The Geedord Files

I finally replaced my 2002 Chevy Malibu.  It had over 120k miles on it and I drive around 110 miles a day to and from work, I wanted to have more faith in my car than the last year had instilled and didn’t want to spend the $3000 needed to fix up the Malibu.

My number one concern with the new car was gas mileage.  I needed the car to be significantly better than the Malibu (25-27 mpg on commute) for it to be cost effective for me.  When I started looking I glanced at the foreign hybrids (Prius and Insight) but quickly learned that while I could squeeze my 6′4″ frame into them, there was no way a child’s seat was going in the back after that.  After flirting with a couple of full-size cars and crossovers I finally tried the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.  After one test drive I was hooked and have since purchased one.  These are my impressions after about 750 miles.

Size

The Malibu was a nice car.  The model I had (the first model of the 2000’s reintroduction) had a lot of interior room, easily fitting me and passengers.  The Fusion is a good compromise.  It is a smidge smaller in the back seats than the Malibu (sorry Uncle Jim, no riding in the back for you) and there is about an inch less headroom.  Overall it is a good fit.  The shoulder room is amazing (something the new GM models do not have) and the ergonomics of the seat make for a comfy ride.  The car is your standard mid-size sedan, but the trunk is small, a large chunk is taken by the battery pack.

Mileage

Here is where the car shines and in my opinion out competes the Prius.  On my daily commute I have averaged a solid 41-43 mpg at 55 mph (I take back roads).  On the Interstate it makes the EPA estimate of 39-40 mpg (70 mph).  I know Consumer Reports said the car gets less than the stated milage, but I have been beating the stated milage on a consistent basis.  Of note, the car’s active feedback system (it puts more virtual leaves on the base as you drive more efficiently and the tach goes completely green when you enter EV mode) does make you much more aware of your driving style and I have found myself working towards better numbers.  In addition, the 47 mph EV mode and the electronic speed control that works as low as 25 mph really help the milage.

Driving Experience

The car is peppy.  You would never know there is a fule-sipping 4 cylinder engine under the hood.  When you need to accelerate the car can do it (by adding torque from the electrical system I think) and it handles curves well.  I wish the suspension was a little smoother, but it is a mid-sized sedan… there is only so much you can ask for.

The cabin lets in next to no road noise, even at highway speed.  Everything you need to access is right at your fingertips (through on wheel controls) or within easy reach on the center console.

Here is one place I must comment on Ford’s overall design.  First, kudos for not going overboard on the central console.  The Taurus has a third of the front seat room taken up by the center console and I was glad to see that this design asthetic wasn’t carried over.  However, if you are going to add changable ambient lighting, why not make all the interior lights changes rather than just the cup holders and some under dash lights.

Entertainment

This is a win for Ford.  The car has Sirius satillite radio, an FM/AM tuner where channels can be directly entered via a keypad (why did that take so long), a six-CD changer in dash, and both an auxillary and USB port hidden in the armrest console.  The USB port can be directly linked to an iPod or better yet a USB drive (I’m mention why in a moment).  The whole mess is linked together by Ford’s Sync system (a modification of Microsoft’s voice command from their Windows Mobile cell phones).  The sync system works well, once you learn the commands, and makes it easy to control the media.  In addition the system can connect through Bluetooth to your phone, indexing the phone book and making it voice dialing capable.

There is one problem with the Sync system, but I think it is unique to the iPhone.  When the phone is connected through the Bluetooth system and the USB port, the system gets confused on how music is supposed to be outputed (yes it can do BT streaming).  Typically you end up being able to access the iPod functions, but get no sound.  Apparently you can work around this by selecting on your phone the output you want, but I have had limited luck with that.  It is easier to go get an 8, 16 or 32 GB flash drive (portable HDD also work) copy the music to it and then plug it in the armrest console and forget it.

Pros

• Mileage
• Driver comfort
• Entertainment Options

Cons

• Back seat room
• Trunk space
• Rough ride at times

Here is my first post from my newly updated tablet.   I just updated my HP tc4200 to Windows 7.  The system is a first-generation Centrino with 1.5 GB RAM and a new 250 GB HDD.  Overall my initial impressions are very good. The system runs smooth and the handwriting recognition is top-notch.  This entire post was entered through the handwriting system.

I have made a few changes to my tech line-up for the new term.  In some respects I have slimmed down the kit I carry and in others I have substantially upgraded my kit.

