Web Wednesday: Google

You just logged onto the Internet. You were curious about something. Maybe it was Sidecar recipes, maybe it was SharePoint prerequisites, or perhaps you wanted to read about the life of Townes Van Zandt. Only problem is, you don’t know where to start.

Enter Google. Google is the most-used search engine in America. Click on the address bar of your browser and enter www.google.com. Enter one of the searches above or pick something of you own. Voila! All of these links appear and you can explore. The internet makes sense again. And you won’t have to figure out how to publish an Access database in Citrix.

(In case you were wondering there is a great deal of sarcasm to this post. It’s amazing how many novice internet users don’t use Google or another search engine. My dad once called me in the middle of a meeting to ask for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s web address. All he had to do is search for it. How many more of you folks are out there? Feel free to reply.)

Microsoft OneNote Mobile Sync Error

My first PDA was a Palm III in 2000. I liked the way I could use it to keep my life (relatively) straight. One of the things I came to rely on was the Notes feature. I used it along with Outlook Notes to sync miscellaneous data back and forth. I kept a list of movies, books, CDs, and other information of varying importance. I stayed with the Palm platform until I started at my current company and got a Windows Mobile phone. One thing I quickly learned was that many Windows Mobile devices did not have the Notes application (including of course, my phone). I then discovered that OneNote Mobile allowed for the same functionality. I used it heavily, and grew to love it. The Palm notes app didn’t allow me to take a photo and add it to a note.

Then my OneNote bliss was shattered. In the middle of a meeting in March, I lost my OneNote Mobile notebook in the OneNote Windows Vista Application. I still had the old notes on the phone, but my ability to add and edit notes and transfer them to my phone was lost. This issue was the proverbial cobbler’s shoes. I worked on it when I had time, which has been little. Plus I never seemed to get any good information.

I have always hated the troubleshooting issues on mobile platforms because the solutions were always guessing. Delete partnerships, reset factory settings, basically starting from scratch. The proposed solutions here were no different. I finally fixed it, so I will share it with you. I’ll tell you the two errors and what I did.

I run Vista so ActiveSync is now Windows Mobile Device Center. I also run Windows Mobile 6 on a BlackJack. The two errors were found in Sync Manager.

The first was a “Sync Failed” message. Even if I took OneNote out of the equation, I was still getting this message.

Once I fixed error #1, error #2 appeared: “Microsoft Office OneNote: Attention Required”

First, I’ll tell you what I did that didn’t fix it:

• Deleted and recreated the partnership between Windows Mobile Device Center (WDMC) in vista and the phone
• Reset the phone to factory defaults
• Uninstall/reinstall OneNote on the mobile phone.
• Recreate the Windows Mobile OneNote notebook.

Now onto the solutions:

Error #1: “Sync Failed” in WMDC

Fix #1: Uninstall the phone in Device Manager and remove/reload the driver. (All apologies to whoever posted this solution – I’d link to you if I could find the post again.)

Error #2: “Microsoft Office OneNote: Attention Required”

    Fix #2: Run a repair of Office 2007 Enterprise. (If you have OneNote installed separately, repair OneNote.) When I ran this, the problem immediately was fixed. Based on this fix, I have to assume that some file in OneNote 2007 got corrupted when the OneNote Windows app hung. In recalling how I got to this broken state, it made sense. I suppose that’s the hazard of constantly fixing stuff. Sometimes your own problems get lost in the shuffle.

Five-star Friday: “With or Without You”

After an extended absence, the five-star song feature of my blog returns today. I moved it to Friday to take advantage of the alliteration.

It was a warm spring day. I was driving home from school with my Grandma Paape. (When I had my temps at 15, my grandma used to drive to school and move over to the passenger’s side before school let out. Then I would walk out of school, walk over to the car on Grantosa, and drive home. How cool was that?)

Back to my story: I was stopped at the traffic signal on Fond du Lac and Maxwell. A twenty-something guy pulled up next to me with his window down and “With or Without You” came on the radio. That was the first time I’d really heard the song in its entirety, and for some reason it resonated. (Those of you who grew up near the old Capitol Court know how long the light is.)

I bought The Joshua Tree in the fall of 1987. What I heard awoke something in me. Returning to school to share how awesome my new discovery was led to ridicule. My friends didn’t like U2 and I did. That was the beginning of the rest of my life.

I was in a theatre waiting for a movie to start, and the people behind me were talking about U2. When one person asked why so many people think U2 is so great, another answered: “Because so many people had a coming-of-age experience with U2 in the 80s and 90s.” My thoughts exactly.

