Yes, I was one of those folks who was just waiting to jump ship as soon as the iPhone was available on Verizon. Being a Verizon customer, I was able to order it the first day I could, February 3. Yes, there is an initial outlay but in the long run I will save money based upon not running two cell phone accounts. So, that was my justification. Well, that and… “Yes, I can hear you now.”

I am so looking forward to having a phone where the coverage is better and the call dropping should all but be eliminated. That and the iPhone 4 is just so much nicer than the iPhone 3G that I have. Not that the 3G is a bad phone at all.

Shot of t-Shirts in Dark Closet Using iPhone 4

I’ve got my 5,000+ songs on the new phone now, my contacts, all my apps… and have played with the video. The screen does look sharper than my 3G and the flashlight is oh so much brighter. I did hop in the closet to see how well the LED flash would work. My row of t-shirts couldn’t have looked better.

To test out the video I shot my teen age son’s messy room (maybe I can publicly guilt him into cleaning it, but I doubt it). The camera isn’t bad at all.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The only other thing I had to do to get the iPhone setup was to redo the folder structure of all of my apps. For some reason they got jumbled up in the move when I restored the iPhone 3G backup to the iPhone 4.

Today I spent time clearing out the data on my old iPhone 3G. Then I put it up on eBay and sold it for $190 within an hour or two. Not bad and makes me even more happy as I’ll break even quicker now.

I’ve also renamed my iPhone from JVHM iPhone 3G to JVHM iPhone 4 VERIZON! Let’s hope it holds up to Verizon’s rep.

I actually wrote a review on a commerce site. Don’t think I’ve done that before but know I read a lot. Anyway, decided to share it here too since they made it pretty easy to copy the content.

Originally submitted at Road Runner Sports

Men's NIKE® ZOOM STRUCTURE TRIAX+ 13 :: Your favorite Nike® stability shoe is reborn in the men's Nike® Zoom Structure Triax+ 13 to give you more support, greater forefoot flexibility, a smoother, cushier ride, and more heel support thanks to a new heel strap overlay. All at …

Mens Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 13 Running Shoe

Can’t kick the habit

By Jeff from Castro Valley, CA on 11/11/2010

 

5out of 5

Sizing: Feels true to size

Width: Feels true to width

Arch Type: Average Arch

Pros: Good Traction, Cushions Impact, Comfortable, Durable, Good Arch Support

Best Uses: Trail Running, Walking, Mixed Terrain, All Weather Conditions, With Orthotics/Inserts, Wet Weather, Road Running

Describe Yourself: Avid Athlete

Was this a gift?: No

I’ve been running with this model shoe for many years now. I buy them in pairs and when I can pick up the last year’s model at a discount. They are quite affordable and just as good as any others I’ve used. The last pair (Structure Triax+ 12) did make the upper part of my big toe sore for a bit but think it was just me adjusting to extra miles, new shoes and running on the road more. After putting in 400 miles on one pair and over 300 on the other I decided to get a couple of new pairs. I don’t have enough miles on them to know how they’ll do but can only imagine I won’t be disappointed.

I plan on continuing to use this model shoe until they don’t make them anymore.

(legalese)

God bless this product!  Okay, this is a post where I won’t be shy.  I’m not a light person anymore and am getting older.  What does this mean?  It means I’m just shy of 195 pounds and will soon be 49 years old.  I’m also 6’ 2”, so, I’m not fat but I do have excess fat and it jiggles.

Even being relatively fit, age means the body is not as toned as when I was 18 and 153 pounds.  I’m sure there are folks that know what I mean.  I mean that if I don’t take direct precautions my nipples will get rubbed raw, sometimes to the point of bleeding.  Rather embarrassing to talk about but a hell of a lot worse to experience.  I’m being frank so that folks know exactly what I’m talking about and I can reach those that have the same issue.

I’ve tried different things in the past but all didn’t work or were messy.  These included mole skin, band-aids, Vaseline, bag balm and New Skin.  The most effective last resort had been pulling my shirt up over my head.  A great sight!  Well, from my vantage point but maybe not from someone whose head wasn’t attached to my shoulders.

