Pillow fight!

Every once in a while I'll run accross something and say, "Why didn't I think of this?"

Check out this Flickr Photo Set by one of my Flickr contacts, who is a great punk show photographer by the way. It features photos of a pillow fight league in Toronto, Canada.

I think this would be a hoot to see live.

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Nanofabulous!

Well... I caved and bought the new 2nd generation black 8 gig iPod Nano and loving it. I struggled with either getting this or the larger hard-drive based video iPod, but I realized that I really don't need my entire music library with me at all times, and I watch video on my Treo anyway. Thanks to services such as Avvenu and Orb, I have access to all of my music no matter where I am with an internet connection.

My old hard-drive based iPod started skipping songs, and made some slight clicking noises on occasion, probably telling me that it was time to put it to rest. It's now a spare USB drive for my laptop.

The new Nano is absolutely gorgeous. It's such a simple design and it just works. One annoying problem with syncing my Treo 700P with iTunes was that it loaded the songs out of order, and since I need to listen to the order of the JstreetRADIO playlist, it's critical the songs play in the order people will hear them on the air.

It's small enough to carry anywhere and while working out (more on that later!). My only real complaint is that the wheel doesn't have a backlight which makes it difficult to see what button your pressing in the dark- it's a bit disappointing. Oh well, I'd figure they can't cram too much into that tiny case anyway.

Now if they would just invent a Treo case that will piggyback my Nano on to it... hmmm... I smell an invention coming...

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Jstreet's moving...

New things happening over at Jstreet....

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New Treo 680 announced!

Palm announced the released of the new GSM/GPRS/EDGE Treo 680 smartphone today! This ones targeted for the mass-consumer market and comes in four different colors and NO antenna. Whoohooo!

The specs are similar to my 700P and the only real change to the outside is the repositioning of the camera (back center), SD card slot (right side), and a slightly thinner profile overall.

Click here for a tour.

The new Google Maps mobile is simply amazing on my 700P. It has everything the big box maps.google.com has including satellite views and traffic!

I see great things ahead for the worlds greatest smartphone!

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It's always a blessing to see a new sun come up on a chilly fall day. I was at the stop light at Rollins and Hook drive in Round Lake when I saw this sunrise. I was trying to find somewhere to stop and get out of the car, but a snap through a rolled down window had to do.

See more photos on my Flickr.

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Superman Returns in 3D!

I found this funny photo taken on my Treo after seeing the Imax 3D version of Superman Returns in Lincolnshire. It was a bit dissapointing to see only two or three parts of the entire film in actual 3D- mostly the action sequences. A small icon that looked like a pair of glasses would appear on the screen when it was time to put them on. Still, the 3D experience was unique, but if I was to choose between this and the regular version of the film, I'd choose the regular.

I still think that the beginning action sequence of this Superman film ranks as one of the most heart-pounding next to the opening of Saving Private Ryan. I was literally gasping for air near the end of the opening sequence after all that was going on. Leaving the theatre made me wish I had a cape and could fly.

Superman is my hero!

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How I use my Treo

As originally posted on the forum and front page of PalmAddicts.com

I'm a producer for a weekly two hour radio program at an FM radio station in a suburb of Chicago. Our radio show is unique in that we feature music from local artists in and around Chicago and world wide. I'm responsible for putting together the playlists each week, and it's critical that our music complies with the FCC regulations an FM station falls under, or face hefty fines and the cancellation of our program. Since our program only showcases music from local artists, I have to carefully screen each song we play for profanity, explicit language, etc. This is where my Treo 700P comes in.

Once I receive the CD press kits from the artists, I import them in to iTunes, and then build the playlist we will air on the show. This playlist is then sync'd to the Treo using the mOcean iTunes conduit, and then I build a playlist on the 700P using Pocket Tunes Deluxe. The great bookmarking feature in Pocket Tunes Deluxe lets me bookmark any part of the song I deem as being inapproprate for airing, so I can come back to it later.

Once I'm ready to piece the final playlist together, I open Pocket Tunes Deluxe on my Treo, display my bookmarks, and either re-screen the song a second time, or remove it from the playlist completely. I keep an Excel spreadsheet in Documents To Go on my Treo that I reference on occasion to pick out the "safe" songs I've already screened for previous shows.

