Why I'm angry with Google Glass

Now don't judge me. Ok, fine, judge me. It was a feeling of accomplishment to be chosen by Google to be a member of the Google Glass Explorers. I haven't been chosen for much in my life, and I frankly don't get the offered opportunity to do anything nearly as cool as this. What follows is what I felt to be a poorly planned operation built off of more publicity than they'd hoped for, and more people than they knew what to do with.

Credit:  Google.com

What's Google Glass?

That should be an easy one. Google Glass is the head-mounted wearable device that is aimed at integrating wearable electronics with phones and mobile electronics. I've often told people that if someone came out with a way to feasibly integrate an actual computer to my brain I'd do it no questions asked, Google Glass is that dream come true (to a lesser extent of course).

How to get one?

Months ago Google held a social media contest of sorts, people would post on their Google Plus wall on what they would do #ifihadglass and Google would judge the entries and decide who would be the chosen elite to be able to wield the un-wieldable (is that a word?) and post their experiences on the web. My post, to me reflected that.

Pick me!

Why I'm angry.

Finally, right? The whole point of this post. It's not that I won't get one, and it's not that I couldn't afford one, it's not even about how I won't get to parade around the great state of Indiana and the United States and wow onlookers. No. This is purely based on:  lack of communication, lack of information, and lack of concern for other's time and schedule. I never expected Google Glass to cater to me, I just expected that I'd be able to know several months out what the process was and plan my time accordingly.

At first nothing
                                 Then
                                                      Even more nothing
                                                                                          No posts, no mentions, no info

                                                                                                                                             and no replies to my requests

for information.

When all of a sudden, when I'd figured that due to the lack of information and the lack of communication that I'd simply been marked off of the list (wouldn't have surprised me in the least), when I had almost forgotten about Google Glass and began to focus on other things...

BAM I GET MY CHANCE

FINALLY!

BUT NOT SO FAST

In order to get one you must fulfill a few requirements, all of which I was aware of, and figured I'd make a vacation out of. 1.) Be Chosen  2.) Lay down 1500 dollars for it  3.) Go out to one of their locations to pick it up. I was excited!!! Giddy really. I clicked the link I was given and scrolled to the bottom of the page to rush to complete the process. I chose my color, agreed to the terms and conditions, and clicked next to schedule some time.

Oh, middle of June acceptance, and look, all filled up.

Oh you're all full in July too!

The same picture might as well have all 4 locations on it, because they all tell the same story.

Oh, that's just crazy, all that I had to choose from is June and July? Well, that's all well and good except I received my message from Project Glass in the MIDDLE OF FREAKIN JUNE!! Gee, Project Glass / Google, how on earth am I supposed to go to my employer and request some short notice leave, and buy a ticket to California (for example) on this short of notice and at an economical fare without rushing? 

Above:  Last minute purchase

Above:  Well planned purchase months in advance

Obviously Project Glass doesn't really get the concept of having to plan ahead, and obviously they don't get the concept of proper notice, and seriously does not get the fact that normal people have lives they can't just drop at a moments notice.

Sure, if I lived in California, I wouldn't give a rat's ass, but in little 'ol Indiana this kind of short notice just doesn't work for me.

What am I going to do after posting this? Probably put my 1500 dollars somewhere else and just wait for the standard release.

Recap

I'm mad because after months of not answering my questions and giving zero information, I get served up a nice large slice of "Screw You and your Time Management" we like to live life at the speed of "Let's inconvenience our fan-base and do everything last Minute"

Come on Project Glass, Get with the program.

Limeade Blast Review

If you haven't read my initial first look review you should take a look at it HERE and see what I thought of it when I first opened the package. It's been a continuous little trial as I've become more and more intrigued with my little battery as more and more people become apparently hostile at the Kickstarter Page.

I thought, in addition to my little first look review, why not run it through some paces and see how I think of the Limeade when I use only the Limeade in simulated situations.

Here is what I've got:




So, as you can see, my continued review is just as positive (maybe more) than the first look. Now as you could see from the video I've simulated several days of use through continued HARD usage in order to charge it back up and get a feel for what it does.

