| I Am The Evil T...'s profileI am the Evil TwinPhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
|
September 30 The Lazy Minds of Politicians and ReportersI know from my years of observing politics and news that most politicians and reporters are at their intellectual core lazy creatures. Every time there is a new CRISIS or BIG STORY the reports start sounding more and more alike. During President Bush’s first run in 2000 the political buzzword of the day was “Gravitas”…WTF? For some reason then Governor Bush did not have it and he needed it. At least that was the story from the chattering head class who were talking politics. For some reason this odd word, that means seriousness or dignity, was the word of the day. It sprung up in articles, editorials, and every television round table for the rest of the election. Another one that has developed since the 2004 election is “Swift Boating” which has become political speak for underhanded and unfounded attacks on a candidate’s person. Throughout the primaries and this election campaign we keep hearing about the potential swift boating of this candidate or swift boating of that candidate. So the intellectually lazy media and politicians can simply classify something as a swift boating when they don’t really want to deal with the substance of the issue and still convey in a few words their feelings. In other words a lazy man’s attempt to avoid true reporting or debate. That brings us to today’s phrase du jour, “Wall Street” vs. “Main Street”. I’m not sure where this phrase got its’ start, but it is the typical class warfare rhetoric that candidates and pundits use to attempt to divide and conquer people at an emotional level. Wall Street, conjures images of “fat cat” bankers and slicky-boys in 3 piece suits who burn money for fun and live the so-called “high life”. Main Street introduces pleasant images of days gone by when kids ran down the sidewalk and then gathered at the local drug-store for soda and ice cream. A reality effective way to make people feel a class divide and to attempt to limit the problems in the financial markets as problems that others are dealing with. However, the lazy class (politicians and reporters) have taken this too far. I did a quick Google news search, over the past month there have been 17,962 news stories that have both the phrase “wall street” and “main street” in them. In fact, as the crisis has continued the over-use of the phrase has become rampant, only 120 of those articles were written over a week ago. That means that in the past week alone we have been subjected to this trite and over-used analogy 17,842 times. But wait...it gets better. Of those articles written in the past week only 230 were written before Monday. That means 17, 615 were written in the past day!!! (Is it any wonder that my brain is starting to hurt from the phrase). Give me a break. I would love to see some originality and thought put into our debate and reporting on this issue, but it’s clear that our lazy class is too busy repeating itself to actually say anything useful.
Rock Band to the RescueWell I was glad to see that the "bail-out" went down in flames. From the anecdotal opinions I have been hearing across TV and Radio-land it seems like most of the people are glad to see it fail, even the ones who provided tepid support because they felt it was the only option. Now to see where the congress, president, presidents-to-be, and the markets go from here. No legislating on Tue because of Rosh Hashana. Then they'll be back at it Wed. It will be interesting to see where the blame for the "failure" of this bill sticks (most likely with the Republicans) and whether that ends up being a positive or negative factor in the months to come. I was glad to see some of the fiscal conservatives finally act like it and hopefully, but not likely, we will see some better legislation or preferably no legislation come out of this failed vote.
Finally, I thought this comic did a fun job of making fun of the whole shebang (its another from Shortpacked).
September 28 Debate AnalysisBasic Overview Of course the initial question is the horse race question of "Who Won?"...The basic answer, in my opinion, would be Sen. McCain. The reason I believe so is simple. Sen. Obama was expected to go into this debate and run rhetorical circles around the stiff, old Sen. McCain. That didn't happen. Sen. McCain gave more direct responses, did not um, ah, and stutter like Sen. Obama, and the direct jabs at the opponent that Sen. McCain leveled had more weight behind them. The two portions of the debate, economy and foreign policy, had different results overall. I thought neither candidate struck an effective blow during the economic portion and both seemed to flounder during portions of the back and forth. As for the foreign policy portion, Sen. McCain clearly made effective use of his extensive experience and Sen. Obama's lack thereof. This is what made the debate for Sen. McCain. We'll see how this all plays out in the polls. From my internet perusing, the Dems feel Obama smoked McCain and the Reps feel that McCain smoked Obama, the truth is more nuanced then that and I want to see how the independents and moderates felt the debate went. When the polls start coming out Mon or Tue we will see how it played with the public. My prediction is that McCain will get a small bounce from the debate. Highlights The debate was basically two sections, the first being about economics. I thought this was the weakest portion of the debate for McCain and Obama didn't do much better. Obama started this part of the debate attempting once again to link President Bush and Sen. McCain. I thought McCain did a good job of removing that argument from the table, when he listed off the many areas he and the President have disagreed on. Sen. Obama's critical flaw throughout the debate was continuing to hold onto this line of attack. It sounded pretty unconvincing when through the debate everyone of his answers ended the same way (paraphrasing...) "and that's what President Bush has done for the past eight years and that's the same thing McCain will do..." It began to sound childish and petty after McCain rebuffed the attack. The bickering over earmarks went McCain's direction I believe, however, I think he continued bringing it up for too long after the initial argument. Sen. Obama has a good line with