Just a quick post to warn anyone who is considering getting T-Mobile in the New Hampshire seacoast. I started using it when I got my Nexus 4 about a month ago and I would NOT recommend it around here. I get no coverage at home in Rye; no coverage at my office on Pease and spotty coverage at best anywhere else around here.
That is all.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Sunday, October 7, 2012
John Luis Home Solid Wood Closet Organizer
My house has small closets - 58" wide and 24" deep. Two of the three have no doors on them and are trimmed in a way that makes it difficult to hang standard closet doors. So I wanted to get a system that would optimize the space and look good. After researching a lot of options online, the John Luis appeared to be good looking and highly customizable. Three days later I was unpacking the large box and planning my installation. Now that it's complete, I wanted to capture my impressions of how it went together and the final product.
Fit and Finish
As advertised, the shelves, racks and supports are all solid wood. They're made of pine and finished in either a deep burgundy color that they call Mahogany or a lighter stain they call Maple. In my opinion, naming the different finishes after specific hard woods is a bit misleading. It would be easy to think you were buying a solid mahogany or maple shelving system when in-fact it's made from the less expensive and softer pine.
I found the burgundy stain to be attractive and the pieces were well-covered. The finish seemed a little soft and marred fairly easily, though. Fortunately, the manufacturer includes a magic-marker style touch-up tool. It comes in very handy and I was glad to have it after nicking different pieces during the course of construction.
On initial inspection, I found the pieces were well-made and in good condition except one of the 24" shelves which had pretty large dents in it. They were made after the finish had been applied and in a position such that they would show if I had positioned the shelf low in the rack. Instead, I simply positioned it higher up so I couldn't see the dents. Problem solved. A couple of the shelves had knots in them but they were'nt loose and the stain and finish cover them nicely. Still, I'd prefer clear lumber.
The hardware is well-made and it all does the job it was meant to do. There are plenty of screws, brackets and assorted pieces. I found the drywall anchors especially useful since the configuration I used had me attaching shelves to the wall where there were no studs.
Assembly
Let me start by saying this is not a quick or easy project. It's more like a renovation than a simple installation. And doing it with two people would make it easier. Having said that, though, I would have had little space for anyone but me for most of the project.
I've never assembled a closet organizer before so I can't compare this to other similar systems. I have, however, done extensive home renovations, woodworking and some general carpentry so I was well-prepared with the tools for the job. The instruction manual says you need:
* Pencil
* Tape measure
* Level
* Screwdriver
* Saw
I'd say that list represents a bare minimum for getting the job done. Here's what I used and I think it would be difficult to do it with less:
* Pencil
* Tape Measure
* Gum eraser (We all make mistakes.)
* Drill and driver (Doing this job with a handheld screwdriver as is suggested in the manual would bring a grown man to tears.)
* Chop saw (Or a crosscut sled and a tablesaw.)
* Flashlight (My closet is not lit so this was essential.)
* Small and medium-sized level (A small level for front-to-back and a longer one for levelling the long shelves and vertical supports.)
* Spackling compound & touchup paint for the walls (Again, we all make mistakes. Additionally, you're bound to mar the walls during the installation.)
I probably spent 8 hours from the time I opened the box to the time I finished cleaning up. I found the instructions clear and easy to follow. But I'd caution anyone who isn't used to taking measurements, calculating distances, marking and drilling walls, and marking and cutting lumber to pay close attention to every step outlined therein. And be careful to use the exact screws called for in each operation as some are too small or too large for certain steps. And don't skip the initial planning step. It's key to a successful installation.
Final Outcome
I'm very happy with thje way the closet looks and at the vastly expanded capacity. (I now have a whopping 20 feet of shelf space and 60 inches of hanging space.) The whole thing is sturdy and functional. It was worth the effort and I plan to install one in at least one other bedroom closet.
Fit and Finish
As advertised, the shelves, racks and supports are all solid wood. They're made of pine and finished in either a deep burgundy color that they call Mahogany or a lighter stain they call Maple. In my opinion, naming the different finishes after specific hard woods is a bit misleading. It would be easy to think you were buying a solid mahogany or maple shelving system when in-fact it's made from the less expensive and softer pine.