One day there was a discussion on one of the running LinkedIn groups.  Someone was asking what folks do for “chafing”.  One response was that they use “Body Glide”.  Then another person mentioned the same product.  I’d never heard of this product before.  Maybe because I hadn’t been tied into the newer running products as I’m a bit old school and cheap.  Well, not anymore (the cheap part excepted)!  After my last product attempt failed I thought to take a look at this recommended product.  It definitely isn’t the least expensive thing out there but, as I’ve come to find, it does seem to be the best, and worth every penny.  Actually, it does seem to last a long time, so, the price really is not that bad.

Since picking up Body Glide I use it all the time.  I have yet to have a full blown issue.  In fact, only two or three times did I wonder if it was going to hang in there but it did.  It’s really quite miraculous, I use it religiously for every run, and I will never use anything else.

When shopping around the least expensive place I found this product was Road Runner Sports.  I recently purchased another to make certain I don’t run out and Road Runner Sports remains the least expensive place that I could find.  The added benefit of finding Body Glide was buying it from Road Runner Sports and finding out just how great they are as now I use them for all my running equipment needs.  Between just having good prices they also have specials running all the time and Free Shipping on All Orders.  I love them so much I signed up as an affiliate and recommend them to the other runners (walkers…) I know.  That’s why you see links in this post and in my sidebar.

So, if you have chafing, rubbing or get hot spots anywhere on your upper body, mid body or feet, then you definitely should give Body Glide a try.  You won’t regret it.

For the past year or so I’ve been a lot better about staying hydrated when I run.  I didn’t use to as I figured it wasn’t a big deal as I’d only be out running for an hour or so.  Then I started upping the mileage, doing regular 10 mile runs.  I quickly learned proper hydration will keep me going stronger, which should result in fewer fatigue-based injuries as I maintain a better running form and am less apt to stumble….  I also realized that I always carry liquids with me when I bike, so why shouldn’t I when I run?

The thought of having to lug water or other liquids during a run was really what put me in the mindset of figuring I could just re-hydrate when I got home or at a drinking fountain if I happened by one (not something I usually find along a trail).  I had looked around a bit before but didn’t want a bottle with a hand strap that I would carry and the thought of a hydration backpack wasn’t a fond one.  Then, one day when I was in a running store looking for some new shoes, I looked around a bit more and also asked a store employee for his thoughts.  He showed me the Amphipod RunLite 4 system.  I bought it, LOVE it, use it all the time and wouldn’t think of trying anything else.

The cool thing with this system is that you can tailor it for yourself and your running style.  It comes with a small pouch that I carry my iPhone in along with a copy of my Driver’s License, 10 bucks, a doggy poop bag and, on rare occasions, power gels or similar energy foods.  While writing this post I was looking a little closer and found that there is another small sleeve under the velcro closure tab, perfect for a key.  That’s the beauty of writing a post, you often learn a little bit more.

The bottles that come with the RunLite 4 are 8oz each.  They are easy to fill, have no BPA, can be situated in different positions and are easy to access while running.  The only thing I’ve encountered a couple of times is the bottle falling off if I’m not careful to ensure I hear/feel it click back into place.  Having four separate bottles is great as you can distribute the weight and, for those shorter runs, leave a couple at home.  I often just run with two bottles and position the pouch toward the front so that my iPhone headset cable tracks better.  The other benefit is you can mix and match your beverages, maybe carrying three waters and one power drink.  You could potentially even store dry items in the bottles as they have a wide cap.

So, keep the energy up while running and stay hydrated.  Hydration is important for proper body functioning and will make the joy of running that much more wonderful.  The Amphipod website is http://www.amphipod.com.

[amazon-product]B002PA4V8A[/amazon-product]

Wow, after thinking my iPhone was a great traveling companion for navigating the highways and biways of life and finding points-of-interest, I am quite happy that I decided to give a device engineered specifically for the task a go.

The Garmin nüvi 765t 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator is the product I went with after doing a lot of reading and sending a note out to my FB friends.  I was originally leaning toward the Garmin nüvi 265WT but a recommendation and further review resulted in a change in direction.  I’m happy I did change my mind.

