A Few Favorite Blogs

If you take a look on the right column, you'll see a list of some blogs I'm reading. These are just a few of the interesting ones. I'm using Google Reader to keep track of them all, and it really works well.

What are you reading? Post a comment and let me know.

Public Transportation is Fun and Educational

That sounds like something Mr. Rogers would have said, preceded by "OK boys and girls...."

But seriously folks...

I was born in the city, (Philadelphia) and after moving to the suburbs, (New Jersey) spent a lot of time back in the city (New York). I like the city. I like the hustle and bustle (what is bustle anyway?). I like the energy. I like the pace. I like how there are tons of people all doing their own thing but they are still somehow in it together. I like the character, the quirks, the personality of a city.

As far back as I can remember, I've been into buses. Maybe it's because when I was born, we lived in a high-rise apartment and we had a bus that took us into town. It was fun.

Los Angeles is the antithesis of just about everything I just said. I've been interested in the past 10-15 years how our local transit authority, the MTA, has been trying to reinvent itself. To their credit, they've greatly expanded their network. Now there are busways, subways, and light rail lines that cover a pretty good portion of Southern California.

When the busway opened, Matthew and I took a ride. He seemed to enjoy it and it was a neat new experience for him. Same for the subway. On the Metro Red Line, each station has a different theme, and the artwork is really interesting. It's also good for him to learn how to operate the fare machine, how to read the map, where to get off, etc. Do I walk up those steps or down these? Stuff like that. It's invaluable.

We parked at Warner Center, and rode the busway to the Lankershim Metro Station, and then took the Red Line to 7th Street / Metro Center, transferred to the Blue Line, and got off at the Pico Station. We were across the street from the Convention Center / Staples Center. Yeah we might have driven there in less time. But, it was on a Friday, and i didn't want to have to deal with traffic and parking. And, the experience was worth much, much more.

Then, there are the people.

Yes, we live a pretty sheltered existence in suburbia. This is not how the real world lives. Not everyone has a new car (or a car at all for that matter). Not everyone wears the latest fashions. Not everyone eats out all the time. And, not everyone is white.

It's important for the kids not to live in a bubble. On the bus and subway, we were in the minority for sure. We saw young people in suits, people in wheelchairs, older people carrying groceries, and plenty of women on their way home from work that looked probably 10-15 years older than they really were. They looked rundown, sad, and going through the motions. It's good to be around people different than you ... teaches you how to co-exist with others and accept people for who they are. It also (hopefully) teaches you to be thankful for what you have rather than whine and complain about what you don't have.

If you live in the Valley and are going downtown, take Metro. If you're looking for something to do on a weekend day, take your kids for a ride. If they've never been on a city bus or subway, their eyes will open to the world around them and you'll give them a lesson in life worth much more than your $1.25 pass.

LA Auto Show

I've attended the auto show pretty much every year since I was a kid. As a lifelong car enthusiast, it's great to be able to walk around and scrutinize every car without the car salesman vultures hovering over you, wanting to know "what will it take to get you in this car today?"

This year felt different. After all, not only is the economy in the toilet, but so is the auto industry, and in a very big way. With the Big 3 (we need a new name for them because they aren't exactly big anymore) on life support, I wanted to get a sense of how the mood was this year. So .. here are some "random thoughts" from the LA Auto Show.

- Considering I was there on opening day, the attendance was down substantially. Even in the one smaller room with Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, etc. where it's almost impossible to move, there was plenty of elbow room in there. And, something just felt strange looking at a $430,255 Rolls Royce these days.

- The displays were more like regular trade show displays. Not many were flashy. While Mercedes had a display, it lacked the pizazz of earlier years. No technological highlights. Just the cars, for the most part.

- Toyota had what felt like the largest display. And, if you add Lexus and Scion in the mix, it felt like it took up almost half of the main hall. A lot was focused on hybrids. Scion is cool. Their display is very "hip" as is their marketing strategy. Why can't the domestic makers do this kind of thing? Toyota is what GM was and should have become. A car in every price range, for every niche, and it's the best car in it's class. Look at a Toyota Corolla. Better built and "feels" better than a Buick costing 3 times as much.

- Buick was depressing. Kinda funny to see one of those models tout the features of their "newest" SUV or crossover, or whatever the hell they call them now.... since the car has been out for at least 2 years already. There were maybe 3 people watching her, and less than 10 in the whole display. Why is GM dead? Just take a look at Buick ... there is no reason for that division.

- Interesting seeing Smart next to Hummer. (not dignifying with a link). Hummer had a very small display and man... you've gotta be one helluva salesman to move one of those beasts these days.

