Latest gadget, but it may be the best

Since I decided to take the plunge and sign up for Sirius satellite radio, I've truly fallen down the Internet radio rabbit hole. And, I'm loving every minute of it. About a month ago, I took the next big step and bought a Sonos player primarily so I could get my Sirius service off the Internet and not have to worry about the quirkiness of the temperamental antenna.

So, I should first explain exactly what Sonos is and how it works. It's been around for a few years and I had always thought of it as a solid though expensive way to share music around your house and certainly cheaper than wiring the whole place. Believe me, I've been there, done that and it's a giant pain in the rump and the wallet. But, what I didn't realize is that Sonos is so much more than just a way to distribute music. It's also a gateway to Internet music and if you've not experience it, you are in for a real treat.

The Sonos device (I have a ZonePlayer 90) connects to the Internet via your wireless router. Just plug and play, no passwords, user names, etc. It then sends its output through my AV receiver. But that's just the half of it. You can buy additional ZonePlayers, with and without amps, that you can put in other rooms and connect to speakers. The music is transmitted wirelessly and it's great quality. But, there's more. You can play different music in every room and indpendently control the volume in each room. You can put together a system like this for around $1k.

The Sonos comes with its own hand-held controller or you can download a desktop controller that runs on your computer or you can download the controller app to an iPhone or iPod Touch free. The controllers are all excellent and give you vast control over a massive music library.

So, enough with the equipment. It's all about the music. Not only can I access Sirius and my iTunes library, but Internet radio and Internet music services such as Pandora (free), Napster, last.fm and Rhapsody. I sometimes wonder why I even bother with the iTunes anymore. I can literally find anything I want and play it instantly online. Or, you can build your own stations with the artists and songs you love most. Just put them together, tailor them and play them. You can even pass your playlists along to others on Pandora. Sonos also lets you build custom playlists drawing from all your music sources. Amazing.

My guess is that a music snob with amazing equipment would find fault with the quality of the music over the Internet. Most services are at 128kbps. Rhapsody is at 192kbps. But for relaxing background music while you're entertaining or just hanging out, it's more than just fine. If you're a music lover and if you like all kinds of music as I do, this really can't be beat.

Geek Warning! Why I'm liking Windows 7

I was lucky enough to have our tech services department put Windows 7 on my work notebook a couple of weeks back. It has been a pleasant surprise, and outside of a couple of issues, I'm liking it quite a lot and believe it will do wonders to help erase some of the bad blood generated by Vista.

For starters, this is a much lighter weight OS than Vista. It takes megabytes less space on my hard drive. I mean, this is a dramatic difference in terms of the space it freed up. Recently, I had to do a house cleaning because I was reaching the limits to a rather smallish hard drive. But, now, I've got acres of free disk space.

But, the real benefits are how much better it works. Start with start-up and shutdown. Both have gone from agonizingly painful minutes long experiences to something you can actually watch happen while you get situated. I used to go get coffee and even then, it wouldn't always be booted up. Shutdown is equally fast. It also hybernates properly, giving it a much greener footprint. This will be very noticeable to Vista users.

Then there is the new task bar across the bottom of the display. (Hmmmm, wonder where they got that idea.) It's not as dynamic as OSX, but it's super functional and in many ways better. Not only are all your most used apps there, but when you hover over the icon, up pops a list of open and recently used documents. In the case of your browser, you will see all the open tabs.

I also found that saving, finding and organizing documents and files is much easier and faster than in Vista. Not sure what's actually going on here and I think the tweaks are more on the minor side, but they are all good.

My overall impression is that this is a very solid OS that users will like a lot and that will be very competitive. It is simple and solid and "just works." It doesn't seem as fancy as Vista, but much more utilitarian. It took me no time to get used to it and start working faster.

So, if you're in the market for a new computer you've got two choices -- either buy a Vista machine now and upgrade it or wait a few months and get a Windows 7 machine. There is no release date announced yet, but since the release candidate is out, it shouldn't be that long and it would make good sense to get these computers out for the back-to-school guying season. And, paired with some of the super duper pricing out there now on new computers, you will have yourself quite a bargain.

Windows 7 is going to be big and is going to help Microsoft a lot.

Why we can't all just get along

I walked by an empty cubicle the other day and noticed a copy of The Economist lying on the desk. Though it was a couple of weeks old, I couldn't resist picking it up and thumbing through it. It's a magazine I've subscribed to on and off for years, most recently during my years in London. If you've never heard of it (gasp) or never read it, you need to get a copy -- for your own well being if for no other reason. You can get a discounted copy at Costco.

With so much crap going on around us in the world, it's just nice to sit down and absorb a reasoned and well written point of view. It's more than food for thought. It's consoling. The coverage is global. I know this is somewhat of a foreign concept to most navel gazing Americans. But it gives a world perspective despite the fact that it's a British publication. The section on the United States is concise and, well, just excellent. You will read stories that you won't find elsewhere, like the battle to make uranium mining legal in Virginia. Even the writeups of stories you're already familiar with take on a new life with new facts and amazing perspective. It is so well written that it's a joy to read them over again anyhow.

The Economist is not about journalistic egos or heroes, either. The stories are not by-lined or signed even though the magazine is comprised of an excellent staff of writers and editors. And, unlike most other news publications these days, it is not getting hammered by the economy. In fact, both Time and Newsweek have announced their intentions to remake themselves in the image of The Economist.

A great example of why I like The Economist is the Lexington column, a weekly one-pager on the U.S. The one I just read was headlined: Obama derangement syndrome. It examines the fairly dramatic polarization that is already happening in this country over our new president and how much less likely Americans are to give the new guy a chance than only a couple decades ago. It concludes that this "tit for tat demonisation" is not only poisoning American political life, it is making it ever harder to solve problems that require cross-party collaboration. It now takes an outside perspective to shine the line on how petty and unproductive our political system has become even in the deepest of crises.

How can any educated person not become fatigued if not downright disgusted with today's political scene? I just signed up for a subscription. I know I'll feel better after I start reading it again.

More problems for the Republicans

The more dogmatic you become, the more exclusionary you also become. This fact is just now beginning to dawn on the Republican Party. This is the same party that drove Arlen Specter into the Democratic camp yesterday and is threatening to run off other moderate party leaders.

Republicans are adamantly opposed to gay marriage. Like abortion, it is one of their litmus tests. Many still cling to the belief that being gay is an illness that can be cured. Forty nine percent of Republicans say they oppose any kind of recognition of gay unions, let along gay marriage. But the same New York Times/CBS News poll shows that 57 percent of those under age 40 support gay marriage. Only 19 percent of this age group oppose it.

Ooops. Can you say "dangerously out of touch?" Furthermore, more states are making gay marriage legal and it's going fairly unnoticed. The reason? No one really much cares anymore.

According to Steve Schmidt, who was the senior strategist for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, "The Republican Party is shrinking. One of the reasons it is shrinking is because there are large demographics in this country that view the party as intolerant or not relevant to them."

Republican blunders just keep on giving

Today was a very big day for President Barack Obama. Not only is he on the eve of an incredibly productive and successful first 100 days in office with soaring poll numbers to prove it, but Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter added the frosting on the cake by announcing that he's joining the Democratic party. Here's what Sen. Specter said of the decision that rocked the capitol today:

“I’m not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate, not prepared to have that record decided by that jury,” Mr. Specter declared in a rather defiant tone at a news conference.

With the inevitable seating of Al Franken, the Democrats will have a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority, making it much easier for the president to get his legislative initiatives through the Senate without being tripped up by the minority party. This has to be a horrible day for the Republicans as they lose their last moderate senator. But, certainly it's a bad day they had coming and richly deserve.

Specter was faced with a difficult re-election battle within his own party. Now, according to experts, he should cruise to re-election as a Democrat in a state where the voter sentiment has shifted sharply to the left in recent years. In this case, the simple truth is that the Republicans drove Specter out of their party and now they will get to pay the price -- just as they are paying the price for so many other short sighted, dogmatic decisions of late. In many ways, these kinds of Republican blunders have become the gift that just keeps on giving . . . to the Democrats

Chateau Montelena tasting

Lynne and I attended a tasting of Chateau Montelena wines the other night at Liner & Elsen in Portland. For those unfamiliar with California wine lore, Chateau Montelena is the winery that produced the chardonnay that rocked the French wine industry in 1976. The story is the focus of the movie Bottle Shock, which is not available on DVD. You can read the whole account on the CM website.