When it arrived I was wondering if maybe it was a returned product as the packaging didn’t look as fresh as I would have expected. I’m guessing it was new and I did keep it and get it charged up and in the truck and all seems good.  First impressions? Totally awesome. My son, Harrison, and I took it along to go to the mall so he could buy a birthday gift for his sister, Madison. Yes, I know how to get to the mall but one must play with their toys.  I was amazed at just how well it tracks your location, notifying you in advance of the next turn’s direction and then again right before the turn.

On another trip I went to pick Harrison up at a friend’s house. I typically take a back way but find that, not being really familiar with the area, I tend to miss a turn off, especially at night. So, I programmed in the address and set off. What did I find? The device didn’t want to take my back way. I haven’t researched it much yet to figure out if it was providing the quickest route or if there is some other algorithm going on. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to test out the ability of the device to re-calculate the route. What did I find? It was still trying to get me back to the path it originally computed. Not too surprising really.

On the trip back I, again, decided to take the back roads.  Again, I had to get quite a ways down my route before the Garmin finally gave up on taking me on its original plotted course.  But it finally did come around to my way of thinking.  What do I think of all this?  I suppose I’m okay with it but my concern would be that if I see traffic on a city street that I want to  avoid, I’d like to think if I take a side route that the re-calculated route would keep me more on that route.  (of course, it could just be me needing to learn how to use this thing better).

So, at this point I’m still very happy that I went with this model.  I am definitely a Garmin fan, so that factored into going with one of their products.

Now for the downside.  Part of the thinking that went into the selection of this product was that I wanted to use the bluetooth feature so that I could use my iPhone in a handsfree manner.  While I have been able to pair my iPhone with the device, multiple times, whenever I go to use the Garmin it pretty quickly throws a message that the bluetooth connection failed.  I had read some reviews of folks mentioning this issue but my recollection was they got it working.  The iPhone is on the list of compatible phones.  I do plan on working on this issue more and will update this post with the results but I’m a bit displeased that a common feature, which isn’t new technology, isn’t working more easily.  I really hate spending time dealing with issues that shouldn’t be issues.

I also need to see how some of the other features work.  At first blush the traffic map seemed a bit off when driving over the San Mateo – Hayward Bridge the other day but I haven’t played with that too much.  I also haven’t tried having the system work over the car’s speakers and I need to find the best way to mute the instructions when I’m on a section of a trip that I know.  As you can see, I’m still playing with this but wanted to share my first impressions.

Hey, if you tend to lose your car when you go somewhere, this unit can mark it’s location when you turn it off and throw it in your pocket.  Now that may be worth it right there.  The complete lowdown on this unit can be found on Garmin’s site.

Pros – Price ($275), spot on navigation, portability, solid company
Cons – Bluetooth

Till my next review…

This afternoon I shut down all the computers, network equipment and network storage devices so that I could put in a new Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS).  I’ve had two previous UPS’s, one that lasted several years that was built by APC and one that didn’t last very long that was built by Belkin.

This week I received an email from CDW that included a 1250VA, 750W APC UPS for $99.99.  The next closest price I could find was $158 and most were around $200.  From Amazon the price is about $380, though they have associates selling it new starting at about $110 + shipping.  So, as you can see, this was a deal I couldn’t pass up, especially since I was running without a UPS and suffering from time-to-time because of it.  Even better, when I actually went to the site the price was only $89.99.  Once the $20 shipping and $9 sales tax was added I ended up at about $119.  Still a good deal and it came with a 3 year warranty and Parachute Personal UPS software.  Ordered Monday, delivered Thursday.  You can’t beat that!

It did take a little while to get things together as I did some better labeling and moving around of stuff.  The cords are quite a bit cleaner now, I was able to remove a power strip and am only using two outlets on the other strip.  AND I now don’t have to restart servers… if the power goes out for a short period of time!  The UPS states that I’m running at about 40% and would have about 14 minutes of uptime on the battery should the power go out when everything is turned on.  Pretty good considering everything I have hooked up to it.  So far I’m really impressed by this latest addition to the office and would have to give APC two thumbs up.  The only issue I had was that the cable strength was reduced by running it through the UPS, so, I put that back to straight off the wall.  I’ve never run the cable through a UPS, so, wasn’t a big deal to me, especially where we rarely have lightening around here.