- Pontiac G8 is a neat car, and the G8 GXP is a monster.. Corvette engine. But, it was up on a turntable by itself. You had no way of getting close to the car.

- Every GM division's display was pretty standard-fare. Even Cadillac, the "star" of GM, had the CTS-V off by itself and locked. Makes no sense.

- Ford is offering a $50 MasterCard debit card to anyone who wants to come in and test-drive a car. If I accept it, and they get the loan they are looking for, am I essentially paying myself? How come Toyota and Honda don't have to resort to paying people to test drive? Ford was touting the Fusion Hybrid. Sit inside one. Better than the old Taurus, but the thing still has that rental car feel. Now go sit inside an Accord or Camry. Game over.

- Honda had a really cool concept sports-car and their new Prius-fighter hybrid. Better looking than Prius, and knowing Honda, will be more driver-oriented. Should be a winner.

- Acura is weird. I still love the original Legend and Coupe from 1988, but it seems that while Lexus and Infiniti have carved out their niche and identity, Acura hasn't. One thing really holding them back is no V8. The TL is their bread-and-butter car. Have you seen the new one? Holy shit... it's got to be of the ugliest cars i've seen in a long time. Honda is known as being very conservative, but they went to the extreme in the other direction with this car. Take a look at the front and back end.

- A lot of interest in the new BMW 7-series. Big improvements inside, but the exterior is still rather austere. The M3 may have the best steering wheel I've ever felt in a production car.

- I love Audi. It may be the one company where I really like every model they put out. Sat in an A8L. Wow. Not as fluid as a Mercedes, but really well-done. Love Audi styling.

- The Infiniti G37 convertible is gorgeous. (In full disclosure, I drive an Infiniti). What got me is how it looks with the top up ... it looks better than the coupe because the rear side window is more rounded on the convertible, and gives it a more classic coupe look. I'm not a big convertible guy in terms of wanting to own one as a daily driver, but I'd consider one of those.

- Matthew liked the VW CC, which is sort of a poor man's Mercedes CLS. Very nicely done inside, and the styling is really pretty. Pretty? Yeah... the CLS and the CC are feminine-looking cars. Poor VW though... great cars, but since the Japanese arrived, they have never been able to compete. Note to VW ... on that shark-tail antenna thing on the roof... make it body-color like everyone else. Seeing it in black on a white car just doesn't work.

- The star of the show? Ferrari California? Nope... it's the Hyundai Genesis! Huh? Yeah.... remember back in the early 90's when the Lexus LS400 came out, and people were wondering if you'd spend $38K on a Toyota? Well, Hyundai is going to get you to wonder why you'd spend $65K on a Lexus when you can have a V8, nice conservative styling, great quality, loaded to the gills... all for $41K. Yeah it's a Hyundai. Not a Bimmer or Benz. Or even a Lexus or Infiniti. Get over it. I've seen a few on the freeway and it looks and feels better in person.

- Then of course downstairs are all of the guys selling wheels, conversions, toys, books, cleansers, and all other types of assorted shit. Several empty booths this year. More guys selling model cars... although they all had pretty much the same selection.

It was a fun show, and great going with Matthew. We were there for at least 6 hours, and he loves getting into and checking out all of the car's features. Walking through one of the halls, he asked if I wanted to see Chrysler. I said under my breath that next year, there might not be a Chrysler anymore. We did walk through their display to get to the next hall, and there was a sticker on each car that said "Wi-fi". Does each model have wifi? How about making a bigger deal about it. Lame. Until next year ... will be interesting to see how the industry will change over the next 12 months.

If you went to an auto show or are into cars, post a comment and let me know what you think.

World Series prediction

Tough one here.... the Rays are on such a roll right now, but they could be spent from that tough series against the Red Sox.

The Phils beat two relatively weak teams in the playoffs (at least compared to AL teams), and they've had a long layoff.

The big guns for the Phils have been too quiet and you know they are going to wake up at some point.

Being born in Philadelphia and always being an NL fan, I think this just might be the Phillies year. 2 more reasons: 1. I love Citizens Bank Park. 2 I hate the DH.

One more thing... what the hell do you call that surface on the field in Tampa? Sure is hell aint grass... get rid of that stuff. It's an embarrasment.

How many games? (I know you're asking) Well... I want every World Series to go the maximum of 7 games... it makes for great baseball and it makes the off-season that much shorter.

Enjoy!

Shame on the Networks

Now that we've reached the Championship Series in each league, the networks take over for both TV and radio broadcasts.

