Tretakoff Musings
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Snippets from the Marin
Trick or treat! My normal high speed ferry in to work this morning had mechanical issues, so it was replaced by the Marin. The Marin, one of the older (and slower) Spaulding ferries, but the Marin is special: it underwent a multimillion dollar renovation to take this 1970's relic to a state of the art ship. 
Primarily, it was renovated to accommodate the tourist traffic on the San Francisco to Sausalito run, but, on occasion, it is pressed into service for Larkspur.
Impressions:
- The staff is completely bewildered. Although the Marin was specifically renovated to handle over 70 bikes (as are common in the Sausalito run) with dedicated bike racks belowdecks, the staff directed commuters with bikes to the aft, outside (with no racks) "to spare you from having to carry the bike downstairs."
- The seating configurations are fascinating. The bow seats, both belowdecks and on the main deck, have La-Z-Boy seats with combination armrests and trays. Nice touch!
- One of the more charming parts of the Spauldings are the seating configurations in the main aft deck. They have preserved this club-like feel with two L shaped couches, facing each other, which invariably inspires conversation and merriment within.
- The majority of seats are odd: 3's instead of 2's. This mimics the Del Norte with its uncomfortable benches and booths, but looks odd with the Mendocino's Italian seats instead.
- Upper deck is vastly improved, with the Spaulding's classic mix of covered and uncovered seating, finally complimented by the mesh seats of the Mendocino. Heaters seem to have been sacrificed, however; on a chilly foggy am, that's no fun. And more of those 3's again!
- A Disney-esque travel warning and welcome message, pumped through Bose speakers placed every 20 feet.
- Special attention is paid to lighting. From the colored halogen fixtures at the bar, to rope lighting and pinpoint spots on the upper deck, the entire ship feels more dramatic.
Yes, it's still slower. Yes, it has no business on the Larkspur run (less seats, poor staff, ill equipped). But as a Halloween surprise, it was a fun one!
Trick or treat! My normal high speed ferry in to work this morning had mechanical issues, so it was replaced by the Marin. The Marin, one of the older (and slower) Spaulding ferries, but the Marin is special: it underwent a multimillion dollar renovation to take this 1970's relic to a state of the art ship. 
Primarily, it was renovated to accommodate the tourist traffic on the San Francisco to Sausalito run, but, on occasion, it is pressed into service for Larkspur.Impressions:
- The staff is completely bewildered. Although the Marin was specifically renovated to handle over 70 bikes (as are common in the Sausalito run) with dedicated bike racks belowdecks, the staff directed commuters with bikes to the aft, outside (with no racks) "to spare you from having to carry the bike downstairs."- The seating configurations are fascinating. The bow seats, both belowdecks and on the main deck, have La-Z-Boy seats with combination armrests and trays. Nice touch!
- One of the more charming parts of the Spauldings are the seating configurations in the main aft deck. They have preserved this club-like feel with two L shaped couches, facing each other, which invariably inspires conversation and merriment within.
- The majority of seats are odd: 3's instead of 2's. This mimics the Del Norte with its uncomfortable benches and booths, but looks odd with the Mendocino's Italian seats instead.
- Upper deck is vastly improved, with the Spaulding's classic mix of covered and uncovered seating, finally complimented by the mesh seats of the Mendocino. Heaters seem to have been sacrificed, however; on a chilly foggy am, that's no fun. And more of those 3's again!
- A Disney-esque travel warning and welcome message, pumped through Bose speakers placed every 20 feet. 
- Special attention is paid to lighting. From the colored halogen fixtures at the bar, to rope lighting and pinpoint spots on the upper deck, the entire ship feels more dramatic.
