Mindful Musings

One of those perfect quotes I always want to hang onto . .

“You and you alone are in charge of what happens in this story, all of us are challenged to use our talent and our intelligence to make the most of our experience.”

I caught on the ASUS Eee PC bug a few months ago and bought one for myself but it was annoying to have to carry the power adapter to work everyday because it reduced the portability of the device. However, I looked everywhere for a decent power adapter that would work on the Eee PC. It uses a very weird 9.5V 2.5A draw which is uncommon and not found in most universal adapters. Car adapters work and they are cheap but the amperage is hard to get in 12 v cigarette adapters for the home. Then one of the co-workers found AllElectronics.com and we found an adapter that works. It was $17 shipped and it works just fine on my EeePC. The model number is  PS-930 and you can buy it here. It is a 9V adapter wth a 3A draw and it performs wonderfully. Hope this helps someone.

Since the original site is gone and I would like to save the instructions for the future, here they are from the Wayback Machine.

The very cool Mike Matas posted instructions on how to make a ‘Life Poster’ but sadly some of us are still using PCs and can’t use his iPhoto wizardry. Well for those like me here are the instructions for creating a life poster using Photoshop…

Step one
Create a new folder on your drive and copy 98 images that you want to include in your life poster to that folder. Make sure that you are copying the images and not moving the images.

Step two
You are going to want all your photos in a 4:3 ratio so cropping will be necessary for any landscape photos before you put your poster together. This is simple to do in photoshop, simple open the file, select the cropping tool icon, enter the ration in the boxes provided under the tool bar then simple select the area of the photo that you want – the election box with hold the correct ratio for you.

Step three
Use the “Contact Sheet II” tool (File> Automation> Contact Sheet II) to apply the following properties:
Use: Folder
Browse: The folder you’ve created
Units: inches
Width: 19.5
Height: 30
Resolution: 200 pixels/inch
Mode: RGB
Flatten All Layers: Check
Place: eitherway, whatever feels lucky to you
Columns: 7
Rows: 14
Use Auto-Spacing: Check
Click OK.

Step four
Sit back and watch photoshop do it’s magic. This is an automated process so the action is going to be taking place on the screen and not in the background – each image will open, resize, copy into the poster document and be places. No doubt this will take up a lot of your computer’s mojo so best to just let it sit.

Step five
Now it is time to add the side margins… Image> Canvass Size
Change Width from 19.5 to 20 and hit ok – this will add a quarter of an inch margin to each side of the image.

Step six
All set to save (TIFF is always good) and either upload to the photo processing site or take it into Kinkos or such to be printed.

As some of you were aware, Jennifer was pregnant with our first child. Due to a sudden complication with her pregnancy brought on by a hidden weakness called an “incompetent cervix“, Jennifer had to deliver our baby at 21 weeks of gestation at an unexpected rest stop in Indianapolis.

Our baby passed away very quickly after the delivery in spite of all the medical attention that was available to her. She lived for 15 minutes and spent her last few breaths in Jennifers’ arms. She was absolutely beautiful and made me smile and cry at the same time. We baptized her Angel. She is the Angel of our eyes and our hearts.

I know she is happy in heaven. We will miss you our dear child. May the Lord bless you and may your soul rest in peace.

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Sprint Mobile Email was launched sometime back in November 2006 with a lot of pomp and show but is barely advertised on their website today. It seems to have lost some favor to the VersaMail application that comes bundled with the Treo 755p. However, I find Sprint Mobile Email is better for my purposes. Here is a smallish review of sorts and the strengths and weaknesses that I have found. I would also like to document tips and tricks and hacks for Sprint Mobile Email for posterity. So if you have any good tips for Sprint Mobile Email, please leave a comment here.

You can download Sprint Mobile Email (referred to henceforth as SME) from Sprint’s website under the “Digital Lounge” menu item on http://my.sprint.com after you have logged onto your Sprint account. This is only available if your phone is capable of running Sprint Mobile Email. It is a quick and dirty download and setting up of email accounts is swift. The default setup enables push for the accounts but not scheduled checking of emails. This was supposed to be, I assume, the BlackBerry killer application but the push setup is hit or miss. Frankly, I have yet to get it to work. So though it is a good idea, execution leaves more to be desired. I have GMail setup along with a work account and they both work under SME as expected.

