Summer 2014 August 17 Sunday (Wired Magazine)

66 degrees this morning.  

Wired magazine is one of those magazines that I may  read one time and wonder why I continue subscribing and the next issue is full of wondrous information that I wonder why this is the only place I read the informaton.

Probably the most memorable article was the one about Twitter, before it became popular.  I got some Twitter accounts in my own name (@RobertWherry, @RobrerPaulWherry) as well as some other favorite names before Twitter became popular.  The article was generally positive although the author couldn’t really say why he or she was positive about having it restrict a message to 140 Characters.  They just said it was a new means of communication and I don’t think even they forecast the social and political impact.

I also read Chris Anderson  “The Long Tail” article in Wired and read the book by the same name, the concept that (I hope I get this right) that on the internet, the cost of carrying unlimited selection (niches) approaches zero.  (Maybe I need to reread the book). However, it is early in the morning and I really haven’t thought about this concept for a while. 

Another Wired article was about the concept of using living cells for computing to speed up computers and storage.  Haven’t heard much about this lately, although the other day I did read something similar to this (on Twitter, oddly enough).

Oh the other side, I read about the novel “Snow Crash” in Wired and read the book.  Not the normal type of book I read, but I was fascinated by it.  I also was amazed that,at the time, a copy of the original book (I got a reprinted paperback) sold for something like $3,000!  Just for the heck of it, I checked e-Bay and found a signed, first edition for $750, still more than I would pay for a book!  They also had copies for .99.

Anyway, it is one of those magazines that are well worth the time and money, even if I toss some issues and wonder why I continue to subscribe.  The next issue will probably have at least one article that makes me think!

The latest one (that I read anyway), has an article on Quantum computers, rather “A” Quantum computer (there is only one and only one chip) built by a company called D-WAVE.  

The article states that “if” this actually is a quantum computer (no one knows for sure what one is), and “If” they can figure out how to use it, it will be as big a breakthrough as the computer itself, since it will be so much faster and performs calculations in a completely new way.  That is roughly what I took from a quick scan of the article.  This is one of those articles I need to read when I can concentrate and dissect exactly what it is trying to say.

Anyway, Wired magazine is one of those magazines that occasionally has a lot of valuable information among the fluff.  

I recently read where Twitter officials were agonizing about how to change Twitter, with one expectation being that the 140 character lime would probably be raised, although I haven’t read that anywhere else.  

I recently subscribed to “Next Issue”, which has over 100 magazines I can read for around $9 per month.  I still haven’t decided if they are abridged copies or not.  I am going to compare an actual magazine to it and see if it really is an exact copy of not.  It does give me the opportunity to read magazines I normally wouldn’t read, which I enjoy.

The main problem is, I enjoy reading magazines while I take a long whirlpool bath after exercising.  A magazine on my iPad or iPhone doesn’t do me a lot of good there!  I know I can buy a waterproof case (my granddaughter, Kali, had one from a friend I believe that she even took into the swimming poo), so l’ll need t check that out.

I had planned to write about food, and some interesting books I was referred to, but I guess that is for another day.

That’s it for now, Sunday, August 17, 2014.

Summer 2014 July 29 Tuesday (Now, It's Part of You)

68 degrees this morning, cool weather predicted, high of 86 degrees!

“Now it’s part of you” my Oral Surgeon said as he viewed the x-rays showing the “roots” of my two new teeth.  Actually, I still have one more stage, I need to return to my Dentist and have the actual “teeth” (actually a form of a crown) “installed” on the roots.  Interesting.  Supposedly they are “guaranteed for life” and the procedure is 90% effective.  

This process actually started September 5, 2013, so, depending on when I actually complete the process, it will have taken almost a year or more than a year.  Right now, I plan on completing it around Labor Day.  Maybe I can start chewing on that  side of my mouth now!

My “mouth” has quite an investment in it, considering the implants, and the various crowns, bridges (although the implants replaced the bridges) and fillings etc.  

On the digital newspaper front, I have found my local paper has a reasonably good format on the iPad, much better than the format for the computer.  The Wall Street Journal format is better for the iPad, while the New York Times format is better for the computer at least one of the formats is better, anyway.  This could change after I get used to using the various formats, although I would still prefer to have the actual paper.

I have also subscribed to an app called “Next Issue”, where, for a fix amount per month, I can get all the magazines I basically subscribed to in various formats.  Overall I like it, and it resolves the issue of have to subscribe to the magazines and deal with the renewals.  Some magazines have started this deal about “automatic renewal”, which I really resent, unless they clearly send you notice on how to unsubscribe. Anyway, it also gives me a chance to read some magazines I wouldn’t normally subscribe to or probably even read and it is a reasonable “one flat rate” price.

We canceled our Netflex subscription.  We just never seemed to watch it much and when we wanted to search for a specific movie or documentary, it didn’t have it.  As much as we say we would like to watch movies, we rarely do, although that could change in the future.  However, the cable company we use provides us with a bunch of movie channels.  In fact, when we subscribed, we told them we didn’t want HBO or Cinemax.  I noticed we HBO and Cimemax and I tried to cancel them but was told they were “part of the package” and it would raise our bill $50 per month if they canceled it!  The strange ways of cable marketing.  I really wonder who thinks up all of there programing offers, they must really be strange.  For the most part, they are designed for maximum revenue of the cable company, not for customer service. 

We went with the electric companies “smart meter” program and wonder if this is the correct decision when we received an e-mail that our electric rate during a peak period was going to be .43 per kilowatt!  Hardly much of a way to save money, no matter what the low “off peak” rate is. I am starting to review the program, and plan on downloading the “app” that tells you “real time” what your electric bill is and consumption etc.  

It reminds me of the first time I got my own phone.  I was advised by the representative that they were “out of” the regular phones and only the “princess” phone (or something like that) was available at several dollars a month more.  I couldn’t care less about getting “princess” phone, but I had to have a phone.

The installer came out and while talking, I mentioned it to him.  He laughed and said that wasn’t true, he had a bunch of “regular” phones on his truck and the representatives were trained to lie to people and tell them they were out of the regular phones.  He said they didn’t even make an extra commission for it, they were just trained to sell the highest price product!  He installed a regular phone and I haven’t trusted the phone company much ever since.  I always carefully check my bill and it is amazing the charges that appear that they take off as a “mistake”, of course, always for some gimmick or program that they probably make a 90% profit on.

That’s it for today, Tuesday, July 29, 2014.