Tour de Dave

I had some time today (thanks to Snowpocalypse DC) and decided to give Jailbreaking my iPhone 3GS a try. It was super easy and took about 5 minutes (maybe 10 after reading up on the process).

I was initially drawn in by the promise of being able to hide applications that I didn’t want but couldn’t uninstall (thanks Apple). But what I found was a whole new world filled with wonder, productivity, and ultimate configurability (read ’shiny new toy’).

The highlights of this experience include (but are not limited to) being able to:

• display 30 apps per screen
• display timely information (e.g. upcoming appointments) on the lock screen
• run multiple apps at once
• get unobtrusive notifications of new mail/sms messages with the option to read the full messages without leaving the app I’m in
• toggle/change system preferences on the fly

Here is a list in semi-priority order of my favorite Jailbroken apps thus far (with notes!):

An honorable mention goes to ProSwitcher. It is a fantastic app that allows you to background whatever app you’re using, open another, background that as well and navigate between them. From there you can keep going and add as many apps as you want (resource permitting). The only downside was that my phone would crash every time I would unlock it, regardless of which settings I used or how many apps were running.

With these new features at my finger tips comes some trade-off. My phone is marginally slower and there are likely some instabilities that I have yet to see (similar to what was witnessed with ProSwitcher). But to me it’s a necessary evil for what I get in return. Let the real fun begin.

Digital cooking, virtual water coolers, and computerized hovering heads. Oh my!

Another decade down, and one step closer to the future. Sadly there are no flying cars (yet…). But what we lack in commoditized levitation has been made up for by a mix of commoditized & free technology. And of course, there’s always a story:

KiP is born

For Christmas, my girlfriend and I decided to try and be more creative with our gifting to each other. We decided on a price limit ($32) with one stipulation, for every dollar you go over on your gift you owe the other person 1 minute of massage. Coming in under budget gets you nothing and there are no limitations to the gift; item(s), event, etc. What do you give a girl who loves cooking and all things kitchen gadgety when on a shoe string budget? Two words: Kitchen Computer. A computer that would reside in the kitchen and act as a digital cookbook (and be available for general web-surfing use when needed).

So with that in mind, I went to my Man Lair and began scheming. Here is what I came up with:

• Total cost: $5
• Working title: KiP 1.0 (short for Kitchen ‘puter)
• Old laptop with Ubuntu Linux (sitting on a shelf collecting dust)
• Evernote Pro for 1 month for $5 (to be able to upload enough photos through the iPhone app)
  • Created an account for her (bound to a placeholder e-mail; secrecy was key)
  • Photographed all of her printed & clipped recipes from around the house
  • Appropriately named them
  • Evernote’s Optical Character Recognition processed all of the images for me
  • Edited the photos as need (to rotate, resize, etc)
  • Tagged the large quantities of recipes; e.g. desserts, soups, breads, etc

The setup

A couple of weeks before we left, a conversation started between my girlfriend and I about kitchen gadgets and technology. Off the cuff she said something like “What about a computer for the kitchen? If something like that ever came around I would put it to good use.” I smiled and nodded, scanning for sincerity and hoping that my ingenious plan hadn’t been foiled. Near as I could tell, I was in the clear. Now was my chance.

On the drive up to my Dad’s house for Christmas I slowly worked one of our conversations back to the idea of Kitchen Computing. I took this as an opportunity to share what I had built and pass it off as “brainstorming”. She loved it; all of it. The name. The concept. All of it. She even said that she had some friends and family members who would love to beta test such a device in the event that I ever built one. Boo yah.

The big reveal

But how to present such a gift? After some brainstorming with my brother (Jonathan) we came up with an impressive (and fairly complex) way to package and present the gift. And here is what Christmas morning was like from my girlfriend’s perspective when opening my present to her:

Handed an envelope. Opened it to find a coupon with some instructions to be carried out on a website. Presented with a MacBook to go to the listed site. After submitting name and e-mail on the site, it read:

We have triangulated your *exact* location based on the IP Address of the computer used to sign up for this site. That is to say, Your KIP should be en route to you as you are reading thi. . . Wait, did you hear something at the door?

Heard Jonathan say “I think I heard a noise from the back door”. Rushed to and opened the back door to find a 14″x14″x”14″ brown shipping box with a UPS label on it addressed to her. Brought it back into the living room and opened it. Found, amidst all of the foam packing peanuts, something buried in the bottom of the box. Removed the item to see that the item was a somewhat heavy sheak black box of reasonable width and depth. Placed the box on lap, opened it, saw what was inside, and smiled a smile that rivaled the Cheshire Cat.

I did, of course, go over budget with the cost of materials. I’ll be giving a few massages over the coming weeks…

Next steps

After some trial runs I’m sure we’ll find in what ways we’ll need to kitchen-proof the laptop from spills, splash damage, random grease fires, etc. That, and a touch-screen overlay is a must.

“We can rebuild him —  we have the technology.”