So, this afternoon’s project is done!

I’m just writing a quick Post today as I continue to marvel in a product that my brother, Jon, turned me onto; KeePass Password Safe by KeePass.  This cool little utility is an Open Source Windows application that lets you store any number of passwords in a secure manner and also will generate strong passwords for you.

Up until finding out about this application I had been storing my passwords in a password protected Word document.  Not the most full proof method but it worked because I could search on it and the links worked.  KeePass is so much better.  First, your passwords are stored in an encrypted manner.  Also, the passwords you set up are all alphabetically managed.  In Word I had to rely on searching to find my passwords as I was not going to take the time to insert them alphabetically.

The navigation of this application also is awesome in that you can pretty much double-click on region specific areas of the password list and open up a link or have your password copied to the clipboard.  To make the clipboard even more secure it actually clears itself after 12 seconds.  The clickability I think is the strongest feature, outside of the basic functionality of maintaining your passwords safely.

What else do I like?  I like that there is a comment section for adding notes, like security questions.  Though I don’t use the feature, I like that you can store your various accounts within a folder structure.  I like that KeePass registers the date you created the password and when you last updated it.  Good if you like to update your passwords from time-to-time.  I’ve always been in the habit of setting up different, non-sensical (aka, strong) passwords for each of my accounts and this product just takes the pain right out of that.

What don’t I like?  I can’t say as there is anything I don’t like.  I just wish that this application also was available on the Macintosh.

I finally got tired of the pelvic and lower back pain I’ve been having while sitting and I decided to take action.  I think part of my problems are due to my running and several weekends with heavier than normal weight bearing activities.  I enjoy running, so, I don’t want to reduce that activity.  The busy work around the house and in Scouts also isn’t likely to go away, so, I had to find a way to make my work environment more conducive to a happier body.  My quest has begun!

The Quest for the Best Sit/Stand Desk

Since I found that my problems were not as pronounced while standing, it only made sense to look at getting a desk that allowed for me to stand while working.  I also wanted to have the option to sit when the mood presented itself.  I expected that there would be a lot of adjustable height desks available but found there actually are a lot more tall, fixed height desks than adjustable height desks.  After surfing a bit more I did find several suppliers of adjustable height desks but was surprised at the lack of reasonably priced options.  It seemed that the range for a descent adjustable desk starts at around $1200 and can go quite a bit higher when options are added.

Before settling on a desk I stumbled on one really interesting configuration, a combination height adjustable desk and treadmill.  One firm, TreadDesk, markets components that include raised floor modules such that one can make the treadmill flush with the floor, allowing you to have a chair more easily usable for times when you want sit and not use the treadmill.  When using the treadmill you simply raise the desk and get on your way.  While one’s first impression might be that it would be difficult to work and run at the same time, the concept is really to keep your pace slow, about 1 mph.  At this pace you’d burn about 100 calories an hour and not be winded or get yourself all sweaty.  Seems like a really cool option, especially when times get busy and you can’t break away for a better workout.

Well, I am trying to keep my expenses down, so, the $1500 desks and the TreadDesk options aren’t going to work right now.  I also wanted a desk that was full sized and not one of the many available school desk sized tables.  Fortunately I came across a vendor, GeekDesk, that sells a reasonably priced desk and had the option to purchase just the frame.  I think I’m on to something.

The folks at GeekDesk were quite responsive and helpful to my email inquiries.  Since I really wanted to keep the cost down, and also have something that still fit in with my existing modular office furniture, I opted for the standard sized frame without the desktop.  This saved me both on the cost of the desk and the shipping.  It also is a bit more of a green approach since I’m re-tasking my existing furniture.  The frame is rated to handle 176 lbs and the warranty is two years on the motor and moving parts and five years on the steel structural frame.  All told, including the wonderful 10% California sales tax (argh!), I spent just under $700.  Hard to beat.

The Order / Build Process

The order process with GeekDesk went smoothly.  They use PayPal to manage their online orders, which works just fine.  The shipping took about a week, which is what I had expected.  The biggest hurdle was getting up the gumption to tear apart the office to get things situated.  The desk arrived while I was away on a camping trip and, upon returning, I ended up with a cold.  Still, I found myself tearing apart the office a couple of days after getting back as I really wanted to get the desk in place.

