Life

I take my box home — but always bring it back.

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

I understand why they say “don’t take the box home”, but it bugs me.

Let’s back up.

We’ve been doing the CSA veggie box from Johnson’s Backyard Garden for some time now. We love it. In fact, we love it so much we bought a 1-year long subscription; not just because it meant a discount for us, but because it helped them get up-front money to develop their new 146-acre property. We like JBG, we like supporting them. We want to see them grow and succeed.

A few months ago I commented on an inefficiency in the process. The box is delivered to a drop-off point. We pick it up there. We see everyone bringing cloth bags to take their veggies home. I find this inefficient. From box, to bag, to home storage. If I take the box home, it’s just from box to home storage.

It’s not just number of containers. It takes time to move everything around. So now I’m moving more, and spending more time doing it.

Then there’s the bag. Proper thing is of course to use a cloth reusable bag. But then those get dirty, news stories about them being bacteria breeding grounds. So you now have to wash the bag. That’s going to require more time. Also water, detergent, and that’s just going to create more environmental impact, now isn’t it?

So from my perspective, it makes far more sense to just take the box home.

But by the same token, for this to work, I have to bring the box back. And that I do. I missed one week, but I just brought back 2 boxes the next week. We always bring our boxes back.

Why? They’re expensive! They are thick, sturdy, wax-coated boxes. It’s obvious they are not cheap, it’s obvious they reuse them. I read they use them 10 times or so, and I think I read they cost $2/box. That is expensive and that cost will add up over lots of boxes.

Last week or two, a sticker showed up on the boxes demanding we do not take the boxes home but instead use a bag and follow the above inefficient process. My guess? Lots of people take the boxes, then throw the boxes away. This of course will affect JBG’s bottom line.

They could raise prices, of course. If it’s $2/box, just jack up the cost of every box by $2. But that has a greater impact as well, because the manufacture of all those boxes will have a large environmental impact. Really, reusing the boxes until they can’t be reused is the best option.

So from JBG’s perspective, the best thing THEY can do is tell everyone to not take the boxes home. I understand where they’re coming from. They will have to accept some level of loss, but I reckon the level they’re experiencing is greater than they desire.

That said, I still will take my box home. I will always return it. If I fail for some reason, I’ll reimburse them. Scout’s honor — I’m saying so right here in public and you can hold me to it. The worst I’ll have to endure is the condescending looks I get from other people when I come to pick up my box… but that’s another topic for another time (or you can just go watch the South Park “Smug” episode).

To JBG I say: I hope it’s evident I support you guys. I have voted with my wallet and continue to do so. Know that I am doing what I can to not adversely affect your bottom line, because I know in the end it only comes back to hurt me. I don’t care if the other people picking up their boxes give me condescending looks, because they don’t understand nor obviously care to. I’m trying to do what’s most efficient and right for me, for you, for the environment, however you want to look at it. If there’s something I’m overlooking — and I’m sure I am somewhere — please let me know.

And this is why I always get AppleCare

/ hsoi / 9 Comments

Family iMac has two problems:

1. SuperDrive (DVD drive), you put in a disc, any disc, and it spins up then down, then up then down, lather rinse repeat for a minute, then kicks the disc out. Tried a bunch of low-hanging troubleshooting fruit. Looks like the hardware failed.

2. There’s a spot on the LCD that looks like a wrinkle. It’s certainly not a software issue. When I took it into the Apple Store just now, the guy said he’s seen this before. There’s a power supply right at that point behind the LCD… heat.

The work order? For parts and labor, $615 ($400 of that is the LCD screen).

Cost to me?

$0

But only because I forked over the money for AppleCare when I bought the thing. I don’t recall how much it cost me at the time, but right now AppleCare for an iMac is $169.

I say I came out alright here.

I always get AppleCare. Well, I didn’t used to. Way way way back in the day, Apple’s quality assurance on their hardware was high. If something was going to fail, it’d fail within the base warranty and after that the machine would last until normal moving parts might wear out (e.g. hard drives are always eventually going to fail). But then over the past decade or so, quality has slipped. Many of the Apple hardware products I’ve purchased and worked with have had at least one issue in some regard, and I’ve always been thankful for AppleCare because not only was it covered but the repair was always far more expensive than the AppleCare was.

I generally avoid extended warranties, but never skim on AppleCare. Read into that as you will.

And now… let’s see how well Oldest deals with computer withdrawal while the machine is off being repaired. 🙂

AT&T Debacle – follow-up

/ hsoi

So my AT&T problems.

There’s more.