The tasting was hosted by managing director Greg Ralston, a Portland State University graduate who has been with the winery 21 years. We went to the tasting because we had seen the movie on the recommendation of our friends John and Lea. I have to admit the movie was OK and if it hadn't been for the historical significance and my interest in wine, I probably wouldn't have liked it at all. In chit chatting with Greg afterwards, he acknowledged that few things outside of the basic plot of the movie were actually true. There was lots of embellishment for Hollywood's sake. Greg noted that when Montelena was started in 1972 there were 12 wineries in the Napa Valley. By 1978, that had shot up to 112. He said that after the movie was released in August 2008, visits to the winery shot way up and they got more single-bottle orders of chardonnay online, but overall sales did not increase.

But back to the wine. We tasted a beautiful and not overdone zinfandel, six cabernets from 1999 to 2005 and a chardonnay. If there's one thing I took away from the tasting it was that over the years, Montelena has remained true to its heritage and discipline of making table wines that complement food. They have avoided the trends that so characterise California style wines -- from big butter bomb chards to over fruited and hot zins. Greg said that his wines are probably more popular in Europe and other parts of the world than in America for these reasons. The style is definitely more subtle and less fruit forward -- much more in the French style.

I have a lot of respect for this approach and believe that its a viewpoint that many Oregon winemakers also aspire to. I'm particularly impressed with the desire to stick with a French white burgundy style of chardonnay that stays the same year in and year out. This style of chardonnay is an essential part of any well kept wine cellar. It's so classic, crisp and refreshing. A few Oregon wineries are serious about creating a chardonnay in this style, especially Stoller, Chehalem and Domaine Serene.

These are definitely not trendy wines. They are not meals unto themselves and they are not delicious cocktail wines. But, they are great wines, with a great story that will stand the test of the ages even though the winery is less than 40 years old.

Reclaiming America's soul

Paul Krugman of The New York Times in his column today weighs the dos and don'ts of investigating the torture issue and ultimately holding those responsible accountable. This has become a very hot topic after seeming to disappear earlier, mostly because President Obama said he wasn't much interested in dwelling on the past and wanted to move ahead. He now seems to have had a change of heart in large part because of a fierce political debate over whether to investigate or not.

The conservatives, of course, want to move on and sweep it all under the rug. I'm sympathetic to that argument, that you really dont' accomplish much by investigating past misdeeds. And, because there were so many in the Bush administration that could be pretty much a full-time preoccupation of the Obama administration. Unfortunately, they have other problems to solve, the largest of them created by the same Bush administration.

But, there is the statement President Bush made while in office, that "this government does not torture people." That was obviously driven out of a mindset that because your attorneys tell you something isn't torture means it's so. I don't think anyone now believes this to be the case.

Dick Cheney is on a personal crusade to defend the government torture doctrine he helped write. Maybe I'm way off base and these are difficult times, but shouldn't America be better than that? Isn't it really our morale fiber that has made us the strongest nation (not the richest) in the world. Isn't that what real leadership is about -- the ability to acknowledge, examine and admit your mistakes -- and then change your ways?

Is the debate over torture merely politics as some would tell you? Or is it about something bigger, something more fundamental to our values as Americans? I found Krugman's column helpful in sorting this out.

Too good to be true

The Democrats could have only made this up in their wildest dreams. What if the two most despised people in American politics -- Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney -- were to emerge as the leading spokespeople for their cause. Well, son of a gun, that's exactly what's happened. Can you say "playing right into our hands" or "stepping on their own tails?"

That's the scenario that's playing itself out and mostly because these two guys are so stuck on their own egos that they can't stand to take a back seat when their party is hurting and needs anything but their universal unpopularity and polarization to fan the flames of its demise. Gosh the guys in the White House strategy office must be rubbing their hands together and rolling on the floor. Can you imagine the kinds of ideas rolling around in the heads of Paul Begala and James Carville about now?

The Limbaugh thing was kind of predictable. Everyone knows what a blowviator and egomaniac he is. But the Cheney thing comes straight out of left field. This is not the pose of ex-presidents and vice presidents. When they leave office, they're supposed to be statesmanlike. Huh, Cheney a statesman?

I mean what were his approval ratings when he left office? Below 20%? By comparison, he makes Bush look like an American hero. He's got his teeth around the torture issue and he's not going to let go, even if it means the Democrats now have doubled the number of attractive targets they now use to paint the Republican party as extreme and out of touch.

In the gadget room: Hooked on Sonos

As Lynne can attest, I buy and fiddle with too many gadgets, some of which can be incredibly disruptive. She, like most consumers, likes things to work and doesn't like change. Adding the Logitech universal remote was a good move, but very disruptive, mostly because it's really not as easy to use as one might like. But, you can only make controlling four separate devices so easy. Lynne not withstanding.

My latest disruptive technology is Sonos. I've had my eye on Sonos for a long time, but was always put off by the cost and I viewed it strictly as a device to move music around the house wirelessly. I'd heard very good things about Sonos, but never taken the leap. Then we got Sirius satellite radio a few months ago. We are using an indoor/outdoor antenna with mixed results. I'm really kind of a radio nut of often prefer it to TV or sometimes with the TV sound turned off.

With Sonos, I could stream the internet feed of Sirius directly into my sound equipment, but not have to worry about signal interruption. I figure, hey, I'm paying all this money for broadband, I might as well get maximum benefit from it. But, what I didn't realize was that Sonos would also give me access to hundreds of internet radio stations and services likek Pandora and last.fm which are free. Literally, there's nothing I can't find now with a few clicks of the Sonos controller. I now have this huge jukebox in my house. This has opened up a whole new world of entertainment. And, because I only bought one Sonos unit, I'm not even streaming music to any other locations. I expect to do that soon. Oh, and least I forget, you can also play your iTunes library directly from the PC you have it stored on.

Lynne has taken to Sonos pretty well because it's a lot easier to use (she can control it from her PC), and because the benefits are so great. She can find the kind of music she wants anytime. This has turned out to be one of the best gadget purchases I've ever made. I highly recommend it for those who like to listen to music and other radio content such as NPR. I bought mine at Echo Audio in Portland. I can's say enough good things about these guys and how helpful they are in solving your audio problems. They are truly understanding consultants who help you solve problems, not just peddle equipment.

Ugly Americans

We saw our fair share of bozo American antics while living in the UK for more than two years. Traveling abroad soon? Then please read this.

New blog

For those who can't get enough of my infrequent entries updates to this blog, I've started a new venture, errr, blog. It taps into one of my deepest and oldest passions. No, I've not dedicated a blog to Lynne! But I am capturing some of my musings and observations about that great American retail institution, Costco. You can check it out here.

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah

Updater today in New York Times on the goings on of Sarah Palin. Not much new or surprising, but it does chronicle a somewhat bumply return to her day job as governor of Alaska. Not clear that she's really moving the ball on running for higher office. She's set up a PAC, always a good thing for political aspirants.

Politics can be strange as Sarah has already demonstrated. How could anyone have made all this up? But, I don't see her having much staying power, especially from her base in Juneau. I'm sure Barack Obama would love to run against her. But, I'm doubtful she'll still be around when we get to that point.

Professional soccer in Portland

We are planning to buy season tickets to the Portland Timbers as a hedge against getting tickets when the MLS team comes to Portland in 2011. Just read tonight that there still may be some shaky moments before this is a done deal. Turns out there are still a number of financial hurdles that need to be dealt with by Sept. 1. Hopefully, Merritt Paulson not only has the deep pockets, but the deep connections on Wall Street to pull off the deal.

Was in PGE Park last weekend for the OSU-UO baseball game Saturday night. Was fortunate to be in a suite. Once they get the stadium remodeled for soccer, it actually should be a very nice venue. I've not seen detailed plans of the remodel, only a pretty fuzzy sketch that's been published in the local newspaper. It will make a much better soccer stadium than a baseball park. For those who don't know, it was originally built primarily for dog racing way back when.

It has a certain amount of charm and the trains running back and forth on SW 18th Avenue give it a certain European charm. Done right, this could be one of the best venues in the MLS -- assuming they can get their act together financially.

A corner of wine heaven

We went to the Taste Walla Walla last night at the Portland Art Museum. We were overwhelmed and blown away by all the great offerings from this little corner of wine heaven. There is something I can't quite describe about Walla Walla wines. As soon as you put the glass to your nose, you know it's Walla Walla. We visited there four years ago and the area has exploded with new wineries since. As one of the winemakers told me, you really can't go wrong whether it's a $8 botton or a $80 bottle. The quality of the wine making is so good.

This was one of the most enjoyable tastings we've ever attended. While we would have liked to have tasted every offering, it was just impossible. I was impressed with the overall quality of all the wines as well as the reasonable pricing. And, the bonus is that all these wines will age extraordinarily well.