the 95% of "working" Americans getting tax cuts line, but it doesn't hold up to scrutiny and leaves him open to a strong attack from McCain if he chooses to expose exactly how many of those tax cuts work (ie refundable tax credits). There is a lot of territory that Sen. McCain could attack from in the economic ring and he has left much of it unexplored, perhaps we'll see more in the future debates. Sen. Obama's primary attack on McCain in the current climate is the attack about deregulation, and since that has become "conventional" wisdom about the crisis it might stick. This whole section of the debate was pretty even though. The foreign policy arena is where Sen. McCain truly took the advantage during the debate. The "the Senator is Naive..." line was a direct attack on Sen. Obama and during his answers Sen. McCain made it stick. The argument over timetables, middle east peace, high level meetings with rogue states, and the Russian situation all played into Sen. McCain's hands. Each time Sen. McCain was able to point to past experiences in these areas and by striking on narrow missteps by Sen. Obama (the difference between Strategy and Tactics for example) was able to make his experience in this field a sharp contrast with Sen. Obama. The anti-war crowd isn't going to like Sen. McCain's answers, but I think they will hit home with those who are more undecided and have been started to appreciate the successful change of strategy in Iraq for example. Now we just have to wait for the Vice Presidential debates...it could be interesting...Mr. Foot-in-Mouth vs. Mrs. Not-been-on-the-National-Stage-Long-Enough. The gaffs, missteps, and twisted statements could prove to be YouTube fodder for a long time. September 27 Complete Audio of the First 2008 Presidential DebateDownload the Audio: 2008 First Presidential Debate Audio I often don’t get to see political television and the debate was no exception. So I go out and try to find the audio of these events so that I can listen to them while I work. I had some difficulty finding the Sept 26, 2008 First Presidential Debate between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. So I thought I would provide another location for people to download the audio. I’ll post my analysis a bit later after I have a chance to listen and digest it all. September 26 Waiting for Godot...I am glad there hasn't been a deal to "fix" the financial market. I am saddened, but not surprised, at the continuing need to play politics with this. For example, there is the attempt to paint the "Break Down" of this deal on Sen. McCain. Looks like McCain will be leaving town for the debate after all. Despite all the whimpering about how Sen. McCain “played” politics, it was interesting to see who was defending Sen. McCain and his choices this week. A few good articles about the Financial Crisis: What Happened to Market Discipline ß This is by John Stossel (whose work I always recommend) Failure of Capitalism? ß (This one is a must read if you want this whole CRISIS put into perspective) September 24 Leadership...I have never been a huge fan of Sen. McCain. He always struck me as too willing to forgo certain liberties and freedoms to achieve what he believes is right. (ref. McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform.) However, he has always backed up his words with actions, whether I liked them or not. As you can tell I am not fond of this attitude of "let's do something" that congress and the white house have taken to stop this WORST FINANCIAL CRISIS SINCE THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST!!!!!! So I have been dreading what possible "solutions" are going to come down from Washington. I have been heartened to see that there are at least a handful of Republicans that remember the fiscal conservatism and small government ideals that are core to the party. I am even glad there are a bunch of Democrats who don't want to move on this issue, although their reasons are questionable since they mostly involve attempting to score political points by including allies and potential voters in any "bail-out". I was pleased though at the tenor of Sen. McCain's announcement today to "head back" to Washington and get involved in the process. Like I said even if I don't agree with his methods, he puts his money where his mouth is and sticks to his principles. Sen. McCain also has a long track record of "reaching across the aisle" and helping to pen bills that others thought to controversial to achieve any support, McCain/Feingold & McCain/Kennedy are two examples. Odds are good that he will be in the middle of any real bill that comes out if he is there to help. Personally I think it takes a lot of guts to stop active campaigning to actually do the job he was elected to do. Other's have left the Senate when they thought that being a full-time candidate was going to interfere with their position, some just stay in the Senate and don't ever do anything meaningful while they campaign full-time. It's good to see someone in Washington remember what their job is. Here is the text of his announcement
Of course the response from the opposition has been pretty predictable. From Sen. Harry Reid's Don't Come Back!, after all you can't have the opposition's presidential candidate look good during the election. Then there is mocking derision of self-important fools like David Letterman. Especially disappointing was the new conference Sen. Obama held later where he first made sure to let everyone know that "he called Sen. McCain first" and assured us that he is on top of the problem by "talking to Paulson every day"...(See video here). Rather than show some guts and leadership he chose to stay away from Washington and show up "if needed". Although if you are familiar with Sen. Obama's record in both the US and Illinois legislatures this should not come as a real surprise. His idea of leadership is talking about the issue some more while others do something. Here is a quote from his press conference:
And unlike Sen. McCain he just couldn't avoid taking a few political jabs...ie. McCain can not multitask... September 23 The Root of the Matter IIMore articles and editorials are coming to light showing the growing connection between the unrestrained practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and those in congress (and running for president) who helped the problem to grow.
