Monday, May 31, 2010

Count Me In for the "No DRM" Camp

I never had problems with DRM (Digital Rights Management) ebooks.

I've been reading ebooks since 2005 when a co-worker showed me her Treo. I had a Sony Clie then, and they both had the same operating system -- Palm OS. 5 years of reading ebooks with no problem.

I started worrying when Palm decided to come out with a new operating system in 2009. Palm said new OS will still run old programs. This did not sound good. Hopefully, Palm or its software developers would come up with something better as I would not be changing my device for another year.

It's a year later. Palm is not doing good. It was being trounced by iPhone and new Android devices. Latest scoop, Palm has been acquired by HP. Who knows what's going to happen? No worries, I've jumped Palm ship. Instead of trusting Palm, I was hoping the owners of eReader and Mobipocket would come through with software on the Android platform. iPhone is not in my future because of carrier and poor NYC service area.

What really pushed me to not become a fan of DRM was the acquisition of an iPad last month. Yes, I wrote that I was not going to get one, but I have one. Since I had over 600 ebooks that were DRMed eReader (.pdb) and Mobipocket (.prc), I wanted the ability to read them on the iPad. I had to de-DRM the books in order to convert them into another format that could be used on the iPad.

After the iPad acquisition, I got a new phone -- an Android one. Mobipocket did not come through on Android. eReader did. Regardless of these two vendors, I was able to find a reader software that enabled me to read my DRM books -- iReader. I'll still be testing other software until I find one that I'm totally happy with.

Another ebook headache -- I've not been able to buy any books from my preferred vendor, Fictionwise. They are waiting for their distributor, Ingram, to iron out the agency-model pricing with the publishing houses. There goes the idea of acquiring books from a single place as I've not been able to buy a book for two months nor download some of my purchased books. In the meantime, I'm buying from other vendors. I still need to read and am no longer purchasing physical books.

Regardless, the books I buy belong to me. I do not want to be locked down on which device or format I'll be reading my books. Nor do I want a vendor to control where I get my books and where I can read them either. I'll be de-DRMing all my books so I can convert them into any format to read on any device I want.

This customer is QUEEN!

My new adventure is working with Calibre, library management software, to load and convert my ebooks that are constantly growing. I also need to figure out what device has what :)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Bon Jovi, I and 64,000+ Others

I got hooked on going to see Bon Jovi when I got free tickets to his HAVE A NICE DAY tour in 2006. This will be the third concert of his I've gone to. The second one was the free concert he did at Central Park last summer.

We headed to the new stadium as soon as Pointy got home. Lots got there before us as we wound up in Lot K when I wanted to be in A-E. As we walked to the stadium entrance, the skies decided to open up. Lucky, I made sure we had rain gear with us. It delayed the start of the concert as Meadowlands Stadium did not want anyone to get struck by lightning. In the meantime, Pointy and I ate our sandwich while we waited.

Lightning warnings passed, and they let Gavin DeGraw start his set at 7:20. Yes, it was still raining. Jon must have had an in with someone upstairs as it ended when Gavin's set was over. Jon and crew came out at 8:00.

Bon Jovi ended the concert with KEEPING THE FAITH and some great fireworks to end the song. I guess we made enough of an uproar for him to return to give us the last three songs. The show ended about 11:45pm.

Here's the set list:
BLOOD ON BLOOD - NEW JERSEY
WE WEREN’T BORN TO FOLLOW - THE CIRCLE
BAD NAME - SLIPPERY WHEN WET
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN' - LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY - NEW JERSEY
LOST HIGHWAY - LOST HIGHWAY
WE GOT IT GOING ON - LOST HIGHWAY
HAVE NICE DAY - HAVE A NICE DAY
WHEN WE WERE BEAUTIFUL - THE CIRCLE
SUPERMAN TONIGHT - THE CIRCLE
CAPTAIN CRASH - CRUSH
BAD MEDICINE W/ BAD CASE OF LOVIN YOU - NEW JERSEY
IT’S MY LIFE - CRUSH
LOVES THE ONLY RULE - THE CIRCLE
LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME - Cross Road
MAKE A MEMORY - LOST HIGHWAY
BED OF ROSES - KEEP THE FAITH
NEVER SAY GOODBYE - SLIPPERY WHEN WET
SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN - THESE DAYS
SATURDAY NIGHT - Cross Road
SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD - KEEP THE FAITH
WORK FOR THE WORKING MAN - THE CIRCLE
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME - HAVE A NICE DAY
KEEP THE FAITH - KEEP THE FAITH
ALWAYS - Cross Road
WANTED - Cross Road
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER - SLIPPERY WHEN WET