Some of the wineries that stood out to us were:

• Dowsett Family Winery. Loved their dry gewurztraminer.
• Syzygy. 2006 cabernet sauvignon was out of this world with a blood orange finish.
• Three Rivers Winery. Consistent interesting finish on all their reds.
• Trust Cellars. Nice story (former CNN producer who moved to WW) and good wine.

If you've never taken a trip to Walla Walla, I highly recommend it. The wines are beautiful as is the country. The people are welcoming and the price is usually right.

On being a grandparent

So, last Friday Lynne and I crossed that Rubicon of life into grandparenthood. While we join many of our friends we still have many who are not in this elite category.

Of course, the dreaded question is: Do you feel old? I will answer that question, by saying, I feel proud and complete. We've now raised two children. They are both happily married. Both bought homes on the cusp of the housing implosion and now one has brought a new daughter into the world. Officially, Claire Elizabeth was born Friday in St. Louis, MO. Daughter of Tyson and Jana.

It is one of those significant reminders that life moves on and tomorrow will be different from today and nothing stays the same. If I can speak for my better half, Lynne is downright giddy over the newest addition to the family. We feel blessed and are thankful that all has gone well and Claire is looking and acting like a vigorous young lady ready to take on the world. She's alert, eating, sleeping, doing all the right things.

To Claire, we say, We are so happy you've decided to join our family. We can be somewhat wacky at times, but we are a loving, caring, loyal bunch of folks, somewhat like the Herrmanns, but still different. You are very cute and we really like the name your parents chose for you. You make an excellent addition to the family tree. We love you and can't wait to come visit you in your new home.

Gadget time

I can't resist the lure of the latest gadget and that's why most of my friends think of me as Gadget Guy. So, the latest in the collection is the Logitech Harmony One universal remote control. Not sure why I inflicted this on myself, especially at the price, but I couldn't resist after one of my gadgetry friends at work told me he'd gotten one.

My love/hate relationship with universal remotes goes back a long ways. I've certainly poured hundreds of dollars down the drain trying to find one I could actually use. There was the one in London that never worked at all and all attempts to send it back and get a refund proved futile. Thanks Amazon UK!

Then there was the very cool touch device. I think it was called the chameleon. There were no buttons, just a skin that would light up and morph to what you wanted to do. Only problem is it didn't work, was hard to read and whenever you picked it up, it'd do something you didn't want.

The Harmony One has something none of the others have had -- a connection to the internet. This is for setup purposes only, but it assures that it knows about all the gear you're trying to set up. Its data base is constantly current. Also, you set it up on your computer (PC or Mac), so no more fiddling with buttons on the remote itself. Whenever you need to make a change, just plug it back into the computer and make the update.

I only had one problem (so far). I couldn't figure out how to turn everything off. Turns out there's actually a button for this. Duh! Since timing is a key thing with universal remotes, the Harmony has a nifty way of fine tuning that after you've done your initial setup. There is a help button which you can push if things don't work quite right. It will make those adjustments and ask you to test it again until you get it right. Their customer support, which is offered via the phone for only 60 days after purchase, was excellent.

So far, I think I'm going to like this and it'll hopefully allow me to put the other half dozen remotes I have in a box. Now, if I can just convince Lynne that newer is better.

Commuter Cuvee

We all need to be watching our pennies in today's treacherous economic environment. My contribution is a decent pinot noir we stumbled across at last weekend's regular tasting at Haggan's grocery store on SW Murray Boulevard in Beaverton. It's called Commuter Cuvee and is from Grochau Cellars using fruit harvested from the Gypsy Dancer vineyard near Scholls. It's not going to knock your socks off, but it's a decent everyday pinot and at $12 a bottle (plus 10% case discount), it's pretty hard to beat. I suspect this going to go fast.

The winter of our discontent

Never before has the criteria for presidential success or failure been quite so stark. At the same time, never has it been quite so complex and unpredictable. With today's passage of the massive stimulus package by Congress, the die is cast and Barack Obama's presidential scorecard has been carved in stone. We are in the winter of our discontent, doubt and uncertainty.

His presidency and very likely his hopes for a second term will be determined by his ability to lead the country back to economic prosperity or at least close enough that he has the wind at his back when he hits the campaign trail in about three years. From this vantage point, there is hardly a shred of certainty and in fact quite a bit of doubt and pessimism that this will happen. After all, the Republicans have decided to sit this one out and are quietly if not vocally rooting for the recovery to fail. This is politics and frankly, right now they're desperate and it's their only chance. If the country goes into a prolonged economic malaise or even a depression, they win. Any other scenario, they lose. It's a huge gamble, but probably the only hand they have to play.

The next few months in particular, but the next year or so are going to test the mettle of our new president. He's already learned a lot about "changing the tenor" in Washington. The old ways of doing things don't disappear overnight. And the extreme partisanship that has marked the nation's capitol over the past two decades isn't going away anytime soon. Obama extended a hand on the stimulus legislation and they gave him the back of theirs. So much for Mr. Nice Guy.

This is going to be hardball and Nancy Pelosi probably has a better grasp on how this is going to play out than Obama does. Does he want to change the tenor in Washington? Absolutely. Can he afford politically to get kicked and spit on? Absolutely not. I expect him to improve his act over the coming months as we move into a phase where the PR surrounding the recovery will be every bit as important as the data -- at least for awhile. He needs to find his pace on this. Get a little more sophisticated about "reaching out." And crips up those answers at his new press Q&A. (I expect him to have lots of those because he's good at it. Did you know that George Bush II didn't have his first press conference until 11 months into his presidency?)

I expect to see the president basically hitting the campaign trail and highlighting every success he can find almost daily. To some extent, this is now going to become a big PR campaign. And, campaigning is something that Obama does well. It will now be up to him to lift the spirits of the nation. The Republicans have already said this is a bad bill that won't work and they hope it fails, so you can expect the leadership of the party to continue to highlight and celebrate failure and obstruction. Obama can't afford to let the negative and the detractors dominate the news. This ain't going to be easy, either, because the press loves negative news and it's going to keep coming in buckets full for some time.

Obama has a huge opportunity, not only to raise the spirits of the American people and help us soldier through this. But, he can also influence the perceptions of how things are going over the next several months. Early perceptions will be lasting percpetions and that's going to make all the spinning by both parties really interesting to watch.

It will be interesting to see what the Republicans do now. You can expect they will wallow in the gloom and doom and daily remind us that things aren't getting better, aided and abetted by a press focused on every negative statistic. But, what if things get better? Can they claim it's the tax cuts that are making it happen? They have really boxed themselves into a corner and for them success is a simple formula. Success=failure for the rest of us. Think about that. Who loves ya baby?

So, I, the realist, will choose to be the optimist in this one and of course be rooting for our president and for the American people. Is there any other choice? We've all felt the hurt either directly or indirectly. Why would anyone besides a sadist want the hurt and fear to continue? Much good will come out of this trial we are all facing despite the hurt it is and will inflict. Barack Obama has a huge job and there's more at stake than just his political career and reputation. Just as we all rooted for America and our leaders in the aftermath of 9/11, I'm rooting for America on this one.

Will the mall survive?

Sunday's New York Times business section has a major story on America's love affair with the mall and how it's faring in today's dicey economy. While retail in general has been whacked pretty hard by the steep downturn, malls are apparently faring worse than some other retailers.

I've noticed that they don't seem to be building these big mega-malls around here anymore. The last one was built more than 20 years ago. And, the oldest urban shopping mall in the country -- Lloyd Center -- is still chugging along in NE Portland. The new retail clusters are called shopping villages. They're kind of like miniature town centers with streets, lampposts, outdoor cafes, piped in musik, etc. No roof over the sidewalks though they do put out propane warmers when it's cold. They are smaller than malls and therefore less crowded.

Ultimately, depending somewhat on where we go with this economic situation, these may be a halfway move back to good old neighborhood stores -- the kind you can actually walk to. What a concept. Between high energy costs, crowded freeways and cocooning, I do believe we're entering a time when the neighborhood retailer will become important again. People will care more about relationships than driving 50 miles to save a buck. The quality of the shopping experience may become more important than the mall experience.

I was always amazed during our stint in the UK how all the small shop owners stayed in business. They did because they had local customers, people they often knew and had done business with for many years. Will this era return here? I, for one, am hoping it does.

Obama comparisons to FDR

I'm currently reading a book on FDR's first 100 days as president. This subject is all the rage due to our current economic pickle and Obama's bent toward having a plan and taking quick action. The comparisons of Obama and Bush to FDR and Hoover are jarringly similar. It reminds me of what Al Gore once said about George Bush: "He is a smart guy. He's just not a curious guy."

