Your Vermont Home

Going Green? - What More Can I Do?

I am always caught at the store checkout realizing that I really don't want "paper or plastic". But I haven't gotten to the point of taking a canvas bag in with me every time I shop. Even though I have been a recycler for more than 30 years, long before it was fashionable, I see I still have places where I stop. I justify it with "I do so much, I can just use paper bags and recycle them". But what if I used a bag over and over again? Would it really make a difference?

I came across this article today and thought it a good idea to spread the statistics. They actually are embarassing. The US is a leader in the use and dumping of plastic bags, which cause a long list of problems, not least of which is, animals die as a result.....needlessly. I don't want to be a party to that. I know that my choice won't change the world, but I can't help but remember a quote by the Dali Llama,
"If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them."

So, canvas bags it is......

More iPhone Apps

It seems that every day I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for and testing new and interesting apps for my iPod Touch. Currently I have more than 100 apps downloaded, most of which I have loaded on my Touch. Having been a died in the wool Newton user back in the stone age and reluctantly moving to the Palm universe, I have seen my share of software and applications. I am not really a game guy, short of an occasional game of Sudoku, but have downloaded a number of them to get a feel for how the accelerometer shines.....and it really is amazing to tilt my Touch to control what's happening on screen.

Mostly, my crusade is to find the perfect productivity apps. Ones that make my experience more enjoyable and easier. The truth is that there are a ton of apps that do just that. So, I thought I'd take some time to go over some of those that I use and would recommend......Don't worry, I'll only cover one at a time.....

The app that I use the most is one that is built in....the music app. Although I have almost 1000 songs on my Touch, what I listen to is podcasts.....and I listen to them daily. I listen to politics, comedy, and technology (mac of course). I listen in the car while driving, while walking (exercising), mowing the lawn, vacuuming the pool, even while shopping in the grocery store. The only radio station I listen to is Vermont Public Radio, but I don't listen to them a fraction of what I used to. I get the news I want from the podcasts I download. It's true that the news is delayed, but I find it more satisfying and informative. iTunes has thousands of podcasts on every conceivable subject, including University classes which have been recorded and uploaded. Universities like Cambridge, Duke and Georgia State have content available.....for free.

Audiobooks are just the icing on the cake. Again, thousands of books can be bought, downloaded and listened to during those idle moments we seem to have so many of. I have listened to books that I never would have found the time to read.

If for nothing other than filling your mind with what you want, not what the tv or radio wants, you should really consider buying at least an iPod.

iPhone 3.0 Hidden Tricks

Now that some time has passed (3 days), and many people have played with the new iPhone 3.0 update, here are some things that you may not have seen or even heard about.....10 Hidden Tricks brought to you by PC World.

It's All iPhone All The Time

Starting yesterday and continuing through this weekend, iPhone news is all over the place.
Yesterday the new operating system for iPhone and iPod Touch, OS 3.0, was released.
Things like cut and paste, voice recording, landscape view in multiple apps, global search
are just some of the additions. Here is a link to read about 40 things included in the upgrade.

Tomorrow is the day the new iPhone 3G S is being released, touting twice the speed of the current model.
There are two models; 16gig for $199 or 32gig for $299.
If you are in the market for a new phone, the best deal in town is to get the current 8 gig model for $99 and then upgrade to the new OS 3.0 for free. You will forfeit the new speed and the other updates in the new phone, but it still is very enticing. At&t is saying they will have that deal until they sell out.

I upgraded my iPod Touch yesterday  to 3.0 and so far only one app has issues. Fliq and it's associated apps are unable to synch to my mac. I can still use them on my touch, just can't synch. Still stinks.

EcoHome Magazine

Here is a great resource for staying up to date with what's new and developing in the "green movement". That term is already getting overused, but this website/magazine is a very good example of what's good in the movement.