A few days ago I got a call on my mobile. I knew the number was AT&T’s, but I was in the middle of something so I let it go to voice mail. I was in no rush to listen to their message because honestly, I am tired of the whole fiasco and wish to move on. I have other things in life that need to suck up my energy.

Finally listened to it last night.

It was “a message from the office of the President (of AT&T)”. They’re going to issue a $35 adjustment on my account.

Plus this morning I see on Twitter that @ATTCustomerCare tweeted me again to check in on things.

So I’ll say this.

There’s obviously some problems in AT&T’s handling of things. Things are not smooth, there’s communication failure, there’s problems in how their repair system works that, if you think it through, shouldn’t be there and could be handled much better in terms of serving the customer. I shouldn’t have had the poor experience and time-wasting that I went through. I shouldn’t have gotten the constant deluge of mixed and conflicting messages from AT&T representatives. But I did.

That said, most every person I’ve dealt with has come across as sincere and willing to help, understanding of my frustration. When I’ve dealt with a person, they’ve wanted to work to solve the problem that they could within their power and authority to do. So there are organizational matters that AT&T will hopefully address, but personnel issues seem to be alright.

Am I going to switch away from AT&T? I’ve had other fish to fry the past few weeks. I’m still not sure about switching because options like VoIP really aren’t any better. However, I’m going to do the math on everything and see what works out. It’ll just have to wait to bubble back up my priority ladder. It’s really a matter of money at this point.

Every Day Carry for kids

/ hsoi / 31 Comments

My kids are all old enough to start carrying some things on their person on a regular basis.

I searched around for topics of “every day carry” (EDC) for kids. There’s not a lot out there. So time to brainstorm.

Updated: I’ve received a lot of traffic due to Unc posting this (thanx!). Due to the feedback received, I wanted to update this post from the feedback. Updates will be marked accordingly.

Some criteria.

It can’t be much. Kids forget things. Kids lose things. Plus, kids are small(er). Thus, they cannot haul around as much weight, nor do they have enough pocket real estate. It needs to fit into pockets, because the boys don’t like wearing belts and the girl’s fashion sense either leads to no belts or non-functional-but-decorative belts. Yes yes, change clothing to suit the lifestyle, but let’s first get them more into the lifestyle.

Small. Light. Essential. Quality stuff, but not too expensive to replace because again, kids will forget/lose things. We must accept they are working to build good habits, and in doing so will fail at times. I don’t want the failure to be too costly to recover from.

And note, this is purely stuff to carry on-person. If we started talking about backpacks (e.g. for school), you can start to carry a lot more such as a small first aid kit, a little food, a water purifier, maybe a space blanket. I’m not going there, tho perhaps Daughter could with her purse. Nor is this about full on “bug-out” types of gear. I’m trying to keep this limited to on-person carry: pockets, and perhaps belt. Every day stuff, every day needs. Focused scope.

So with that in mind, here’s what I can think of:

  • Keychain/ring.
    • I’d say to keep this simple, just a split-ring with keys on it. Less space wasted that way, especially if functional stuff gets hung off it. Of course, things like the housekey go on it.
  • Small flashlight.
  • Small knife or multitool.
    • I’d say a multitool, Leatherman. Micra as a baseline. But I’d entertain a Squirt PS4 or one of the Style (Style, Style CS, Style PS) models if that better suited a particular child.
      • Updated: I settled on the Micra. After reviewing all styles with the Kiddos, we all agreed that the Micra would fit their “every day” needs best. YMMV.
    • I don’t really want a pure knife, because it’s not as versatile as having a multitool. And while some of the kiddos have traditional swiss-army-style pocket knives, I don’t like those since the blades typically don’t lock.
    • Note: my kids are homeschooled and so the (home)school policy is you will be proficient with tools, including knives, and yes the School Board and Principal expect you to have on on your person at all times. 🙂 If your child attends school where knives aren’t permitted, well… I found this thing, the “Quirky Switch” that allows you to make a “custom multitool”, however, reviews aren’t that great (no personal experience). I see Leatherman made a “no knife” Fuse (made. Retired on their website, but apparently you can buy it online tho I reckon on a dwindling basis). But I bet no matter what, “zero tolerance” policies will probably get any sort of useful tool taken away by school admins. YMMV.
  • Little bit of cash, like a $20.
    • This is not money to spend, it’s money in case of emergency.
  • Cloth handkerchief.
    • Youngest is prone to nosebleeds during the dry winter, so this grew out of a need for him to have a means to contend with it. But I could see all manner of usefulness for all the children to carry one.
  • Mobile phone.
    • My kids don’t have mobile phones because of lack of need. But certainly this is a useful tool to have. I could consider getting them something like a small GoPhone or other pre-paid phone to get them used to carrying a phone AND to self-impose a limit on what they can do with it. Emergencies-only.
    • Updated: There’s always the argument to have an old, unused, no-plan, but charged phone, since 911 is required to work from any mobile phone. There’s truth in that and it’s better than nothing (tho many old phones are kinda bulky). But consider that all calls a child may need to make may not be to solely 911.
  • Updated: lighter or other fire starter.
    • This was suggested by numerous people, and of course, the ability to carry a fire-starter varies from person to person. If your kids go to public schools, I’m sure there will be zero tolerance for such items. If my kids do this, I’m not sure what would be best tho: lighter, matches, magnesium fire starter? Have to think about this one in terms of what’s right for OUR needs.
  • Updated: timepiece.
    • Wrist watch. Keychain watch/clock. It could even be the mobile phone. Whatever works for you, but some way to tell time.
  • Updated: Paracord bracelet.
    • And knowledge of knots and lashings.
    • This is certainly a useful idea. The difficulty may be in getting the kids to wear it. Either boys may not want a bracelet, or the girl will want something more fashionable. 🙂
  • Updated: compass
    • Knowledge of how you find your way, if you get lost, is certainly useful. Use a compass. Read a map.
    • A counter to this may be modern smartphones, with their GPS functionality.
  • Updated identification
    • Some means for the child to identify themselves and things about themselves, such as perhaps medical conditions.
    • Could also be a means for someone to contact YOU about the child. When my kids were younger, we’d go to SeaWorld and I’d slip my business card into their sock/shoe so if we did get separated they would know to give that card to an adult so I could be contacted.
  • Updated: a weapon?
    • Stun gun? Pepper Spray? Other things? This is an area I’m not going to touch, not in this context. There are too many legal issues, public school issues, and kid-specific issues here that I’m just not going to go there. I’m not saying kids should be defenseless and at the mercy of criminals and predators, but this is one area you’ll have to investigate on your own.

That’s what I came up with.

Of course I know, this is gear discussion. They need to know how to use the gear. How to handle emergency situations. All those good things. Fret not, that’s all here. I am purely interested right now in a “gear for kids” discussion.

What would you add? Remove? Change?

Updated: As you can see, a lot of useful stuff was added.

Realize, this is not a definitive list nor Bible on what to do. You have to do what is right for you and your situation. As well, all of these things? That’s a lot. Can your 8 year old really haul around all those things? Can they remember them all? Not lose them all? Maybe, maybe not; every child is different. You have to pick and choose what’s right for YOU and YOUR child and YOUR situation. This list is mainly here to have some information and discussion on the matter.

What’s your excuse?

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

Ali McWeeney. Lost the lower part of her left leg (above knee) in a boating accident… at 20 years old.

She refused to give up powerlifting and strongman competition.

(h/t RossTraining)

What’s your excuse?

Clearing the backlog

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

I’ve had a bunch of links backing up in my queue, things I wanted to post about. Just going to clear them all in one fell swoop. It’s a smorgasbord.

“What’s Behind The Shocking Collapse in Violent Crime” (h/t LowTechCombat)

A look at the most recent FBI crime statistics, and how violent crime is actually dropping in the US — despite what the media portrays. One possible reason they overlook is the growth of firearm ownership and concealed carry by law-abiding citizens.

TxDPS – Winter Storm Preparedness (h/t TxDPS)

A few simple checklists of things to help you prepare for winter storms. Be it supplies worth having in your car, to dealing with the aftermath of a storm, to helping the elderly.

“13 things a man should keep in his car” (h/t ArtOfManliness)

Going with the above winter storm lists, here’s 13 more things that are just good to have in your car all year round. I’ll take odds with #3 – MagLite was a great old standby but flashlight technology has evolved. Look at SureFire or Streamlight (or even Fenix); for a car flashlight I would want it to run on CR123A’s, because those batteries can sit around for years and still maintain power. I’d also look for a model that can either be somehow attached to say a hat brim so you can work hands free (need both hands to change a tire) and/or that can be rested on the ground and used like a lantern/candle to again shine light hands-free.

Read the comments for more suggestions. Certainly a lot of what you keep in your car will depends upon your needs, your particular car, where you are in the world, and how and where you’ll be traveling.

“Top 10 Secret Features in Mac OS X Lion” (h/t maczter)

I still haven’t upgraded all my machines to Lion, at this point mostly from inertia. But I have upgraded one primary dev machine and am growing to like it. Still, it has some quirks and issues, and this is a nice list of things to help make it a bit more manageable.

