Month: October 2014

I Finally Killed Off Google Doc’s

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I have finally succeeded in killing off any remaining documents i had hosted in my personal google account.  This action was a bit harder than i expected it would be.  I won’t go into further details on a public post due to security concerns however i am glad that I was able to go through and move everything i still needed and delete everything I didn’t need.  Exporting data was easy to an offline file but moving things that others still needed to collaborate on was a challenge and requires giving out new URL’s unless i was moving the document to someone else in the same google work domain.  I wasn’t doing that so it was challanging.

This milestone was one of the last I need before I can delete my remaining google app’s id that i used to use as my main account.  The last milestone may be the most difficult but that will be the topic of another post, Android Apps.

 

The challenges of Google Stickiness

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The biggest challenge I have seen with getting rid of my Google Account is that I don’t really want to get rid of it 100%.  I plan on getting rid of the account I have been using because it is the only way to delete some things.  For example i moved out my Google Voice number but all my call records and voice mail cannot be removed unless i manually delete them or if i delete the entire account.  With thousands of log entries and voice mail i won’t be doing any manual deletions so nuking my entire account is the only option.

Since i want to delete everything i will lose anything i cannot backup or move.  For example any purchased Android app’s and media I won’t be able to keep.  There is no way to transfer purchases.  I was smart and only bought one ebook from Google and never bought any music.  I continue to do that with Amazon MP3 just because the MP3 has no DRM and allows for me to keep using it even if i ever get rid of Amazon.  Google and Amazon for that matter tie your ebooks to the account you bought it with.  The one ebook isn’t an issue since i had already bought it on my amazon account due to issues with the google reader.  

My biggest challenge is all the Android app’s I have purchased. Over the years I may have spent $100 or so on apps. Many of them I do not even use anymore but on principle i am not pleased with having to give them all up because they are tied to other services that I don’t want. In the end I think I am going to bite the bullet and live without the apps, but I am not happy. I already setup a new Google ID just for registering Android devices and any App purchases. Going forward that will be my approach, dedicated accounts for specific services that I need/want to use. Right now all i think i need is something for Android and Youtube.

Mac OS Yosemite

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Its that time of year again. Apple has come out with its new OS. This time around I tried the Beta on my personal laptop. I was pretty happy with it so i installed it my remaining computers today when it became available.

One thing that is always a challenge when Apple OS upgrades come out is that some apps just don’t work. Typically it is my VPN app or Dragon Dictate or something specialized. This year I was pleased to see that everything worked without needing upgrades.

The biggest challenge for me isn’t upgrading my personal machines (I already did that). it will be upgrading MC’s and getting my parents iMac upgraded. I think MC is on Mavericks but her Macbook is getting up there in age. My parents are now 2 OS versions behind and getting time to go over there and upgrade is challenging.

More Wireless in the Subway is Good

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This week I started noticing I was getting wireless signal on my phone in the stations in Queens on the way home from work. I was surprised since I hadn’t had that happen before. For several months if i wanted to check mail or sync something i knew i had to wait till 5th ave on the way in or 5th ave was the last chance i got till i got home on my return trip.

After a few days of curiosity I searched the internet and found that the MTA did announce new stations coming online this month. It was just challenging to find what stations. Once i found the list i confirmed that all the stations on my route home in Queens will get signal. That will be helpful to me when i am checking mail on my way into work each day. I have found that my commute is a good time to sort through all the mail from overnight and get quick responses back to people.

Of course the downside of signal in stations are people making calls. Data is great but having some clown talking loudly on the subway into their phone is not fun. Especially when they leave the station and there is the inevitable “hello, hello, can you hear me” when they drop the call. I guess progress has a price.

Family Photo Shoot

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Today I took the day off because we had an appointment for a photo shoot with the girls. We found a fantastic photographer (Amanda Saldarelli Photography) last year that we used for Teagan’s first year photos. We booked her again this year for a smaller session for photos we are going to use for our holiday photos. We went to the grounds of a museum near Great Neck. I didn’t even know that place existed but it was very nice backdrop for our photos. Thankfully Teagan survived the car drip without getting sick. The past month or so we have completed several trips without having to give her any medication so we have our fingers crossed that she is over her car sickness phase. As recently as our Maine trip in August she had trouble so we very happy she is doing well traveling.

Both girls were awake and in a good mood for the session. With two kids that young you have to be grateful for that. Besides Teagan running around a lot the session went well. We are hoping we got some really good photos.