Backpack – Targus Laptop Backpack – Same reasons as last time.

Primary Computer – Dell Studio 15 (Best Buy Edition) – Again, repeat from the last list

Secondary Monitor – HP 20 in Widescreen LCD (1680 X 1050) – I have moved to using my primary laptop as my primary computer in my office.  To help with file and window management I have taken to using my old 20 inch LCD monitor as a second monitor in the office.  This serves as the primary monitor and the laptop screen in an extended desktop for things like Outlook or heaven forbid Facebook.

Phone/PDA/MP3 Player – iPhone 3GS – I have finally succumbed and purchased an iPhone.  With the latest hardware and software I find it to be a ready upgrade to my Zen/Axim/SE phone triad of before.  Now if they would just get Flash working on it…

Camera – Nikon D5000 – I have started to get into more visual work for my courses and needed to upgrade from a point and shoot.  I find the Nikon D5000 to be an excellently balanced DSLR that allows for ease of use and complete control when desired.

Software – Same as before.

For the past several months I have been able to do a portion of my work through telecommuting.  While not everyone has this option, it is a growing concern in the business world for the cost savings it enables.  I teach at the post-secondary level so telecommuting involves the addition of online classes and the use of electronic collaberation systems to connect with my students.  In this environment it is easy to only see the plus side of the equation (I can work in my PJs), but a little thought must be taken about the concerns and adjustments that must also be made.  Below is a short list of the items I have encountered so far.

• Always have a backup connection – At home I have a fairly reliable cable modem that gets a good 5-10 Mbps on average.  I haven’t had any major problems with it, but it only takes one bad storm to ruin your internet access for quite a while.  If you are going to telecommute you need to have at least two backup plans in place for high-speed access (no dial-up doesn’t count) before you need them.  For me my first plan would be any number of local free WiFi locations around my house (Panera Bread is a godsend, but local colleges or libraries also usually work).  If the local WiFi gods are not smiling down on me I have it set up so that in a pinch I can tether a cell-phone through my computer to get a decent DSL-like connection (usually around 300-500 kbps) which is good enough for my work.  The more bandwidth dependent your gig is the better your backups need to be.
• Telecommuting is not free child-care – I have a young daughter and both my wife and I work.  In the beginning I figured that the telecommuting would cut down the cost of childcare since I would be home, boy was I wrong.  If you are telecommuting, you are working, it is that simple.  The fact that you have to change a diaper is not an excuse clients want to hear.  I am fortunate that my telecommuting work is mainly asynchronous and therefore can be pushed to late night hours (after the little angel is in bed), but if you are not so fortunate spring for childcare if needed.
• Work machines are not for games - As soon as I started thinking about telecommuting I knew I would need a new laptop (I was running a 1st generation Centrino).  Of course part of this was tech envy, but the other part was the practical realization that my old machine wasn’t designed with current broadband in mind and I didn’t want to be chained to my desktop.  So like a kid with a huge wad of Christmas money I went out looking for a new laptop.  At first I was drooling over the latest and greatest power laptops (sure Alienware makes great business models), but after a little while I realized that I was buying a machine for a job, not for my leisure time.  I ended up going with an entirely different set of specs than I originally thought about any emphasized the feature that make telecommuting so pleasurable: comfortable keyboard (sorry EeePc), decent screen size, great wireless card (mmm, N class how I have lusted after you) and battery life (who needs a stinking power cord).  I am very happy with the Dell Studio 15 that I purchased and the only other option I could think of would be a 3G wireless card, but those plans are way too pricey.  As a side benefit, it is a lot easier to justify the purchase as a business expense if it doesn’t have the guts of a gaming machine.
• Communicate your expectations clearly with both your clients and your supervisor – In my field this means my students and my dean, but the same premise holds true with any field.  Your clients should know exactly how much personal interaction they will be getting through the arrangement.  For me this involves things like how long of a turnaround will there be on student emails.  With my supervisor it has been a growing experience of realizing, on both sides, that telecommuting is not less time spent on task, but rather different time spent on task.  You get no benefit from the arrangement if your supervisor say wants your to telecommute but also expects full face-to-face time from you.  These problems are easily solved through open communication and honest discussion, usually.
• Realize you will no longer be 9 to 5 – Some people hate this aspect of modern life, but the more your work environment becomes virtual the less you are constrained to a 9-5 schedule.  This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.  On the negative side, you must always realize that your clients or supervisors will be keeping very differing schedules (especially if they are also in a telecommuting mode) and by human nature will expect you to match them.  To allieviate this clearly communicate your definite ‘on’ times and set limits for when you will be ‘blacked out’ so that other can plan around you, just as you plan around them.  In my case I have definite virtual ‘office hours’ where I am freely available to my students through a chat client and a definite turnaround time.  On the plus side it means that I can spend my telecommunting days with my daughter and then do my work at night.