Baseball has long been known for great local announcers ... from Mel Allen for the Yanks, Red Barber for Brooklyn, Harry Caray for the Cardinals and later the Cubs, Bob Prince for the Pirates .... the list goes on and on. Players come and go, but it's the continuity of the broadcasters that helps you develop a relationship and affection for your team.

It just so happens that this year, the NLCS teams have two of the greatest broadcasters ever.

Since 1971, Harry Kalas has been the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies. Besides his deep voice that you may recognize from his NFL Films work and many commercials, he's coined many catchy sayings over the years that have endeared him to Phillies fans. The team itself has named a restaurant at their ballpark in his honor.

And then there is the legend. For 59 years, yep... 59, Vin Scully has been the voice and the face of the Dodger franchise. He called games in Brooklyn, and has been in LA as long as the Dodgers have. He was voted Sportscaster of the 20th Century. He was named Dodger of the 20th Century, yet never threw a pitch, scored a run, or even donned a uniform. I've written enough about my affection towards him that I won't repeat it here.

My point is that it's such a shame that these legends will be spectators next week. They know their teams intimately. They have the unique perspective that nobody else does. The Phils and Dodgers battled it out several times in some great playoffs during the late 70's, and both were there for it all.

It's probably all about money and contracts, like everything else these days. But, why not do something for the good of the game, for the benefit of the fans. How great would it be for Dodger fans to hear Kalas' great voice ... to hear his unique perspective. Older Phils fans know Vin from the 80's when he was the voice of NBC's Game of the Week, but wouldn't a newer, younger group get a kick out of his knowledge?

Baseball is about history and tradition ... If you're reading ESPN and Fox, let these legends be a part of it!

Ok I was wrong

What an unpredictable and improbable postseason so far.

The White Sox win 2 just to get in and the Rays haven't crashed and
burned ... yet.

The team with the best record in all of baseball is on life support
and they have to win 2 in a row at a place where the home-field
advantage may be the most daunting anywhere.

The Phils are doing pretty much what I expected and I knew that CC's
tank would run dry at some point.

And then there are the Dodgers. The team with injuries. The team with
the shortstop that hasn't played since May. The team where a guy from
AA Jacksonville was the starting third baseman on opening day. The
team who hosted a visiting Manny at the Coliseum in March only to find
him wearing our uniform a few months later. The team with a 20 year
old lefty who would be huge down the stretch. The team with a moody
hall-of-famer second baseman tell the 59-year veteran voice of God
broadcaster that he talks too much. I could go on and on.

It's been a crazy season and it ain't over yet. This kind of stuff us
what makes this game like no other and I plan on enjoying the rest of
the ride, however long it lasts.

____________
Posted from iPhone

October in LA and there is baseball!

ok here's my predictions for the post season... let's see how close I get.

NL:


Cubs over Dodgers in 4
Phils over Brewers in 4
Cubs over Phils in 6


AL:

Angels over Sox in 5
Twins (I'm assuming the White Sox won't win 2 in a row to get in) over Rays in 4
Angels over Twins in 5

And... the drumroll please.....


Angels over Cubs in 6


Comment with your predictions!

Best news I've heard in a while

Recent days have been filled with summer vacations, getting the kids (and parents) back into the swing of things with the school routines, the circus that are political conventions, and the tracking of scary hurricanes.

For me, one story... just one story, pushes all of that nonsense to the side.

I can't believe there wasn't a breaking news email about it, or one of those annoying Emergency Broadcast System signals followed by the crude on-screen display.

What was the earth shattering news you ask?

Well... here it is!

John McCain... what have you done?

In the spirit of equal time, I've posted a new poll with regards to McCain's surprising (to say the least) choice for VP.

What do you think?

Dodgers marketing

Guy just showed up at my office from the Dodgers... wanted to sell tickets for the last stretch of the season. He was a Dodger employee so he was legit.

Dodgers are also giving an incentive to send in a deposit for 2009 season tix by not having any price increase.

Is it marketing, the economy, or both?

I know, I know.. I should have told the guy once they start beating the Washington Generals...er...Nationals of the world maybe his job would be easier.

Seinfeld the Microsoft pitchman

Does anyone find it somewhat funny that Jerry Seinfeld signed on as a pitchman for Microsoft to do battle against Apple?

Didn't Jerry have an Apple Mac in his apartment for the entire run of his show? And wasn't that Mac updated every season with the newest model? From what I've read, Jerry had such a firm control over that show that he was involved with every minute detail. His love of Superman and racing is evident... he had the caped hero and a Skip Barber Racing School magnet on his fridge, so I have to assume he was a Mac user too.

I'd love to say "not that there's anything wrong with it" here, but I can't. Seems like a bit of a sellout.

What happens to Beijing?