The packaging was quite adequate and everything looked good.  The components came in two boxes with the heaviest and bulkiest box weighing in at 65 lbs.  There was one small blemish on one of the floor supports but nothing worth bothering with.  Some touch-up paint would be a nice-to-have.  The instruction sheet was short, pretty much drawing based and appeared to be a copy of a copy of a copy, but readable and easy enough to follow, even with the metric based measurements.  I deviated only in that I attached the wheels prior to assembling the frame.

Office in Chaos

Office in the Hallway

After unpacking the desk frame and taking a quick look at the instructions, it was time to tear apart the existing desk and shuffle things around.  I have a modular office setup that pretty much takes up all the wall space in the office.  In order to get what I wanted I had to disassemble two units and push another unit down the wall.  This meant removing everything from the cabinets that are on the top of the unit.  The majority of these items are still in boxes and bags and need “sorting”.  To make room for tearing things apart and assembling the desk, a lot of the office items were pushed out of the office space and into the hallway, where much of it still remains as I needed to catch up on things after getting the desk together.

Desktop Connection Hardware

After disassembling a couple of units I attached the desktops together using the small metal straps that had previously joined the units.  I found this was totally inadequate as the desks wanted to droop where I joined the two.  As such, I found a shelving bracket, chopped it into three pieces and used it to attach the two desktops together.  This, along with the cable channel support, appears to be quite adequate at providing a level surface.

Desk Motor

I had hoped to keep at least one of the cabinet units on the smaller of the two tables.  I weighed the unit and found it to be about 65 lbs.  Seemed fine given that my 24″ iMac is probably 25 lbs and my laptop about 10 lbs.  I figure the table top is maybe another 5o lbs.  So, the total, before adding various accessories, should have been around 150 lbs.  Seemed good to me given that the desk is rated to handle 176 lbs.  I found though, after getting things situated, that the table was very slow to raise and would not extend to the maximum height.  Very disappointing.  After removing the cabinet the table still seems to raise a bit slower than the 1.1″ per second published rate but not so slow as to be a problem.  Upon getting to the upper end of the height the mechanism makes a bit of a binding sound.  I can’t figure out why but it does this right about where I want to stop anyway, so, I’m good with it.

Getting Everything Back Together

Desk Adjusted to the Standing Position

It was “fun” setting up the desk and moving things around in my relatively small space.  Keep in mind that my office is in a sizeable bedroom but it is a complete office with all the required office and networking equipment plus furniture.  It took a couple of days to get things torn apart and put back together just because I was doing some re-arranging while trying not to trip on my own feet.  I am quite happy with things even though I’ve lost some storage.  I think, however, that I can handle the loss as I’ll probably be able to get rid of a lot of things once I sort through them.  It also forced me to pull an old printer and, likely, an old scanner out of the office.  Thank the geniuses that invented the All-In-One office printers.  I wasn’t wowed by my HP printers but am totally happy with my Canon MX850.  More on that in another article.

Conclusion

I’m now adjusting to standing while I work.  I find it isn’t too difficult an adjustment.  I do find myself shifting a bit from leg to leg and am trying to stand more evenly when I notice I’m doing this.  Standing definitely is easier on my back than sitting, though, at times I still find I want to give my legs a break and sit.  I’m certain I’ll find myself standing more as time passes.  It’s only been a couple of days now.  I also like the fact that I move around a bit more as I can easily step from laptop to Mac or to the filing cabinet….  This is both good ergonomically and from a calorie burning perspective.

I’m happy enough with the desk that I purchased through GeekDesk.  I do wish that the motor was more powerful as I think that’s the limiting factor on the desk not supporting the weight it is designed to support.  It is a rather small looking motor.  The frame seems structurally capable.  Given my requirements on saving money and re-using my current furniture, I don’t believe I could have found a better solution.  I give GeekDesk high marks for selling a quality desk at an extremely reasonable price point.  Value for the dollar is an A+.

If you have back problems or just want a more healthy working environment, then I’d suggest a sit/stand desk and feel you’d do well with the GeekDesk option.