(Formerly) on my Bookshelf: The Continental Op

I just finished Dashiell Hammett’s collection of short stories titled The Continental Op. They were published individually in pulp fiction magazines like Black Mask beginning in 1923. The central figure in the stories is The Continental Op, a middle-aged private investigator who works for The Continental Detective Agency. Unlike Sam Spade, the Op is under a more stringent policy and often enlists the aid of other Continental agents. These stories are matter-of-fact, emotionless, and gritty. I’ll end with this passage from “The Whosis Kid” that describes the Op’s thoughts while hanging out with a pretty woman waiting for inevitable trouble to make its way to her apartment.

“I didn’t kid myself that my beauty and personality were responsible for any of her warmth. I was a thick-armed male with big fists. She was in a jam. She spelled my name P-r-o-t-e-c-t-i-o-n. I was something to be put between her and trouble.”

“Another complication: I am neither young enough nor old enough to get feverish over every woman who doesn’t make me think that being blind isn’t so bad. I’m at that middle point around forty where a man put other feminine qualities-amiability, for one-above beauty on his list. This brown woman annoyed me. She was too sure of herself. Her work was rough. She was trying to handle me as if I was a farmer boy. But in spite of all of this, I’m constructed mostly of human ingredients. This woman got more than a stand-off when faces and bodies were dealt. I didn’t like her. I hoped to throw her in the can before I was through. But I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that she had me stirred up inside-between her cuddling against me, giving me the come-on, and the brandy I had drunk.”

Great stuff, hey?

Web Wednesday: Nuclearity.org

I listen to the FamilyLife Today podcast with great regularity. At the end of a few, there was this blurb about Nuclearity. Quoting from their “About Us” page:

Nuclearity^TM – Helping Families Find the True Center

Nuclearity^TM is a radio program operating out of these assumptions:

• When couples are inspired to love each other and love their children, God is glorified.  We aim to be a source of that inspiration.
  
• The world doesn’t need another radio program offering to solve problems “in three easy steps”; the world always needs more stories.
  
• We appreciate both public radio and Christian radio, but will probably be heard on neither.  Our programming may be too honest about Jesus for the one and too honest about life for the other.
  
• Language, voices and music are important parts of God’s good creation.  With his help, we aim to combine these into a lovely roller coaster of audio.
  
• Truth and beauty long to embrace each other.   We find it natural to approach topics with both reason and imagination.
  

I have all of their podcasts now downloaded, and after listening to a few, they are extremely refreshing. Rubbernecker realistically discusses men’s propensity to look at other women (with a funny anecdote involving Dolly Parton). Other episodes discuss Christian Environmentalism, and how churches can communicate with people with great impact. These are refreshing, and a great listen.

Breaking News: Major Networks, CNN, call Wisconsin for Obama

NBC has just joined CBS, ABC and CNN in calling the the State of Wisconsin for Barack Obama. Adding ten more electoral votes to his tally, the Illinois Democrat is sure to win the race for President, becoming the first African-American to occupy the Oval Office.

In case you are wondering, this is a parody of the MSM’s current droning about Obama’s big lead. It could be Time’s latest Obama-friendly cover, or the JSOnline article about Obama’s 17-point lead in my home state.

Keep in mind we don’t vote for three weeks, which in this day and age is a long time. All that counts in the end are the votes. Come November 4, please don’t stay home, unless you are registered as Yosemite Sam. On second thought; Yosemite Sam is one of those people who clings to his guns. Please show up Sam, we need you in Colorado…

Blatantly Obvious Observation of the Day: MPS Benefits are “uniquely generous”

Just in case you are wondering why the MPS is under a budget crisis, I direct you to the following article. The MPS School Board had to pay a consultant to tell them something that many a Milwaukee taxpayer already knows: MPS fringe benefits like health care are “uniquely generous” among employers.

Really… I pay roughly $4,500 a year in premiums for my health care. This entitles me to pay a $4,000 deductible. You mean little or no premiums with co-pays across the board is generous?

One of my favorite quotes was this:

“Dennis Oulahan, president of the teachers union, said a big part of the problem is the huge increase in health insurance costs, generally, in recent years. “I don’t think it’s fair for teachers to pay for that,” he said.”

Excuse me Dennis, but most other employees (like me and my colleagues) have to pay more out of pocket when premiums and costs rise. Why shouldn’t teachers pay their share as well?

Carbon Offset Indulgences

I wish I could take credit for this term, but I have to give credit to Charlie Sykes for linking today’s carbon-offset mania with the Reformation. Being a Lutheran, I was raised to know about the grounds for the reformation. I have to chuckle at the lengths we are willing to go to ease our guilt for living on this planet. I am in the process of replacing some windows so I save money and use less energy. I recycle more than the average person. I don’t think we should destroy the planet just for the heck of it. I believe we should take reasonable steps to keep the planet clean for future generations.

