Book #3

Yes, it took me 17 days to reach 3 books, but at least I am still moving forward.

The Great Hunt
Robert Jordan

Rand al'Thor is back, with his friends from Emond's Field.  So are the Aes Sedai (lady wizards) with their Wardens (companion warriors), the Children of the Light (zealots), Darkfriends (bad guys), and Trollocs.  One old lesser nemesis emerges as a major nemesis, and one new player arrives.

Rand, Mat and Perrin are on a hunt for the Horn of Valere, which is supposed to call dead heroes to fight in the final battle.  It was stolen in the first book, and so they set out to find it with a company of soldiers, and Hurin, who is a sniffer.  Hurin can smell violence and evil...well, sort of.  I do not think it has anything to do with his nasal passages.

Egwene, and Nynaeve are off to the White Tower in Tar Valon to learn to control their talent for magic.  We spend a good bit of time with them, and learn that Elayne, the princess we met in the first book is also their, and the girl Min, who we met along the way in book 1 and then left behind.

The new old enemy is Padan Fain, who we first meet as a merchant at the start of the first book.  He has turned into rather more than he was, and it looks like we are going to see more of him in future books.

I think I will leave the rest for anyone who wants to read it.  The Great Hunt is pretty good.  There was some of it that I did not like, but it has to do with the kind of thing that I do not want to read about, cruelty without purpose from people who are not necessarily evil, just stupid and arrogant.

Book #2

Travels Through the South of France and in the Interior of the Provinces of Provence and Languedoc
Lt.-Col. Pinkney
1809

Yes, you are reading that date correctly, 1809.  I came across this as a free book for Amazon Kindle while searching for travel books.  I started another written a few years later, but it was more of a political polemic than a travel book, so I quit that one and start on Pinkney's account of his travels in France.  Pinkney did a rather extensive tour, starting at Calais, traveling through Paris, then down the Loire valley and then moving over to the Rhone, to travel down to Avignon and finally to Marsailles where he ended his voyage and sailed back to the United States. 

A couple of things to note, this is during the reign of Napoleon, and foreigners were not always welcome in France, something that Pinkney mentions, but fortunately, he was American, and not English.  Also, this is only 32 years after the Declaration of Independence and only 20 years after the ratification of the Constitution.

It is a rather quaint travelogue, because almost nothing that we would recognized existed in that time.  The towns are drastically different than one would find them today, but the chateux along the Loire are still there, and Avignon is still Avignon, at least the old part of the city.  He travels part of the way alone, and then travels with a couple and a young lady of their acquaintance who Pinkney describes in rather glowing terms.

He comments on the people, the scenery, which is also describes in glowing terms, and  he gives us information on land prices, as well as prices of lodging, and food. Obviously, there are no trains or cars, so he travels by horse, and also by carriage after he meets up with those to accompany him on the later part of his trip.

I am not sure that anyone will find it interesting, but I found it fascinating, though I have one quibble.  The title mentions the region of Languedoc, where I spent nearly a year.  Lt.-Col. Pinkney never enters Languedoc.  He transits the Loire valley, which is well north of Languedoc, and then moves over to the Rhone valley, which is well east of Languedoc, so do not read this for information on Languedoc, but do read it for an intimate look at rural France in the time of Napoleon.

Book #1

The Eye of the World

By Robert Jordan

So, here is the first book of the New Year, and as I mentioned, I had a little head start on this one, but I can start where I am, and this is the first book finished during 2013.

Many of you will know this book, but it concerned Rand al’Thor and a few of his friends, as they discover that they are part of a huge cycle that repeats periodically.  The series is called The Wheel of Time, and that is the cycle that repeats.  Everything hinges on the return of the Dragon, and at the end of that, which of them is actually the Dragon Reborn is revealed.

In most ways it is pretty standard stuff.  A nearly emotionless warrior, a wizardess, young people caught up in something much larger than themselves, something that they do not understand and up against supernatural bad guys they cannot defeat.  Lots of running from the bad guys keeps the story moving along.  They take a short cut through a very scary place, and eventually save the day.

