PCs in the past, with the tiny parts of a netbook, this is not something I would want to do, so that was a deal breaker. Also, the Acer also appeared to have some firmware issues. While Acer was by all accounts trying to deal with them and issuing patches, I thought I might as well start with one that had less issues from the start.
So, what do I think after working with it for two weeks? It is a neat little addition. I would not recommend it for somebody as their everyday computer, the smaller keyboard, the lack of an optical drive and small screen is not something I would want to always use. However, if you travel a lot, spend time at places like Starbucks or other free (or semi-free) Wi-fi location to do you writing, it is much more pleasant to carry around than a full notebook. The 5 hour battery life (assuming it is charged when you leave the house) is more than enough for most that you can get done what you need to do without having to hope to find a seat near an outlet.
The Intel Atom processor so far is more than powerful enough for tasks that you would be doing on a netbook (document editing, web surfing, etc). No, you are not going to be doing any hardcore gaming on a system like this, but who would want to do that on an 8.9" screen anyway?
Like anything that is built on compromise, there are some things that get some taking used to. The keyboard is 92% of full size, meaning some keys are not where you would expect them to be. Also the touchpad buttons require some real force to click.
Though I did mention this as a secondary computer for most people, this would also serve as a great "first" computer for a younger one that you may want to have a computer (or to keep them off of yours).
If you are an aspiring writer or somebody that likes to write "everywhere" and wants something light (less than 3 pounds) that you can keep with you at all times, then I fully throw my support now behind the Netbook in general, and the Asus Eee PC 904HA, It may be the best tech purchase I have made in several years.
P.S. For the record, this post was written using my netbook.
Asus Eee PC 904 HA specs:
General
- Built-in Devices Stereo speakers , Wireless LAN antenna
- Width 10.5 in
- Depth 7.5 in
- Height 1.5 in
- Weight 3.1 lbs
- Color Fine ebony
- Notebook type Netbook, Budget
- Screen type Wide-screen
- Wireless capabilities 802.11b, 802.11g
Processor
- Processor Intel Atom N270 / 1.6 GHz
Cache Memory
- Type L2 cache
- Cache size 512 KB
RAM
- Installed Size 1 GB
- Technology DDR2 SDRAM
- RAM form factor SO DIMM 200-pin
Storage
- Floppy Drive None
- Hard Drive 160 GB
- Storage Removable None
- Hard drive type Portable
Optical Storage
- Type None
Optical Storage (2nd)
- 2nd optical storage type None
Card Reader
- Card reader type Card reader
- Supported flash memory cards MultiMediaCard , SD Memory Card , SDHC Memory Card
Display
- Display Type 8.9 in TFT active matrix
- Max Resolution 1024 x 600 ( WSVGA )
- Widescreen Display Yes
- Features LED-backlit , Zero Bright Dot
Video
- Graphics Processor / Vendor Shared video memory (UMA)
Audio
- Audio output type Sound card
- Audio Input Stereo microphone
Notebook Camera
- Camera Type Integrated
- Notebook Camera / Sensor Resolution 1.3 Megapixel
Multimedia Functionality
- TV Tuner Type None
Input Device(s)
- Input device type Keyboard , Touchpad
Telecom
- Modem None
Networking
- Networking Network adapter
- Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes
- Data link protocol Ethernet , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , Fast Ethernet
- Networking standards IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Slots Total (Free) Memory – SO DIMM 200-pin
- Interfaces 1 x Display / video – VGA – 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) , 3 x Hi-Speed USB – 4 pin USB Type A , 1 x Headphones – Output – Mini-phone 3.5 mm , 1 x Microphone – Input – Mini-phone 3.5 mm , 1 x Network – Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX – RJ-45
Power
- Power device form factor External
Battery
- Technology 4-cell Lithium polymer
- Installed Qty 1
- Battery capacity 5600 mAh
- Mfr estimated battery life 5.9 hour(s)
Operating System / Software
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty – 1 year , Limited warranty – Battery – 6 months
Prognostications
I have been battling writer’s block for some time now. So, I though perhaps a brain dump would get things going again. But rather than the typical randomness, I thought I would try something a little different, and focus my randomness into the future, or to be precise, some things I think we will see (or not see) in 2009.