I get so much information from my Twitter feed. I know a lot of people don't get Twitter and I didn't at first, either. It takes awhile and a little patience and encouragement. It allows you to follow what interesting people are saying and doing as a kind of pulse on the world. I don't Tweet (the word for writing one of Twitter's 140-word or less posts) all that often, but I enjoy what others are Tweeting.

This morning I came across this Tweet link, to a guest column by a NYU economics professor doing the FDR-Obama comparison. It's flattering to Obama, of course, but also serves as a good primer on FDR's first 100 days. I highly recommend reading a book on the topic. There are many out there, but I happen to be reading Nothing to Fear, by Adam Cohen. The above link is to Amazon, but I picked it up at Costco.

Learning from our new president

On the eve of the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, I can't help but be amazed by his conduct already -- and he hasn't even taken the oath of office, yet. President-elect Obama has practically been on the job for the past nearly three months. That is partially because of our incredibly unusual circumstances. After all, the lame duck is the most unpopular president in history and the country is facing the most daunting challenges any president-elect has faced in more than 75 years. As much as George Bush has tried to burnish his image over the past month, well, it's a bit like trying to polish a you know what. I will say that President Bush has extended the welcome mat to the Obamas, but I suspect this is part of the rehab strategy.

President-elect Obama has been very careful not only to not criticize the outgoing leadership, but has gone out of his way to meet with what otherwise might be considered his enemies. This "bury the hatchet" mentality is almost unprecedented and reaches a level of civility in presidential politics not seen in decades. Obama held a black tie dinner tonight honoring John McCain. He has regularly consulted McCain about his cabinet appointees and is planning to push several of McCain's pet causes through Congress. Bush barely spoke to his two opponents, even months after the election. In 2000, he and McCain were at loggerheads for two years.

We as a country and as individuals must move beyond the pettiness of hating, belittling and punishing our enemies and detractors. The "them vs. us" mentality as the standard operating procedure has got to change. And our leaders have got to stop modeling this as desirable behavior. Barack Obama is teaching us all a valuable lesson in how to conduct ourselves as decent, respectful individuals. Don't let anger fester. Be the bigger person and extend a hand. I expect President Obama to be incredibly transparent and stick to this approach even when it hurts. That's the kind of presidency he plans to pursue. That's the change he has promised.

The first important lesson we may learn from our new president? Modeling for all of us how to act like grownups.

Walk?

Walking. It's pretty much a foreign word to most Americans. Walk? Are you kidding? Walk? Most Americans would sooner have a fist fight over a parking spot in front of the store than park 50 feet away and walk to the store.

Walking is one of life's little and free pleasures. And, how rewarding in today's tough economic times. Did I mention that it's free? It's healthy, can help curb your appetite and clear your head. Some of my most esteemed colleagues go on regular walks, some even using them as alternative venues for 1:1s with their direct reports.

I've long had this fascination with walking. And truth be known, I've prided myself as a somewhat more macho runner for many years. But our time spent overseas really changed our thinking about walking -- not as an exercise, but as a means to get from point A to point B. When we returned to the states, Lynne missed her long walks so much that she even walked from our house to a local shopping mall, which turns out is about three miles from the house. Also turns out that America is not a very friendly walking environment. That's mostly because it's ruled by cars and trucks. Little consideration is given to pedestrians. It's all about the roads and vehicles. As Lynne found out, there aren't even sidewalks or footpaths everywhere you need to go. Why isn't there a pedestrian only bridge over the Willamette in downtown Portland?

Since we had no car when we lived in London, we had to get everywhere on foot and with the help of public transportation. My commute there was about what it is here, but in the course of getting there and back every day, I put in about two miles walking. Here I put in about 50 yards. So, yesterday I took a hike and walked to an errand during my lunch hour. I felt great afterwards, it got me out of the office and cleared my head.

Now when I drive to a store with a large parking lot, I actually look for a spot farther away from the door. It's less contentious, you get a little more exercise in and probably save some wear and tear on your car doors.

Zupan's wine man

Dropped into Zupan's Market Sunday in Raleigh Hills to pick up some things for dinner and ran into "the wine man." I'm admitting that I don't know his name, but he runs the wine department there and knows everything. He's also so in touch with what I like. I would trust him to basically recommend anything.

I was surprised to see that he had some Cape Mentelle Margaret River Shiraz. We found this in London at the Wine Society and fell in love with it. When I picked up one bottle, he said he could make me a good deal on six or more. So for a 25% discount, I picked up six. It's juicy plum and blueberry fruit play against savory pepper, smoke and clove notes. If you can get this around $20 a bottle, that's a good deal. Makes a great winter warmer and a wonderful gift.

He told me that Stag Hallow is the best pinot noir in Oregon. He's also a big fan of Abacela's Tempranillo Reserve (only made in years when they deem the grapes worthy).

I intend to make another trip back to see the wine guy and participate in some of Zupan's Thursday night tastings. This is the kind of guy that you can just give a budget to, describe what you like and have him go at it. You could do a lot worse joining some of these goofy wine clubs. I'm intending to have him make up a case sampler and will report back.

GEEK WARNING! The latest mobile update

Some people have a car, clothes or house (not so much anymore) fetish. Well, I have a phone fetish. That's right. I'm forever in search of the perfect mobile phone. And the search goes on . . and on . . . and on . . .

Let me begin by saying, there is no "perfect" mobile phone for everyone. That's because everyone uses theirs in a different way and has different needs/expectations. Lynne is perfectly happy with her new white flip phone from AT&T. For her, it gets the job done and she's very happy. But, then again, she doesn't have a phone fetish. I'll save a discussion of her fetishes for another time.

With that intro, I'm admitting that I got my third new phone in three months. No, I don't still have the other two. They have been either sold on Craig's List or exchanged. My most recent phone was via exchange with AT&T and I have to admit it was the easiest phone exchange I've ever experienced. Used to be you piratically had to practically threaten legal action to get them to take back a phone. Happy to see we've progressed from there.

The new buy is the HTC Touch Pro, known by AT&T as the Fuze. It is the state of art in Windows Mobile 6.1 devices. It used a technology called TouchFlow, not to be confused with Multi touch (what the iPhone uses). And, it's definitely not to be confused with an iPhone. But, it does get the job done with some sweet benefits. For starters, the display is simply amazing and possibly better than the iPhone's. Crisp, clear and bright. Like that a lot. It has a slide out keyboard that is roomy and full featured with dedicated keys to many of the symbols and punctuation marks we all use. That makes it a little more chunky than a front facing qwerty phone, but so be it. Still fits in my jeans pocket.

You can either touch the screen or use the stylus, which is held in place with a cool magnet. The animated weather feature is cool and lets you save as many cities as you want for quick access. So I can quickly check the weather in London, St. Louis and Sydney. Touch scrolling is nice and works. Some of the other touch features are more fiddly and prone to drive you nuts. I find myself using the stylus quite a lot.

As for the phone itself, that part is very good. It has a feature called sidetone that I really like. It lets you hear your own voice through the phone's ear speaker, like a land line phone. My bluetooth headset (Plantronics 925) does this as well. Some people don't like it, but I do. Also, the bluetooth connection in my car is superb. It's loud and clear and better than either of the other two phones I have used in the car. If you don't have one of these hands free devices in your car, it's a must. You'll not only have a much better chance of avoiding a crash, but you'll find yourself using your phone a lot more to stay in touch with people.

The email (my main reason for not just having a phone phone) works well and I quickly set up my work email, Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts. It has a nifty graphical preview feature though to use it you have to master the anomalies of the TouchFlow system.

I think (hope) I'm set with this phone for some time. Palm has just announced a cool new phone that does use MultiTouch technology like the iPhone. It looks tempting, but for now is only available on Sprint and likely won't be available on AT&T given it's exclusive deal with Apple.

Wine club

We got back in the swing of thngs with Wine Club last night for the first time since coming back. Lynne was the hit of the night as she couldn’t make the Christmas dinner back in December.

Wendy put together a nice tasting of Italian reds under $20. I liked three of them best:

2006 Ambra Carmignano
2004 Secco Bertani
2006 Giusti Lacrima di Morro d'Alba

All were purchased from Liner & Elsen in Portland. Particularly take note of the Giusti Lacrima. Though it was a red, it had some amazing muscat and gewürztraminer notes. Very strong blueberry and rose petal flavors come through as well. I also liked the Ambra Carmignano. Lots of dark cherry fruit in that one.

These are nice Italians that will grow on you. None will knock your socks off initially, but like a lot of European wines are meant to be enjoyed with a meal.