It's nice to be able to screen the music for our radio show on my 700P while on my way to work, or while I have some free time. My Treo 700P and its great mulitimedia capabilities, music player included, have kept our show on the air for over a year now showcasing to the world the wonderful music we have in our city.

Links:
mOcean
Pocket Tunes Deluxe
Docs to Go

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Frontpage on Palmaddicts.com

One of my tech write ups made it on the front page of the popular Palmaddicts.com website - the site is all about Palm PDA related devices. They are having a contest on their forum where they pick a name from the "Uses for a Palm" post to win a Samsung Q1 UMPC multimedia device.

Just scroll down to the post titled "How I am using my Treo700P"- it has the name "JesseJstreet" tagged just before the article.

In the piece I write about now I use my Treo 700P in creating the playlists that you hear on the JstreetRADIO program.

I like to do the mobile tech writeups as a hobby, but I really don't consider myself a writer at all. I've used Palm devices since the early Palm Pilot days circa 1996, so I'd like to think some of my knowledge in that area will help someone out there.

I'll publish the article here after the winner of the contest is announced.

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Cleaning House!

Well... all of a sudden it seems I'm low on disk space where this blog and Jstreet are both hosted. I guess 6 years of websites caught up to me again. The new podcasts won't fit and some of my photos aren't uploading.

Blah!

Shouldn't take too long. I did this same thing about 3 years ago. I don't mind as it streamlines everything behind the scenes, so there isn't so much clutter.

I'll be back in business in a flash!

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Sing me a tune

I think my beloved iPod is on its last song. It skips during playback on some tracks and is down to 5 gig of space.

It's the last generation of iPod with the touch sensitive wheel and buttons with the pretty glow in them.

I don't think I'll be getting a new one since my Treo is my primary music player right now.

I'll probably string it along until the very end and finally goes in to gadget heaven.

Hang on little buddy.

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The storms kept me up

This shot is on my Flickr page...

I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a closet weather freak. I've always loved violent weather- of course only when it doesn't affect me directly.

I'm fascinated by the forces nature can inflict on the earth, people, objects, etc. I'm the one watching those marathon 'Tornado!" series on the Discovery Channel. I've always said that I'd love to experience a hurricane first hand, being one of the most powerful forces on earth. Of course, the outcome would have to be a good one instead of being thrown out to sea or something!

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New photos: Air and Water show

Update: Posted some new photos taken with my new Casio Exilim camera at the Chicago Air and Water show and later at Ravinia with B. B. King on my Flickr.

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Say hello to my little friend

Just picked up a new Casio Exilim EX-Z600 camera to replace my trusty Sony DSC-P72 Cybershot that I've been using for the past three years or so. My very first PDA was a Casio I purchased at K-Mart way back when, so it's nice to go back to an old friend brand-name.

So far, the camera is as sharp to use as it looks! I mainly decided to get this camera because of its small size, large 2.7" LDC viewer, anti-shake features, and long lasting battery life. It also helps that it uses an SD card instead of the Sony MemoryStick memory to store photos on.

The SD card storage compliments my Treo 700P in that I can use the same memory cards it uses to store my photos. The Treo's high speed CPU coupled with a high speed SD card really makes it a dream to view the large 2048x1536 photos using the built in Palm photo viewer. I can then upload my photos to my Flickr account using my Treo's internet connection on the fly.

I haven't used the camera much yet, but I can't wait to shoot some photos with it!

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My sis- gold medal winner in my book

From left to right: My nephews Danny and Victor, my niece Isabel, my sister Christy, and me at Grant Park in Chicago.

My sis finished the Chicago Distance Classic- a 13 mile marathon in Chicago this past Sunday, 8/13 in about 2 hours and 50 minutes. This is her second time finishing this marathon and I'm proud of her!

I ran Cross Country back in high school and enjoyed it very much. I don't run often these days, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to make finishing that marathon a goal for next year.

Now if only I could find those running shoes...

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10th Pic-a-nic in the books

Well, my 10th annual picnic is in the books. It was a great time with family and friends on a beautiful summer day last Sunday, 7/23.

In looking at this first ever group picture, I'd say we peaked at around 40 people which is more that last year- of course last year we had to survive 100+ degrees temperatures, so quite a few stayed indoors.