What is a Carbon Offset Indulgence? It’s hard to define, but I know one when I see it. Take the screenshot below. My dad needs a new PC, so I went to the Dell website to get some pricing. This screen allows one the choice to recycle their system for free. That’s environmentally responsible. I think PC makers have been slow to find ways to take back and reuse the materials from old PCs for new ones. It’s the bottom two choices that are interesting:

• Support reforestation: Plant a tree for me [add $6]
• Recycling Kit and Plant a Tree for Me [add $6]

So I am supposed to feel guilty for buying a PC and pay Dell an extra $6 to plant a tree? I didn’t know so many trees died to make my plastic computer. Before you tell me that the reforestation is supposed to offset the gases created by the electricity my PC will use, I’ll ask you how one $6 seedling will make a difference. My dad has 80 acres up north, and the forest plants seedlings all on its own. Maybe I should have my dad call Dell – they could give him a computer and pay him for planting all of those trees for them. I wonder how Dell feels about virtualization, which allows companies to be greener by using fewer physical servers.

Runner Interference

I was lucky enough to be at NLDS Games 3 and 4 in Milwaukee. I never made it to a postseason game in 1982, and it was nice to make both this time around.

The final score on Saturday was 4-1. It was 4-2 briefly but Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino (who looks similar to Steve Buscemi) was called for runner interference. You can read more and see the video here. Dale Sveum astutely called for the runners to go back to third and second, as the rule calls for.

I saw the replay at home, and immediately recalled Kent Hrbek’s slide into Jim Gantner that cleared the dugouts and resulted in a melee. It turns out there is a connection between the two. Tom Haudricourt reports in his blog that Yount assisted Sveum because he was guilty of runner interference in retaliation of Hrbek slide. MLB.com also reported the connection.

Does anybody out there have video of this game? I’d love to see it.

Sarah Palin, Gwen Ifill, debates, and witchcraft

I know many conservatives lament (some might describe it whining) about the bias of the Mainstream media. I myself have been hesitant to complain about this, as the MSM has been caught in this several times. Besides, who watches the 5:30 National Network News anyway? The Internet has opened the door to research and finding news and commentary from several different perspectives.

I found the news of Gwen Ifill’s book about Obama interesting, since she is the person in charge of asking questions for tonight’s debate. That seems like a conflict of interest to me, and I think people should be aware of the fact so they can judge for themselves. So I posted this on my Facebook Wall:

Allen wants you consider this fact: The moderator of tonight’s VP debate has a book about The Age of Obama scheduled for release on Inauguration Day.

I didn’t say it was a sham, I didn’t say it was a liberal conspiracy. I just stated a fact. I got this response from a high school classmate:

    ”I want to remind everyone that Pallin’s (sic) pastor drove a woman out of a village in Africa as a witch. Maybe instead of a debate we should chuck both of them in a pond and see who floats…”

Being the curious sort, I checked into this. The controversy surrounds Bishop Thomas Muthee of Kenya, who prayed over Governor Palin in 2005. He is not her pastor, rather a guest who was in their church. The Daily Mail (UK) story about Bishop Muthee is here, and here is a follow-up piece from the Boston Herald which states this as “all smoke and no fire”. Keep in mind that the Boston Herald is not some reactionary fringe publication. Ronald F. Maxwell suggests this silly diversion distracts us from issues that really matter (energy policy, the war on terror, the economy).

I attended a Promise Keepers event in 2006, and I had a man pray over me and speak in tongues. I never got his name, but if I ever ran for president, what bearing would that man’s independent actions have on my views and qualifications for president? It’s not like the Bishop made inflammatory comments in Palin’s presence in a span of years (Jeremiah Wright). Nor does Palin have any friends who unrepentantly committed terrorist acts in the past (William Ayers).

And here is another example of the polarizing effect of Governor Sarah Palin. Tell me if this is at all coherent to you. I changed names changed to protect the innocent(?).

Jane Smith is wishing Ron Paul was in the running for president. 7:24pm – September 19

4 Comments

Judy Jones at 7:38pm September 19

Amen, sista! I campaigned for my guy RP until the bitter end. We’ll live in a socialist country soon. : o

 

Jane Smith at 8:44pm September 19

I just got done watching Larry King w/ my husband….Sarah Palin is an embarrassment to ALL FEMALES!! OMG…..I think we will be moving to Finland soon….since they have more experience with socialism!

 

Missy Michaels at 5:39pm September 22

You’ll have to fill me in…I am so out of the loop!

 

Deena Doyle at 9:01pm September 26

ditto.

 

Why has politics become more like Packers-Vikings than a reasonable discussion of ideas? Why do we put so much stake in the person instead of their views? I’d love to know…