I found the burgundy stain to be attractive and the pieces were well-covered. The finish seemed a little soft and marred fairly easily, though. Fortunately, the manufacturer includes a magic-marker style touch-up tool. It comes in very handy and I was glad to have it after nicking different pieces during the course of construction.
On initial inspection, I found the pieces were well-made and in good condition except one of the 24" shelves which had pretty large dents in it. They were made after the finish had been applied and in a position such that they would show if I had positioned the shelf low in the rack. Instead, I simply positioned it higher up so I couldn't see the dents. Problem solved. A couple of the shelves had knots in them but they were'nt loose and the stain and finish cover them nicely. Still, I'd prefer clear lumber.
The hardware is well-made and it all does the job it was meant to do. There are plenty of screws, brackets and assorted pieces. I found the drywall anchors especially useful since the configuration I used had me attaching shelves to the wall where there were no studs.
Assembly
Let me start by saying this is not a quick or easy project. It's more like a renovation than a simple installation. And doing it with two people would make it easier. Having said that, though, I would have had little space for anyone but me for most of the project.
I've never assembled a closet organizer before so I can't compare this to other similar systems. I have, however, done extensive home renovations, woodworking and some general carpentry so I was well-prepared with the tools for the job. The instruction manual says you need:
* Pencil
* Tape measure
* Level
* Screwdriver
* Saw
I'd say that list represents a bare minimum for getting the job done. Here's what I used and I think it would be difficult to do it with less:
* Pencil
* Tape Measure
* Gum eraser (We all make mistakes.)
* Drill and driver (Doing this job with a handheld screwdriver as is suggested in the manual would bring a grown man to tears.)
* Chop saw (Or a crosscut sled and a tablesaw.)
* Flashlight (My closet is not lit so this was essential.)
* Small and medium-sized level (A small level for front-to-back and a longer one for levelling the long shelves and vertical supports.)
* Spackling compound & touchup paint for the walls (Again, we all make mistakes. Additionally, you're bound to mar the walls during the installation.)
I probably spent 8 hours from the time I opened the box to the time I finished cleaning up. I found the instructions clear and easy to follow. But I'd caution anyone who isn't used to taking measurements, calculating distances, marking and drilling walls, and marking and cutting lumber to pay close attention to every step outlined therein. And be careful to use the exact screws called for in each operation as some are too small or too large for certain steps. And don't skip the initial planning step. It's key to a successful installation.
Final Outcome
I'm very happy with thje way the closet looks and at the vastly expanded capacity. (I now have a whopping 20 feet of shelf space and 60 inches of hanging space.) The whole thing is sturdy and functional. It was worth the effort and I plan to install one in at least one other bedroom closet.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Facebook Investor Whiners
I find it laughable that people bought FaceBook (FB) at over 100 x earnings and are now crying foul because the stock hasn't gone up. At this writing, Google (GOOG) sells for less than 18 x earnings,; MicroSoft (MSFT) is under 11 x earnings; and Apple (APPL) costs less than 14 x earnings. They are solid performers in the same space as FB and are fairly priced. What would make a rational investor buy any stock at such a high premium as FB has been, and still is, selling for? I'd wait until it gets under 20 x earnings before I started to consider buying.
Update: 8/16/2012 - Yesterday I bought FB and its PE is still over 100, but it's close to half of what it was at IPO. I'm hoping that the company can capitalize on its 900 million users.
Update: 8/16/2012 - Yesterday I bought FB and its PE is still over 100, but it's close to half of what it was at IPO. I'm hoping that the company can capitalize on its 900 million users.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Asus Transformer Review
In recent years I've watched co-workers, friends and family smuggly brandish their iPuds, iPlods and iDontCares whenever they had the chance. In my mind, these folks were slaves to the latest tech fashion and I saw no reason to hop on the bandwagon. Hell, you couldn't even get to the file system on those things. How could you do anything useful with them?
When Android tablets started started gaining ground, I still wan't thrilled. Sure, you could move files around like a real computer, but still, why bother? They seemed gimmicky and they were just trying to catch up with the iPad.
