Wow! It’s been almost a full year since the last Verse of the Moment was posted. Now that’s just pure laziness on my part. However, I have a new one (no, this is not an April Fools joke). If there’s one thing I love more than tight beats and great delivery, it’s the ability to tell a story. This verse accomplishes that with flying colors. Enjoy.
Artist: Grip Grand
Album: Brokelore
Song: Out of Service
Homepage | Download | Purchase
Play:
Barack Obama just gave his “A More Perfect Union” speech, and today is one of those days when I know I am witnessing a very powerful, very historic moment in the United States. It’s hard for me to say it is on-par with King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, simply because King’s speech speaks to a life I never fully experienced (thanks to the hard work of my parents). Obama’s speech however talks directly to my life, to my experience, and to my nation.
Do yourself a favor, and click play.
Like most people, I spend most of my day staring at Microsoft Outlook. And like most people, I dislike it; I really hate it. I find the entire application ugly, unorganized, and designed in a way that makes it amazingly unproductive. In short, I wish it operated a lot more like gmail.
Last week, after pulling out a few hairs fighting with Outlook, I reached my breaking point. I dove into setting after setting and after a few frustrating hours, I finally got Outlook looking and operating like gmail (sort-of).
I actually like the Outlook gmail-like interface better than the gmail interface, as I find the way it groups conversations to be more visually pleasing and easier to navigate. I have included the below image as an example. All of the emails from “A” are emails I have sent.
On the left is Outlook’s default view, and on the right is my gmail-like interface:
The default view is not all bad however, as it does offer one benfit the gmail-like interface doesn’t; newer emails are never buried. If you look at the gmail-like view above, the two newest emails (sent at 2:23pm) are not at the top of either of the subjects in the gmail-like view. In addition, the Out of Office reply from “N” which is the 4th newest email I have received does not even show up in the gmail-like interface due to the length of the two conversations. Of course I could collapse the conversation and the email would show on-screen, but collapsing the conversation defeats the purpose of having them in conversations (in my opinion).
Now that you have seen what Outlook looks like after it has been gmailified, you might want to try it. To make your Outlook look like gmail, follow the below steps:
You should now have an Outlook that looks and acts similar to gmail. Enjoy your new found productivity.
I was reading an interesting article on Slashdot the other day concerning Netflix and the status of their improve the movie recommendation challenge. As I was reading it, I started thinking about other ways Netflix could improve their offerings and further distance themselves from their rival Blockbuster. My idea? An ‘in the mail’ button.
My current turnaround time for Netflix rentals is typically around 3 days (I mail it on Monday, they process on Tuesday, and I receive a new movie Wednesday). However, I occasionally get stuck with a 4 to 5 day turnaround due to weekends or slow processing times (I mail it Thursday, they receive it late Friday, process Saturday, and I receive it Monday). It is in this second scenario where Blockbuster and their in-store exchanges becomes an attractive alternative. And I know Blockbuster currently took a beating when they decided to change their rate plans, but eventually they will find a sweet spot and their Total Access (or whatever they choose to call it) will become a very attractive offer.
To combat this, Netflix should enable its users to click on a ‘in the mail’ button, notifying Netflix that a movie is currently on its way, and informing Netflix to begin processing the next item in the queue. This feature provides two huge benefits:
Naturally, the system would need some checks to ensure people are not abusing the system., as quicker mailings means more mailings which means it will cost Netflix more money. The easiest, would give the customer two days to get the movie to Netflix. If Netflix does not receive the movie within two days of the customer clicking the “in the mail” button, Netflix can simply upgrade them to the next highest plan at the current pro-rated rate.
Thoughts?
Today Sprint announced that they are going to offer its customers some additional programs to ensure they are satisfied. Good timing Sprint, good timing. I have been a customer of theirs for a year and some change (I blogged about the move here), and for the most part have been happy. The call quality is good, my calls drops very infrequently, my bill is reasonable, and my unlimited internet plan is only an additional $15/month. Overall, not a bad plan.
However, recently I went into Sprint to try and add a line to my plan (for my dear ‘ol mom), only to be informed that I would be required to sign an additional two year agreement. Even if I chose to buy the phone outright I still had to sign a two year agreement. Needless to say I was not impressed, and not about to sign a two year agreement (with Sprint). If I’m going to sign a two year agreement it is going to be for that oh so very very nice iPhone I keep drooling over, not for a $50 emergency phone.
Anyway, it appears that in the next few weeks Sprint will start allowing customers to change their plan without forcing them to extend the contract. Here’s to hoping this holds true…
I’m not the biggest fan of Kanye West, as I find him to be a bit too arrogant and self-centered for his own good. However, I admire his willingness to speak so freely. In a recent interview on New York’s Z100, he talked about MTV, the VMAs, Britney Spears, his temper-tantrums, music piracy, and the so called “battle” with 50 Cent. The interview is a bit long, lasting just over 18mins (that’s long for internet stuff), but it shines some light on the thoughts of Kanye that I never heard on the more mainstream media channels. Click the play button below to hear the interview, it’s worth it.
My favorite portion, are his comments regarding Cd sales and how he really doesn’t care about how many CDs he sells. Interesting…
Interview:
Ever since I purchased my first Mac a few months back, I have slowly been finding myself appreciating the simple nature of the Macintosh operating system. I have also found myself becoming more and more frustrated with Windows (I use Windows at work). In particular, there are three main items that make using a Macintosh just a bit easier than using Windows.
On my Macintosh, this attention theft has yet to happen. Firefox (or Safari) never jumps in front of Word to warn me about a page not loading. In fact, no application ever steals focus to warn me about anything. The closest my Macintosh has come is to have the applications icon bounce around at the bottom of the screen. This can be a bit distracting, but it never steals key strokes or causes me to lose my focus.