Yes, it's still slower. Yes, it has no business on the Larkspur run (less seats, poor staff, ill equipped). But as a Halloween surprise, it was a fun one!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Maps + News = YourStreet
Just a quick link to a good TechCrunch article on YourStreet, a mashup between news stories and hyperlocal Google Maps. Want to see what news is happening in YOUR neighborhood? YourStreet automatically detects where you are and shows you what's going on. Yes, you can also change location, but a very useful mashup for news junkies like me.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Email, now landing on runway 44
Email is never as sexy as it is in the movies. Think of Mission: Impossible, or Disclosure, among others: email there is cool, animated, and very sleek. Sure, there have been some attempts to help out, like IncrediMail, but they are mostly cartoonish and not at all engaging. Not to mention that, if you have email volume anything like mine, it's not even close to realistic.
But help (or hurt?) is on the way! 3D Mailbox, who brought us your email inbox represented as Miami Beach, now introduces Level 2: the LA Airport! Yes, depending on where your email came from, you can see a jumbo jet land in 3d photorealism, along with pilot chatter and more. Want to see Spam eliminated? What's that...a surface to air missile? Email attachment...hey, is that a DHL cargo jet I see taking off?
See for yourself:
Yes, I admit it's hilarious...and horrific...yet oddly compelling. TechCrunch sure hates it, as does CrunchGear. I am inclined to try it, if only for the ATC voiceovers. Years ago, at The Sharper Image, our VP of Loss Prevention (who was also a pilot and former government employee), used to have this screensaver on his computer, which had a simulated ATC display along with precanned pilot chatter. People would come in his office, see the screen, hear the chatter, and stop dead in their tracks. He's calmly look up, look at the screen, and comment, "Oh, I'm just helping out Air Traffic Control on a part time basis." The office visitor would look...be stunned, and eventually retreat. VERY effective way to be productive.
Let's see if 3D Mailbox does the job.
UPDATE: Alas, my laptop is not up to snuff for 3D Mailbox's technical requirements. Actually, neither is my home machine. If I don't even have a good enough machine to run an email program, mich be time to hit up the Dell Outlet...:-)
But help (or hurt?) is on the way! 3D Mailbox, who brought us your email inbox represented as Miami Beach, now introduces Level 2: the LA Airport! Yes, depending on where your email came from, you can see a jumbo jet land in 3d photorealism, along with pilot chatter and more. Want to see Spam eliminated? What's that...a surface to air missile? Email attachment...hey, is that a DHL cargo jet I see taking off?
See for yourself:
Yes, I admit it's hilarious...and horrific...yet oddly compelling. TechCrunch sure hates it, as does CrunchGear. I am inclined to try it, if only for the ATC voiceovers. Years ago, at The Sharper Image, our VP of Loss Prevention (who was also a pilot and former government employee), used to have this screensaver on his computer, which had a simulated ATC display along with precanned pilot chatter. People would come in his office, see the screen, hear the chatter, and stop dead in their tracks. He's calmly look up, look at the screen, and comment, "Oh, I'm just helping out Air Traffic Control on a part time basis." The office visitor would look...be stunned, and eventually retreat. VERY effective way to be productive.
Let's see if 3D Mailbox does the job.
UPDATE: Alas, my laptop is not up to snuff for 3D Mailbox's technical requirements. Actually, neither is my home machine. If I don't even have a good enough machine to run an email program, mich be time to hit up the Dell Outlet...:-)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Bob Geldof Was Right.
I don't like Mondays.
Well, Monday came and went with no Treo update. Sigh. However, in signing up for Palm's MyPalm service, I was alerted to an older update to the Treo, offering improved battery performance and a new camera application. Despite my misgivings, I installed it.
While I don't see much change from the update, I was surprised about the process. First, the update took about 30 minutes, with frequent Treo reboots as part of the process, making it more reminiscent of a Windows update than a Palm one. Second, quite annoyingly, the update either wiped out several applications, or lost the registration info on others. Paired Bluetooth headsets? Gone. Serial numbers? Reset. It took over an hour to recreate...argh.
If this is what I have to look forward to for the next update, I'll make sure my old Boy Scout motto gets put to use, first.