PS: You need unlimited data and/or unlimited text messaging for SME to work. I would be afraid of the data charges if you did not.

Pros:

• Setting up of emails is a breeze.


• The application is stable. Large icons for finger clicking helps a lot.


• Lots of key mappings, including side button mapping for email.


• On demand checking of email is very simple from keyboard.


• Navigation within the app is intuitive and fast. Lots of features to purge attachments and such to reduce space usage.


• Separate emails for separate accounts. I hate mixing of emails.

Cons:

• Push does not work for me. Some people have said that it takes a while to sync. Mine did not sync, ever.


• No timed deletion of messages. I wish I could make the emails delete automatically after x days. I missed this in VersaMail as well.

Tips and tricks:

• Hold down the mail button on your Treo to receive mail or sync with the mail account being viewed.


• Once you are viewing email for an account, click on the option button to get detailed preferences etc for the account including push setup and scheduled email checking. It took me a while to find this.


• Go back to the mail listing by clicking on the mail button anywhere in the app.


• The mail button, clicked once while in mail listing, allows you to switch between mail accounts.

I have gotten so used to SME that I actually use my phone to check email every morning without having to get on my computer. That is perfect for me. I am sure I am missing some quick tips and some cool feature or irritation but I will be sure to post them here. Do you like SME? Have you used it yet?

Google does not officially support the GMail app on the Treo 755p and once you visit http://gmail.com/app with your phone on Blazer, you will receive and error message saying “not compatible with Palm OS 5 devices”. That is all true but there is a quick way to get around the problem.

There are two simple steps.

1. Download JVM for Palm OS 5 from the following link (download to your desktop computer, install through HotSync) and install it on your Treo http://www.palm.com/us/support/jvm/


2. Once that is done, visit the following URI with Blazer on your Treo, download the jar file to your phone and it will ask to install it. You should to be all set. http://gmail.com/app/v1.0.0/en/gmail-g.jar

Caveats: BUGS! The touch screen does not work very well at all on the Treo 755p with the GMail app. I am hoping that will be solved soon but the application is very navigable with the keypad on the Treo and all functions are much easier than the web version.

Enjoy!

Thanks to a Google Groups post and the helpful people on there. If you know of any other methods of tweaks, please leave a comment.

New version 1.5 now available.

To give you a quick glance of what the review is going to be about, I know why they call it the CrackBerry now. After years of waiting for the “right moment”, I finally purchased my very own Treo 755p Smartphone this past week. Ever since that time, it has been a path to discovery.

Pros:

• The phone is small enough that I can easily put it in my pant pocket, cover and all and it still feels not quite heavy.


• The Palm software is easier to navigate and use and judging from my past experience with Windows Mobile, it has a lot less control and strangely, a lot less hassle.


• EVDO is fast and web browsing is a breeze. I even setup my Slingbox with the new client Palm client and it works, albeit choppily.


• It is easy to make a call, quality is loud and clear and the speakerphone is nice though I tend to not use it very often.


• Office document editing is painless and the documents are very easy to read in the format presented. I have yet to take documents back to my PC but opening them from GMail is a breeze.


• Texting is no longer a frustrating and painful experience. I can reply quickly within reason. The keyboard took me a couple of days of getting used to, but now it is more than functional.


• The screen is brightin sunlight and easy to read.


• Very interesting escalating ringtones.


• Email “push” or syncing works well, though not for me. I like GMail to be my respository and not my phone. I wish I could set my phone to delete emails that I have read after a certain period. If I could do that, I would probably use the email feature.


• Solid feel, fit and finish of the phone. Everything feels like it will hold together (knock on wood).

Cons:

• The GMail app does not work (yet). I might have a wordaround for this soon and I will post my methods.


• Battery life is enough to last one day, but not enough to last two.


• All cables are proprietary, so new chargers and new USB cables for both home and work.


• Adding a contact from the phone screen without dialing a call is a hassle.