I can’t help but feel a rumbling sense of something. A sense of urgency, willingness, passion, curiosity… purpose. This feeling tends to present itself as raw and uncoordinated enthusiasm. Enthusiasm that lately has led my interest to be peaked by *so* many things. All of which are slowly being satiated. But I can’t help but feel that if everything is of interest, then I will likely and inevitably learn nothing.

Having a career or life long goal might help to provide direction and guidance. But sadly, I don’t have either. Unless you count learn as much as you possibly can for everything that interests you before you die to be a solid goal. So to help tackle the unknown, provide focus, and get me closer to characterizing my purpose I decided to try implementing some heuristics in everyday life:

• Read everyday
• Do things that are healthy for you
• Fess up when you mess up
• When you fail, learn from it, and recommit yourself to the problem
• Welcome diverse viewpoints and criticisms
• Listen intently; rather than wait for your chance for rebuttal
• Ask questions, even if you’re afraid to
• Slow down and pay attention to yourself and the world around you
• Treat everyone as you would like to be treated
• Don’t take things so seriously
• Remember to breath

I have always been the type of person to do what was easy and use what was readily available and not look to see beyond that. This indecisive and laid-back way of living is likely why I became (and stayed) overweight for a majority of my life and up until a couple of years ago was deep in debt with pock-marked credit. This laid back nature is still a part of who I am. And since my choices have been reactionary to my surroundings I consider myself quite lucky to be where I am. Being around people who are so focused on health and financial fitness has changed my life for the better.

But now is the time for more change. The list above isn’t just a way to help guide my pursuit of knowledge and purpose. It is me committing to a way of life. Committing to my decisions and choosing my actions.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Bois Blanc Island, MI to be precise. Located next to Mackinac Island, in the straits, betwixt the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Bois Blanc (pronounced b-wah b-lahnk) is French for ‘white woods’. I presume that the Island was named for a type of tree which was white, but I’m no Marine Biologist.

The closest thing to Freedom

(Most of) the locals (both on and off island) refer to it as ‘Bob-lo’. For the purpose of this post, I’ll stick with that.

Being on the Island is kind of like being in the middle of nowhere. Except that you’re surrounded by water and have access to the world *if* you choose. On Bob-lo there is a general store/restaurant (which has Internet and sells the daily paper every morning), cell phone service (limited and on the perimeter only), power, plumbing, a bar (with shuffleboard!), a Post Office, an airport, and a Ferry Boat.

Getting supplies to the island is cake as well. With a simple call to a grocery store on the mainland, you can place an order and have it dropped off to the next ferry boat destined for Bob-lo. Provided you have a credit card (to pay the grocer) and a couple of bucks (to pay the Ferry Skipper for carting the boxes) you’re all set.

The only things paved on the island are the main dock and the airport. All roads on the island are dirt with a speed limit of 25MPH and 1 Sheriff on the prowl. There are a handful of folks who live there year round. And things tend to get pretty busy during the summer.

The Tour de Dave preferred method of lodging is to rent one of the cottages. Although, camping is not out of the question; and a popular activity for vacationers during the summer.

I’ve been going to The Island for the better part of 2 decades and have yet to find a better vacation place. When there, it’s almost as if time fades away.

I’m a free man! Free kind of like Andy Dufresne at the end of The Shawshank Redemption… sort of. I mean I was in a kind of prison. The kind shared by tons of people who were all “innocent”, and, I escaped.

After a rude awakening, help from fellow Fools, a paradigm shift, and 1-1/2 years of due diligence I’ve done it. For the first time in my life, I’ll actually turn a profit.

Earlier in May I paid off my consolidated credit card debt, and today (June 5th, 2009), the remainder of my credit card. Thus completing Operation: Debt Giraffe. Today marks the true start of my financial independence. Such a milestone deserves a celebration. The kind of celebration worth having every year. I’d like to mark today in everyone’s calendar as National Get Out of Debt Day (‘GOoD’ for short)!

You: “But wait, isn’t there already such a holiday?”

Me: “!”

According to this, it appears that a National Get Out of Debt Day does already exists and was created by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). However, based on further research, there seems to be a conflicting view on which day of the year this falls on. To wit, let the record show that today, June 5th, is the official Get Out of Debt Day. *rapture*

The only place to go from here is up. Look out Warren Buffett, I’m coming for that #1 slot .

To everyone who is stuck in, working their way out of, or has been liberated from debt… this day is for you!

Fool on,

Dave H

All great things start with an idea and a bit of the crazies. Interestingly enough, the idea to trek to Atlantic City @ 11PM on a Friday night did not come from me, it came from my fellow friend and co-worker Ed. For Lent, Ed had given up the sauce, the booze, the hooch; but not the crazies.

IMPORTANT PLANNING TIP: When planning a blitzkrieg guerilla operation such as this, its best to pick a cast of characters from the group of co-workers you are currently bar hopping with. It’s not only easier, but they may a) be your kind of crazy and b) can make for an interesting and fun group dynamic. That being said, we quickly completed our recruiting. With Ed, Svavar and Fred in tow we made a mad dash for the car.