Well, Monday came and went with no Treo update. Sigh. However, in signing up for Palm's MyPalm service, I was alerted to an older update to the Treo, offering improved battery performance and a new camera application. Despite my misgivings, I installed it. While I don't see much change from the update, I was surprised about the process. First, the update took about 30 minutes, with frequent Treo reboots as part of the process, making it more reminiscent of a Windows update than a Palm one. Second, quite annoyingly, the update either wiped out several applications, or lost the registration info on others. Paired Bluetooth headsets? Gone. Serial numbers? Reset. It took over an hour to recreate...argh.
If this is what I have to look forward to for the next update, I'll make sure my old Boy Scout motto gets put to use, first.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
What the...Palm's updating the 680?
What the heck is in the water at Palm? After literally years of malaise, first they chuck a product that the market clearly didn't want, then they introduce a $99 smartphone that people actually seem to like, and now comes word that they pushing out a free update to the 680 (my Treo) with actually cool features people want! Is this a signal that Palm is on its way back?
According to Treonauts, 10/22 (Monday) will bring us AT&T 680 owners a bevy of new goodies:
The embedded multi-service IM client newer Treos have? MP3's as ringtones? I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for Monday!
What the heck is in the water at Palm? After literally years of malaise, first they chuck a product that the market clearly didn't want, then they introduce a $99 smartphone that people actually seem to like, and now comes word that they pushing out a free update to the 680 (my Treo) with actually cool features people want! Is this a signal that Palm is on its way back?According to Treonauts, 10/22 (Monday) will bring us AT&T 680 owners a bevy of new goodies:
Maintenance Release for the Treo 680 Available 10/22 (current record)
* Enables PTT feature
* Places Stub applications on the devices in support of:
o IM clients (Yahoo!, AIM, Windows Live)
o TeleNav
o MobiTV
* Ability for a MP3 or any sort of music file to be translated as a Ringtone
* Will be available as free download for all AT&T Treo 680 customers
o SMS blast from AT&T will alert customers in addition to traditional channel and Customer Care messaging
* Requires a desktop computer –the download cannot be executed via OTA
The embedded multi-service IM client newer Treos have? MP3's as ringtones? I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for Monday!
Screw Photoshop! Hello, Picnik!
Flickr managed to seduce me from keeping my photos on my website, but Picnik takes me all the way. See, normally I upload my raw pictures to the PC, fire up Photoshop to do my crops, color balances, and edits, and then painstakingly save each photo, finally uploading the finished product to Flickr for the world to see. However, Photoshop is a HUGE program, and, as the last version I purchased is several years old, I am always loathe to get in there with the monstrous kludginess.
This year, after taking some photos in San Antonio and capturing the Blue Angels from Angel Island, I decided another approach was in order. I uploaded the raw images to Flickr, then fired up Picnik.com, a site that claims to be a free online Web 2.0 photo editor. In literally seconds, I was pulling in my Flickr images, and editing, faster and better than Photoshop ever let me do. Cropping? Definitely. Color and contract balancing? Count on it. Best of all, an "auto-fix" feature that corrects my horrific raw photos to sensational pieces.
For instance, here's a raw photo:
Now, check it out after Picnik does it's work:
Gotta say, I'm very impressed. Oh, yes, did I mention...FREE? :-)
Flickr managed to seduce me from keeping my photos on my website, but Picnik takes me all the way. See, normally I upload my raw pictures to the PC, fire up Photoshop to do my crops, color balances, and edits, and then painstakingly save each photo, finally uploading the finished product to Flickr for the world to see. However, Photoshop is a HUGE program, and, as the last version I purchased is several years old, I am always loathe to get in there with the monstrous kludginess.This year, after taking some photos in San Antonio and capturing the Blue Angels from Angel Island, I decided another approach was in order. I uploaded the raw images to Flickr, then fired up Picnik.com, a site that claims to be a free online Web 2.0 photo editor. In literally seconds, I was pulling in my Flickr images, and editing, faster and better than Photoshop ever let me do. Cropping? Definitely. Color and contract balancing? Count on it. Best of all, an "auto-fix" feature that corrects my horrific raw photos to sensational pieces.