• Speed dial setup was a learning curve.


• PCS Vision takes a bit of getting used to on this phone. I think of Vision as a modem service now and know that I have to wait for it to connect.


• JVM should come pre-installed.


• Phone security sould be much more configurable. An $8 program provides more security than the phone does. For an enterprise level phone, each application should be lockable.


• It should come with SOME sort of a case or holder.

Ever since I received my phone in the mail and activated it, I have been using it extensively. I have had it for a few days and I am really happy with it. I even surprised myself and started using the datebook feature. I had failed in the past with a PDA. I think the convenience of having it with me all the time helps a great deal. Overall, it was worth the price. I had seriously thought of getting the Sprint HTC Mogul and that would have also been a good choice (my co-worker Bradon bought one of those) but I am very happy with my Treo 755p. I need to resurrect some of the old code that I had written to work with Sprint. I might even resurrect my old picture blog and modify it to work with videos from Sprint.

PS: Absolutely AMAZING cases here.

We recently purchased an 07 Honda Odyssey and the transaction was smooth and mostly to my satisfaction. However, I saw this post on Slickdeals.net with information on how to negotiate a better deal on a car and I had to steal it for my own information and save the numbers and the ideas. Original was here.

How to negotiate a great DEAL on a new car purchase

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 What I am telling you is based on 7 years in the business and personal purchases.————————————————Formula—————————————————————-
MSRP = Sticker(includes Dest. Charge)
Invoice = Can be found on Edmunds.com(include options) or kbb.com
Rebates = Vary by local dealership
Holdback (dealer’s profit) = see below portion to calculate holdback
Estimate True invoice = Invoice – Rebates – Holdback
tax = ?% x True Invoice
Tags = whatever your states charges (typically $100 – $400)
Low ball offer = True Invoice + tax + tags – $2,000
Target Price = [ (MSRP – Rebate – Low ball offer) ] / 2 + low ball offer (this is basically the formula I use)
TRY TO GET YOUR PRICE AS CLOSE TO THE TARGET PRICE AS POSSIBLE!————————————————————————————————————————————-
The car business is hurting right now. Dealers are happy with their “holdback”. Its the salesman that are starving. STOP NEGOTIATING WITH THE SALESMAN! Its a fact that the average car salesman only sales 8-10 cars per month. Its also a fact that a “flat”, the money a salesman is going to make on a new car sales with no profit(invoice) is $50-$100. So do the math thats only $800-$1000 in commission per month. Thats why dealer are always hiring salesman. Its also why salesman are constantly getting fired.
GET THE SALESMAN ON YOUR SIDE! Tell him up front he’s not gonna make any money on you, this will be an invoice deal. Tell him you’ll slip him a $100 after the deal if you get your price. So when he goes up to the “salesdesk”, he’s fighting for you. When the salesman comes back to you with numbers on the paper, they call it an “A” sheet. Cross it out with a big “X”, flip it over right your number on the back, next to it write “T/T out the door”, then underline it. The first number you write should be at least $2000k below invoice. His manager will either send someone over or come his self. This is a good sign it shows that you werent talking to a “closer”. He might even write a note, asking where r you getting your numbers. If this happends, write “I was thinking the same thing about you numbers”.
Typically his second number will be $2000 above invoice. If it is, you write,” Split the difference, with T/T, out the door” They usually will jump at it.

Tips:

DONT BE SCARED TO WALK AWAY.
CONFIDENCE IS KEY.
DONT DRIVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE DEALER YOU ARE BUYING FROM.
DONT DISCUSS CREDIT, FINANCE, INTEREST RATE, ETC BEFORE YOU GET INVOICE PRICING.
(THESE ARE BUYING SIGNALS, THEY WILL SMELL IT LIKE BLOOD TO A SHARK)

DONT LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS. EVERYBODY CLAIMS THE GOT A GOOD PRICE. MOST DONT KNOW WHAT INVOICE IS.
DONT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS DURING NEGOTIATING FOR INVOICE.
(YOU MAY GIVE AWAY A BUYING SIGNAL WITHOUT KNOWING)