So far, in every magazine I have discovered at least a handful of developments that I haven't heard about. This current issue has an article about how Maine is moving toward weatherizing every house in the state. Click Here. There is another article that explains all about R-Factors. Click Here

If you have an interest in a more efficient home, this is a must see website.

What's a Billion?

9 months after it's delivery into an unsuspecting world, Apple sets a record never even conceived of in the modern world. A billion downloads of third party applications to iPhone and iPod Touch devices. A BILLION.

Of course Apple has profited, AT&T has profited, but the incredible thing, all  of the developers that have also profited. Each of the more than 25,000 programs, was conceived of and written by someone with an idea, that up until 9 months ago, had little chance of seeing it's way to a computer. Development and marketing costs kept the unfunded or underfunded away from the market. Now, even a nine year old had sold a application in the App Store. It's a finger painting program. There are  stories of people with little programing experience writing applications that have made six figures. It is truly an amazing shift in how we thought about the cell phone market a year ago.

Now understand, I am clear there is some real garbage on the App Store. How can it be that a fart app makes it to the top ten? or that a baby shaking app could even be considered...(Apple by the way, has removed it and apologized for allowing it in the store in the first place). But, the good far outweighs the bad.

I now have a complete dictionary, the constitution, about 50 work and personal documents, 50 pdf's, google earth, e-books, audio books, movies, pictures, music.....all on a device I can fit in my front pocket. My wife often asks me to look up someone's Chinese animal on my iPod Touch ....because I can.

Apple shifts paradigms consistenly, and that's why I love them. Congratulations!

Indestructible Protection

Fliq Suite iPhone apps

These are the best I've found for combining notes, todo's, and documents on my ipod touch.
Mark/Space is the company that first made it possible to sync my Palm to my Mac....really.
It's a company that has an understanding of how we use our handhelds.

Fliq is the application that resides on your desktop that you simply drag docs, notes or todo's to.
Magically they appear immediately on your iphone/touch. Fliq,  Fliq Notes, Fliq To Do and Fliq Docs are all separate programs. I am still looking for them to combine all four of their programs into one but here is why that won't be happening soon. If you have Fliq on your iphone and your buddy has it too....and you are in wifi range, you can send a note, to do, photo or even a contact to your buddy, straight up.

I imagine it will be used for sharing photos primarily and maybe for sending contact info. But what I use it for is getting word docs and pdf's onto my ipod touch. I refer to docs daily on my touch. I am on so many boards and in so many meetings and now I can always have the info I need at my fingertips....literally.

All their programs are free except for the desktop version which is $20 for either Mac or PC

Check them out here

Neko Case's New Album

This is a different post for me. I don't usually post about music, mostly because I have eclectic taste but really there are more music blogs than you can count.....but this morning on my public radio station I heard Neko interviewed. I had never heard of her before, but was completely taken by her voice and her personality. Then of course when she mentioned she owned a barn in Vermont where she records her music and has 8 pianos off of Craigs list, she had me. But she didn't stop there, she is also an animal advocate and will donate money every time this song is posted on a blog.....that sealed it, so now you know the rest of the story.....

go here to download her new song "People Got A Lot of Nerve"

People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case

New Fire Safety Laws

If you live in Vermont, you need to be aware of the new fire safety regulations that affect everyone, at some point. Here is the place to go to read all about it, but in brief:

"In 2008 the Vermont General Assembly amended the smoke alarm (detector) law by requiring the photoelectric smoke alarm (detectors) be installed in new single-family dwellings and dwellings that are sold or transferred after January 1, 2009.

The alarms must be located in the vicinity of any bedrooms and on each level of the dwelling, along with one or more carbon monoxide detectors in the vicinity of any bedrooms in the dwelling, installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions."

Here is a pdf you can download:

Download Fact_sheet

This is rather current for me. A month ago I came close to losing my house to an electrical fire. It started in my attic and luckily I found it in time enough for the damage to be contained there with no structural damage. But now you know I have updated fire extinguishers and fire alarms.

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