Battles With Boredom

OpenDNS vs. Google Public DNS, in Brazil

Just for kicks, I decided to see what Google’s Public DNS performance was like compared to that of OpenDNS, while abroad. I’d heard OpenDNS was faster in the US, and Google overseas. While ICMP reply times are certainly not the only indicator of performance, it’s safe to say they are a very big one. Here are the results: Continue reading OpenDNS vs. Google Public DNS, in Brazil…

The Quest for a SIM Card

Not having Internet data on my iPhone kinda bites. I’ve got GPS, and the ability to take pictures and videos and compose emails of things that I see and experience… and no way to use them unless there’s open WiFi. Unfortunately, a lot of folks around here actually lock down their networks (good for them, bad for the casual traveler in search of a few kilobytes of data to find out where the heck he happens to be).

The first step was finding a cell phone store. Despite what I’ve heard about the crime rate in Brazil, everyone on the street seems pretty comfortable and casual so I figured I’d be fine as long as I paid attention and didn’t wander down the wrong street. If you’re reading this, I didn’t.

I found one store that was closed, stopped two women on the street and asked if they could direct me to another one (which was just a couple of doors away). Although the store does carry GSM phones and SIMs, and has a pre-paid plan with unlimited texting, Facebook, and Twitter, my iPhone didn’t work with their SIM. It looks like I forgot to unlock it after jailbreaking it this last time around. Oops! So I just followed these handy instructions to unlock the phone again. Of course, I can’t test this until I get another SIM card when my host returns and I can borrow his Nokia to verify.

Yup, you can take the tech-geek out of the country, but you can’t take the… wait, that’s now how it goes.

MacBook Air 11.6″ – Thoughts So Far

I’ve been using my new Apple MacBook Air MC505LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop fairly constantly over the last two days since it arrived. How to I like it so far? I love it. Continue reading MacBook Air 11.6″ – Thoughts So Far…

Summer Wrap-up: 2010

It seems like just last week it was Memorial Day and I was at Jamie and Lisa’s for a barbeque, yesterday it was Independence Day and I was at a barbeque with Steve, and now Labor Day has come and gone in a flash. So much for summer.

I’ve been more outgoing and made more new friends this summer than I have in years past, which is excellent. I’ve been channeling my inner Tim Ferriss and killing my inner wuss. (Watch out, Kim).

My biking was rewarding. I did more road biking than mountain, which isn’t my preference, but it was certainly enjoyable, so I’m not complaining.

Aikido has been getting fun again. My sensei has informed me I will be testing for nidan next month in Boston. I am happy.

The coffee shop has been up and running for a month. Business is steady, and I am only involved on rare occasions. Paradigm is under the daily operation of a new manager, so I get to jump in and do the work that I enjoy only when I am really needed or want to be “in the way.”

One casualty of all this has been the Fresh Ubuntu Podcast. While it hasn’t been pronounced dead, it is definitely on life support. I’ve been busy. Harlem has been busy. Leftyfb is getting married in a few weeks. CafeNinja is a regular contributor to our friends at h4cked.

Finally, I will be departing for a month-long trip to Brazil in November.

And yes, I’m still on Facebook. *grumble*

Wow. Life is good.

TED: The Energy Detective from Energy, Inc. A Complete Waste of Money

A client of mine recently purchase a TED, The Energy Detective, 5000 series device with which to monitor his house’s power consumption. This thing is a complete piece of garbage, fails to display any useful data more than half of the time (yes, we’ve been keeping track), and their technical support is rude, uninterested and completely unhelpful. In summary, don’t waste your money. Continue reading TED: The Energy Detective from Energy, Inc. A Complete Waste of Money…