My original goal in putting this together over the years was to get everyone together for a day, catch up on everyone's lives, and making sure the friendships endure. I'm very fortunate to know all of these people, as they are great friends and a blast to be around. I hope to continue this for many years to come. It would be interesting to see how this group picture changes in another 10 years :)

For more photos of the event, you can visit my Flickr Page here.

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Pic-A-Nic Time July 23!!

A reminder:

Sunday, July 23
Old School Forest Preserve, Shelter A
Libertyville, IL
11 a.m. to sunset

On St. Mary's road just north of rt. 176 in Libertyville.

Volleyball, softball, kickball and more fun in the sun! A keg of beer will be
available to those 21+ (small charge for cup) or bring your own
drink.

We'll have the big grill fired up so bring your own food to cook up. This is a HUGE covered shelter so we'll go on rain or shine.

Feel free to invite a friend or two!

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One small step for man....

Well, I wasn't actually at the moon to take this picture. This is a shot taken at the Waukegan beach this weekend.

I've been a bit busy with a few things including the radio show, rockfest, work... thought I'd take a few hours to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend.

This summer is clicking by like nothing else, but I've managed to record a few moments in my Flickr photo page. Check it out.

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Taste of Chicago

Enjoying a beautiful Saturday at the Taste of Chicago.

I've had some awsome chicken tacos and Lidia had Hummus Sharazi (it tastes better than it spells).

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Summer at the Beach

I'm looking forward to spending some summer days at Waukegan's north beach this year. As a previous life-long Waukeganite I never paid much attention to the north end of the beach (the side north of the pier). This is a beautiful stretch of beach reminiscent of the white Florida beaches I visited when on business there a couple of years ago.

I really hope Waukegan does something nice this side of the beach to make it even more enjoyable.

We hope to be there the next couple of weekends or as much as possible!

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Training Week End

In Schaumburg again this month for more Microsoft software training.

There's never a shortage of free food at this place. I'm surprised I haven't gone into cardiac arrest from eating all this junk!

I think today is ice cream Friday.

Yum.

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Treo's in the house

I've been babysitting a V.P.'s Treo 650 this week trying to get it to play nice with our corporate email server.

The response from said VP after taking it in for a firmware update? "Take care of my treo. It's my life!"

I know the feeling.

UPDATE: Firmware updates on Palm devices are nerveracking experiences. The update involves completely wiping the Treo's memory and refreshing it with the latest version by the carrier. Low memory space can foil an update and cause havock with the device. Fortunately, this one went well!

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A Bluesy Weekend

It was a nice weekend overall. Spent Saturday afternoon at Chicago's Bluesfest which is a personal favorite of mine to visit each year. We were a bit skeptical that the rain would put a damper on things, but it turned out to be a nice day despite a chilly wind off of the lake. Grant Park was muddy as all heck so we stayed away from that. The side stages were a nice treat and featured some great local talent.

I've got some photos up on my Flickr page, or just clicky on the little "Flickr Badge" down on this page along the right.

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It's 6-6-06 and I'm close to hell

Of all things, a critical server had to die early this morning. I spent about 9 hours at the job in recovery mode. All turned out well which is a good thing!

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Bluetooth headsets cut the wires

I got an email from a user of a Treo based forum I follow concerning bluetooth headsets and the new Treo 700P which I'll include here just for fun:

"I am new to the bluetooth world so this may be a dumb question. Does the JX10 do stereo? Obviously it only has one earpiece so the answer should be obvious, but I had to ask. If not, then what in your opinion is the best stereo (bluetooth) headset? I don't want to carry around a bunch of gear on my motorcycle or anywhere else. I like to travel light (hence the 700P). And up to now the phone has been my primary use, but going from the (Treo) 600 to the 700 and given all the additional options that come with it, I want to optimize my new toy.
Thanx"
Danny

The Jabra JX10 is a mono headset and won't do stereo. It's a gorgeous device and it performs well with the 700P. There's a lot of talk of the 700P's bluetooth losing connection with headsets, but it hasn't really affected me. This seems to be a phone problem and hopefully it can be fixed with a firmware upgrade later on if there really is a problem.

As far as bluetooth stereo headsets go I've tried the Motorola HT820's and the Jabra BT620.

Both work nicely as phone headsets.

In order to hear stereo music through these headsets, you'll need Softick Audio Gateway (www.softick.com), but you'll have to wait until the 700P version is out in 2 to 3 weeks. This is an amazing piece of software and works rock solid on both headsets with Pocket Tunes or other audio player. I highly recommend it to take full advantage of these headsets.