Then a friend gave me a reason that ultimately lead to my buying the Asus Transformer. He suggested that it would be great to carry all of one's sheet music around on a single device. With dozens of fake books in PDF files on my PC, each holding hundreds of songs, I knew he was right. I envisioned placing the tablet on a music stand and instantly calling up any sheet of music that I own. It seemed like the perfect application and I started reviewing the available Android tablets.
About six months ago I bought the Asus Transformer because of the keyboard and the glowing reviews I read. With 32 G of memory I figured I'd have plenty of capacity for my music and anything else I'd want it for. And the detachable keyboard and various connectivity ports overcame my biggest objections to other tablets. After using it for a few months, here's what I've found:
First the good stuff. The Wifi always works great. I can easily locate and connect to any network within range, and automatically reconnect next time I power up. It's a simple thing, but it works well. Also, Bluetooth connectivity is a breeze. I just enable it and select the device I want to use. Works great every time. The keyboard is good to have, but I find that I wind up using my laptop if I have any real work to do. Not because the Transformer's keyboard isn't useful, but because of the shortcomings listed below make the tablet a poor choice for doing most tasks.
Now for the not-so-good stuff. My biggest gripe is that the platform is unstable. Apps freeze or close up regularly, including Gmail, which I would expect to be better behaved on a Google operating system. The Android browser, Stumble Upon, and the Kindle App regularly freeze or close unexpectedly. (It might be coincidence, but I can't help but notice that all these apps exchange data over the network.)
The next biggest problem for me is that the web connection is s-l-o-w. When I'm at home, the router is never more than 40 feet away and I expect to get the same network performance as I get from my laptop. But I frequently give up on a web page because some simply take too long to load. I'm using the browser than came with the the machine and even if I don't have anything else running, network response is generally slow and sometimes its downright glacial.
Speaking of slow, response to page swipes, tilt actions and other gestures suffer from mild to severe lag, depending on what app I'm using. Even the screen orientation doesn't change quickly when I turn the tablet on its side.
Another major problem, is the fairly frequent freezes and crashes. Everything, including Google apps like Gmail, will freeze up from time-to-time. I have 26 gig of free memory, so I'm using less than 15% of the total system capacity - so I can't understand why the thing has such a hard time managing resources.
And sometimes, when the machine has sat by itself for a while, rather than going to sleep, it goes into a constant cycle of going to sleep and waking up. It doesn't let you have control - it just keeps going blank and then the splash screen comes on. The only way to stop it is to hold the power button in for a while until it finally powers down. It's maddening if you pick it up and expect to do something quickly.
A less egregious issue is that it always asks which application to use for opening PDF file. Or music files. Or videos - even though I check the 'Use as Default' option every time. And also, I can't uninstall the NetFlix app and I constantly get reminders that there is an update available for it.
Pros:
Nice to carry tons of sheet music and other material in a small package.
Cons:
Slow, buggy, unstable. Barely useful for even the most basic computing/network tasks.
The Bottom Line:
Great to have a small devic ethat holds all my sheet music and othe rdocuments. But it isn't stable or powerful enough to handle even teh simplest computing tassks.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Global Socio-Economic Ramifications of Taking a Hot Shower
For years I lived with a hot water heater that, along with my furnace, was fired by oil. And every time I turned up the heat or ran the hot water I felt a pang of guilt. Not becasue of the high price of oil, but because petro dollars fund terrorist regimes and contribute to so much corruption worldwide.
So now I live in a house with an electric hot water heater. And for the first few months I lived here, I was very cautious about running the hot water. But it just occurred to me that my electricity comes from a wood-burning power plant in Newigton, New Hampshire. And that I can take hot showers, do laundry on the 'hot' setting and use hot water whenever I want without being concerned about the global socio-politiclal-econmic-terrorist-funding ramifications in doing so. How liberating! In fact, I've taken the electric space heater out of the basement and plugged it in so now I'm heating part of my house with electricity, too. Woo hoo!