Let's just say that it doesn't disappoint. Furthermore, you should buy one HERE if you haven't already.

Limeade Blast Awesomeness

So, after having to wait FOREVER for the Limeade Blast to finish its Kickstarter campaign and what seemed like an eternity for the Shipping information to go out, and an entire weekend where it was sitting in my mailbox (I was at National Guard drill); I finally got to check out my Limeade Blast battery.

First, a little background about the company.

---from the Kickstarter page

Limeade was cofounded by Paul Lin and Melissa Lau in November 2012 and officially incorporated March 2013 in Boulder, CO. The company produces cutting-edge external batteries for smartphones, tablets and other devices, maximizing battery capacity within the smallest possible form factors by pushing the boundaries of what current technology will allow. In the past year, the most talented team of individuals ranging from product manager to graphic designer have been assembled to work on Limeade products. The goal is to bring the coolest gadgets to the market. After months of preparation, Limeade is ready to launch the first set of products on Kickstarter.

Pretty solid intro and the idea behind the product and project just seemed too good of an idea not to back up...besides, I'd also get a battery out of the deal. Seemed like a great trade off, improve the mobile device world with an external battery option, and get a battery myself. Que the waiting, and the watching of the project.

A week later I got my brown envelope with my magical battery, that's when the fear set-in.

Wet, packaging was wet, condensation was everywhere, the cardboard of the packaging was just so soaked that it stuck to the outside of the battery (which has a rubberized "feel" to it so it was difficult to get off). The instructions were unreadable, I was truly afraid. I opened the package carefully just in case I would have to send it back, and pushed the button on the side and got the 50% status light. When I got that I decided that I could take the chance and see if this will work...or fail.

Fortunately for myself, it seems that the battery itself is a bit more resilient than I had thought and charged nicely. All 4 LED's came on, the light on the top works (took me a few to figure out how shut it off because the instructions were no good to me). Once all of the soggy cardboard was cleaned off of the device I held it in my hand and judged the weight and feel.

The weight of the device was beautiful, sturdy enough for me to feel confident in dropping it (I didn't, however) and yet light enough for me to not even really care about carrying it. The rubberized "feel" (it isn't actually rubberized) definitely feels good in my hands, smooth and comfortable and yet it isn't going to go anywhere. At this point the only thing keeping from sending it back is the fact that all of the LED's are lit. So I decided to actually charge something. The included cable is pretty cool, they definitely make sure that the included user base of  EVERYONE can use this guy. The cable includes a two part plug that has the Apple 30-pin connector, which comes off into a micro USB connector, I think that it's a pretty snazzy looking item to include with the device.

I took the cable that came with it, plugged it in to my Galaxy Nexus and BAM! the little guy turned on and started charging. It took me nearly 5 MINUTES to charge 10% of the battery. Pretty speedy for simple charging. The auto shut-off feature worked when it reached the full battery power (which gives me a good feeling about leaving it go overnight). Lastly, neither the battery, nor the phone got too hot during the process, so big plus to me.

After all of this I felt great about it, and plan on keeping it. Trust me when I say I exhaled a great sigh of relief when I confirmed for myself that the wetness of the packaging and the condensation did not affect the battery operation. The Limeade Blast works JUST AS ADVERTISED!

Downsides

There has always got to be a downside to everything, fortunately this device didn't have many at all (I mean it's a friggin battery, how hard could it be to use). One of the for me, it is the included cable, it fits in the ports properly enough. I had some issues where simply having the battery on the seat of my car and the phone next to it where over time the cable would slip out of the USB port of the phone, where I don't normally have that issue with my other phone charger cable. Though, you could just as easily use your own cable (as could I).

My other downside, The reliability of their shipping operation. Either their warehouse people had a freak indoor rainstorm, some sort of water leakage problem, or an incredibly high humidity issue caused the condensation (and possibly more problems). Checking on their Kickstarter comments page, I've seen a few other people with wet packaging and batteries, and more than a few more people APPEAR TO HAVE either bad batteries or other issues that render the batteries in capable of working properly.