The Motorola HT820's were a bit uncomfortable after about an hour of use, and I didn't like the way they looked on my head overall. Very nice headset and rock solid.

I kept the Jabra BT620's simply for its slimmer profile headphones and comfortability. The only problem I have with this headset is that the control buttons on each earpiece are large and very sensitive when pressed. They get pressed easily in a bag by accident which may cause them to drain the battery. Putting them in a CD sized hard carrying case solved the problem. There is a bright blue light the flashes on each earpiece when connected via bluetooth, but there is a way to turn this useless feature off unless you want to walk around looking like a flashing robot.

Taking full advantage of the improved bluetooth features of the 700P really make this smartphone shine and makes your experience with it truly wireless.

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Treo 700P in my hands!

My new Treo 700P has arrived! My first impressions after a day of use?

-Super fast broadband and internet browser are very impressive.
-Hard to get used to the new keypad layout.
-Camera is 1.3 megapixel and much improved.
-New Pocket Tunes and Documents To Go come pre-loaded
-Sprint TV is pretty cool!
-Streaming video and audio of all formats supported- I can now listen to WRLR 98.3 on my phone!
-A lots more...

Overall a very impressive device and it tops the 650 by a mile!

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Car Show

What I wouldn't do to have a car like this!

Maybe the guy will trade my car for this one? Yea sure!

The car show at the Gurnee McDonalds.

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It's done!

Here it is! The title to my recently paid-off car was delivered to me yesterday. It's such a relief to finally do this after five years of payments. This is the first car I've ever paid in full. It's also a relief to know my car is running as well as ever these days (knocks on wood). It has treated me really well over the years, and maybe I'll keep it around for a while until I'm ready for a new one.

And to celebrate this momentous occasion, I've convinced the powers that be to purchase me the upgrade to my Treo 650!

Treo 700P here I come. I expect delivery from Palm early next week if not sooner! YES!

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The GDC Part 4: All Access Anytime

So the home computer has been rebuilt and all of my data has been organized into one folder and setup for quick access. I'm going to go over just a few tools that I use on my Treo to access what I need, anytime with my always-on internet connection:

Avvenu: A great free application that gives you access to your desktop computer files from anywhere. Avvenu's secure mobile version is fast and gives you the ability to download files whenever you need them. Photos display as thumbnails and documents, when opened, launch Documents to Go if installed right from the mobile browser.

Box.net is another great online storage provider that has a mobile accessible page that gives you access to all of your stored files online. The site is still in beta and their mobile version still leaves a lot to be desired since the only option you have right now is to 'share' the file you want. Once shared, you have to go to an internet enabled desktop computer to access and download the file- kind of defeats the purpose of having a mobile version of the site. Hopefully we'll see an improvement as the site moves out of beta.

Win-Hand is similar to PC Anywhere in that you're able to bring your entire desktop to your mobile phone and work on it as if you were in front of the computer. This type of access is fast and works really well when it wants to. The software requires that you have a secure 'agent' installed on your home computer, but I didn't like the fact that the developer kept blasting the desktop with web pages promoting new versions of his software- a bit of an intrusion I think. I no longer subscribe to the service.

The new Treo 700P with broadband EVDO internet will only make these apps handle better and faster than ever before. Time to think about a new toy perhaps???

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What's the world coming to?

A Hello Kitty iPod FM transmitter for the ride.

Now I've seen it all!

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The Belly of the Bean

This is one of the most unique places on earth (outside of Round Lake anyway).

Standing under the bean in Millenium Park!

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Busy, busy, busy!

For the last couple of weeks I've been full steam ahead working to get my company's email system in to the 21st century by nukeing our dated Microsoft Exchange 5.5 server and moving up to the latest MS Exchang 2003 server. There is quite a bit of work that has to be done after hours dealing with converting all 200+ mailboxes.

Alas, this coming week should see the final steps of the upgrade and we'll be all done.

The nice thing is Exchange 2003 now works wonderfully integrating to my Treo's email service. What a wonderful thing, eh? Yeah right!

Sorry if you've emailed me and I've been a bit behind in responding!

Fun Fun!

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Are You Kidding Me?