For instance, here's a raw photo:
Now, check it out after Picnik does it's work:
Gotta say, I'm very impressed. Oh, yes, did I mention...FREE? :-)
Decrypting the NFL
Just a quick link to a website that shows all of the NFL games every week, and what markets will see what games. After last week's trek to Petaluma to take in the Dallas-New England Armageddon, I definitely have a new appreciation for A) good sports bars with good food, friendly service and fun (not Raider-like) fans; B) the value of DirecTV's Sunday Ticket; and C)the frustration of the fan who can't figure out what game is on where.
Now, where will I watch my Cowboys bounce back against the Vikings?
Just a quick link to a website that shows all of the NFL games every week, and what markets will see what games. After last week's trek to Petaluma to take in the Dallas-New England Armageddon, I definitely have a new appreciation for A) good sports bars with good food, friendly service and fun (not Raider-like) fans; B) the value of DirecTV's Sunday Ticket; and C)the frustration of the fan who can't figure out what game is on where.Now, where will I watch my Cowboys bounce back against the Vikings?
Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, TV
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Tretakoff vs. Tretakoff
Yep, today's the big game. My beloved and undefeated Dallas Cowboys play host to my hometown (and also undefeated) New England Patriots. Tom Brady vs. Tony Romo. Randy Moss vs. Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones vs. Robert Kraft. All amazing matchups, but none compares to the biggest blood feud: Amy vs. Me. Yep, my wife has blossomed into a full out Pats fan, and we're going to the nearest sports bar to watch the battle unfold. Why? In the Bay Area, the biggest game of the season thus far is trumped by the Raiders vs. the Chargers.
As part of NBC's whopping $3.6 billion dollar contract with the NFL for Sunday Night Football, NBC wisely got a concession out of the NFL: "flex" scheduling to allow them to select the best game for the Sunday Night national audience. So why are we not enjoying the "Highlander" ("There can be only one") game in the comfort of our own home? Alas, flex scheduling does not start for 6 more weeks. NBC has to be grinding their teeth at this, while bar owners and DirecTV Sunday Ticket customers must be gleefully chortling at their good fortune.
So, tomorrow at 1, feel free to watch that ticker for the updates. While the Boys leads the series against the Pats (7-1, since 1971), opinions are divided on the outcome here. New England clearly is loaded on offense, and has a big chip on their shoulder this season, after losing last year's AFC Championship game to their arch-rivals, the eventual Superbowl champion Colts, and being accused of cheating in the first week of this season. Dallas has the #2 offense in the league, and Romo has proven he's a genuine star, but his 5 interception performance last Monday night has to have him rattled. Dallas is clearly primed for the upset, but ESPN put the game through Madden 08 simulations, and predicts Brady comes through in Big D.
In any case, at the end of the night, one team will no longer be undefeated, and this may indeed be a preview of the Superbowl...or a divorce. :-)
All I have to say is...How 'bout them Cowboys?
Yep, today's the big game. My beloved and undefeated Dallas Cowboys play host to my hometown (and also undefeated) New England Patriots. Tom Brady vs. Tony Romo. Randy Moss vs. Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones vs. Robert Kraft. All amazing matchups, but none compares to the biggest blood feud: Amy vs. Me. Yep, my wife has blossomed into a full out Pats fan, and we're going to the nearest sports bar to watch the battle unfold. Why? In the Bay Area, the biggest game of the season thus far is trumped by the Raiders vs. the Chargers. As part of NBC's whopping $3.6 billion dollar contract with the NFL for Sunday Night Football, NBC wisely got a concession out of the NFL: "flex" scheduling to allow them to select the best game for the Sunday Night national audience. So why are we not enjoying the "Highlander" ("There can be only one") game in the comfort of our own home? Alas, flex scheduling does not start for 6 more weeks. NBC has to be grinding their teeth at this, while bar owners and DirecTV Sunday Ticket customers must be gleefully chortling at their good fortune.