Yes, I am trying to avoid any spoilers.  It is well written, but if you are a fan of fantasy fiction, then it feels a big formulaic.  Also, this is the first book in a 14 Book series that had to be finished by another author after Robert Jordan died in 2007.

I like the book, but it is not on my list of all-time favorites.

Back with a Goal

I don't do resolutions, though I did think of two.

I resolve to be resolute.

I resolve to achieve resolution.

Okay, enough of the silliness (is there really such a thing?)

I have other goals for the new year, but a post on Gizmodo gave a new old goal.

How to Read a Book Every Single Day of the Year

Now, I consider 365 Books a year to be a bit much, but back over 30 years ago, I set myself the goal of reading 100 books in a single year.  The first year was 1980 and I made the total...okay, well not really.  I got to 99 and then read a Sesame Street Book for number 100.  But, in 1981, I did it for real, with 102 books.  In 1982, the total was 104 books.  1983 I fell short again, only this time I left it at 99.  In 1984 I was back on the wagon, with 114 books read.

Those five years are the only ones where I kept track of what I was reading.  I've always been a prodigious reader, but those five years were different.

I've decided to be different once again.  I intend to attempt to read 100 books in 2012.  Now, there are no rules for the types of books I intend to read.  A couple of the years in the list above I had a goal to have at least half the books I read not be Science Fiction or Fantasy.  No goal like that this time, just 100 books, big, small or in between.

I am giving myself a tiny bit of a headstart, and yes it is a cheat.  I am in the middle of reading two books right now, and those two books will be the first books that I put on the list for 2012.  Now, I will prove to you, my loyal readers, if there are any out there, that I am reading the books by giving a brief review of each on the pages of this blog.  Hopefully, there will be a few other posts along the way.

So, off to the reading.

Microsoft SkyDrive WebApps

This is just a short review of the Microsoft SkyDrive WebApps, specifically, OneNote and Word. I have not really used any of the other apps, though I think I have created one spreadsheet in Excel. Before going on, I want to say that I have fairly extensive experiences with Microsoft Office, having taken classes on both Excel and Access and having used and supported Office for around 15 years.

In addition, I have been using OneNote on Windows Live SkyDrive for more than a year now. I like being able to access documents on my phone, which runs Windows Phone 7. I really enjoy being able to write a document on my PC and then access it on my phone. I use this to copy notes into OneNote so that I can then consult it on my phone when I am working on a client's PC. I keep hoping that after our upcoming shift to Exchange Server, we will be able to set up SharePoint so that we can access install and repair documents from our phones. Unfortunately, I think I am the only one at work using Windows Phone, so I am not sure if that will be a priority.

I am even writing this post in Word on SkyDrive and I am experiencing the problems of SkyDrive. The biggest problem is lag. It is really easy to get several sentences ahead of what you see on the screen. Recently, while typing, I noticed that the screen seemed to refresh and I would lose 3 - 5 letters of what I had been typing. I eliminated this by closing the browser tab that had Facebook open.

One of the nice features of SkyDrive is the ability to access your documents from any PC. I have used this feature extensively, so I have worked on SkyDrive from home, with my broadband connection, from work, and even from public WiFI connections.

I just experienced this problem in the sentence above. I typed "even from public" and what came up on screen was "evenblic" When it works perfectly, it is okay, but sometimes it is all but unusable. Now, I have noticed this problem on Windows XP, as well as Windows 7 and even Windows 8.

So, I do not know if I could ever recommend the SkyDrive apps, at least Word and OneNote. I love the convenience, but they are not really ready for prime time.

Phone Choices

As a big fan of Windows Phone 7, and a Verizon customer, and one mostly happy with Verizon, I am on the opposite side of this dilemma.  Verizon has only one Windows Phone 7, the Trophy, which while not a bad phone pales beside the Lumia 800 and Titan II.  So, I have been dealing with this question myself.    

Three factors are making this decision more interesting. 