I ran in to this review of the new mPOD beta being developed over at MotionAPPS. It basically turns a Treo in to an iPOD by simulating the simplicity of the iPODS menu navigation and click wheel design.

The software is in a 15-day trial beta so I decided to give it a shot. I am an iPOD owner and use it to store all of my music, but I find myself using the treo a lot to listen to music and podcasts only because I carry it around more often than I do the iPOD.

I'll have to say that mPOD just blew me away when I tried it out for the first time. The iPOD's click wheel and buttons are simulated on the Treo's touchscreen. You don't get the touch feedback that you get from the iPOD's click wheel, but the response from the treo's touch screen is rather impressive- and can adjusted to a high or lower sensitivity.

I'm preferring to use the Treo's 5-way button to navigate through the menu's, and the on-screen click wheel takes a bit of getting used to. Plans on intergrating this software with iTunes are in the works, so that would be an added plus!

This comes AWFULLY close to simulating an actual iPOD right down to a menu selection dimming the treo screen to save battery, so I don't know what kind of legal issues are involved, but I can only hope motionAPPS did their research in making sure they don't get tangled in some kind of lawsuit.



I'm watchin this app closely!

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The GDC Part 3: What a pack rat I am!

Man do I have a TON of junk on these computers.

I've been spending the last couple of weeks going through ALL of my data on the 3 computers I use the most and TRASHING the junk I no longer need. It's amazing how much junk one can accumulate over the years.

I'm collecting all of my photos and placing them all on my home computer's "My Photos" folder in My Documents. I've gone and gathered all of my music files and put them in the My Music folder and then imported them in to iTunes if they weren't already to get them all organized.

The documents (word, excel, etc.) are taking up most of my time since Windows provides no way of thumbnailing these things before having to open them and viewing the contents.

The ultimate goal, as I had mentioned before, is to be able to get to them through my Treo (or through a PC web browser) whenever I need to. I'll be detailing the applications I'll be using to do that in my next article.

On to more digging around...

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The Great Data Consolidation Begins: Part 2

The Problem:

The bottom line? I've got too much data spread over 3 Windows PC's, one IBM laptop, 1 USB key, 1 SD memory card, and a Treo Smartphone- all of which I work on to some capacity any given day of the week.

The Goal:

Collect all of the data including Favorites, documents, photos, MP3's, etc. and store them on one home PC. Backup all of the data daily and move the most important stuff online where it can be accessible from any computer and my Treo when I need it.

The Hardware Tools:

Newly reformatted Windows XP PC. Recently upgraded with 512mb of memory and an external CDR-RW drive.

A Western Digital 160 gigabyte USB 2.0 drive for backuping up my files that is replacing the 40 gigabyte Buslink I have now (pictured).

An ultra portable IBM x41 IBM ThinkPad with DVD/CDRW, wireless, SD and USB card access. To be used while on the go or traveling.

1gb and 256mb SD cards for temporarily storing MP3's, documents, and other data coupled with a Lexar all-in-one Memory Stick and SD card reader for PC access.

A Sprint Treo 650 Smartphone with unlimited data access, Bluetooth, SD card slot, portable Palm keyboard, extra battery, and a GPS receiver. It looks pretty geeky when it's all put together but it's worth it!

I hope the final result will be easier access to my files no matter where I am. I'll be deleting files I no longer need and protecting stuff I want to keep.

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The Great Data Consolidation Part 1.

UPDATE: Boy... I've almost forgotten how refreshing a newly formatted hard drive feels. Kind of like a comfy, newly washed, pair of... uhm... underwear? No lie.

With Win XP Professional installed there are only six folders on the root of my C: drive instead of the 10,000 foldes I had there before.

I can breathe. Next... the armor goes on.



A New Beginning.

Boy did I sound like a geek in that title...

Yup- I'm starting a major overhaul of my 'computing life' sort-to-speak. Twenty five years of working with these darn machines has taught me a lot. Not only that, but I've acquired quite the vast amounts of data all around me that it needs a complete reorganization. I'll be doing this with the help of a few of the newest internet based and hardware based technologies I've already got my hands on.

Admittedly, I got a little bit of a reality check by Razor's own experience with a destroyed home computer and Lidia's hard drive failure on the laptop I was letting her use. Fortunately, I was able to resurrect Lidia's hard drive from sure death and recovered all of her treasured images. And with Razor being in the IT field himself, he should of known better than to leave his PC unprotected using Limewire!