Observations:
* Poor deer got hit :( (It was still there the next day when I drove into the city.)
* Men really do go on the side of the road.
* Some tailgaters were taking up multiple parking spots.
* Males were coming out of the bushes. Guess they couldn't wait on the Porta-Johns lines.
* Why? Why did they have more Male checker lines than Female checker lines?
* I did not have to use the plastic bottle caps in my pocket.
* Pointy wonders why new toilets did not have sensors but the faucets did?
* The Droid Incredible has an amazing camera. The fuzzy pics were from Olympus camera which I forgot to fully charge. The rest of the pics are from the Incredible.

Judy, next time, remember to bring the extra poncho and possibly a towel to wipe the seats dry.

Here are the pics from Bon Jovi The Circle Tour concert if you interested.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

New Phone, Current Plan - I WIN :D

I was scared. I thought I had to change my mobile plan.

I took the plunge and got the Droid Incredible. When I was completing the online "paperwork" to switch my phone, it told me I had to add a data plan. No data plan, no phone order. The thing is my current phone plan has the data part in it already. Was the company going to add an additional charge to my current plan. This would mean I would be charge for data access twice. Would it mean I would have to change my current phone plan, too?

The online chat rep came on and asked if "it" could help. I asked it my question and it said "Yes". I would need to change my plan as my current plan is no longer offered. Okay. I want the new phone so I'll change my phone plan, too. The online "paperwork" would not let me change my phone plan and phone at the same time. What numb skull thought of this great idea? I would need to submit two different orders.

Well, whatever numb skull it was, you have my gratitude.

I was going to submit another order to change my phone plan, but I was unsure whether I needed to do it immediately. I still had to wait for the ship of the Droid and my Palm Centro still needed the current plan. If I did submit the order, when would Verizon make the change? I hate bills that contain pro-rate charges.

I decided to wait until I got my new mobile bill. I did not get charged the extra data plan! I still have my current plan! Someone in the back office, or else smart programming, figured out my current plan has the data part in it and did not need another data plan added to my account.

Why am I so happy?

My current plan is cheaper than the new stuff. It would have cost me $10.00 more a month if I switched my plan.

New phone, current plan -- I WIN :D

Monday, May 17, 2010

Computer & Electronics Recycling

My county had a Computer & Electronics Recycling Day on Saturday. I knew I had a 36" TV to get rid of. I'm sure there were other things that could be recycled. A hunting I went around the house.

The HP Laserjet III that just takes up room as it's never been hooked up since I moved in had to go. I'm spending more time in my office and need that space for something else.

There was the VHS machine which had a tape stuck in it. I tried getting it out and gave up. Pointy's BF got it out, but it was still broken. Recyle!

I found my very first cell phone. Here are all the cell phones I've own.


The far left one will go to recycle center. The next three plus Pointy's cell phones will get mailed to a facility that will re-purpose the phones for military use. The last one is my new phone, Droid Incredible, to replace my Palm, next one over. I've not decided what I will do with my Palm yet.

Pointy's BF helped me moved the TV into the car. For the life of me, I can't remember how I got that heavy sucker into the Ikea entertainment cabinet. The rest of the equipment got loaded and away we went.

The County had a great set up. Lots of guys there that unloaded all the items out of the car for you. We did not have to step out and help at all. I guess it only made sense so we don't sue them for hurting ourselves there. The unload team took the items to the appropriate area where another team organized, packed and loaded them into the trucks. The town police were out to direct traffic. The flashing lights were a good idea. It told me I went to the right place.

We even got a reuseable shopping bag for participating in this event. That's a nickel for each bag we use for our groceries.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Main Street Electrical Parade

Starting in June, the Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort will be presenting Main Street Electrical Parade instead of SpectroMagic parade during Summer Nightastic!.