“Laws over BB gun use could affect your child’s Christmas”  (h/t NRANews)

While BB guns technically aren’t guns, they certainly can do some damage. You should still treat them like firearms, using them responsibly, adhering to all proper gun safety rules, and using them as a great way to introduce kids to firearms in a safe and responsible manner. The respect and responsibility starts here.

 

AT&T debacle – coda?

/ hsoi / 7 Comments

So my AT&T troubles….

When last we left off, someone was to come out on Christmas Even between 2 and 6 to fix things. A tech came out to the house earlier in the day. Alas, since the problem wasn’t directly reproducing he couldn’t be sure it was fixed. Given the work I do as a computer programmer, I totally understand a need to be able to reproduce the problem in order to fix it. He did what he could, looking at the line, seeing a problem out on the line about 500 feet from the house. He went out, found some switch, replaced it, came back to check and the analysis looked better and closer to normal. Still, we weren’t sure if that was the actual fix.

Turns out it wasn’t.

Christmas morning and the phone line was back to being dead.

The tech had given me his card with his direct number on it. I called it, left a message (it was his day off; besides, no need to bother with this on Christmas). This morning he called me back and said as soon as he’s in the area he’ll stop by and look into things. As soon as I arrived back home from the music store with Daughter’s new cymbals, the AT&T truck had just pulled up a few minutes prior. He tested the outside line, the inside line, and looked at everything. Looks like there was a short on one of the lines running into the house. He was able to switch things over to another set of wires, and viola. Things are working.

And so, hopefully this ends the saga.

Now don’t get me wrong. Many people along the way here were nice people, good people, trying to do what they could. Certainly this tech was a good guy, continued to work at the problem until it was fixed. I don’t have a problem with the individual people along the way. The problem has been AT&T themselves — the giant “bureaucrazy”. It would tell me one thing, then require of me another. It would only have so much information, and generally it was never the right nor enough information. One group didn’t know what the other group was doing. Lots of contradictory information, even between what the employees knew and said about procedure and policy. It was just a giant mess, lots of communication FAIL. That was the problem, and it’s a huge problem.

Alas, I don’t foresee AT&T fixing the problem. They’re too big and what motivation do they have to actually fix it? I’d love to be proven wrong.

Well, we’ll see what happens. I have requested to be credited for the almost 2 weeks of downtime. Yes in the end it seems to have been a wiring issue within my house, but why should it have taken 2 weeks to get here? Why should I have gotten the runaround and hassle from AT&T like I did?

Well, whatever. Hopefully this goes quietly into the night.

on being reliable

/ hsoi

Wife and I were talking and it hit me that the concept of reliability has been a central issue in my life the past some weeks.

There’s our problems with our home phone service. AT&T’s phone service wasn’t reliable, and while certain people I spoke with were kind, helpful, and understanding, their general repair process was proving to also be unreliable.

So everyone suggests to me to switch to VoIP, but the main reason I’ve stayed away from that is because Time-Warner Cable’s RoadRunner Internet service tends to be unreliable. In fact, as I was going through the AT&T debacle and even blogging about TWC’s unreliability, my net connection went down numerous times.

My car is old and starting to have big problems not worth fixing. It’s reliability is failing and I don’t always trust it to get me around. When I took the kids on that deer hunting trip? I rented a truck, not just because of the hauling utility, but because I figure a new truck will be more reliable than my old car and minimize risk of being stuck on the side of the road and the hunting trip ruined due to such problems.

Furthermore, as I shop for a replacement vehicle, I’m looking for something reliable. Heck, the reason I bought the car I have now was because I wanted a reliable car.

Buying that M&P to have as a new carry gun? I won’t carry it until it proves itself a reliable gun. I’m betting my life on it, so it better be something I can count on.

Then there are friends. There have been some issues with people flaking out, and while that’s alright every so often, a pattern of unreliability becomes a problem. Wife even mentioned to me that’s one thing she really appreciates about me: how reliable I am.

I just find it interesting how the concept of reliability has been at the forefront of so many things in my life right now.

People talk about important traits one should have: to be honest, to be hard working, punctual, honorable, humble. As I think about it, people don’t often talk about how important it is to be reliable, yet it’s something we all do want be it from our family, friends, co-workers, cars, businesses, politicians or really just about anything in our lives. It’s understandable because, due to its nature, you come to take it for granted when it always is there, it’s always working, it’s always doing what you need and expect. It only becomes noticeable when it breaks or isn’t there and is no longer reliable. Perhaps we need to consider reliability more explicitly and foster it as a trait, and not take it so much for granted.

