Anthony Martin’s Weblog

I don't usually taste beer in my perfect beaker, but this is a kind of beer that deserves very little respect.

It's a gimmick can. The color is a clear copper, which is also a gimmick because the can said they use artificial caramel coloring. It has a sorta whitish head. Slightly grainy/citrus aroma and flavor with a dry finish and lasting bitter/graininess. I think the bitter is from the artificial color, maybe. Thin texture and moderate carbonation. I sabotaged the lacing with my (plastic) beaker.

Loading mentions Retweet

Part of what we expect from big-name-electronics is support, right?  Originally, I had to chose between Kodak, Aiptek, and whoever it is who makes the Flip Mino.  I have very little experience dealing with this aspect of consumer electronics because they are generally so reliable in the first place.  But if you had to chose an HD video camera strictly by how well known the brand is, wouldn't you go with Kodak?

Why did my Kodak Zi6 break down?  I don't know.  They never said.  The first symptom of problems was that it would only record 5 seconds then appear to lock up.  It doesn't run any kind of Microsoft operating system, so there was no explanation as to why it would lock up.  Yes, that was a joke, but isn't that what you think of when something locks up?  Microsoft/Windows?

Indeed, the firmware on the Zi6 is so simple, how could it ever lock up like this?  So I ran the diagnostic, and it seemed to get worse.  To me, this is clearly symptoms of hardware failure, not the firmware.  It could have been caused by anything from humidity to component defect or a combination thereof.

Since I bought it in April and it started acting up in August, I thought for sure the warranty had expired, but Kodak's web site took my information and indicated that it was indeed covered.  I shipped it uninsured by USPS for $2.70 (risky, I know).  They did whatever they did and sent it back UPS for free.  There was no indication on the rider sheet about what went wrong or how they fixed it.  But it works now, so what do I care?  They got my camera back to me in 3 weeks.  That was very nice too.

My theory is that they sent me a new or refurbished device, not my original camera.  I think this because the serial number sticker looks askew.  It clearly looks like someone pealed it off and applied it to a different camera.

I don't care if that's what they did as long as it works.  I just hope the replacement device doesn't need service with a serial number sticker looking this way.

So way to go, Kodak!  No real complaints from me.  I just wish it didn't break right before the trip up north, but the timing is not Kodak's fault.  On the other hand, if you were going to just replace it, why not send the replacement first, dear Kodak?  That's what Seagate does with hard drives.  Oh well.  Like I said, no real complaints.

Ok, I do actually have one small complaint.  They didn't update the firmware to the latest bersion before shipping it back to me.  It came back with 1.10 and the web site lists 1.11.  The steps indicate you must use an external card reader to update the camera's firmware, but that's not true.  You can load the firmware onto the SD card with the camera itself, then follow the steps as if you used an external card reader.

Incidently, there is talk of a group forming to edit (hack) the Zi6 firmware to get more features out of it.  Neat.  They're even discussing the feature I want: default HD60.

Loading mentions Retweet

I guess everyone is having a tough time economically.  TAL (This American Life) is asking for donations from its listeners to cover their bandwidth costs.  I can't say I feel that obligated to give them money, so instead, I'll help them out by hosting this episode on another server so they don't get hit by my review.  This is a link to the episode, but if you listen to the episode on this page, it won't cost them anything.  So there.

Anyway, there have been a few episodes of TAL about the economy that are noteworthy.  This one has to be the best so far.  They do an excellent job of explaining, in plain English, that the global economic collapse was in fact not caused solely by lack of regulation.  In fact, once the problem started to snowball, it was the existence of certain regulations that prevented the market from being able to move with agility.  You could say that market regulations made things worse.

No. 382: The Watchmen by Chicago Public Radio  

(download)

Click here to download:

#382 - The Watchmen.mp3 (14226 KB)

Loading mentions Retweet

With the third child here, it was time for a new imaging device.  Before Benjamin arrived, we got a Canon DV camcorder.  After Hannah arrived, we got a 7.2 (effective) megapixel Cybershot.  The Cybershot could record VGA video in a codec iMovie didn't like very much.  So I just have to re-encode these videos if I want to use them with iMovie.  It was also limited in other ways.  It takes great stills and the video is good enough in a pinch.

The old camcorder stopped working about a year ago.  I think it might still play the tapes, but it can't capture video any longer.  So it was time to buy a new video recorder.  I looked at what Target had from Aiptek and the Mino Flip.  But I settled on the Kodak Vi6.