One event I really enjoyed watching was the marathon, because it gave me a chance to see the city of Beijing. Most think of Beijing as being a bunch of old pagoda-style buildings, and Tiananmen Square with that big picture of Mao.

But, watching the marathon gave us a chance to see the new Beijing, with modern buildings and a cosmopolitan look.

But, once everyone is gone, will China "revert" to it's somewhat authoritarian state or did the Olympics make this country "turn the corner" into modern openness?

Comment on what you think...

Olympics gold medal winners

Why don't more U.S. gold medal winners sing the words to the Star Spangled Banner when they were on the podium? Do they not know them? Kobe Bryant was singing, but I think he was the only one on that team and I didn't notice many others from other sports.

I don't like that stuff. I think all future Olympians should be forced to learn the song in order to make the team, dammit.

Obama's choice

Is anyone interested in the election? Let's see what you're thinking. Take a look at the newest poll and vote. Add your comments too.

Scam credit card collection phone calls

I've been getting calls on my cell phone over the last few weeks from these phone numbers:


505-797-6333
904-954-3071

It's a recorded message that says they need to speak with you regarding your credit card account. They give you a toll-free number to call. I called that number, and while they said it's Citi Cards, I can tell that it's not. I then called the number on the back of my credit card and they had no record of needing to speak with me.

Take a look at what comes up when I searched for these phone numbers:


Just a word of caution to beware!

Home Warranties

In one word... suck. We've had one on and off (mostly on) since we've owned our home. In a nutshell, you pay the man about $450 a year (started out around $250) and, you supposedly are covered for just about everything in your house that could go wrong. There is a $55 deductible per service call. We've been with American Home Shield but there are others out there that work pretty much the same way. The whole thing is a big racket. They will always find a loophole and not cover you and pay the claim.

You don't want to read the details, but after two worthless visits from... ahem... "experts", they determined that our a/c system's compressor stopped working because of poor maintenance on our part. And this after the first guy told us that we didn't have a filter installed. Uh sir, the unit doesn't take a filter, but as they said in Airplane, "that's not important right now."

Long story short we brought out our own guy and he said those other two companies are full of shit and the item was properly maintained.

The end result is we had to buy a new a/c system and canceled the American Home Shield service. I figure we either broke even or came out slightly ahead on the years and years of premiums, but the whole thing did leave a bad taste in our mouths.

Funny end to the story. Less than a week after canceling, a fan in our refrigerator went. Another $250 down. Don't take me to Vegas with you anytime soon.

If anyone else has had an experience like this, comment on it.

The Olympics

Are you watching the Olympics? Can you care less?

Cast your vote

Baseball Trivia

If you know me then you're probably surprised I went this long without a baseball post. Well, the wait is over my friends.

Trivia Time:

What team will have 4 Future Hall of Famers in uniform but none of them will be inducted wearing that team's uniform?

(Jeopardy music playing)

Answer: The 2008 Dodgers.

With the recent re-acquisition of one of my favorite players ever, Greg Maddux, they now will have Manny Ramirez, Jeff Kent, and Joe Torre joining Maddux, all future Hall of Famers, but none will go in wearing Dodger Blue.

Speaks to what baseball has become, which is sad.

Using Smartphones

In Hawaii, I noticed a lot of people using smartphones, but not just as phones. They have really become information and entertainment devices. A few observations:

- While the buzz is all about the iPhone, Blackberry is still king. For the most part, the Treo seems to be pretty much dead. I saw maybe 2 all week.

I got a lot of great use out of my new iPhone and it was a great way to test some of it's features. GPS works great, even in Maui. I got 3G service pretty much all over the island. The Facebook app worked flawlessly and allowed for the immediate upload of pics. One of my favorite features is Google Reader. I'm a news junkie, and the interface is great.

A few wishes for the iPhone?

- Do email better. Blackberry still rules in the email world. With iPhone, there are no filters for spam, no custom signatures for different accounts, no new email "tones" that can be configured for each account, etc. I have 10 accounts in mine, so when new mail comes in, I need to see what email account it was received by. Sucks.

- Don't run everything in the background. Blackberry lets you run apps like GoogleTalk in the foreground, so you can use it along with the other features. The iPhone treats it like a website, so when you leave it and go do something else, your session ends.

- Allow ota syching of the Google Calendar with the iPhone. (I'm told this is coming, but it can't be too soon.)

A Week In Hawaii

I'm sure nobody is interested in the minute details of a week-long vacation in Hawaii, but here are some tips/observations that we picked up from friends, research, and along the way:

- Rent a larger car than you think you need. I reserved a midsize car and got a Toyota Camry . Turned out with all of the luggage and a stop to Costco that we sort of forgot about, it wasn't nearly big enough. Luckily they had a Nissan Murano. After the stop at Costco, we barely had enough room, so be careful. The next step up would have been too large and too expensive.