International standards

As we (mostly my wife) work our way through the boxes stacked in our garage, we discover more projects that require some additional assembly in order to work in America. Over there, they’d call all of this “kit.” I rather like that word and it’s one of the pieces of language I hope to retain, along with “bits” and “bespoke.”

Whenever we bought things of any significant value (more than £100 or $200 US at the time), the rule was we had to find it usable or useful when we moved back to the US. So, that meant with electronics, it needed to run on both US 120v power as well as UK 240v power. Anything with a light or a motor in was likely not going to work. For instance our close American friends sent us home with a Cuisinart coffee maker they’d received as a wedding present and taken with them to London. They plugged it in once, but thought it might work for us in the US. No chance. Dead as a doornail. Perhaps Good Will can fix it.

We took no lamps with us and disposed of the few we bought there before coming home (the IKEA floor lamp lasted just weeks short of  our return). Likewise the LCD TV had to be sold and the Bose radio. (I’m a huge Bose fan. One of the reasons is their customer service. Bose gave me an unsolicited $200 credit on my 10-year-old Bose radio that I left in the US when we returned!)

But, we did buy this barbeque. It’s a Weber Q – a lightweight, portable model perfect for tailgate parties, picnics or camping. Knowing this was a popular brand sold in the US, we figured there was little to no risk even though it was priced about 70% higher than the same model in the US. It worked perfectly for us and even perched on our second story kitchen window sill. We enjoyed grilled steaks and hamburgers just as we had at home.

When we got it home, however, I quickly realized that the disposable propane bottles sold here have a different connection that those sold in Europe. Argh! Called Weber who refused to help.  (I’m assuming liability issues are just too high.) Went online without luck. Then I mentioned it at a cocktail party and was steered to a propane supplier near our home. We were fixed up with a simple converter for $10.

The other one was the Tivoli table radio. Also sold in the US, the Tivoli is a wonderful, compact, simple AM/FM radio. Drat! It runs only on 240v. Called Tivoli. Very helpful. They knew exactly the problem and steered me to Radio Shack for a small power plug like you’d use to charge a mobile phone. Bingo! Working fine. How refreshing to get that kind of customer service from both Tivoli and Radio Shack. I suspect it’s people like me who are keeping RS in business.

I really feel like we dodged a couple of bullets here in converting our kit with minimal problems. We have one more piece of electronics we brought back – a Fatman iTube iPod player and speakers. It, however, runs on 120v, which I made sure of before purchase. Called the US distributor this week and they’re sending me a new power cord free. So, we’re now 3-for-3. Can’t do a lot better than that.

I did get a new phone

The Palm Treo Pro lasted all of two months. I did get a new phone – the Samsung Epix – about a week ago. I was trying to avoid signing a contract with AT&T, but gave up and took the bait in order to get a new phone.

No phone is ever going to be perfect for me, but the Epix is an improvement over the Treo Pro. Mainly, I like the bigger battery and the less crowded keyboard. The quality of the phone itself is also excellent. The optical mouse is interesting and debatable, but I’ve taken a shine to it. It’s kind of like learning to use the touchpad on your notebook for the first time. The screen is excellent, it’s fast enough for me and seems to have no connection/rebooting issues. I’ve not had to do a reset on it yet.

The Samsung Today screen is interesting, but so far I’ve not decided to make that my default,  but keep playing with it. This seems to be a more solid phone than the Treo. It’s a little beyond your standard front facing qwerty keyboard phone, but not in the same zoomy category as the iPhone or the BlackBerry Storm. Bluetooth works awesomely with both cars I pair it with. I was not able to get connected via my Linksys N wireless router, but I think that’s a Linksys problem and I’m not willing to do surgery on my home network just to connect my phone to WiFi when I’d rarely us it anyhow.

Will do a progress report in a couple of months as that’s about the time I’d normally be getting very fed up with any phone.

A day at a time

First day back at work and it feels good after being away via vacation, holidays and work from home during the snow for about three weeks.

The Christmas post-partum is never something I relish. After all, there’s that big build-up for Christmas, all the football games, food, festiveness, family. All good stuff. This year’s Christmas, however, was one of the weirdest in my memory. Firstly, we got what we wished for – a truly White Christmas. Actually, a little too much of the white stuff. I can still see piles of snow in the parking lot outside my office even though the sun is out today. That kind of put a damper on a lot of family activities.

New Year’s Day football was disappointing. Really no great games and fewer than normal because the TV Gods have ruined the impact of that one single day when you could gorge yourself on food, drink and football.  We did fine with the food and drink. But, the games are all strung out now and therefore lose their specialness IMO.

Then, there’s the economy. Christmas was a time when we could kind of put it aside for a bit. But it’s still there. The Christmas shopping season – especially here – was dismal. But, perhaps no worse than was predicted. At least the online guys seemed to do well and that turned out to be my major source of gifts. I didn’t go Christmas shopping other than with my fingertips once. I’m a traditional late shopper and the weather put a kibosh on that.

Our household goods finally arrived and we were able to get somewhat settled before Christmas. But, we’re still digging through several dozen boxes in the garage. Most of them will go into storage. We are still purging and have vowed to keep things trim and under control. On our last trip to the Good Will, we did some shopping though. Sign of the times.

Lots of speculation about when we hit the bottom. And no one really knows. Many are predicting that we’ll get a lift – if not only temporarily – from the change in administration later this month. We’ll have to wait and see on that one. It’s probably awhile before the bad news subsides, however, and we start seeing some good news.

On a final note, one of our dear friends came by yesterday and told us her cancer that had been in remission for 10 years was back and not in a good way. Still more to learn and lots of hope, but she will be No. 1 on our prayer list from now on.

The beauty of aging football coaches

Courtesy of inveterate newsreader Tim Marsh:

Legendary NCAA Division III  football coach John Gagliardi, 82, (St. John's University) to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, about his job security:

"The monks give me a lifetime contract because they figure I can't last much longer. But there's a clause in there that if we start losing games, they can give me the last sacraments and declare me dead."

-- Spokane Spokesman-Review

Why most newspapers will fade away

Newspapers are clearly in trouble as we move deeper into economic recession. This causes me particular pain as I am a former newspaper journalist. I worked in the industry for about 20 years altogether and loved almost every minute of it.

I left in 1986 because the world was changing and it was clear to me that newspapers were no longer keeping up with the times, particularly in the technology arena. But, mostly the career opportunity was limited and uninspiring. Many newspapers were poorly managed, setting the stage for their failure to understand and recognize the threat the Internet was to pose in another 10 years. They thought they were in the newspaper business when in fact they were in the information communications business. The printed newspaper was merely a means for presenting and transporting information. When the Internet came along and everyone got computers and high-speed connections, it solved the delivery problem. When the Internet improved, it solved the presentation problem. In fact, the Internet ultimately was able to vastly outpace the capability of the printed page in delivering vast amounts of content.

Now, it’s the combination of the Internet and the economy that is putting the double whammy on newspapers. Many will not survive the current economic times. But they would be doomed even if the economy was fine. It would just take longer. Newspapers for the most part don’t get it and haven’t gotten it for a long time. They should have seen this coming, but they either didn’t or chose not to heed all the warning signs.

Now it’s probably too late. People are changing their habits. No one buys the local paper for its classified ads, the cash cow of yesterday. They go to Craig’s List, which is free and produces instant, interactive results. Quality publications with truly unique content will probably survive. But, I’m sceptical that local news will keep them in the game. TV stations stand an excellent chance to win that battle for the same reason that the Internet has won.

For years, newspapers have had web sites. But, many have been squandered efforts. They apparently thought that merely having a web presence was sufficient, but that it didn’t matter what was on the web site. Well those days have passed. Consumers are too savvy.

So, the world will change again. I was once hopeful that newspapers would merely morph into online sites. I don’t think that’s going to happen in most instances. For many newspapers, it’s just too late and they will slowly fade away. Perhaps they will hang on in some online guise for a time, but they’ve already lost that economic battle.

We still subscribe to a newspaper, but it’s published in New York, has unique global content, is printed at a satellite printing plant and has a great web site.

Dumb as we wanna be

I don’t want to go on forever about this because Thomas Friedman does it so much better.

I occasionally get emails from a dear friend, an educated guy who has lived all over the world, who just happens to be in with the wrong political crowd. He’s as intellectual and bright as anyone I’ve know in my life, but he still clings to the conservative right mantra and parrots back the same old crap about freedom, taxes and guns. His friends would rather talk about Clinton pardons than America’s standing in the world, our ruined economy and two failed wars. He also sends out emails to a list of his friends – most of whom are not of my persuasion on political issues or worldview. It’s the usual whistling-by-the-graveyard stuff , poking fun at the people who think before they email.