Besides the photo session the day was generally uneventful day at home playing with the kids. It was nice to have a 3 day weekend.

A Mystery of Childhood I Won’t Solve

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Around Teagan’s first birthday my parents got her this easy chair with her name on it.  She also has a play kitchen set with utensils and wood food, etc that she loves and plays with all the time.  She has had the kitchen for over a year.  For at least a few months Teagan has been taking her play kitchen utensils and placing them on her lounge chair.  Today MC mentioned it, but we both know she has been doing it for a while.  MC doesn’t think she ever puts the fake forks and knives on the chair, just the ladle, spatula, etc.  I am not sure about that, but i do know she never puts other stuff like the food or pots on the chair.  It is not an every day occurrence but she has done this several times.  The chair is not even near the kitchen.  I would love to know why she is doing it but she can’t communicate well enough yet.  MC and I just have to scratch our heads and smile at this one!

Partial Goodbye Google

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Today I took the next step in my exodus from Google services.  I deleted my old @powerz.org mail domain from Google Apps.  I had used it for several years before retiring it for a newer one about a year ago.  With my mail backed up elsewhere and after I finally got all of the services dependent on the domain moved I was able to delete my account.  it felt good, however my other Google Apps Domain is more of a challenge.  I still use some of the google doc’s associated with it and figuring out an alternative is my current challange.

What was once old is new again

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Back when I first started writing my blog over 11 years ago I did so using my scott.ac domain.  I was pleased with myself to have gotten a domain with just my first name.  Over the years I got too many questions about the .ac so i moved my online presence to other domains with the more traditional .com, .net, & .org.  Oh how I thought powerz.org was a cool sounding domain name back in 2000.

With my recent changes I decided to make with regards to my web & email hosting I took the time to change the domain I use once again.  This time back to scott.ac.  Now a days there are literally going to be thousands of new domain names out there.  I have bought a few myself.  I realized then that with so many new TLD’s I still have one of the easiest domains I will ever get.  So after that realization I went back to the domain name I have had the longest (since 1999, man I feel old).

My Feedburner feed will redirect to the new URL.  I will once again (i have done this a few times in the past) take the hit and lose my google rankings while the site gets reindexed.  I don’t really care about that.  I am still surprised I get traffic on this site.  I still enjoy writing even though i only just started writing again in recent weeks.

Of course I am a realist and I give myself 2 years before I decide to change things again.

Break Fast at My Sister’s

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Today we took the kids to my sisters for the break fast.  Originally the break fast was going to be at Lauren’s house but she had to pass on hosting so it moved to Carries.  That presented a challenge for us since it was an extra hour or so drive.  We are still nervous about Teagan getting car sick.  We wanted to see everyone and we didn’t have time to change our car reservations so we had to make the round trip in one day.  Turned out fine.  We put the girls to bed in the car and carried them upstairs when we got home.  They of course woke up but the transition back to sleep once we got home was ok.

The day was great.  As always my sister had lots of great food.  Seeing everyone was fun also.  We didn’t get to see my sister and the kids as much as i would have liked over the summer.  Teagan & Amelia as always had a blast with her cousin’s.

The only minor drama was we both forgot to pack our diaper bags.  Thankfully we packed enough extra supplies to get by in the kids clothing bags since we knew we would get the ready for bed at my sisters.  It ended up being a close call but we knew we could have just ron out to the drug store if we needed anything.  Thankfully we didn’t.

Flying Solo With The Girls

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Today our babysitter was sick.  MC had a deadline at work so I took off.  I was already going to work from home because I was taking Teagan to her 2 year checkup but I wasn’t planning on getting no work done.  I have taken care of both kids alone before but it is always a challenge.

Today thankfully Teagan had a class in the morning.  I also had a class with Amelia but she was napping in the stroller so I made the command decision for us not to go.  Instead i got a civilized walk in with her sleeping.  The highlight was my Starbucks Cappuccino.  I miss my walks when Teagan was a baby were I could go for coffee.  With both kids it is a challenge so i was grateful for the chance today.

After Teagan’s doctor appointment and attempted nap time I got in some really good play time with them. That was followed by the challenging yet not as bad as it could have been bathing Amelia, feeding Teagan, then bathing Teagan juggling act.

All day I was craving Sushi, so i ordered delivery for when MC got home.  We hadn’t had in a while and it was delicious.  I was tired but it was a generally great day with my girls!