Like this guy

Fortunately, the company appears to be very much on top of trying to figure out where the issue lies, so at the very least their customer service is top-notch.

Above:  top notch

 My final thoughts? Seeing as it would appear that the majority of people who got one did not have wet batteries, I would say go ahead and buy one when you get the chance. Unfortunately full purchasing is still not available on the main site, but with the success of their Kickstarter, and the fact that backers have a product, I would say it won't be long at all.

4 Out of 5!!!!


****UPDATE**** According to an Email that was sent to all backers, the Limeade Blast is not for General sale at Amazon: HERE for the Kickstarter prices (for a limited time that is). Get this wonderful device while it's hot!!

What DOES my Traffic Say About Me?

sure I cut off Internet Explorer, no one
likes them anyways.

     Now, I wouldn't call myself a particularly vain person, but I am actually curious as to where the traffic that views my site comes from. Not that it really matters, or that it is a popularity contest, or that it makes me feel better about myself based on the traffic arriving at my site; it's just plain curiosity.

     So, when I looked at the traffic that my site received over its [two] lifetimes, I've come to slowly realize that apparently: 1.  while biased as I am against Apple, quite a bit of traffic appears to come from them. 2.  The operating system section looks like a peace-sign. I'm not quite sure what to make of that second one, but it has to be good...right?

SO WHAT DOES IT SAY?

I prefer to think about these graphs as a, "Thanksgiving dinner at a dysfunctional family's house." Where big brother Windows  and Macintosh (who have a long standing grudge against each other) are at the table keeping the little siblings:  Android, iPhone, and Linux; away from the adult-table. All of this while cousin Firefox is being eyed suspiciously because he's waving a lighter at the frilly lace table runner by his brothers: IE, Chrome, and Safari crack their knuckles and try to surround him.

In all, I am starting to think that I have an over-active imagination, but that I have a well-rounded supply of viewers even though I'm a little heavy on the big-boys. All I have to say is "Thank you readers" for making my information gathering more fun.

So now the question is:

WHAT DOES YOUR TRAFFIC SAY ABOUT YOU?

Feel free to take a look at your traffic and make your own stories and send them to your friends, or to me. I'm sure we can all have fun with it.

Bar-B-Que Pepperoni Pizza

**update** Go ahead and use this idea for the Superbowl, I'm sure everyone will love the idea! Chances are that you won't be able to keep these tasty single serving pizzas around long enough to last the whole game. **update**


Don't be alarmed, this food is not going to be "Instagrammed" in any way, it is, blogged (of course) so quit judging me. This is just what everyone needs to make when they are 1.  in the mood for pizza, and 2.  not wanting to order pizza, 3. Lazy, but not too lazy.

It's sooooo good that even a toddler will love it. No, seriously, I'll show you a picture later.


You'll Need:

1.  A Package of Tortillas (1 or 2 for the pizza)

2.  Bar-B-Que Sauce (any brand)

3.  Cheese

4.  Optional:  Pepperoni

5.  Oven

6.  Hunger

Step 1:  preheat to 350 degrees

Step 2:  Add Bar-B-Que to the Tortilla

Step 3:  Add cheese

Step 4:  Add Toppings

Optional:  Add more cheese

Optional:  Add another Tortilla

Step 5:  set timer for 5 mins, believe me this is more than enough time...tortillas are thin.

Step 6:  Check to make sure cheese is melted and tortillas are not burned. Ready to eat.

My daughter wondering why I'm taking pictures of her eating our pizza.







There you have it folks, in about 10 minutes you could have a tasty single serving pizza for about a dollar worth of ingredients. Enjoy.

This tech guy hates... (rant)

It's not mine, I'm holding it for a friend.

*WARNING RANT LOCATED*

Apple, That's right, Apple. No, it's not just a hatred of their business practices, their closed attitude, or the fact that everyone who uses an Apple can be grouped into the stereotype of being a: "hipster", or a "graphic artist", or a "smug bastard"; although those reasons are the easiest ones to pull from a hat when someone asks me why.