Well, he sent out an email yesterday about how he’d take his guns and freedom and the rest of us could have our change. I pointed out that change is coming and there’s nothing the head-in-sand crowd can do about it. It’s already started with the election of Mr. Obama and the increased majority of the Democrats in Congress. The American people have voted for change and new perspectives. It was clearly a mandate – something George Bush could not achieve in eight years.

His son, who is in the midst of his doctoral program (in law enforcement even) at Florida State University, responded to the mail politely suggesting that everyone read Friedman’s new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded. For those who haven’t read it, this should be your New Year’s resolution. If you want a taste, read Friedman’s column on the subject from this week’s New York Times.

A chill-out kind of Christmas

Now that we’re through Christmas, and the snow is finally melting away, I have to say this was one of the strangest Christmases ever. Given the current economic dilemma, I have to wonder if this wasn’t all meant to be.

What was different? Of course there was the backdrop of the economy, but this year it was the weather – our worst snowfall in decades, about four to be exact. That kept us housebound for most of the 10 days or so leading up to Christmas and cut down dramatically on the amount of spending. When you can’t get out to the stores and restaurants, you can’t spend money.

This all is going to hit the local merchants quite a whack, but it’s probably a lot more in line with what people need to do and I want to do. We have a lot to be thankful for and we had a great Christmas. It was small, affordable and for family even though we didn’t get out to see a lot of family. We also weren’t rushing around at the last minute, feeling guilty because we hadn’t bought enough presents or gotten enough baking, etc. done. It was just a low-key, chill-out kind of Christmas.

Really, this may indeed be the model for Christmases (if not life) going forward even thought we don’t expect to see this kind of weather again for a long time, if ever.

A bigger deal than I thought

Last week, we had our repatriation training. It was something generously provided by my company to help us adjust to moving back to the US after living overseas for more than two years. At first, I was inclined to pass it up. After all, it costs money and weren't we moving back to a country that we knew well and had lived in most of our lives.

The more I reflect on the training, the more valuable it becomes. We certainly don't see the US as a foreign land, but between missing our former surroundings and friends and being puzzled by why we are feeling the way we are about some things here, this was invaluable. We realized how much we've changed, some of it in very subtle ways. We also realize that our families and friends have different expectations of us than we have of ourselves.We lived a different lifestyle in London -- not better, just different. Two years was enough time to make some significant changes on how we view the world and some of that is at odds with the common wisdom here.

Nothing's changed and yet everything has changed. We are not living in our house because it's still rented. The government is about to change dramatically (something we welcome). And then there's the economy, which adds all kinds of additional tension. But there are other little things. We've been more reluctant to jump back into things with friends. We find ourselves craving time by ourselves. We miss the long walks and time together we had in London. Why? I think it had a lot to do with the two of us taking on a new experience in a foreign land two years ago. Now, we need some time to readjust. We didn't own a car for two years and rarely drove. Now, we have two cars. We've both been more tired. All part of the adjustment, we were told.

Just to be sure, we are moving on with our lives and we are adjusting. There are, of course, many, many things we love about living back in the US, but we now realize that our feelings are normal and that it'll take some time for us to re-enter. The training will help us cope with this and more than that perhaps help our friends and families understand that there is a re-entry process and it's normal and natural. As we were told and realize, we are changed forever.

Whites on the move in Oregon

This is a wine comment. The other night we went out to Newberg for the First Friday Artwalk. It's really more of a winewalk than artwalk. We didn't find much art, but a decent amount of wine.

One thing that struck me was the prevalence and quality of some of the whites we tasted. Oregon, of course, is known for its pinot noir and we are big fans. But, some are making a big bet on whites. Bill Stoller of Stoller Vineyards is among them. He planted a significant portion of his acreage in chardonnay. Harry Peterson-Nedry, winemaker and co-owner of Chehalem Vineyards is betting on Riesling. Harry once told me that if you can't make Riesling, you can't make wine. Then there's pinot gris, a wine I'd given up on a couple of years ago, but some of the pinot gris being turned out in Oregon is distinctive and interesting. Chehalem has a barrel fermented gris and Scott Shull at Raptor Ridge has been making a great gris for year.

While living overseas, we became big fans of white burgundies, especially meursault. We had a Coral Creek Chardonnay the other night that reminded us of the meursaults we liked in Europe. On the Riesling side, Lemelson's has always been our favorite. It's crisp, lemony taste is driven by an acidity that makes it ideal for laying down for a few years.

Living small

We are living in an 1,125 sq. ft. condo near our 2,500 sq. ft. house in Beaverton and we'll be here for at least another 5 months. It's about the same size as our flat in north London though not as well arranged. But, we've found ourselves saying to each other that we actually kind of like this small living.

More than anything else, living small has a huge impact on your accumulation of stuff. We can barely fit our two cars in the garage and one of them is a Mini Cooper. We have more furniture than we know what to do with. We have limited cupboard space in the kitchen. But, we have what we need, even a reasonably sized balcony where we can barbecue and get some fresh air and sun. It's more than adequate.


One of the ways that we've changed since moving back is our view on stuff. We don't need nearly as much as we accumulate. And, we're trying really hard to fall back into this trap. When our house is available next year, I'm sure we'll move back in and not sell it to take up permanent residence in the condo. But for now, this is doing us just fine.

Begich takes lead over Stevens

According to 538:

The Alaska Board of Elections has finally
updated (pdf). With 17,728 votes counted since the previous update,
Democrat
Mark Begich has the lead over Republican Ted Stevens, 132,196 to
131,382.More
votes to be counted tomorrow and possibly Friday.As we've pointed
out and has been pointed out elsewhere,
the remaining votes come from Begich-friendly districts. Mark Begich is now
an
overwhelming favorite to win the Alaska Senate seat.

Taking the blog out of cold storage

Either I wasn't persistent enough or no one seemed to care much about my blog during our two years in London. I started it as a way to stay in touch primarily with family, but also friends. Family turned out to lack the tech savvy to follow a blog and friends probably didn't really care all that much. After all, aren't we really writing these blogs for our own self satisfaction? The chance to just say something or make a comment occasionally.

The origins of this blog were to write about one of my passions, wine. And, now that I'm back on my home wine turf, I hope to be doing that again. Not that European wines weren't wonderful and provided a big new adventure. But, I like the Oregon wine industry and I'm a lot more familiar with its characters. Already, I've put together a wine tasting for a friend on Nov. 22 at four of my favorite wineries -- Chehalem, Lange, Lemelson and Stoller. I've also been in touch with Scott Shull, the founder and winemaker at burgeoning Raport Ridge. In the two years I've been gone, RR has grown out of the facility next to his house in Scholls and into a proper winery in Carlton.

We've been back in the country two weeks now. We're still adjusting. A lot has changed beyond even the current economic crunch. But, America is a great country and you can only appreciate that after you've been gone for awhile. It is the land of opportunity even when times are tough as they are now.

So, I hope to be writing more regularly and commenting more broadly beyond the wine industry.

How Apple blew it

After 10 days with the iPhone, I dropped by the Apple store on Regent Street over the weekend to take a one-hour workshop. I learned some really valuable tips that make it more usable. The store, as usual, was jam packed.

Best tip was how the auto complete works with text. Basically, just type away as fast as you like and it will almost always correct your typos caused from hitting an adjacent key. Also learned that by holding down on the text you've already created, you can magnify it and move the cursor exactly where you want it for editing.

Also learned that you can sync with both a PC and a Mac even if you're using Exchange. Since Exchange syncs over the air, there are no worries about corrupting your iCal or Address Book with contacts and appointments from your work calendar and contact list. AND, if you keep your music and photos on the Mac, like I do, you can also sync those to the iPod. I was completely surprised when I found out it worked this well.

But, on to the main topic. Beause Apple has done such a miserable job with MobileMe, and because you can dual sync, there is certainly a much diminished potential that new iPhone owners will run out and buy Macs. In fact, I'm even happier with my PC and I might just junk the Mac over time and get a home PC! I discovered, for instance, that you can create a separate home calendar in Outlook that will also sync. You can show it with your work calendar or separately. And, of course, this is all made possible because MobileMe doesn't work. I can't get it to sync anything outside of e-mail. Calendar, Contacts and Photos don't work properly. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. And, the app itself is flaky.

Apple is working on fixing MM, but in the meantime, they've made me feel right at home with my PC and Exchange mail.