First of all, this is really just for point-and-shoot.  It is not a camcorder replacement.  The main thing I like about it is that it records in HD.  Specifically, it can shoot 720p@30 and 720p@60.  If you're not familiar with that, it means "High Definition" in either 30 frames-per-second or 60 frames-per-second.  It's what I wanted and that's about all you really need to know.  If you want a more technical explanation on what the numbers really mean, just Google it.

The first complaint I have about this camera is the firmware.  It doesn't allow you to set a default format.  So if I intend to only ever record at 60 fps, I have to switch it each time I power it on.  Second, sometimes the record button doesn't start recording, but I think that's probably pilot error.

Another slight problem is that there is no indication the unit is powered on when the USB is plugged in.  Half the time I'm waiting for something to happen after realizing I need to turn it on after connecting it.  The other half of the time, I'm pulling it off the USB port while it's still powered.  The nice thing is that this camera has never dumped the data as result of pulling it off the USB port while it's still powered.  I've had several cameras that will dump the data in that event, which is a real pain.  Not so with this camera.

Last, the battery life indicator is incorrect.  After about 15 minutes at 60 fps, the battery life indicator was red, which supposedly indicates the battery was almost dead.  But the unit went on to record over 30 minutes more on a red indicator.  I turned it off and back on to see the battery indicator back to 50%.  So battery life seems quite antiquate but the indicator is wrong.

As far as complaints are concerned, that's about it.  I think those are really mild complaints.  One of the features I like is that it has a macro mode to allow focus on extremely close objects.  I've had cameras with a macro feature that doesn't offer much of a difference.

Tip: I recommend either a) avoid putting this device in your pocket or b) get a rubber band to keep the USB from popping out.  Even if you put the device in the felt bag that comes with it, if you put it in your pocket, the USB will pop out at some point.

Another Tip: Get the big, high quality SD card and get extra Kodak batteries.  Kodak sells Ni-MH 2100mAh AA 1.2V.  Don't use alkaline.  Even though it looks like regular AA cells will work, I'm not sure it's such a good idea.  I've been reading reviews of people who use regular AA and they seem to have nothing but problems.  Some reviews say there are no problems.  Kodak is not clear about it.

Here's a clip I shot in LAX before getting on the bus.  It was originally recoded on April 29th, 2009 at 720p @ 60 FPS:

Click here to download:

Zi6_0121.MOV (14851 KB)

Learn more ...

Loading mentions Retweet

Karen told me she read "The Foot Book" to Hannah months ago.  As result, Hannah, who is almost three, can now tell the difference between her left foot and her right foot.

Tonight, Hannah asked me to read this book to her for the first time.  I am astounded to see how silly this book is.  How she picked up such a useful piece of information is completely beyond my ability to reason!  Here's a video of me reading the book with comments about left feet and right feet at the end:



I then cryptically reference Jonah Chapter 4 at the very end of the video.  To me, this information take together is an indictment to Christians.  Children most certainly do qualify as worthy to receive the Gospel.  But they are largely ignored.  Usually, Christians claim children are "under the age of accountability" but if God was so willing to destroy Nineveh though it contained those who could not tell their left from their right, what does that say about children who can?  Maybe I'm taking things too literally.

Fact is, I am a Christian.  I largely do not believe in this "under the age of accountability" stuff.  If we are to "become as a little child" then I would like to become as Hannah and love Christ.  Then be judged rightly.

Thus, it seems like any age of accountability is perhaps two and under.  Which means we have been mislead by most pastors in the church.  What else are they wrong about?

Loading mentions Retweet

There was a box of these in the lunch room for public consumption.  I'm not sure what they're going for.  It didn't seem cubical nor like any pastry I've ever had.  I'm sure there's demand.  Just not from me.

It's very nutty and flaky.  Kind-of like me.  I can't tell if there are any artificial ingredients because the only English on the wrapper relating to the product's description is "Cubic Pastry" and "Flavor."  There is also another clue, "TK Food :: Since 1979 :: Baked Wheat Cookie."

Maybe it's an acquired taste, which I am usually a big fan of.  So plan on acquiring more than one if your goal is to eventually enjoy these.

   

Click here to download:

Cubic_Pastry_Failtag_Fail_Revi.zip (869 KB)

Loading mentions Retweet

First of all, what is LazyTown?  It's a TV show for preschoolers on Nick Jr.  But it is also quite a bit of a meme, too.  The show is for kids, but the meme genre is composed of 50% perverts, 33% high school kids, and the rest probably just like the music.  This is a quintessential example video for LazyTown:


"Cooking By the Book," source: YouTube
 
The girl with pink hair is the character named Stephanie (played by Julianna Rose Mauriello).  She's usually the moral authority in the show.  When some of the other characters get the idea to do something ill-advised (like playing video games all day, for example), she has advise to give them (like going outside and playing).  I think it's great to instruct kids with absolute words like "always," "never," and "ought."