SHOPPING DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH CAN WORK TO YOUR ADAVNTAGE.
(DEALERS HAVE A PROJECTED SALES IN UNITS THEY NEED TO MEET, SO DO BANKS. THEY TYPICALLY WILL WORK BETTER DEALS AT THIS TIME TO MAKE THEIR MONTH)

IF YOU SUBMIT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO A DEALERS WEBSITE LET THEM KNOW “NOT TO CALL YOU, NOT TO NEGOTIATE, YOU WILL ONLY ACCEPT INVOICE W/TAX&TAGS, IF THEY DO CALL YOU, YOU WILL NOT DEAL WITH THEIR DEALERSHIP, IF THE EMAIL YOU ANYTHING OTHER THAN INVOICE, YOU WILL NOT DEAL WITH THEIR DEALERSHIP” THIS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO NEGOTIATE, AS OPPOSE TO IN PERSON.

THEY KNOW IF YOU NEGOTIATING THIS WAY YOU ARE A SERIOUS BUYER.

THEY WANT YOU IN THE DEALERSHIP SO THEY PLAY THE “GAME” WITH YOU. ITS SET UP TO WORK AGAINST YOU. LIKE A CASINO THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS.

MOST DEALERS HAVE THE “NEGOTIATING” TABLES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DEALERSHIP OR OPEN OFFICES.
(THIS CREATES A “BUYING FRENZY”)

IT HELPS TO HAVE YOUR FINANCING ALREADY DONE BEFORE YOU SHOP FOR THE CAR.—————————————————————————————————————————————————Calculate Holdback

If a holdback is calculated from the:

Total MSRP: consumers must include the MSRP price of all options before figuring the holdback.
Base MSRP: consumers must figure the holdback before adding desired options.
Total Invoice: consumers must include the invoice price of all options before figuring the holdback.
Base Invoice: consumers must figure the holdback before adding desired options.

Acura 3% of the Base MSRP
Audi No holdback
BMW No holdback
Buick 3% of the Total MSRP
Cadillac 3% of the Total MSRP
Chevrolet 3% of the Total MSRP
Chrysler 3% of the Total MSRP
Dodge 3% of the Total MSRP
Ford 3% of the Total MSRP
GMC 3% of the Total MSRP
Honda 3% of the Base MSRP
HUMMER 3% of the Total MSRP
Hyundai 2% of the Total Invoice
Infiniti 1% of the Base MSRP
Isuzu 3% of the Total MSRP
Jaguar No Holdback
Jeep 3% of the Total MSRP
Kia 3% of the Base Invoice
Land Rover No Holdback
Lexus 2% of the Base MSRP
Lincoln 2% of the Total MSRP
Mazda 2% of the Base MSRP
Mercedes-Benz 3% of the Total MSRP
Mercury 3% of the Total MSRP
MINI No Holdback
Mitsubishi 2% of the Base MSRP
Nissan 2% of the Total Invoice
Pontiac 3% of the Total MSRP
Porsche No Holdback
Saab 2.2% of the Base MSRP
Saturn 3% of the Total MSRP
Scion No Holdback
Subaru 3% of the Total MSRP (Amount may differ in Northeastern U.S.)
Suzuki 3% of the Base MSRP
Toyota 2% of the Base MSRP (Amount may differ in Southern U.S.)
Volkswagen 2% of the Base MSRP
Volvo 1% of the Base MSRP———————————————————————————————————————————————————-
EXAMPLE:
2007 Toyota Camry LE auto w/ minimum option needed (from edmunds.com)
MSRP: $20975
Invoice: $18771
Rebate: $0
Holdback: $420 (2% of MSRP)
Tru Inv: $18352
Tax in CA :$1514
Tag: 200 (est.)
Low ball: $18066
Target: [ ( 20975 – 0 – 18066 ) / 2 ] + 18066 = $19520 (out the door price, all fees included)

 

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Never pay full price on a new car again!

Also see:

• http://www.carbuyingtips.com


• http://www.fatwallet.com/t/24/444610

Make decisions based on your best knowledge, not your worst fear.

– Me