I got an iPhone

Ever since I bought my first PDA probably 20 years ago, I've been obsessed with these little (they weren't always that way) pocket wonders. And that was even before the dawn of the smart phone era. Probably the most memorable devices were my first Palm -- so small and slim. I also loved the Psion, a British invention. (I recently saw a guy pull one out in a pub.) They've since been discontinued and the last one was produced at least 10 years ago. I still have mine around somewhere.

Then there were the early Windows CE devices. Clunky, black and white screens, quirky, ugly, etc. Then Windows Mobile and now the iPhone.

The iPhone is a good device and definitely the coolest PDA/phone I've ever used. It's just so darned slick and intuitive. Still, it's not perfect. But, it does touch so much better than anything else on the market. I wouldn't even bother looking at the competitors. They don't even begin to measure up. If you don't like the iPhone's touch inerface, then I'd get a good keyboard device.

The Nokia e71 is my current envy, but the e90 is an amazing though slightly larger device. A colleague has it and loves it. Nokia make well built phones and the little known secret is that the e-series works remarkably well with Microsoft's Exchange server as they have licensed the activesync technology. I've used the more compact, but super well executed e51 and loved it for a very small pocket device.

But, I digress. I've had the iPhone for a week. I figured I owed it to myself to at least try it. Some things are annoying. There is a lag in some of the apps though I'm told this is to be fixed in the 2.0.1 upgrade which is out, but I've not been able to download yet. I'm also having trouble with my calendar as it seems to want me to confirm or decline a ton of appointments that I've already confirmed or declined on my computer.

The battery is what it is, but easily gets me through a day and I get a lot of e-mail. I don't surf the web as much as some may. I get spotty 3G coverage and the Edge service is really not acceptable for web surfing. The WiFi works great and I love that it just pops on once you've established a connnection. Ditto with the Bluetooth. I also like how easy it is to delete SMS messages and e-mail. I wish it would allow you to put each e-mail account under a separate icon on the home screen. The e-mail setup is amazing and so much easier than any other phone I've ever used. No complex menus and arcane techie questions you have to answer (or guess at).

Still, there's a lot I've not played with yet. Overall, the phone has worked well for me, but I still have some questions so am taking a free Apple workshop to better understand the features, tips and tricks. The big question is will I get one when I come home? I would say the jury is out since there are some many phones and I'm a bit addicted to keyboard phones. However, nothing -- nothing -- even comes close to the iPhone's cool factor. And, in the end, isn't that what it's all about?

New iPhone, MobileMe off to rocky start

Apple may have released its long awaited iPhone 2.0 yesterday around the world, but the initial reports are far from encouraging. Yes, they went like hotcakes, but is anyone connected, yet? I dropped into my local O2 store this morning and and they were all sold out. Didn't even have any samples though they dig one up just to show me. Nice looking, of course, and a slight improvement on No. 1 from the design and coolness factor.

Apparently all the set-up issues related back to software problems and Apple's infrastructure (or lack of it). The same was true with the new MobileMe service, which is still balky today. Contacts not connecting to e-mail. Calendar sync problems. Slow. Crashy behaviour. Photos don't upload altogether satisfactorily or at all.

All in all, a pretty sorry showing for Apple and another reason to question Apple's ability to scale on a truly massive scale when it comes to linking everything together. For all its faults, you have to give Microsoft credit for getting this bit down. And Google and Yahoo! for that matter. They all know how to roll out large online SW deployments and have them work.

IMO, the big mistake Apple made was letting their arrogance get in the way of common sense. Why did they wait until the day before launch to roll out MobileMe? They should have had it up at least a week before so they could work out the inevitable bugs with existing .Mac users. As it was, they not only pissed off existing customers, but their new customers. What a stroke of marketing genius.

Apple usually does things right and has a nice winning streak. It just could be that all this success and press adoration is going to their heads. At Apple where hardware and design are king, someone needs to wake up the boys on the SW side.

UK retail numbers stun experts

UK economists are scratching their heads today over a shocking rise in retail sales recorded during May. After all, we're supposed to be in the midst of a slowdown, recession, stagflation, etc. Depends on what day you read the papers. If you took all this to heart, you'd think we should all just pack it in.

But the numbers, released Friday by the government, seem to have taken all the economic "know-it-alls" for a loop. Some are saying the numbers can't possibly be right and are making the assumption that some fatal flaw will be discovered to discredit the numbers shortly.

The month on month rise of 3.5% is also a record since this data was first tallied and bests the 3.2% rise recorded in 1991. Sales were up 8.2 percent from last May. The rise was led by a 9.2% month-to-month increase in clothing and shoes, which was attributed to stocking up on seasonal items.

Day at the races

Saturday, we went to the Epsom Derby. That would be us along with 140,000 other crazy Europeans! We thought we were letting ourselves in for a day at the races, but it turned out to be the second leg of Britian's equivalent to the triple crown (who knows, maybe they invented it first, like a lot of things.)

We went on a coach (bus to those in the US) along with a contingent of about 25 from our local (pub), the Duke of Hamilton ("The Duke), which is literally situated 50 steps from the front of our apartment building. It's a little bit famous because an episode of the British version of the Apprentice was shot there recently.

Richard, the young and fun proprietor of the Duke, was our host. We got off to a bit of a rocky start because as my dad would say, he "overtrained" the night before. Or, as they say here, Richard was royally pissed on Friday night. We dropped over to say hello and by 9pm he was well on his way.

We were promised champagne and bacon rolls on the coach, but alas the coach driver informed us that not only did we have to wear our seat belts under penalty of law, but there was no eating or drinking on the coach.

So, we were all very hungry by the time we arrived at Epsom around noon, well before post time for the first race at 13:40. The place was a madhouse. Cars, coaches, people everywhere. The stands are quite small, but the track is huge -- about a 2-mile horseshoe with people encamped everywhere. Literally one massive tailgate party! The people watching was amazing.

The betting was also interesting. Not only is there state sanctioned betting at portable trailers parked all over the place, but there are also private bookies who make their own odds and have slightly different rules than the Totes. The lines are shorter at the bookies, though.

The Queen arrived before the first race and one of the Epsom flags was lowered and the royal standard replaced it. (The standard is to be raised in 21 seconds from bottom to top once the Queen has arrived in the building.) We didn't see her, but saw the balcony she was standing on.

The food Richard and his mates prepared was wonderful. People had a good time. Only one fight broke out in our group, but it ended quickly. We made many rest stops on the way home and ended the long day at 21:30. Oh, yes, by hitting a £45 winner in the second race, we came home even.

Is Gordon gonsky?

Will Britain get a new Prime Minister? That's certainly the talk of London this bank holiday weekend. Gordon Brown's year old administration has fallen on hard times. His Labour Party lost big in the recent elections which included a Tory victory in the London mayorial race.

Then this week, the Tories took a conservative seat in a by-election. The seat had been held by Labour for decades prior to this week.

So, the tom toms are out and it's Gordon's head that may be on the line. I'm, however, more in agreement with the lead editorial in today's Financial Times, which urges Brown to hang in there and fix what's wrong. Labour doesn't have to call an election until the spring of 2010, so there is time to fix the mess and hopefully for the economy to recover.

A year ago, Brown was flying so high Labour was considering calling an election last autumn. Now, the party's poll numbers are the lowest they've been since Margaret Thatcher called No. 10 her home.

Personally, I think Gordon remains the PM until he has to call an election.

Ah, Provence

Just returned from a week in lovely Provence -- our first visit. We stayed with another couple in a three-unit house just east of Avignon near Carpentras. I just uploaded our photos to Smugmug, my preferred method for storing and sharing photos online.  If you've not tried it, I highly recommend. It stores your whole photo at full resolution and not just a portion. It also creates a URL for all of your albums (galleries), making it very easy to share them without sending your friends one of those obnoxious invites.

We had a car, so we spent all of our time driving around the countryside visiting the little villages and taking in the local culture. We did some wineries, but only a few. Our favourite was Domaine de Mourchon at Sugeret. We had an excellent tasting there and ate out lunch under a grape arbor in the front of the tasting room while being entertained by the vineyard dog Rudy (see photos). 

I was impressed by the quality of the wine and how inexpensive it was. We drank a lot of wine during the week and most of it was priced under 10 Euros. We discovered Provence roses. My previous brushed with rose wine hasn't been good. Because it's relatively high in sugar, it tends to give me a headache. The fine Provence roses were different and we loved them.

It's not hard to see why France is the largest wine producing region in the world, more than twice the production of the US. Everywhere we drove, the ground was covered with vines. There are 14 varietals they are allowed to grow in Provence, but most of the wine is grenache and shiraz. We did have some excellent viogniers, though. 