Tech
Twoogle – Twitter will be acquired in 2009 by somebody (like Google). Its lack of pure business model will come under pressure from other’s trying to profit off of it (magpie), and investors will grow weary of waiting, pushing the company into making the sale.
Android for everybody – will become the belle of the mobile ball. Microsoft will release Windows Mobile 7 but despite being a superior platform, players like HTC and Motorola will continue putting it in underpowered phones, so people will still be frustrated with it, people will finally look honestly at the flaws of the iPhone (and the continued lack of cut and paste support), Palm will have another delay in its next generation OS and thus Android will win by default.
Entertainment
Slot This in the loser column – Slot Music, the new “format” for digital music that few have heard of and even fewer have bought into will die, alone and unloved. However nobody will notice or care.
Blu-Who – While lower prices (especially on closeout version 1.1 machine continue) will improve Blu-Rays uptake rate a bit, it will continue to be a no show to DVD sales, and will be severely threatened by downloadable and/or streaming video to the home.
Roku that’s who – naturally somebody will have to dominate the streaming set top box. So far the leaders are Roku and Tivo. Tivo has been on tech “death watches” for some time, and could be snatched up by somebody, but I think it is Roku, with their $99 box which already has deals in place with the likes of NetFlix and Amazon that will be snapped up by somebody.
Blockbusted - Could this be the beginning of the end for Blockbuster? I certainly think so, and wouldn’t be surprised to see them filing for Bankruptcy by year end. Unless of course they come up with some sort of deal like Netflix has with Roku. Streaming removes that last “advantage” of Blockbusters brick and mortar locations, which could actually turn into what winds up being the nail in Blockbuster’s coffin as those locations become lots of little wells of red ink.
Half-Blood Prince, Full Blood Hit – Harry Potter and Company will smash the box office record.
Out of Thin Air
(These are the ones I have no basis at all on which to prognosticate… some cynical, some humors, a few are serious and some are just wild guesses… as if the others weren’t just guesses)
Add another 3 – Guy Kawasaki will launch 3 new companies that people will only care about because it is Guy Kawasaki. He will grow tired of them and move on long before his followers do.
Rebel without repercussions – Additional dirty (and illegal) tactics that were done by Vice-Prresident Cheny will be uncovered. There will be a lot of talk, but nothing will actually be done to him for it, or any other of the war crimes he commited.
Windows 7 – will not make an appearance this year. There will be hints, suggestions, maybe even a target date, but it will slip at least until the first quarter of 2010.
Apple Byte – Some hacker will finally write a nasty virus that will hurt Apple. Apple fanboys the world over will swallow hard and prepare for the “told ya so’s” from Windows users.
Here we go again - Once again the term “MommyBlogger” will tear up BlogHer. People will make “team” avatars for Twitter based on “Yes I am a MommyBlogger and proud of it” and the “I am more than a MommyBlogger” crowd. It will die off 2 weeks later, but the avatars will remain for months afterwards.
F for effort – We will hear of at least three plots to kill President Barack Obama. None of which will actually be carried out, and only one of which will actually be feasible to actually be carried out. Rush Limbaugh will argue that this is proof that Americans are tired of Obama and are just trying to save the country from his socialist ways.
Back to the evil future - In a return to 80’s style stupidity and disregard for human life, either an abortion clinic or family planning center will be target of a bomb.
Markets will not make a full recovery – it is going to take a long time to get out of this mess, and while change may inspire confidence, problems will still take a longer time to fix.
Sign of the times – At least one College or University will announce a program that will give all incoming freshman a Netbook.
iTunes will still have DRM music – Apple is slow to embrace change desired by their users. Amazon will start to cut into iTunes sales as more people give up on the iTunes store.
So what do you have? what does your crystal ball show for 2009?
-
Sponsors