I don't remember where I first saw the Main Street Electrical Parade. It might have been in Disneyland or possibly the Magic Kingdom in the 90's. I definitely caught it a time or two or three while it was at Disney's California Adventure. I'm glad I caught it again last year before it got packed up and shipped to the Magic Kingdom this year. Here are the pics to memorialized a night in August 2009.

If you want to compare the Main Street Electrical Parade and the SpectroMagic Parade, here are the pics I took in October 2009.

From an excerpt from Disney's Backstage Pass, May 2010, here's how the Main Street Electrical Parade came to be.

Just imagine the collective brightness in store for Magic Kingdom Guests like you when the grand and glorious Main Street Electrical Parade returns beginning June 6! Just hearing the strains of "Baroque Hoedown" floating through the Walt Disney World air gives shivers of joy to many of us.

Some wonderful things are also the simplest

Simply put, the Main Street Electrical Parade is a nighttime procession of memorable Disney scenes with beloved characters set aglow with millions of twinkling lights. And it began as a simple observation of Disney Legend Robert Jani, who was Creative Director of Walt Disney Productions.

"Bob was sitting in his living room, watching the twinkling lights on his Christmas tree," recalled Forrest Bahruth, Show Director, Walt Disney Entertainment. "He took his glasses off and on and thought, 'It's more interesting without my glasses because the light diffuses.'

"He began unstringing the lights on his Christmas tree, made a circle and a square, made a couple of flowers. His wife came in and said, 'What in the world are you doing?' He said, 'I'm just thinking about something.'"

A new kind of entertainment

The Main Street Electrical Parade evolved when Bob and his creative and technical team were thinking about performing the daytime parade at night. "In the early days there was no system for that," explained Forrest. "It turned out that the cost of lighting the existing parade was similar to creating a brand-new parade. So he and his team came up with an entirely new kind of Disney spectacle: a parade that makes its own light."

The Main Street Electrical Parade became a sensation, lighting up the hearts of Guests at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland® Resort in California and Disneyland® Paris. The parade even made special appearances at the Super Bowl in Miami, and even on the streets of Manhattan (to dazzle the usually unflappable New Yorkers)!

It's also personally significant to Gene Harding, Show Producer, Walt Disney Entertainment. "This parade was my first job when I started as a Disney performer in 1985," he recalled. "When it came back in 1999, I was on the production team."

It's back again for the first time

Now when it returns as part Summer Nightastic!, the Main Street Electrical Parade will combine memorable elements that Gene and millions of Guests love, plus several new features making their Magic Kingdom debut.

"The parade will now begin with a completely different lead float, featuring Tinker Bell in a hot air balloon along with four of her pixie friends," said Gene. "From there, Tinker Bell's pixie dust will sparkle throughout the entire parade."

Parade fans can look forward to the familiar twinkling train, the giant drum heralding the parade title and the delightful Alice in Wonderland section–with Alice waving from a mushroom, the Caterpillar, a butterfly and the whirling snails, fireflies and turtles.

Next up you can relive the ballroom sequence from Cinderella, and giggle at her "dysfunctional family" of stepsisters snarling at the crowds. Peter Pan, Wendy and the Never Land friends are next, plus some foes: Captain Hook aboard his ship and Mr. Smee rowing behind.

A new mine is yours to enjoy

"We had the Snow White portion of the parade in Florida before, including Dopey's train," added Gene, "But the diamond mine was a California feature. Both the mine and the entire Pinocchio section are making their debut in Florida, including a funhouse float, 'cigar store' and the Pleasure Island boys." After waving "hello" to Pete, perched atop Elliott the dragon, the shining, shimmering American flag float brings the Main Street Electrical Parade to a patriotic finale.

"The parade has the same charm we all remember, but new developments in design and technology have been added here and there," said Gene. "We've added luminescent panels, upgraded the sound reproduction and the synchronization between floats. In a sense, you'll experience it in a way unlike you could before."

But it's still the Main Street Electrical Parade we know and love. "When we can create something that really engages our Guests for generations, that's absolutely magical," said Forrest. "It's like a classic 'E' ticket Disney attraction."


Are you wondering what Disney's California Adventure Park will be showing at night now that the Electrical Parade has been shipped to Florida? Yes, there is something wonderful in the works. I hope to get out there to catch it's summer debut -- Disney's World of Color.