One of the fun things we did was got to St. Remy to watch the annual (every may 12) running of the sheep when the sheep are moved from the low land to the mountains. It's quite a festival day in St. Remy and brings out many locals. We also had a delightful day in Roussillon, a quaint little village in the ocra hills east of Avignon. 

It was a very restful week. We cooked most of our meals, buying our meat in local butcher shops or the hyper marche in Carpentras. We definitely felt the impact of the strong Euro, but the price of the local wine helped temper that. 

Breaking news

Boris Johnson, the recently elected mayor of London today issued his first new order since taking office at the first of the week. He is banning open alcohol containers and alcohol consumption on public transportation.

I was somewhat shocked when I came here and learned that it was fine to have a nip (or more) on the train. This has never been a problem for me (I don't mean it quite that way). I've never had any trouble with anyone abusing alcohol on the tube. However, one Saturday morning I did run into a couple of very loud and annoying East Europeans downing cans of beer on the tube.

I found it a bit like Las Vegas where you can drink just about anywhere. This really seems to make sense. Johnson, a Tory, is starting to put his more conservative stamp on London by issuing the ban on drinking from June 1.

What have we here?

When I stepped outside the office today to pick up a sandwich for lunch (at my favourite sandwich shop -- EAT) there was an electric car parked in front of the building. Now, I know what that post with the blue lights on top is for. It's where the car is plugged in.

This may be the first electric car I've ever seen. Small and orange, it's called the Mega City and has a price tag of £10,498, including batteries. It has a range of 40 miles and a top speed of 40mph, which would make it fine as a London commuter. You don't have to pay the dreaded congestion tax (£8 per day) or the road tax (vehicle registration tax), either, so it's even practical to drive into town. It even includes free parking in Westminster or the City. According to Nice's website, all this will save you £7,000 a year.

We've gotten on here for nearly two eyars without a car and we don't intend to get one now, but this is very tempting. I could even drive to work! I've been teasing L about what kind of car she's going to get when we return to the States. I may have to point her to the Mega City.

Americans "shocked" into smaller cars

As most of you who have followed my ramblings know, I no longer own a car and haven't for almost two years. But, eventually we will return to the US where a car (more likely two) will be a necessity. Unfortunately public transport where I live is not what it is in London.

We've been giving this a lot of thought and are being influenced for several issues: the rocketing price of gasoline, the building environmental crisis, the power of the oil-producing nations and the kinds of cars we see people driving here.

Friends of ours just bought a Prius, but this was after they bought an Audi A4 only a few months earlier. Now, this had to be a money losing proposition since they traded the Audi in on the Prius. But, it also demonstrates the mindset that is taking hold in the US as the price of gas zeroes in on the $4 mark (here, it's closer to $10 per gallon). The dealer where the bought the Prius is no longer taking SUVs as trade ins. They had 41 Priuses on April 1 and sold the last one yesterday.

This is exactly what Americans need -- to be shocked into taking drastic steps to counter what is undoubtedly a looming crisis with potentially dire consequences for all of us. It's long puzzled me why more people don't opt for hybrids or at least high mileage small cars. We may finally be at that point. And, I say, hooray for the high price of oil is what will drive us out of our lethargy and put US consumers back in the drivers seat.

An article in toay's New York Times comments on the rising sales of small cars in April:

“It’s easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in the market in my 31 years here,” said George Pipas, chief sales analyst for the Ford Motor Company.

If the vast majority of Americans opted for small, fuel efficient or hybrid vehicles, we could solve the oil crisis overnight. And, the result would be a dramatic decline in the price of gasoline. It's all about supply and demand.

So, what about my next car? Well, my wife wants a small SUV like the Ford Escape hybrid. I'm pretty sure mine will be a Prius. And our current conversation is about just buying two Priuses. Time will tell, but I would predict that in two more years, the US will have dramatically refitted its auto fleet to smaller cars and this will have started having an effect in the price of oil. We may even be seeing the high water mark now. In a way I hope not because more shock treatment is needed. This is not just a consumer issue. It's a defense issue as well.

The real chippper

Last night, we went to an art show at the Royal Arts Academy in Piccadilly after work and found ourselves looking for a place to eat when I remembered we weren't far from The Golden Hind. But, we'd never been there to eat since we came here to live almost two years ago.

On our first trip to London in 1985, we went there for dinner. It was recommended to us as Princess Diana's favourite. And, we weren't disappointed. Since coming here, we've tried a number of chippers around London and some have been very good. The most recent was Nautilus in West Hampstead.

But, I have to say that The Golden Hind on Marylebone Lane, just north of Oxford Street beats them all hands down. The restaurant is tiny and if it's full which it is most of the time, the queue is on the sidewalk outside. No beer or wine, but you can bring your own (even better). If you want to buy your drink afte ryou get there, there is a Tesco and two wine shops just around the corner. We both had haddock and chips and it was great. Perfectly cooked to a golden colour. Cirspy on the outside and perfect on the inside.

The place has had five owners since 1914 when it first opened. They are listed on a board in the restaurant. The first three were Italian and the last two have been Greek. If you come to London, don't miss this place. They do take reservations, but their hours are tricky, so check before showing up.

Will iPhone crush Android?

Some interesting speculation here as to why Android, Google's upcoming mobile platform, won't stand a chance against Apple's iPhone, rumored to be readying a 3G version of the phone to go along with its 2.0 software upgrade release scheduled for June.

According to this piece on the Android Guys blog, Google is not establishing any parameters with developers or carriers when it comes to software developed for the new platform. While the open source community will love this, it could wreck havoc on with ordinary consumers who just want a phone to work and aren't part of the tech elite. Those ordinary consumers could end up with dodgy software that could cause them all kinds of problems.

If this is true, one has to wonder what Google are thinking in terms of what they may be unleashing on the very customers who have placed such high trust in their products.

The Kindle

Does anyone have one of these? Being in London, it doesn't make any sense beause the wireless aspect wouldn't work over here and that's the whole benefit right now. But with the number od commutes every day on public transport, it seems like an obviously lucrative market.

If anyone who reads this has one, please drop a comment about how you like it. I have to assume they're selling quite well as they've been out of stock for some time and Amazon only recently got them back in. If I lived in the US, not sure I'd be all that interested. I do be more reading done here because a) I have an hour commute daily (both ways) and b) there is more time to read (TV isn't as good IMO).

Anybody's who into gadgets would have to like the concept. I especially like the idea of getting the newspapers every day. That's very clever.

iPhone not the hit carriers expected?

There are indications that the iPhone has not been the smash hit in Europe that carriers first expected. Carriers apparently overbought on inventory and are now dumping the 8BG handsets to clear the way for the new 3G models expected in June.

T-mobile in Germany, O2 and Carphone Warehouse in the UK have all discounted the handsets. Orange, the exclusive carrier in France, may be next to offer steep price cuts. In the UK, the price of the 8GB model was slashed more than a third to £169. This new price is only in effect until June 1, however. A spokesperson for O2 denied that the price reduction has anything to do with bloated inventory of the devices.

This is interesting as Europe is a very sophisticated market for mobile phones and has traditionally led the rest of the world in sophistication. The 3G network, for instance, is well built out here and most new multi-function or smartphones offer 3G. Thus, one of the reasons speculated why the iPhone might not have done as well as some expected. Because of its great web connectivity, the iPhone craves for fast connections. When you go to a store to play with one, they are always connected to a local WiFi network, not the cell network.

This is a good article in the Times outlining what may be coming with the iPhone, including some radical changes in form factor when the new models are expected to be announced June 8.

Google's stunning success

Google is the largest advertising company in the world and the largest seller of advertising in Britain. This is an American company, mind you, that recently passed ITV as the largest purveyor of advertising here.

Estimates are that Google ad sales worldwide will reach $21.9 billion this year. Concludes Saul Hansell of the New York Times:

We don’t know what effect this will have. Google will argue that it is making the world of marketing more efficient and thus better for everyone. Many in the media business are not so sure that this efficiency helps them.

When is winter going to end?

When is this f'ing cold weather going to end? Here it is halfway through April and a month into Spring and we're still suffering through freezing temperatures. On top of that, I got a dandy of a cold this week that is just beginning get better. It's the worst cold I've had in years.

This really does seem like bizarre weather. Just a week ago, we had several inches of snow! Then to add insult to injury, London was engulfed in terrible smelling air being dubbed Der Stink. Apparently freak weather conditions are causing the wind to blow foul smelling air over from Germany. So, the wind is making it cold and smelly.

By this time last year, we were all romping around in shorts and sandals. So, my question: Is this part of global warming? I thought it was supposed to get warmer, not colder. I'm confused. I'd really like to just get warm again and get over this damned cold.