Monthly Archives: January 2019

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POTD – 17/365

“….Adele got a flip phone…”

Greetings all…

I’m a bit of a gadget monger. While I don’t keep every bit of outdated, dead tech (I’m about to throw some on eBay and Craigslist though), I have kept a few devices. Kept not only for nostalgia, but good memories of using them as my tech journey continued along. One item I fondly remember using is the Motorola Razr V3 above. It was my second mobile phone and I loved everything about it, from its sleek design, lines, futuristic look, operation, and form factor. After leaving it for two BlackBerrys and then the iPhone, I always wished I would still be able to use it on current networks. It was early last year that I actually became weary of all the convenient technological features (believe it or not) of my great iPhone and actually longed for the days of simplicity (and truthfully far less distraction) of a mobile phone.

Surprisingly, Verizon announced today that they are re-introducing the Razr V3 in limited quantities, only 200,000…but the cost of $1500 a pop…$1500?? No. I’m sure there are those with pockets deep enough to easily scarf one or two of these apparent “collectibles” up, but…nah. At the same time, I’m glad to see it back. If they were to release one at a far cheaper cost, I’d highly consider going back, even if Adele didn’t have a flip phone😏. (Sunny Mabrey is mad hilarious! LOL)

Peace,
Fresh

Reference:

1. A New Motorola Razr Will Be Released This Year as a $1500 foldable phone | Android Central

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POTD – 16/365

“There ‘s an app for that.”

I started seriously, or maybe I should say consistently, going to the gym in my very late 20’s…(yeah, yeah, there have been a FEW hiatuses, but that’s not what this post is about,😂)…long before the iPhone or any wearable fitness tracker was even in existence. It was then that I recorded all my workout data in a notebook: pen and paper.

Fast forward to 2019, when wearables are still the rage and smartphones are pretty ubiquitous, and everyone’s fitness data touches the cloud (if you use these devices for such) at some point. Yes, it makes it convenient, even motivating for sure, but there are still times I write down stuff in notebook – easy access, no power needed, right there whenever I need it on a sunny day (in other words, no “clouds” (get it??) in sight.

Best,
Fresh

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POTD – 13/365

*Definition of a throwback*You really know the meaning of “throwback” when your childhood friend, same guy who was the bass player in our neighborhood R&B band in the day, texts you a picture of the original lyric sheet of the very first original song the band played, co-written with him and the band’s trumpet player. “All I Need Is You”. Music composed, arranged, and recorded by five teens just starting to do gigs around town….mannn! ✨✨✨.

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POTD – 12/365

In remembrance.

I’m not one to post very personal things to social media, I’m just not – never have been/never will be, for reasons I need not get into here. In this case I will make an exception.

Today marks two years since my father passed away. I have very fond memories of him, and like with many fathers and sons, things happen where the agreement of things don’t occur 100% of the time, but I will say this – he always provided for me in a great number ways, and has been there. The photo above was a small memorial ceremony, held at my uncle’s house – the releasing of balloons in remembrance of him

You’re still missed.

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POTD – 11/365

…and you’re complaining about that download time, huh?

So, yeah… New Year’s Day, early in the wee hours of the morning, there was a celebration of another type going on at my job. The photo above explains it all – it’s a certificate marking a historic event of a flyby of a mission by NASA and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.

In short, I’ll explain what happens next, a process that is typical of all space missions that gather images for relay back to earth for science processing. Such images are stored on the spacecraft, just as you would save them to your mobile device, computer, or the cloud, until transmission to earth takes place. The New Horizon spacecraft has SSD (solid state drives – hard drives) that store the images taken of Ultimate Thule as the flyby occurred. In this case, during the flyby, it was known that the spacecraft would “go dark” (meaning that there would be no communications with Earth) as the camera was taking the photos – all could go successfully or there could be any kind of anomaly – either way neither could be known in dark mode. Fortunately, communication back to Earth after the flyby sequence essentially meant the spacecraft saying “Hey, my SSD is full and I’m going to start sending you images back to you!” – which is just what began happening. The interesting thing with the design of this is NASA wanted to study the images as soon as possible BUT in order to do so, low resolution images are the first to be sent because of their size with respect to the distance from Earth the spacecraft is. It will be *two years* from now until any hi-res images will reach Earth. So…the next time you’re crying about how lonnnnnng it’s taking to download your file (raises hands)….think about the Ultima Thule images 😏🙂.