From this article Crony Capitalism: “Fannie and Freddie, the main vehicle for Clinton's multicultural housing policy, drove the explosion of the sub prime housing market by buying up literally hundreds of billions of dollars in substandard loans — funding loans that ordinarily wouldn't have been made based on such time-honored notions as putting money down, having sufficient income, and maintaining a payment record indicating creditworthiness. With all the old rules out the window, Fannie and Freddie gobbled up the market. Using extraordinary leverage, they eventually controlled 90% of the secondary market mortgages. Their total portfolio of loans topped $5.4 trillion — half of all U.S. mortgage lending. They borrowed $1.5 trillion from U.S. capital markets with — wink, wink — an "implicit" government guarantee of the debts. This created the problem we are having today. As we noted a week ago, sub prime lending surged from around $35 billion in 1994 to nearly $1 trillion last year — for total growth of 2,757% as of last year. No real market grows that fast for that long without being fixed. And that's just what Fannie and Freddie were — fixed. They became a government-run, privately owned home finance monopoly.” From this article: Freddie Mac's Chief Ignored Warning Signs “The chief executive of the mortgage giant Freddie Mac rejected internal warnings that could have protected the company from some of the financial crises now engulfing it, according to more than two dozen current and former high-ranking executives and others. That chief executive, Richard F. Syron, in 2004 received a memo from Freddie Mac’s chief risk officer warning him that the firm was financing questionable loans that threatened its financial health. Today, Freddie Mac and the nation’s other major mortgage finance company, Fannie Mae, are in such perilous condition that the federal government has readied a taxpayer-financed bailout that could cost billions. Though the current housing crisis would have undoubtedly caused problems at both companies, Freddie Mac insiders say Mr. Syron heightened those perils by ignoring repeated recommendations.”
As this continues to unwind I’m sure more will come to light.
September 22 The Root of the MatterGreat article clarifing some of the reasons I have been talking about how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at the root of the financial crisis. I could quote the whole article, but here are some key quotes that really put this "crisis" in perspective:
The only reason that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were able to operate on this level was the implicit promise of the government to protect them. They contributed tons of money to key players in congress in order to help shelve and kill bills that would have otherwise stopped them from partaking in these risky schemes. No Risk...No Restraint...One day people will understand that the more the government meddles in the free market the more problems it creates. One Day...and hopefully soon...
The Palin EffectAfter a week where the attacks on her slowed only slightly, mainly due to the financial "crisis", this week may see some more spotlight on Palin. Who knows if that will overshadow the Presidential Debate coming up Friday, but we will see. She really has shaken up the race and according to the state-by-state polling has brought most of the traditional red-states home and the map is reset to a close 2004 style finish. She is bringing in the crowds for her speeches and has energized the base. In all Sen. McCain has at least made this Democrat Fait-Accompli a more competitive race. Interesting article on the whole phenomena here: The Palin Effect. I really like the 3rd part of the analysis about the Clintons. That has been my take on them for a while now. Can't wait to see what the week ahead brings. September 20 My Obsession, You're My Obsession...For the past two weeks or so, outside of work, classes, and politics, I have been frantically messing around with my newest obsession...kind of an old obsession, but some new life was breathed into it recently. My PDA. My love of the PDA started many, many years ago when I lusted over the original Palm Pilot 1000 in the local Office Depot. The several hundred dollar price tag was just beyond my finances at the time. I continued to research and long after these devices and watched as Microsoft got into the game with their Windows CE operating system. Then after scraping my pennies, gift certificates from my birthday and Christmas, and a return to CompUSA, I had a couple hundred dollars and was determined to get my own.