And so it begins. I'll detail my progress here of course without sounding too much like the nerd that I am.

To begin, I'm reformatting my home computer's hard drive and starting from scratch. It's been acting funny anyway, and after injecting a few more memory sticks in to speed it up, I should be in good shape.

More soon....

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Can a Treo replace a laptop?

This is an interesting article written by A Wright over at BargainPDA on his experiences with using a Treo as his primary computing device after losing access to his laptop.

I do use my Treo heavily during the day but it's more of a secondary device working in sync with my laptop and home computers. I do carry my laptop with me almost everywhere I go but that's only because, as a network admin, the laptop has tools on it that I need in case of an emergency at work. My Treo does have the more essential tools I need in an emergency such as access to my internal network, servers, and such for when my laptop is not with me, but the laptop is still my primary device.

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We ARE nuts!

I absolutely love this story posted at treonauts.com.

Goes to show how nutty we treonauts are about our Treo's.

It looks like the wireless network I've been jumping on for the last 3 years (at unsaid location!) was either locked down or removed thereby disconnecting me from the world outside. But thanks to Junefabrics' PDAnet I'm able to use the data connection on my SprintPCS Treo to get back on line!

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It's Friday!

And here I promised myself to write in here at least every other day!

I've got at least 3 posts I'm drafting for this blog- hopefully I'll get them done soon!

It's St. Patricks day and I unpurposely wore green today. It's cool to know this is one of those holidays when you don't have to give presents to anyone. Drink green beer and be merry I say.

It's been a busy week. I've been going full on promoting the radio show, website, and Podcasts at many different places online along with doing research for the radio show. I'm really happy with the way the Podcasts are coming along and Kelly is doing a great job.

I've got to start planning for the 10th anniversary of my annual Pic-A-Nic usually held at Old School forest preserve. I'd like to do something different this year and in a different location involving something different like camping, canoeing, or something along those lines. We'll see what happens!

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Yummy

The fabulous lunch that's going to get me through another long day in the world of IT.

Courtesy of my Sweetheart.

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Smiley Pants

Took this incognito picture of this guy's smiley pants.

Now I know what I want for my birthday!

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My Personal Milestone....

My birthday is March 5 and as a special treat to myself I've reached a personal milestone I thought would never come- at least it seemed that way long ago.

I've zero'd my balance owed on my credit card for the first time in the 11 years that I've owned it.

This is the only card I own now after getting rid of another two that I finally payed off a couple of years ago.

And to top it all off, my car gets paid off in less than two months from now. I'm very excited!

Now I'm really ONLY going to use my card in emergencies- I HOPE :)

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Favorite Links...

Ah the Internet... I'm seemingly connected to it almost 24 hours a day- made even more possible by an always Internet-connected Treo smartphone.

Lately I've been scouring the Internet doing research for the radio show, and ran in to two websites that will be at the very top of my list for news gathering.

Yes. I'm a news junkie.

Del.icio.us - I've known about this site for a while now, but I never really payed much attention to it until I needed a place to keep my bookmarks in one place when I'm at different computers. This is basically what Delicious does (yes the periods are a pain to type).

The site allows you to collect and store your bookmarks all in one place. You can even share them with friends, or scan through someone else's bookmarks to find new stuff.

The tags really make this site shine and you can tag your own links to group them all together.

It's fast and a godsend.

Check out my Del.icio.us bookmarks here. Feel free to look around!

Digg - The ultimate news junkie site! The site gathers news stories from around the world submitted by registered users. You can either submit your own news stories, or "Digg" the ones you dig. The more diggs a story gets, the higher the possibility it will show up on the front page of the site.

News stories are grouped together in subjects ranging from gaming, music, movies, technology, and more.

And my bonus favorite Internet discovery:

Pandora - This site allows you to create your own radio station depending on what kind of music you like. Pick a band and the player finds artists that sound similar to what you've picked. It then creates a 'station' based on your choices.

You can also create a favorites list, and buy the CD's on Amazon or iTunes.

All of these site are free with registration.

Very cool!

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Lidia, Lidia... oh my Lidia

She's coming back from Cali this weekend after three weeks. Can't wait to see her!

I haven't been out and about on weeknights as much these past couple of weeks only because I've been preoccupied with music stuff away from work.