Peace…

Fresh

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POTD – 10/365

Playing the numbers…

Greetings good people.

I’ve never purchased a lottery ticket, but definitely been “living by the numbers” for almost ten years.

I have been working out in the gym, solely (aside from those varied hiatuses) with pen and pad, pretty much regularly after college. The Nike+ iPod Fitness tracking system made me start tracking runs way back in July 2010, when I read a cover story in this July 2009 issue of Wired Magazine. I had never run before hand, but got sold on the concept, especially being a data hound, naturally. I went from the Nike+ iPod system to the NikeFuel Band to the Fuel Band plus the Apple Watch, and after Nike retired Fuel Band use, it’s down to the Apple Watch.

I’ve always been a data trend head and fitness trackers readily provide you with such data instantly. That aspect has been, and is, more desirable than the more seemingly popular “gamification” of fitness tracking. As saud above, I’m using the Apple Watch as my only fitness tracker now and I’m one of five admins in the Apple Watch Fitness Fan Facebook Group.

Similarly, I’ve jumped on the self-quantification bandwagon (albeit mildly) using the Gyroscope app. I like what it offers but just can’t jump in with both feet for reasons that would better be explained elsewhere.

I’m still part of the Nike+ posse. If you train with the Nike Run Club or Nike Training apps or use Gyroscope, feel free to follow me, I’m @ Mr. Fresh on both platforms. Information links are below.

Blessings,
Fresh.

References
1. Nike Training Club
3. NikeFuel Band (now discontinued)
4. Nike+ iPod Run Tracking
5. Gyroscope – The Operating System For The Human Body
6. Apple Watch – Fitness – Close Your Rings

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POTD – 9/365

“Things that make you go hmmmm…”

Greetings readers….

As I was writing checks to mail some bills to be paid (yes I still write checks AND use the USPS to pay bills🤣), I saw, what I’ve seen since I’ve been paying bills, on the back of this envelope below…

For some reason, for the first time, I was like…”Why have I seen this on bills and bill envelopes all my life….who in their right mind would try to pay a debt with stamps?”

Enter our friend, Google Search. Turns out, it appears stamps were considered legal tender in the US, according to the Stamp Payment Act is 1862:

The Stamp Payments Act of 1862–“Section 1 of the Act provided for the use of postage stamps as currency for government debts valued at less than five dollars. “

Postage stamps have served as money in areas as diverse as America, Europe, and the Far East. During the American Civil War merchants, struggling with a shortage of small coins, began the practice of making small change with postage stamps. Daily purchases of stamps increased fivefold in New York City alone, and individual stamps circulated until they became too dirty and tattered for recognition. John Gault, a Boston sewing-machine salesman, proposed the encasement of stamps in circular metal discs with transparent mica on one side showing the face of the stamp. Soon the metal side of the discs was bearing inscriptions of advertisements; one series of encased stamps bore the slogan, “Ayer’s Sarsaparilla to Purify the Blood.” Denominations of encased stamp money ranged from 1 cent to 90 cents, and one rectangular encasement had three 3-cent stamps, making a 9-cent coin.

The government took up the idea of postage money and begin issuing postage currency in denominations of 5-, 10-, 15-, and 50-cent stamps, and some of the postage currency was even perforated around the edges to resemble stamps. The postage currency soon dropped any association with postage stamps and became simple fractional currency in denominations of 3 cents to 50 cents and bearing the inscription “Receivable for all U.S. stamps.”

It appears that this act has never been repealed, such that now, creditors must dictate that cash or stamps can’t be sent as payment for a debt.

Interesting….

Enjoy your day/night

Doug

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POTD – 8/365

“Coffee, tea or…”

Greetings all….

Some of you remember the rest of that cheeky line often said by stewardesses (yes I’m saying “stewardess” vs “flight attendant” for a reason) in TV and movies back in the day.

I’m one of the minority that never regularly drank coffee. Not to say I NEVER drank it at all, but not as the norm. Tea has always been my drink. Not being a tea connoisseur, I don’t drink many different kinds nor do fresh brew from tea leaves, etc. Bag tea works, and while Lipton regular tea is high in antioxidants, I like Tetley better.

This morning it was bottoms up for sure – Lipton was the choice (’cause someone drank all the Tetley in our kitchenette at work🙄)

Seize the day…

Peace,

Doug