APD’s 12 Rules of Christmas

/ hsoi

The Austin Police Department Burglary Unit posted “12 Rules of Christmas” to their Facebook page.

Unfortunately, they posted them as images/graphics, and not in the most public of ways. It’s good information to heed, not just around Christmastime but all year. So, going to transcribe and reprint it here because it’s good stuff.

  1. Lock your doors and windows!! A significant number of burglaries are committed by the thief simply opening a window or door that was left unlocked.
  2. If travelling over the holidays, ask a trusted neighbor or friend to park their car in your driveway while you are gone to give the appearance that someone is home.
  3. Do not hesitate to call 911 if you see someone you don’t recognize in your neighborhood who you don’t recognize or is acting suspiciously. YOU, better than anyone know who and what belongs in YOUR neighborhood. If it doesn’t seem right to you, it probably isn’t!! Police would much rather respond to investigate a suspicious person that is there for legitimate reasons, than to not have you call and officers have to later respond because your home has been burglarized.
  4. If someone comes knocking at your door… answer it!! If you don’t feel comfortable opening the door, ask who it is while leaving the door closed. (Thieves will often knock first to see if anyone is home).
  5. Keep valuables in your home out of view of those walking/driving by so they don’t invite an unwelcome “visitor”!!
  6. Close curtains and/or blinds when not home so that would be thieves can not tell if anyone is home or view what’s inside.
  7. Avoid advertising that no one is home. Leave lights on our put them on timers.
  8. When travelling, have a family member or trusted friend collect your mail and newspapers so they don’t pile up in your driveway/mailbox.
  9. If travelling during the holidays, don’t advertise! Don’t post on Facebook when you’re out of town as there are potentially those that are not your friends that could view your post (“Friends of Friends”, etc.) that can track when you are out of town and take the opportunity to break in.
  10. With the purchase of high dollar electronics and other valuables, make sure to not put the boxes out by the trash where a would-be thief can see what are now in your home (X BOX, Stereos, Flat Panel TV’s). Instead, cut the boxes up so they fit in your trash or bag them up after cutting them up.
  11. If you have an alarm, use it!!! (Even when leaving for short periods).
  12. When loading or unloading large quantities of gifts, use discretion so as to avoid would be thieves being able to take notice of all the property/gifts. This also goes when/if you are packing to leave/travel.

(A Freebie!!!!)

Write down your serial numbers!!!!!! In over 90% of thefts/burglaries, the owner doesn’t know or have access to the serial numbers on their valuables. Take the time to write these down NOW. With valuables that don’t have a serial number (i.e. jewelry), take a photo. Once you’ve written them down, copy the list/photos and keep them in various locations (one at work, one at home, etc.). (HINT: It doesn’t do a lot of good to keep the only list on your computer if the computer is stolen!!!)

Should you have your property stolen, the chances of it being recovered increased dramatically if you can provide serial numbers and/or photos. Without them, it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) for the police to determine who the property belongs to when it is located.

The APD Burglary Unit and the entire Austin Police Department wish you and yours a very safe and joyous holiday season!!

Some additional comments.

1. A couple recent local burglaries happened precisely because people didn’t lock their doors/windows.

4. Very good point. And note, you do NOT have to open the door. Just talk through the door. If you have a nice, big, scary dog, they perhaps can join you in the conversation. 🙂  The person on the other side of the door may try to get you to open the door; use your best judgment and if it doesn’t feel right, trust your gut… even if on the surface it seems wrong (e.g. someone with a sob story). As well, find another angle. If they say they need to be let in to use your phone because their car broke down, tell them you’ll be happy to call 911 or AAA for them (without opening the door). Don’t let them play (prey?) on your emotions and kind heart.

7. In-house lamp timers are good, but consider the exterior as well. You do turn on your exterior lights at night and keep them on all night, right? Remember, cockroaches don’t like light. You can buy replacement switches for exterior lights that are timers and smart enough to know the time, sunrise/sunset, and everything so that your exterior lights go on and off at all the right times. Not only useful to ensure your lights go on and off while you’re away, the fact they’re fully automated all year round frees you from having to deal with them. Automation is good. 🙂

8. You can also contact the delivery services to have them stop delivery. As well, you should have a trusted friend or neighbor regularly check your porch in cas the UPS or FedEx man dropped something off.

11. Yes. Use your alarm. I know so many people with alarm systems on their house and they never use them or are selective in their use. Do you know when someone is going to break into your home? I can’t predict such things, so it’s best to be in the habit of always using your alarm.

Stay safe.