On Windows, it does not always work so cleanly. So while you hit Alt-F-C to quit Windows Explorer, you need to hit Alt-F-X to quit Internet Explorer. From my experience, most programs alternate between Alt-F-C and Alt-F-X, but the level of effort required to memorize which apps use which shortcuts typically leads to frustration and abandonment of shortcuts entirely. The end result is that more time is spent navigating the mouse through the necessary menu items than is truly warranted.
So there you have it. Three little time-saving features that the Macintosh has, that Windows simply lacks. Can you think of some additional ones?
I’m back with another Verse of the Moment. This one is pretty self explanatory, so I won’t waste to much time talking. Just click the audio link, listen, and think a little.
Artist: Common
Album: One Day It’ll All Make Sense
Song: Retrospect for Life
Download | Ringtone (Coming Soon - Hopefully)
Play:
[Intro]
Gotta recreate y’all
Yo check it
[Chorus]
Knowin you the best part of life do I have the right to take yours
Cause I created you irresponsibly
Subconciously knowin the act I was a part of
The start of somethin, I’m not ready to bring into the world
Had myself believin I was sterile
I look into mother’s stomach, wonder if you are a boy or a girl
Turnin this woman’s womb into a tomb
But she and I agree, a seed we don’t need
You would’ve been much more than a mouth to feed
But someone, I woulda fed this information I read
to someone, my life for you I woulda had to leave
Instead I lead you to death
I’m sorry for takin your first breath, first step, and first cry
But I wasn’t prepared mentally nor financially
Havin a child shouldn’t have to bring out the man in me
Plus I wanted you to be raised within a family
I don’t wanna, go through the drama of havin a baby’s momma
Weekend visits and buyin J’s ain’t gon’ make me a father
For a while bearing a child is somethin I never wanted to do
For me to live forever I can only do that through you
Nerve I got to talk about them niggaz with a gun
Must have really thought I was God to take the life of my son
I could have sacrificed goin out
To think my homies who did it I used to joke about, from now on
I’ma use self control instead of birth control
Cause $315 ain’t worth your soul
$315 ain’t worth your soul
$315 ain’t worth it
Well the bags are packed, the sadness has set it, and the temperature is declining; we are on our way home from Atlanta. Here is the rundown of Atlanta:
Sheraton Buckhead: I like the room. It was decent, close to Lenox Square Mall (directly across the street close), and had the basic necessities (comfortable bed, quiet neighbors, iron). The Sheraton seems targeted primarily at business customers and has a free WiFi hotspot in their lobby. Internet access from your room will cost you a few pennies though. They also have a shuttle service that will take you to any destination within ~2 miles. Nice!
Georgia Aquarium: The aquariums website boasts that it is the largest aquarium in the world. Perhaps it is, but I just didn’t see it. It was nice, and it was big, but it didn’t seem like it was biggest in the world big. In fact, it seemed that a good portion of the space was used as a lobby. Admission will cost you a solid $24, and you will get to see some neat species (my personal favorite was the Moon Jellies), but after peaking through about 30 windows, I just felt like there should be more. Maybe my expectations were simply too ‘big’.
The New World of Coca-Cola: The most interesting fact about this place is that you cannot bring competing products labels into the building. You can keep your water, your Pepsi, your Snapple, or whatever else you have, but that label will get ripped off before you enter. I was shocked when it happened, but in retrospect it makes perfect sense. Once inside, you are bombarded with Coke. They have advertisements, commercials, facts, fiction, and everything else about the company dating back to the secret syrups creation. It is all slightly interesting, but the real joy is the “secret ingredient” and “tasting” exhibits. I won’t spoil the fun and say much, but if you get a chance to go make sure you give ‘ol Beverly a taste. One tip, she hangs out in Europe.
Fogo De Chao: This place is it! One giant smorgasbord of all you can eat meat. Yes, I just said “all you can eat.” It’s crazy, absolutely crazy. You walk in, you are seated, and within minutes you are literally attacked from all angles with choices ranging from Ribs to Sausage to Top Sirloin to Filet Mignon. It’s absolutely insane. The price is steep at ~$50 per person for dinner, but of all the things I did on this vacation, eating at Fogo De Chao left me with the most sense of satisfaction and bang-for-buck. And to seal the deal, this place has the best Filet Mignon I have ever had in my life (the girlfriend seconds that motion). Oh, did I mention it was all you can eat?
Phipps Plaza: If you want to get a glimpse of how high-life celebrities shop and live, stop by Phipps Plaza and hang out for a bit. Gucci, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Coach, they all have stores there. They are a bit out of my price range, but it was fun to “window shop” for a few minutes. Oh, and do not be surprised if you see a Bentley or Maybach in the parking lot.
Marta: The Marta is Atlanta’s well designed and cheap to use train/subway system. On our trip we opted to skip the rental car route and bus/walk/taxi/etc it wherever we needed to go. In the end, we only needed the train (and our Hotel shuttle for the Fogo De Chao trip mentioned above). Their light-rail system is just that nice. The trains run every 15 minutes, hit s the major spots (Downtown, Uptown, Touristy, Airport, etc), and will only run you $2 one way regardless of the destination. So when it came time to depart, we hopped the Marta, paid our $2, and traveled the 19mi in about 30min. Now why can’t Seattle have something similar?
Here is an interesting, depressing, and scary tidbit. Do a quick yahoo search for “aww” and look at the results. Notice anything? Yup. It is a sad sad day in the world and I blame rap music. Lol.