After making it to the car we shot out of town like a monkey being shot into space. After a few hours in the car our Dirty Vegas Shangri-La was upon us. We made our way from Bally’s, to Caesar’s, to Borgata’s. Overall, I broke even for the night. But as for Fred, Ed, and Svavar, let’s just say that they rendered unto Caesar that which was Caesar’s.

THE CHALLENGE: Borgata’s was our last stop in Atlantic City because in their food court was a Fat Burger. I’ve never heard of this chain, but, before our trip commenced Fred mentioned it as a possible stop and threw down a gauntlet to up the ante. One which he viewed as a Golden Ticket and touted as (perhaps) my claim to fame and fortune. We knew the challenge colloquially as the “Big Burger Challenge”. But based on our research, we found out that it’s birth name is actually The Triple King Challenge. The challenge is to eat a ridiculous triple decker burger with numerous toppings within a certain amount of time to get a t-shirt and your picture taken. Said picture is posted publicly and I hear that the t-shirt is nothing to scoff at. With my picture plastered publicly for gluttony I’m sure it would only a matter of time before I’m discovered by Hollywood. Unfortunately, my time to shine in the Fat Burger spotlight was not destined, for the universe had different plans for us. Upon reaching the much sought after 24 hour Fat Burger franchise, we found they were closed so they could “clean the grill” which was estimated to take at least 20 minutes. They didn’t appear to be doing much cleaning and given the snarky spit in your food vibe we were feeling from the help, we decided to make alternative arrangements.

THE DETOUR: When in the throws of a road trip, detouring your route home for the sake of food is an option that is *always* on the table. Given that Ed, Fred and Svavar had yet to experience legit cheese steaks from Philly, we made our way there with one stipulation; they each had to partake from the two prominent cheese steak vendors in Philadelphia; Pat’s and Geno’s. For the unaware, Pat’s and Geno’s are competitors set right across the street from each other in downtown Philadelphia. They are open year round, 24/7. To quantify “prominent”: when most people think Philly cheese steak, they either think Pat’s or Geno’s. To each their own, hence the taste testing.

THE CHEESE STEAK RESULTS: 3 out of 4 us preferred Geno’s. But I still stand by my Pat’s:

ACME EXISTS!: Our last stop before making the journey back home was at a grocery store. An *Acme* grocery store to be more specific. Based on our shear nostalgia of Looney Tunes, we thought it prudent to proceed with caution through the store. We were fearful that a piano or boulder may fall on our heads. That or perhaps a box a cheap knock-off version of Crispix cereal may explode:

SUMMATION and PROPS: We experienced Dirty Vegas. Money was lost, won, lost and lost some more. Authentic cheese steaks were consumed for breakfast. And, we found where Wily Coyote gets his shipments from. All within 12 hours.

A big thanks to Ed for the idea, crazies, soberness, awake-titude (30+ hours; damn impressive!), the car, and for driving. You are a neato-kean swell host. And thanks to Fred, Svavar and Ed for making this my most interesting and enjoyable impromptu road trip to date.

January has come and is almost gone. With it, some pretty cool things have gone on in my corner of the world:

1) I resolved to live life like its going out of style; not like James Dean

2) Bought a new 13″ aluminum MacBook (this fits into #1)

3) Ate stuff (healthier “stuff” at that! - http://whfoods.com/ has been a great aid in this pursuit)

3) Witnessed history in the making

On the National Mall during Inauguration 2009

4) Made inroads to rekindle friendships with old college chums

5) Hung out with a bunch of Fools

Tom & David G talk their talk and dance a jig

6) Pushed the limits of safe power consumption at work

DO WORK SON!

7) Slept a bunch

All in all, a great month and  a good start to 2009. I’m excited to see what February has up its sleeve.

I’ve taken to the habit of naming personal projects with the following syntax- Operation: One-word-description Animal. My bike accident and ongoing settlement case is named Operation: Accident Panda. So, you get the gist, no?

Operation: Debt Giraffe:

My advances towards getting out of bad debt and gaining financial freedom have been ongoing for just over a year and I’ve made *amazing* progress. I’ve gone from having horrid credit (couldn’t get approved for *anything*), being financially upside down in my car, and having over $7,000 in bad debt ($5,000 of which was at 30% APR) to having *stellar* credit, being free of my car, and having just under $5,000 left in debt (which has been moved to an 11.150% consolidation loan).

If a place like Fool.com didn’t exist, I’m not sure such progress would have been possible so quickly. I’m glad to work with such a feast of Fools who are as big on sharing knowledge as they are on obtaining it.

I will be 26 and debt free. How are you doing?

I’d like to kick off my first *ever* blog post with a theory I have on productivity and multi-tasking. This may go in stride with the saying about best intentions.

I am a highly unproductive and very motivated multi-tasker. I have good intentions to do alot and, in return, end up doing very little. But hey, at least I’m trying, right?

Consider this post something checked off of a very long list… which I have yet to write down… that’s on there too.

Bis bald!