So, tomorrow at 1, feel free to watch that ticker for the updates. While the Boys leads the series against the Pats (7-1, since 1971), opinions are divided on the outcome here. New England clearly is loaded on offense, and has a big chip on their shoulder this season, after losing last year's AFC Championship game to their arch-rivals, the eventual Superbowl champion Colts, and being accused of cheating in the first week of this season. Dallas has the #2 offense in the league, and Romo has proven he's a genuine star, but his 5 interception performance last Monday night has to have him rattled. Dallas is clearly primed for the upset, but ESPN put the game through Madden 08 simulations, and predicts Brady comes through in Big D. In any case, at the end of the night, one team will no longer be undefeated, and this may indeed be a preview of the Superbowl...or a divorce. :-)
All I have to say is...How 'bout them Cowboys?
Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, TV, Video Games
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Business Line Becomes VOIP Line
In the last few weeks, we've rearranged our offices to separate the business teams from the development teams (seems us business types tend to make a bit too much noise for those heads-down developers). I've also hired two new team members. As a result of these two events, instead of paying yet another exorbitant telco install fee, I decided to make the leap from landlines and switch the team to Skype for our phone service. I should point out that this is not my first foray into Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). My home phone us run by AT&T's CallVantage service, and one of my team members has been on Skype since she joined us. I also used Skype to chat with another company executive while he was in India. In all cases, I was impressed with the voice quality, and the price is unreal.
To start, I installed the latest Skype client, and got it working with my headset: the whole process took about 2 minutes. Next up was getting a plan so I could call regular phones; Skype's SkypeOut Unlimited did the job for me, for $30 a year for unlimited calling to any landline in North America. Finally, a phone number that could be directed from my company's PBX for clients to call me; I opted for Skype Pro for $3 a month, in addition to a SkypeIn number for another $30 annually. Paying for these services was a bit odd, as you can only use certain credit cards or PayPal, and the currency has to be switched from Euros. I played with it for a couple of days, and was pleasantly surprised.
Since my experience went well, I discovered Skype has a tool for me to add numbers and control usage for my other employees, Skype for Business. Free, and offers the promise of a smooth administration, it looked to be just what the doctor ordered. And here was where things got bizarre. First, yes, you can sign up for Skype For Business free, but you need to add money into a joint account to spread the funds across employees. Options? Bank transfer, PayPal or a "Moneybookers" account. That's it. Uh, folks, is this not called Skype For BUSINESS? You're telling me I can't just give you a company credit card? Frustrated, I signed up for a PayPal account with the company card...and was told I could transfer a maximum of $25 into the account. I have to buy SkypeIn numbers and Skype credits for several employees, and I'm limited to $25?
Frustrated, I looked into "MoneyBookers," which is essentially a UK company that does similar to PayPal, but after 15 minutes of transatlantic form filling, I was told that the company card could not be processed since it was drawn on a US bank. ARGH. I wrote to Skype, explained the situation, as well as the ludicrousness of having to explain that I wanted to give them money and they were preventing me. That was weeks ago, and I have yet to receive a reply. I was finally forced to involve our CFO to do a bank transfer to fund this little operation.
Next came the fun of getting my staff up. I asked them to sign up for Skype, and send me their usernames. The Business Control Panel allowed me to send invites to those usernames...which none of my team ever received. Multiple efforts, nothing. Out of frustration, I finally downloaded the Business Edition of Skype, which is described as "a business version of Skype. It has the same features as the standard version; however, it also includes Windows Installer (commonly known as MSI)." What it does NOT say, however, is that if you want your team to use the Control Panel, they MUST install this version. Now, would you not think this would be stated somewhere in the Business Control Panel? What are these Euro nutcases thinking? Finally, my staff was able to connect to the Panel, I was able to allocate them numbers and credits, and away we went.
The quality of the calls is excellent, especially Skype to Skype. Better than any phone call you could ever hope for. The few complaints I have are around performance: there is sometimes a slight lag in the calls to landlines (very rare), and some of my staff say they have had callers say the sound is "tinny" on occasion. The biggest grype I have is around the resource usage: I frequently am pushing the CPU on my laptop to full capacity, and if I am on a call, this can impact it: sound drops out, lag, and even a Max Headroom stutter on occasion. Still, the overall quality and ease of use is impressive, and the mobility factor is amazing.