- Costco is 2 minutes from the Kahului Airport OGG. If you are going with a family, it's really an essential stop. Pick up stuff like water, chips, breakfast foods, plastic silverware, plates, and all of the stuff that are good to keep in the room. Apparently, this is no secret. The place was packed with mainlanders.

- Pick a hotel that is geared towards kids. That's the #1 reason we chose Grand Wailea. Yes, every hotel/resort there has a great pool and easy beach access, but the pool setup there is really something to be seen. The kids' eyes popped out of their heads when they saw that, and it certainly occupied their time (mine too) for a lot of the week.

- Bring cash. Are you saying "duh?" No, I mean bring currency. The place is an endless pit of tipping.

- Everything is expensive. Another "duh" one there. If you have any sort of budget, add 40% and then expect to spend more. It all starts with $8 smoothies at the Swim-up Grotto Bar and goes from there. But hey, you need to just suck some of it up. You're on vacation. The kids learned "bill it to the room" very quickly.

- Get a Casabella. It's sort of a poor-man's Cabana, but it's great because it's reserved for you. Otherwise, you have to battle with everyone else at 7am staking your spot for chairs. A real mess.

- Have an itinerary. We had the week planned out in advance, with days at the pool/beach mixed in with other activities, such as the Maui Ocean Center, a really cool Submarine Tour, and a fun Plantation Tour. Be sure to visit Lahaina ... the kids loved the Stupid Store.

Travelling and airlines for the most part... suck

I've always been a lover of all things transportation. As a small child living in a Philadelphia high-rise, I wanted to watch the bus driver do his thing. I love riding trains and subways, and of course, would gladly spend all day behind the wheel of just about any car. I'd love to take a long trip in either a big rig or a motorhome.

But... let me tell you about what airline travel has become. It sucks. Big time. Those of you that travel more than me surely know this but on an all-day journey from LAX to Maui, it really hit me. You really have to put so much thought into it all now .. from figuring out when to buy food because you need to buy it after you go through security and because they don't feed you on the plane anymore, to making sure the size of your liquid bottles are within regulations. How about $10 on board for a sandwich and a bag of chips. Yep, it's come to this. It's stressful. I even got busted for a pack of matches in my dopp kit. And no, I don't smoke. Who will be the first to correctly post on why I had them to begin with? As Thornton Mellon said, "I learned this in Europe."

The American auto industry

Is alive and well in Hawaii. Every rental here is a Ford, Chevy, or
Chrysler product. We have a Nissan Murano but more on that later.

Test from iphone

Test of blogpost from iphone while laying in bed waiting for emily to
wake up

Getting to LAX is not fun

As you know, it's not fun. Especially with families. Especially after 9/11. We had a 10am flight on a Friday, and left our house at 6:30. Any earlier and it would have really been pushing it. These days, you can never leave too soon.

This parking site sucks. They said I could get indoor parking at the Westin for $9.95/day, which beat Wally Park's deal, even with AAA. Not so. We got there and the posted price was $19.95. The worst part of the deal is the shuttle makes it's rounds every "20 minutes or so" according to the flunkie there. I'm sorry, but that doesn't cut it. Morale of the story is you're not always getting "a deal" and when you are traveling, especially with kids, it's sometimes better and less stressful to pay more to make things easier. Lesson learned and no harm there. So, off to Wally it was. Shuttles waiting, and the valet option makes it easy to transfer all of the bags from our van. I even arranged for a wash while we're away.

Next up... arriving at LAX and getting to the gate. I'm sure you can hardly wait. Feel free to comment so I know I'm not writing this for myself. :)

Hawaii

I'm on a trip to Hawaii with the family. We're staying at the Grand Wailea. A complete and hopefully pretty detailed report about this place when I get back. I'm a total hotel whore and I can be pretty brutal about service and expectations...

Why am I doing this?

Well.. it all started when I made the switch from Blackberry to iPhone. I started doing some moaning and complaining about why the iPhone doesn't do this or that, and when will they have this or that feature (more about my iPhone rants and raves later). My brother said "you should blog on this stuff." And then it was born.

This blog will be just what the title says ... random bits of info about whatever I feel like writing about. Some might be incredibly profound (yeah right) and some might be of the mundane variety (probably most of it). It's an experiment and an ever-evolving work-in-progress so if you continue to read it, post some comments and suggestions to give me some guidance and direction.

Happy Reading!