So now I live in a house with an electric hot water heater. And for the first few months I lived here, I was very cautious about running the hot water. But it just occurred to me that my electricity comes from a wood-burning power plant in Newigton, New Hampshire. And that I can take hot showers, do laundry on the 'hot' setting and use hot water whenever I want without being concerned about the global socio-politiclal-econmic-terrorist-funding ramifications in doing so. How liberating! In fact, I've taken the electric space heater out of the basement and plugged it in so now I'm heating part of my house with electricity, too. Woo hoo!
Friday, May 20, 2011
NYC vs. Boston, Mass.
I lived in the Boston area for ten years and, growing up in Connecticut, I have spent many, many days and nights in New York City. I think I have a good feel for both places and I wanted to compare the two by relating local jokes from each city.
The New York joke is well-known: A harried tourist is trying to get to his concert and is hopelessly lost. He stops and asks a native how to get to Carnegie Hall. And the famous response is 'Practice, practice, practice.'
It's funny because it isn't the answer one expects. But the subtext implies that anyone can become a world-class musician if they just put in the effort. Overall, a very positive outcome. And, I believe, a pretty good reflection of the New York attitude. That is, .You might not be from around here, but you have as good a shot as anyone.'
The Boston joke might be less well-known and it goes like this: An ingenue moves into Boston from the hinterlands. She is anxious to make her way and fit into the big city. She attends a social event and notes how her own attire is not at all what the other women are wearing. So she approaches one of the best dressed ladies at the party. The girl graciously says 'You are all so lovely. Tell me, where do you get your hats?' To which the Bostonian woman replies: 'My dear; we HAVE our hats.'
Now this joke says something entirely different. The punch line is unexpected, but the woman's scorn is clear. Her answer indicates that, even though she knows exactly what the young girl is asking, she doesn't intend to help. The answer is stingy and condescending. The matron clearly indicating that the girl does not belong and will never fit in.
Those two jokes, in my mind, sum up the two cities. You can probably tell which I prefer.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Gibson Custom ES 335 Dot
I've been playing guitar for almost 40 years and the Memphis 335 DOT is the 4th semi-hollow body that I've owned. In the 80's I had a 1960 335 and a Yamaha SA2000. I currently own an Eastman 185MX and the Memphis 335.
I played rock as a younger man but now I play jazz and blues. I play the 335 primarily through two amps - a 60 watt Tech 21, which is a middle-of-the-road solid state amp, and a 50 watt Fuchs head and 2x12 Fuchs cabinet. I also practice with it through a small Kustom tube amp. The guitar's character shines through with all three amps, but it really sings through the Fuchs.
I bought the guitar from American Musical Supply. They have a 45-day return policy and I've always had good luck with them. It arrived in a couple of days and was well packed. The hard-shell case has a stencil from the custom shop. The inside has an attached sheet of fabric that covers the guitar when the case is closed. The 'blanket' doesn't seem to serve any purpose and it's kind of a pain to pull it off the guitar to take it out of the case and then cover the guitar when putting it away. (A minor gripe.)
Construction
The guitar's fit-and-finish are very good. Great attention to detail in the binding, the paint and the high-gloss finish. The Grover tuners do a good job and the other hardware is top-notch as well. I really like the '57 humbuckers. They have great output and the tone is perfect.
Since the guitar is made from laminated woods, you don't have to worry much about the moisture content varying as the seasons change. My Eastman is made from solid maple and, as it drys out during the winter months, a tiny split opens up between the bookmatched halves of the top. I should get a humidifier and keep the room at a constant level because that split is only going to grow as each season passes.
Playability
Out of the box, the guitar was fairly well set up. The neck was straight and the action a little on the high side, but pretty good for a factory setup. The frets were a bit taller than I prefer so in order to get the action as I like it, I had to get the frets filed, but that's more of a personal preference.
The guitar is thin, but the body is big and I think that's where some of the tone comes from. The neck is what they call a 'slim profile'. This is my least favorite aspect of the instrument. It's very slim - I don't mean the width across the fingerboard - I mean the thickness between the fingerboard and the back of the neck where you put your thumb. After an hour of playing, especially when chording a lot, my left hand is sore to the bone. I have other guitars with thicker necks and they are far more comfortable to play. This is my only complaint with this instrument.