It was love at first sight. I love the sleek black look and the display was everything I had hoped for. My only problem was the one I bought was loaded with the PocketPC2003 OS. I had read that there was a Windows Mobile 5 upgrade available and once I received the machine I went looking for it on the Internet. That was when I found this forum. Apparently there is a pretty active community out there that still love the big machines and want to keep them up do date as well. So I found that I could upgrade my machine all the way to Windows Mobile 6.1. After doing this I happily used my machine for several months, enjoying the wireless networking and playing around with all sorts of applications like Windows Live (which is awesome btw) and Skype (which is cool, but once I used up my free tokens I haven't used it since). My only true lament over my PDA was that even with wireless networking I couldn't just connect to the Internet anytime I wanted. This feeling was made worse when we changed our cell-phone plan and suddenly I could access the web anytime I wanted via my phone. Then I realized a couple of weeks ago I should be able to use the Bluetooth connection between my phone and the PDA to give myself Internet access any time I wanted. That was when the obsession started. Over the past two weeks I have learned how to do everything from hack into my cell-phone's service menu (in order to change some key settings) to learning how to use the PDA's Bluetooth to sync up with not only my phone, but also my laptop. I have reset my menus and loaded a number of tweaking programs onto my PDA and have created a machine that does everything I want (Now just need to get a portable Bluetooth keyboard.) >:) Well almost everything. I still can not get my PDA to send text messages (SMS) through the phone. Why would I want that you ask? Because it is much faster and easier to type with the PDA's keyboard or transcriber than using my phone's 10-digit interface. For whatever reason I have been unable to get the two devices to truly sync this function. However, in my searching last night I found this entry in Wikipedia that outlines all of the email based gateways to send text message via email to their customers. Not the preferred solution, but it works well. So I added an additional text email to all my contacts whom I might text and can use the PDA for that function in the future. I will continue to look for a way to sync the SMS services on the two devices, but until then my machine is wonderful. Here is the current list of software loaded onto my PDA: Google Maps for Mobile Devices - Just like the desktop version and if (when) I had (get) a GPS card it would integrate with the maps. Windows Live - I highly recommend this service for searching restaurants, movies, gas prices, etc. Opera Mobile Browser - This mobile browser blows PocketIE away. Tabs, Full screen, Zooming, Finger scrolling. I can not praise this program highly enough. Foxit PDF reader - excellent PDf reader and works much better than the adobe mobile reader I tried SPB Pocket Plus - This is a front window (Today page) plug-in that transforms the look and feel of the PDA. Incredibly customizable, integrated .zip functions, expanded close functions, and even some Pocket IE tweaks that make the program more usable. If you download only one program for your PDA this is the one I recommend. SPB Pocket Diary - This PIM (Personal Information Manager) plug-in collects many functions right onto the today page and gives them a tabbed browsing option. Also you can read emails and get contact information right from the Today page. No need to open other windows at all. Well this is a long way to go to tell you that I really love my PDA and it gives me something to talk pleasantly about (ie not Politics) :) Evil Out... September 18 Angry Young Man...This torques me off...you can call me unpatriotic you waste of space, Sen. Biden...according to Sen. Biden (as taken from this article)
If Sen. Biden and others of his ilk (I'm looking right at you Warren Buffett) want to pay more taxes and prove your patriotism, then there is nothing stopping you. You can write out that larger check to the government at any time and they will gladly take your money. One of the primary drags on this country and its economy is the twisted, bureaucratic, nightmarish, social engineering monstrosity we call a tax code. Not to mention the blatant wealth redistribution inherent in his statement. Give me Liberty and Give me THE FAIR TAX
Wall Street AgainWell after this back and forth with the financial markets I have come out of it with nothing but a headache. I keep hearing pundit and talking head after pundit and talking head from NPR to Bill O'Reilly talk about this and it's just making me ill. They wonder why the markets are fluctuating wildly, they lament the harm done to the "poor innocent" stockholders, and they blame it all on the failure of THE FREE MARKET and DE-REGULATION. The problem at the heart of all this was too much government and too many promises to cover bad behavior. Hopefully, the market will finally stabilize after the money flood that the World Central Banks opened. Here are some articles about it all...maybe it will help shed some light on the reality for you...
