Exciting New Opportunities
So I have left the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and have returned to my first love, robotics. I am now gainfully employed at a small start-up company, CasePick Systems, which is developing industrial automation for a new market. I wanted to do my part in keeping tabs on our future metallic-overlords’ quest for world domination; though, I think this might be a good time to check into robot insurance.
Old Glory Insurance
Telespam - The Do Not Call Registry isn’t Working
Is it me or is telemarketing now worse than before the Do Not Call Registry arrived? The Registry was supposed to save us from annoying unwanted calls throughout the day. Even though my phone number is registered on the Do Not Call Registry, I am not only annoyed but am being harassed. I get calls from the same organization several times a day, every day. If you ignore them (using caller ID) they just keep trying, and if you answer and decline their request they still don’t take the hint. I’ve had some keep calling even after I had explicitly told them to take me off their list and to stop calling me. There must be some statistics that tell the telemarketers to be persistent even through rejection.
Since the Do Not Call Registry does not apply to charities, political organizations and pollsters, it is my hunch that the telemarketing agencies immediately latched on to charities (legitimate or otherwise) and offered to raise money for them. They are now back to their old tricks and things have gotten worse, not better. It is also my suspicion that they use the Do Not Call list as a cheap and easy way to get your phone number. Oh the irony!
I’m not sure an unlisted number would help either. If they randomly dial your number and you or your answering machine picks up the phone, they immediately know the phone number is active and will continue to hit it every time they have something to sell beg for. Have you solve this problem? How do you combat telespam?
photo credit: l0ckergn0me
They Don’t Make Doctors Like Him Anymore
I have the best doctor. I recently needed to see him and he offered to meet me at his office at 8:00 pm the same day. It wasn’t an emergency. Although I was very uncomfortable, it could have waited until the next day. He once treated my wife, Amy, in the evening at his home office, on New Years Eve no less! He often calls to check up on us a couple of days after a visit. I believe he makes house calls and even carries a little black bag. He can’t be a day younger than 80 and my first impression after meeting him was that I was going to have to find another family doctor. He is definitely old-school but has certainly kept up with current medical techniques and treatments. He doesn’t have a nurse. He takes your weight, pulse, blood pressure, etc. himself. He also does all his own paper work and even shows you exactly what he is writing in his notes. If you would like to travel back in time, presumably to the late 60’s or early 70’s, you just need to enter though his office door. The wood paneling brings me back as do the funky chairs, formica counter tops and green carpeting. While he won’t be getting any style points he makes up for it by being very thorough, caring, transparent, and accessible.
I think doctors like this are rare but I hope others will notice the potential market and fill the void. Dr. Jay Parkinson is certainly someone trying to fill that void by reinventing how he practices medicine. I hope he is successful and others take notice.
Recommended: OpenDNS
I have been using OpenDNS for maybe a year now and I thought others might like to know about it as well. It is a free DNS service that protects you and your children online while speeding up your internet browsing at the same time. It replaces your ISP’s DNS (think of a massive phone book for the internet) with a larger, more reliable one from OpenDNS providing a faster browsing experience. Phishing scam sites are automatically blocked and you can also set it up to filter out adult content or other categories you need blocked. I like this approach since it keeps objectionable material off my network without degrading performance like other programs do. It is really easy to set up as well. I chose to enable OpenDNS on my router so every computer in my home is automatically using the service. If you have children in the house or want just a little more surfing umph!, I think this a no-brainer.
Always Get a Second Opinion
We recently contacted three roofing companies to provide a quote to re-shingle our house. One contractor quoted us $7000 and another quoted $3000. The third contractor didn’t bother to show up even though we had agreed on an appointed day and time. What a difference between the three companies. I’m not sure how you stay in business when you stand up a customer but I’m glad they didn’t show. They saved me the headache of tracking them down after they didn’t finish the work. I am also amazed that there can be a 130% difference in price for the same job. But the question is will a $3000 roof be good enough and will it equal the quality of the $7000 one? It’s hard to know without some good references. I think some additional quotes are warranted as well.
Comment Spam Has Arrived
It finally happen. I received two comments that Akismet or whether it would have eventually happened given enough time. Don’t answer that. Sadly it seems no place is safe from spam. Thank goodness for Akismet.
Wired Magazine Wants Me to Pay More
I just received the last issue of my subscription to Wired Magazine and it included the obligatory “LAST ISSUE!” subscription renewal card guaranteeing me the low rate. What is ironic is that the “guaranteed low rate” to renew is $12 while the annoying subscription cards that fall out of the magazine advertise a one year subscription for $10.
I know it’s only a couple of dollars difference but the fact that Wired openly wants to charge its current customer (of many years) more than a new customer is amusing. (I wonder if this is what Chris Anderson meant in his post about magazine subscription cards.) I don’t think I will be renewing the subscription anyway. Over the past year or two the number of articles that appeal to me have dropped dramatically. For a while there were so many articles on the entertainment industry I had make sure I wasn’t reading US Weekly. The amount of filler material has also increased beyond reason. I used to read the magazine cover to cover and now I am lucky to complete two articles. I think there are better sources for information on technology and business. So long Wired, sorry you have to go.
P.S. What are your favorite places to get your tech/business/culture info?
Bionic Bugs
Is it art or a secret CIA spy fly? Check out these bug creations by artist Mike Libby. As described by the artist on his website,
“Insect Lab is an artist studio that customizes real insects with antique watch parts and electronic components.
Borrowing from both science fiction and science fact, Insect Lab’s customized insects are a celebration of natural and manmade function.”
Mike’s website, Insect Lab, shows a full gallery of beetles, bees, spiders and dragonflies. Prices range from $150 to over $600. I think they make great gifts for Valentine’s Day. Nothing says love like a frankenbug!
Welcome to Justintheloop!
Woot! This is the inaugural post for my new blog. I started this site for people who want be “in the loop” with what’s going on in my life. I don’t have some distorted notion that there are millions of you who are breathlessly waiting to hear about my latest trip to the hardware store. I just wanted a place where I could share some of my thoughts, ideas, stories, pictures and videos with people who are interested. I also hope my posts will foster some discussion in the comments. I know that there isn’t much to the site yet, but I plan to post regularly and I am working on a new design with additional features for the near future. I hope you enjoy the site. Please leave some comments or drop me a line as I would love to hear from you.
P.S. Subscribe to the RSS Feed if you want to automagically receive new articles as I post them. Here is an excellent explanation of RSS feeds for those who aren’t familiar with them.