Tone
The electronics on this guitar are very responsive. Where some tone and volume controls seem to have little effect after a certain point, these provide smooth, gradual change over their entire travel distance. They are clean and not scratchy.
I get a great jazzy clean sound out of any of my amps using the neck pickup and varying the tone control. I'll dial in some bridge pickup for a great chucka-chucka rhythm tone.
I LOVE the lead tone with a bit of distortion for blues and harder-core jazz stuff. It's soooo sweet - very rich and full of overtones. With a little tweaking, it gets that distinctive Larry Carlton/John Scofield tone, which is my holy grail.
Overall
The Memphis 335 is very well-suited to the music I play. It's great for jazz, blues and light rock. The tone is far richer than any solid body I've ever had. But, it doesn't produce the sustain or the hard edge that you get from a Les Paul or some other solid-bodies.
The guitar plays very nicely, it's balanced and comfortable. It's well-made and is a great looking instrument. The neck thickness is my only complaint. I would consider it perfect if it were a little more comfortable for me to play.
I played rock as a younger man but now I play jazz and blues. I play the 335 primarily through two amps - a 60 watt Tech 21, which is a middle-of-the-road solid state amp, and a 50 watt Fuchs head and 2x12 Fuchs cabinet. I also practice with it through a small Kustom tube amp. The guitar's character shines through with all three amps, but it really sings through the Fuchs.
I bought the guitar from American Musical Supply. They have a 45-day return policy and I've always had good luck with them. It arrived in a couple of days and was well packed. The hard-shell case has a stencil from the custom shop. The inside has an attached sheet of fabric that covers the guitar when the case is closed. The 'blanket' doesn't seem to serve any purpose and it's kind of a pain to pull it off the guitar to take it out of the case and then cover the guitar when putting it away. (A minor gripe.)
Construction
The guitar's fit-and-finish are very good. Great attention to detail in the binding, the paint and the high-gloss finish. The Grover tuners do a good job and the other hardware is top-notch as well. I really like the '57 humbuckers. They have great output and the tone is perfect.
Since the guitar is made from laminated woods, you don't have to worry much about the moisture content varying as the seasons change. My Eastman is made from solid maple and, as it drys out during the winter months, a tiny split opens up between the bookmatched halves of the top. I should get a humidifier and keep the room at a constant level because that split is only going to grow as each season passes.
Playability
Out of the box, the guitar was fairly well set up. The neck was straight and the action a little on the high side, but pretty good for a factory setup. The frets were a bit taller than I prefer so in order to get the action as I like it, I had to get the frets filed, but that's more of a personal preference.
The guitar is thin, but the body is big and I think that's where some of the tone comes from. The neck is what they call a 'slim profile'. This is my least favorite aspect of the instrument. It's very slim - I don't mean the width across the fingerboard - I mean the thickness between the fingerboard and the back of the neck where you put your thumb. After an hour of playing, especially when chording a lot, my left hand is sore to the bone. I have other guitars with thicker necks and they are far more comfortable to play. This is my only complaint with this instrument.
Tone
The electronics on this guitar are very responsive. Where some tone and volume controls seem to have little effect after a certain point, these provide smooth, gradual change over their entire travel distance. They are clean and not scratchy.
I get a great jazzy clean sound out of any of my amps using the neck pickup and varying the tone control. I'll dial in some bridge pickup for a great chucka-chucka rhythm tone.
I LOVE the lead tone with a bit of distortion for blues and harder-core jazz stuff. It's soooo sweet - very rich and full of overtones. With a little tweaking, it gets that distinctive Larry Carlton/John Scofield tone, which is my holy grail.
Overall
The Memphis 335 is very well-suited to the music I play. It's great for jazz, blues and light rock. The tone is far richer than any solid body I've ever had. But, it doesn't produce the sustain or the hard edge that you get from a Les Paul or some other solid-bodies.
The guitar plays very nicely, it's balanced and comfortable. It's well-made and is a great looking instrument. The neck thickness is my only complaint. I would consider it perfect if it were a little more comfortable for me to play.
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