September 17 AIG....Guess my hope that the government was going to get out of the “too big to fail” bailout business was short-lived. For some details check it out here: Government steps in again, bails out AIG with $85B. That’s $85B spent to prevent the pains for failure, once again the market learns nothing and the government is essentially taking control of another private company…ok only taking about 80% control that they might take, one day…maybe…yeah, right. September 16 Misc RamblingsHackers aren't always Bad
I read this interesting article, 9/11 Anniversary Tape Stopped by Hackers, and had to smile. It's good to know that there are still people in this world who are unafraid to standup to the forces of evil.
M4rk3t 4 th3 w1n
I was glad to see the feds finally do the right thing in this market downturn and let one of these overextended companies and their irresponsible stakeholders taste the bitter pill of failure. There will be pain and gnashing of teeth, but hopefully this is a sign that no more of our money is going to prop up these irresponsible companies and their stakeholders will start to take some responsibility.
The State-by-State race is swinging McCain's direction
The Real Clear Politics electoral count is showing McCain with about a 20pt lead (factoring out toss up states). If you factor in the toss-ups Obama still wins by 8 because he is clinging to a razor thin margin in Colorado. However, if you look at the trend since Sept 7th (The end of the Elephant Primary) every poll is showing a Right-ward shift.
School Woes
I have been going back to school to complete the Bachelor's Degree (Computer Science) that I never bothered to get when I should have. Although I will be glad to finish the "adult program" and get my degree I have been unsatisfied with the overall coursework. I might go into more detail later, but let's suffice it to say that I don't feel I am learning anything I couldn't get from reading a book and the lack of hands-on experience is certainly frustrating.
Site Tweaks
I tweaked the website a bit to make it easier to read the blog posts. I also added a guestbook, feel free to sign it and let me know what you think.
September 15 WebcomicsI mentioned webcomics in a previous post. Basically webcomics are comic strips that are published primarily to the internet. These comics can be anything from newspaper style 4 panel or single panel gag strips to full-page formatted comics. They are not all humorous or comedic, although even most of the more serious comics have humor elements. The subject matter runs the gamut from politics to Aztec mythology. The art ranges from manga-ish to sketchy to cartoony. In other words there are webcomics out there for almost everyone. I have a list of comics I read, most of them publish weekday M-F, a few only 2-3 times a week M-W-F or T-Th. There is also a great podcast that I have been following by four of the industry’s (and yes it is an industry and there are many artists who make a decent living or supplemental income from webcomics) leading artists. The podcast covers many subjects about making a living doing webcomics and lots of their unique humor. I’ll link all my preferences below so you can see the range of material I like and get an idea of what’s out there. Webcomics Weekly – Weekly Industry Podcast College Roomies from Hell!!! – Slice of Life comic if your life includes mutants, lasers, evil masterminds, and Satan Errant Story – Epic Fantasy Story that doesn’t take itself too seriously GU Comics – A computer gaming industry comic Evil Inc. – Newspaper style comic about Supervillains MegaTokyo – Manga-style comic about two Americans trapped in Tokyo Penny and Aggie – slice of life comic about High School PvPonline – newspaper style comic about workers at a gaming magazine Short Packed – comic about workers at a toy store Sinfest – The politically incorrect newspaper strip Order of the Stick – Satirical stick figure comic about D&D Wapsi Square – Slice of life comic with lots of Aztec Mythology thrown in for good measure Zap in Space – Epic Science Fiction Drama No Need for Bushido – Humorous Samurai Comic That’s all the ones I check out regularly…there are a few others that I catch up on occasionally, but these should be enough to get you started September 14 The MarketRead this column by George Will: Pencils and Politics It talks about the truly amazing interaction of the market just to create a simple, wooden, number two pencil. No government planner created the intricate dance of logger, miner, miller, distributor, and so on, that it took to bring that simple wooden stick with a touch of graphite to your desk. In fact, all the government can truly do is make the process more difficult. "The Market" is amazing that way and the less politicians and government stick their hands in the mess the more smoothly it runs. The Government has brought us failing institution after failing institution; The United States Postal Service, Amtrack, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Welfare to name a few. Compare these to the institutions that The Market has brought us; FedEx, Grand Luxe Rail journeys, Fidelity Investments, Aetna Health Insurance, Citigroup, Bank of America, and the United Way. To me that is the essence of this current political campaign. We have one candidate who truly believes that The Government is the institution that should run and regulate our lives and our businesses. On the other hand we have a candidate who believes that The Market should handle MOST of our lives and businesses. I wish one of them truly believed that The Market is the backbone of the country that has made us the most free people in the world. When it comes to pulling that lever for one of the candidates in this presidential race, this issue of The Government v The Market is what will ultimately decided for me whom I vote for. September 12 The Horse Race is OnHere are the latest stats from Real Clear Politics about the horse race and the electoral college.