Ok, I over-analyze everything.  I think over-analysis is one of my spiritual gifts, along with the gift of discouragement.  That's how I roll.  But this show is easy to over-analyze.  Like most stuff for kids, the parents either love it or hate it.

The first time I heard the song, "Cooking By the Book" was when we were returning from a trip to Auburn.  We were up there for Thanks Giving and we had a long drive ahead of us.  So we popped in a CD that was given to us by a friend of a family member.  The CD was actually a huge collection of tracks originally given as a party favors (yes, that's probably still illegal distribution).  Most of the tracks were of The Wiggles.  But before The Wiggles, there were several songs from shows I'd never heard of.  One of the songs was "Cooking By the Book," but I had still not heard of LazyTown.  At the time, I had only heard the meme, "the cake is a lie!"

When I first heard it, my impression was that it was a Britney Spears style preschool song.  Of course you sing about cake with kids instead of whatever it is Britney sings.  Anyway, I didn't like the song, then, and whenever we played the CD after that, I'd skip it.

So, one day I got a Digg: This is SOOOOO WRONG.  Basically, there are 1,000s of diggs that point to the music video.  But the video was pulled by the copyright holders, which happens a lot.  So people are freaking out about this video.  That happens a lot too.  Sometimes this herd behavior leads to the formation of a meme.  I think in this case, it most certainly did.

It is obviously designed by people who study child development.  Barney, Teletubbies, The Wiggles, LazyTown, and a lot of other stuff just get misunderstood.  Granted, there are good reasons to be critical of all media input, but I can't find anything about LazyTown that's amiss.  I think it's great.

As good as LazyTown is, it should not be a substitute for instruction from the parents.  But one thing this show does better than me is promoting physical activity.  So if I plan on being a good role model, I need to get on the ball.  I'm already sunk because the show always ends with Stephanie performing a song and dance routine to Bing Bang, the show's ending theme:

Click here to download:

LazyTown Bing Bang - The Single Version!.mp4 (15324 KB)

Loading mentions Retweet

One of my favorite sites is called Skewz.com.  It's a place to read conservative and liberal stories selected by users.  The users can submit any type of entry from news articles, editorials, blogs posts, and even YouTube videos.  Then, these users look for liberal or conservative bias and record it by moving a slider left or right.

If you write about politics in your blog like I do occasionally, you should consider adding your articles to Skewz.  I went back and added all of the articles tagged as Political.  The image below is what my bias looked like as of today at 10:30 AM.  I'm sure it'll move around quite a bit.

To see the current bias, check out my blog's profile.

Loading mentions Retweet

Behold what came to my inbox today after previously opting out of their mailings:

Anthony,
	Hurry, this offer expires 11/11/2008.

Loading mentions Retweet

Let's just say I'm not impressed.  I got this offer after filling out a customer satisfaction survey for Red Robin.  I know this offer was directly tied to the survey because I gave them a specific e-mail address for the survey and that's the address the offer came to.

We go to Red Robin all the time.  Tonight, we went because we wanted to get the kids out of the house.  We narrowed the choices down to two places, so we really did pick Red Robin because we had a coupon.  That's how this works.

Well, the manager's assistant came by and let us know they didn't recognize the offer so they weren't going to honor it.  I don't blame them for being cautious and I don't like making a big stink over a matter of $5.  If anything, the survey company (Empathica?) messed up for not informing the store of the offer, but it makes the whole outfit look silly.

It appears they didn't charge us for the kids' drinks.  Anyway, just be aware if you get an e-mail offer like this.  Maybe just call ahead or better yet, forward it to the restaurant's manager, if you know his or her e-mail address.

Hi Anthony Martin, Kids and adults always have a great time at Red Robin. Yummy kids' menu that kids love? Check. Crayons and activities? Check. Fun things to look at? Check. Delicious food for everyone? Check. Balloons to go? Check. Great deal with this offer? Check. See you soon, Robin Macdonnell Restaurant Manager

You are receiving this message because you indicated you would like to receive promotional material from Red Robin. If you recieved this message in error, we apologize. You can unsubscribe from receiving any further correspondence by clicking here. Red Robin welcomes your comments and concerns. Please use the following address when contacting us via standard postal service: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers 6312 S. Fiddlers Green Cir., #200N Greenwood Village, CO 80111. You can also email or call Guest Relations for dining experience specific feedback: Phone: 303-846-5440 Fax: 866-445-1419 Email: relations@redrobin.com Please do not reply directly to this email. © 2008 Red Robin International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Loading mentions Retweet