I just found out that AT&T may be carrying the new Sony Ericsson C905a slider phone.  It will be a huge coup for the carrier, since it would be the only significant high end camera phone they have.  The C905a is a 8.1 MP cyber-shot phone and recently I have found myself using the camera function more and more on my phone.  Supposedly this phone will be released on June 9th, but we will have to wait and see.

I love my SE z750a.  It is a great phone I have written about before and I have found very little reason to upgrade back to a smartphone (i.e. WM or the dreaded iPhone).  However, I would like to talk about a few things that SE could do to convince me to upgrade.  First, get support from domestic carriers, unlocked is nice but the price is too high for unlocked phones in the US.  Second, actually move the specs up.  The most logical upgrade from my current z750a right now is the upcoming z707 (although this may not be around anymore) or w518 (AT&T).  The only notice upgrade in either of these is a 1 MP bump in camera resolution and gesture or motion controls, neither is a big selling point to me.  Here is my wish list.

• Total Geek request – develop an app for the SE phones to support DRMed BBeB (Sony Ereader) books, much like the Kindle on iPhone App.  The current SE phones support Mobipocket already and frankly it makes a great quick and dirty ebook reader.  Go to the logical next step and integrate your company product line, heck any allow syncing of the libraries.
• Slider model with a QWERTY keypad or BB Pearl style keypad, something to improve texting on the phones, this is the only hardware dependent flaw in the SE line-up, no text-heavy models.  Even Nokia has noticed that this is a significant market and aimed a few of the upcoming models at it.
• Change to support open standards (micro USB, micro SD, etc).  I was glad to see that the newer lines are eliminating the M2 slots for microSD, but go all the way.
• Force carriers to stop disabling the usuable features of your phones in their custom OS layers (notably the excellent email client that is baked in, AT&T’s mobile email sucks in comparison).
• Get a usable Java program repository in the US.  It is doable with GetJar, but it should be a more clean-cut and straightforward process.
• Use a single Walkman and Cybershot interface on all media phones, stop having the customer choose which multimedia is more important or using one that excels at neither.

If SE meets even half of those ideas I will be looking for a new phone, but until then I’ll just stick with my z750a.

As a devoted techie I regularly update my tech gear.  Since I am in education I work most my tech around items that can help me communicate with my students or generate content for them.  Here is my current edition.

Bag – Standard Targus Backpack - I like this backpack.  Not only does this backpack have a significantly padded laptop pouch, it is just chok full of little pouches and cubbies that help me organize the ancillary equipment.  In addition to tech duty, the bag also makes an excellent daypack and diaper bag for those tech free days with my daughter.

Primary Laptop – Dell Studio 15 (Best Buy edition) - I picked this laptop up earlier in the year as a replacement for my first generation (Dothan era) Centrio Compaq notebook.  This laptop is my primary work machine (though not my gaming machine) and as such its primary characteristics have to be connectivity and battery life.  The innards of the machine are pretty standard Centrino 2 fare (though not labeled as such due to Dell’s propriatary wireless card) and it preforms smoothly for all of my major tasks (office work, multimedia production, web editing, etc).  The wireless card is phenomenally good at both reception and speed (even with my ancient home wireless router) and the Dell extended battery gives me a solid 6-8 hours of casual use.

Secondary Laptop – HP tc4200 Tablet PC – I recently purchased this laptop refurnished to help with presentations and serve as a digital whiteboard.  The machine is a Sonoma era Centrino laptop that I have upgraded to 1.5 GB of RAM and Windows Vista (so much better for Tablet PCs than XP).  This is a great machine for its purpose and serves well as a lightweight laptop when I don’t want to carry the larger 15 inch Dell.