I've been dabbling in creating a podcast for the radio show along with working on needed updates to the Jstreet website. I've been listening to quite a few podcasts on a regular basis, but just now getting the hang of how to put one together (thanks to Kelly Belly!). Neat stuff.

Tonight I'm heading out to a local show with my "refurbished" rock concert camera to give it a whirl.

I hope it still works!

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Souper Bowl

I'm not much of a sports fan to begin with, but I usually don't turn down a good excuse for a party. Chris and Kelly were having a get together at their place so I went there for the afternoon.

I rooted for Pittsburgh for no particular reason really. The room was evenly split between Seattle and Pittsburgh sides anyway so it worked out! It was a good time.

Thanks to Kelly and Chris for the hospitality- and the great spread!

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Palm Treo 800?

So I'm excited to see the rumors floating around on various Palm sites about the "upcoming" Palm Treo 800. I've seen countless reviews on the new Windows Mobile based Treo, but haven't been too impressed with it. I guess I'm just a hardcore Palm fanatic.

Either way, I'm getting a serious itch for a new gadget to play with- the Treo will always rule the nest, but can't wait to play with something new...

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Are these lines crossed?

I've spent the last two weeks on the phone with over five Cisco specialists trying to figure out why a new T1 at one of our remote offices won't come up on a shiny new Cisco router I'm replacing.

This has been one of the more frustrating installs I've had. If you could only see how big the detail in this work order is....

Arrggghhh....

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Neglected...

Holy moley it's been a while between posts... I must have like 3 I'm working on... hang in there!

... Be sure to tune in to JstreetRADIO tonight 1/26 8pm to 10pm. You can dial in to 98.3 FM or listen on the web at www.wrlr.fm

This is going to be fun...

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Fishing Days

The "Haug Tank" at the Chicagoland Outdoor Show

I skipped over to the outdoor the weekend of the 21st. to see what's new in the world of outdoor life. I haven't been to this show in over 5 years so I was excited to relive my hardcore fishing days.

I spent quite a bit of time fishing a few years ago when I was participating in bass tournaments through a fishing club I was in. I didn't win anything but came close quite a few times fishing some of the waters in this area. I swore last year that I'd do more of it but only got to go out a few times due to "technical difficulties."

I'm going to make it a point, again, to go out fishing a bit more this summer. I suppose my $50 gift card to Bass Pro will come in handy very soon here!

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Boo Hoo

My sweetie is leaving for California for three weeks to be with her mom and to take care of some personal affairs. I'll miss her so.

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Bad, Bad software!

I just thought I'd mention that the Norton Internet Security suite is evil... evil!

I'm on my 5th install of this thing on my home computer and it keeps disabling all of my USB ports and both of my CD ROM's! Oh I'm secure alright, but otherwise my computer is useless!

Guess I'm going shopping. I'm done with Norton.

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Bit by Byte

The data center where I work. I'm responsible for keeping it all glued together!

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Hobbies Galore

Ever since I was young I've had an addiction to anything wireless and especially remote control toys. I've owned remote control planes but not anything serious (at least not yet!). I've fired hobby rockets which is a lot of fun and something I need to do more of. The only remote control cars I've played with were those my little nephews owned- but I had to give those back!

This Christmas I received a HUGE remote control Hummer that I've yet to take 'out on the road' but hope to do so soon... as a matter of fact... the sun is out as I look out this window so perhaps today is the day?

I had a little fun taking some photos of the toy and uploaded them to my flickr page. Enjoy- I sure will!

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Where's the sun?

Can it be any more dreary out these days?

Sheesh!

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It's 2006!

The party at Illinois State beach was a good time. A bit of an older crowd than expected and they could of used a DJ instead of a band. All in all it was still a good time. Thanks to Brenda for the tip!

You can check out Lidia's Flickr Page for some photos of the event. Hopefully I'll have some of my own up soon.

Hmm... what will this new year bring? I'm excited already. I was thinking of a brief list of things I'd like to do this year and it includes:

1. More fishing
2. canoe trips
3. Camping!
4. More rollercoasters
5. Traveling
etc... etc.

Sounds like the standard list but I can't get enough of it. I'm a summer person anyway and I don't know of a better way to spend it than being outdoors.

Perhaps I'll tell you about those adventures here...!

Happy New Year!

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