My conclusions are that Skype needs to get their Scandinavian heads out of their asses (and their masters at eBay's crotches) and either embrace this as business, or keep to their little personal calling tools. I did look at the Gizmo Project, but reviews pointed to far spottier call quality. I did not look at Yahoo Messenger's or AIM's phone options, and I desperately craved a version of Google Talk that calls landlines, but Skype owns the space. If I had to do it again, I would still choose Skype, but these guys need to get their customer service in gear, as no business should have to go through what I did.
In any case, if you happen to be on Skype, feel free to give me a call.
In the last few weeks, we've rearranged our offices to separate the business teams from the development teams (seems us business types tend to make a bit too much noise for those heads-down developers). I've also hired two new team members. As a result of these two events, instead of paying yet another exorbitant telco install fee, I decided to make the leap from landlines and switch the team to Skype for our phone service. I should point out that this is not my first foray into Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). My home phone us run by AT&T's CallVantage service, and one of my team members has been on Skype since she joined us. I also used Skype to chat with another company executive while he was in India. In all cases, I was impressed with the voice quality, and the price is unreal.To start, I installed the latest Skype client, and got it working with my headset: the whole process took about 2 minutes. Next up was getting a plan so I could call regular phones; Skype's SkypeOut Unlimited did the job for me, for $30 a year for unlimited calling to any landline in North America. Finally, a phone number that could be directed from my company's PBX for clients to call me; I opted for Skype Pro for $3 a month, in addition to a SkypeIn number for another $30 annually. Paying for these services was a bit odd, as you can only use certain credit cards or PayPal, and the currency has to be switched from Euros. I played with it for a couple of days, and was pleasantly surprised.
Since my experience went well, I discovered Skype has a tool for me to add numbers and control usage for my other employees, Skype for Business. Free, and offers the promise of a smooth administration, it looked to be just what the doctor ordered. And here was where things got bizarre. First, yes, you can sign up for Skype For Business free, but you need to add money into a joint account to spread the funds across employees. Options? Bank transfer, PayPal or a "Moneybookers" account. That's it. Uh, folks, is this not called Skype For BUSINESS? You're telling me I can't just give you a company credit card? Frustrated, I signed up for a PayPal account with the company card...and was told I could transfer a maximum of $25 into the account. I have to buy SkypeIn numbers and Skype credits for several employees, and I'm limited to $25?Frustrated, I looked into "MoneyBookers," which is essentially a UK company that does similar to PayPal, but after 15 minutes of transatlantic form filling, I was told that the company card could not be processed since it was drawn on a US bank. ARGH. I wrote to Skype, explained the situation, as well as the ludicrousness of having to explain that I wanted to give them money and they were preventing me. That was weeks ago, and I have yet to receive a reply. I was finally forced to involve our CFO to do a bank transfer to fund this little operation.
Next came the fun of getting my staff up. I asked them to sign up for Skype, and send me their usernames. The Business Control Panel allowed me to send invites to those usernames...which none of my team ever received. Multiple efforts, nothing. Out of frustration, I finally downloaded the Business Edition of Skype, which is described as "a business version of Skype. It has the same features as the standard version; however, it also includes Windows Installer (commonly known as MSI)." What it does NOT say, however, is that if you want your team to use the Control Panel, they MUST install this version. Now, would you not think this would be stated somewhere in the Business Control Panel? What are these Euro nutcases thinking? Finally, my staff was able to connect to the Panel, I was able to allocate them numbers and credits, and away we went.The quality of the calls is excellent, especially Skype to Skype. Better than any phone call you could ever hope for. The few complaints I have are around performance: there is sometimes a slight lag in the calls to landlines (very rare), and some of my staff say they have had callers say the sound is "tinny" on occasion. The biggest grype I have is around the resource usage: I frequently am pushing the CPU on my laptop to full capacity, and if I am on a call, this can impact it: sound drops out, lag, and even a Max Headroom stutter on occasion. Still, the overall quality and ease of use is impressive, and the mobility factor is amazing.