1. Windows Phone 8 - I am unlikely to move to any other carrier or any other phone until Windows Phone 8 is released.  To me it would be a little silly to be stuck with Windows Phone 7 for another two years at this point
   AAs a sub-point to this one, is the fact that traditionally, Verizon has the worse selection of Windows phones.  As mentioned above, the Trophy does not compare favorably to the selections on ATT.  There are rumors that this may change, but I have to wait and see. 


2. Verizon's new Share Plan pricing.  I have my wife and my son on my account, and it is going to cost at least $10 more each month to switch to a new plan.  I have unlimited data and I would pay that $10 more to get 1GB to share with my wife (she has 150MB).  I haven't done my homework yet, but I want to find out how much my set of three phones would cost on another carrier. 


3. Three phones on 3 separate refresh cycles.  I need to stay with Verizon until February to avoid any charges for breaking the contract.  My wife's contract may be even further down the road than that.  My son has been using old phones, because he keeps breaking them or losing them, so he does not have a contract and there shouldn't be an early termination fee. 

I feel like I have until February to make a decision, but I am really balancing the extra cost against the hassle of moving three phones to another carrier.  Also, I would like a better Windows Phone.  I love Windows Phone 7 and I am excited about Windows Phone 8.  As I mentioned above, Verizon has lagged behind on Windows Phone, and that throws an extra monkey wrench into the works. 

There is also the fact that my wife really hates AT&T and I am not too fond of them either.  My mother-in-law has AT&T home internet and cable (only thing allowed in her apartment complex) and has had many problems.  Also, the dropped calls problem is worrisome, though it does not appear here in Austin.  We, not quite jokingly, note that AT&T's logo looks like the Deathstar, and despite claims by Microsoft, Apple and Google, we feel that AT&T is the real Evil Empire. 

So, I am in fact facing this very question of is it worth moving.  We have been happy with Verizon's service, so we feel no reason to change on that account.  My wife likes Android and Verizon arguably has the best selection of Android Phones, but there certainly is no reason to move to get a better Android phone.  I am the one who would like to move for a better phone, but it is the Evil Empire (AT&T) that has the best selection of Windows Phones. 

So, I am waiting until Windows Phone 8 launches and then I will be giving this a lot of thought.

A Rant - Windows Surface

There is a lot of stupidity running around in the Tech Media, and even more so among those who comment on the tech blogs. Of course, any major announcement by Apple or Microsoft is a chance for all the haters to try to sound profound...almost all of them fail...and for the fanboys to come out of the walls in support of their side.

Now, I admit to being a bit of a hater when it comes to Apple, but mostly I just get annoyed with the choir of angels they think should sing every time something new runs up the Apple flag pole. Apple makes it, it's perfect. Apple doesn't make it, it's a failure. And of course, sales figures and the number 100 billion will come up as the defense of their position.

Now, Microsoft made a big announcement on Monday, something which I have already commented on, but all day Monday, the tech blogs were just full of crap...yes, crap that is the only thing you can call it when it smells like that. For the Applefanboys, nothing from Microsoft can be a success unless it can match the sales of Apple, and unless the pile of money under Steve Ballmer starts to grow closer to the size of the one under Tim Cook.

I should actually rephrase that, because, they would never use the word unless, that could be an expression of doubt in the inevitable dominance of Apple. They would say that nothing from Microsoft can be a success BECAUSE the sales do not match Apple. Of course, they always forget the sales of Windows, but oh well.

Now, we come to Microsoft Surface, a spiffy new tablet that will be available later this year. First, we must understand that there are two versions of Surface, and this seems to confuse the Applefanboys of the tech media, though it doesn't seem to confuse anyone who has been paying attention to Windows 8 over the last six months.

Surface will be an ARM based tablet running Windows RT.

Surface Pro will be an Intel based tablet running Windows 8.