Old-Fashion Tech – Steno Notebook and Papermate Pen - Something about the split Steno pads fit my note-taking style to a tee.  The Papermate pens are cheap and write beautifully.

Presentation tech – IOGear Wireless USB to VGA kit - This wUSB addon gives me a range of about thirty feet on a standard PowerPoint presentation yet still allows for easy wireless access during the talk (wireless connection systems always screw this part up).  This together with my tablet gives me a large amount of creative freedom during presentations.

Transfer – SanDisk Cruzer 4GB USB stick as Backup to Dropbox

Cellphone – Sony Ericsson z750a (AT&T, hacked to original SE OS) - Even though this isn’t a smartphone it has many of the features I need in a small package with a long battery life.  The original SE OS has an excellent POP/IMAP client built-in (AT&T replaced this with a neutered Webmail App) and with the java GMail client (which can process Office files) my quick-email connections are covered on AT&T’s network.  Adding Mobipocket for java allows me to use my phone’s QVGA screen as a quick and dirty ebook reader.  The only downside is the lack of a dedicated keyboard, but with prerecorded responses I can handle probably 90% of student emails.  In a pinch the phone also can serve as a modem for either of my computers or as a backup MP3 player.

Office Software – Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 – I like Office 2007 and the fact that I get a free load from work doesn’t hurt.  One of the best programs is OneNote, since it makes for a great digital whiteboard that can be downloaded to the students as PDFs.

MP3 Player – Creative Zen 2 GB with 4 GB SDHC card – This little player has fabulous sound, light weight and allows for exanpsion.

I have wanted a cheap, but functional, Tablet PC for use in my teaching for a while.  On a whim last week I went scouring through EBay for computers and found a refurbished HP tc4200 for sale for $300.  The machine was in good shape and has decent specs so I purchased it along with a 1GB RAM chip from Crucial ($18).  Here are the specs of the new machine.

• Processor – 1.8 GHz Pentium M (Sonoma platform, second iteration of Centrino platform)
• RAM – 1.5 GB (the secondary slot is a pain to get to, so I just added in a 1GB chip rather than 2 of them)
• HDD – 40 GB (fine for a secondary work machine)
• Wireless – Intel 2200BG
• Screen – 12.1″ Wacom Active Digitizer (SVGA)
• Form Factor – Convertible

Yeah, you can find much better machines right now, but they are at least two to three times the price and I was look for a secondary presentation machine.

The machine is in excellent condition and was loaded with a fresh install of XP Tablet Edition 2005.  However I have access to Microsoft at Home software and decided to try Vista Business on the machine (I tried Windows 7 RC, but there were too many driver issues).  The fresh install was simple and quick with auto-detection working for most of the machines components.  Fortunately HP has posted drivers and and updates for the tC4200 line up to Vista and I had few problems with the transition.  The notable exception was a conflict between the Intel 2200BG wireless card and my Linksys WGC200 router.  Fortunately Vista was able to ID the problem as a conflicting TCP setting and correct the issue.

Here are the software packages I installed on the machine.

• OS – Windows Business 32-bit
• Office – Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise
• Antivirus – AVG-Free Edition
• Drawing Program – Art Rage 2.5 Free
• Mind Mapping – FreeMind
• Tablet Enhancements – Microsoft Enhancement Package

For the presentation end of things I have acquired the IOgears Wireless USB to VGA kit.  I’ll keep you informed as to how this works out.

A while back my daughter broke my last smartphone, a Pantech Duo, and I couldn’t afford to replace it with a noncontract priced smartphone, so I went for a moderately intelligent dumbphone (Sony Ericcson z750).  The SE z750 is by no means a smartphone, but it is a great dumbphone with only the drawback of not having a keyboard.  I have recently figured out a few features on my phone that I didn’t originally used.

• The Gmail Java App (through SE website) gives a great open interface and through integration with Google Apps allows you to view attached Microsoft Office files (as long as the formatting is simple).  This is great for viewing my students’ assignment submissions on the run and give formative feedback.
• Mobipocket Reader (mobipocket.com) allows for easy ebook reading on the fly.
• POP Email – I unbranded the phone to reactivate the native SE POP/IMAP client
• Media Player – excellent media player with easy controls
• Sync with Outlook

I have to admit that the size, battery life, and versatility of the phone allows me to do pretty much everything I need to without using a smartphone.  I will find it hard to upgrade in the next round without some serious upgrade options.