No, the real reason that I hate Apple is because of the fact that they insist on printing EVERYTHING in a "post script" mode by sheer default. If I asked you to look at your printers right now, right this very moment, you would probably think I am a crazy person (If you didn't already). Your printer drivers for your machines, assuming all of the current readers aren't on a Mac, are most likely of the PCL5 or 6 variety. Why does that matter at all?

Technically the type of printer driver doesn't really matter, except for the fact that nearly everyone in the world uses Printer Control Language (PCL), in fact it is so widely used that most people do not know that there is anything else. I work for Sharp in one of their buildings that sells: copiers, printers, and other such. Since I live and work within the world of printers, I come across printers and MFPs from almost every company imaginable and it is very hard to find a printer driver in a production environment that does not use PCL6. Post script is so rare in this line of work that special add-on software and firmware packages have to be enabled in order to allow the printers to function in that mode for almost every device.

Normally I would not care, except for the fact that when I have to help a customer (being both a network admin and a copier connection specialist) who wants to print on a Mac. A whole 99% of the time the users who purchased a Mac expecting that they will "just work" like the ad in the paper said. Most of them have heard fabled stories of people coming back from the "Great-Apple-Store-in-the-Fashion-Mall" and all of their devices magically work for them. These stories, usually involve someone and their iPhone and their Music collection . . . not the usual office production environment. So it comes to them as a surprise that they must not, not only download a whole new set of printer drivers, but also purchase an add-on (which aren't cheap) to get the Post Script option to work.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Gee, Wes, if this happens so often then it isn't a rarity!" And I would say, "shut your mouth" and you would probably get angry with me. Most of these users are the one-off worker in an environment of Microsoft machines that now needs to be catered to, costing me my sanity as a Copier connection specialist, and causing friction between my new IT contact in the building (who now hates me because I have ensured that he will now cater to the unusual needs of the Mac).

Why do I hate Apple? BECAUSE They're different enough to cause problems. I don't care that they want to be different, I don't care that they insist on being different (look at me), I just wish that they would allow for backwards compatibility, to relieve me of my headaches, and ease the transition of others.

*END OF RANT*

Non-Linear Blog

GREETINGS ALL

YAY!!! I've deleted all of my old posts in favor of starting anew...the only caveat is that I will not try to run my blog / site the way that I tried to in the past: up to the minute blogs, up to the minute opinion posts, etc; Instead I will post relevant information that I want to pass on.

While it is true that I can do that in Facebook and Google+ I feel that this would be a great forum if I anticipate my post on Google+ or Facebook would be just too long to bring up there. There have been several situations where I post a lot of information to Google and Facebook, knowing full well that when I hit post, most people will read the first few sentences and decide not to hit the "more info" link. I wouldn't say that it is because I'm a shitty writer or a crappy typist, but those venues tend to offer more in the way of relevant information as long as it is a short and sweet post.

So Like this post here, which would be entirely too long for Facebook or Google+ under normal situations, I will create it here and link to it.

Consider yourself warned LOL.

ABOUT ME

What is there to know about me? Well, the most important question is, what do people NOT want to know about me?

I'm sure that people don't want to know that I'm a raging Techno-geek, or that I crank up the bandwidth at my home watching Netflix almost all the time. I'm also fairly certain that people don't want to know my horrid back story spanning 27 years of weird-as-hell coincidences involving: prisons, car chases, blatant prostitution, and...well...those were all false, I just tried to make things seem interesting.

All except the 27 years.

I'm a computer network admin / technician for Sharp Electronics Corp. I'm married and I have my own house where I live with my beautiful wife and awesome daughter. Expect a lot of bragging about my daughter, seriously, I mean a lot. Why? She's 15 months and can already consistently verbally and non-verbally communicate and consistently convey her thoughts to me and my wife, enough of that for right now.

I spend my days working on computers and networks and my Wife spends her weekends (not all of them) doing Pure Romance parties, of which I believe she has more fun doing that just about anything else. Check her out if you'd like.

In the end, I'm just like you: lovable and cuddly (at least I'd like to think so).