My conclusions are that Skype needs to get their Scandinavian heads out of their asses (and their masters at eBay's crotches) and either embrace this as business, or keep to their little personal calling tools. I did look at the Gizmo Project, but reviews pointed to far spottier call quality. I did not look at Yahoo Messenger's or AIM's phone options, and I desperately craved a version of Google Talk that calls landlines, but Skype owns the space. If I had to do it again, I would still choose Skype, but these guys need to get their customer service in gear, as no business should have to go through what I did.
In any case, if you happen to be on Skype, feel free to give me a call.
A Tale Of Two Ferries
As I avail myself of ferry transportation every day, I am always fascinated with the genre and it's twists and turns. For instance, on the ferry I take, I continue to be frustrated by their lack of vision. Two key runs sell out in the morning, and all others continue to be a dramatic money loser; rather than cut service in those dead times and offer a third run in the peak times, the Golden Gate Ferry continues to plod along without changes. Heck, contract the onboard beverage service to Peet's or Starbucks, and take a piece of the revenue!
However I complain about my ferry, it is still a magnificent way to commute. Folks in Sydney seem to feel the same, as they have started to experience not just great ferry service, but eco-friendly ferry service. With a combination of flexible solar panels and wind harnessing, they commute with half of the emissions of a traditional high-speed ferry. Nice work, down under.
On the flipside, there are my friends at Hawaii Superferry. A massive service, with accommodations for passengers and hundreds of vehicles, they aim to address a major issue with the multiple islands of Hawaii: inter island travel. The ship is more luxury liner than commuter ferry, and the service is modeled around an airline, as opposed to the traditional public transportation approach. Unfortunately, the residents of the islands it was to service protested the potential ecological impact of such a large ship, and blocked the service, just days before it was set to start, causing the layoffs of hundreds of workers. The ship itself is stunning, with all of the modern conveniences and a first class area that has to be seen to be believed. Disclaimer: my company provides the frequent traveler program for HSF.
Here's to hoping the world of aquatic transport continues to grow and innovate, as it's the most stress and traffic free transportation system the Coasts and Islands can imagine.
However I complain about my ferry, it is still a magnificent way to commute. Folks in Sydney seem to feel the same, as they have started to experience not just great ferry service, but eco-friendly ferry service. With a combination of flexible solar panels and wind harnessing, they commute with half of the emissions of a traditional high-speed ferry. Nice work, down under.On the flipside, there are my friends at Hawaii Superferry. A massive service, with accommodations for passengers and hundreds of vehicles, they aim to address a major issue with the multiple islands of Hawaii: inter island travel. The ship is more luxury liner than commuter ferry, and the service is modeled around an airline, as opposed to the traditional public transportation approach. Unfortunately, the residents of the islands it was to service protested the potential ecological impact of such a large ship, and blocked the service, just days before it was set to start, causing the layoffs of hundreds of workers. The ship itself is stunning, with all of the modern conveniences and a first class area that has to be seen to be believed. Disclaimer: my company provides the frequent traveler program for HSF. Here's to hoping the world of aquatic transport continues to grow and innovate, as it's the most stress and traffic free transportation system the Coasts and Islands can imagine.
Labels: commuting, Eco-friendly, transit
Thursday, October 04, 2007
I'm Not Dead
It only looks that way. Work has been brutal, but the end is nigh: I have hired two new staff members, and one has already started. With trips to Chicago and NY coming up, the extra help could not have come at a better time. I've also been logging a lot of biking and other fun exercise, so blogging (and calls to my mother, father and friends) have suffered. I've been reduced to Facebook status updates and occasional snippets...but hopefully, I'll be back in a regular publishing groove soon.
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!Labels: blogs, Facebook, games, lifehacks, Madden, Plaxo, steampunk, VOIP, Wii, work