If you dig into the list and take a close look at how this election and the last two have broken down it really seems as if McCain & Palin have opened up a new phase in this election and the Obama campaign's mantra of watch the state polls is starting to fade. If this election stays like this its going to be a close one that will hinge on 1 to 3 close states and about 20-30 electoral votes. Some interesting articles about the race for your enjoyment: Obama's Rhetoric vs. Obama's Record
Some of my favorite Sarah Palin related Political Cartoons
Finally My Personal Favorite: September 11 Never ForgottenI remember where I was on 9/11/2001. I was working at one of the local high schools as a Para-educator when I got a call from my wife saying that she heard something had hit the World Trade Center. I tried to log onto the Fox News and CNN websites, but the traffic was already overwhelming and I was getting nothing. I headed to the library to see if I could catch some news on the television. I got one of the televisions turned on just in time to watch the second plane hit. When we saw the towers collapsing the room fell silent and remained that way for quite a while. The rest of that morning was spent watching the news coverage and talking with stunned students as we tried to discover what was happening. Initial reports that almost 50,000 people could have been inside the towers when they collapsed caused a terrible feeling. Then the heroic stories of the police, firefighters, and passengers of the Pan AM flight who sacrificed themselves trying to save other helped to lift away some of the gloom of the day. Two strong feelings came from that day. One was the anger and understanding that there were still forces in this world that want to destroy our country and way of life. Pictures of Muslims dancing in the street in middle-eastern countries reinforced this understanding and are one of the reasons I have supported the “War on Terror”. The other feeling is one that I had always been there, but often was overshadowed by other frustrations and fascinations. That was the feeling of pride in the people of this country, the understanding that there are still those here who will pay the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow humans. On this 7th anniversary I want to say to those who sacrificed: My prayers are with you and your families and your sacrifice will never be forgotten. September 10 Green JobsGreat article about so-called "Green Jobs" Anything by John Stossel is a must read Sarah and the New (Oldest) FeminismRead this article: Fresh Blood for the Vampire. Beyond the interesting analysis of the sudden shift in the presidential race it has a very good analysis of the women’s movement and their reaction to Gov. Palin. It sounds like the author has been one to ascribe to the “Pioneer Woman” brand of feminism and understands how many “real world” women have felt about the feminist movement for a long time. Good article, take a look. |
I had originally wanted to get the Zire71, it was a decent low-end color PalmOS, since it was the best color PDA in my price range. However, when I got to the store they had a clearance on the floor model AudioVox Maestro (which is really a repackaged Toshiba e570 with half the RAM). It was in my price range and it was running the PocketPC2003 operating system, which for various reasons I prefer to the PalmOS. For several years this was my machine. I wrote research papers, played games, did Bible lessons, and played mp3s on it. My only lament was the lack of wireless networking capabilities. When the screen on it "mysteriously" shattered at work (while sitting in my desk drawer whilst I happened to be away from my desk). I was longing for a replacement.
My brother came to the rescue with an old Viewsonic e37 he had lying around. Unfortunately compared to my Maestro this was a cheap toy. It had several problems, probably due to lack of use, the internal battery backup didn't work so if the main battery charge ran out it would wipe all your data and it never seemed to run Microsoft Word properly. After the third time I lost an almost completed paper for school because of a crash, I stopped using the machine for anything other that portable solitaire and Bible. So I started researching machines and biding my time till I got some $$ together.
I had several requirements that I wanted in my new machine. Built in WiFi, built in Bluetooth, full VGA resolution, Windows Mobile 5 capable, and both SD and CE card slots. Unfortunately, the trend in PDAs recently has been moving into the mobile phone/Blackberry market. So the machines have been getting smaller and usually have built in cell-phone capabilities. Personally, I wanted something with a large screen since I used my machine often for writing papers and taking notes. I already had a cell-phone and was not interested in an all-in-one device. (Although since my wife has recently gotten a HTC vx6800 the all-in-one capabilities are nice. Still want a bigger screen with full VGA resolution though). My decision came down to two older machines, basically the last of the "big" PDAs. The Toshiba e800 and the HP hx4700. Both machines sported large 4" VGA displays and had memory and processor statistics to rival any new PDA or Smartphone. Both were no longer in production, but one factor sealed the deal for me. HP continues to produce PDAs and Smartphones. Toshiba has stopped producing them. So I got on E-Bay and I bought my new baby earlier this year.
|
|