Now, if that didn't clear it up, then please go away and come back when you understand the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8 and the difference between ARM processors and Intel processors. It has been all over the media for months. I am sorry, but there is no excuse for anyone who calls themselves a technology professional to not know the difference, and when I hear questions like, "well, which one are we supposed to buy?" from someone whose credentials should include technology professional, then I wonder at what they have been doing, because they certainly aren't smart enough to be an technology professional.

If you are a technology professional, you should be knowledgeable, and if you are knowledgable about technology, then the only proper answer to...

Which one should I buy?

is...

The one that best fits your needs.

So, should you buy Surface or Surface Pro? Well, which one best fits your needs?

For all of you who are not technology professionals, you may need some help with that answer...and frankly, that is beyond the scope of this post, but technology professionals do not have that excuse.  They are the ones who are supposed to be giving advice to everyone else.

And then...

Way too many of the pundits are concerned that Microsoft is going to anger their OEM partners with this move.

Oh, and you think that Microsoft did all this without considering that? How stupid are you? Don't answer that, I think I can guess. Well, let's just assume for a moment that Microsoft has some smart people working for them. They considered this point. They decided they could survive this potential problem and they moved forward. So, let's consider why.

• The OEM response to Windows Phone has been less than enthusiastic.

Now, why does that make a difference? I think if you look at the sales of Windows Phone you will understand. More than a year on, and Windows Phone is just not selling very well. There are multiple reasons why, but one big one is that when you walk into your local phone store, you see the iPhone, which needs no explanation and no one compares it to other phones on size, battery life, processor speed, etc. No beef with that, it has earned that status, but I think it is different than other phones.

Next to that you have all the Android phones, which DO complete on feel, weight, processor power, battery life, etc. And, after that you move on to Windows Phone. Unfortunately, most of the Windows Phones don't compete well when all you compare is the internal hardware. It reminds me a little of the AMD/Intel wars, when AMD processors lost because they had slower processor speeds, despite outdoing Intel processors at the same speed. Windows Phone works faster on lesser hardware, that is all there is to it, but that isn't something you can get people to understand easily. It also reminds me of the megapixel wars, both past and present. Anyone with a brain knows that megapixels are only one factor, and that optics, that is the glass out in front of the sensor, are equally if not more important, but that cannot be explained in a sound bite.

The point is that Microsoft could easily feel that the phone OEMs have let them down. It seems that Samsung and HTC both put out better phones for Android while leaving Windows Phone behind. Only Nokia seems interesting in having Windows Phone as their flagship, and they don't do Android.

To a lesser extent, Microsoft could feel the same way about the PC OEMs, but I feel that the ultrabooks might be changing that.

• Android Tablets don't have that much going for them.

Despite what Androidfanboys would have you believe, the Android tablet is not doing all that well. There are many reasons for that and none of those reasons has a place in this essay, except maybe one. Among the hardware designs, there are few big winners. There are some good tablets, and some with cool features, but there is not a lot of WOW! in the Android tablet stable.

These first two tie together into one big thought....in my mind.

Microsoft does not trust the tablet OEMs to produce tablets with WOW!

So, they did it themselves, and thus was born Surface.

But, there is more to look at and it concerns the strategy surrounding Surface. Microsoft could have taken the Kindle Fire route. They could have produced a tablet and sold it near cost, taking no profit from the hardware, and making it up in services, apps, games, music, video, etc. This is a good strategy for Amazon, because they have all the services you could ever ask for, but if you consider, Microsoft it does not work as well, plus it leaves no place for Microsoft's OEM partners to go. They cannot afford to sell at a loss, because they don't get any part of Microsoft's services revenue. The OEMs would be cut out of the deal.

So, where did Microsoft go? Well, the key is to look at the prices mentioned for Surface. Nothing specific was revealed, but the word comparable was used. Surface comparable with the iPad, and Surface Pro comparable with ultrabooks. This places the Surface in the premium range. It sets the gold standard, but has a price to match.

So, where does this leave the OEMs? Well, they can attempt to match the Surface and go head to head against it, and the iPad, or they can attempt to come in below the Surface, going with a lower price, and of course a lower feature set.